A model for grain-size sorting over tidal sand ridges

A model was developed and analyzed to quantify the effect of graded sediment on the formation of tidal sand ridges. Field data reveal coarse (fine) sediment at the crests (in the troughs), but often phase shifts between the mean grain-size distribution and the bottom topography occur. Following earlier work, this study is based on a linear stability analysis of a basic state with respect to small bottom perturbations. The basic state describes an alongshore tidal current on a coastal shelf. Sediment is transported as bed load and dynamic hiding effects are accounted for. A one-layer model for the bed evolution is used and two grain size classes (fine and coarse sand) are considered. Results indicate an increase in growth and migration rates of tidal sand ridges for a bimodal mixture, whilst the wavelength of the ridges remains unchanged. A symmetrical externally forced tidal current results in a grain-size distribution which is in phase with the ridges. Incorporation of an additional external M₄ tidal constituent or a steady current results in a phase shift between the grain-size distribution and ridge topography. These results show a general agreement with observations. The physical mechanism responsible for the observed grain-size distribution over the ridges is also discussed.Responsible Editor: Jens Kappenberg     

Wave- and current-induced bottom shear stress distribution in the Gulf of Lions

Simulations of both currents and waves were performed throughout the year 2001 to assess the relative contribution of each to their overall erosive potential on the Gulf of Lions shelf. Statistical analysis of bottom shear stress (BSS) was compared to sediment grain-size distribution on the bottom. The hydrodynamic features of the bottom layer coincide with the distribution of surficial sediments, and three areas with different hydro-sedimentary characteristics were revealed. (i) The sandy inner shelf (<30 m) area is a high-energy-wave dominated area but may be subjected to intense current-induced BSS during on-shore winds along the coast and during continental winds mainly in the up-welling cells. (ii) The middle shelf (30–100 m) is a low-energy environment characterised by deposition of cohesive sediments, where the wave effect decreases with depth and current-induced BSS cannot reach the critical value for erosion of fine-grained sediments. (iii) The outer shelf, which has a higher bottom sand fraction than the middle shelf, may be affected by strong south-westward currents generated by on-shore winds, which can have an erosive effect on the fine-grained sediments.     

Grain-size records at ODP Site 1146 from the northern South China Sea: Implications on the East Asian monsoon evolution since 20 Ma

273 samples from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1146 in the northern South China Sea (SCS) were analyzed for grain-size distributions using grain-size class vs. standard deviation method and end-member modeling algorithm (EMMA) in order to investigate the evolution of the East Asian monsoon since about 20 Ma. 10–19 μm/1.3–2.4 μm, the ratio of two grain-size populations with the highest variability through time was used to indicate East Asian winter monsoon intensity relative to summer monsoon. The mass accumulation rate of the coarsest end member EM1 (eolian), resulting from EMMA, can be used as a proxy of winter monsoon strength and Asian inland aridity, and the ratio of EM1/(EM2 EM3) as a proxy of winter monsoon intensity relative to summer monsoon. The combined proxies show that a profound enhancement of East Asian winter monsoon strength and winter monsoon intensity relative to summer monsoon occurred at about 8 Ma, and it is possible that the summer monsoon simultaneously intensified with winter monsoon at 3 Ma. Our results are well consistent with the previous studies in loess, eolian deposion in the Pacifc, radiolarians and planktonic foraminifera in the SCS. The phased uplift of the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau may have played a significant role in strengthening the Asian monsoon at 8 Ma and 3 Ma.     

Seawater temperature changes associated with the North Brazil current dynamics

This study used hydrographic data (CTD and ADCP) collected along the north Brazilian continental shelf and the adjacent oceanic area (the north Brazilian zone) and 13 years of monthly data of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite microwave images. In July and August 2001, the core of the North Brazil Current (NBC) with a velocity exceeding 1.2 m s^?1 in the upper 150 m was observed near the break of the north Brazilian continental shelf. The satellite and in situ SSTs from the same time indicate that relatively cold waters (<27.5 °C) extended throughout the NBC region where the vertical distribution of temperature displayed a rise of the 26 °C isotherm to near the surface on transects where the NBC was more intense. These observations indicated that the NBC plays an important role in temperature changes in the water column near and/or over the north Brazilian continental shelf margin even at times when, theoretically, the NBC may be expected to be less intense (April–May) and warm waters dominate the area. The distribution of accumulated temperature change reveals that the NBC may contribute to possible nutrient upwelling of the bottom boundary layer along the continental shelf to surficial areas and offshore following the NBC deflection or merely into the North Atlantic.     

