Organic matter composition of the continental shelf and bathyal sediments of the Cretan Sea (NE Mediterranean)

The seasonal, spatial and bathymetric changes in the distribution of chloroplastic pigments (Chl a, phaeopigments and CPE), TOC, TON, ATP, bottom water nutrient content and the main biochemical classes of organic compounds (lipids, proteins and carbohydrates) were recorded from May 1994 to September 1995 over the continental margin of northern Crete. The concentration of chloroplastic pigment equivalents (CPE) was always low, dropping dramatically along the shelf-slope gradient. Microbial activity (ATP) also dropped sharply beyond the continental shelf following a distribution pattern similar to TOC and TON. Lipid, protein and carbohydrate concentrations, as well as biopolymeric carbon were comparable to those reported for other more productive areas, however, the quality of the organic matter itself was rather poor. Thus, carbohydrates, the dominant biochemical class, were characterised by being highly (80–99%) refractory, as soluble carbohydrates represented (on annual average) only 6% of the total carbohydrate pool. Protein and lipid concentrations strongly decreased with depth, indicating depletion of trophic resources in the bathyal zone. Proteins appeared to be the more degradable compounds and indeed the protein to carbohydrate ratios were found to decrease strongly in the deeper stations. Organic matter content and quality decreased both with increasing distance from the coast and within the sediment. All sedimentary organic compounds were found to vary between sampling periods, with the changes being more pronounced over the continental shelf. The different temporal patterns of the various components suggest a different composition and/or origin of the OM inputs during the different sampling periods. The amount of material reaching the sediments below 540 m is extremely low, suggesting that most of the organic material is decomposed and/or utilised before reaching the sea floor. In conclusion, the continental shelf and bathyal sediments of the Cretan Sea can be considered, from a trophic point of view, as two different subsystems.     

Geotechnical properties of sediment on the Kodiak continental shelf and upper slope,gulf of Alaska

Abstract

Fine‐grained sedimentary deposits on the Kodiak continental shelf and upper slope comprise three distinct compositional types: terrigenous mud, diatomrich mud, and ash‐rich sandy mud. The sediment types can be distinguished on the basis of geotechnical properties as well as by composition. The terrigenous mud has properties largely within the normal range for fine‐grained marine sediment, except for the low compressibility of many samples. This sediment underlies the walls of canyons that incise the upper slope, and analyses of undrained static and cyclic loading indicate potential instability in the steepest areas. The diatom‐rich mud has high water content, plasticity index, and compression index but low grain specific gravity. The ash‐rich sandy mud is nonplastic and has low water content and compressibility. It has high drained and undrained static strength but is extremely weakened by cyclic loading. Extensive deposits of sedimentary bedrock and coarsegrained glacial sediment in the region apparently are relatively stable, but low sediment strength or high compressibility may be encountered at the local sites of soft sedimentary deposits.     

东海陆架浙-闽沿岸泥质沉积研究进展

比较全面的回顾了关于东海浙-闽沿岸泥质体以及其形成前的沉积演化历史、泥质沉积的物质来源及其东亚季风/古气候记录等方面的研究进展。分析了目前关于浙-闽沿岸沉积研究中所存在的问题,即,泥质体的物质来源与形成,长江入海历史的陆架沉积物记录,8.2 ka冷事件,年代框架调整及区域对比,代用指标指示意义等多方面问题。提出在东海浙-闽沿岸泥质区,我们需要更多高分辨率的钻孔进行综合研究,其中应该特别加强对泥质沉积物的研究,以期对海陆交界敏感地带的"源到汇"以及全球变化研究取得突破性进展。     

Review of continental shelf marine geotechnics: Distribution of soils,measurement of properties,and environmental hazards

Abstract

Sands and silty sands are the predominant surficial soils of continental shelves. Cohesive fine‐grained soils are typical off the mouths of large rivers, near bays and estuaries, and in basins located on the shelf. The stratigraphy of shelf soils is very poorly known for most engineering purposes, except in the vicinity of the Mississippi Delta.

