Browsing by Author "Ramos, Marcel"
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Item Open Access Emergent constraint on oxygenation of the upper South Eastern Pacific oxygen minimum zone in the twenty-first century(Nature Research, 2024-05-28) Almendra, Ivan; Dewitte, Boris; Garçon, Véronique; Muñoz, Praxedes; Parada, Carolina; Montes Torres, Ivonne; Duteil, Olaf; Paulmier, Aurélien; Pizarro, Oscar; Ramos, Marcel; Koeve, Wolfgang; Oschlies, AndreasThe erosion of marine sediments is a pressing issue for coastal areas worldwide. Established methods to mitigate coastal erosion fail to provide lasting and sustainable solutions to protect marine ecosystems. Here we demonstrate the application of mild electrical stimulations to precipitate calcareous mineral binders from seawater in the pores of marine soils via electrodeposition, an alternative approach to mitigating coastal erosion. Results of electrochemical laboratory experiments unveil that the polymorphs, precipitation sites, intrusion mechanisms, and effects of electrodeposited minerals in marine sands vary as a function of the magnitude and duration of applied voltage, soil relative density, and electrolyte ionic concentration. Surprisingly, in addition to the precipitation of calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide, the formation of hydromagnesite is also observed due to electrically driven fluctuations in the local pH. These electrodeposits lead to enhanced mechanical and hydraulic properties of the marine sands, indicating that electrodeposition routes could be developed to reinforce marine soils in coastal areas that more closely mimic natural systems.Item Open Access On the interpretation of changes in the subtropical oxygen minimum zone volume off Chile during two La Niña events (2001 and 2007)(Frontiers Media, 2023-07-04) Pizarro-Koch, Matías; Pizarro, Oscar; Dewitte, Boris; Montes Torres, Ivonne; Paulmier, Aurélien; Garçon, Véronique; Sepulveda, Hector Hito; Corredor-Acosta, Andrea; Aguirre, Catalina; Ramos, MarcelOxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are extended oceanic regions for which dissolved oxygen concentration is extremely low. They are suspected to be expanding in response to global warming. However, currently, the mechanisms by which OMZ varies in response to climate variability are still uncertain. Here, the variability of the subtropical OMZ off central Chile of a regional coupled physical–biogeochemical regional model simulation was analyzed for the period 2000–2008, noting that its fluctuations were significant despite the relatively weak amplitude of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In particular, the interannual variability in the OMZ volume (OMZVOL, defined as the volume with dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) ≤ 45μM) was approximately 38% larger than that of the seasonal cycle, with maximum and minimum anomalies of OMZVOL taking place during two cold La Niña (LN) years (2001 and 2007). The model analyses further reveal that these anomalies resulted from a combined effect of changes in (1) the oxygen-poor waters poleward transport by the Peru–Chile undercurrent (PCUC), (2) the intensity of quasi-zonal jets influencing the transport of water to and from the OMZ, and (3) the zonal DO transport related to mesoscale eddy activity. Specifically, the interannual variability of the PCUC modulated primarily the DO contents of the OMZ core [(DO) ≤ 20μM] and secondarily the OMZVOL, while cross-shore DO transport by the zonal jets and the eddy fluxes played a major role in ventilating and shaping the offshore extent of the OMZ. When the OMZVOL was maximum (minimum), the PCUC transport was slightly increased (reduced), which was associated with a reduction (increase) in the ventilation of the OMZ through negative (positive) anomalies of zonal advection and DO eddy fluxes. Our results demonstrate that significant natural interannual variability in the subtropical OMZ off Chile originates from the interplay between oceanic equatorial teleconnection (PCUC transport) and local non-linear dynamics (the zonal jets and mesoscale eddies).Item Open Access Seasonal variability of the oxygen minimum zone off Peru in a high-resolution regional coupled model(European Geosciences Union (EGU), 2016-08-08) Vergara, Oscar; Dewitte, Boris; Montes Torres, Ivonne; Garçon, Veronique; Ramos, Marcel; Paulmier, Aurélien; Pizarro, OscarIn addition to being one of the most productive upwelling systems, the oceanic region off Peru is embedded in one of the most extensive oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) of the world ocean. The dynamics of the OMZ off Peru remain uncertain, partly due to the scarcity of data and to the ubiquitous role of mesoscale activity on the circulation and biogeochemistry. Here we use a high-resolution coupled physical/biogeochemical model simulation to investigate the seasonal variability of the OMZ off Peru. The focus is on characterizing the seasonal cycle in dissolved O₂ (DO) eddy flux at the OMZ boundaries, including the coastal domain, viewed here as the eastern boundary of the OMZ, considering that the mean DO eddy flux in these zones has a significant contribution to the total DO flux. The results indicate that the seasonal variations of the OMZ can be interpreted as resulting from the seasonal modulation of the mesoscale activity. Along the coast, despite the increased seasonal low DO water upwelling, the DO peaks homogeneously over the water column and within the Peru Undercurrent (PUC) in austral winter, which results from mixing associated with the increase in both the intraseasonal wind variability and baroclinic instability of the PUC. The coastal ocean acts therefore as a source of DO in austral winter for the OMZ core, through eddy-induced offshore transport that is also shown to peak in austral winter. In the open ocean, the OMZ can be divided vertically into two zones: an upper zone above 400 m, where the mean DO eddy flux is larger on average than the mean seasonal DO flux and varies seasonally, and a lower part, where the mean seasonal DO flux exhibits vertical–zonal propagating features that share similar characteristics than those of the energy flux associated with the annual extratropical Rossby waves. At the OMZ meridional boundaries where the mean DO eddy flux is large, the DO eddy flux has also a marked seasonal cycle that peaks in austral winter (spring) at the northern (southern) boundary. In the model, the amplitude of the seasonal cycle is 70 % larger at the southern boundary than at the northern boundary. Our results suggest the existence of distinct seasonal regimes for the ventilation of the OMZ by eddies at its boundaries. Implications for understanding the OMZ variability at longer timescales are discussed.Item Open Access Seasonal variability of the Southern tip of the Oxygen Minimum Zone in the Eastern South Pacific (30°‐38°S): a modeling study(American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2019-12) Pizarro‐Koch, Matias; Pizarro, Oscar; Dewitte, Boris; Montes Torres, Ivonne; Ramos, Marcel; Paulmier, Aurélien; Garçon, VéroniqueWe investigate the seasonal variability of the southern tip (30°–38°S) of the eastern South Pacific oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) based on a high horizontal resolution (1/12°) regional coupled physical‐biogeochemical model simulation. The simulation is validated by available in situ observations and the OMZ seasonal variability is documented. The model OMZ, bounded by the contour of 45 μM, occupies a large volume (4.5x10⁴ km³) during the beginning of austral winter and a minimum (3.5x10⁴ km³) at the end of spring, just 1 and 2 months after the southward transport of the Peru‐Chile Undercurrent (PCUC) is maximum and minimum, respectively. We showed that the PCUC significantly impacts the alongshore advection of dissolved oxygen (DO) modulating the OMZ seasonal variability. However, zonal transport of DO by meridionally alternating zonal jets and mesoscale eddy fluxes play also a major role in the seasonal and spatial variability of the OMZ. Consistently, a DO budget analysis reveals a significant contribution of advection terms to the rate of change of DO and the prominence of mesoscale variability within the seasonal cycle of these terms. Biogeochemical processes and horizontal and vertical mixing, associated with subgrid scale processes, play only a secondary role in the OMZ seasonal cycle. Overall, our study illustrates the interplay of mean and (mesoscale) eddy‐induced transports of DO in shaping the OMZ and its seasonal cycle off Central Chile.