A dynamic equation for the potential energy anomaly for analysing mixing and stratification in estuaries and coastal seas

In this paper, a time-dependent dynamic equation for the potential energy anomaly, , is rigorously derived from dynamic equations for potential temperature and salinity, the continuity equation and the equation of state for sea water. The terms locally changing are (A) the -advection, (B) the depth-mean straining, (C) the non-mean straining, (D) the vertical advection, (E) the vertical mixing, (F) surface and bottom density fluxes, (G) inner sources of density e.g. due to absorption of solar radiation and the non-linearity of the equation of state, and (H) horizontal divergence of horizontal turbulent density fluxes. In order to derive the equation in concise form, a vertical velocity (linearly varying with depth) with respect to depth-proportional vertical coordinates had to be defined. The evaluation of the terms in the -equation is then carried out for a one-dimensional tidal straining study and a two-dimensional estuarine circulation study. Comparisons to empirical estimates for these terms are made for the one-dimensional study. It is concluded that the -equation provides a general reference for empirical bulk parameterisations of stratification and mixing processes in estuaries and coastal seas and that it is a tool for complete analysis of the relevant terms from numerical models.     

Dissociation constants of protonated cysteine species in seawater media

The dissociation constants (pK₁, pK₂ and pK₃) for cysteine have been measured in seawater as a function of temperature (5 to 45 °C) and salinity (S = 5 to 35). The seawater values were lower than the values in NaCl at the same ionic strength. In an attempt to understand these differences, we have made measurements of the constants in Na–Mg–Cl solutions at 25 °C. The measured values have been compared to those calculated from the Pitzer ionic interaction model. The lower values of pK₃ in the Na–Mg–Cl solutions have been attributed to the formation of Mg²⁺ complexes with Cys²⁻ anions

Mg²⁺ + Cys²⁻ = MgCys

The stability constants have been fitted to

after corrections are made for the interaction of Mg²⁺ with H⁺.The pK₁ seawater measurements indicate that H₃Cys⁺ interacts with SO₄²⁻. The Pitzer parameters β⁰(H₃CysSO₄), β¹(H₃CysSO₄) and C(H₃CysSO₄) have been determined for this interaction. The formation of CaCys as well as MgCys are needed to account for the values of pK₂ and pK₃ in seawater.The consideration of the formation of MgCys and CaCys in seawater yields model calculated values of pK₁, pK₂ and pK₃ that agree with the measured values to within the experimental error of the measurements. This study shows that it is important to consider all of the ionic interactions in natural waters when examining the dissociation of organic acids.     

Effects of stratification and mesoscale eddies on Kuroshio path variation south of Japan

Bimodality of the Kuroshio current path south of Japan is investigated, focusing on the effects of stratification and mesoscale eddies. For this purpose, wind-driven numerical experiments are executed in barotropic and two-layered ocean models. Stratification has two effects on the path selection of the Kuroshio south of Japan. First, it makes an alongshore path stable at intermediate wind stress strength τ₀ by arresting an eddy southeast of Kyushu. This enables an alongshore path to appear in the entire experimental range of τ₀. Second, the upper limit of τ₀ which allows a meandering path decreases from ( in the Sverdrup transport at the Tokara Strait) to () as Δρ/ρ₀ increases from 2.0×10^-3 to 4.0×10^-3. While an anticyclonic eddy imposed upstream (southeast of Kyushu) can cause the transition from an alongshore to a meandering path, it occurs most easily when (). The transition from a meandering to an alongshore path requires an eddy imposed downstream (east of the meandering segment) which suppresses redevelopment of the meandering segment and breaks the balance between the advective and beta effects. Applicability of the results to previously observed path variations is discussed.     

Experimental study on the coefficient of lateral pressure at rest for calcareous soils

Abstract

The coefficient of lateral pressure at rest (k₀) is a key parameter required to determine the horizontal stress distribution on subsoils. In this paper, k₀ was measured from consolidation test for calcareous and siliceous sand, and the effect of water contents on k₀ of calcareous sand was also discussed. Comparison of k₀ values measured and calculated based on empirical formulas were carried on. Results indicated that (1) the reduction rate of k₀ for calcareous sand with an increase in relative density was less than that of siliceous sand. The k₀ at low water content was generally smaller than that of siliceous sand, and it was similar to that of siliceous sand for high-water content; (2) the k₀ of calcareous sand increased with increasing initial water content initially, and then decreasing. However, the magnitude of variation was small. So the impact of water content on the k₀ of calcareous sand was limited; (3) the formulas proposed by Abdelhamid and Krizek (1976 Abdelhamid, M. S., and R. J. Krizek. 1976. At-Rest Lateral Earth Pressure of Consolidating Clay. Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division 102 (7): 721–738. [Google Scholar]) for estimation of the k₀ was highly applicable to calcareous fine sand.