Vibratory coring is the most common method of sampling shelf sands to depths of about 13 m; greater soil depths are sampled by borings often using drilling and wireline sampling tools. Employment of self‐contained or wireline static cone penetrometers to obtain in situ measurements of sands has not been as common in the United States as in Europe. Dynamic piston corers are the most common samplers in cohesive soils, but rotary and hydraulically activated incremental corers are becoming available for marine use. Self‐contained or wireline vane shear devices and static cone penetrometers are used for the in situ testing of cohesive soils, and the latter device is also used for cohesionless soils. Dynamic cone penetrometers have been developed and have had limited experimental use at sea. In situ electrical resistivity and nuclear‐transmission and backscatter probes have been used in cohesive soils to obtain bulk‐density and water‐content measurements and for stratigraphic correlation. Acoustical properties of cohesive and cohesionless soils have been measured by in situ probes and have been estimated from results of geophysical surveys made on ships that are under way.

Environmental hazards to the foundations of offshore structures include earthquakes, wave‐induced loading and scour, and burrowing animals. Reported bottom‐current velocities on the United States continental shelf appear to have maximums of about 0.5 m/s under fair‐weather conditions and greater than about 5 m/s under hurricane conditions. Cyclical loading of the seafloor induced by storm waves appears to be a major hazard to soil stability in some areas.

A representative sample of the widely scattered engineering and scientific literature of continental shelf marine geotechnics and geotechnically related subjects has been made to aid marine geologists, geotechnologists, and other specialists.     

Movement of sediment on the Gulf of Mexico,continental slope and upper continental shelf

Abstract

Grain size, coarse fraction analyses, and depositional environment as interpreted from microfauna are related to the character of sparker reflections at the location of core holes drilled by Exxon, Chevron, Gulf, and Mobil on the continental slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Continuous sparker reflections are correlated with slowly deposited, evenly bedded sediments containing bathyal faunas. The coarse fraction is dominated by the tests of foraminifera. Discontinuous, discordant reflections and diffractions are correlated with sediments more rapidly emplaced in the bathyal environment of the continental slope by slumping and sliding from the continental shelf. Their coarse fraction is dominated by terrigenous sand grains. A large portion of the volume of continental slope sediments appears to consist of these “displaced”; sediments, including an area 3–24 km wide and 80 km long, southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. Comparable processes of movement of sediments are interpreted on the continental shelf south of the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River. Bathymetry in this area is characterized by a series of subaqueous “gullies”; radiating from the river mouth and leading to terraces at their southern extremities. Side‐scan sonar and PDR surveys show a rough bottom in these “gullies”; and terraces, as contrasted with a relatively smooth bottom elsewhere. The rough bottom is interpreted as indicative of slump and creep of the sediments from shallower water. Some foundation soil borings in this area south of Southwest Pass find a low‐strength material gradually increasing in strength with depth. Other borings find a “crust”; of anomalously strong material 8–15 m below the mudline. The microfauna recovered from the “crust”; has moved to its present position by slump or creep from shallower water along a pattern comparable to the gullies shown in the present‐day bathymetry.     

Effects of longshore shelf variations on barotropic continental shelf waves,slope currents and ocean modes

Effects of continental shelf bends, converging depth contours and changing depth profiles are discussed. Some analysis is carried out for previously unstudied cases. Separate oceanic interior and shelf flow problems are formulated for a sufficiently narrow shelf. The ocean interior ‘sees’ only an integrated shelf effect, typically increasing shelf-edge amplitudes, retarding longshore Kelvin-wave propagation and increasing natural mode periods by 0 (10%). On the local shelf, the flow matches to the ocean interior and is nondivergent. Effects on shelf waves and slope currents depend subtly on the nature of the longshore variations. Curvature and contour convergence do not per se imply scaterring or generation of shelf waves. Indeed, any depth h(ξ) where ▽² ξ(x,y) = 0 (a condition approximating longshelf uniformity in the topography's convexity) supports essentially the same shelf waves as do straight depth contours (DAVIS, 1983), and slope currents follow depth contours. Scattering results rather from breaks in analyticity of the depth profile. Hence calculations for small isolated features (necessarily highly convex or concave) may overestimate scattering, and superposition for realistic topography may lead to much self-cancellation among scattered waves. Otherwise, examples show a strong preference for scattering into adjacent mode numbers and into any shelf wave mode near to its maximum frequency. A shelf sector, where the maximum shelf wave frequency maxω is less than the frequency ω of an incident shelf wave, causes substantial scattering unless maxω and ω are very close. Adjustment of slope currents to changed conditions takes place through (and over the decay distance of) scattered shelf waves.     

