Theoretical Analysis of Coral Reef Stability in South Sea

In this paper, we utilize the variational limiting equilibrium (LE) procedure to theoretically determine the slope stability of homogeneous coral sand in the South China Sea. By establishing a reasonable functional and calculating its extremum, we can deduce the stability factor of a coral reef identical to that obtained by upper bound analysis. To determine the accuracy of the results obtained using the variational LE procedure, we present some classical examples of homogeneous sand slopes without a hard shell and compare our results with those obtained by the upper bound theorem of plasticity. A series of extensive calculations and comparisons reveal that the results obtained by our proposed analysis method and those obtained using classical methods are slightly different, but the variational results are believable. On the other hand, our method solves some stability factors for reef slopes covered with a hard shell, which indicates that the existence of a hard reef shell may significantly enhance the stability of a reef slope, and that there is strong nonlinear relationship between reef stability and the mechanical characteristics of the reef shell, such as its thickness and strength. Finally, based on the variational results presented in this paper, we present a useful chart that offers a convenient and straightforward way to determine the maximum stability factor of reef slopes. Taking into account the influence of the hard reef shell, we found that, in some limit equilibrium cases, the limit stability factor and critical height of a coral slope could be improved significantly. Therefore, this issue deserves careful attention in engineering practice.     

Numerical Simulation for Shallow Strata Stability of Coral Reef in the Southwest of Yongshu Reef (South China Sea)

In recent years, infrastructure construction on coral reefs has been increasingly developed. Therefore, the shallow strata stability of coral reefs in the South China Sea should be evaluated. This study aims to investigate the profiles for the shallow strata of coral reefs in the southwest of the Yongshu Reef, particularly in the hydrodynamic marine environment, and to establish a geological model for numerical simulation using Geo-Studio. The shallow strata of the coral reefs include mass gravel, sand gravel, mid-coarse sand, silty sand, fine sand, and reef limestone. The shallow reef slope near the lagoon is similar to a ‘layer cake', in which the side close to the sea is analogous to a ‘block cake'. The simulation results showed that coral reef stability depends on wave loads and earthquake strength and on the physical properties of coral reefs. The factor of safety for the outer reef is greater than 10.0 under static, wave, and seismic conditions; this indicated that the outer reefs were less affected by waves and earthquakes. However, the factor of safety next to the lagoon varied from 0.1 to 5.3. The variation was primarily caused by the thick strata of coral reefs close to the sea(reef limestone, typically with the thickness 10 m and equivalent to a block). The soil and rock layers in the coral reef strata with thicknesses 10 m showed weak engineering geological characteristics. Our findings can provide useful information to future construction projects on coral reefs.     

徐闻珊瑚礁保护区营养盐时空分布特征

2006年8月(夏季)、2006年11月(秋季)、2007年2月(冬季)和2007年4月(春季)在徐闻珊瑚礁自然保护区灯楼角至流沙湾近岸海域调查徐闻珊瑚礁保护区的营养盐变化及空间分布特征。结果表明:徐闻珊瑚礁保护区水域溶解态无机氮以NO3--N为主,其含量超过总溶解无机氮的50%;各站点NO2--N含量相对较低,冬季NO3--N和NH4+-N含量均高于其它季节;无机磷含量在0mg/L～0.030mg/L之间变化;活性硅含量表现为夏秋季节高、冬春季节低;表层水体硝酸盐氮/无机磷原子比值(N/P)夏季较低,不存在无机磷受限情况,而冬季N/P整体较高,此时水体主要受无机磷限制。     

1993-2017年南海中尺度涡特征分析

【目的】研究1993-2017年南海中尺度涡的空间分布、季节变化、移动速度等特征。【方法】根据AVISO提供的地转流数据,应用Nencioli等人提出的涡旋识别算法。【结果】南海中尺度涡主要分布在南海东北部和越南东部海域,冬(夏)季有利于(反)气旋涡产生,中尺度涡以2.0～9.0cm/s的速度向西传播。【结论】南海气旋涡与反气旋逐年生成个数与ENSO事件相关,在1993-2007年期间,强(温和)厄尔尼诺年气旋涡生成数大于反气旋,弱(温和)拉尼娜年反气旋生成数大于气旋涡。2008-2017年,强厄尔尼诺年气旋涡生成数大于反气旋,温和拉尼娜年反气旋生成数小于气旋涡。在涡旋的生命周期内,涡旋半径与移动速度变化趋势相反。复杂海底地形会阻碍涡旋的传播。     

