The biogenic gas potential of the submarine canyon systems of Plio-Peistocene foreland Basin,southwestern Taiwan

Biogenic gas was accidentally discovered and produced from the Plio/Pleistocene formation of the Hsinying gas field in southwestern Taiwan in 1989. A stratigraphic trapping mechanism related to the evolution of submarine canyon systems in the Plio-Peistocene foreland basin has been proposed in a previous study which explained underestimated recoverable gas reserve before drilling. To verify this shallow gas exploration hypothesis and to systematically evaluate the biogenic gas generation and entrapment potential of the submarine canyon systems, seismic interpretation, high-resolution sequence stratigraphic interpretation, seismic attribute analysis and geochemical analysis were performed and integrated in this study. Twenty-nine submarine canyons mapped mainly trend in a NE direction, except the NW trending Eurchungchi submarine canyons located near the Chiali paleo-high. Bright seismic amplitudes were often observed at the incised valley heads of the canyon systems. The shales located near the incised valley heads and deposited during flooding stage possess the highest biogenic gas generation potential, as canyon fill reveals the second highest. Due to the high sediment accumulation rate in the foreland basin, organic matter in such a depositional environment tends to become diluted. A Class III AVO anomaly, inverted impedance lower than 4.7 e + 6 kg/M³*M/S and A/B (the ratio between the target horizon amplitude and the RMS amplitude from the background strata) greater than 1.78 were identified as valid direct gas indicators as sand is buried shallower than 1000 m. Class IV AVO anomaly and A/B greater than 1.4 were concluded to be the indicators of gas sand in the case that sand is buried deeper than 1600 m. Based on the results of sequence stratigraphic interpretation and the consistency between spatial geometries of seismic attributes and those of the submarine canyons, a stratigraphic trap associated with the incised valley heads was concluded to be the original gas entrapment style of the Hsinying and the Kuantian gas fields. Biogenic gas migrated after being trapped startigraphically, hence contributing to the present-day gas field structure. Due to the prevalent erosional features of the submarine canyons on the time structural maps, different types of stratigraphic traps formed in combination with faults and submarine canyons can be recognized easily.     

Currents in submarine canyon heads off north St. Croix,U.S. Virgin Islands

Currents in the heads of two canyons off the north shore of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands are characterized by slow velocity with high-frequency alternations of direction and occasional periods of relatively strong downcanyon flows; the latter occurred during falling tides. The downcanyon flows appear to be density driven by pulses of saline water coming out of either the estuary or harbor located shoreward of the canyon heads.     

A giant three-stage submarine slide off Norway

One of the largest submarine slides known, The Storegga Slide, is located on the Norwegian continental margin. The slide is up to 450 m thick and has a total volume of about 5,600 km3. The headwall of the slide scar is 290 km long and the total run-out distance is about 800 km. The slide involved sediments of Quaternary to Early Tertiary age and occurred in three stages. Earthquakes combined with decomposition of gas hydrates are believed to be the main triggering agents for the slides. The first slide event is tentatively dated to be about 30,000 to 50,000 years B.P. and the two last major events are dated to be at 6,000 to 8,000 years B.P.     

The effect of a submarine canyon on the river sediment dispersal and inner shelf sediment movements in southern Taiwan

