Effects of oilfield brine effluent on sediments and benthic organisms in trinity bay,Texas

Field studies have established the concentrations of naphthalenes in bay sediments and water in the vicinity of an oil separator platform and their effects on the benthic fauna. Fifteen stations were occupied monthly, from July, 1974 to December, 1975, along three transects extending from the separator platform outfall outwards for a distance of 4·0 to 5·6 km. A lesser number of stations were occupied from April, 1974 to June, 1974. Bottom sediments at each station were analysed for total naphthalenes content and for number of species and individuals. All stations were located in 2 to 3 m of water. The outfall was located 1 m off the bay bottom.There was a definite correlation between sediment naphthalenes concentration and number of species and individuals. As expected, the first station, located 15 m from the outfall, had the highest concentration of naphthalenes of all stations sampled. The naphthalenes levels dropped sharply from the outfall to the stations located 75 m from the platform where levels were about 20–50% of those found 15 m from the outfall. Naphthalenes concentrations then decreased gradually to near background levels at stations farther out. Hydrocarbon concentrations in bottom water 15 m from the outfall were three orders of magnitude lower than those in the full strength effluent, but sediments 15 m from the outfall had hydrocarbon concentrations four times as great as in the full strength effluent. There were approximately four orders of magnitude more hydrocarbons in the sediment than in the overlying water.The bay bottom was almost completely devoid of organisms within 15 m of the effluent outfall. Stations located 150 m from the outfall had severely depressed benthic faunas but not to the extent of stations nearer the outfall. Stations located 455 m from the platform were unaffected. Both numbers of species and individuals increased with distance from the platform and reached a peak at the first station medial to the control on each transect (685 to 1675 m from the platform) and then dropped at the control station. Physical environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, water depth and sediment type were essentially the same at all stations.The temporary use of a second outfall located 275 m from the main platform outfall resulted in a rapid build up of naphthalenes in surrounding sediments which persisted for at least six months following the termination of use of the second outfall. The benthic fauna was also severely depressed in the vicinity of the second outfall. The use of multiple outfalls, located some distance apart, appears to be more harmful than the use of a single outfall.Trinity Bay, Texas, the site of this investigation, has a mean depth of 2·5 m. The bay water is highly turbid due to the presence of a high concentration of clay-sized particulate material. The brine outfall was located approximately 1 m above the bay bottom. These special conditions undoubtedly contributed significantly to the observed impact of the brine. Therefore, extrapolations from the results of this study to offshore oil production and brine disposal should be made with extreme caution.     

Enteroviruses in mussels and marine sediments and depuration of naturally accumulated viruses by green lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus)

Surveys were carried out over 16 months to assess the distribution of enteroviruses of human origin in sediments and mussels near two sewage outfalls on the North Taranaki Coast, New Zealand. Enteroviruses were present in high numbers in both sediments and shellfish near the New Plymouth sewage outfall with maximum virus levels of 32 000 pfu 100 g^‐1 of wet mussel tissue and 59 pfu 100 g^‐1 of wet sediment material. Viruses were recovered occasionally from sediments and mussels near the Waitara Borough outfall. Coxsackievirus B4 was the predominant virus type isolated but CB5 and Poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 were also recovered. Attempts to depurate virus‐contaminated New Plymouth mussels, by keeping them in water for 8 days with daily water replacement, did not achieve a significant reduction in virus numbers.     

Field measurements and monitoring of wastewater discharge in sea water

This paper reports a study of the field measurements and monitoring of wastewater discharge in sea water at Bari East (Italy). A wastewater sea outfall system is an integral and fundamental part of each wastewater treatment with ultimate sink in the sea water. The design of a water treatment plant and wastewater outfall must take into account the use of the environmental water, the values of physicochemical parameters to be respected in order to safeguard the use itself and the quality of the environmental water where wastewater is issued. In the present study measurements of sea current velocity components were carried out with a VM-ADP (Vessel-Mounted Acoustic Doppler Profiler). Salinity, wind directions and velocities were assessed with, for one survey, the total faecal coliforms and other biochemical parameters. It was emphasized that the measurements necessary for monitoring cannot be concentrated in the wastewater outfall pipe zone only, but should be extended to a neighbouring area of the outfall pipe, with an extension depending on the wastewater discharge, the polluting charge and the magnitude of the sea currents and the winds typical of the zone of interest. The analyses presented in this paper confirm that the sea zones close to the wastewater outfall pipe are particularly sensitive and vulnerable. Such results must be considered in the planning of a wastewater outfall pipe.     

