Geochemical Characteristics of Particulate Organic Carbon in the Kocebu Seamount Waters of the Western Pacific Ocean in Spring 2018

The study of the geochemical characteristics of the POC in the seamount area will be of great significance for further understanding the material cycle process in the seamount ecosystem. Based on a comprehensive survey of the Kocebu seamount in the Western Pacific Ocean in March, 2018, the distribution, source and composition of Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) in the seawater of the Kocebu seamount area were discussed. The results showed that the concentration of POC in the Kocebu seamount area gradually decreased with the increasing water depth, and slightly rose in the water layers near the bottom of the seamount. The average concentration of POC in each water mass was sorted from high to low in the order of North Pacific Tropic Water, North Pacific Intermediate Water and Deep Water (DW), and the concentration of POC at stations near the seamount summit was lower than that far from the seamount in the DW. There was upwelling at the water layers of 750~1 500 m above the seamount summit, causing the uplift of the 12.50 μg/L POC isoline in this region, however, no “seamount effect” was formed. The POC was mainly imported from the sea with an average POC/PON of 3.75. At the water layers of 0~300 m, only the POC/chlorophyll a (Chl a) at deep chlorophyll maximum layer was less than 200, indicating that the POC in this region was mainly in a form of life, while at the water layer of 300 m, the POC/Chl a increased sharply, indicating that the non-living POC contributed the most to the total POC.     

Effects of Holocene climatic change on some tropical geomorphic processes

Man's interference with the landscape process places him in the role of a “paraglacial” agent: He tends to duplicate ice-age stresses such as deforestation, accelerated erosion, and climate alteration. Against a background climatic control dictated by the Milankovich mechanisms, the 10,000-year history of the Holocene has seen very large secondary modulations that must be better understood so that they may be distinguished from anthropogenic effects. If they are exogenetically controlled, as it seems, then they are probably predictable from astronomic data. Four geomorphic type areas are selected for demonstrating Holocene changes in tropical regions, because they have been somewhat neglected within the framework of Quaternary science and because they include some of the most fragile and easily disrupted environments: lakes, semiarid desert margins, coastlines, and coral reefs. In a nutshell, the tropical Holocene has seen three major changes: (a) the evolution from the hyperaridity of the last pleniglacial stage to the “postglacial pluvial”; (b) the “climatic optimum,” which was highly diachronous and strongly retarded as it shifted from low latitudes to high; (c) the postoptimum “deterioration” that has involved desiccation of lakes, readvances of the deserts, fall of sea level, and truncation of coral reefs. While this deterioration is predictable in terms of an interglacial-glacial climatic transition, strong natural climatic oscillations, not yet well understood, together with man's activities, make the future a cause for concern.     

Groundwater in a coral island

 Freshwater aquifers in small coral islands usually occur as thin lenses which are significantly influenced by stresses such as groundwater pumping, sea tides, etc. Kavaratti, a coral island, is one of the 36 such islands in the Arabian Sea off the western coast of India. Detailed hydrogeological investigations were carried out to determine the quantity of freshwater that could be pumped in addition to the present usage. Salinity of groundwater must remain within permissible limits and a 2-D solute mass transport model with a vertical section of the island was constructed by the computer code SUTRA. The model was calibrated by obtaining a match of computed and observed values of the water table, tidal efficiency, and salinity of groundwater at the water table. The model analysis showed that the salinity of groundwater continues to increase unless groundwater pumping is kept below a certain rate. Groundwater potential can be augmented by reducing the subsurface outflow to the sea and by raising the water table by a subsurface dam. Received: 8 September 1997 · Accepted: 27 April 1998     

西太平洋Y3海山对营养盐的影响及其生态环境效应

作为大洋典型地貌特征的海山,其邻近的海洋生境并不被人熟知。依据2014年冬季对热带西太平洋Y3海山及其邻近海域的综合调查,首次探讨了该海山区海水中营养盐的分布特征及其与生态环境的耦合关系。结果表明Y3海山区是典型的热带寡营养海域。在50~125 m的深度,温跃层和高盐区双重作用对底部高浓度营养盐向上输送的阻碍,是导致真光层上部营养盐浓度较低的重要原因;同时,浮游植物和异养细菌的消耗也加剧了该区域营养盐的缺乏。Y3海山突出的地形地貌对营养盐的分布产生重要的影响,海山对流经的海流产生阻碍,形成上升流,使底部高浓度的营养盐突破温跃层和高盐区的阻碍向上输送,从而使海山周围营养盐的平均浓度高于远离海山的海域。相关性分析显示,Y3海山区真光层中营养盐浓度与温度、盐度、叶绿素a浓度和异养细菌丰度分别呈负相关、正相关、负相关(除NO₂-N外)和负相关关系。海山区特殊的营养盐分布及其与生态环境的耦合是其成为一种独特的大洋生态系统的重要因素。     

