RE-COGNITION OF THE NEOTECTONICS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE YINGKOU-WEIFANG FAULT ZONE

The Yingkou-Weifang fault zone (YWFZ) is the part of the Tanlu fault zone across the Bohai Sea, and is also an important part of the tectonics of the eastern Bohai Bay Basin. Many studies have been carried out on the neo-tectonics and activities of the YWFZ in recent years. In this paper, the neo-tectonics and activities of the YWFZ, and other related issues were studied again, based on our previous work and results of other researchers. The neo-tectonic movement in the Bohai Sea area began in the late Miocene (12~10Ma BP), which originated from the local crust horizontal movement, the tectonic stress field is characterized by NEE-SWW and near E-W horizontal compression. The neo-tectonics of the YWFZ is represented mainly by Neogene-Quaternary deformation, due to rejuvenation of Paleogene faults. Many faults have developed. The neo-tectonics and activities of YWFZ have characteristics of segmentation and weakening, because of the development of the NE-trending Northwest Miao Island-the Yellow River Estuary fault zone, which crosses the YWFZ. Earthquakes in the east of Bohai Sea are distributed along the Northwest Miao Island-the Yellow River Estuary fault zone, only few and small earthquakes along the Liaodong Bay and the Laizhou Bay section of the YWFZ. We made a preliminary analysis of the mechanics for this phenomenon.     

Dissolved trace elements in a nitrogen-polluted river near to the Liaodong Bay in Northeast China

Dissolved trace element concentrations (Ba, Fe, Mn, Si, Sr, and Zn) were investigated in the Haicheng River near to the Liaodong Bay in Northeast China during 2010. Dissolved Ba, Fe, Mn, and Sr showed significant spatial variation, whereas dissolved Fe, Mn, and Zn displayed seasonal variations. Conditions such as water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen were found to have an important impact on redox reactions involving dissolved Ba, Fe, and Zn. Dissolved Fe and Mn concentrations were regulated by adsorption or desorption of Fe/Mn oxyhydroxides and the effects of organic carbon complexation on dissolved Ba and Sr were found to be significant. The sources of dissolved trace elements were found to be mainly from domestic sewage, industrial waste, agricultural surface runoff, and natural origin, with estimated seasonal and annual river fluxes established as important inputs of dissolved trace elements from the Haicheng River into the Liaodong Bay or Bohai Sea.     

Modeling studies of tidal dynamics and the associated responses to coastline changes in the Bohai Sea,China

Over the past 30 years, reclamation projects and related changes have impacted the hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the Bohai Sea. Three-dimensional tidal current models of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea were constructed using the MIKE 3 model. We used a refined grid to simulate and analyze the effects of changes in coastline, depth, topography, reclamation, the Yellow River estuary, and coastal erosion on tidal systems, tide levels, tidal currents, residual currents, and tidal fluxes. The simulation results show that the relative change in the amplitude of the half-day tide is greater than that of the full-day tide. The changes in the tidal amplitudes of M₂, S₂, K₁, and O₁ caused by coastline changes accounted for 27.76–99.07% of the overall change in amplitude from 1987 to 2016, and water depth changes accounted for 0.93–72.24% of the overall change. The dominant factor driving coastline changes is reclamation, accounting for 99.55–99.91% of the amplitude changes in tidal waves, followed by coastal erosion, accounting for 0.05–0.40% of the tidal wave amplitude changes. The contribution of changes in the Yellow River estuary to tidal wave amplitude changes is small, accounting for 0.01–0.12% of the amplitude change factor. The change in the highest tide level (HTL) is mainly related to the amplitude change, and the correlation with the phase change is small. The dominant factor responsible for the change in the HTL is the tide amplitude change in M2, followed by S2, whereas the influence of the K1 and O1 tides on the change in the HTL is small. Reclamation resulted in a decrease in the vertical average maximum flow velocity (V_VAM) in the Bohai Sea. Shallower water depths have led to an increase in the V_VAM; deeper water depths have led to a decrease in the maximum flow velocity. The absolute value of the maximum flow velocity gradually decreases from the surface to the bottom, but the relative change value is basically constant. The changes in the tidal dynamics of the Bohai Sea are proportional to the degree of change in the coastline. The maximum and minimum changes in the tidal flux appear in Laizhou Bay (P-LZB) and Liaodong Bay (P-LDB), respectively. The changes in the tidal flux are related to the change in the area of the bay. Due to the reduced tidal flux, the water exchange capacity of the Bohai Sea has decreased, impacting the ecological environment of the Bohai Sea. Strictly controlling the scale of reclamation are important measures for reducing the decline in the water exchange capacity of the Bohai Sea and the deterioration of its ecological environment.     

