Dynamic processes and their influence on the transformation of the passive admixture in the sea of Azov

In this model, we apply a nonlinear three-dimensional sigma-coordinate model to study the waves and currents in the Sea of Azov generated by different fields of wind forcing: a constant wind, a quickly varying real wind obtained using the data of reanalysis applying the SKIRON model, and the wind resulting from their combined forcing. This mathematical model was also applied to study the transformation of the passive admixture appearing under the influence of wind fields in the Sea of Azov considered here. We compared the results of numerical calculations with the field data obtained under the wind forcing at a number of hydrological stations. We found the regularities of the water transport driven by onshore and offshore winds, the velocities of the currents, and the characteristics of the evolution of polluted regions at different depths as functions of the nonstationary wind intensity and the velocities of the stationary currents.     

A new pathway for Deep water exchange between the Natal Valley and Mozambique Basin?

Although global thermohaline circulation pathways are fairly well known, the same cannot be said for local circulation pathways. Within the southwest Indian Ocean specifically there is little consensus regarding the finer point of thermohaline circulation. We present recently collected multibeam bathymetry and PARASOUND data from the northern Natal Valley and Mozambique Ridge, southwest Indian Ocean. These data show the Ariel Graben, a prominent feature in this region, creates a deep saddle across the Mozambique Ridge at ca. 28°S connecting the northern Natal Valley with the Mozambique Basin. Results show a west to east change in bathymetric and echo character across the northern flank of the Ariel Graben. Whereby eroded plastered sediment drifts in the west give way to aggrading plastered sediment drift in the midgraben, terminating in a field of seafloor undulations in the east. In contrast, the southern flank of the Ariel Graben exhibits an overall rugged character with sediments ponding in bathymetric depressions in between rugged sub/outcrop. It is postulated that this change in sea-floor character is the manifestation of deep water flow through the Ariel Graben. Current flow stripping, due to increased curvature of the graben axis, results in preferential deposition of suspended load in an area of limited accommodation space consequently developing an over-steepened plastered drift. These deposited sediments overcome the necessary shear stresses, resulting in soft sediment deformation in the form of down-slope growth faulting (creep) and generation of undulating sea-floor morphology. Contrary to previous views, our works suggests that water flows from west to east across the Mozambique Ridge via the Ariel Graben.     

Biochemical responses of juvenile rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli) to low levels of dissolved oxygen in Gamak Bay

Gamak Bay is one of the largest aquaculture areas in the South Sea of Korea and exhibits hypoxia conditions during the summer. The harmful effects of hypoxia on aquaculture fish stock have not been elucidated. This study describes the biochemical effects of low levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) on cultivated juvenile Sebastes schlegeli in Gamak Bay. The hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) gene was induced significantly in S. schlegeli collected from low oxygen level areas, which suggests that fluctuations in the DO induces the expression of HIF1α. The level of antioxidant enzyme exhibited significantly higher activities in fish obtained from station F2 in which low levels of DO were shown in 2010 and 2011. The results of this study demonstrate that cultivated S. schlegeli are affected by the low levels of DO in Gamak Bay and superoxide dismutase enzymes operate dependently with HIF1α. The plasma glucose level did not exhibit significant difference in the fish among the sampling stations. We noted that HIF1α and the superoxide dismutase enzymes are useful biomarkers that might enable the detection of otherwise unnoticed hypoxic stress.     

Basalts from the Solomon and Bismarck Seas

Volcanic rocks collected from the Solomon Sea Basin are mostly ferrobasalt lavas similar to evolved MORB; an exception is a single sample of basaltic crystal tuff invaded by later basalt. The rocks contain labradorite, aluminous diopsidic augite, and titanomagnetite, with olivine and pigconite in the more vitrophyric samples, and segregation vesicles in some. Cobbles dredged from Gudaraba Canyon, south of the Solomon Sea Basin, include both MORB-like glassy lava and K-metasomatised basalt and andesite(?). Two small pieces of volcanic glass from the southern Bismarck Sea are more primitive MOR-type basalts.     

Numerical simulation of the action of distant tsunamis on the Russian Far East coast

Results of a numerical simulation of the action of distant tsunamis on the coast of the Russian Far East are presented. It is shown that waves generated by focuses of the strongest M9 earthquakes in the region of South Chilean coast, as well as in the region of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, are most dangerous for this coast. Other tsunamigenic zones of the Pacific Ocean, by virtue of their geographical position, orientation of focuses, and absence of pronounced channels (submarine ridges) along paths of tsunami propagation are not dangerous for it even at a limit magnitude of submarine subduction earthquakes. The simulation results are compared with historical data about manifestations of distant tsunamis on the Russian Far East coast.     

