Changes in the composition of planktonic ostracod populations across a range of latitudes in the North-east Atlantic

A large database representing the bathymetric distribution of 117 species of halocyprid ostracods has been compiled from seven stations forming a transect from the equator to 60°N along 20°W, plus an additional station at 32°N, 65°W. This data base is analysed to examine the latitudinal and bathymetric changes in species composition and diversity of assemblages of this important, yet neglected, holoplanktonic group. At each station stratified sampling of the complete water column from the surface down mostly to 2000 m was carried out both day and night. Each sample resulted from the filtration of at least 2500 m³ of water and was analysed using a consistent protocol. The differences between the day and night profiles are attributable to diel vertical migrations, to local-scale heterogeneity, and possibly to a degree of net avoidance. There is a gradient of increasing species richness and diversity from high to low latitudes. By day, halocyprids are either infrequent or absent from the upper 50 m of the water column, but at night after diel vertical migration they become quite abundant in the epipelagic zone, particularly at low latitudes. Bathymetric profiles show ostracod abundances increase rapidly below the thermocline, reaching maxima at 200-400 m and then declining by at least an order of magnitude at 2000 m. Diversity (both species richness, H′ and evenness, J) also increases below the thermocline and thereafter is either maintained or declines only slightly to 2000 m. There are no relationships among diversity, abundance and productivity, but analysis of the whole database shows that the changes in community structure are consistent with Longhurst’s [Longhurst, A.R., 1998. Ecological Geography of the Sea. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. xiv, 398.] biogeochemical provinces.     

Using a GIS to Examine Changes in the Bathymetry of Borrow Pits and in Lower Bay, New York Harbor, USA

Standard analyses with geographic information systems (GIS) and the publicly available GEODAS database were used to highlight bathymetric changes in the Lower Bay complex of New York Harbor. Dredging operations have deepened much of the Lower Bay complex. Approximately 6,580 hectares, or 20% of the bay bottom surveyed in 1934, was deeper in 1979/1982 than during 1934. Half of this deepening, 3,219 hectares or 10% of the bay bottom surveyed during 1934, was deeper by at least 2 m. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of three borrow pits in the central part of the Lower Bay complex were used to examine sedimentation over a 16-year period from 1979 to 1995. Results were consistent with studies conducted during the 1970s and 1980s that show the pits function as sediment traps. Between 1979 and 1995, sediment accumulated at rates of 6 to 12 cm per year in many portions of the borrow pits.     

Using a GIS to Examine Changes in the Bathymetry of Borrow Pits and in Lower Bay,New York Harbor,USA

Standard analyses with geographic information systems (GIS) and the publicly available GEODAS database were used to highlight bathymetric changes in the Lower Bay complex of New York Harbor. Dredging operations have deepened much of the Lower Bay complex. Approximately 6,580 hectares, or 20% of the bay bottom surveyed in 1934, was deeper in 1979/1982 than during 1934. Half of this deepening, 3,219 hectares or 10% of the bay bottom surveyed during 1934, was deeper by at least 2 m. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of three borrow pits in the central part of the Lower Bay complex were used to examine sedimentation over a 16-year period from 1979 to 1995. Results were consistent with studies conducted during the 1970s and 1980s that show the pits function as sediment traps. Between 1979 and 1995, sediment accumulated at rates of 6 to 12 cm per year in many portions of the borrow pits.     

Morphostructure of the Egyptian Continental Margin: Insights from Swath Bathymetry Surveys

In the Eastern Mediterranean, offshore Egypt, the Nile continental margin is characterized by a large deep water turbiditic system known as the Nile Deep Sea Fan. This post-Miocene terrigenous construction covers an approximately 10 km-thick sedimentary pile, including 1–3 km of Messinian salt layers. Systematically collected swath bathymetric data proved to be the most powerful tool to discover, describe and study many sea floor features of this sedimentary construction which reflects competition between active tectonic, sedimentary, and geochemical processes. Gravity tectonics, triggered by underlying mobile salt layers, construction of channel-levee systems, the passage of turbidite flows, sedimentary slope failures at various scales, massive mud expulsions and fluid seepages are all interfering to shape the Nile Deep Sea Fan seabed.     

TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason Equatorial Sea Surface Slope Anomaly in the Atlantic in 2002: Comparison with Wind and Current Measurements at 23W

A time series of velocity profile in the upper 150 m of the equatorial Atlantic was gathered at 23W in 2002 within the PIRATA program. It constitutes the first time series of near surface current measurements simultaneous with altimetric data in the equatorial Atlantic. The surface slope anomaly along the equator is computed from satellite altimetry, and, as a proxy for the pressure gradient along the equator, compared with the wind and near surface current data. In a first step, a time series of the surface slope anomaly along the equator in the Atlantic is computed from the 10-year-long TOPEX/Poseidon sea level anomalies. A sensitivity study establishes the robustness of the calculation. Apart from a 15 cm bias, the equatorial sea surface slope anomalies estimated either from TOPEX/Poseidon or from Jason over the 6-month overlap (Feb.–Aug. 2002) do not reveal drastic differences. We produce two sea surface slope anomaly composite time series for 2002 (one with T/P data, the other with Jason data during the commissioning phase) and compare them to the wind and velocity data at 23W. As expected, the near surface velocity and depth of the upper limit of the equatorial undercurrent (EUC) are extremely well correlated with the surface pressure gradient anomaly. 10-year-long time series of altimetry-derived zonal sea surface slope anomaly and ECMWF ERA40 wind stress are also well correlated. They exhibit similar spectral content and similar anomalous years. This is a first step towards a full analysis of the EUC dynamics using altimetry, PIRATA data (near surface current and subsurface thermohaline structure) and model. These initial comparisons reinforce the utility of Jason measurements for continuing the 10-year and highly accurate TOPEX/Poseidon time series for study of equatorial signals.     

TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason Equatorial Sea Surface Slope Anomaly in the Atlantic in 2002: Comparison with Wind and Current Measurements at 23W

A time series of velocity profile in the upper 150 m of the equatorial Atlantic was gathered at 23W in 2002 within the PIRATA program. It constitutes the first time series of near surface current measurements simultaneous with altimetric data in the equatorial Atlantic. The surface slope anomaly along the equator is computed from satellite altimetry, and, as a proxy for the pressure gradient along the equator, compared with the wind and near surface current data. In a first step, a time series of the surface slope anomaly along the equator in the Atlantic is computed from the 10-year-long TOPEX/Poseidon sea level anomalies. A sensitivity study establishes the robustness of the calculation. Apart from a 15 cm bias, the equatorial sea surface slope anomalies estimated either from TOPEX/Poseidon or from Jason over the 6-month overlap (Feb.-Aug. 2002) do not reveal drastic differences. We produce two sea surface slope anomaly composite time series for 2002 (one with T/P data, the other with Jason data during the commissioning phase) and compare them to the wind and velocity data at 23W. As expected, the near surface velocity and depth of the upper limit of the equatorial undercurrent (EUC) are extremely well correlated with the surface pressure gradient anomaly. 10-year-long time series of altimetry-derived zonal sea surface slope anomaly and ECMWF ERA40 wind stress are also well correlated. They exhibit similar spectral content and similar anomalous years. This is a first step towards a full analysis of the EUC dynamics using altimetry, PIRATA data (near surface current and subsurface thermohaline structure) and model. These initial comparisons reinforce the utility of Jason measurements for continuing the 10-year and highly accurate TOPEX/Poseidon time series for study of equatorial signals.     

Segmentation and volcano-tectonic characteristics along the SW African continental margin,South Atlantic,as derived from multichannel seismic and potential field data