Spatio-temporal variations in the siphonophore community of the northern South China Sea

To understand how hydrological and biological factors affect near-to off-shore variations in the siphonophore community,we sampled zooplankton at 82 stations in the northern South China Sea during summer,winter,and spring.Forty-one species of siphonophore were collected by vertical trawling.The species richness of siphonophores increased from the nearshore to offshore regions in all three seasons of investigation,with maximum richness in summer and minimum richness in winter.The abundance of siphonophores was also higher in summer than in spring and winter,concentrated in the nearshore region in the warm season and scattered in the offshore region in the cold season.Four siphonophore groups were classified according to the frequency of occurrence:nearshore,near-offshore,offshore,and tropical pelagic.Among them,the nearshore group had higher abundance nearshore compared with the offshore.The tropical pelagic group had higher species number offshore than nearshore.Spatial and temporal fluctuations in taxonomic composition and abundance of siphonophores were due to the influence of the coastal upwelling and surface ocean currents of the South China Sea,driven by the East Asia monsoonal system.     

Genotype and Phylogenetic Diversity of Symbiodinium ITS2 Sequences Within Clade C in Three Typical Coral Species from Luhuitou Fringing Reef of the South China Sea

Dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium, including nine clades(A–I), mainly form mutualistic symbioses with corals. More than 100 Symbiodinium molecular types have been identified by the ITS2-based genotype method within any given clade, and specifically within Symbiodinium clade C. However, the genotype identification method using the ITS2 sequence is likely to lead to high diversity estimates due to the intra-genomic variations in the ITS2 space; thus, further validation is essential for a correct identification. In this study, the molecular diversity of Symbiodinium ITS2 sequences cloned from two stone corals, Acropora sp. SY-01 and Pocillopora sp. SY-05, and one soft coral, Sarcophyton sp. SY-07, living in the northern part of South China Sea(SCS), were analyzed and compared using the ITS2-based genotype identification method, coupled with ITS2-based secondary structural and phylogenetic analyses. As the result, 12 Symbiodinium ITS2 genotypes were identified, while only six and three Symbiodinium ITS2 genotypes were supported by ITS2-based secondary structural and phylogenetic analyses, respectively. In addition, no shared Symbiodinium ITS2 genotypes were observed among the three coral species, suggesting coral species-dependent Symbiodinium genotypes were within clade C. In summary, the present study provides a theoretical basis for validating the molecular diversity of Symbiodinium ITS2 genotypes in corals.     

Study of the Wind Conditions in the South China Sea and Its Adjacent Sea Area

An increasing number of marine structures have been built for coastal protection and marine development in recent years,and wind,which is crucial to marine structures,should be analyzed.Therefore,typhoon frequency,wind climate,wind energy assess-ment,and extreme wind speed in the South China Sea(SCS)are investigated in detail in this study.The data are obtained from the China Meteorological Administration,the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts,and the National Centers for Envi-ronmental Prediction.The offshore wind energy potential is analyzed at five sites near the coast.The spatial and monthly frequencies of tropical cyclones for different intensity categories are analyzed.The extreme wind speed is fitted by five distribution models,and the generalized extreme value(GEV)distribution is selected as the most suitable function according to the goodness of fit.The spa-tial distributions of extreme wind speeds in the SCS are plotted on the basis of the GEV distribution and ERA5 data sets.The influ-ences of the distribution models and data sets on the calculated results are discussed.Moreover,the monthly extreme wind speed and comparison with the results of previous studies are analyzed.This study provides a reference for the design of wind turbines.     

