Internal wave eigenmodes and their weak nonlinear resonant interaction in a nonlinearly stratified fluid—A preliminary theoretical and experimental study

A preliminary theoretical and experimental study was conducted on internal wave modes and their weak nonlinear resonant interaction in a nonlinearly stratified fluid. An asymptotical solution of the modes and a dispersion relation of internal waves in a stratified fluid with density profile similar to that in our experiment were obtained theoretically. The resonant-interaction mechanism to 2nd order approximation is also discussed. The resonant interaction of the 3rd and 4th mode internal waves excited by the unstable 1st mode wave is analyzed on the basis of data obtained by conductivity probes. The resonant-interaction condition, i.e., ,k ₁+k ₃+k ₄=0, is examined. It is shown that the resonant instability increases with pycnocline thickness and wave maker driving frequency. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Mixing in Shallow Waters： Measurements, Processing, and Applications

Microstructure profiling measurements taken on a shallow Black Sea shelf and in Lake Banyoles and Boadella reservoir (Both in Spain) are analyzed to investigate the influence of boundary-layer-induced turbulence of various sources on mixing in the water interior. The state of turbulence in shallow waters is examined and details of microstructure data processing and error analysis are discussed. The dependence between averaged activity parameter AG and buoyancy Reynolds number Reb for the shelf turbulence indicates that for Reb < 1 the state of turbulence can be described by the fossil turbulence model, which postulates AG-Reb1/2. For Reb> 1, however, the influence of Reb on AG is weak, signifying that the buoyancy Reynolds number can no longer serve as the governing parameter for active turbulent mixing. The generation of turbulence by a one-minute long wind bursts (the Boadella reservoir) increases the averaged dissipation rate (e) of the surface mixed layer by more than 5 times (up to 3×10-6 W kg-1). The influence of the wind bursts was also traced below the ther-mocline, where turbulent patches with     

The drift velocity of oil film on the sea

To make surface seawater flow, the shear stress of the wind blowing on the sea must overcome the work of cohesion of seawaterW _c. Oil film on the sea will drift along the wind direction so long as the shear stress of the wind overcomes the work of adhesion between the water and the oilW _a or the work of cohesion of oil W_t,o. Experiments bear out the theory that surface tension of seawater is more than twice that of oils generally, so that the wind influenced drift velocity of the oil film is over two times that of the wind-driven surface current. The wind factor for surface current in Jiaozhou Bay is 0.025, while those for the drift velocities of O-diesel oil film and the used light crude oil film are 0.070 and 0.052 respectively. Generally the primary factors influencing the movement velocity of oil film on the sea are current, wind, and the physicochemical properties of the oil. The drift velocity of oil film is determined from analysis of the work of adhesion between seawater and oil. Experiments and actual observations agree with the theoretical analysis. Contribution No. 1831 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica     

The intrinsic acidity constants and specific surface area of marine solid particles I. A new method

This paper proposes a new method for determining the intrinsic acidity constantsK _a1 ^int andK _aj ^int . The new method is a great improvement over the modified Langmuir plot method generally adopted in that determination of these constants is not dependent on the specific surface area of the marine solid particles. The new method was used to determineK _a1 ^int ,K _2a ^int and for the main inorganic components of marine solid particles, including illite, montmorillonite, kaolinite, goethite, γ-AlOOH. amorphous ferric oxide, δ-MnO₂, manganite, SiO₂ and calcium carbonate, and can facilitate the study on the effect of solution constituents, solution temperature, ionic strength, etc. on the value of .     