This study examines the influence of a submarine canyon on the dispersal of sediments discharged by a nearby river and on the sediment movement on the inner shelf. The study area includes the head region of the Kao-ping Submarine Canyon whose landward terminus is located approximately 1 km seaward from the mouth of the Kao-ping River in southern Taiwan. Within the study area 143 surficial sediment samples were taken from the seafloor. Six hydrographic surveys along the axis of the submarine canyon were also conducted over the span of 1 yr. Three different approaches were used in the analysis of grain-size distribution pattern. They include (1) a combination of ‘filtering’ and the empirical orthogonal (eigen) function (EOF) analysis technique, (2) the McLaren Model, and (3) the ‘transport vector’ technique. The results of the three methods not only agree with one another, they also complement one another. This study reveals that the Kao-ping Submarine Canyon is relatively a stratified and statically stable environment. The hydrographic characteristics of the canyon display seasonal variability controlled primarily by the temperature field and the effluent of the Kao-ping River. The hydrographic condition and the bottom topography in the canyon suggest the propagation of internal tides during the flood season (summer) of the Kao-ping River. The submarine canyon acts as a trap and conduit for mud exchange between the Kao-ping River and offshore. Near the head of the canyon there is a region of sediment transport convergence. This region is also characterized by high mud abundance on the seafloor that coincides with the presence of high suspended sediment concentration (SSC) spots in the bottom nepheloid layer. Outside the submarine canyon on the shelf where the evidence of wave reworking is strong, the northwestward alongshore transport dominates over the southeastward transport, which is a common theme on the west coast in southern Taiwan.     

Trophic relationships at intrannual spatial and temporal scales of macro and megafauna around a submarine canyon off the Catalonian coast (western Mediterranean)

The spatial and temporal changes of near-bottom macrofauna (suprabenthos and macroplankton) and the trophic relationships of megabenthic decapod crustaceans were analyzed off the Catalonian coasts (western Mediterranean) around Berenguera submarine canyon in four periods (April and December 1991, March and July 1992) and four zones (within Berenguera Canyon at ca. 450 m, and on adjacent slope at ca. 400, 600 m and 1200 m). In March 1992, we found the highest macrofauna abundance and the smallest sizes in the canyon, suggesting a positive effect of river discharges on suprabenthos recruitment. By contrast, macroplankton (decapods, fishes and euphausiids) did not show higher recruitment into canyons. After analyzing the diet of 23 decapod crustaceans, we found a significant segregation between guilds feeding on zooplankton and on benthos. Zooplankton (euphausiids and Pasiphaeidae) and infauna (polychaetes, Calocaris macandreae and ophiuoroids) were consistently the main prey exploited by decapod crustaceans around Berenguera Canyon. We also found some macrophyte (Posidonia oceanica) consumption, which was higher in periods of water column homogeneity (winter–spring and late autumn). Positive correlations between decapods' gut fullness (F) and decapod abundance indicate feeding aggregations, while positive correlations were also found between F and Llobregat River (situated ca. 18 km from Berenguera head) flow 1 to 2 months before sampling. Increases in F were delayed only 1 month when zooplankton feeders were analyzed alone, while benthos feeders did not show significant relationships with any environmental variables. That indicates that the response of megabenthic decapods feeding on benthos to environmental shifts is slower than that of zooplankton feeders. The importance of river flows in enhancing food supply of macro- and megabenthos dwelling close to submarine canyons was apparent, with a delay in the fauna response of 0–2 months after river flow peaks.     

Response of bedload transport, submarine topography, and dune internal structures to typhoon processes off Dongfang coast in the Beibu Gulf

Bedload sediment transport was estimated by the SEDTRANS96 model based on three-day hydrodynamics data obtained off the Dongfang coast in the Beibu Gulf during Typhoon Ketsana in September 2009. Bedforms on the sea floor off the Dongfang coast and internal structures of a typical dune were interpreted to evaluate storm influences on individual dunes and the dune field. Results indicated that flow forcings and related bedload transport were both strengthened significantly due to Typhoon Ketsana. The measurements and modeling results, which mainly included three different stages, presented noticeable phasic variation. The three stages were dominated by tidal current (Period Ⅰ), tidal current combined with wind-induced waves (Period Ⅱ), and swells combined with tidal current and seaward flows (Period Ⅲ). This phasic variation could be a common trait of hydrodynamics due to typhoons moving westwardly to the south of Hainan Island and Beibu Gulf in South China Sea. Results indicated that the maximum bedload transport rate for every burst in Period Ⅲ was almost 100 times larger than that in Period I and was ten times larger than that in Period II. However, the short-term increase in bedload transport induced by storms like Ketsana did not change the long-term evolution of dune morphology. Evidence was given by the internal structures of a typical dune, which revealed renewed modification under subsequent moderate conditions after storm erosion. Instead, storms may influence at different scales and regional allocation of sand dunes in some large areas because changes of the sea floor in large scales can hardly be recovered. More surveys during and after storm passage are also needed to document the level of positive contribution to forward migration.     