Environmental record from the mud area on the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea since the midHolocene

Paleoclimate record was revealed in Core MZ01 covering the mid-Holocene in age, located in the mud area of the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea. The ancient environment featured low-energy shallow sea shelf deposition formed mainly by coastal currents. The results show that temporal variation in geochemistry corresponds with the climate changes inferred from historical record. Relatively low MgO/Al₂O₃, CaO/K₂O and high Al₂O₃/Na₂O, K₂O/Na₂O, MnO/CaO values reflected a warm and humid climate in general, and vice versa. Therefore, these chemical indices could be applied to identify the variation of palaeoclimate in eastern China. The authors reconstructed the history of mid-Holocene climatic variation of the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea. From 8 300 a BP to 4 200 a BP, the climate was moderately warm and humid. From 4 200 a BP to 2 000 a BP, the climate turned cool and dry, and the regional climate frequently fluctuated in alternation of cool-dry periods (3 700 a BP, 2 850 a BP and 2 400 a BP) and warm-wet periods (3 250 a BP and 2 650 a BP). After 2 000 a BP, the climate of the study area gradually turned warm again, while the Little Ice Age, a cold event centered at around 250 a BP was indicated by those geochemical indices as mentioned above.     

Sediment dynamics on the narrow,canyon-incised and current-swept shelf of the northern KwaZulu-Natal continental shelf,South Africa

Side-scan sonar, multibeam bathymetry, Shipek^TM grab, and high- to moderate-resolution sub-bottom data for the northern KwaZulu-Natal continental shelf reveal further insights into the interactions between sediment dynamics, strong western boundary currents and submarine canyon topography. Unlike previously recognised mechanisms for bedload parting on current-swept shelves, bedload partings here are the result of complex interactions between the western boundary poleward-flowing Agulhas Current and submarine canyon topography. This has resulted in bedforms orientated orthogonally to the canyon axis, with sediments entrained equator-wards into the canyon heads before resuming their dominant southerly migration. It is in these zones of parting where the most prominent bedforms occur; these bedform fields are formed by positive feedback in the boundary layer between an increasingly undulatory Agulhas Current and a seafloor incised by regularly spaced submarine canyons. Bedform morphometrics such as wavelength–height, depth–height and distance from thalweg–height relationships show no distinct patterns, indicating that the bedforms are heavily reworked and appear to be out of equilibrium with the inherent oceanographic conditions.     

Long-range sonar mapping of the continental shelf

Recent experiments in the shallow waters of the continental shelf off the west coast of Scotland have shown that it is possible to obtain geologically useful sonographs from a towed low-frequency side-scan sonar (GLORIA project) out to long ranges. Frequency-modulated pulses of 2-sec duration, centred at 6.4 kHz, with an acoustic power of 10 kW were transmitted, and the received energy was processed by a linear correlator. A maximum range of 13 km was achieved under both isothermal and stratified water conditions; however the most even irradiation of the sea floor was obtained when the water was isothermal, and under stratified conditions the maximum range could be reduced to 5 km or less if the sonar array was towed at a depth which lay within any strong temperature gradient in the water column.Examples of isometric records are shown, and it is suggested that mosaics could be built up from such records, obtained at a coverage of 170 km²/hour.     

