Collaborative Research: Impacts of Ocean Physics on the Arabian Sea Oxygen Minimum Zone

世界海洋中的最低含氧量区 (OMZ) 通常出现在高生产力区域下方，其中细菌利用氧气对下沉碎屑进行再矿化。阿拉伯海 OMZ 是世界海洋中最强烈的此类区域之一，阿拉伯海中东部 100-1000 米深度的氧气几乎完全耗尽。值得注意的是，该区域明显转移到位于西部盆地的生产力最高的地区的东部。在这个项目中，夏威夷大学和马里兰大学的科学家将与印度和日本的国际合作伙伴合作，以了解决定阿拉伯海 OMZ 强度和位置的过程。他们的工作假设是物理而非生物过程通过涡流过程将该区域转移到东部盆地。本研究将使用物理模型的层次结构，每个模型都将与带有氧气包的生物模型 (NPZD) 耦合。该研究旨在了解阿拉伯海最低氧区的基本生物物理过程，其结果应适用于世界海洋中的其他此类区域。由于其强度，了解阿拉伯海 OMZ 的动态具有全球重要性。由于其“还原条件”，该区域影响全球氮库存，从而影响氮限制和碳出口的程度。此外，通过N2O的产生，该区域还影响大气中温室气体的积累。最后，众所周知，该区域在地质时间尺度上变化很大，这表明它可能受到现代气候变化的影响。该研究还为国际项目做出了贡献，包括开发 CLIVAR/GOOS 印度洋观测系统和综合海洋生物和生态系统研究 (IMBER)。

Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the world's oceans typically occur below regions of high productivity where oxygen is utilized in the remineralization of sinking detritus by bacteria. The Arabian Sea OMZ is one of the most intense such zones in the world ocean with near-total depletion of oxygen in the eastern-central Arabian Sea at a depth from 100-1000 m. Remarkably, the zone is shifted well to the east of the most productive regions of which are located in the western basin. In this project, scientists from the University of Hawaii and the University of Maryland will collaborate with international partners from India and Japan in order to understand the processes that determine the strength and location of the Arabian Sea OMZ. Their working hypothesis is that physical, and not biological, processes shift this zone to the eastern basin through eddy processes. A hierarchy of physical models will be utilized for this study, each will be coupled to a biological model (NPZD) with an oxygen package. The research aims to understand basic biophysical processes of the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone and the results should be applicable to other such regions in the world's oceans. Because of its intensity, understanding the dynamics of the Arabian Sea OMZ is of global importance. Because of its "reducing conditions," the zone impacts the global nitrogen inventory and hence the degree of nitrogen limitation and carbon export. In addition, through the production of N2O, the zone also influences greenhouse gas accumulation in the atmosphere. Finally, the zone is known to have varied considerably on geological time scales which suggests that it may be affected by modern climate change.The research also contributes to international programs including the development of the CLIVAR/GOOS Indian Ocean observing system and Integrated Marine Biology and Ecosystem Research (IMBER).