Numerical study on residual current and its impact on mass transport in the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary Ⅱ. Residual current and its impact on mass transport in winter

I~IOWIn winter, on the impacts Of the Chriolis force and the current along the shore of the EastChina ho, the residual current from the Changjiang River flows south along the shore and enters the ~ Bay in the north, then it moves out of the bay in the south and flows southin the East China Sea (Su and Wang, 1989; Zhu and Shen, 1997). In recent years, scholars have made further analyse on obSerVed date, and have obtained more profound viewson the residual current and mass transport (Pn …     

Analysis of sediment stability on the Peru‐Chile continental slope

Abstract

Potential sediment mass movement was analyzed at ten locations on the continental slope off Peru and northern Chile, using samples obtained from up to 3 m below the seafloor. Shear strength parameters were obtained from consolidated‐undrained triaxial compression tests. Sediment behavior in these tests reflects the influence of organic matter, which is concentrated in the slope deposits by coastal upwelling. High water content of the organic‐rich sediments and the high de‐formability of organic matter contribute to the prevalent ductile behavior. Aggregation of clays by organic matter is apparently responsible for the high friction angles, up to 44°, displayed by the slope deposits. Sediment stability was assessed using infinite slope analyses. These analyses indicate that gravitational forces alone are not sufficient to cause sediment failure at any of the slope locations. Sediment accumulation on the slope is not rapid enough to generate excess pore pressure and reduce the resistance to gravitational sliding. Effects of earthquakes on slope stability were evaluated by modeling earthquake‐induced inertia forces as static forces and estimating pore pressures developed during cyclic loading. This analysis shows that sediments of the lower slope off Peru possess the highest susceptibility to failure during earthquakes. Earthquake accelerations on the order of 0.2 gravity are sufficient to trigger slumping at all ten slope locations. Indirect evidence suggests that creep and mass flows initiated at shallower water depths are factors that might contribute to sediment failure on the slope.     

Export production in the Bay of Biscay as estimated from barium – barite in settling material: a comparison with new production

We present barium data for sediment traps deployed in a northeast Atlantic margin environment (Bay of Biscay). Fluxes of excess barium were measured with the objective of calculating carbon export production rates from the surface mixed layer and thus contribute to the understanding of organic carbon transport in a margin environment. Therefore, it was necessary to properly understand the different processes that affected the barium fluxes in this margin environment. Seasonal variability of POC/Ba flux ratios and decrease of barium solubilisation in the trap cups with increasing depth in the water column probably indicate that the efficiency of barite formation in the organic micro-environment varies with season and that the process is relatively slow and not yet completed in the upper 600 m of water column. Thus barite presence in biogenic aggregates will significantly depend on water column transit time of these aggregates. Furthermore, it was observed that significant lateral input of excess-Ba can occur, probably associated with residual currents leaving the margin. This advected excess-Ba affected especially the recorded fluxes in the deeper traps (>1000 m) of the outer slope region. We have attempted to correct for this advected excess-Ba component, using Th (reported by others for the same samples) as an indicator of enhanced lateral flux and assigning a characteristic Ba/Th ratio to advected material. Using transfer functions relating excess-Ba flux with export production characteristic of margin areas, observed Ba fluxes indicate an export production between 7 and 18 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹. Such values are 3–7 times lower than estimates based on N-nutrient uptake and nutrient mass balances, but larger and more realistic than is obtained when a transfer function characteristic of open ocean systems is applied. The discrepancy between export production estimates based on excess-Ba fluxes and nutrient uptake could be resolved if part of the carbon is exported as dissolved organic matter. Results suggest that margin systems function differently from open ocean systems, and therefore Ba-proxy rationales developed for open ocean sites might not be applicable in margin areas.     