Transport and diagenesis of trace metals and organic matter in Palos Verdes shelf sediments affected by a wastewater outfall

Particles from the Whites Point/JWPCP outfalls operated by the Los Angeles County Sanitation District (LACSD) have been discharged onto the Palos Verdes (PV) shelf, Southern California, since the late 1930s. Since the early 1950s, they have made a significant contribution to the sedimentary deposits on the shelf. In order to study the transport and diagenesis of organic carbon (OC) and associated trace metals, replicate sediment cores were collected during 1996 and 1997 at four different sites at the ∼60 m isobath on the PV shelf, and analyzed for OC, Ag, Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn. We conclude from these results that a significant fraction of OC and associated heavy metals were transported laterally on silt particles from shallower environments. Cross-shelf transport of sediments caused multiple peaks in measured profiles of OC and trace metals at site 6C, 2 km away from the outfall. The same mechanism is likely to contribute to a concentration decrease that is smaller than that expected from decreases from the Whites Point outfall emissions. Based on Pb/OC ratios in sediments, deposited in 1971, and comparisons to the outfall from the same year, we estimate that 50±10% of the OC deposited in the early 1970s, now buried at 30–50 cm depth, had oxidized since that time, implying a half-life of about 26 years for the outfall-OC, as an upper limit. The average OC oxidation rate at peak depth (about 2 mg C cm⁻² year⁻¹) is, however, only about 10% of the present-day OC accumulation rate (20 mg C cm⁻² year⁻¹), which itself is adding not much more than 1% per year to the post-1950s OC inventory (∼1500 mg cm⁻²). We furthermore estimate that the OC inventory in PV shelf sediments in 1971 was equivalent to about 35% of that emitted by the outfall. OC and trace metal inventories did not decrease in the period 1981 to 1997, contrary to those of other contaminants such as DDTs and PCBs.     

Similarities between Mn,Ni and Co contents of deep-sea clays and manganese nodules from the south-west region of the North Atlantic

Recently published distribution patterns have shown that in the Atlantic Ocean Mn, Ni and Co tend to be concentrated in those deep-sea sediments deposited in a central zone which extends down the length of the ocean. The present paper shows that these trace elements are also concentrated in certain clays from the south-west region of the North Atlantic. This region is rich in manganese nodules, and analyses reveal that the non-lithogenous fractions of some of the clays approximate to those of the nodules in composition. It is suggested that these clays have acquired their relatively high concentration of non-lithogenous trace elements from sea water by processes associated with the formation of manganese nodules.     

Benthos associated with an estuarine outfall,Tauranga Harbour,New Zealand

Abstract

Benthos near a sewage outfall discharging 69 000 m³ d^?1 of municipal sewage into Tauranga Harbour was studied to determine the nature and extent of the impact caused by a small organic input. Sediment samples were collected about the outfall and analysed for particle size, sorting, mud content, readily oxidisable carbon (ROC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorus (TP), “oil and grease” (OG), and macroinvertebrates. It is concluded that observed patterns of physical sediment characteristics are mainly natural. Levels of ROC, TKN, TP, and OG were all highest at or nearby the outfall. However, chemical changes in the sediment related to the discharge seemed to be limited to within less than 50 m distance of the outfall. The distributions of ROC, TKN, and TP in the sediments were closely related to natural changes in mud content. The outfall had little effect on the distribution of total numbers of taxa or individuals, or the composition of macro‐invertebrate assemblages. Rather, these were most closely related to the (probably natural) variability in sediment particle size and sorting. Analysis of the distributions of common species showed that several were responding to the discharge, but such responses were limited to within 10 m of the outfall. Trie absence of extensive impact on benthos from the outfall probably related to high water velocities (up to 0.5 m sr^?1 on a mean tide) over the outfall diffuser, which would ensure that any drop in sediment oxygen levels is small.     