Huanghe (Yellow River) and its estuary: Sediment origin, transport and deposition

The upper part of the Huanghe (Yellow River) drainage basin supplies 50–60% of the annual water discharge and only 10% of the total river sediment load, while the middle reaches contribute 30–40% of the water flow and 90% of the annual sediment load, because of severe erosion over the Loess Plateau. Large variations in both annual water discharge and sediment load occur in the Huanghe. Heavy sedimentation in the lower reaches of the channel makes the river bed aggrade several centimetres per year. Of the suspended sediment in the river, 90–95% is deposited in the lower part of the river course and in the coastal shallow water area; less than 5–10% escapes from Laizhou Bay and enters the Central Bohai and/or North Huanghai (Yellow Sea). The active delta complex now propagates seawards at a mean rate of 42 km² year⁻¹.     

Assessing metal toxicity in sediments using the equilibrium partitioning model and empirical sediment quality guidelines: A case study in the nearshore zone of the Bohai Sea,China

Surface sediments were collected from five nearshore (wastewater discharges, aquaculture facilities and a seaport) sites in Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay, China. The equilibrium partitioning (EqP) model and empirical sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) were applied to assess the potential metal toxicity in the collected sediments. The results show that, based on the EqP model, 35% of stations exhibited potential metal toxicity. Several metals (Cu, Ni and Cr) exceeded the empirical SQGs (9–93% of the time), however these guidelines may not be suitable for use in the Bohai Sea owing to the background concentrations. The EqP model is a more useful method for assessing potential metal toxicity in Bohai Sea sediment than the empirical SQGs. Additionally, we have provided new understanding about methods for assessing sediment metal toxicity in the Bohai Sea that may be useful in other coastal areas in China.     

Modeling the Yellow River sediment flux and its deposition patterns under climatological conditions

A numerical sediment transport model was embedded into a coupled wave-tide-circulation model to quantitatively estimate the suspended sediment fluxes (SSF) and distribution in different areas for the Yellow River derived sediment. The model is validated by comparing model simulated sediment deposition rates with those from observations. Simulated results show that the SSF of the Yellow River across two major sections (the Bohai Strait and the 37° N section) are highest during September and October, whereas for the 32° N section the flux is negligibly small (less than 0.1 kg/s). We demonstrate that the sediment flux is primarily driven by the buoyancy forcing of the Yellow River freshwater discharge and modulated by the wind-driven surface wave and circulation patterns in this region. The SSF across the Bohai Strait is about 30 % of the Yellow River discharge, while across the 37° N section it is 15.8 %. Therefore, about 70 % of the total discharged Yellow River sediments are deposited in the Bohai Sea, 14.1 % in the North Yellow Sea, and 13.9 % in the South Yellow Sea. There are two deposition branches in the Yellow Sea. The primary one is located off the eastern tip of the Shandong Peninsula and extends to the southwest off the coastline, which is consistent with the observed “Ω”-shape deposition pattern. This simulated tongue shape deposition pattern is isolated from the north by the strong resuspension off the eastern tip of Shandong Peninsula. The secondary branch extends to the middle of the South Yellow Sea and has been strengthened by resuspension process. The two deposition branches are separated by the wintertime Yellow Sea Warm Current in the bottom layer.     