Numerical study on residual current and its impact on mass transport in the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary Ⅰ.A3-D joint model of the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary

A 3-D numerical model is set up in a large domain covering the Hang zhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary based on the ECOM model in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates.The numerical schemes for baroclinic pressure gradient (BPG) terms and convective terms are improved in the paper according to the characteristics of velocity field and mass transport in the area.The model is validated by the simulations of residual current and salinity transport in the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary.     

Numerical study on residual current and its impact on mass transport in the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary I. A3-D joint model of the Hangzhou Bay and the Changjiang Estuary

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Temporal variability of amino acid, hexosamine, and carbohydrate fluxes on the eastern Brazilian continental margin related to discharge of the São Francisco River, Brazil

Settling particles collected at 1550 m water depth off the São Francisco River, Brazil, between January and May 1995 showed peak fluxes of amino acids, hexosamines, and carbohydrates, which formed the onset of a three-week period of high organic matter (OM) flux, coinciding with the high discharge period of the river. Two phases of OM deposition exist: (1) the fluvial input of nutrients triggering a bloom of non biomineralizing plankton, and (2) suspended sediment mainly derived from shelf erosion increasing the fluxes of refractory OM. This indicates the importance of seasonally varying hydrodynamic conditions and nutrient input from the continent for the production and sedimentation of OM to the continental margin of eastern Brazil.     

Fronts and transport of suspended matter in the Hangzhou Bay

A persistent, year-round NE-SW front is found to exist inside the Hangzhou Bay. This front is actually the merging of the secondary Changjiang plume front from the bay mouth and the Qiantang plume front from the upstream side of the bay. During neap tides low runoff periods these two plumes can readily be identified. Our findings suggest that suspended matter is transported into the bay through the north end by the secondary Changjiang plume. The front inside the bay acts the part of concentrating suspended matter, and also plays an important role in both the fine-grained sediment and heavy metal distributions in this sedimentary basin.     

Seabed morphology and gas venting features in the continental slope region of Krishna–Godavari basin,Bay of Bengal: Implications in gas-hydrate exploration

Increased oil and gas exploration activity has led to a detailed investigation of the continental shelf and adjacent slope regions of Mahanadi, Krishna–Godavari (KG) and Cauvery basins, which are promising petroliferous basins along the eastern continental margin of India. In this paper, we analyze the high resolution sparker, subbottom profiler and multibeam data in KG offshore basin to understand the shallow structures and shallow deposits for gas hydrate exploration. We identified and mapped prominent positive topographic features in the bathymetry data. These mounds show fluid/gas migration features such as acoustic voids, acoustic chimneys, and acoustic turbid layers. It is interesting to note that drilling/coring onboard JOIDES in the vicinity of the mounds show the presence of thick accumulation of subsurface gas hydrate. Further, geological and geochemical study of long sediment cores collected onboard Marion Dufresne in the vicinity of the mounds and sedimentary ridges shows the imprints of paleo-expulsion of methane and sulfidic fluid from the seafloor.     

Processes controlling very low sedimentation rates on the continental slope of the Gonone-Orosei canyon system,NE Sardinia—terrestrial and oceanic significance

The narrow shelf and upper slope immediately above the Gonone canyon head off NE Sardinia represent areas of very low sedimentation rates. Along the sides of the canyon head (1,600 m water depth), the sediment deposits are homogeneous but show alternating light-grey intervals rich in carbonate and dark-grey ones rich in organic matter, possibly related to distal turbidite processes. Deposits older than 50,000 years are already encountered at core depths of 2.50 m, the sedimentation rates varying from 6–21 cm/10³ years in the lower parts of two cores and from 1.5–3 cm/10³ years in the upper parts. At about 35,000 years BP, both cores show a simultaneous drop in sedimentation rate by a factor of 3, probably in response to local mechanisms of channel avulsion. Lithological, mineralogical and geochemical properties reveal the environmental factors which are responsible for the extremely slow sediment accumulation. The southernmost sector of the coast, and partly also of the shelf, consists of Jurassic limestones which supply only small amounts of fine-grained material transported in suspension. During the last sea-level highstand, the accumulation of the Cedrino River pro-delta remained restricted to the coast, the low siliciclastic sediment yields resulting in poor shelf sediment trapping. The present morphology of the canyon head prevented the occurrence of gravity processes in the deeper part of the canyon system, including the coring sites. Accordingly, deposition was mainly fed by hemipelagic material of planktonic origin, together with only moderate terrigenous inputs. On a wider late Pleistocene timescale, seismic data indicate the occurrence of a coarse-grained, layered turbidite facies, implying a very different architecture of the canyon drainage system probably prior to 60,000 years BP.     