台风天气条件下地基微波辐射计反演产品精度分析

利用中国气象局上海台风研究所台风试验获取的4个典型台风个例数据,对地基微波辐射计反演的温度、水汽密度廓线与同址GPS探空资料得到的廓线进行对比分析,发现二者的温度、水汽密度相关系数分别为0.988、0.928。微波辐射计的探测精度在不同高度上有很大差异,整体来说,在高层温度探测精度较优于低层,而在低层水汽密度探测精度较优于高层。进一步研究表明,探测水汽密度精度与降水强度存在显著的正相关,而与风速及相对台风位置没有明显的关系。经计算,21组水汽密度廓线均方根误差与对应时段降雨强度的相关系数为0.912。本研究定量化地展示了微波辐射计在台风天气条件下对温度的探测精度相对比较高,且对水汽密度的观测质量有一定的可靠性和可用性,这一研究为今后将微波辐射计用于观测台风、锋面等强对流天气系统的大气温度湿度结构提供可靠性依据。     

A buried submarine canyon in the northwest South China Sea:architecture,development processes and implications for hydrocarbon exploration

High-resolution multichannel seismic data enables the discovery of a previous, undocumented submarine canyon(Huaguang Canyon) in the Qiongdongnan Basin, northwest South China Sea. The Huaguang Canyon with a NW orientation is 140 km in length, and 2.5 km to 5 km in width in its upper reach and 4.6 km to 9.5 km in width in its lower reach. The head of the Huaguang Canyon is close to the Xisha carbonate platform and its tail is adjacent to the central canyon. This buried submarine canyon is formed by gravity flows from the Xisha carbonate platform when the sea level dropped in the early stage of the late Miocene(～10.5 Ma). The internal architecture of the Huaguang Canyon is mainly characterized by high amplitude reflections, indicating that this ancient submarine canyon was filled with coarse-grained sediments. The sediment was principally scourced from the Xisha carbonate platform. In contrast to other buried large-scale submarine canyons(central canyon and Zhongjian Canyon) in the Qiongdongnan Basin, the Huaguang Canyon displays later formation time, smaller width and length, and single sediment supply. The coarse-grained deposits within Huaguang Canyon provide a good environment for reserving oil and gas, and the muddy fillings in Huaguang Canyon have been identified as regional caps. Therefore, Huaguang Canyon is potential area for future hydrocarbon exploration in the northwest South China Sea. Our results may contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of submarine canyons formed in carbonate environment.     

A buried submarine canyon in the northwestern South China Sea: architecture,development processes and implications for hydrocarbon exploration

High-resolution multichannel seismic data enables the discovery of a previous, undocumented submarine canyon(Huaguang Canyon) in the Qiongdongnan Basin, northwestern South China Sea. The Huaguang Canyon with a NW orientation is 140 km in length, and 2.5 km to 5 km in width in its upper reach and 4.6 km to 9.5 km in width in its lower reach. The head of the Huaguang Canyon is close to the Xisha carbonate platform and its tail is adjacent to the Central Canyon. This buried submarine canyon is formed by gravity flows from the Xisha carbonate platform when the sea level dropped in the early stage of the late Miocene(around 10.5 Ma). The internal architecture of the Huaguang Canyon is mainly characterized by high amplitude reflections, indicating that this ancient submarine canyon was filled with coarse-grained sediments. The sediment was principally scourced from the Xisha carbonate platform. In contrast to other buried large-scale submarine canyons(Central Canyon and Zhongjian Canyon) in the Qiongdongnan Basin, the Huaguang Canyon displays later formation time,smaller width and length, and single sediment supply. The coarse-grained deposits within the Huaguang Canyon provide a good environment for reserving oil and gas, and the muddy fillings in the Huaguang Canyon have been identified as regional caps. Therefore, the Huaguang Canyon is a potential area for future hydrocarbon exploration in the northwestern South China Sea. The result of this paper may contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of submarine canyons formed in carbonate environment.     