Sediment discharge of the Yellow River (China) and its effect on the sedimentation of the Bohai and the Yellow Sea

The Yellow River is noted for its small water discharge and huge sediment load, which amounts to about11 × 10⁸ tons every year, contributing 17% of the world's fluvial sediment discharge to the ocean. This has a profound effect on the sedimentation of the Bohai and the Yellow Sea. Changes of the outlet in the modern delta every 10 y result in frequent changes in the recession and progradation of the deltaic coastline both in space and time, and is the main reason why the Yellow River has not succeeded in building a bird-foot delta like the Mississippi. Owing to the huge sediment input from the Yellow River, the sedimentation rate of the Bohai is very high, about 0.6 m ka⁻¹, but it is unlikely that the Bohai will be filled up in a few thousand years. In the late Quaternary period, the Yellow River extended its course across the Yellow Sea at least 4 times and probably discharged its heavy load into the Okinawa Trough during the last glacial maximum (15,000 B.P.).     

Regularities in the diurnal variations of hydrochemical characteristics in the coastal zone of a sea

Amur Bay (Sea of Japan) is used as an example to show that the range of diurnal variations of hydrochemical characteristics in the coastal zone of a sea subject to the effect of continental runoff features some regularities. Specifically, variations of water salinity in the surface frontal zone of estuaries exponentially increase toward the river and reach the largest magnitude in the zone of high longitudinal gradients, where diurnal salinity distributions are found to deviate from the normal law.     

Carbon pools and fluxes in the China Seas and adjacent oceans

The China Seas include the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea. Located off the Northwestern Pacific margin, covering 4700000 km~2 from tropical to northern temperate zones, and including a variety of continental margins/basins and depths, the China Seas provide typical cases for carbon budget studies. The South China Sea being a deep basin and part of the Western Pacific Warm Pool is characterized by oceanic features; the East China Sea with a wide continental shelf, enormous terrestrial discharges and open margins to the West Pacific, is featured by strong cross-shelf materials transport; the Yellow Sea is featured by the confluence of cold and warm waters; and the Bohai Sea is a shallow semiclosed gulf with strong impacts of human activities. Three large rivers, the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Pearl River, flow into the East China Sea, the Bohai Sea, and the South China Sea, respectively. The Kuroshio Current at the outer margin of the Chinese continental shelf is one of the two major western boundary currents of the world oceans and its strength and position directly affect the regional climate of China. These characteristics make the China Seas a typical case of marginal seas to study carbon storage and fluxes. This paper systematically analyzes the literature data on the carbon pools and fluxes of the Bohai Sea,Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea, including different interfaces(land-sea, sea-air, sediment-water, and marginal sea-open ocean) and different ecosystems(mangroves, wetland, seagrass beds, macroalgae mariculture, coral reefs, euphotic zones, and water column). Among the four seas, the Bohai Sea and South China Sea are acting as CO_2 sources, releasing about0.22 and 13.86–33.60 Tg C yr~(-1) into the atmosphere, respectively, whereas the Yellow Sea and East China Sea are acting as carbon sinks, absorbing about 1.15 and 6.92–23.30 Tg C yr~(-1) of atmospheric CO_2, respectively. Overall, if only the CO_2 exchange at the sea-air interface is considered, the Chinese marginal seas appear to be a source of atmospheric CO_2, with a net release of 6.01–9.33 Tg C yr~(-1), mainly from the inputs of rivers and adjacent oceans. The riverine dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) input into the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea are 5.04, 14.60, and 40.14 Tg C yr~(-1),respectively. The DIC input from adjacent oceans is as high as 144.81 Tg C yr~(-1), significantly exceeding the carbon released from the seas to the atmosphere. In terms of output, the depositional fluxes of organic carbon in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea are 2.00, 3.60, 7.40, and 5.92 Tg C yr~(-1), respectively. The fluxes of organic carbon from the East China Sea and South China Sea to the adjacent oceans are 15.25–36.70 and 43.93 Tg C yr~(-1), respectively. The annual carbon storage of mangroves, wetlands, and seagrass in Chinese coastal waters is 0.36–1.75 Tg C yr~(-1), with a dissolved organic carbon(DOC) output from seagrass beds of up to 0.59 Tg C yr~(-1). Removable organic carbon flux by Chinese macroalgae mariculture account for 0.68 Tg C yr~(-1) and the associated POC depositional and DOC releasing fluxes are 0.14 and 0.82 Tg C yr~(-1), respectively. Thus, in total, the annual output of organic carbon, which is mainly DOC, in the China Seas is 81.72–104.56 Tg C yr~(-1). The DOC efflux from the East China Sea to the adjacent oceans is 15.00–35.00 Tg C yr~(-1). The DOC efflux from the South China Sea is 31.39 Tg C yr~(-1). Although the marginal China Seas seem to be a source of atmospheric CO_2 based on the CO_2 flux at the sea-air interface, the combined effects of the riverine input in the area, oceanic input, depositional export,and microbial carbon pump(DOC conversion and output) indicate that the China Seas represent an important carbon storage area.     