Reconstructing the setting for deposition of distal tephra in the Sea of Japan Basin: A catastrophic eruption of Baitoushan Volcano

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the attitude and accumulation of fine-grain ash material from the Baegdusan-Tomakomai bed (B-Tm) on the seafloor; this material was deposited after a powerful explosion of the ultraplinian type that occurred around 938 AD. It was found that, provided one has a large digital array of grain-size analyses that characterizes both areal and vertical variability in the bed and makes use of advanced mathematical data-processing techniques (division of the grain-size distribution into subpopulations, a trend analysis of transport pathways, and so on), one can derive new information concerning the character of the eruption, its location, the pathways of aerial and marine transport, and the condition of the atmosphere and water at the time of the eruption. It was found that the grain-size distributions for the tephra in the bed in question contain information on two explosive episodes that lasted 10 days each that took place under the conditions of atmospheric circulation typical of spring (the earlier episode) and of autumn (the later episode). For both of these episodes we determined the most likely areas of ash deposition on the marine water surface. We also identified a complex structure of the areas of concentrated particle distribution on the basin bottom that reflected a vortical water structure in the Sea of Japan during the eruption.     

时间域航空电磁各向异性大地三维自适应有限元正演研究

各向异性介质模型电性结构复杂,如何进行合理的网格剖分成为获得高精度正演结果的关键,为此本文开展时间域航空电磁各向异性大地三维自适应有限元正演算法研究.通过结合非结构时间域有限元算法和自适应网格优化技术,实现各向异性介质条件下三维时间域航空电磁自适应正演.考虑到时间域航空电磁响应随时间的衰减特性,为了综合评价不同时刻的后验误差,本文将时间作为加权因子,调整各个时刻后验误差的相对权重,进而实现对浅部和深部网格的同步优化.通过与一维解析结果进行对比验证了本文算法的可靠性.数值实验结果显示电导率各向异性对自适应网格影响严重,其最大主轴电导率的数值及其分布特征直接决定了网格加密效果.此外,各向异性对时间域航空电磁三分量响应的分布形态和异常幅值也会产生严重影响,利用全域视电阻率极性图,可以很好地识别各向异性主轴方向.

     

Decadal to millennial-scale periodicities in North Iceland shelf sediments over the last 12 000 cal yr: long-term North Atlantic oceanographic variability and solar forcing

Giant piston core MD99-2269 recovered 25 m of sediment in Hunáfloáall, a deep trough on the North Iceland margin fronting the Iceland Sea, and the site of a shelf sediment drift. The rate of sediment accumulation is 2 m/kyr (5 yr/cm); the core terminated in the Vedde tephra (12 cal ka). The sediment was sampled at between 5 and 50 yr/sample, including rock magnetic, grain-size, and sediment properties. Data reduction was carried out using principal component analysis. Two PC axes for the 5-yr/sample magnetic data are strongly correlated with measures of coercivity (ARM_{20 mT}/ARM) and magnetic concentrations (kARM). In turn ARM_{20 mT}/ARM is highly correlated (negatively) with grain-size and the mean size of the sortable silt fraction. Analyses of the two PC axes with MTM spectral methods indicate a series of significant (>99%) periodicities at millennial to multidecadal scales, including those at 200, 125, and 88 yr which are associated with solar variability. We also document a strong correlation between the sediment magnetic properties and the ∂¹⁸O on benthic foraminifera on the North Iceland inner shelf. We hypothesize that the links between variations in grain-size, magnetic concentrations, and solar forcing are controlled by atmospheric and oceanographic changes linked to changes in the relative advection of Atlantic and polar waters along the North Iceland margin. Today these changes are associated with variations in the deep convection in the Greenland and Iceland Seas. The precise linkages are, however, presently elusive although a combination of coarser sediments and low ∂¹⁸O values define a Holocene thermal maximum between 8 and 6 cal ka.     