Meiofauna of the western continental shelf of India,Arabian Sea

Meiofaunal standing stock and nematode community structure were investigated in the western continental shelf of India by collecting samples from every degree square of the shelf during two cruises of the FORV (Fishery and Oceanographic Research Vessel) Sagar Sampada, conducted in 1998 and 2001. Samples were collected from 30, 50, 100 and 200 m depths using a Smith Mc Intyre grab. Meiofaunal density ranged from 8 Ind. 10 cm⁻² to 1208 Ind. 10 cm⁻² and biomass from 0.07 mg 10 cm⁻² to 6.11 mg 10 cm⁻². Nematodes were the dominant meiofaunal group, contributing 88% of the density and 44% of the biomass. Harpacticoid copepods were the second important taxa, contributing 8% of both biomass and density. Altogether, 154 species of nematodes belonging to 28 families were recorded from the study area. Numerically, Desmodora spp., Dorylaimopsis sp., Tricoma spp., Theristus spp. and Halalaimus spp. were the dominant species. In general, there was a decrease in biomass and density of meiofauna and species diversity of nematodes with increase in depth. There was a 67% drop in species number from 51 to 100 m (106 species) to the shelf edge (35 species). Species richness and diversity indices showed consistent decrease with depth. The species dominance index was higher below 150 m depth. ANOSIM (from PRIMER) showed a significant difference between the nematodes of the near shore and shelf edge. Latitudinal variation was observed only in the number of nematode species. Biomass and abundance of nematodes were found to increase from coarse to fine sediment, while copepods showed an opposite trend. Multivariate analyses of nematode communities did not reveal any latitudinal or substratum differences. Variables such as depth, latitude, organic matter (OM) and amount of clay were the most relevant parameters influencing the biomass and density of meiofauna, while depth and temperature were the important parameters explaining the distribution of the nematode communities along the western Indian shelf.     

Erosional furrows on continental shelf edge,Mississippi delta region

Erosional furrows are recognized on the seafloor off the Mississippi Delta, trending downslope over the shelf edge. They occur in water depths of 150 to 380 m seaward of presently active mudslides on the delta slope. The furrows cross an area of former mudslide deposition and part of the outer shelf. Their origin is likely to be related to cross-shelf secondary helical flows, although delta-front mass movement could cause similar erosional gouging.     

Marine magnetic anomalies off Ratnagiri,western continental shelf of India

Total magnetic intensity and bathymetric surveys were carried out in the offshore area of Ratnagiri on the western continental shelf of India and an isomagnetic anomalies map at a contour interval of 50 nT was prepared which reveals N-S trends of magnetic anomalies. Two-dimensional model and spectral studies of these anomalies were carried out, and subsurface models of the geology in the area have been derived from anomalies at a number of places. The results suggest that the anomalies occur over a magnetic crystalline basement at a depth of 1–1.2 km which is similar (in magnetization) to onshore basalts of northwest India. These anomalies are believed to be an expression of a considerable thickness (around 1.7 km) of basalt, underlain by sediments. Identification of these basalts in offshore areas along the northwestern continental shelf of India would support (1) the idea that the onshore Deccan basalts of western India and the rhyolitic tuffs at the Laccadive ridge system (DSDP Site 210) are related to the same volcanic events, and (2) subsequent downfaulting of onshore Deccan basalts into the Arabian Sea and submergence below the Tertiary sediments.     

Waves and currents near the continental shelf edge

The abrupt depth increase which characterises the edge of many continental shelves determines a reduced horizontal length scale and a localised transition from shelf seas to the deep ocean. Particular forms of motion which may arise from the steep slopes include topographically guided currents along the slope, shelf-break upwelling, topographic Rossby waves and internal lee waves in the tidal current. The ocean/shelf mismatch may lead to a clear separation of water types, substantial reflection (from the shelf-edge neighbourhood) of all oceanic and shelf motions with periods greater than a few hours, and interaction between barotropic and baroclinic motions. Unstable longshelf currents, interleaving water masses, strong internal tides and internal waves, and narrow canyons enhance mixing across the shelf edge.     

Demersal fish and megafaunal assemblages on the Cretan continental shelf and slope (NE Mediterranean): seasonal variation in species density, biomass and diversity

The demersal fish and megafaunal assemblages in the area of Heraklion Bay, Crete, were sampled during four research cruises from September 1994 to September 1995 within the framework of the CINCS project, using a stratified trawl survey at depths ranging from 50 to 1000 m. The sampling at 1000 m depth was the deepest ever made in Greek waters, using a bottom otter trawl. Species density and biomass were found to vary between depths and seasons, with higher values occurring at the shallow stations. Species distribution and communities are also reported. A total of 127 species of osteichthyes, chondrichthyes, crustaceans, and cephalopods were recorded, four of which were found for the first time in Greek waters. Percent similarity index (PSI) was used to assess the differences in the relative abundance of species pairs between depth zones and seasons. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to examine station variability statistically.     