渤海海域主要新构造活动断裂带

渤海位于渤海湾盆地的东部,是我国华北地区新构造活动最强烈的地区之一,盆地内的沉积盖层(N-Q)中断裂极为发育。许多研究者从不同角度对渤海新构造进行过研究,但认识不一。笔者基于以往的工作,对该区新构造作了较深入的分析,确定渤海新构造运动起始于中新世晚期(12~10Ma BP)。从三维空间分析盖层断裂,并按其与盆地基底断裂的成因关系,将新构造活动的断裂分为继续活动断裂和新生断裂,并划分出3条主要的新构造活动断裂带:北东(偏北)向营口-潍坊断裂带北段是继续活动构造带,右旋逆平移活动,活动性弱;北西西向北京-蓬莱断裂带亦为继续活动构造带,左旋正平移活动,活动性较强;北东向庙西北-黄河口断裂带为新生构造带,右旋平移活动,活动性强。后两者组成一对以庙西北-黄河口断裂带为主的偏共轭活动构造带,该区域地震活动与之关系密切。最后探讨了渤海地区新构造期北东东-南西西至近东西向水平挤压的构造应力场及其与新构造活动断裂带发育的关系。提出新构造应力场与古近纪盆地裂陷阶段的应力场截然不同,新构造为地壳共轭剪切破裂系统,古近纪盆地构造是发育于地壳上部的伸展构造系统,这是两期不同体制的构造系统。     

Determination of transport rates in the Yellow River–Bohai Sea mixing zone via natural geochemical tracers

In light of the current problems facing the Yellow River and surrounding areas (e.g., periods of zero river discharge, increasing nitrate concentrations of the Bohai Sea), we examined the coastal mixing dynamics around the mouth of the Yellow River. Naturally occurring radium isotopes (²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and ²²⁸Ra) and other geochemical tracers (Ba, Si, and salinity) were employed to determine river plume transport scales and rates. Barium and radium exhibit elevated concentrations within the salinity gradient where they are desorbed from particles via ion-exchange. Once they are added to the system, they decrease offshore from dilution with lower concentration Bohai Sea water, and in the case of ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra, by radioactive decay. Using radium “ages” to assess the dissolved material transport scales and rates proved to be a useful tool in this environment. The ages based on the ²²⁴Ra/²²⁸Ra activity ratio increased gradually until salinities reached ∼25 when they rapidly increased due to decreased mixing at higher salinities. Integrated net transport rates through the salinity front ranged from 1.4 to 1.6 cm/s and did not vary significantly with river discharge. Thus, tidal mixing appears to dominate in this system, at least over the range of discharges investigated (80–600 m³/s). Determining the temporal scale of flow across the coastal zone in this region is a valuable first step toward examining whether the Yellow River is contributing to the increasing inorganic nitrogen concentrations in the central Bohai Sea.     