WIND WAVES SIMULATION IN THE NORTH AREA OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

A third generation wave model was developed to simulate wind waves in the South China Sea near Hong Kong. The model solves the energy conservation equation of the two dimensional wave spectrum by directly computing the nonlinear energy interaction among waves of different frequencies, thus avoiding the imposition of restrictions on the shape of the predicted spectra. The use of an upwind difference scheme in the advective terms produces an artificial diffusion which partly compensates the dispersive effect due to the phase velocity differences among various wave components. The use of a semi-implicit scheme for the source terms together with a special treatment of the high frequency tail of the spectrum allows a large time integration step. Verification of the model was done for wave hindcasting studies under conditions of two typhoons and two cold fronts in the north part of the South China Sea near Hong Kong . The model results agree well with the field measurements except that the presence of a dista     

Wind wave characteristics and engineering environment of the South China Sea

Wave simulation was conducted for the period 1976 to 2005 in the South China Sea (SCS) using the wave model, WAVEWATCH-III. Wave characteristics and engineering environment were studied in the region. The wind input data are from the objective reanalysis wind datasets, which assimilate meteorological data from several sources. Comparisons of significant wave heights between simulation and TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter and buoy data show a good agreement in general. By statistical analysis, the wave characteristics, such as significant wave heights, dominant wave directions, and their seasonal variations, were discussed. The largest significant wave heights are found in winter and the smallest in spring. The annual mean dominant wave direction is northeast (NE) along the southwest (SW)-NE axis, east northeast in the northwest (NW) part of SCS, and north northeast in the southeast (SE) part of SCS. The joint distributions of wave heights and wave periods (directions) were studied. The results show a single peak pattern for joint significant wave heights and periods, and a double peak pattern for joint significant wave heights and mean directions. Furthermore, the main wave extreme parameters and directional extreme values, particularly for the 100-year return period, were also investigated. The main extreme values of significant wave heights are larger in the northern part of SCS than in the southern part, with the maximum value occurring to the southeast of Hainan Island. The direction of large directional extreme H _s values is focus in E in the northern and middle sea areas of SCS, while the direction of those is focus in N in the southeast sea areas of SCS.     

Wind stress field over the Bohai Sea,the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

Seasonal and annual with stress fields over the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea were computed from the wind rose data compiled in the Climatic Atlas of Chinese Offshore Areas and North-west Pacific and published by the Ocean Press in 1982. 684 wind roses in 2° latitude by 2° longitude boxes constructed from 278,815 wind reports are involved in the present study. The computations are principally intended as a data source for further research. Some oceanographic consequences are expounded on.     

SWOT宽刈幅干涉测高卫星数值模拟：以南海海平面变化监测为例

以中国南海及周边区域为例,利用ECCO2海洋模式数据模拟的SWOT观测数据评估SWOT的海平面长期观测能力。分析SWOT模拟误差表明,相位误差和横滚误差占主导,并且距离星下点越远误差越大。通过空间平滑对模拟的误差进行消除,南海地区SWOT的观测与海洋模式真值的均方根误差从4 cm降低到2 cm。对SWOT的观测和海洋模式信号进行分析发现,SWOT观测误差的空间分布基本呈南北条带状,这主要受卫星宽刈幅沿轨观测方式的影响,与海平面变化信号强度无关。进一步提取SWOT一条轨迹进行滤波和10 km×10 km网格插值,结果表明,2 km空间分辨率的地转流估计结果受噪声影响较大,而10 km分辨率结果更接近真值。     

我国南海4个青蛤野生群体的形态差异分析

用8个形态性状比较我国南海4个野生青蛤群体间的形态变异。聚类分析表明,湛江群体和汕头群体的形态较接近,海口群体的趋异最大。主成分分析表明,主成分1、2、3的贡献率分别为26.441%、21.104%、15.884%,累计贡献率为63.428%。逐步判别分析结果显示,4个群体形态差异显著(P<0.01)。建立了4群体判别函数,其判别准确率P1为51.4%～71.4%,判别分析准确率P2为60%～75.8%,4群体的综合判别率为64.3%。Mantel-test检验结果表明,我国南海青蛤不同地理群体的欧式距离与地理距离没有明显的相关性(r=0.4227,P=0.3910)。     