南海近海海水中放射性总α、总β的研究

本文对南海近海海水中的放射性总α、总β的含量和分布进行了研究。结果表明:南海近海海水中的总α、总β含量,略高于东海,稍低于渤海。南海近海海域的主要放射性物质是铀、钍天然放射系和~(40)K。     

莱州湾海域水文特征及冲淤变化分析

研究了莱州湾海域水文、泥沙特征及沉积状况,分析了莱州湾海域不同等深线的冲淤变化。结果表明,莱州湾海域具有显著的大陆性气候特征,潮汐类型属于不正规混合半日潮,海岸泥沙主要来源于支脉河的径流和涨潮流携带来的海相泥沙;0 m等深线1991—1993年是向海淤进,其余年段均为蚀退,蚀退速率与黄河口来沙量和口门入海位置有一定关系;两个断面上不同等深线的淤进(淤积)和蚀退(侵蚀)交替进行,0~2 m等深线总体为蚀退(侵蚀);大于2 m等深线总体为淤进(淤积);两个断面上坡度2~5 m等深线之间最陡,随着水深加大,坡度逐渐变缓,不同年份趋势基本一致。     

Diagenetic behavior of manganese in Tokyo Bay sediment

To understand the behavior of manganese in diagenetic processes in sediments of an enclosed bay which is similar to those of an estuary, chemical analyses have been carried out on both sediment and interstitial water of a core sample collected from Tokyo Bay. The results suggest that redistribution of manganese takes place within the sediment as a result of the dissolution of buried manganese oxides and hydroxides under reducing condition, the downward diffusion of Mn²⁺ through the interstitial water toward lower layers and then the precipitation of carbonate. The carbonate formed in the sediment contains managanese carbonate probably as a solid solution between calcitic calcium carbonate and manganese carbonate.     

南沙群岛海域表层沉积物中有机物、铁和锰的分布特征

通过1997年11月（冬季）和1999年7月（夏季）两个航次对南沙群岛海域的现场调查，实测了南沙深海盆表层沉积物中的有机物，Fe和Mn的含量，讨论了沉积物中Fe、Mn的平面和深度分布。在沉积物的上层几厘米处Fe和Mn都出现了峰值，这是上层Mn^2 （Fe^2 ）氧化，再沉淀引起的，沉积物中Fe和Mn的深度分布是氧化锰（铁）和氢氧化锰（铁）的还原，扩散和再沉淀的结果，细菌在海洋环境的Fe、Mn循环中起着重要的作用，在大洋底的厌氧环境中细菌将Fe、Mn还原为低价离子或可溶性化合物向间隙水和上覆水移动，在沉积物表层的氧化条件下细菌又使环境中的Fe、Mn沉淀，使其再次富集。     

基于PXRF的西南印度洋脊硫化物表层沉积物地球化学找矿研究

海底热液喷发形成的热液羽状流中富含成矿物质,并沉淀在距离热液喷口不等的范围内。对西南印度洋中脊热液喷口附近、距离喷口中等距离、远离喷口的六个表层沉积物样品开展了不同粒度沉积物的便携式XRF（PXRF）分析。结果表明,PXRF可以有效获得的洋中脊钙质沉积物中成矿元素的富集特征。>40目的沉积物样品具有较高的Cu、Zn、Fe、Mn等元素含量,40目以下沉积物中则相对稳定,可能与粗粒沉积物中玄武岩碎屑/玻璃含量较高有关,与镜下鉴定结果一致。以热液喷口为中心,表层沉积物中表现出Cu、Zn、As、Fe、Mn的元素分带,靠近喷口的沉积物中具有较高的成矿元素的含量,并具有较高的Cu/Fe、Zn/Fe比值或者Cu/Mn与Zn/Mn比值。上述结论表明,洋中脊沉积物中成矿元素的含量主要受与喷口的距离的影响,而与粒度的关系不大,洋中脊沉积物地球化学找矿应采用40目以下粒径沉积物作为分析样品。通过PXRF获得的Cu、Zn、As、Fe、Mn等元素含量及其比值特征可以作为海底多金属硫化物沉积物地球化学找矿的指标,该方法满足快速有效识别洋中脊沉积物中地球化学异常的要求。     

The study of lead-210 in the marine environment

This article summarizes the author's work on²¹⁰Pb and²¹⁰Po distributions in the marine environment for which the Okada Prize of the Oceanographical Society of Japan was awarded. In this review, the work of other investigators and the studies now going on are also included. The²¹⁰Pb concentration in the surface water of the ocean is controlled by the atmospheric flux of²¹⁰Pb and productivity. The disequilibrium between²²⁶Ra and²¹⁰Pb in the deep sea reveals that the oceanic residence time of lead is less than a hundred years rather than of the order of thousands of years as thought before based on stable lead measurement in ocean water. Particulate removal of²¹⁰Pb from the water column is likely to be the major cause of the deficiency of²¹⁰Pb in the water, however more investigations would be needed to clarify the detailed removal mechanism of²¹⁰Pb. The experiments on particulate flux by using sediment traps will provide an unique opportunity to examine this. ²¹⁰Pb in excess of²²⁶Ra in sediment is useful for geochronology of shallow water sediments and the study on bioturbation rates on the deep sea sediments.     