The spatiotemporal analysis of the bottom geomorphology in Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan

Based on the shipboard measurements data, GTOPO1 and ASTER satellite information, GEBCO databases, and bathymetry maps, a digital elevation model encompassing the shelf of Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan is constructed. By two-dimensional singular spectral analysis, the scale decomposition of the surface of the shelf relief is made into the components with the main tectonic structure, the secondary folding zones, and the sedimentation landforms. A comparison between the found elements and the geological data on South Primorye is performed to specify the age of the tectonic units of different scale.     

The generation of coastal undercurrents

Equilibrium conditions in anf-plane ocean evolve as follows after the sudden onset of winds parallel to a coast. At first the flow is two-dimensional-spatial variations are confined to a plane perpendicular to the coast-and the salient features in the forcing region are acceleration of a coastal jet in the surface layers in the wind direction, and offshore Ekman drift that causes coastal upwelling. Kelvin waves excited at the edge of the forced region establish equilibrium conditions by creating an alongshore pressure gradient that balances the wind so that the acceleration stops. The vertical structure corresponding to each vertical mode differs from that of the wind-driven coastal jet so that the arrival of the barotropic Kelvin wave starts to accelerate a coastal undercurrent in a direction opposite to that of the wind. Subsequent baroclinic Kelvin waves modify the vertical structure of the coastal current so that the undercurrent in the subsurface layer is accelerated. In an inviscid model there is a singularity in the surface layers at the coast ast→∞ because the Kelvin modes with small offshore and vertical scales travel slowly and take a very long time to make their contribution to the establishment of equilibrium conditions. A modest amount of friction eliminates this problem. Nonlinearities are important in the heat equation and affect sea surface temperatures significantly but their effect on the momentum balance is secondary.     

Constraining the age and origin of the seamount province in the Northeast Indian Ocean using geophysical techniques

The breakup of western margin of Australia from Greater India started around 155 Ma and progressed southwards. After the separation, the interceding intraplate region experienced large volumes of submarine volcanism, extending over 100 Myrs. The Christmas Island Seamount Province (CHRISP, as it has been dubbed) lies south of the Java-Sunda Trench, and contains numerous submerged volcanic seamounts, and two sub-aerially exposed island groups—Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Christmas Island. While recent geochronological investigations have shed light on the diverse eruption ages of the volcanics of this region, some islands/seamounts have demonstrated protracted volcanic histories, and it is not clear how the volcanic loading, tectonic subsidence, and subsequent emergence history of the islands relates to these discrete volcanic episodes. This study utilises a number of geophysical techniques to determine the crustal structure, loading and subsidence history, and last sub-aerial exposure age for the CHRISP. The study shows that flexural and subsidence modelling are reliable techniques in constraining the age of the seamounts when geochronological techniques are not possible. Utilising regional gravity signatures, we model the crustal structure underneath the Cocos (Keeling) Island, and constrain the thickness of the limestone cover between 900 and 2,100 m. Using age-depth subsidence curves for oceanic lithosphere the time since these seamounts were exposed above sea-level was determined, and a trend in exposure ages that youngs towards the west is observed. Two episodes of volcanism have been recorded at Christmas Island and they are of different origin. The younger phase in the Pliocene is a manifestation of flexure induced cracks produced in the lithosphere as it rides the subduction fore-bulge, whereas a low velocity seismic zone rising from the lower mantle, and tectonic reorganization, may be associated with the older Eocene volcanic phase, as well as much of the rest of the province. Our modelling also supports the existence of an older, undated volcanic core to Christmas Island, based on the loading ages from flexural modelling.     

Effects of longshore variation of coastline geometry and bottom topography on coastal upwelling in a two-layer model

Effects of the longshore variation of the coastline geometry and the bottom topography on coastal upwelling are discussed. Longshore variations of the topography cause local enhancing or weakening of upwelling in the process of the generation and propagation of internal Kelvin and the shelf waves.     

Chemical studies of dissolved carbohydrates in seawater

Charcoal column chromatography and a dialysis system using a Visking tube were used for the concentration and separation of dissolved carbohydrates in seawater. Recoveries of mono-, oligo-, and polysaccharides were 46–74, 61–89 and 70%, respectively, relative to the total amount of sugars initially submitted to analysis. The combined charcoal column chromatography and dialysis system was used to separate dissolved carbohydrates in seawater samples from Mikawa Bay into mono-, oligo- and polysaccharide fractions. The polysaccharides are separated into two fractions with molecular weights of <4,000 and >4,000 using Sephadex G-25 column chromatography. Monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides with M.W.<4,000 and polysaccharides with M.W. >4,000 accounted for 7–9, 15–26, 7–13 and 20–33% of total dissolved carbohydrates, respectively. However, 32–38% of dissolved carbohydrates were lost during the analytical procedures. Glucose, galactose, mannose, xylose, arabinose, ribose, fucose, and rhamnose were found upon acid hydrolysis of the oligo- and polysaccharide fractions, while fucose and rhamnose were not present in the monosaccharide fraction. Possible sources of the carbohydrates in these fractions are discussed with reference to the monosaccharide composition of cellular carbohydrate in marine algae.     