A comparative analysis of four kinds of polysaccharides purified from Furcellaria lumbricalis

Four kinds of polysaccharides (FA, FB, FC and FD) were extracted and purified from a red alga Furcellaria lumbricalis. Their monosaccharide composition, average molecular mass and structural feature were determined by gas chromatography (GC), high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The results showed that FA and FB were composed of galactose (Gal), 3,6-anhydro-galactose (AnG) and 4-sulfated-galactose (G4S), which were structurally similar to β-carrageenan and κ-carrageenan. FC was composed of sulfated galactose and small amount of AnG, indicating that it was a hybrid-sulfated galactan. FD was composed of α-1,4-glucose and belonged to floridean starch. The respective yields of FA, FB, FC and FD were 4.84%, 33.74%, 8.76% and 13.5%, and the corresponding were 537 kD, 432 kD, 513 kD and 51 kD respectively. Owning to its high content (>60%) of polysaccharide, F. lumbricalis will be a good source of marine sulfated polysaccharide and shows its potential utilization in food and medicine.     

Plateau typeE(%)- pH curves of interfacial exchange between liquid and solid in seawater

A study on the curves of the exchange ratioE(%)- pH on the liquid-solid interface of the systems Zn (II) with clay minerals, (Kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite), Zn (II) with hydrous ferric oxides (amorphous ferric oxide, geothite and hematite), Zn (II) with hydrous manganese oxide (γ-MnOOH, manganite and δ-MnO₂) etc. in seawater resulted in the discovery of new plateau type exchange ratioE(%)-pH curves not yet reported in literature. The two factors that decide the growth, decline and the change of the “plateau type” curve are: (1) the inherent characteristics of systems, which can be explained by the exchange constants (i=1, 2, 3, etc.) of interfacial stepwise ion/coordination particle exchange between liquid and solid; and (2) . The theory of interfacial stepwise ion/coordination particle exchange in seawater was applied to explain the experimental results of the above study and a general formula was derived for the plateau type exchange ratioE(%)-pH curves. The theoretically simulated and calculated curves coincided well with the experimental results. This paper provides new and powerful experimental basis to support the theory of interfacial stepwise ion/coordination particle exchange in seawater. The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

A study on the baroclinic structure of the abyssal circulation

In this paper, the linear continuously stratified ntxiel of the abyssal circulation proposed by Pedlosky (1992) was emended to include the second order term - (γθm) in the vertical turbulent mixing pararneterization of - (ω‘θ‘）x = kvθxx- θxxx, in which kv is a vertical diffusion coefficient,and γ is the second order coefficient of turbulent mixing (or simply called γ-term and γ＜0 is only allcmed). The influence of the γ-tema on the baroclinic structure of the abyssal circulation driven by up-welling out of the abyss was investigated, It was found that the γ-term has a noticeable influence on thebaroclinic structure of the upwelling driven abyssal circulation. For uniform upwelling, it favors the baroelinic layering of the abyssal circulation in the eastern part of the basin, but prevents the layering in thewest. In addition, this parameter was found to decrease the vertically averaging meridional velocity of theabyssal circulation frcrn the west to the east on the southern boundary. For upwelling localized near theeastern boundary, the γ - term favors baroclinic layering of the abyssal circulation in the whole basin.Especially, on the southern boundary the γ - term could strengthen the vertically averaging meridional ve-loeity in the west, but gready weaken it in the east. The ntntel presented here might be considered as anextension of the Pedlosky baroclinic ntntel of the abyssal circulation.     

The extraction of harmonic tidal constants from high and low waters

With the application of electronic computers, the extraction of harmonic constants from high and low waters becomes an extremely simple process as compared with Doods’n’s technique. The phenomenon of aliasing is examined by supposing the samples are taken at intervals of exactly 6 lunar hours. The constituents with frequencies satisfying the relation are inseparable and the coefficient determinant of the normal equations will be singular if the heights only are used. When the values of the first derivatives and the irregularity of the sampling are taken into consideration the condition of the determinant is improved. Large diurnal tides can cause irregularity of sampling and so we are in favour of the separation of the aliased constituents. For tidal current data, if the slack times are available, the results of analysis can be much improved. The results for major constituents derived from the observed high and low waters agree satisfactorily with those from hourly data. This paper was published in Chinese inOcean. Limn. Sinica 17(4):318–328, 1986.     

