Modelling of the ecosystem on the shelf of the Republic of Guinea

Three mathematical models are considered: a two-dimensional model for calculating the concentration fields of the ecosystem components on the shelf of the Republic of Guinea, a pointwise model for the annual variation of the components, and a two predators-prey model. These models are used to study the effect of hydrodynamic conditions on the state of the shelf ecosystem and for research into the causes which distort the balance between marketable and unmarketable fish.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Modeling of decadal variations in the Black-Sea ecosystem

We consider the decadal evolution of the Black-Sea ecosystem on the basis of a three-dimensional coupled model consisting of the Black-Sea circulation model and a biogeochemical block. The circulation model is based on the widely used POM (Princeton Ocean Model) model. The calculated hydrophysical fields are interpolated then to levels of the biogeochemical model, which covers the upper 150-m layer. We demonstrate the close relationship between the interannual variation of hydrophysical fields and the evolution of the main elements of the ecosystem. The period under consideration (1992–2001) is characterized by the warming of the Black-Sea upper layer, which can be traced by the trend of a growing surface temperature. It follows from the results of modeling that the process of warming is also revealed in the subsurface hydrophysical characteristics and the dynamics of the main elements of the Black-Sea ecosystem.     

端元分析模型在长江口邻近海域沉积物粒度数据反演方面的应用

海洋沉积物粒度分布曲线往往同时具有多个峰,而且同一类型沉积物因时间和空间上的不同其粒度分布曲线峰的位置也不同,沉积物粒度分布多峰的特点反映了沉积物不同的输运形式和沉降过程[1,2].因此,在沉积物的粒度分布数据中保存了有关沉积物输运和沉降的信息,而获得这些信息对于揭示沉积区域水动力特性、沉积物输运和沉降规律具有重要的意义.     

Modelling future conditions in the degraded semi-arid estuary of Australia's largest river using ecosystem states

Over the last ten years, there has been a major decline in the condition of the Coorong, the estuary for Australia's largest river system, the River Murray. This decline is due to prolonged drought combined with past management of the Murray-Darling Basin. In order to successfully manage the estuary in the future, predictions are needed to evaluate the effect of possible management actions on the Coorong ecosystem under a variety of climatic scenarios. The alternative stable state concept can be extended to non-equilibrium systems, allowing for modelling of condition. Rather than constraining the definition of alternative states to those that are stable, we identify a suite of ecosystem states that occur naturally, but also include those that arise during the decline of the system. Eight distinct states were defined, with thresholds between them based on a combination of environmental characteristics associated with co-occurring biota. Threshold values for environmental characteristics define the transition rules between states. Mapping these states allows us to characterise the condition of the estuary in both space and time. The distribution of these states, and the diversity of states supported can be used to create an ecosystem condition index. By calculating the value of the index over time, the trajectory of ecosystem condition merges, and predictions can be made about future condition, should the current situation continue. This trajectory modelling can then form a baseline against which to evaluate possible management actions under a variety of climatic scenarios to identify those most likely to improve the condition of the Coorong.     

Virio- and bacterioplankton in the estuary zone of the Ob River and adjacent regions of the Kara Sea shelf

The distribution of structural and functional characteristics of virioplankton in the north of the Ob River estuary and the adjacent Kara Sea shelf (between latitudes 71°44′44″ N and 73°45′24″ N) was studied with consideration of the spatial variations in the number (N _B) and productivity (P _B) of bacteria and water properties (temperature, salinity, density) by analyzing samples taken in September 2013. The number of plankton viruses (N _V), the occurrence of visible infected bacteria cells, virus-induced mortality of bacteria, and virioplankton production in the studied region varied within (214?2917) × 10³ particles/mL, 0.3?5.6% of NB, 2.2?64.4% of P _B, and (6?17248) × 10³ particles/(mL day), respectively. These parameters were the highest in water layers with a temperature of +7.3–7.5°C, salinity of 3.75?5.41 psu, and conventional density (στ) of 2.846?4.144. The number of bacterioplankton was (614?822) × 10³ cells/mL, and the N _V/N _B ratio was 1.1?4.5. A large amount of virus particles were attached to bacterial cells and suspended matter. The data testify to the considerable role of viruses in controlling the number and production of heterotrophic bacterioplankton in the interaction zone of river and sea waters.     