南海北部渔场表层沉积物中的硫化物

为了给南海北部渔场的资源和环境保护提供基础数据,用碘量法测定了南海北部陆架区表层沉积物中硫化物含量.结果表明,全部28份样品中硫化物含量为3.3～42.2mg/kg(干重,下同),平均为12.1mg/kg,符合外海含量低的一般规律,明显低于沿岸海湾的含量,远低于日本渔业环境质量标准(200mg/kg)和安全下限值(400mg/kg).硫化物含量在测站间和不同区域间存在一定差异,南北方向呈近岸(13.1mg/kg)略高于离岸(12.1mg/kg)、离岸略高于远岸(11.1mg/kg)的梯度分布,但梯度差异不显著(p＞0.10);东西方向的分布特点是粤西海域(23.7mg/kg)＞海南岛以东(15.3mg/kg)＞台湾浅滩(9.4mg/kg)≈粤东海域(8.7mg/kg)≈珠江口外海域(8.6mg/kg).空间分布不太均匀主要是受沉积物类型的影响,与陆源硫化物输入的关系不大.     

基于重力数据反演南海及邻区莫霍面深度分布特征

采用重力异常数据,在频率域内通过Parker-Oldenburg反演算法计算南海及邻区的莫霍面深度。通过EGM2008重力场模型联合GOCE重力场模型,计算研究区的自由空气重力异常;通过重力场分离,得到莫霍面起伏引起的重力异常,用于反演莫霍面深度。计算结果与地震剖面计算的莫霍面深度结果平均偏差1.59 km,标准偏差1.9 km。结果表明,南海及邻区的莫霍面深度分布具有明显的区域化构造特征。     

近50年中国地表净辐射的时空变化特征分析

基于GIS空间分析技术与Mann-Kendall趋势分析方法,对中国陆地区域699个气象站点1961-2010年逐年、季平均地表净辐射进行时空变化特征分析,结果表明:(1)参数拟合后的FAO Penman修正式对模拟站点逐日地表净辐射的总体精度较高,均方根误差为27.9W.m-2,相关系数为0.85,平均相对误差为0.13;(2)全国近50年站点平均地表净辐射在年、季均呈现出较明显的下降过程,年均降幅为0.74W.m-2.10a-1,不同季节的下降幅度存在差异,夏季降幅最大;(3)逐站点分析显示全国大部分站点(59.8%)年均地表净辐射呈显著下降趋势(0.05),东部趋势变化比西部明显,夏季在地表净辐射年际变化中的贡献最大,华北、华中、华南地区的站点在春夏秋季均呈显著下降趋势。     

Observed characteristics of atmospheric ducts over the South China Sea in autumn

The observed characteristics of lower atmospheric ducts over the South China Sea(SCS) were analyzed based on Global Position Systerm(GPS) radiosonde data collected four times daily during autumn open cruises from 2006 to 2012.Duct occurrence,thickness,and strength over the SCS were about 40%,150-m thick,and 8 M units,respectively,which were larger than during the summer monsoon period.Most ducts occurred at heights 1 500 m and these ducts easily trap electromagnetic wave clusters with wavelengths 2 m.Diurnal variation of the SCS ducts appeared evident.They occurred more often at midnight at higher altitudes(about 1 100 m),with a thickest layer of about 145 m and less frequently during the evening at lower altitudes(about 800 m),with a thinnest layer of about 125 m.Moreover,ducts during the daytime at a mean height of about 900 m,with the greatest strength of about 10 M units.Furthermore,all duct variables observed over the SCS in autumn decreased from north to south.These findings are useful not only in the design of radar and communication systems,but also for evaluating possible effects of anomalous propagation on meteorological radar and military applications.     

Trends of sea surface wind energy over the South China Sea

Studies on climate change typically consider temperature and precipitation over extended periods but less so the wind.We used the Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform(CCMP)24-year wind field data set to investigate the trends of wind energy over the South China Sea during 1988-2011.The results reveal a clear trend of increase in wind power density for each of three base statistics(i.e.,mean,90 th percentile and 99 th percentile)in all seasons and for annual means.The trends of wind power density showed obvious temporal and spatial variations.The magnitude of the trends was greatest in winter,intermediate in spring,and smallest in summer and autumn.A greater trend of increase was found in the northern areas of the South China Sea than in southern parts.The magnitude of the annual and seasonal trends over the South China Sea was larger in extreme high events(i.e.,90~(th) and 99~(th) percentiles)compared to the mean conditions.Sea surface temperature showed a negative correlation with the variability of wind power density over the majority of the South China Sea in all seasons and annual means,except for winter(41.7%).     