Study on bottom stress under conditions of storm surge and tide

Sea bottom stress is conventionally assumed to be directly proportional to the square of the verticallyaveraged velocity,and the drag coefficient to be dependent on the speed and direction of the wind on the sea surface,the depth and dimension of the sea,the period of the tide and so on. In this paper a three-dimensional numerical model is used to discuss the relation the dragcoefficient and the above-mentioned factors.It can be shown from calculation that the relation, is valid,that the drag coefficient is a constant in a major part of a sea as thought conventionally,andthat there is a small area near the coast where the drag coefficient is far greater.We call it singular area. A number of conclusions on the relation between the drag coefficient and the speed and direction ofthe wind,the sea depth and so on,were obtained.     

Effects of composition and structure of alginates on adsorption of divalent metals

Results of a series of experiments (on the adsorption of divalent metal ions by dried alginic acid, Na and Ca alginates of different composition and block structure) conducted in this systematic study of the effects of the composition and structure of alginates on the static adsorption equilibrium of divalent metal ions indicate that the properties of alginate adsorption to divalent metal ions are highly different, depending not only on the cations used, but also on the form and structure of the alginates. There is close correlation between the adsorption properties and the structure of the alginates. The selectivity coefficient of Na alginate for Cd-Sr ion exchange tends to increase with the increase of theM/G ratio in alginate, whereas the adsorption capacity of Ca alginate for Cu²⁺ ion decrease with the increase of the G-block or the average length of the G-block and the total adsorption capacity of alginic acid is found to vary in the same order as theF _MM(diad frequency) in alginate in the mixed solution of Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺ and Cd²⁺. Contribution No. 2166 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

A multilayer study of pCO2 in the surface waters of the Yellow and South China Seas in spring and the sea-air carbon dioxide flux

A multilayer study of pCO₂ for the Yellow and South China Seas in the surface waters was conducted based on data from four cruises sponsored by the China SOLAS Project in 2005 and 2006, including data for the surface microlayer (SML), subsurface layer (SSL) and surface layer (SL). The carbon fluxes across the air-sea interface were calculated. The results showed that the pCO₂ values in the surface waters of the study area decreased in the following order: pCO_{2 SML} > pCO_{2 SSL} > pCO_{2 SL}. The highest values were found in March for all SML, SSL and SL, followed by those in April, and the lowest were in May. The pCO₂ values had a significant positive correlation with temperature or salinity. While there was no relationship between pCO₂ and longitude, there was a significant negative correlation between it and latitude, i.e., ‘high latitude low pCO₂’. By using four calculation models, the carbon dioxide fluxes ( ) in spring in the Yellow and South China Seas, which were found to act as a ‘sink’ of atmospheric CO₂, were preliminarily estimated on the basis of the pCO₂ data in the SML to be −7.00×10⁶t C and −22.35×10⁶t C, respectively. It is suggested that the calculated on the basis of pCO₂ data in the SML is more reliable than that calculated on the basis of those in the SL.     

Preliminary study on the formation mechanism of counter western boundary undercurrents below the thermocline—A conceptual model

Based on a simple conceptual model of stratified ocean, the criterion of the geostrophic velocity inversion in and below the thermocline was derived ash′·ν′<0 and {ie1-1}, meaning that the slopes of the thermocline (h′) and the sea {ie1-2} must be opposite to each other, and thath′ must be strong enough to satisfy the latter inequality. The criterion was applied to discuss the features of the western boundary undercurrents, the counter undercurrents of the western boundary currents below the thermocline, and to discuss the dynamics of their formation finally resulting from the combination of the basin-scale circulation and local geostrophic balance. The formation mechanism, multicore structure, and transport variations of the Mindanao Undercurrent and those of other undercurrents, such as the North Equatorial Undercurrent and the Kuroshio undercurrent, can be satisfactorily explained by the above results. Research supported by the Postdoctoral Research Foundation and the NSFC (No. 49176255 and 49706066). Contribution No. 3405 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Distribution of sediment chloroplastic pigments in the Southern Yellow Sea,China

