Benthic boundary layer processes in the Lower Florida Keys

 This special issue of Geo-Marine Letters, “Benthic Boundary Layer Processes in the Lower Florida Keys,” includes 12 papers that present preliminary results from the Key West Campaign. The Dry Tortugas and Marquesas Keys test sites were selected by a group of 115 scientists and technicians to study benthic boundary layer processes in a carbonate environment controlled by bioturbation and biogeochemical processes. Major activities included remote sediment classification; high-frequency acoustic scattering experiments; sediment sampling for radiological, geotechnical, biological, biogeochemical, physical, and geoacoustic studies; and hydrodynamic studies using an instrumented tetrapod. All these data are being used to improve our understanding of the effects of environmental processes on sediment structure and behavior.     

Environmental influences on the formation of sedimentary fabric in a fine-grained carbonate-shelf environment: Dry Tortugas, Florida Keys

 Sedimentological studies were undertaken in the Dry Tortugas to examine environmental influences on the formation of sedimentary fabric. ²³⁴Th, ²¹⁰Pb, grain size, porosity, and fabric analyses reveal the presence of a soft, fine-grained, well mixed surface layer underlain by compact, shelly, intensely bioturbated carbonate muds. Vertical zonation of biogenic structures indicates that deep bioturbation is advective and results in transport of fine material to the seabed surface. The impact of physical oceanographic processes appears to be restricted to the surface layer; however, potential for preservation of this layer in the sediment record is low due to intense mixing in deeper sediments. Thus, preserved sediments retain an incomplete record of the dominant benthic processes at the study area.     

Small-scale fluctuations in acoustic and physical properties in surficial carbonate sediments and their relationship to bioturbation

 Measurements of physical and acoustic properties within the top 40 cm of sediment indicate that there are three classes of parameter variability relevant to acoustic bottom scattering at the Marquesas Keys and Dry Tortugas sites. The three classes of variability, spatially and temporally different in terms of scale, are generated by biological and physical processes acting on sediments. Interplay of bioturbation, trawling and storm events create fine laminations of sand–silt–clay and high gravel-size mollusk shell content at the Marquesas Keys site; the predominance of biological processes creates strong surficial gradients and lateral variability in sediment properties at the Dry Tortugas site.     

Mapping sediment acoustic impedance using remote sensing acoustic techniques in a shallow-water carbonate environment

 Real-time trackline plots of surficial sediment acoustic impedance delineate several sedimentary facies off Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas. The sea floor within a 6×6 km surveyed area consists of carbonate muds (silts), sands and shell, rock, and live corals. The 4-kHz acoustic data supports this finding by providing a pictographic representation of the distribution and structure of several sediment facies types. Plotting the gridded acoustic data with commercial mapping software (Surfer) provides a three-dimensional (3D) perspective of the bottom topography with a color contour map of surficial sediment impedance (upper 0.4 m) draped over the 3D surface.     

Side-scan and acoustic subbottom characterization of the sea floor near the Dry Tortugas, Florida

 Between 2 and 6 February, 1995, a 25 km² area at the Dry Tortugas (Florida Keys) was surveyed with a 100 kHz side-scan sonar system and 3.5-kHz subbottom profiler. The side-scan system revealed a pattern of alternating high and low backscatter. The subbottom profiler showed areas with no acoustic penetration between sediment troughs. The combination of both methods allowed delineation of the boundaries in high-backscatter regions, and sediment samples allowed correlations between high backscatter and coarser-grained sediments.     

Geoacoustic and physical properties of carbonate sediments of the Lower Florida Keys

 Near-surface sediment geoacoustic and physical properties were measured from a variety of unconsolidated carbonate sediments in the Lower Florida Keys. Surficial values of compressional and shear speed correlate with sediment physical properties and near-surface acoustic reflectivity. Highest speeds (shear 125–150 m s^-1; compressional 1670–1725 m s^-1) are from sandy sediments near Rebecca Shoal and lowest speeds (shear 40–65 m s^-1; compressional 1520–1570 m s^-1) are found in soft, silty sediments which collect in sediment ponds in the Southeast Channel of the Dry Tortugas. High compressional wave attenuation is attributed to scattering of acoustic waves from heterogeneity caused by accumulation of abundant shell material and other impedance discontinuities rather than high intrinsic attenuation. Compared to siliciclastic sediments, carbonate sediment shear wave speed is high for comparable values of sediment physical properties. Sediment fabric, rather than changes due to the effects of biogeochemical processes, is responsible for these differences.     