Regional seismic reflection and potential field data document the South Atlantic's break-up history, between 39°S and 19°S, from the Early Cretaceous onwards. Previous maps of distribution of volcanics along the margin showed volcanics along the whole African margin based on extrapolation of data. Based on previously unpublished marine geophysical data, we found the southernmost 460 km long margin segment to be lacking huge volumes of break-up related volcanic effusives. Northwards, break-up was accompanied by the emplacement of huge volumes of volcanic material, prominently featured in seismic sections as huge wedge-shaped seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs). Detailed mapping of offsets (left- and right-stepping) and variations in structural character of the volcanics reveal the segmentation along and the break-up history of the margin. Several superimposed SDR sequences, suggesting episodicity of volcanic emplacement (divided by periods of erosion and sedimentation), are distinct along southerly lines, losing prominence northwards.A main outcome of our study is that this passive margin is not continuously of the volcanic type and that the change from a non-volcanic to a volcanic margin occurs abruptly.We define four distinct First-order Segments along the 2400 km section of the southwestern African margin covered by our seismic data. From south to north these First-order Segments are: Magma-poor Segment I; Segment II with enormous SDRs volumes; decreasing SDRs volumes in Segment III; Segment IV again with enormous volcanic output, likely influenced by Walvis Ridge volcanism.Most important is that there is no systematic increase in the volumes of the effusives towards the Tristan da Cunha hot-spot. Rather there is an alternating pattern in the SDRs' volumes and widths.The boundary between the volcanic and magma-poor margin segments in the southernmost study area is sharp (10s of km), which we propose is reflected in magnetic anomaly data as well. We suggest that this variability along the margin is mainly due to a change in stretching/rifting character from oblique during the early stages of breakup to conventional seafloor spreading from Chron M4 (∼130 Ma) onwards.     

Bathymetry of the Tonga Trench and Forearc: a map series

Four new bathymetric maps of the Tonga Trench and forearc between 14 °S and 27 °S display the important morphologic and structural features of this dynamic convergent margin. The maps document a number of important geologic features of the margin. Major normal faults and fault lineaments on the Tonga platform can be traced along and across the upper trench slope. Numerous submarine canyons incised in the landward slope of the trench mark the pathways of sediment transport from the platform to mid- and lower-slope basins. Discontinuities in the trench axis and changes in the morphology of the landward slope can be clearly documented and may be associated with the passage and subduction of the Louisville Ridge and other structures on the subducting Pacific Plate. Changes in the morphology of the forearc as convergence changes from normal in the south to highly-oblique in the north are clearly documented. The bathymetric compilations, gridded at 500- and 200-m resolutions and extending along 500 km of the landward trench slope and axis, provide complete coverage of the outer forearc from the latitude of the Louisville Ridge-Tonga Trench collision to the northern terminus of the Tonga Ridge. These maps should serve as a valuable reference for other sea-going programs in the region, particularly the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and the National Science Foundation MARGINS initiative.     

济阳坳陷陡坡带构造特征--以东营凹陷北坡为例

济阳坳陷为一典型北陡南缓的箕状断陷盆地,其各凹陷北部的强断裂活动造成北断南超、北陡南缓的构造格局。以东营凹陷北坡为例,盆倾断裂发育,切割潜山顶面呈阶梯状,断裂旁侧沉积较厚,常发育褶皱构造。断裂上升盘遭剥蚀,下降盘发育一系列扇体,为油气聚集的有利场所。     

Evaluation of the Risk of Marine Slope Instability: A Pseudo-3D Approach for Application to Large Areas

Abstract

This article presents a methodology developed to evaluate the instability of submarine slopes that extend over a large area. Special attention was paid to (1) the complex geometry (bathymetry) and the expanse of the slope, (2) the heterogeneity of the sediment, and (3) the distribution of the pore pressure. The safety factor was considered as a spatially varying quantity. The General Formulation (GLE, Fredlund and Krahn 1977), which fully satisfies equilibrium conditions, was used for evaluating the stability of the marine slope. The submarine slope failure, which occurred on 16 October 1979 during the construction of the new Nice airport, was studied in order to test the developed model. Geotechnical parameters were taken from experimental tests carried out by IFREMER on 19 cores extracted at different depths (from 27 m to 1300 m) (Cochonat, Bourillet, and Savoye, 1993; Mulder et al., 1994). Many scenarios were proposed in order to explain the cause of the Nice slope failure (Habib, 1994). In this article, two of those scenarios were tested. Simulation results are presented and discussed.     