Manganese and Iron Oxidation During Benthic Oxygenic Photosynthesis

The effect of benthic oxygenic photosynthesis on sediment-water fluxes of manganese and iron was studied for an intertidal sediment. Undisturbed sediments were incubated at an incident surface irradiance of 250 μE m⁻² s⁻¹at 26 °C. Oxygenic photosynthesis was selectively inhibited by adding [3-(3,4-dichloro)-1,1-dimethyl-urea] (DCMU). Benthic fluxes were determined experimentally from the change in manganese and iron concentrations in the overlying water, and were predicted from the pore water concentration gradients at the sediment-water interface assuming molecular diffusion as the transport mechanism. The experimental fluxes of manganese and iron in DCMU-treated cores amounted to −0·84 and −0·59 mmol m⁻²day⁻¹, respectively, and were directed from the sediment towards the overlying water. In the control cores, showing high rates of benthic oxygenic photosynthesis, the fluxes of manganese and iron were directed towards the sediment, 0·06 and 0·01 mmol m⁻²day⁻¹, respectively. Mass balances for the 0·1–0·14 cm thick oxic zone, calculated from the experimental fluxes and the predicted fluxes, suggest a minimum areal reoxidation of 0·6 mmol m⁻²day⁻¹for manganese and of 0·48 mmol m⁻²day⁻¹for iron in cores showing benthic photosynthesis. The estimated turnover times for dissolved Mn²⁺and dissolved Fe²⁺in the oxic surface layer during benthic photosynthesis were 0·8 and 0·25 h, respectively. Sediment oxygen microprofiles and the sediment pH profiles suggest that chemical precipitation and reoxidation dominates the retention of manganese and iron during benthic oxygenic photosynthesis in shallow intertidal sediments.     

The behaviour of 59Fe in marine microhabitat

Under the artificial condition the 59Fe morphology in sea water, its concentration in sediment and phytoplankton, its distribution and metabolism in tissue organs of marine animals were studied. The results showed that the morphology of 59Fe was in a particulate state in sea water. The adsorption rule of 59Fe by three kinds of sediments was similar. The concentration ability of 59Fe by phytoplankton was very strong. The critical concentration organs of S9Fe by marine animals were viscera. The gross radioactivity of 59Fe was mainly concentrated in protein. The concentration factor of 59Fe by DNA was the highest one. After excretion experiment, 59Fe of all the tissue organs was not detected. Small part of59Fe remained in the organic acid and protein state. There was a redistribution process in sediment for59Fe.     

Enhanced preservation of organic matter in sediments deposited within the oxygen minimum zone in the northeastern Arabian Sea

The presence of a strongly developed oxygen minimum zone (OMZ; [O₂]<2 μM) in the northeastern Arabian Sea affords the opportunity to investigate whether oxygen deficiency in bottom waters enhances the preservation of organic matter in the underlying sediments. We explored if the observed patterns of organic matter accumulation could be explained by differences in productivity, sedimentation rate, water depth, and mineral texture. The differences in the burial rates of organic matter in sediments deposited within or below the OMZ could not be explained on the basis of these factors. All collected evidence points to a coupling of low oxygen concentrations and enhanced organic matter preservation. Under more oxygenated conditions bioturbation as well as the presence of labile manganese and iron oxides are probably important factors for a more efficient microbially mediated degradation of organic matter. Pore water profiles of dissolved Mn²⁺ and Fe²⁺ show that reduction of manganese and iron oxides plays a minor role in sediments lying within the OMZ and a larger role in sediments lying below the OMZ.     

夏季浙江沿岸陆架区泥沙输运机制

基于2014年夏季浙江沿岸陆架区的水文、泥沙、底质沉积物等实测资料,运用物质通量分析方法和Gao-Collins粒径趋势分析法,探讨了泥沙的输运通量、输运方向、动力机制及净输运趋势。夏季,近岸含沙量规律性较强,由西至东逐渐降低,由南至北逐渐升高,且与潮流有非常好的对应关系,呈现出明显的潮周期变化特征。研究区净悬沙通量自岸向外海迅速变小,悬沙输运中平流输运占主导地位,其次是垂向净环流对悬沙输运的影响,近岸海域表现为向海输沙,30 m以深海域表现为东北向输沙,同时台湾暖流的屏障作用也影响了悬沙向海扩散。粒径趋势分析显示浙江沿岸陆架表层沉积物的长期输运机制为由东北向西南输运,在流系以及海底地形的影响下,中部海域出现粒径趋势较弱的沉积中心。而在夏季,悬浮泥沙主要为平行岸线向东北输运,估算每天进入研究海域的净悬浮泥沙约为1.9×106 t。     