Scale-dependent physical and geoacoustic property variability of shallow-water carbonate sediments from the Dry Tortugas, Florida

 Spatial variability of shallow-water carbonate sediments near Dry Tortugas, Florida, is scale-dependent. Wet bulk density, grain density, porosity, compressional wave velocity, and grain size variability generally increase down to 2.4 m vertically and 850 m laterally. Grain size is most variable, followed by porosity, wet bulk density, compressional wave velocity, and grain density bothvertically and laterally, consistent with Walther’s Law. Variability was empirically modeled by linear regression analysis to predict variability based on scale, characterize sediment property variability, and quantify sedimentisotropy.     

Effect of biogeochemical diagenesis on sediment fabric in shallow marine carbonate sediments near the Dry Tortugas, Florida

 Shallow marine carbonate sediments near the Dry Tortugas undergo extensive biogeochemical diagenesis upon deposition, resulting in postdepositional fabric comprised of micritic aggregates of clay-sized particles, a matrix of peloidal mud, and intraparticular cementation. Freshly deposited primary skeletons, mostly Halimeda fragments, yield micritic aggregates of clay-sized particles, which then form peloidal mud fabric upon compaction. The cryptocrystalline particles produced by micritization are later replaced by high magnesian calcite. Cementation is observed in the intra-particular microenvironment. However, no inter-particular, grain-binding cement was detected throughout the gravity core samples investigated.     

A high-resolution geological and geophysical investigation of the Dry Tortugas carbonate depositional environment

 Geophysical surveys and ground truth data are compared from a site in the Dry Tortugas, Florida. Seismic data reveal six depositional sequences bounded by high-amplitude reflectors interpreted as subaerial unconformities. Chirp sonar data reveal structure within the Holocene depositional sequence that is correlated to ground truth data. Sedimentary units within the Holocene sequence record a transition from a low-energy, lagoonal environment, to a high-energy, shallow marine environment, to a moderate-energy, slightly deeper marine environment. Forward modeling and impedance inversion reveal good agreement between sediment physical properties, acoustic properties measured by the electric logger, and the chirp sonar data.     

Sublittoral meiofauna with particular reference to nematodes in the southern Yellow Sea, China

Densities of major meiofaunal taxa were investigated at 34 sampling stations during six cruises by R/V Beidou to the southern Yellow Sea, China from 2000 to 2004, and the community structure of free-living marine nematodes was studied during one of the cruises in 2003. Meiofauna abundance ranged from 487.4 to 1655.3 individuals per 10 cm². Nematodes and harpacticoid copepods were the two most dominant groups, contributing 73.8–92.8% and 3.5–18.7%, respectively, to the total meiofauna abundance. One-way ANOVA showed no significant annual fluctuation of meiofauna and nematode abundances from 2000 to 2004 in the southern Yellow Sea. However, two-way ANOVA based on six stations sampled in 4 years (2001–2004) showed that there were significant differences among the six stations and the 4 sampling years for meiofauna, nematode and copepod abundance. Correlation analysis demonstrated that meiofauna abundance was mainly linked to chloroplastic pigments. Other environmental factors could not be ruled out, however. A total of 232 free-living marine nematode species, belonging to 149 genera, 35 families and 4 orders, were identified. The dominant species in the sampling area were the following: Dorylaimopsis rabalaisi, Microlaimus sp.1, Prochromadorella sp., Promonohystera sp., Cobbia sp.1, Daptonema sp.1, Leptolaimus sp.1, Halalaimus sp.2, Aegialoalaimus sp., Chromadorita sp., Parodontophora marina, Parasphaerolaimus paradoxus, Quadricoma sp.1, Campylaimus sp.1, Halalaimus gracilis, Paramesacanthion sp.1, Paramonohystera sp.1, and Metalinhomoeus longiseta. CLUSTER and SIMPROF analyses revealed three main types of nematode community (or station groups) in the sampling area, including I: coastal community, II: transitory community between coastal and YSCWM (Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass), and III: YSCWM community. Each community was indicated by a number of dominant nematode species. Bio-Env correlation analysis between the nematode community and environmental variables showed that water depth, sediment water content, organic matter, chlorophyll a (Chl-a) and phaeophorbide a (Pha-a) were the most important factors to determine the community structure.     