A large submarine debris flow in the path of the Pacific deep western boundary current off New Zealand

The Pacific deep western boundary current (DWBC) encounters an unstable continental margin where it flows across the New Zealand convergent plate boundary. Seismic profiles show the DWBC was intercepted by several submarine landslides, the latest (~38-100 ka) being the newly discovered Matakaoa debris flow. Occupying ~650 km³, the flow extends 200 km from Matakaoa re-entrant to Kermadec Ridge to form a 37-68 m high lobe in the current's path. This deposit appears to have (1) reduced the size of gaps in the western boundary, thereby reducing leakage of the DWBC, and (2) temporarily reduced the terrigenous supply into the flow by impeding the passage of turbidity currents from New Zealand.     

A semi-analytical method of stress-strain analysis of buried steel pipelines under submarine landslides

A semi-analytical method of the stress-strain analysis of buried steel pipelines under submarine landslides was proposed, considering the nonlinearities of the pipe-soil interaction and mechanical properties of the pipe steel. The pipeline was divided into three parts according to different loading conditions, and the corresponding differential equations were established based on a combination of the beam-on-elastic foundation and elastoplastic-beam theories. According to the second-order central difference method, the transverse horizontal displacement was calculated, and then the bending strain was obtained based on the relation between bending strains and curvatures. Considering the interaction between the axial and bending strains, the axial strain can be derived from the equilibrium condition by equating the axial force. The proposed method was verified through the comparison of obtained solutions to ANSYS results, with minor deviations which do not exceed about 4.6%. Additionally, the effects of the slide width, the buried depth of pipelines, the internal friction angle of soils, the cohesion of soils and the bulk density of soils are investigated through parametric studies.     

The evolution of the Tugela canyon and submarine fan: A complex interaction between margin erosion and bottom current sweeping,southwest Indian Ocean,South Africa

The transfer of sediment from the upper continental slope to rise is poorly documented along the southeast African passive margin. New swath bathymetric and sub-bottom data collected in the Natal Valley, southwest Indian Ocean, provide insight into the evolution of the Tugela canyon and fan system. Several distinct downslope changes in canyon morphology are noted. The canyon increases in relief and widens with depth. Basement outcrop is restricted to the head of the canyon becoming less prominent with depth. Step-like terracing of the canyon walls and floor becomes prominent in the mid-slope portions of the canyon and is related to a marked increase in the cross sectional asymmetry of the canyon profile. The contemporary Tugela canyon rests within a depression of the last phase of infilling. The canyon is the product of downslope erosion, and incision, caused by several phases of hinterland uplift in the mid Oligocene, mid Miocene and late Pliocene. Each phase was followed by pelagic infilling of the palaeo-canyon form. Downslope, the uplift phases are preserved in the cut-terraces and axial incisions within the main canyon thalweg. The contemporary canyon is a moribund feature, sediment starvation of the shelf area by current sweeping of the Agulhas current has decreased the material available for canyon incision and fan development. Additional current sweeping by the North Atlantic Deep Water current has stunted the development of the associated fan complex.     