SHRINKAGE OF THE ESTUARINE CHANNELS OF THE HAIHE DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND ITS INFLUENCES ON FLOOD HAZARD

1INTRODUCTIONTheHaiheRiverBasinislocatedinNorthChinawithareaof262.6km2.Itisaquicklydevelopedareawithmanyimportantcitiesandindustrialhubs,includingBeding,Tianjin,Tangshan,Cangzhou,DezhouandHuanghua.Theareawatchedfastprogressesinurbanizationinthepastdecades,andhumanactivitieshaveresultedingreatinfluencesontheenvironment,riverhydrologyandsedimentbudget.Theareaisprojectedtobemoreprosperouswithmoreoilandgasfields,chemicalindustrybases,anddenserrailwaysandexpresshighwaysinthenextcent'Ury.T…     

Scaling properties of the runoff variations in the arid and semi-arid regions of China: a case study of the Yellow River basin

We analyzed long daily runoff series at six hydrological stations located along the mainstem Yellow River basin by using power spectra analysis and multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) technique with aim to deeply understand the scaling properties of the hydrological series in the Yellow River basin. Research results indicate that: (1) the runoff fluctuations of the Yellow River basin exhibit self-affine fractal behavior and different memory properties at different time scales. Different crossover frequency (1/f) indicates that lower crossover frequency usually corresponds to larger basin area, and vice versa, showing the influences of river size on higher frequency of runoff variations. This may be due to considerable regulations of river channel on the runoff variations in river basin of larger basin size; (2) the runoff fluctuations in the Yellow River basin exhibit short-term memory properties at smaller time scales. Crossover analysis by MF-DFA indicates unchanged annual cycle within the runoff variations, implying dominant influences of climatic changes on changes of runoff amount at longer time scales, e.g. 1 year. Human activities, such as human withdrawal of freshwater and construction of water reservoirs, in different reaches of the Yellow River basin may be responsible for different scaling properties of runoff variations in the Yellow River basin. The results of this study will be helpful for hydrological modeling in different time scales and also for water resource management in the arid and semi-arid regions of China.     

渤海海域现代构造应力场的数值模拟

根据渤海海域的构造演化背景和地质构造特征建立了该区的二维地质模型,用二维有限元方法计算模拟了渤海海域现代构造应力场,获得了该区构造应力场的分布特征;同时,根据计算结果把渤海海域的构造应力场分为辽东湾、渤中、渤东和渤西等4个区域,并对这4个区域在构造应力场上的差异性进行了描述。从渤海海域整体的应力分布可以看出,该区新近纪以来的断裂活动总体水平上西部较东部强烈,海域东部沿郯庐断裂带仍有较高的断裂发育程度及断裂张开性,而海域中部地区的断层发育程度、活动位移均较低     

Temporal and spatial distributions of nutrients under the influence of human activities in Sishili Bay,northern Yellow Sea of China

The temporal and spatial distributions of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and dissolved reactive silica (DRSi) together with chlorophyll-a, temperature and salinity were analyzed monthly from December 2008 to March 2010 at four zones in Sishili Bay located in the northern Yellow Sea. The nutrient distribution was impacted by seasonal factors (biotic factors, temperature and wet deposition), physical factors (water exchange) and anthropogenic loadings. The seasonal variations of nutrients were mainly determined by the seasonal factors and the spatial distribution of nutrients was mainly related to water exchange. Anthropogenic loadings for DIN, SRP and DRSi were mainly from point sources, but for DON, non-point sources were also important. Nutrient limitation has changed from DIN in 1997 to SRP and DRSi in 2010, and this has resulted in changes in the dominant red tide species from diatom to dinoflagellates.     

Changes in the Lena River runoff during the Holocene

The spatial and temporal changes in the Lena River runoff over the last 9 thousand years are reconstructed through studying the freshwater microfossils in sediment cores obtained from the Laptev Sea inner shelf immediately adjacent to the Lena delta and subject to the freshening effect of river water inflowing the sea through the main arms of the delta (the Trofimovskaya, Bykovskaya, and Tumatskaya arms), the sediments having been thoroughly AMS ¹⁴C dated. The freshwater species of diatoms (predominantly the river ones) and green algae that enter the shelf with river water served as indicators of river runoff. The reconstruction of paleosalinity of the sea surface water in the regions under study is based on the relationships (established earlier) between the distribution of freshwater diatoms in the surface layers of sediments in the Arctic seas and the gradients of water salinity in summer. Data on variations in the composition of aquatic microfossil associations in sediments and the reconstructed paleosalinity in the regions of the eastern and western paleovalleys of the Lena River are used to determine the main paleohydrologic events that controlled the variations in the Lena runoff into the shelf zone of the Laptev Sea during the Holocene.     