基于多尺度有限元法的频率域航空电磁三维正演研究

正演模拟是电磁数据反演的基础, 其计算速度与精度一直是制约电磁反演的两大核心问题.在三维电磁正反演中, 传统方法通过加密网格或增加插值基函数阶数提高计算精度, 但由此也降低了计算效率, 制约了三维电磁反演的实用化.因此, 如何实现大尺度模型高精度快速正演是目前电磁三维正反演中亟需解决的问题.本文将多尺度有限元法应用到麦克斯韦方程求解中.我们首先在粗网格尺度上构建满足局部特性微分算子的多尺度基函数, 进而在粗网格尺度上对原问题进行求解, 通过建立粗细两套网格间场的映射关系, 在未知数较少的粗网格上实现电磁问题求解之后, 利用粗细两套网格间场的映射关系获取细网格上电磁场响应, 由此可以在保证计算精度前提下快速获取不同尺度电磁场正演响应, 计算速度得到很大提高.此外, 本文还基于八叉树思想进行网格优化, 进一步改善三维正演效率.我们通过对典型地电结构进行多尺度有限元正演模拟并与传统有限元结果对比验证算法的有效性.最后, 我们通过模拟加拿大Voisey's Bay卵形体镍铜硫化矿区航空电磁响应以检验本文算法模拟地下复杂异常体的能力.

     

Numerical modeling of the Patos Lagoon coastal plume,Brazil

The Southern Brazilian Shelf (SBS) is a freshwater-influenced region, but studies on the dynamics of coastal plumes are sparse and lack in space-time resolution. Studies on the dynamics of the Patos Lagoon plume are even more limited. The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of the principal physical forcing for the formation and behavior of the Patos Lagoon coastal plume. The study is carried out through 3D numerical modeling experiments and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. Results showed that the amount of freshwater is the principal physical forcing controlling the plume formation. The Coriolis effect enhances the northward transport over the shelf, while the tidal effects contribute to intensify horizontal and vertical mixing, which are responsible for spreading the freshwater over the shelf. The wind effect, on the other hand, is the main mechanism controlling the behavior of the Patos Lagoon coastal plume over the inner SBS in synoptic time scales. Southeasterly and southwesterly winds contribute to the northeastward displacement of the plume, breaking the vertical stratification of the inner continental shelf. Northeasterly and northwesterly winds favor ebb conditions in the Patos Lagoon, contributing to the southwestward displacement of the plume enhancing the vertical stratification along and across-shore. The EOF analysis reveals two modes controlling the variability of the plume on the surface. The first mode (explaining 70% of the variability) is associated to the southwestward transportation of the plume due to the dominance of north quadrant winds, while the second mode (explaining 19% of the variability) is associated to the intermittent migration of the plume northeastward due to the passage of frontal systems over the area. Large scale plumes can be expected during winter and spring months, and are enhanced during El Niño events.     

Photo-sieving: A method for grain-size analysis of coarse-grained,unconsolidated bedding surfaces

The photo-sieving method enables the grain-size analysis of particles > 10 mm from unconsolidated openwork bedding surfaces. The accuracy is equal to the machine-sieving method. The sediment surface is photographed in the field using a camera stand. The enlarged print is digitized for computer processing by tracing the outlines of the pebbles. From the size and shape of the projection area of the individual pebble images the computer determines the ellipsoids of revolution, classifies these ellipsoids, and establishes their grain-size distribution in percentage by weight. Thus photo-sieving differs distinctly from point-counting techniques. With the aid of photo-sieving, the surface grain-size distributions of larger sedimentary systems may be regularly mapped. Alluvial fans, braided rivers, both onshore and offshore coasts or areas of relict sediments and manganese nodules are suitable for this method.     

A multivariate analysis of planktonic molluscan distribution in the Middle Atlantic Bight

Faunal structure is described for the planktonic molluscs of the Middle Atlantic Bight based on two years of seasonal data from the continental shelf. Collection and taxa groups are constructed using numerical classification and reciprocal averaging ordination. Discriminant analysis is used to relate surface collection groups to physical variables, then taxa group distribution among these collection groups is analyzed by nodal fidelity analysis. The areal distribution of dominant species is presented by season, as is their surface temperature-salinity distribution.Four communities are recognized on the continental shelf. A subarctic community, including Limacina retroversa, Paedoclione doliiformis, and Clione limacina, is advected down the central shelf region from the northeast. A Gulf Stream community of weak vertical migrators, including Limacina trochiformis, Cavolinia longirostris, Creseis conica, Atlanta peroni, and A. gaudichaudi, is introduced onto the shelf in occasional intrusions across the shelf-edge front. A depth-limited warm-water community of strong vertical migrators, including Limacina inflata, L. bulimoides, L. lesueuri, and Cavolinia inflexa is generally confined offshore of the 100-m isobath since the extent of their daily vertical migration is greater than the bottom depths on the continental shelf. A coastal community, including the larvae of Loligo pealei and of Ensis directus is found in coastal water of local origin and is generally confined within a coastal boundary layer.     

