Assessing CO sources and sinks in and around Taiwan: Implication for achieving regional carbon neutrality by 2050.

Taiwan has pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but the current extent of carbon sinks in Taiwan remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to first review the existing nature-based carbon sinks on land and in the oceans around Taiwan. Subsequently, we suggest potential strategies to reduce CO emissions and propose carbon dioxide removal methods (CDRs).

Modulations of ocean-atmosphere interactions on squid abundance over Southwest Atlantic.

Anthropogenic shifts in seas are reshaping fishing trends, with significant implications for aquatic food sources throughout this century. Examining a 21-year abundance dataset of Argentine shortfin squids Illex argentinus paired with a regional oceanic analysis, we noted strong correlations between squid annual abundance and sea surface temperature (SST) in January and February and eddy kinetic energy (EKE) from March to May in the Southwest Atlantic. A deeper analysis revealed combined ocean-atmosphere interactions, pinpointed as the primary mode in a rotated empirical orthogonal function analysis of SST.

Marine microplastics in the surface waters of "pristine" Kuroshio.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in oceans. Their transboundary transport and fate have aroused global attention. Taiwan is located close to the western boundary current-Kuroshio, is an excellent location to study of MP mobility in the global current and Pacific Garbage Patch.

Anomalous wind triggered the largest phytoplankton bloom in the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

In summer 2010, a massive bloom appeared in the middle (16-25°N, 160-200°E) of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) creating a spectacular oasis in the middle of the largest oceanic desert on Earth. Peaked in June 2010 covering over two million km in space, this phytoplankton bloom is the largest ever recorded by ocean color satellites in the NPSG over the period from 1997 to 2013. The initiation and mechanisms sustaining the massive bloom were due to atmospheric and oceanic anomalies.

Elevated particulate organic carbon export flux induced by internal waves in the oligotrophic northern South China Sea.

To understand the biogeochemical response to internal waves in the deep basin of the northern South China Sea (NSCS), particulate organic carbon (POC) export fluxes were quantified for the first time during the passage of large internal waves using drifting sediment traps attached with hydrographic sensors. Results revealed large variations in temperature, nitrate and chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations during and after internal waves, suggesting that cold nutrient-replete waters may be brought to the euphotic zone in the dissipation zone during and after the passage of internal wave packets, resulted in phytoplankton flourished. Most importantly, POC export fluxes (110.

A rare and extensive summer bloom enhanced by ocean eddies in the oligotrophic western North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) is the largest ecosystem on Earth, and it plays a critical role in global ocean productivity and carbon cycling. Here, we report a rare and striking ~2000-km-long phytoplankton bloom that lasted over one month in the western part of the NPSG in summer 2003. The bloom resulted from the co-occurrence of a northward-shifted North Equatorial Current (NEC) supplying additional phosphate, and strong eddy activity that fueled productivity and spread chlorophyll mainly through horizontal stirring.

Extratropical Forcing Triggered the 2015 Madden-Julian Oscillation-El Niño Event.

In this paper, we report the triggering effect of extratropical perturbation on the onset of an atypical Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and onset of the 2015-16 El Niño in March 2015. The MJO exhibited several unique characteristics: the effect of extratropical forcing, atypical genesis location and timing in the equatorial western Pacific, and the extremity of amplitudes in many aspects. The southward-penetrating northerly associated with the extratropical disturbances in the extratropical western North Pacific contributed to triggering the deep convection and westerly wind burst (WWB) and onset of the MJO over the anomalously warm tropical western Pacific in early March.