Modelling of the Sea of Azov ecosystem

The method of mathematical model self-organization is applied to handle observations of the hydrological, chemical and biological parameters of the Sea of Azov, conducted from 1926 through to 1985, in order to identify model equations of the latter's ecosystem. A set of 43 evolutionary equations have been employed to generate a picture of the ecosystem parameters' continuous variability and to identify relationships between them. Model calculations of the total catch of freshwater fishes, primary productivity, zoobenthos, phytoplankton, and other characteristics have demonstrated their being in good agreement with the observations conducted from 1950 to 1985. A prediction of the ecosystem parameters' evolution for the period from 1985 to 1995 has been made. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

The AMANDES tidal model for the Amazon estuary and shelf

The AMANDES project aims to study transports from the Andean mountains to the Atlantic Ocean through the Amazon system. This requires realistic estuarine modelling in this area strongly forced by tides and river discharge. As none of the existing models for this region would fit the actual needs of the project, a specific new generation model has been implemented.The model is based on the hydrodynamic finite element model T-UGOm. In a first step, we limit our investigations to tidal dynamics. As the Amazon estuary is a very shallow macro-tidal area, it is necessary to improve the available bathymetries and to develop a precise bottom friction parametrisation.In this paper, we discuss the implementation of a high resolution regional model. This allows us to develop a precise and accurate tidal model: for instance, the overall root mean square error on complex differences is reduced from 54 cm in a standard model to 27 cm in our best model. Such precise and accurate tidal modelling is a prerequisite for modelling particle transport.     

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.     

Spectra of the Black-Sea tsunamis

We perform the analysis of the time spectra of four tsunamis generated in the Black Sea by the earthquakes of 26.07.1927, 11.09.1927, 26.12.1939, and 12.07.1966. For the analysis of the spectra, we used digitized marigrams obtained for 12 points of the Black-Sea coast. The obtained spectra are, as a rule, multimode and have 1–4 spectral maxima. One maximum corresponds to the periods typical of tsunami waves and the other maxima correspond to the oscillations of the sea level with lower frequencies. It seems likely that the events of tsunami are accompanied by low-frequency oscillations of the level caused by the atmospheric forcing, seiches, or other factors. In numerous cases, the oscillations from the predominant energy range lie outside the characteristic range of periods of the tsunami waves. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 21–30, September–October, 2007.     

Some features of tidal motion near the Guinean shelf

We have determined the energetic and spatial characteristics of baroclinic and barotropic tidal semi-diurnal fluctuations using the current temperature and velocity data collected by 12 self-contained buoy stations (SCBS) near the shelf of the Republic of Guinea at depths ranging from 50 to 1000 m. Intensive baroclinic motion was observed to prevail near the bottom within the depth range 100–1000 m. The energy of long waves largely propagated from the bottom to the surface, whereas the energy of short waves was transferred in the opposite direction.Translated by V. Puchkin.     

Interstitial water chemistry of the inner continental shelf sediments off the gironde estuary

The interstitial water composition ( , alkalinity, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Sr²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺) and the cation exchange capacity (CEC) were determined for the muddy sediments of the continental shelf off the Gironde Estuary (France), in the area where the sediment represents the deposit of the muddy suspension of the river. In comparison with seawater concentrations, the pore waters below 10 cm depth, show depletions of and Ca²⁺ and below a 30 cm depth show depletions of Mg²⁺. Inversely, the upper 10 cm an enrichment of Ca²⁺ concentration, and an increase of K⁺ concentration to a 40 cm depth. High values of are observed at the top 4 cm. Alkalinity enrichment is observed along the length of the core. Applying the alkalinity models for the sediment below a 10 cm depth demonstrates generally that calculated alkalinities are higher than the measured ones. Ca²⁺ dissolution occurs at the first 10 cm and authigenic carbonate precipitation starts beneath that level. Mg²⁺ depletion is accompanied by bicarbonate loss. This proves that Mg²⁺ depletion is due to a Mg-silicate reaction. The result of the CEC does not confirm the Mg²⁺ uptake by clay minerals in exchangeable site, under reducing conditions. Diffusion and bioturbation play an important role in the pore water concentration at the top of the core.     