Verification of the dualism ordering method by the canonical correspondence analysis: fish community samples

Two ordination techniques (Romaniszyn diagram, RD, and Canonical correspondence analysis, CCA) were applied to the same data set (fish assemblage composition along two Paraná river tributaries and associated environmental variables), to identify spatial community patterns and further to evaluate the performance of RD. The major patterns in these Brazilian streams were successfully revealed by both methods (i.e. clear separation of both tributaries on the basis of fish assemblage composition and environmental factors), but more complex situations may limit the application of RD in comparison with CCA.     

Differential bedload transport rates in a gravel-bed stream: A grain-size distribution approach

The grain-size distributions of bedload gravels in Oak Creek, Oregon, follow the ideal Rosin distribution at flow stages which exceed that necessary to initiate breakup of the pavement in the bed material. The distributions systematically vary with flow discharge and bed stress, such that at higher flow stages the grain sizes are coarser while the spread of the distribution decreases. A differential bedload transport function for individual grain-size fractions is formulated utilizing the dependence of the two parameters in the Rosin distribution on the flow stress. The total transport rate, which is also a function of the flow stress, is apportioned within the Rosin grain-size distribution to yield the fractional transport rates. The derived bedload function has the advantage of yielding smooth, continuous frequency distributions of transport rates for the grain-size fractions, in contrast to the discrete transport functions which predict rates for specified sieve fractions. Successful reproduction of the measured fractional transport rates and bedload grain-size distributions in Oak Creek by this approach demonstrates its potential for evaluations of transport rates of size fractions in gravel-bed streams. The approach will be useful in investigations of downstream changes in bed material grain-size distributions.     

Grain size along two gravel-bed rivers: statistical variation,spatial pattern and sedimentary links

A new set of field data facilitates a detailed analysis of variations in bed material grain size within two confluent gravel-bed rivers in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. A preliminary assessment of grain-size variability establishes a basis for examination of the spatial pattern of grain-size change. Standard ANOVA techniques are inappropriate because individual samples have unequal variances and are not normally distributed. Alternative tests for homoscedasticity and comparison of means are therefore utilized. Within-site, between-sample variability is not significant. The grain-size distributions that were obtained at individual sites are therefore representative of the depositional environments that were sampled. In both rivers mean grain size does vary significantly between sites and there is therefore a basis for examining the data for spatial patterns such as downstream fining. Textural variations along the two rivers studied here are complex and show negligible overall fining (in over 100 km). This is the consequence of a large number of tributary inputs and non-alluvial sediment sources which are the legacy of Late Pleistocene glaciation. The identification of lateral sources like these is fundamental for understanding textural changes within rivers. The sedimentary link (a channel reach between significant lateral sediment inputs) provides a means of isolating fluvial maturation processes (abrasion and sorting) from contingent lateral inputs. Strong fining trends are apparent in most links and classification of grain-size measurements according to their location within particular links greatly improves the statistical explanation of textural variation. Identification of sedimentary links provides a means of applying models of fluvial fining processes, so isolation of link networks will aid the development of basin-scale models of textural variation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental evaluation of magnetic interaction in pyrrhotite bearing samples

Pyrrhotite bearing metamorphic limestones have recently experienced an increasing relevance in paleomagnetic research. Simple univectorial remanences document the metamorphic uplift, whereas more complex multicomponent pTRMs may constrain its age. For a successful application of the latter, it is important to estimate the degree of magnetic interactions to ensure the additivity of individual pTRM segments. We therefore have subjected the sized dispersed suite (<5-250 μm) of TTE pyrrhotite to FORC analysis and compared the result with remanence-based parameters like the ΔM or the irreversible susceptibility. This is used as a basis to evaluate the response of marly limestone samples from regionally metamorphic areas (Bourg d’Oisans, France) and contact-metamorphic aureoles (Elba, Italy; Skye, Scottland; Manaslu area, Nepal) to these techniques. The results show that the techniques are able to estimate the nature and - to a certain degree - the intensity of the magnetic interaction. The different dominant magnetic states of the assemblage can also be unravelled as well. Based on the remanence measurements of the TTE samples, a relationship between grain-size and the irreversible susceptibility is established in order to estimate the mean grain-size fraction in natural particle distribution.     

