Publications

Chen, DX; He, L; Liu, FF; Yin, KD (2017). Effects of typhoon events on chlorophyll and carbon fixation in different regions of the East China Sea. ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE, 194, 229-239.

Abstract
Typhoons play an important role in the regulation of phytoplankton biomass and carbon fixation in the ocean. Data from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) on 35 typhoon events during 2002-2011 are analyzed to examine the effects of typhoon events on variations in sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and depth-integrated primary productivity (IPP) in the East China Sea (ECS). For all 35 typhoon cases, the average SST drops by 0.1 degrees C in the typhoon influenced regions, and the maximal decrease is 2.2 degrees C. During the same period, average Chl-a increases by 0.1 mg m(-3), with the maximal increase reaching up to 1 mg m-3, and average IPP increases by 32.9 mg C M-2.d(-1), with the largest increase being 221 mg C m(-2). d(-1). The IPP are significantly correlated with SST and Chl-a data, and the correlations become stronger after typhoon passage. On average, nearly one-third of the ECS is affected by typhoons during the 10 year period, and the resident time of the typhoons in the area reach to 38.2 h. Effects of the typhoon events on SST, Chl-a, and IPP manifest differently in the three key sea areas, namely, the coastal water (depths <50 m), continental shelf (depths 50-200 m), and open sea (depths >200 m) regions in the ECS. Specifically, stronger responses are observed in shallow water than in deeper depths. The comparisons between the pre-and post-typhoon periods show that IPP in the post-typhoon period increases by 19.7% and 12.2% in the coastal and continental shelf regions, respectively, but it decreases by 9.4% in the open sea region. Overall, our results reveal that there is a close coupling between Chl-a, SST, and IPP in shallow areas and that typhoon events can have strong effects on carbon fixation in coastal regions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI:
10.1016/j.ecss.2017.06.026

ISSN:
0272-7714