Distribution characteristics of size-fractionated chlorophyll a, primary production and new production in the Laizhou Bay, July 1997

The distributions of chlorophyll a concentration, primary production and new productionwere observed in the Laizhou Bay of the Bohai Sea in both spring and neap tides during July 1997. The results showed that there were marked features of spatial zonation in the surveyed area, due to the differences between the geographic environment and the hydrological conditions. Chlorophyll a, primary production and new production were all higher in spring tides than that in neap tides in the Laizhou Bay. The highest values of these parameters were encountered in the central regions of the bay. At most stations, chlorophyll a concentrations at the bottom were higher than that at the surface. The results of size-fractionated chlorophyll a and primary production showed that contributions of nano-combining pi-coplankton ( > 20 μm) to total chlorophyll a and primary production were dominant in phytoplankton community biomass and production of the Laizhou Bay. The environmental factors, primary production and new product     

Suspended sediment transport of the Hangzhou Bay and its related hydrodynamic analyses

The 25-h measurements of current speed, flow direction, water depth, suspended sediment concentration and salinity were carried out at six anchored stations in the study area during spring and neap tides in winter of 1987 and summer of 1989. Caculations and analyses of the data obtained show that large amounts of suspended sediments are moved back and forth under the action of tidal current, and the net transport of sediment is small, with its predominance upstream in winter and downstream in summer. These calculations and analyses also suggest that the advective transport of sediment is dominant, while the vertical gravitational circulation of the suspended sediment comes next. Meantime, it is indicated that tidal currents play a major role in the suspended sediment transport, and residual flows have effect on the net transport of the suspended sediment, which is more remarkable during neap tide than during spring tide.     

Water mass properties and fluxes in the Rockall Trough, 1975–1998

A time series of a standard hydrographic section in the northern Rockall Trough spanning 23 yr is examined for changes in water mass properties and transport levels. The Rockall Trough is situated west of the British Isles and separated from the Iceland Basin by the Hatton and Rockall Banks and from the Nordic Seas by the shallow (500 m) Wyville–Thompson ridge. It is one pathway by which warm North Atlantic upper water reaches the Norwegian Sea and is converted into cold dense overflow water as part of the thermohaline overturning in the northern North Atlantic and Nordic Seas. The upper water column is characterised by poleward moving Eastern North Atlantic Water (ENAW), which is warmer and saltier than the subpolar mode waters of the Iceland Basin, which also contribute to the Nordic Sea inflow. Below 1200 m the deep Labrador Sea Water (LSW) is trapped by the shallowing topography to the north, which prevents through flow but allows recirculation within the basin. The Rockall Trough experiences a strong seasonal signal in temperature and salinity with deep convective winter mixing to typically 600 m or more and the formation of a warm fresh summer surface layer. The time series reveals interannual changes in salinity of ±0.05 in the ENAW and ±0.04 in the LSW. The deep water freshening events are of a magnitude greater than that expected from changes in source characteristics of the LSW, and are shown to represent periodic pulses of newer LSW into a recirculating reservior. The mean poleward transport of ENAW is 3.7 Sv above 1200 dbar (of which 3.0 Sv is carried by the shelf edge current) but shows a high-level interannual variability, ranging from 0 to 8 Sv over the 23 yr period. The shelf edge current is shown to have a changing thermohaline structure and a baroclinic transport that varies from 0 to 8 Sv. The interannual signal in the total transport dominates the observations, and no evidence is found of a seasonal signal.     