Model of the separation of the Marvin Spur from the Lomonosov Ridge in the Arctic Ocean

The axes of the zones of the separation of the peripheral continental fragments of the Lomonosov Ridge (the Marvin Spur and the local block of the Alpha Ridge) from its main body in the part of the Makarov Basin near Greenland are restored. The Euler poles and the angles of rotation describing the separation process are determined. The depths of the conjugate isobaths are found to be different by hundreds of meters. This circumstance most likely reflects the fact of the different scale sliding of the peripheral areas of the continental crust from the main body of the Lomonosov Ridge down the lithospheric fault plane (and thereby the different scale dip during the separation) according to the modified B. Wernike model presented here. The primary bottom topography that existed before the separation of the sliding fragments from the ridge are restored based on the reconstruction. For the case of the part of the Lomonosov Ridge near Greenland, it is established that the initially peripheral sections from the part of the Lomonosov Ridge near Greenland towered over the main surface of the Lomonosov Ridge approximately by half a kilometer and higher.     

Monterey Fan: Growth pattern control by basin morphology and changing sea levels

Monterey Fan is the largest modern fan off the California shore. Two main submarine canyon systems feed it via a complex pattern of fan valleys and channels. The northern Ascension Canyon system is relatively inactive during high sea-level periods. In contrast, Monterey Canyon and its tributaries to the south cut across the shelf and remain active during high sea level. Deposition on the upper fan is controlled primarily by the relative activity within these two canyon systems. Deposition over the rest of the fan is controlled by the oceanic crust topography, resulting in an irregular fan shape and periodic major shifts in the locus of deposition.     

Problems in turbidite research: A need for COMFAN

Comparison of modern submarine fans and ancient turbidite sequences is still in its infancy, mainly because of the incompatibility of study approaches. Research on modern fan systems mainly deals with morphologic aspects and surficial sediments, while observations on ancient turbidite formations are mostly directed to vertical sequences. The lack of a common data set also results from different scales of observation. To review the current status of modern and ancient turbidite research, an international group of specialists formed COMFAN (Committee on Fans) and met in September 1982 at the Gulf Research and Development Company research facilities in Pennsylvania.     

Tsunamis in the central part of the Caspian Sea

This paper describes the geotectonics of the Caspian Sea basin and the seismicity of its central part. The seismicity analysis enables us to identify the most probable zones of tsunami generation. We also present a brief review of the historical records of tsunamis in the Caspian Sea. In order to estimate the tsunami risk, we used the method of numerical hydrodynamic simulation while taking into account the real topography of the Caspian Sea. The computation of the wave field for the possible tsunamis occurring in the central part of the Caspian Sea allowed us to estimate the maximum expected heights of the waves along the coast of the CIS countries (Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan). On the basis of the earthquake statistics in the region and the results of numerical experiments, we show that the extreme wave heights can reach 10 m at certain parts of the coast. Such extreme events correspond to extended (up to 200 km) seismic sources with M _S ～ 8 and a recurrence period of T ≈ 1600 years. The tsunami wave heights are expected to be as high as 3 m for sources of lesser extent (<50 km) with earthquake magnitudes of M _S ～ 7 and a recurrence period of 200 years.     

Speciation of dissolved metals associated with organic matter in coastal seawaters

By combined use of chloroform extraction and Amberlite XAD-2 resin chromatography, metal-organic compounds dissolved in coastal seawaters of Harima Sound, the Seto Inland Sea, were separated into three groups: hydrophobic, hydrophilic neutral and basic, and hydrophilic acidic. The hydrophobic metal-organic compounds, which are associated with organic matter with molecular weight less than 300, accounted for only a small fraction of the metal-organic compounds; 6 % for Cu and an insignificant fraction for Fe, Mn and Zn. The hydrophilic metal-organic compounds with molecular weights between 100 and 1,500 were major components of the metal-organic compounds. The metals associated with the organic matter on average accounted for 12 % of the Fe, 11 % of the Mn, 7 % of the Zn and 23 % of the Cu of the reactive dissolved metals.     