Deep-Sea Coral Forest

The discovery of deep sea coral forests in the spring of 2018 filled a significant gap in the benthos research and even in carbon cycling in the South China Sea. Previously, the researches of deep-sea benthos were restricted to the sediment-covered soft bottom due to the technical limitations, and the rocky hard bottom was believed to be barren of life. Using submersible technique in the mid-1990s, deep-water coral reefs were first discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, which opened a new research direction in marine sciences. Two groups of deep sea corals have been recognized: scleractinian hexacorals and gorgonian octocorals. The aragonite skeleton of the former group build up deep sea coral reefs, while the latter make up deep sea coral forests with high-Mg calcite skeleton in many gorgonian corals. All kinds of carbonate coral skeletons can record environment changes of the deep sea and provide excellent material for high-resolution paleoceanography. Although the development of deep sea coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean is hampered by its extremely shallow aragonite compensation depth, deep sea coral forests are ubiquitous in the ocean. Up to now, most parts of the Pacific have not yet explored in this respect, and deep sea corals remain outside the research scope. The present paper is a literature review and calls for attention to the deep sea forests. It starts with the composition and distribution of deep sea coral reefs and forests, followed by discussions on the significance of deep sea coral forests in marine ecology and in paleoceanographic reconstructions.     

Trace analysis of hydrocarbons in coral cores from Saudi Arabia

As part of a long-term environmental assessment of the impact of the 1991 Gulf War on coral reefs, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) conducted growth and chemistry studies on coral cores from the Arabian Gulf. Twenty-eight cores were collected from four coral reefs located offshore from Saudi Arabia.Annual coral growth bands surrounding the 1991 oil spill were analysed in selected cores. Additionally, in cores that extended to the early 1980s, annual layers from 1980 to 1986 were analysed for possible residues from the 1983–4 oil spill caused by the Nowruz oil field blowout during the Iraq–Iran war. Both major spill events were targeted to provide additional confidence in relating oil concentrations to specific pollution events. We detected petroleum biomarkers in several coral annual bands related to the major pollution events. However, the oil remaining in these cores has been altered over time and the biomarker ratios found in these oil residues differed from Gulf crude oils.The concentrations of hydrocarbons were compared with the growth parameters of the coral cores. Only one sample may have recorded an “impact” of oil exposure. There was no other correspondence between slight changes in growth parameters between years and the trace chemistry. Therefore, chemical analysis enabled detection of the exposure incident, but provided no insight into the amount of oil to which the coral had been exposed. The chemical data can only infer biological impact if growth was significantly decreased.The average coral growth characteristics of Porites from the four sites in the Arabian Gulf were normal, as predicted from the average water temperatures of the region. There was an indication of an overall decline in growth over time, which should be monitored in the future.     

An integrated method for the quantitative evaluation of mineral resources of cobalt-rich crusts on seamounts

Cobalt-rich crusts on seamounts potentially have the economic value of multiple metals. In the field of exploration, it is important to perform quantitative evaluations of mineral resources and delineate promising areas in survey regions for future mining. Accordingly, this study, based on prior knowledge, develops an integrated method to quantitatively evaluate mineral resources of cobalt-rich crusts on seamounts and gives an application example to demonstrate this method. The method includes four steps: first, defining units with certain areas and shapes on the target seamount (a 20 km² square block in the application example) and estimating characteristic values of the cobalt-rich crust for each unit with known geological survey data using a space interpolation method such as Kriging; second, presenting several model algorithms, i.e. Regional Coverage of Crusts, Suitable Slope Percentage for Mining and Fitting Area on Slopes, to extract the corresponding regional metallogenic factors for each unit by inputting regional surveying data (such as bathymetry data) into these models; third, considering both the features and regional metallogenic factors of cobalt-rich crusts in each unit to estimate their distribution of mineral resources on the entire seamount; and last, according to the distribution of the mineral resources and international social and economic requirements (such as the regulations of the International Seabed Authority), delineating a promising area for future mining.     