Seasonal and inter-annual variability in properties of surface water off Santander,Bay of Biscay, 1991–1995

The annual cycle of temperature, salinity and nutrients of surface waters (up to 100 m depth) was studied from June 1991 to December 1995 in a cross-shelf section over the continental shelf waters off Santander (southern Bay of Biscay). The time series showed that the temperature followed the expected seasonal warming and cooling pattern, which determines a seasonal process of stratification and mixing of the water column. The stratification period occurs annually between May and October in a layer of about 50 m depth from the neritic station beyond to the shelf-break. In the period between November and April the water column remained mixed. During spring and summer low salinity values were found in the surface due to continental runoff and advection from oceanic waters. In late autumn and winter, the salinity pattern was governed by an influx of salty water associated with the poleward current. As in other temperate latitudes, nitrates showed the highest values in winter throughout the water column and the lowest values at the surface during the stratified period. Wind-induced upwelling events were observed mainly in summer, which are characterised by low temperatures (< 12°C), high salinity and nutrient concentrations. The inter-annual variability of temperature showed a warming trend in the upper layers but this sign was not found at 100 m depth. In salinity a decreasing trend was observed throughout the water column, and this feature corresponds to the relaxing of the high salinity anomaly detected in the North Atlantic at the beginning of the 1990s. Both trends were coherent in the cross-shelf section from the coast to the slope.     

The influence of long emersion on biota, ammonium fluxes and nitrification in intertidal sediments of Marennes-Oléron Bay, France

A comparative study between waterlogged and reflooded intertidal sediments was undertaken in March and June 1999 through statistical analysis of selected sediment parameters (biota, salinity, O2, Eh), pool sizes and benthic fluxes of nutrients (NH4+, NO2-, NO3-) and nitrification rates. In March samples, absence of polychaetes and oligochaetes from upper sediment horizons were due to erosional events sweeping away surface sediments. Presence of richer annelid assemblages in June samples indicated more stable hydrodynamic conditions that favoured the development of benthic microalgae biofilms. Dewatering of sediments during a 3-day emersion period promoted a salinity rise on top layers, migration of pore water ions towards the sediment surface, and created sediment fissures that accelerated water exchange on reflooding. Reflooded and waterlogged sediment systems were comparable with respect to the release of NH4+ to overlying water but were different with respect to nitrification rates. Sediment-water NH4+ fluxes were higher (P = 0.011) in March (3.3 mmol m(-2) day(-1) compared to June (1.4 mmol m(-2) day(-1) due to higher macrofauna biomasses and lower benthic microalgae concentrations in March samples. Potential nitrification rates (range from 19 to 60 mmol NO3- (-2) day(-1)) were not statistically different between March and June. A thinner oxic layer in reflooded compared with waterlogged systems reflects a decrease of O2 diffusion into sediment at high salinities which resulted in the fall of the actual nitrification rates (P < 0.05). Our data suggest that long term dessication of intertidal sediments may depress the nitrification process at the ecosystem level.     

Why do fishermen discard? Distribution and quantification of the causes of discards in the Southern Bay of Biscay passive gear fisheries

In the context of the Common Fisheries Policy reform, the need for decreasing discards has been highlighted in discussions on the implementation of a discard ban. While most of the research has focused on the quantification of discards by species and métier, identification and quantification of the causes of discards have received little attention. This study presents the results of on-board surveys conducted in the Southern Bay of Biscay fleets of netters and longliners. A large variability of discards was observed. It is also shown that in these passive gear fisheries the main reasons for discarding put forward by fishermen are, firstly, market-related and, secondly, quality-related; discards related to the application of regulations are minor. The results therefore illustrate that decisions to discard can also occur in highly selective fisheries because of economic constraint and the results also show that a part is discarded alive.     