中国东部海域断裂构造格架与地震活动研究

渤海、黄海和东海等中国东部海域在地质构造上是大陆向海的自然延伸,海域内的构造方向与大陆一致,均为NNE-NE向,但属于不同的二级大地构造单元,渤海和北黄海属于华北地块,南黄海属于扬子地块,东海属于华南地块.由于各地块与现今活动板块边界位置不同,构造与地震活动性差异较大,渤海和北黄海地区地震活动主要受印度板块与欧亚板块碰...     

长江与黄河入海活性硅输送规律及变化趋势

根据长江与黄河各一个完整水文年的调查数据,并结合历史资料分析了我国这两条大型河流活性硅((RSi,RSi=溶解硅(DSi)+生物硅(BSi))的入海通量及长时间序列的变化规律与影响因素.结果表明,长江与黄河RSi的组成存在显著的差异,二者水体中BSi/RSi的平均比值分别为0.22和0.49;黄河DSi的年平均浓度为长江的74%,而BSi年平均浓度却是长江的3倍.黄河水体中相对较高的BSi浓度反映了黄河流域水体浑浊度与土壤侵蚀程度较高,源自黄土高原高的泥沙输送量是导致黄河水体中BSi浓度较长江高的主要原因.长江与黄河下游RSi通量在丰水期、平水期与枯水期的比值分别为5.3∶3.1∶1.6与3.8∶3.4∶2.8,长江半数以上的RSi入海通量是在丰水期输出的,而黄河在3个时期的差异不明显.相比于径流的变化,1958-2014年间长江DSi通量变化主要是由DSi浓度的变化引起的,流域气候变化(如温度变化)是其浓度及其通量年代际变化的重要原因;而黄河1985-2001年间DSi通量下降是由于径流量与DSi浓度降低的双重原因引起的.气候变化,特别是温度的变化会对流域硅的风化速率与硅的产出产生重要影响,但其具体的影响有待进一步揭示.     

Long-term variations in the biogenic matter runoff of the Dnestr River

Long-term observation data were used to carry out comparative analysis of variations in the biogenic matter runoff of the Dnestr River over a period of fifty years. Based on data of weekly monitoring in 2002–2004, annual dynamics of biogenic matter runoff was analyzed for the Dnestr River and for Dnestr Liman. It was found out that, in spite of the “buffer” role of the latter, the contribution of biogenic substances, finding their way in the sea with the Dnestr River water, to the eutrophication of the northwestern Black Sea remains appreciable (about 60 thousand ton year^?1). Dissolved organic compounds account for 70% of the present-day biogenic matter runoff of the Dnestr River.     

Numerical study of generation of the tidal shear front off the Yellow River mouth

Tidal shear front off the Yellow River mouth has been observed and modeled in the previous studies. However, a detailed investigation of the front generation has not been conducted. The aim of this paper is to use a three-dimensional tidal model coupled to a sediment transport module to examine the front formation. The model predicted a tidal shear front that propagated offshore and lasted 1–2 h at both flood and ebb phase off the Yellow River mouth. The sensitivity numerical experiments showed that the topography with a strong slope off the Yellow River mouth was a determining factor for the front generation, and a parallel orientation between the major axes of ellipses and co-tidal lines of maximum tidal current was a necessary condition. While the bottom friction and the river runoff had no effect on the front location but affected the front intensity, the front generation was not sensitive to the coastline variation. The study concluded that the bottom slope off the river mouth induces a strong variation in the bottom stress in a cross-shore direction, which produces both maximum phase gradient and sediment concentration variability across the tidal shear front. With the extending Yellow River delta, the tidal shear front under the new bathymetry of year 2003 has been strengthened and pushed further offshore due to an increased bottom slope.