Geotechnical characterization of calcareous sediments from the Dry Tortugas Keys and Marquesas Keys CBBL SRP study sites, Lower Florida Keys

Geotechnical characteristics of carbonate sediments from two test sites (Dry Tortugas Keys and Marquesas Keys) in the Lower Florida Keys were investigated as part of the Coastal Benthic Boundary Layer Special Research Program, through an extensive field coring and laboratory testing program conducted by the Marine Geomechanics Laboratory of the University of Rhode Island. Based on results from physical measurements, water content and wet bulk density values for both sites generally showed large variations in the upper 25 cm and little variation below this depth. Sediment samples exhibited low plasticity or nonplastic characteristics. Constant-rate-of-deformation consolidation test results showed strong apparent overconsolidation (stress state ratio >7.5) in the surface sediments (upper 50 cm) at the Dry Tortugas Keys, and light overconsolidation (stress state ratio <1.5) below 50-cm depth at the Marquesas Keys site. In-situ permeability values were between 10^-4 and 10^-7 cm/s at both sites and showed no strong depth dependence in the upper 2 m. Undrained shear strength profiles for Dry Tortugas Keys sediments indicated a marked stiffening with depth, whereas the Marquesas Keys sediments showed a gradual increase with depth. Consolidated isotropically undrained triaxial shear strength test results indicate that the undisturbed sediments had an average effective angle of internal friction of 38°, which is not fully realized until large axial strains on the order of 11% have accumulated. Evidence of cementation was not found in triaxial compression or consolidation test results. The general behavior and characteristics of these sediments are similar to those of granular materials, which is primarily due to their high calcium carbonate contents and lack of cementation.     

Community structures of coral reefs around Peninsular Malaysia

Coral community structures at eleven fringing reef sites were investigated along the coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Estimated coverage of coral communities is examined by applying quantitative digital image analysis to the line transect method. Four coral community types were characterized by dominant genera and lifeforms: Acropora branching community, Montipora-Acropora community, Porites massive community, and Heliopora community. Live coral coverage in all study sites ranged from 17.9% to 68.6%. Most reefs were in “fair” condition while some reefs were shown to be in “poor” condition. Coral community structures among the study sites were divided into the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia with a dominant Porites massive lifeform, and the east coast with a variety of lifeform categories of Montipora and Acropora. Physical effects such as the monsoon wind regime and sedimentation are likely to influence the formation of dominant coral communities around Peninsular Malaysia.     

Effects of benthic biology on bottom boundary layer processes, Dry Tortugas Bank, Florida Keys

 An instrumented tetrapod was deployed for three weeks on the Dry Tortugas Bank at a depth of 26 m in February 1995. Bottom roughness was dominated by shrimp burrows and worm mounds with rms roughness amplitudes ranging from 0.47 to 1.75 cm. Logarithmic velocity profiles show apparent total roughness heights ranging from 0.30 to 1.45 cm, values consistent with observed biological roughness. The bed sediments were weakly bound by an algal crust at the sediment–water interface. When this bound layer was scraped away by a mooring that was accidentally dragged, sharp-crested wave-induced ripples appeared within the resulting swath. We conclude that physically induced roughness is biologically suppressed, but if dominant, would be significantly higher than the prevailing biological roughness.     

东南极普里兹湾陆架区大型底栖动物群落结构

To explore the spatial pattern of macrobenthic communities and their response to environmental factors in the Prydz Bay,samples were collected using a 0.25-m2 box corer at 10 stations from November 2012 to April 2013.A total of 50 species of macrobenthos belonging to 8 phyla and 33 families were identified,of which polychaetes(e.g.,Maldane sarsi)and sponges(e.g.,Halichondria sp.and Leucosolenia sp.)were the most prominent groups.The macrobenthos in study area were categorized into five functional groups based on the feeding type,and the detritivorous group represented by polychaetes showed the highest average abundance,while the planktophagous group represented by sponges showed the highest average biomass.Macrobenthos abundance(0–592 ind./m2)and biomass(0–1155.5 g/m2)in the Prydz Bay were relatively lower than those of other Antarctic shelf soft-bottom waters,although the compositions of the dominant species and functional feeding groups were similar.The results of the Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated that the average biomass of the macrobenthos and the biomass of the planktophagous group in the study area were negatively correlated with the water depth,sediment grain size and silt percentage.However,these variables were clearly not strong determinants of macrobenthos assemblage structure.Many factors not measured in the study,e.g.,sediment organic matter and iceberg interference,have probably influenced the spatial distribution of macrobenthic community structure in the Prydz Bay.     