Seasonal reproduction and feeding ecology of giant isopods Bathynomus giganteus from the continental slope of the Yucatán peninsula

The reproduction and feeding habits of giant isopods Bathynomus giganteus [range in body length (BL): 43–363 mm] from the continental slope of the Yucatán Peninsula, México, were studied from samples collected at depths of 359–1050 m during three research cruises conducted in winter, spring, and summer of different years. Samples taken in winter and spring yielded a large proportion of mancas and juveniles, as well as high percentages of adult females with functional oostegites and males with appendices masculinae, suggesting a peak in reproductive activity during these seasons. In contrast, the virtual absence in the summer samples of (a) mancas and small juveniles, (b) females with functional oostegites, and (c) small adult males (210–290 mm BL) with appendices masculinae, suggests a low reproductive activity of B. giganteus during summer. Stomach contents analyses were conducted on five life phases (mancas, small juveniles, large juveniles, adult females and adult males) in winter and summer. Mancas and juveniles had fuller stomachs than adults during winter, and all isopods had emptier stomachs during summer than during winter. The diet of B. giganteus was broad, but the most important food categories in all life phases were fish and squid remains, underlining the main scavenging habits of B. giganteus. However, the remaining food categories show that this species is a facultative rather than a strict scavenger and suggest some ontogenetic dietary shifts. These results were further supported by diet (Horn's) overlap indices. In the winter, high diet overlap occurred between all life phases. In the summer, adult males had a low diet overlap with adult females and large juveniles. Adult males also had a low diet overlap between summer and winter. Results from this and other studies suggest that the main reproductive activity of B. giganteus in the Yucatán slope occurs during winter and spring, when the food supply on the upper-slope is highest, particularly for the younger individuals.     

Drainage of late Wisconsin glacial lakes and the morphology and late quaternary stratigraphy of the New Jersey–southern New England continental shelf and slope

We propose that late Wisconsin deposition and erosion (Hudson Shelf and Block Island valleys) on the shelf and slope from New Jersey to southern New England were a consequence of the catastrophic drainage of glacial lakes behind terminal moraine systems and the huge volume of water stored beneath the Laurentian ice sheet and subsequent erosion of the lake sediments by flash floods. The morphology imparted by glaciation regulated the discharge associated with the ablation of the glaciers. Associated with the deposits west of Hudson Shelf Valley are the remains of mammoth and mastodon which were transported from their living habitats along the lake shores to their present burial sites on the shelf. The floods also triggered gravity flows on the upper continental slope which made possible the transportation of coarse debris over hundreds of km into the deep-sea. That these catastrophic flood morphologies can still be recognized on the middle to outer shelf suggest that much of its surface was little modified during the late Pleistocene/Holocene transgression. Thus the late Pleistocene/Holocene transgression may have been characterized by short periods when sea level rose rapidly allowing for the preservation of relict features.     

NotesBenthic foraminiferal distribution in surface sediments along continental slope of the southern Okinawa Trough: dependance on water masses and food supply

Benthic foraminiferal analysis of 29 samples in surface sediments from the southern Okinawa Trough is carried out. The results indicate that benthic foraminiferal abundance decreases rapidly with increasing water depth. Percentage frequencies of agglutinated foraminifera further confirm the modern shallow carbonate lysocline in the southern Okinawa Trough. From continental shelf edge to the bottom of Okinawa Trough, benthic foraminiferal fauna in the surface sediments can be divided into 5 assemblages: (1) Continental shelf break assemblage, dominated by Cibicides pseudoungerianus, corresponds to subsurface water mass of the Kuroshio Current; (2) upper continental slope assemblage, dominated by Cassidulina carinata , Globocassidulina subglobosa, corresponds to intermediate water mass of the Kuroshio Current; (3) intermediate continental slope assemblage, dominated by Uvigerina hispi-da, corresponds to the Okinawa Trough deep water mass above the carbonate lysocline; (4) lower continental slope- trough b     