Fluvial incision and coarse gravel redistribution across the modern Dead Sea shelf as a result of base-level fall

Global eustatic lowstands can expose vast areas of continental shelves, and occasionally the shelf edge and the continental slope. The degree of fluvial connectivity to receding shores influences the redistribution of sediments across these emerging landscapes. Shelf and slope emergence in the Dead Sea since the middle of the 20th century, offers a rare opportunity to examine evolution of stream connectivity in response to continuous base-level decline. We characterize the connectivity evolution of two streams, using high-resolution time series of aerial imagery and elevation models, field mapping, and grain-size analyses. Our rich spatiotemporal dataset of evolving channel geomorphology, sediment transport conditions, and sediment redistribution, allows calculating potential coarse sediment mobility in response to base level decline. Following shelf emergence, alluvial fans first prograded onto the low-gradient shelf under unfavourable conditions for transporting coarse sediment to the regressing shoreline. Then, with shelf and slope emergence, the two adjacent streams evolved differently. The smaller, more arid watershed still maintains its highstand delta progradation on the shelf and is practically disconnected from the receding lake. The larger catchment, heading in wetter environments and having a narrower shelf, has incised the shelf and renewed and gradually intensified the sediment transport from the highstand to the lowstand delta. Sediment mobilization to lowstand shorelines is controlled by the evolution of the channel profile and by the average speed of gravel transport (10s-100s m yr^-1). These findings from the Dead Sea are relevant to fluvial processes operating on continental shelves during glacial maxima. Streams would have commonly stored high proportions of their coarse sediment on the continental shelves rather than efficiently connecting with the lowstand level. Additionally, differences in sediment routing patterns should exist among nearby streams, primarily due to continental margin geometry and watershed hydrology. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electromagnetic divergence correction for 3D anisotropic EM modeling

Until now, the application of divergence correction has been focusing on the electromagnetic (EM) isotropic modeling. However, in regions where the earth demonstrates strong electrical anisotropy due to lamina or faults saturated with water, the traditional divergence corrections may not be working for EM modeling. In this paper, based on the divergence-free property of the current density, we propose a divergence correction technique to speed up the EM modeling process for a 3D arbitrarily anisotropic earth. The volume current density weighting method is adopted for the discretization of divergence correction, so it can be applied to non-uniform grid model. By enforcing the constraints associated with the divergence-free property, the quasi-minimal residual (QMR) iterations and the total computational time for the EM modeling are largely reduced. Furthermore, we discuss how to divide the QMR process into sections and the influence of the number of iterations and the normalized residual on the solution process. We take a helicopter-borne EM system over a 3D earth with arbitrarily electrical anisotropy as an example to examine the effectiveness of our anisotropic divergence correction technique on the EM modelings.     

A Review Of Environmental Applications Of Quasi-Stationary Electromagnetic Techniques

Electromagnetic (EM) techniques are the most commonly used geophysical methods in mineral exploration. However, the use of EM measurements for environmental and engineering applications like the detection of contaminant plumes or the exploration of waste sites is relatively new.The reason for the success of the application of EM methods to environmental problems lies in the variation of conductivity caused by different geometry of pore fluids and clay contents in rocks, and by the presence of organic and inorganic contaminants.Many EM methods/instruments used for mapping near surface geology exist and nowadays they play a central role in environmental geophysics. In general, these methods can be classified in two blocks: EM methods using a plane wave source of excitation and EM methods using a controlled source like a magnetic dipole or a loop source. The Very Low Frequency (VLF, VLF-R) and Radiomagnetotelluric (RMT) methods are chosen as representative methods for plane wave techniques, while horizontal loop EM methods operating in low induction numbers (EM31, EM34) and Transient Electromagnetic methods (TEM) are chosen as representatives of magnetic dipole or loop source techniques. Basic principles, advantages and disadvantages of each technique as well as their connection to specific environmental problems will be discussed.Different successful applications of these methods are reported in the literature. However, this review will focus on three major subjects: waste site exploration, detection of contaminated earth layers, and groundwater exploration. Case histories are presented illustrating the suitability of EM methods for solving such problems.     

Tidal effects in the controlled-source ULF electromagnetic field on the Baltic crystalline shield

The results of the experiment on studying the dynamics of the electromagnetic field (EM) generated by the stationary controlled ULF-band source during 30 days on the Baltic crystalline shield are presented. Diurnal variations in the EM fields and slow variations in the surface impedance with a period of about 14 days are revealed. The diurnal variations in the fields are mainly due to the fluctuations in the ionospheric parameters caused by the changes in the daytime ionization of the ionosphere by solar radiation. By comparing the harmonic component with a period of about 14 days, which was established in the time series of surface impedance, with the slow tidal deformations of the Earth’s crust, we revealed the correlation between the EM variations and tidal processes in the Earth. The estimates for the probable changes induced by tidal deformations in the structure and conductivity of the underlying medium are obtained by modeling.