• Highlights

• The k₀ of calcareous fine sand was investigated.

• The k₀ of calcareous and siliceous sand were compared.

• Shape parameters of sand particles for calcareous and siliceous sand were analyzed.

• Effects of related density and initial water content on the k₀ were discussed, respectively.

• The applicability of various empirical formulas for calculating k₀ of calcareous fine sand was evaluated.

     

Seasonal changes of antioxidant and oxidative parameters in the coral Pocillopora capitata on the Pacific coast of Mexico

The physiological responses of the coral Pocillopora capitata to environmental conditions common in winter and summer were studied in 2007 during February–March (winter) and June–July (summer) at La Boquita reef (Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico). Shallow and deep sampling stations were established at different distances from a small jetty built next to the Juluapan Lagoon. We analyzed superoxide radicals () and lipid peroxidants (TBARS); the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST); chlorophyll a (Chl a), zooxanthellae density (ZD); and mycosporine‐like amino acids (MAAs). Our results showed that the , TBARS, CAT, GST, MAAs, and Chl a, levels were significantly higher in summer (P < 0.05); no seasonal difference was found for GPx, GR or ZD. We found significant differences (P < 0.05) in winter only for Chl a and ZD at shallow sites and, in contrast, for at deeper sites. The results of this study indicate that increasing temperature and radiation associated with seasonal changes (from winter to summer), the efficiency of the enzymes GST, CR and GPX, and the production of MAAs together form a powerful mechanism for P. capitata to offset the detrimental effects of environmental change.     

Reynolds number dependence of mixing in a lock-exchange system from direct numerical and large eddy simulations

Turbulent mixing of water masses of different temperatures and salinities is an important process for both coastal and large-scale ocean circulation. It is, however, difficult to capture computationally. One of the reasons is that mixing in the ocean occurs at a wide range of complexity, with the Reynolds number reaching , or even higher.In this study, we continue to investigate whether large eddy simulation (LES) can be a reliable computational tool for stratified mixing in turbulent oceanic flows. LES is attractive because it can be times faster than a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of stratified mixing in turbulent flows. Before using the LES methodology to compute mixing in realistic oceanic flows, however, a careful assessment of the LES sensitivity with respect to Re needs to be performed first. The main objectives of this study are: (i) to investigate the performance of different LES models at high Re, such as those encountered in oceanic flows; and (ii) to study how mixing varies as a function of Re. To this end, as a benchmark we use the lock-exchange problem, which is described by unambigous and simple initial and boundary conditions. The background potential energy, which accurately quantifies irreversible mixing in an enclosed system, is used as the main criterion in a posteriori testing of LES.This study has two main achievements. The first is that we investigate the accuracy of six combinations of two different classes of LES models, namely eddy-viscosity and approximate deconvolution types, for 3×10³Re3×10⁴, for which DNS data is computed. We find that all LES models almost always provide significantly more accurate results than cases without LES models. Nevertheless, no single LES model that is persistently superior to others over this Re range could be identified. Then, an ensemble of the four best performing LES models is selected in order to estimate mixing taking place in this system at Re=10⁵ and 10⁶, for which DNS is presently not feasible. Thus the second achievement of this study is to quantify mixing taking place in this system over an Re range that changes by three orders of magnitude. We find that the background potential energy increases by about 67% when Re is increased from Re=10³ to Re=10⁶, within the computation period, with the most significant increase taking place from Re=3×10³ to Re=10⁵.     