航道区碎石层对霍尔锚落锚条件下海底管道防护效果研究

航道中船舶抛锚作业使海底管道可能受意外撞击,造成管道局部损伤甚至失效,进而对油气生产安全和生态环境等造成重大危害。采用碎石层防护是航道区等海域海底管道最常用的防护手段。首先基于大比尺落锚模型试验,观测了霍尔锚下落贯入碎石的3个阶段及其贯入过程中管道的应力应变状态。通过建立光滑粒子流体动力学法（SPH）和有限元法（FEM）耦合的数值模型,针对实际不同吨位通航船舶常用的霍尔锚,研究了其贯入碎石层深度及埋设管道受力和凹陷变形规律。最后分析了不同锚质量、碎石层形状和厚度等因素下埋设管道的响应规律。结果表明：采用暗埋式碎石防护层有利于撞击能量吸收,能更好地防护海底管道受损;且采用3 m以上碎石防护层能有效保护海底管道抵抗各类实际常见霍尔锚的撞击损伤。     

复杂荷载作用下海底腐蚀管线破坏机理研究进展

腐蚀是引起海底管线破坏的一种重要原因。综述在内部工作压力和外部环境荷载作用下海底腐蚀管线破坏机理的研究,论述海底腐蚀管线在单一荷载和多种荷载联合作用下的破坏状态,并说明了当前研究的热点问题。最后,对该领域进一步的研究工作进行了展望。     

Similar potential ATP-P production and enzymatic activities in the microplankton community off Concepción (Chile) under oxic and suboxic conditions

The effects of the oxygen minimum zone on the metabolism of the heterotrophic microplankton community (0.22-100 μm) in the Humboldt Current System, as well as the factors controlling its biomass production, remain unknown. Here we compare the effect of four sources of dissolved organic carbon (glucose, oxaloacetate, glycine, leucine) on microbial biomass production (such as ATP-P) and the potential enzymatic activities involved in catabolic pathways under oxic and suboxic conditions. Our results show significant differences (p < 0.05) in the ATP-P production when induced by the different substrates that are used as dissolved organic carbon herein. The induction of ATP-P production is enhanced from glucose < oxaloacetate < glycine < leucine. Nevertheless, for individual substrates, no significant differences were found between incubation under oxic and suboxic conditions except in the case of leucine. For this amino acid, the induction of ATP-P synthesis was higher under suboxic than oxic conditions. The data sets of all the substrates used showed greater potential ATP-P production under suboxic than oxic conditions. The results of the potential enzymatic activities suggest that malate dehydrogenase has the highest signal of NADH oxidization activity in the microbial assemblage. Furthermore, for all experiments, the malate dehydrogenase activity data set had a significant relationship with ATP-P production. These findings suggest that the microbial community inhabiting the oxygen minimum zone has the same or greater potential growth than the community inhabiting more oxygenated strata of the water column and that malate dehydrogenase is the activity that best represents the metabolic potential of the community.     

异常气候条件下秘鲁外海茎柔鱼栖息地的时空变动

茎柔鱼主要分布于东太平洋,是我国鱿钓渔船的主要捕捞对象,气候变化对其栖息地有较大影响。本研究依据1950−2015年海表温度(SST)、海表高度距平(SSHA)以及尼诺指数(Niño3.4指数),计算秘鲁外海茎柔鱼栖息地适宜性指数(HSI),分析在厄尔尼诺(El Niño)、正常气候和拉尼娜(La Niña)条件下适宜栖息地的时空变动。分析表明,海表温度距平(SSTA)和SSHA与Niño3.4指数的变化趋势基本相同,Niño3.4指数与SSTA和SSHA均呈显著正相关,但与HSI值呈显著负相关。依据气候事件的定义,将研究年份划分为El Niño年,正常年和La Niña年。研究发现,在El Niño年,茎柔鱼渔场水温变暖,海面高度上升,适宜的SST和SSHA范围缩小,导致适宜的栖息地面积范围缩减;而在正常气候和La Niña年份,茎柔鱼渔场水温变冷,海面高度下降,适宜的SST和SSHA范围增大,因此适宜的栖息地面积范围增加。此外,Niño3.4指数和茎柔鱼渔场HSI纬度重心呈显著正相关,在El Niño事件下适宜的栖息地纬度重心向南偏移。研究认为,不同ENSO事件下茎柔鱼渔场环境变化显著,进而影响茎柔鱼适宜的栖息地范围及其空间分布。     