The distribution of sediment chloroplastic pigments (Chl-a, i.e. chlorophyll a and Pha-a, i.e. phaeophorbide a) in the Southern Yellow Sea of China was studied. Samples were collected from four cruises in January and June 2003, and January and June 2004. The results show that the vertical distribution of Chl-a and Pha-a in the sediment layers 0-2cm, 2-5cm and 5-8cm, follows a stable ratio, 5:3:2. The average ratio of Pha-a to Chl-a in sediment is 2.83. Spearman 2-tailed rank correlation analysis shows that Chl-a and Pha-a contents in each sediment layer have a highly significant correlation. The average contents of Chl-a and Pha-a in the sediment of the 0-8cm layer in the investigated area are 0.31 -0.47μgg-1 and 1.28-1.40 μgg-1 sediment (dry weight), respectively. The average Chl-a and Pha-a contents in sediment are higher in summer than in winter. ANOVA analysis shows that there is a highly significant variation among the Chl-a contents (P = 0.002 <0.01) of the four cruies, but this is not true for the case of Pha-a content (P = 0.766>0.05). The average Chl-a and Pha-a contents in the 2 sediment layers (0-2cm and 2-5cm) have significant or highly significant correlations with organic matter (OM), median diameter (Mdφ), silt plus clay percentage in the January 2003 cruise. In the June 2003 cruise, the average Chl-a content in the 3 sediment layers (0-2cm, 2-5cm, and 5-8cm) has a significant correlation with meiofauna biomass, and Pha-a content has highly significant correlations with water depth, bottom water temperature, OM and Mdφ The contents of Chl-a and Pha-a are lower than those in estuaries and intertidal areas, but close to those in the same area studied previously.     

Distribution and migration of the common squidTodarodes pacificus in the Yellow Sea

Study of the distribution and migration of the common squid,Todarodes pacificus Steenstrup,basedon the index of important fishing ground(P) and fisheries statistics on the Yellow Sea and northern EastChina Sea during 1980—1991 showed that:1.Its catch in the fishing period(June to November) is 91.77% of the annual yield.The fishingground distributes over the northem and middle Yel1ow Sea and adjacent area of the Changjiang Estuary.2. It over-winters in the northem East China Sea and waters adjacent to Goto Island from De-cember to February and spawns in waters near Haijiao Is1and and west of Kyushu. The main stock mi-grates along 123°30′E to the ChangJiang Estuary, Haizhou Bay. offsea from Shidao to Qingdao,mideastern Yellow Sea, and offsea Weihai and Haiyang Island succesively for feeding after April. The sur-plus stock migrates again to the wintering ground in December.3.The favorable feeding temperature is 6-23℃(optimum of l3-20℃ in the Changjiang Estua-ry and 7-13℃ in the northern and middle Yel     

Studies on the community structures of meiofauna and marine nematode at six stations in the Southern Yellow Sea,China

1Introduction As part of a comprehensive investigation of ecosys-tem dynamics in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea,astudy has been made of meiofauna,defined here asmetazoans passing a0.5mm sieve but retained by a0.031mm sieve.Meiofauna is an important energeticgroup in benthic small food web due to their smallsize,high abundance and fast turnover rates.Theproduction of meiofauna is equal to or higher than thatof macrofauna in estuaries,shallow waters and deepseas(Gerlach,1971;Platt and Warw…     

Seasonal succession of phytoplankton in response to the variation of environmental factors in the Gaolan River, Three Gorges Reservoir, China