A genetic assessment of the taxonomic status of New Zealand mussels of the genus Xenostrobus Wilson, 1967

ABSTRACT

The genus Xenostrobus consists of small, marine and estuarine mussels that all appear similar externally. One of its estuarine species, Xenostrobus securis, with a native range in New Zealand and Australia, has become invasive in the Northern Hemisphere. No genetic data are available to determine if X. securis populations from the two countries are conspecific. Additionally, marine Xenostrobus from New Zealand have often been regarded as a species, X. neozelanicus, distinct fromthe marine Australian species X. pulex. We combined new DNA sequences with published data to assess the taxonomic status of New Zealand Xenostrobus. The data comprised 658 aligned bases of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and 331 bases of nuclear histone H3. There was no evidence that X. securis populations from Australia and New Zealand are specifically distinct. Northern Hemisphere specimens of X. securis belonged to Australian, not New Zealand, clades in phylogenetic analyses of COI data, suggesting the former country as their more likely original source. The results confirm that X. neozelanicus and X. pulex are distinct species and for nomenclatural completeness for this taxonomic decision a lectotype is designated for Mytilus ater Zelebor in Dunker and Zelebor, 1866 DunkerW, ZeleborJ. 1866. Bericht über die von der Novara-expedition mitgebrachten Mollusken. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 16:909–916. [Google Scholar] [?=?Modiolus neozelanicus Iredale, 1915 IredaleT. 1915. A commentary on Suter’s ‘Manual of New Zealand Mollusca’. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. 47:417–497. [Google Scholar]].     

Physical dynamics and biological implications of a mesoscale eddy in the lee of Hawai’i: Cyclone Opal observations during E-Flux III

E-Flux III (March 10–28, 2005) was the third and last field experiment of the E-Flux project. The main goal of the project was to investigate the physical, biological and chemical characteristics of mesoscale eddies that form in the lee of Maui and the Island of Hawai’i, focusing on the physical–biogeochemical interactions. The primary focus of E-Flux III was the cyclonic cold-core eddy Opal, which first appeared in the NOAA GOES sea-surface temperature (SST) imagery during the second half of February 2005. During the experiment, Cyclone Opal moved over 160 km, generally southward. Thus, the sampling design had to be constantly adjusted in order to obtain quasi-synoptic observations of the eddy. Analyses of ship transect-depth profiles of CTD, optical and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data revealed a well-developed feature characterized by a fairly symmetric circular shape with a radius of about 80 km. Depth profiles of temperature, salinity and density were characterized by an intense doming of isothermal, isohaline and isopycnal surfaces. Isopleths of nutrient concentrations were roughly parallel to isopycnals, indicating the upwelling of deep nutrient-rich water. The deep chlorophyll maximum layer (DCML) shoaled from a depth of about 130 m in the outer regions of the eddy to about 60 m in the center. Chlorophyll concentrations reached their maximum values in Opal's core region (about 40 km in diameter), where nutrients were upwelled into the euphotic layer. ADCP velocity data clearly showed the cyclonic circulation associated with Opal. Vertical sections of tangential velocities were characterized by values that increased linearly with radial distance from near zero close to the center to a maximum of about at roughly 25 km from the center, and then slowly decayed. The vertical extent of the cyclonic circulation was primarily limited to the upper mixed layer, as tangential velocities decayed quite rapidly within a depth range of 90–130 m. Potential vorticity analysis suggests that only a relatively small (about 50 km in diameter) and shallow (to a depth of approximately 70 m) portion of the eddy is isolated from the surrounding waters. Radial movements of water can occur between the center of the eddy and the outer regions along density surfaces within an isopycnal range of σ–t_23.6 () and σ–t_24.4 (). Thus the biogeochemistry of the system might have been greatly influenced by these lateral exchanges of water at depth, especially during Opal's southward migration. While the eddy was translating, deep water in front of the eddy might have been upwelled into the core region, leading to an additional injection of nutrients into the euphotic zone. At the same time, part of the chlorophyll-rich waters in the core region might have remained behind the translating eddy and, thus contributed to the formation of an eddy wake characterized by relatively high chlorophyll concentrations.     

Methane hydrate dissolution rates in undersaturated seawater under controlled hydrodynamic forcing

The dissolution of in-situ generated methane hydrate in undersaturated, synthetic seawater (S = 35) was investigated in a series of laboratory-based experiments at P-/T-conditions within the hydrate stability field. A controlled flow field was generated across the smooth hydrate surface to test if, in addition to thermodynamic variables, the dissolution rate is influenced by changing hydrodynamic conditions. The dissolution rate was found to be strongly dependent on the friction velocity, showing that hydrate dissolution in undersaturated seawater is a diffusion-controlled process. The experimental data was used to obtain diffusional mass transfer coefficients k_d, which were found to correlate linearly with the friction velocity, u. The resulting k_d/u-correlation allows predicting the flux of methane from natural gas hydrate exposures at the sediment/seawater interface into the bulk water for a variety of natural P, T and flow conditions. It also is a tool for estimating the rate of hydrate regrowth at locations where natural hydrate outcrops at the seafloor persist in contact with undersaturated seawater.     