Origin of resources and trophic pathways in a large SW Atlantic estuary: An evaluation using stable isotopes

The Río de la Plata (34° 36′ S, 55° 58′ W; Argentina and Uruguay) estuary, one of the most important South American estuarine environments, is characterized by weak seasonal freshwater discharge, low tidal amplitude (<1 m), a wide and permanent connection to the sea, and a salt-wedge regime. Using stable isotope analysis, we explored the relative importance of the different sources of primary production in the food web. Our results show that phytoplankton and macrodetritus from terrestrial salt and freshwater marshes both contribute to the food web of the Río de la Plata estuary. On the basis of the sampled species, we identified four trophic levels. The clam Mactra isabelleana, the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa, and the opossum shrimp Neomysis americana are the primary consumers. The rays Atlantoraja castelnaui and Squatina guggenheim and the shark Galeorhinus galeus are the top predators. The Río de la Plata food web shows an important input of nutrients derived from phytoplankton. Rays, sharks, and predatory gastropods reveal an important contribution of C4 plants (likely Spartina spp.). However, production derived from C3 plants is also important for some species. The fishes Brazilian menhaden, Brevoortia aurea; the stripped weakfish Cynoscion guatucupa; and the whitemouth croaker, Micropogonias furnieri, showed differences in their isotopic signatures as juveniles and adults, indicating different food sources, and they were therefore treated as different components of the food web. Our data suggest that detritus from salt and freshwater marshes is reaching the Río de la Plata estuary and can be an important allocthonous source of energy to this environment.     

南海北部陆坡海域第二模态内孤立波统计特征

根据南海北部陆坡海域潜标观测数据,对该海域第二模态内孤立波统计特征进行分析。观测期间共发现72个第二模态内孤立波,包含101 个第二模态内孤立波孤立子。该海域第二模态内孤立波以凸型为主,且最大振幅多为下凹振幅,占79.2%。KdV 方程波速计算结果表明,波速可用三角函数描述,整体表现为夏季大、冬季小,且第二模态内孤立波流速呈明显的三层结构。最大流速深度及人工判别得到的上下层转向深度的统计结果表明:上层内波流流速转向平均深度约为97.7m,中层内波流最大流速深度约为134.6m,下层内波流转向平均深度约为204.2m,内波流最大流速多发生在中层,流向主要为西北向,流速主要分布于0.2~0.8 m·s-1 区间范围内,占82.2%;上层流向主要为东南向,流速主要分布于0~0.6m·s-1区间范围内,占98.0%;中层流向主要为西北向,流 速主要分布于0.2~0.8m·s-1区间范围内,占93.1%;下层流向主要为东南向,流速主要分布于0~0.4m·s-1区间范围内,占94.1%。本文系统性地给出了南海北部陆坡海域第二模态内孤立波统计特征,可为相关研究、水下航行及工程应用提供重要的资料和参考。     

The Dynamics of an Introduced: Balanus glandula Population in the Southwestern Atlantic Rocky Shores. The Consequences on the Intertidal Community*

Abstract. This paper deals with the population dynamics of the introduced barnacle Balanus glandula in a port shelter and a rocky shore exposed of a southwestern Atlantic area. Replicated areas in both zones were denuded monthly and censused in both the high intertidal and the upper mid intertidal zone. The settlement pattern. recruitment, mortality and growth of B. glandula and a comparative successional pattern in both areas were recorded. Recruitment began in winter, i.e., July in the port and August in the rocky shore. In the port, green algae dominate up to a final community of Balanus glandula all along the intertidal, while in rocky shores the red encrusting alga Hildenbrandia lecanellieri establishes a cover that is replaced by the mytilid Brachidontes rodriguezi in the mid intertidal and by B. glandula in the high intertidal and upper mid intertidal. B. glandula densities were greater in the upper mid intertidal 19 600 and 5050 indiv. · m^-2 in the port and rocky shore, respectively than in the high intertidal 13600 and 1100 indiv.· m^-2, respectively. Mortality was greater in the port up to 62%, but heavy settlement allows a final density 4 times greater than in eulittoral rocky shores and 10 times greater than in the high intertidal. The winter reproduction of Balanus glandula, the absence of predators, the neutral or beneficial effect of algae. with spatial and temporal partitioning of substrate allows it to successfully outcompete mussels and other barnacle species from the intertidal community of both sheltered and exposed areas.     