The Bengal Submarine Fan,Northeastern Indian ocean

Bengal Submarine Fan, with or without its eastern lobe, the Nicobar Fan, is the largest submarine fan known. Most of its sediment has been supplied by the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers, probably since the Early Eocene. The “Swatch-of-No-Ground” submarine canyon connects to only one active fan valley system at a time, without apprent bifurcation over its 2500-km length. The upper fan is comprised of a complex of huge channel-levee wedges of abandoned and buried older systems. A reduction of channel size and morphology occurs at the top of the middle, fan, where meandering and sheet flow become more important.     

Growth characteristics ofChattonella antiqua

Nutrient requirements of a red tide flagellate,Chattonella antiqua, were investigated in a laboratory culture experiment. Growth ofC. antiqua was supported by nitrate and ammonium, and by urea to a limited extent, but not by glycine, alanine and glutamate. Orthophosphate served as a good phosphorus source but glycerophosphate did not. Fe³⁺ (1µM) fully promoted the flagellate's growth in the presence of 80µM of EDTA. The addition of Mn²⁺ (0–20µM), Zn²⁺ (0–10µM) and Co²⁺ (0–0.4µM) did not show any effect. Among three vitamins tested, only B₁₂ (6 ng 1^?1) served as a growth factor. Glucose, acetate and glycolate did not improve growth in the light nor did they support growth in darkness. The minimum cell quotas for nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and B₁₂ were estimated to be 11 pmoles ce^?1, 1.0, ～0.09 and 1.1 fg cell^?1, respectively.     

Sea-surface bioproductivity changes in the Northwest Pacific over the last 25 kyr

The sea-surface bioproductivity changes over the last 25 kyr were inferred from published data on 30 sediment cores from the open Northwest Pacific (NWP), Sea of Okhotsk, Bering Sea and Sea of Japan accounting for the glacioeustatic sea-level changes. A novel method was developed to compare the variations of several independent productivity proxies relative to the present-day values. During the Last Glacial Maximum, the bioproductivity in the Sea of Okhotsk and the western Bering Sea (BS) was lower than at present, whereas the southern and southeastern Bering Sea and the open NWP are characterized by enhanced bioproductivity. During the early deglacial stage, an increase in bioproductivity was estimated only for the southeastern Bering Sea. High and fairly high bioproductivity was estimated for Heinrich 1 in the open NWP, above the Umnak Plateau and on the Shirshov and Bowers Ridges in the Bering Sea. The high productivity in the Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk and NWP during the Bølling/Allerød was caused by the global warming and enhanced nutrient supply by meltwater from the continent. During the Early Holocene, high productivity was estimated for almost the entire NWP. The Late Holocene sea-surface bioproductivity was generally lower than that of the Early Holocene. Proposed factors that have controlled the sea-surface bioproductivity during the last 25 kyr include: the location of the sea ice margin, the river runoff, gradual flooding of the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk shelf areas, the water mass exchange between the marginal seas and the open NWP, the eolian supply and the deep vertical mixing of the water column.     

Sunspot activity and oceanic conditions in the northern north Pacific Ocean

During periods of sunspot maxima (approximately every 11 years) the mean winter position of the center of the Aleutian Low pressure system shifts from the Gulf of Alaska to the western Aleutian Islands, and mean, cyclonic, wind-stress transport in the Gulf of Alaska is reduced by roughly 20%. Coastal sea level data in the gulf do not reflect an 11-year cycle but spectral energy densities indicate an approximate 6-year periodicity also present in transpacific annual mean sea surface temperatures that, in the last one or two decades, parallels large year classes of Pacific herring in southeastern Alaska, large escapements of sockeye salmon fry in the Bristol Bay area, and maxima in the January catch of Dungeness crab in Alaska.     

Average velocity field of the air flow over the water surface in a laboratory modeling of storm and hurricane conditions in the ocean

Laboratory experiments on studying the structure of the turbulent air boundary layer over waves were carried out at the Wind-Wave Channel of the Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS), in conditions modeling the near-water boundary layer of the atmosphere under strong and hurricane winds and the equivalent wind velocities from 10 to 48 m/s at the standard height of 10 m. A modified technique of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used to obtain turbulent pulsation averaged velocity fields of the air flow over the water surface curved by a wave and average profiles of the wind velocity. The measurements showed that the logarithmic part of the velocity profile of the air flow in the channel was observed in the immediate vicinity from the water surface (at a distance of 30 mm) and could be detected only using remote methods (PIV). According to the measured velocity profiles, dependences of aerodynamic drag factors of the water surface on the wind velocity at a height of 10 m were retrieved; they were compared with results of contact measurements carried out earlier on the same setup. It is shown that they agree with an accuracy of up to 20%; at moderate and strong wind velocities the coincidence falls within the experimental accuracy.