基于频域Rankine面元法的船舶耐波性计算和分析

在频域中分别使用Rankine面元法和去奇点Rankine面元法（desingularized-Rankine panel method，简称DRPM）快速求解有航速船舶耐波性问题。使用两种不同的线性化方式：叠模流线性化法（double-body flow，简称DB）和均匀流线性化方法（Neumann-Kelvin，简称NK）计算了Wigley I、Wigley III和S175在有航速时船舶的水动力系数、波浪激励力和运动响应。两种线性化方法的计算结果与试验结果进行了比较，研究表明：使用Rankine面元法和去奇点Rankine面元法计算的结果相差不大，且与NK法相比使用DB法计算的结果和试验值更吻合，尤其是非对角线上交叉耦合水动力系数A35,B35,A53,B53的计算结果。运动响应对于边界条件线性化方式比较敏感，尤其是垂荡运动，在船共振频率附近，运动受到的影响最明显。     

Short-term under-ice variability of prokaryotic plankton communities in coastal Antarctic waters (Cape Hallett, Ross Sea)

During the 2006 Italian Antarctic expedition a diel sampling was performed close to Cape Hallett (Ross Sea) during the Austral summer. Under-ice seawater samples (4 m) were collected every 2 h for 28 h in order to estimate prokaryotic processes' variability and community structure dynamics. Prokaryotic and viral abundances, exoenzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, chitinase, lipase, alkaline phosphatase and leucine aminopeptidase), prokaryotic carbon production (³H-leucine incorporation) and community structure (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis – DGGE fingerprints) were analysed. Results showed that the diel variability of the prokaryotic activity followed a variation in salinity, probably as a consequence of the periodical thawing of sea ice (driven by solar radiation and air temperature cycles), while negligible variation in viral and prokaryotic abundances occurred. The Bacterial and Archaeal community structures underwent an Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) temporal shift from the beginning to the end of the sampling, while Flavobacteria-specific primers highlighted high variations in this group possibly related to sea ice melting and substrate release.     

Effects of metal pollution and macronutrient enrichment on the photoproduction of hydroxyl radicals in seawater by the alga Dunaliella salina

The marine microalga Dunaliella salina was used as a model organism in this study. Hydroxyl radicals (OH) were determined using HPLC with sodium benzoate as a probe, and the photochemical activity of marine alga in the formation of OH was confirmed for the first time. Coastal organisms are often exposed to both metal pollution and macronutrient enrichment, and so the effects of algal concentration, exposure time, macronutrient (nitrate and phosphate) additions and metal pollution (5.0 μg/L Pb(II) and 0.1 μg/L methylmercury) on the photoproduction of OH were examined. Photoproduction was increased with increasing algal concentration and with exposure time. It could be increased greatly, with or without the presence of D. salina, by the addition of Pb(II), or Pb(II) and methylmercury, but was decreased by the addition of methylmercury only. Photoproduction of OH was positively correlated with the amount of basic functional groups on the cell's surface and also with the chlorophyll a content per cell. The influence of macronutrient additions on the photoproduction of OH resulted from the photolysis of nitrate and their effects on the photochemical activity of D. salina.     

Chromium(VI) reduction by sulphur(IV) in aqueous solutions

The rates of the reduction of Cr(VI) with S(IV) were measured in deaerated NaCl solution as a function of pH, temperature and ionic strength. The rates of the reaction were found to be first order with respect to Cr(VI) and second order with respect to S(IV), in agreement with previous results obtained at concentrations two order higher than the present study. The reaction also showed a first-order dependence of the rates on the concentration of the proton and a small influence of temperature with an apparent energy of activation ΔH_app of 22.8 ± 3.4 kJ/mol. The rates were independent of ionic strength from 0.01 to 1 M. The rate of Cr(VI) reduction is described by the general expression

−d[Cr(VI)]/dt=k[Cr(VI)][S(IV)]²