Benthic foraminiferal distribution in surface sediments along continental slope of the southern Okinawa Trough: dependance on water masses and food supply

Benthic foraminiferal analysis of 29 samples in surface sediments from the southern Okinawa Trough is carried out.The results indicate that benthic foraminiferal abundance decreases rapidly with increasing water depth.Percentage frequencies of agglutinated foraminifera further confirm the modern shallow carbonate lysocline in the southern Okinawa Trough.From continental shelf edge to the bottom of Okinawa Trough,benthic foraminiferal fauna in the surface sediments can be divided into 5 assemblages:(1) Continental shelf break assemblage,dominated by Cibicides pseudoungerianus,corresponds to subsurface water mass of the Kuroshio Current;(2) upper continental slope assemblage,dominated by Cassidulina carinata,Globocassidulina subglobosa,corresponds to intermediate water mass of the Kuroshio Current;(3) intermediate continental slope assemblage,dominated by Uvigerina hispida,corresponds to the Okinawa Trough deep water mass above the carbonate lysocline.     

Logging identification and characteristic analysis of marine–continental transitional organic-rich shale in the Carboniferous-Permian strata,Bohai Bay Basin

Currently, global shale gas exploration and exploitation are focused on marine shale. Recently, major shale gas-oil breakthroughs have been made within continental and marine–continental transitional shale in China. This study will show how transitional shale is of great importance. Based on geological field surveys, core observations, thin section analysis, organic geochemistry and X-ray diffraction, we systematically studied the basic geological characteristics (including lithology, mineral composition, and organic geochemistry) of this transitional shale. By comparative analysis of well logging data from 260 wells in the Taiyuan–Shanxi shale, we will show that these methods are effective for identifying organic-rich shale from conventional well logs and determining its thickness distribution in the Carboniferous–Permian strata of the Taiyuan–Shanxi transitional coal-bearing formation.The results indicate that the Taiyuan–Shanxi shale has a high TOC (most 2%–4%) and that the lithology is primarily carbonaceous shale with type Ⅱ₂-Ⅲ kerogens. The high thermal maturation (Ro ≥ 1.1%) favors the generation of gas. The mineral components primarily include clay minerals, quartz, and plagioclase with a moderate brittle mineral content (47 wt.%) and high clay mineral content (51 wt.%) dominated by kaolinite (43%) and mixed-layer illite-smectite (31%). The transitional organic-rich shale on conventional log curves is generally characterized by higher gamma ray (GR), neutron porosity (CNL), acoustic travel time (AC), resistivity (R_t), potassium (K), and uranium (U) readings and a lower density (DEN), photoelectric absorption index (PE) and thorium-uranium ratio (TH/U). After analyzing the log response characteristics of the organic-rich shale, the most sensitive logging curves (such as CNL, AC, DEN, PE and U) were optimized to conduct logging overlays and to construct cross-plots to qualitatively identify organic-rich shale. The identified organic-rich shale amalgamates in the middle-upper member of the Taiyuan Formation and the lower member of the Shanxi Formation consistent with the results of the TOC analysis and practical gas logging. Based on the qualitative evaluation methods of the modified △LogR and a multivariate linear regression model, we calculated the TOC of shale wells in the Taiyuan–Shanxi formation. From this we calculated the characteristic values of organic-rich shale thickness. The results indicate that organic-rich shale in the Taiyuan formation is thicker than that in the Shanxi formation. Additionally, the thickness of organic-rich shale within lagoons and deep reed swamp facies are much thicker (25–35 m and 40–80 m) than other structural profile types, whereas their lateral distribution is less than that of marine shale. The relatively small continuous thickness of the single shale layer and high clay content may have negative effects for developing the shale gas potential.