To understand the responses of a freshwater ecosystem to the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), phytoplankton was monitored in the tributaries of the TGR area. From August 2010 to July 2011, algal species composition, abundance, chlorophyll a and other environmental parameters were investigated in the Gaolan River, which is a tributary of Xiangxi River. Thirty-one algal genera from seven phyla were identified. Results show that the lowest concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) were 0.06 mg/L and 1.08 mg/L, respectively. The values of TP and TN exceeded the threshold concentration of the eutrophic state suggested for freshwater bodies. In the Gaolan River, the succession of phytoplankton showed clear seasonal characteristics. Different dominant species were observed among seasons under the control of environment factors. In spring and summer, the dominant species were Nitzschia sp. and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs, the limiting nutrient was NO ₃ ^? -N, and the key environmental factor for phytoplankton population succession was water temperature (WT). In autumn and winter, the dominant species were A. flos-aquae and Chlorella sp., the limiting nutrient was PO ₄ ^3? -P, and the key environmental factors were transparency and WT. This study illustrates the influence of physical and chemical factors on phytoplankton seasonal succession in a tributary of TGR since the downstream regions of Xiangxi River and Gaolan River became reservoirs after impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam. We suggest that this activity has significantly affected water quality in the dam area.     

Major mid-late Holocene cooling in the East China Sea revealed by an alkenone sea surface temperature record

Although the mid-late Holocene cold and dry event about 4000 years ago(the 4 ka event) has been observed almost globally, it was most prominent in terrestrial climate proxies from the lower latitudes. Here we evaluate the oceanic response to this event in terms of a Holocene sea surface temperature(SST) record reconstructed using the K'37U index for Core B3 on the continental shelf of the East China Sea. The record reveals a large temperature drop of about 5℃ from the mid-Holocene(24.7℃ at 5.6 ka) to the 4 ka event(19.2℃ at 3.8 ka). This mid-late Holocene cooling period in Core B3 correlated with(i) decreases in the East Asia summer monsoon intensity and(ii) the transition period with increased El Nino/Southern Oscillation activities in the Equatorial Pacific. Our SST record provides oceanic evidence for a more global nature of the mid-late Holocene climate change, which was most likely caused by a southward migration of the Intertropical Converge Zone in response to the decreasing summer solar insolation in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the large SST drop around Core B3 indicates that the mid-late Holocene cooling was regionally amplified by the initiation/strengthening of eddy circulation/cold front which caused upwelling and resulted in additional SST decrease. Upwelling during the mid-late Holocene also enhanced with surface productivity in the East China Sea as reflected by higher alkenone content around Core B3.     

Production of polyhydroxybutyrate by the marine photosynthetic bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum P5

The effects of different NaCl concentrations, nitrogen sources, carbon sources, and carbon to nitrogen molar ratios on biomass accumulation and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production were studied in batch cultures of the marine photosynthetic bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum P5 under aerobic-dark conditions. The results show that the accumulation of PHB in strain P5 is a growth-associated process. Strain P5 had maximum biomass and PHB accumulation at 2%-3% NaCl, suggesting that the bacterium can maintain growth and potentially produce PHB at natural seawater salinity. In the nitrogen source test, the maximum biomass accumulation (8.10±0.09 g/L) and PHB production (1.11±0.13 g/L and 14.62%±2.25% of the cell dry weight) were observed when peptone and ammonium chloride were used as the sole nitrogen source. NH 4 + -N was better for PHB production than other nitrogen sources. In the carbon source test, the maximum biomass concentration (7.65±0.05 g/L) was obtained with malic acid as the sole carbon source, whereas the maximum yield of PHB (5.03±0.18 g/L and 66.93%±1.69% of the cell dry weight) was obtained with sodium pyruvate as the sole carbon source. In the carbon to nitrogen ratios test, sodium pyruvate and ammonium chloride were selected as the carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The best carbon to nitrogen molar ratio for biomass accumulation (8.77±0.58 g/L) and PHB production (6.07±0.25 g/L and 69.25%±2.05% of the cell dry weight) was 25. The results provide valuable data on the production of PHB by R. sulfidophilum P5 and further studies are on-going for best cell growth and PHB yield.