粤西海陵湾养殖区邻近海域大型底栖动物生态学特征

根据2014—2016年粤西海陵湾养殖区湾内和湾外邻近海域21°27′—21°38′N、111°42′—111°57′E 4个航次调查资料,对其大型底栖动物生态学特征进行了研究。结果表明,共鉴定大型底栖动物64种,春季种类最多为39种,秋季最低为17种。4季均以环节动物种类数最多,软体动物次之。不同季节间优势种有所差异,仅倍棘蛇尾Amphioplus sp.为周年优势种。春、夏、秋和冬季第一优势种分别为倍棘蛇尾、菲律宾蛤仔Ruditapes philippinarum、短吻铲荚螠Listriolobus brevirostris和平蛤蜊Mactra mera。平均丰度和生物量分别为213ind./m~2和15.4g/m~2,其中丰度以春季最高为248ind./m~2,夏季最低为167ind./m~2,而生物量则以秋季最高为28.0g/m~2,春季最低为2.4g/m~2;平面分布总体呈现湾外高于湾内的趋势。底栖动物Pielou均匀度和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数分别为0.95—1.00和1.56—4.07,其中时间分布规律明显,春季最高,秋季最低;空间上,两者无明显分布差异。群落结构时空差异显著,为沉积物类型、水深、底层无机氮和悬浮物以及捕食压力等因素共同影响的结果。     

Submersible Observations of the Hydrothermal Vent Communities on the Iheya Ridge, Mid Okinawa Trough, Japan

During the Dives Nos. 409, 410, 480 and 481 of the Japanese submersible Shinkai 2000, conducted on June 10 and 11, 1989 and on May 16 and 17, 1990, several hydrothermal vents and prosperous vent associated biological communities were found on the northern slope of the Iheya Ridge in the Mid-Okinawa Trough (27°32.5′ N, 126°58.5′ E: depth 1,400 m). The first site we found, the “Calyptogena Site”, was characterized by a relatively thick blanket of sediments, pleated and/or laminated lava flows, with occasional lobate pillows and white and yellow stains. Although no remarkable shimmering water and thermal anomalies were detected during the observations, the extraordinarily dense community must be related to hydrothermal activities. The community was dominated by the giant white clam, Calyptogena okutanii, in biomass, and by Neolepas-type primitive scalpellids and slender vestimentiferan tube-worms in number. The second site, the “Pyramid Site”, situated only 200 m northward from the Calyptogena Site has typical clear smokers emitting hot water over 200°C, and is characterized by a hard substratum of volcanic rocks and hydrothermal slabs. No noteworthy succession was perceived at the Calyptogena Site over a year. Many of the vent members occurred at both sites. However, Calyptogena okutanii, which were confined to the sediment bottom, Neolepas spp. and larger vestimentiferan tube-worms were found to thrive only at the Calyptogena Site, being only minor elements in the Pyramid Site. The global distribution of several groups of organisms is discussed preliminarily in zoogeographical terms based on comparison with other submersible missions and surveys done by surface vessels. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Contribution of benthic and epiphytic diatoms to clam and oyster production in the Akkeshi-ko estuary

The species composition and dynamics of phytoplankton in the water column and its contribution to clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, and oyster, Crassostrea gigas, production were studied in the Akkeshi-ko estuary, eastern part of Hokkaido, Japan. A total 128 taxa of diatoms were identified, with 103 and 102 species occurring on the surface sediments and in the water column, respectively. Amphora sp., Bacillaria paradoxa var paxilifer, Cocconeis scutellum, Navicula sp., Nitzschia sigma, Paralia sulcata, Rhoicosphenia curvata, Synedra ulna and Thalassiosira sp. were most common and dominant in all stations in both water column and surface sediment. Benthic diatoms were most dominant in both water column and surface sediment. The species composition of epiphytes was, in part, similar to diatom assemblage of the water column and also to that of the surface sediment. The benthic and pelagic ratio in the diatom assemblage of the water column was very high. Benthic diatoms were able to resuspend into water column by turbulence stimulated by wind. Chlorophyll a concentration in the water column increased as wind speed increased. Seventy and 67% of the gut contents oysters consisted of benthic diatoms in 2003 and 2004 and also 78 and 87% of clams in 2003 and 2004, respectively. The availability of benthic and epiphytic diatom assemblages contributes significantly to food resources for clam and oyster mariculture due to resuspension by disturbance in the Akkeshi-ko estuary.     