New data on the structure of the Vitoria-Trindade seamount chain (western Brazil basin,South Atlantic)

In 2008, during cruise 24 of the R/V Akademik Vavilov, much of our research work was focused on the central segment (Jaseur and Davis seamounts, Dogaressa Bank) of the Vitoria-Trindade seamount chain (west of the Brazil basin) extending along 20.5° S. Work was conducted to survey the upper part of the sedimentary cover and to perform subbottom profiling. The samples dredged on the seamount slopes are represented by volcanites and Fe-Mn crusts.     

Raised Coral Terraces at Malakula, Vanuatu, Southwest Pacific, Indicate High Sea Level During Marine Isotope Stage 3

The occurrence of a series of raised coral reefs from the uplifted island of Malakula (Vanuatu, SW Pacific) provide an opportunity to examine sea-level fluctuations over at least the past 120,000 years. Thirteen fossil coral samples from Malakula were analyzed by the thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) U/Th dating technique, yielding information on sea levels during late marine isotope stage 3 and early stage 4. Our findings are in good agreement with sea-level estimates from raised coral terraces in Papua New Guinea and the recent sea-level reconstruction from the deep-sea sedimentary δ¹⁸O records. In particular, our coral data appear to confirm that sea levels at about 45,000–50,000 yr B.P. were only 30 to 60 m below the present level. Combined with other evidence of sea-level change, our data provide a strong case for much higher sea levels and therefore markedly reduced continental ice volume at 47,000 to 49,000 years ago.     

海南岛南岸全新世珊瑚礁的发育

海南岛南岸的珊瑚礁,是我国全新世珊瑚岸礁最为发育的地区之一,仅次于台湾岛南端的恒春半岛沿岸。前人从生物学^[1-5]、地貌学^[6-8]和地质学^[9-12]角度对海南岛南岸的珊瑚礁进行过较为广泛的研究。作者报道过崖县鹿回头水尾岭剖面珊瑚礁样品的C¹⁴年代测定结果^[13,14]。1979年底至1980年初,作者在海南岛南岸东起小东海沿岸西至西瑁岛西岸地区进行了野外调查与采样。根据野外和室内分析资料,本文公布了一批新测试的C¹⁴年代数据,并进一步讨论了全新世珊瑚礁的发育历史及其与海岸变迁、海面变化和地壳运动的关系等问题。     

不同结构类型珊瑚礁灰岩弹性波特性研究

基于岩石弹性波特性的地震方法是目前地球物理勘探中最主要的方法,岩石中弹性波传播速度是联系岩石物理力学特性与地质学的有效桥梁。对于海相生物成因的珊瑚礁灰岩而言,其弹性波特性研究是了解珊瑚礁体内部整体性质的有效途径。研究表明,珊瑚礁灰岩的弹性纵波速度与干密度、回弹值呈线性正相关关系,与孔隙度呈线性负相关关系。不同结构类型珊瑚礁灰岩弹性波特性表现出显著的差异性,珊瑚骨架灰岩和珊瑚砾块灰岩均匀性较好,珊瑚砾屑灰岩和珊瑚砂屑灰岩离散性较大。基于珊瑚礁灰岩纵波速度与干密度、孔隙度以及回弹值之间的关系,结合某珊瑚礁体钻孔岩芯沿深度变化的回弹值信息以及岩芯薄片光学检测结果,提出一个基于纵波速度的珊瑚礁灰岩质量等级的划分标准,具有一定的可靠度和适用性。运用岩石二相体模型基本原理,建立了修正的时间平均公式,而不同结构类型珊瑚礁灰岩弹性波特性均符合雷莫亨特-加德纳方程。     

热带生物海岸对全球变化的响应

以热带生物海岸现代过程研究成果为基础,结合国内外相关资料,分析我国红树林海岸和珊瑚礁海岸对全球变暖、海平面上升、大气CO2浓度升高和海洋酸化的响应.其中,全球变暖和大气CO2浓度升高总体上有利于红树林生长发育,海平面上升对红树林和珊瑚礁的影响取决于红树林潮滩淤积速率和珊瑚礁礁坪堆积速率与海平面上升速率之间的对比关系.海平面加速上升将威胁部分红树林、珊瑚礁及其后的海岸堤防.全球变暖海表异常高温导致珊瑚白化、海洋酸化导致珊瑚和珊瑚藻钙化率降低将成为21世纪珊瑚礁的重大威胁.全球变化的不确定性和生态系统响应机制仍然有待进一步研究.主要是人类不合理开发活动导致目前红树林和珊瑚礁的广泛严重破坏,加强海岸带综合管理和生态环境保护,加强生态系统恢复重建,是有效适应本世纪全球变化影响的重要措施.     