Distribution of Organic Matter, Iron, Mangenese in SurfaceSediments in the Nansha Islands Sea Area, South China Sea

Concentrations of organic matter, iron and manganese in the deep sea surface sediments in the Nansha Islands sea area, South China Sea are measured, Horizontal and vertical distributions of iron and manganese are discussed. The vertical distribution of iron and manganese in the sediments results from reduction, diffusion, and redeposition of manganese (or iron) oxide and hydroxide in the sediment. There are the maxima of iron and manganese in solid phase in the top of the sediment, which is caused by the penetration of O2 and the upward flux of Mn^2 ( or Fe^2 ). Manganese bacteria play a very important role in the cycle of solid-phase iron and manganese in the ocean environment. Manganese bacteria oxidize Mn^2 ( or Fe^2 ) in dissolved state to Mn^4 ( or Fe^3 ) in oxidized state under the aerobic condition, whereas they reduce iron and manganese in anaerobic conditions.     

Dissolved organic carbon in sediments from the eastern North Atlantic

Profiles of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured in the pore water of sediments from 1000, 2000 and 3500 m water depth in the eastern North Atlantic. A net DOC accumulation in the pore waters was observed, which followed closely the zonation of microbial respiration in these sediments. The concentration of pore water DOC in the zone of oxic respiration was elevated relative to that in the bottom ocean water. The resulting upward gradient across the sediment–water interface indicated a steady state diffusive benthic flux, F_DOC, of 0.25–0.44 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹ from these sediments. Subsequent increase in the concentration of DOC in the pore water occurred only in the sediments from 1000 and 2000 m water depth that supported anoxic respiration, leading to a deep concentration maximum. By contrast, in the sediments from 3500 m water depth, a deep concentration minimum was measured, coincident with minimal postoxic respiration in this near-abyssal setting. The gradient-based F_DOC represented approximately 14% of the total remineralized organic carbon (TCR=sum of F_DOC and depth-integrated organic carbon oxidation rate) in the sediments from 1000 and 2000 m water depth, while it was 36% of the TCR in the sediments from 3500 m water depth. A covariance of particulate organic carbon (POC) and pore water DOC with depth in the sediments was evident, more consistently at the deepest site. While the covariance can be related to biotic processes in these sediments, an alternative interpretation suggests a possible contribution of sorption to the biotic control on sedimentary organic carbon cycling. The steady state diagenetic conditions in which this may occur can be conceivable for some organic-poor deep-sea locations, but direct evidence is clearly required to validate them.     

Evaluation of atmospheric transport as a nonpoint source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean

Coastal marine sediment, air and seawater samples were collected at six sampling stations in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea distant from pollutant point sources. All sediment samples were analyzed to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) contents. The PAH contents of gaseous and seawater samples of the study were determined in order to evaluate the role of air–sea exchange as PAH nonpoint source to the marine sediments. The average concentration of the total PAHs (∑PAHs) in the sediments varied from 2.2 to 1056.2 ng g⁻¹ dry weight. The average BC and OC contents varied from 0.3 to 5.6 and from 2.9 to 21.4 mg g⁻¹ dry weight, respectively. ∑PAH concentration in the marine atmosphere varied from 20.0 to 83.2 ng m⁻³. Air–water exchange flux (F_A–W) estimation has indicated air transport as a significant source of PAHs to pristine marine sediments of Eastern Mediterranean. In addition, the significant correlation between the PAHs and the organic and soot carbon content further suggests the importance of atmospheric input of PAHs to the sediments.     

钱塘江河口细颗粒泥沙絮凝沉降特性研究

钱塘江口河口上游河流和海域来沙多为细颗粒泥沙,粘性细颗粒泥沙由于其特殊的表面电化学性质遇到强电解质海水而产生絮凝沉降,是形成河口淤积的原因之一。影响絮凝的因素很多,除了电解质,还有泥沙粒径的大小、盐度、含沙量、PH值、温度、有机质含量、矿物成分、水流速度及紊动情况等。本文通过粒度分析、静水沉降、动水沉降等各种实验手段分析钱塘江口泥沙的基本特性,找出最佳絮凝盐度以及泥沙不淤流速等值,初步探讨了细颗粒泥沙的絮凝机理,为治理钱塘江口提供科学依据。