The effect of a natural water-movement related disturbance on the structure of meiofauna and macrofauna communities in the intertidal sand flat of Rocas Atoll (NE, Brazil)

Rocas, the only atoll in the South Atlantic, is located 266 km off the northeast Brazilian coast. Spatial patterns in community structure of meiofauna, particularly nematodes, and macrofauna were examined along a transect through the sediment path from windward to leeward of the Rocas Atoll sand flat. Differences in benthic community structure between four zones of the sand flat were found to be significant and related to the major local processes of carbonate-grain transport and sedimentation. Both meiobenthic and macrobenthic assemblages were significantly more diverse and abundant within the sediment inflow zone (the initial part of the detrital path of Rocas sand flat) than in the other zones, where a clear impoverishment of benthic invertebrates occurred. This first study of the benthos of an intertidal sand flat over a reef island in the Atlantic showed that the meiofauna is numerically dominated by the nematodes Metoncholainussp. 1 (Oncholaimidae) and Epsilonema sp. 1 (Epsilonematidade), whilst the macrofauna is largely dominated by oligochaetes and large Oncholaimidae nematodes. Analysis of the species composition, trophic structure and abundance of both the meiobenthos and the macrobenthos revealed an impoverished community subjected to an intense water-movement disturbance.     

Contrasting chemical and isotopic compositions of organic matter in Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuarine and East China Sea shelf sediments

To examine the source and preservation of organic matter in the shelf sediments of the East China Sea (ECS), we measured bulk C/N and isotopes, organic biomarkers (n-alkanes and fatty acids) and compound-specific (fatty acids) stable carbon isotope ratios in three sediment cores collected from two sites near the Changjiang Estuary and one in the ECS shelf. Contrasting chemical and isotopic compositions of organic matter were observed between the estuarine and shelf sediments. The concentrations of total n-alkanes and fatty acids in the shelf surface sediments (0–2 cm) were 5–10 times higher than those in estuarine surface sediments but they all decreased rapidly to comparable levels below the surface layer. The compositions of n-alkanes in the estuarine sediments were dominated by C₂₆-C₃₃ long-chain n-alkanes with a strong odd-to-even carbon number predominance. In contrast, the composition of n-alkanes in the shelf sediment was dominated by nC₁₅ to nC₂₂ compounds. Long-chain (>C₂₀) fatty acids (terrestrial biomarkers) accounted for a significantly higher fraction in the estuarine sediments compared to that in the shelf sediment, while short-chain (<C₂₀) saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were more abundant in the shelf surface sediments than in the estuarine sediments. Stable carbon isotopic ratios of individual fatty acids showed a general positive shift from estuarine to shelf sediments, consistent with the variations in bulk δ ¹³C_TOCTOC. These contrasts between the estuarine and shelf sediments indicate that terrestrial organic matter was mainly deposited within the Changjiang Estuary and inner shelf of ECS. Post-depositional diagenetic processes in the surface sediments rapidly altered the chemical compositions and control the preservation of organic matter in the region.     

苏北浅滩沉积物中的大型绿藻微观繁殖体的垂直分布和物种多样性

本研究通过在2017年秋冬季组织实施的2个绿潮种源调查航次,研究苏北浅滩紫菜养殖区沉积物中的大型绿藻微观繁殖体的垂直分布和物种多样性。对沉积物中的微观繁殖体的定量实验结果表明:表层泥样中绿藻微观繁殖体的丰度最高,随着深度的增加迅速降低。在9月份表层沉积物中丰度为9±2ind./g,而在11月份表层丰度达到98±25ind./g;与9月份相比, 11月份浅滩沉积物中绿藻繁殖体数量呈现出显著升高的趋势。通过对51个绿藻样品的分子鉴定发现:沉积物中存在石莼属(Ulva)、尾孢藻属(Urospora)、盘苔属(Blidingia)等大型绿藻的微观繁殖体;数量占优是石莼属繁殖体,主要包括曲浒苔(Ulva flexuosa)、浒苔(Ulva prolifera)、扁浒苔(Ulva compressa)、缘管浒苔(Ulva linza);其中曲浒苔占据的比例最高,在9和11月份分别达到80.94%和73.33%。在2个调查航次中,都从沉积物中发现了绿潮浒苔的微观繁殖体,这些微观繁殖体是绿潮浒苔在苏北浅滩种源维持的重要方式和关键阶段,也构成了黄海浒苔绿潮连年暴发的"种子库"。