西沙珊瑚锶温度计：便捷高精度海洋古水温代用指标

西沙群岛现代滨珊瑚1976－1994年生长期间Sr含量的高精度热电离质谱测定结果表明，Sr含量随季节发生周期性的变化，并与当地同期实测海水月平均温度变化相吻合，其Sr含量与实测海水温度相关系数为－0．94。这18年冬夏极端Sr含量与同期月温的相关系数可高达－0．98。Sr温度计误差小于0．5℃。     

香港西贡滨珊瑚REE的地球化学特征及其与海平面变化的关系

用ICP-MS技术测定了位于珠江口西岸香港西贡滨珊瑚在1991～2002年(分辨率达到0.5a)的稀土元素(REE)含量。实验结果显示香港滨珊瑚REE具有Ce负异常、重稀土富集这种典型的海水相分布模式。香港滨珊瑚中REE含量处于目前已见报道中的高值范围,与巴布亚新几内亚珊瑚的REE含量相当。通过与不同地区的比较,香港珊瑚高REE含量很可能就是毗邻的珠江水体高REE的直接反映,而且同南海北缘半封闭边缘海的性质有关。香港珊瑚REE的来源主要为珠江口及其相邻的陆缘沉积物。此外,1991～2002年香港珊瑚REE含量年际下降趋势十分明显,Ce负异常和重稀土富集的程度也呈加剧的趋势,分布模式向海水相转化。REE含量与海平面的年际变化之间有显著的负相关关系(r=-0.7～-0.9),而且重稀土与海平面的相关系数优于轻稀土。上述结果揭示了热带滨珊瑚对近期全球变暖、极冰融化和海水膨胀所引起的海平面快速上升的响应。     

利用富钴结壳碳酸盐基岩有孔虫矿物标型重建古海洋温度

重建古海洋海表温度(SST),是研究地质历史时期气候变化控制过程的关键。组成有孔虫化石的矿物Mg/Ca值是海水温度的可靠代用指标,是重建古海洋SST的一个非常好的手段。麦哲伦海山区的富钴结壳和基岩中普遍存在有孔虫化石,这对重建该区的SST有重要意义。利用LA-ICP-MS测得西太平洋麦哲伦海山区富钴结壳碳酸盐基岩中8颗浮游有孔虫化石Globigerinoides sacculifer的Mg/Ca值为3.84±0.36(mmol/mol),通过线性公式:T(℃)=2.898Mg/Ca(mmol/mol)+13.76及已有的定年数据,得到0.91Ma±西太平洋麦哲伦海山区海表温度为24.9+1.1/-1.0℃,未能检索到前人关于该区0.91Ma±前海表温度数据。     

Nutrient enrichment on coral reefs: Is it a major cause of coral reef decline?

Coral reefs are degrading worldwide at an alarming rate. Nutrient over-enrichment is considered a major cause of this decline because degraded coral reefs generally exhibit a shift from high coral cover (low algal cover) to low coral cover with an accompanying high cover and biomass of fleshy algae. Support for such claims is equivocal at best. Critical examination of both experimental laboratory and field studies of nutrient effects on corals and coral reefs, including the Elevated Nutrient on Coral Reefs Experiment (ENCORE) enrichment experiment conducted on the Great Barrier Reef, does not support the idea that the levels of nutrient enrichment documented at anthropogenically-enriched sites can affect the physiology of corals in a harmful way, or for most cases, be the sole or major cause of shifts in coralalgal abundance. Factors other than nutrient enrichment can be significant causes of coral death and affect algal cover, and include decreased abundance of grazing fishes by fishing, and of grazing sea urchins to disease; grazing preferences of remaining grazers; temperature stress that kills coral (i.e., coral bleaching) and creates more open substrate for algal colonization; sedimentation stress that can weaken adult corals and prevent coral recruitment; coral diseases that may be secondary to coral bleaching; and outbreaks of coral predators and sea urchins that may be secondary effects of overfishing. Any factor that leads to coral death or reduces levels of herbivory will leave more substrate open for algal colonization or make the effects of even low-level enrichment more severe. Factors that contribute to an imbalance between production and consumption will result in community structure changes similar to those expected from over-enrichment. Over-enrichment can be and has been the cause of localized coral reef degradation, but the case for widespread effects is not substantiated.     