A tool for site prioritisation of marine protected areas under data poor conditions

A challenge of managing data poor fisheries lies in overcoming uncertainties associated with a lack of information on biological and socio-economic conditions. This paper focuses on site prioritisation for marine protected areas, a process that usually imposes moderate to heavy demands on data, time, local expertise, and funds. A fuzzy logic decision support tool for zoning marine areas that is suitable for use in data poor conditions is developed. This tool, the Protected Area Suitability Index (PASI), assesses the suitability of sites for protection based on fishers’ preferences for that site and the site’s conservation value. Only eight input attributes are required to run the PASI, which operates on a series of heuristic rules to estimate a site suitability score that ranges from 0 to 10, where 10 indicates that a site is highly suitable for being protected from fishing. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the PASI is relatively robust, and produces reliable results even as the system is degraded by the loss of data. Eighteen actively fished sites and 11 sites that are closed to fishing are assessed to evaluate how well the PASI is able to distinguish differences between sites. The estimated scores are significantly different (p<0.05), whereby non-fished sites are scored as being more suitable for protection than fished sites. The PASI can be used as a decision support tool to facilitate systematic marine spatial management under data poor conditions, especially in the task of identifying suitable sites for protection.     

Sand transport under combined current and wave conditions: A semi-unsteady,practical model

For the general purposes of morphodynamic computations in coastal zones, simple formula-based models are usually employed to evaluate sediment transport. Sediment transport rates are computed as a function of the bottom shear stress or the near bed flow velocity and it is generally assumed that the sediment particles react immediately to changes in flow conditions. It has been recognized, through recent laboratory experiments in both rippled and plane bed sheet flow conditions that sediment reacts to the flow in a complex manner, involving non-steady processes resulting from memory and settling/entrainment delay effects. These processes may be important in the cross-shore direction, where sediment transport is mainly caused by the oscillatory motions induced by surface short gravity waves.The aim of the present work is to develop a semi-unsteady, practical model, to predict the total (bed load and suspended load) sediment transport rates in wave or combined wave-current flow conditions that are characteristic of the coastal zone. The unsteady effects are reproduced indirectly by taking into account the delayed settling of sediment particles. The net sediment transport rates are computed from the total bottom shear stress and the model takes into account the velocity and acceleration asymmetries of the waves as they propagate towards the shore.A comparison has been carried out between the computed net sediment transport rates with a large data set of experimental results for different flow conditions (wave-current flows, purely oscillatory flow, skewed waves and steady currents) in different regimes (plane bed and rippled bed) with fine, medium and coarse uniform sand. The numerical results obtained are reasonably accurate within a factor of 2. Based on this analysis, the limits and validity of the present formulation are discussed.     

Beneath the surface: Characteristics of oceanic ecosystems under weak mixing conditions – A theoretical investigation

This study considers an important biome in aquatic environments, the subsurface ecosystem that evolves under low mixing conditions, from a theoretical point of view. Employing a conceptual model that involves phytoplankton, a limiting nutrient and sinking detritus, we use a set of key characteristics (thickness, depth, biomass amplitude/productivity) to qualitatively and quantitatively describe subsurface biomass maximum layers (SBMLs) of phytoplankton. These SBMLs are defined by the existence of two community compensation depths in the water column, which confine the layer of net community production; their depth coincides with the upper nutricline. Analysing the results of a large ensemble of simulations with a one-dimensional numerical model, we explore the parameter dependencies to obtain fundamental steady-state relationships that connect primary production, mortality and grazing, remineralization, vertical diffusion and detrital sinking. As a main result, we find that we can distinguish between factors that determine the vertically integrated primary production and others that affect only depth and shape (thickness and biomass amplitude) of this subsurface production layer. A simple relationship is derived analytically, which can be used to estimate the steady-state primary productivity in the subsurface oligotrophic ocean. The fundamental nature of the results provides further insight into the dynamics of these “hidden” ecosystems and their role in marine nutrient cycling.