Mobile deltaic and continental shelf muds as suboxic, fluidized bed reactors

The oft-cited general correlation between net sediment accumulation and preservation of organic matter, while revealing in many ways, can be a misleading indicator of general elemental cycling processes and controls on storage of biogenic material at the continental-ocean boundary. Deltaic environments are characterized by the highest rates of net sedimentation and are the single most important class of depocenters on Earth. Available data indicate that sedimentary organic C (C_org) of both terrestrial and marine origin is efficiently decomposed in deltaic areas, with decomposition percentages reaching ≥70% and ≥90%, respectively, the latter percentage (marine) being quite comparable to deep-sea, low sedimentation environments. Despite high primary productivity associated with most deltas and evidence of substantial deposition of fresh planktonic debris, patterns of SO₄⁼ reduction indicate that the reactivity of organic material being buried is low, and that a larger proportion of C_org is often degraded compared to other marine deposits of similar net accumulation rate. As indicated by properties of the surficial Amazon delta and downdrift coastal region of northeast South America (1600-km extent), the primary reasons for efficient remineralization are related to intense and massive physical reworking of sediment associated with estuarine fronts, upwelling, tidal oscillation, and wind-driven waves. Fluid muds and mobile surface material cause the seafloor and continental boundary to act as a massive, suboxic, fluidized bed reactor dominated in some cases by bacterial rather than macrofaunal biomass. Reoxidation, repetitive redox successions, metabolite exchange, and continual mixing-in of fresh planktonic debris with refractory terrestrial components, result in an efficient decomposition system largely decoupled from net accumulation. Similar processes occur on smaller scales in most estuarine-shelf systems, but appear to be most dramatically expressed off the major rivers forming deltas.     

Sources and transport of lipids on Amazon continental shelf

Dissolved material and recent sediment from the Amazon continental shelf have been analyzed for hydrocarbons to study the sources and potential fate of the transported organic matter. Dissolvedn-alkanes are present at low concentrations (ppb level) and are dominated by lipids from marine phytoplankton with carbon number maxima (C_max) at C₁₈/C₂₂ and an even-to-odd carbon predominance < C₃₀ (CPI_17–27 from 0.18 to 0.54). In the sediments, bimodal distributions ofn-alkane chain length suggest a mixed input of terrestrial (C_max at C₂₇/C₂₉/C₃₁ and CPI_25–33 from 0.75 to 1.82) and phytoplanktonic/microbial (C_max at C₂₀ and CPI_15–25 from 0.38 to 0.62) organic matter. Sesquiterpenes were the most significant cyclic compounds in all the dissolved samples analyzed reflecting a contribution from resinous trees to the terrestrial organic pool. On the other hand, enhanced concentrations of these compounds in the dissolved phase on the northwest portion of the Amazon shelf, contrasting with decreased concentrations in the sediment samples, suggest that dissolved lipids are released from solid phase in the intensely stirred seabed. Structured organic matter in the sediment has been characterized as being composed of, on average: 19% plant cuticles, 25% woody tissue, 13% pollens and spores, 24% amorphous material, 7% bituminite and 12% altered organic material.     

China's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf: developments,problems, and prospects

China promulgated its Law on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf in 1998 after it had ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1996. By so doing, China has formally established a legal regime for its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. However, China has much to do in implementing the above law. Domestically, it needs some detailed regulations for the implementation; and regionally China has to negotiate with its neighboring countries on the maritime boundary delimitation of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf.     

Structure and development of the southern Moroccan continental shelf

The structure of the continental shelf off southern Morocco was studied by means of 2,100 km of seismic reflection profiles, magnetic and bathymetric surveys, and dredge samples. The research area lies off four geologic divisions adjacent to the coast: the Atlas Mountains; the Souss Trough; the Anti-Atlas Mountains; and the Aaiun Basin. The continental shelf, along with the western Atlas Mountains, the western Souss Trough, and the entire Aaiun Basin, has subsided along a normal fault-flexure system. This system runs along the shore at the Anti-Atlas Mountains, and cuts off this cratonic block from the shelf subsidence. The shelf is narrow and characterized by out-building off the Anti-Atlas range, whereas it is broader and characterized by upbuilding to the north and south. Deposition was essentially continuous at least from Early Cretaceous through Eocene time. Published work suggests that the last cycle of sedimentation began during Permian rifting. After Eocene time, most sediments carried to the shelf must have bypassed it and gone to construct the slope and rise or to the deep sea. Tertiary orogenies caused extensive folding of Mesozoic and early Tertiary deposits off the Atlas Mountains.