基于高斯曲线拟合-FFT方法的南海风场反演

海面风场是海洋学的基本参量,获取海面风场对了解海洋的物理过程以及海洋与大气之间的相互作用至关重要。宽阔的海域面积及复杂的海面状况通常使南海海面上的风场信息很难被及时获取。ENVISAT ASAR是一种全天候全天时监测海面的微波雷达传感器,可实时获取海面风场数据。本文基于已有ASAR数据对南海海面风场进行反演实验,首先将结合高斯曲线拟合的FFT风向反演方法应用于南海风向反演,并参考Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform （CCMP）风场数据去除180o方向模糊获得海面风向。然后,将高斯曲线拟合-FFT风向与传统的峰值-FFT风向进行对比,最后将准确率较高的高斯曲线拟合-FFT风向分别输入CMOD4模型和CMOD5模型获得海面风速大小。实验结果与CCMP参考数据的比较结果表明,在风条纹不明显的情况下,利用结合高斯曲线的FFT风向反演方法和CMOD4模型风速反演方法可有效地进行南海海面风场反演。该成果对利用SAR数据实时获取南海大面积海面风场信息,尤其是观测点缺乏海域的风场信息,具有重要的指导意义。     

北部湾斑鳍白姑鱼群体结构特征与时空分布

2010-2011年在北部湾以底拖网方式按季节定点采样,采集到斑鳍白姑鱼(Pennahia pawak)样本共2 425尾,通过生物学测定及耳石年轮鉴定,研究北部湾斑鳍白姑鱼种群结构及时空分布特征。结果显示:样品体长65~203 mm,体质量5.2~224.0 g,优势体长组为81~130 mm(占84%),优势体质量组为10.1~50.0 g(占83%),平均体长为107 mm,平均体质量为32.5 g;年龄组成主要是0~2龄,大部分1龄以下,未发现3龄及以上样品;1龄样品平均体长153 mm,2龄样品平均体长180 mm。北部湾斑鳍白姑鱼的繁殖期为春季,其渔业资源主要分布在108°~110°E,19°~22°N的湾内海域,资源密度有明显的季节性波动,出现频率、资源密度范围、平均资源密度春季最小,分别为28%、1.59~18.78 kg/km2、1.6 kg/km2,夏季、秋季逐渐递增,冬季最大,分别为56%、5.24~74.80 kg/km2、19.0 kg/km2。     

Trace metal anomalies in bleached Porites coral at Meiji Reef,tropical South China Sea

Coral bleaching has generally been recognized as the main reason for tropical coral reef degradation, but there are few long-term records of coral bleaching events. In this study, trace metals including chromium(Cr), copper(Cu), molybdenum(Mo), manganese(Mn), lead(Pb), tin(Sn), titanium(Ti), vanadium(V), and yttrium(Y), were analyzed in two Porites corals collected from Meiji Reef in the tropical South China Sea(SCS) to assess differences in trace metal concentrations in bleached compared with unbleached coral growth bands. Ti, V, Cr, and Mo generally showed irregular fluctuations in both corals. Bleached layers contained high concentrations of Mn, Cu, Sn, and Pb. Unbleached layers showed moderately high concentrations of Mn and Cu only. The different distribution of trace metals in Porites may be attributable to different selectivity on the basis of vital utility or toxicity. Ti, V, Cr, and Mo are discriminated against by both coral polyps and zooxanthellae, but Mn, Cu, Sn, and Pb are accumulated by zooxanthellae and only Mn and Cu are accumulated by polyps as essential elements. The marked increase in Cu, Mn, Pb, and Sn are associated with bleaching processes, including mucus secretion, tissue retraction, and zooxanthellae expulsion and occlusion. Variation in these trace elements within the coral skeleton can be used as potential tracers of short-lived bleaching events.