Collaborative research on the pelagic ecosystem of the southeastern Bering Sea shelf

Two Bering Sea marine research programs collaborated during the final years of the 1990s to forge advances in understanding the southeastern Bering Sea pelagic ecosystem. Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity, sponsored by NOAA Coastal Ocean Program, investigated processes on the middle and outer shelf and the continental slope. The Inner Front Program, sponsored by NSF, investigated processes of the inner domain and the front between the inner and middle domains. The purposes of these programs were to (1) increase understanding of the southeastern Bering Sea ecosystem, including the roles of juvenile walleye pollock, (2) investigate the hypothesis that elevated primary production at the inner front provides a summer-long energy source for the food web, and (3) develop and test annual indices of pre-recruit pollock abundance. The observations occurred during a period of unusually large variability in the marine climate, including a possible regime shift. Sea-ice cover ranged from near zero to one of the heaviest ice years in recent decades. Sea-surface temperatures reached record highs during summer 1997, whereas 1999 was noted for its low Bering Sea temperatures. Moreover, the first recorded observations of coccolithophore blooms on the shelf were realized in 1997, and these blooms now appear to be persistent. The programs’ results include an archive of physical and biological time series that emphasize large year-to-year regional variability, and an Oscillating Control Hypothesis that relates marine productivity to climate forcing. Further investigations are needed of the confluences of interannual and even intra-seasonal variability with low-frequency climate variability as potential producers of major, abrupt changes in the southeastern Bering Sea ecosystem.     

Study of intensive internal waves in the shelf zone of Morocco

Conditions for generating a train of intensive internal waves and a solitary internal wave, as well as the evolution and dissipation of shelf waves have been studied using temperature measurements at six buoy moorings and an array of distributed temperature meters towed in the Morocco shelf zone. Waves of each type have been numerically simulated. The paper's focus is the generation of a baroclinic tide in a shelf zone and the occurrence of a packet of intensive internal waves on the back slope of a baroclinic wave. Besides, it studies the mechanism responsible for the generation of a solitary internal wave of soliton type. Thein situ data and the model data are matched up and shown to be consistent, in terms of quality and quantity. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Slope instability near the shelf break,Western Gulf of Alaska*

Abstract

The uppermost continental slope in the western Gulf of Alaska, from southern Albatross Bank to Portlock Bank, includes two broad areas where large submarine landslides occur and one intervening area where they are absent. In the areas containing large slides, seismic reflection records show evidence for active nearsurface folding and consequent slope steepening, which is apparently the ultimate control on this sliding. Evidence is lacking for similar active steepening in the area containing no large slides, where slope gradients are relatively gentle. Relatively small, shallow slides, fundamentally different from the larger ones, occur in all three areas on slopes that are not necessarily actively steepening. These slides are probably stratigraphically controlled, with failure occurring along weak subsurface strata. Strong earthquakes and the related accelerations are probably responsible for the actual triggering of many of the large and small slides. As long as the tectonic setting remains as it is today, future large‐scale sliding should remain confined to the two broad areas in which it now exists. Relatively small‐scale and shallow sliding might occur in any of the three areas.     

Modelling Kepone in the striped bass food chain of the James River estuary

A mathematical model that computes the accumulation of Kepone in the striped bass food chain of the James River estuary was developed. The purpose of the model was to help understand the relationship of Kepone levels in important fish species to sediment and water column Kepone concentrations and then to address the question of why these levels still exceed Food and Drug Administration limits eight years after discharge ceased. The model considers exposure through diet and respiration at rates based on species bioenergetics. It was successfully calibrated to the Kepone concentrations observed in the period 1976 through 1982 in striped bass, white perch, and Atlantic croaker. The model indicates that for the upper levels of the food chain, diet is the major route of contamination, accounting for 87–88% of the observed concentration in croaker and white perch and 91% of the observed concentration in striped bass. The two Kepone sources; sediment and water column, contribute approximately equally to the croaker and white perch. The water column is more significant for striped bass, being the original source for approximately 60% of the observed body burdens. It was estimated that a criterion requiring Kepone concentrations in fish to be at or below 0·3 μg g^?1 would require dissolved water column and sediment Kepone concentrations to be reduced to somewhere between 3 and 9 ng l^?1 and 13–39 ng g^?1, respectively, depending on the species. Striped bass require the greatest reductions in dissolved water column and sediment Kepone concentrations to somewhere between 3 and 5 ng l^?1 and 13 and 24 ng g^?1, respectively.