Evidence of high sea level during the mid- Holocene on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka

A well-developed extensive buried coral reef at Akurala, north of Hikkaduwa, is deposited on a low plateau of decomposed crystalline rocks of Precambrian age. Radiocarbon age datings from three coral quarries in the area reveal that the branching and massive corals, in a position ofgrowth, were gradually deposited between 6, 110 ± 80 B.P. and 5,500 ± 80 B.P. in a bay or a lagoon as isolated patches, and their heights vary from 1.4m to 3.9m below mean sea level (MSL). Four radiocarbon age datings of emerged coral reef patches at Akurala and Akurala- Telwatte vary from 6,170 ± 70 B.P. to 5,350 ± 80 B.P. and at levels between 10cm and 70cm above MSL respectively. The present living corals in front of the southwest coast thrive from mean low water spring (MLWS) tidal level to 4m in depth in lagoonal reef areas. From the level of pesent living coral it is inferred that sea level was above the present level about 50cm at 6,110 ± 80 B.P. and 1m or more at 5,560 ± 80 B.P. The in situ position and condition of the materials show that they were not accumulated by catastrophic events such as storm waves.     

国际全球变化研究发展态势文献计量评价

-全球变化研究是国际上地球系统综合研究的重大跨学科研究领域。随着全球环境问题的日益突出，国际上先后组织发起了全球环境变化研究的四大科学计划WCRP、IGBP、IHDP、DIVERSITAS及其组成的地球系统科学联盟ESSP，开展对全球变化和地球系统科学的研究。当前，全球变化问题不仅是科学界关注和研究的问题，也是政治界、经济界都关注的重大问题。 科技文献能够反映科学前沿的发展动态。对SCIE和SSCI数据库收录的全球变化研究文献进行统计，从文献计量学的角度，分析国际全球变化研究领域的发展态势，了解中国全球变化研究的国际影响力。可以看出：国际上全球变化研究的论文数量一直呈增长趋势，以地球科学多学科、生态学、环境科学、自然地理学、植物学等学科领域为主。中国自2000年以来在该领域的发文数量增长较快，特别是中国科学院的发文量已进入国际前列，但中国在该研究领域尚缺少高影响力的论文。     

甘肃北山马鬃山俯冲增生杂岩带中特殊"古海山"的发现及其沉积序列解析

古海山是缝合带的关键组成部分,中亚造山带西段的天山造山带内已发现多处古海山,而北山地区却鲜有报道,古海山的发现可以弥补该地区海山研究的不足.通过在北山中部野马泉开展地质调查、测制剖面,发现了一套原始层序完整、以玄武岩、玄武质凝灰岩和大理岩为主的地层,具有火山岩基座和碳酸盐岩顶盖的结构,二者原始接触关系为整合接触,符合海山的沉积特征.依据地层中的岩石组合和沉积构造,确定其形成于海山斜坡相.野马泉古海山残骸呈NWW-SEE向延伸,东南部更接近海山顶.该海山中的玄武岩富集大离子亲石元素、亏损高场强元素,具有岛弧玄武岩的特征.该海山为洋内弧型海山,野马泉一带位于海山斜坡,其被构造肢解后呈NWW-SEE向分布.      

Amino acid age estimates, quaternary Atlantic Coastal Plain: Comparison with U-series dates, biostratigraphy, and paleomagnetic control

Amino acid enantiomeric (D/L) ratios in the mollusk Mercenaria are compared with recently published biostratigraphic and/or U-series solitary coral data from 22 Quaternary localities on the central and southern Atlantic Coastal Plain. In all cases, local relative aminostratigraphic sequences are consistent with relative ages inferred from U-series or biostratigraphic data, although occasionally more depositional events are recognized by aminostratigraphic than biostratigraphic methods. However, if the U-series data are used as age calibrations for the D/L values, latitudinal trends of “isochronous” D/L values are highly variable and conflict with trends expected from the present temperature gradient, which is smooth and nearly linear between 45° and 25° N. Age estimation can be performed independently of the U-series data using a kinetic model that relies on the assumption that Pleistocene temperature gradients have also been smooth functions of latitude, although significantly steeper than the present temperature gradient. Within the uncertainties of this assumption, kinetic model age estimates for localities in the coastal plain fall into the following groups: 70,000–130,000 yr, 200–250,000 yr, 300,000–400,000 yr, 500,000–600,000 yr, 700,000–800,000 yr, and > 1,000,000 yr. Major conflicts between these model age estimates are observed for localities near Charleston, South Carolina and in central Virginia. These conflicts could indicate that the basic temperature assumptions of aminostratigraphy are incorrect, and that apparent local aminostratigraphic sequences (clusters of different D/L values) could be due to factors other than age difference. Alternatively, some of the U-series dates may be only minimum ages for these localities.