Smectite composition as a tracer of deep circulation: the case of the Northern North Atlantic

The link between smectite composition in sediments from the northern North Atlantic and Labrador Sea, and deep circulation is being further investigated through detailed studies of the X-ray pattern of smectites and cation saturations. This allows clear distinction of dominant terrigenous sources associated to the main components of the modern Western Boundary Undercurrent. Time variations of smectite characteristics in two piston cores from the inlet and outlet of the Western Boundary Undercurrent gyre in the Labrador Sea indicate: (1) a more southern circulation of North East Atlantic Deep Water during the Late Glacial; (2) a step by step transition to the modern pattern of deep circulation during the Late Glacial/Holocene transition, with intensification of North East Atlantic Deep Water and Davis Strait Overflow; (3) an expansion of Davis Strait Overflow and Labrador Sea Water circulation in relation to ice surges and deposition of detrital layers; (4) an intensified circulation of North East Atlantic Deep Water during the Younger Dryas; and (5) a very recent increased influence of Denmark Strait Overflow Water beginning between 4.4 and <1 kyr.     

Controls on turbidite sedimentation: Insights from a quantitative approach of submarine channel and lobe architecture (Late Quaternary Congo Fan)

The role of internal and external forcing of sedimentation in turbidite systems remains a subject of debate. Here we propose new insights from the quantitative analysis of architectural parameters of the Congo Axial Fan.Fifty-two channel-levee-lobe systems, spanning the last ca. 200 ka, are visible on the seafloor, most of them having slightly elongated lobe complexes at their termination. Volumes of lobe complexes (usually 3–196 km³) are highly variable in time and space. The cumulative volume of the lobe complexes represents approximately 30% of the volume of the Axial Fan.The Axial Fan is sequentially divided into periods of increasing/decreasing channel lengths and basinward/landward migrations of avulsion points, representing successive prograding/retrograding architectural patterns called architectural cycles. These cycles are either symmetrical saw toothed and bell-shaped with progressive progradation and retrogradation phases, or asymmetrical, with long-lasting progradation phases and abrupt retrogradation phases that correspond to channel avulsions occurring high up on the fan.Our study points to the interplay between internal and external factors controlling the architecture of the Congo Axial Fan. The local topographic constraint is a major factor in the fan's stacking pattern. However, cyclic evolution of the architecture reveals major shifts in the deposition site that are linked to very upfan avulsion events. These events are interpreted to be driven by external factors (e.g. climate and/or eustatic sea-level change) that were able to drastically increase and/or coarsen the sediment supply to the fan.     

海洋生态系统服务功能评估在环境影响评价中的应用——以某填海工程为例

准确评估填海工程中海洋生态服务功能损失,建立合理的补偿制度,因地制宜采取适合的海洋生态修复措施来缓解经济发展与海洋生态保护之间的矛盾,是落实海洋生态文明建设的重要措施。文章以福建省莆田市某填海造地工程为例,采用价值量评估方法,估算填海工程造成的海洋生态系统服务功能价值损失。经过评估,本次填海造成的海洋服务功能总的价值损失为1 451.23万元,其中供给功能、气候调节功能、文化服务功能、支持功能、污染物处理功能等各项功能价值损失分别占总价值损失的27.5%、32.8%、2.2%、12.3%、25.2%。研究提出建议采取"修复补偿为主"的制度,开展海洋生态修复。     

Effects of crab–halophytic plant interactions on creek growth in a S.W. Atlantic salt marsh: A Cellular Automata model

The Bahía Blanca Estuary (38° 50′ S, and 62° 30′ W) presents salt marshes where interactions between the local flora (Sarcocornia perennis) and fauna (Chasmagnathus granulatus) generate some kind of salt pans that alter the normal water circulation and condition its flow and course towards tidal creeks. The crab–vegetation dynamics in the salt marsh presents variations that cannot be quantified in a reasonable period of time. The interaction between S. perennis plant and C. granulatus crab is based on simple laws, but its result is a complex biological mechanism that causes an erosive process on the salt marsh and favors the formation of tidal creeks. To study it, a Cellular Automata model is proposed, based on the laws deduced from the observation of these phenomena in the field, and then verified with measurable data within macroscale time units. Therefore, the objective of this article is to model how the interaction between C. granulatus and S. perennis modifies the landscape of the salt marsh and influences the path of tidal creeks. The model copies the basic laws that rule the problem based on purely biological factors.The Cellular Automata model proved capable of reproducing the effects of the interaction between plants and crabs in the salt marsh. A study of the water drainage of the basins showed that this interaction does indeed modify the development of tidal creeks. Model dynamics would likewise follow different laws, which would provide a different formula for the probability of patch dilation. The patch shape can be obtained changing the pattern that dilates.