Distribution,formation and evolution of sand ridges on the East China Sea shelf

Based on the integrated results of multiple data types including MBES (Multi-Beam Echo Sounding) and historical topography maps,the LSR (Linear Sand Ridges) on the ECS (East China Sea) shelf are identified,divided into subareas,and classified.The distribution of sand ridge crests is also established.The strikes of the LSR on the ECS shelf fall in a normal distribution with the center point being 155° azimuth with additional peak points at 125°,130°,140°,and 180° azimuth.The distribution of the ECS shelf san...     

Tides and mixing in the northwestern East China Sea Part I: Rotating and reversing tidal flows

Bottom-mounted ADV and ADCP instruments in combination with CTD profiling measurements taken along the Chinese coast of the East China Sea were used to study the vertical structure of temperature, salinity, and velocity in reversing tidal currents on a shallow inner shelf and in rotating tidal flows over a deeper sloping bottom of the outer shelf. These two regimes of barotropic tide affect small-scale dynamics in the lower part of the water column differently. The reversing flow was superimposed by seiches of ∼2.3 h period generated in semienclosed Jiaozhou Bay located nearby. As the tidal vector rotates over the sloping bottom, the height of the near-bottom logarithmic layer is subjected to tidal-induced variations. A maximum of horizontal velocity U_max appears at the upper boundary of the log layer during the first half of the current vector rotation from the minor to the major axis of tidal ellipse. In rotating tidal flow, vertical shear generated at the seafloor, propagated slowly to the water interior up to the height of U_max, with a phase speed of ∼5 m/h. The time-shifted shear inside the water column, relative to the shear at the bottom, was associated with periodically changing increases and decreases of the tidal velocity above the log layer toward the sea surface. In reversing flows, the shear generated near the bottom and the shear at the upper levels were almost in phase.     

The complexity of luminescence dating of tidal sand body revealed by the discrepancy of paired quartz OSL ages

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is becoming a useful technique to yield absolute age of organic-poor sandy deposits. The buried tidal sand body (BTSB) in the coastal zone of northern Jiangsu Province, China, has been suggested to have the same origin as the offshore radial sand ridge in the Yellow Sea. However, chronological constrain of the BSTB is still quite limited. In this study, OSL measurements were conducted using silt-sized multi-grain and coarse-grained single-grain quartz to constrain the depositional history of a 25.6 m core from the BTSB. A low luminescence sensitivity of quartz was observed, and only ∼1.04% of the grains passed the standard rejection criterion for single-grain measurement. Analysis of paired OSL ages from two grain-size fractions using different protocols showed that silt-sized quartz ages were underestimated of 0.14–1.35 ka in comparison to coarse-grained quartz in the depth interval of 5.8–22.4 m. We interpret such an age discrepancy as the effects of lateral infiltration of fine-grained sediment into the sand body due to dynamic feature of channel-ridge system on the shelf. As far as we know, it is the first time that such infiltration is demonstrated through OSL dating. Our OSL data indicated that there is a significant hiatus between the Late Pleistocene stiff clay layer (50–18 ka) and the Holocene sequence. Holocene deposits only occurred in the last 2 ka, with rapid accumulation of ∼17 m-thick sediments at ∼2–1 ka, a slower accumulation between ∼1 and 0.1 ka and rapid land emergence through an accretion of ∼4 m-thick sediment over the past ∼0.1 ka. This study highlights the complexity of OSL dating in highly dynamic sedimentary environments. Therefore, examining different grain size fractions and comparing different measurement protocols are highly deserved in carrying out OSL dating in such environments.     

Recent warming in the Yellow/East China Sea during winter and the associated atmospheric circulation

We examine characteristics in the variability of sea surface temperature (SST) in the Yellow/East China Sea during the boreal winter (December–January–February) for the period 1950–2008 in observations. It is found that the mean SST in the Yellow Sea/East China Sea gradually increases during recent decades. A warming trend of a basin scale SST is significant in most of the regions in the Yellow/East Sea, which is well explained by the variability of the first empirical orthogonal function SST mode. We suggest one candidate mechanism that the North Pacific oscillation (NPO)-like sea level pressure play an important role to warm the Yellow/East China Sea. Anomalous anticyclonic circulation, which is the southern lobe of NPO-like sea level pressure over the North Pacific, causes a weakening of northerly mean winds over the Yellow/East China Sea during winter. This contributes to increase in the SST in the Yellow/East China Sea through the changes in the latent heat and sensible heat fluxes.     

Present-day tectonic stress in the East China Sea region and its possible origin

IntroductionTheEastChinaSea(ECS)regionisapartoftheoff-shorecontinentalshelfregionintheeasternpartofChina.AlthoughmiddleandstrongearthquakesoccurfrequentlytoitssoutheastintheregionofOkinawatroughandRyukyuislandarc,andevenmorefrequentlytoitssouthinTaiw...     

Sediment dynamics in an offshore tidal channel in the southern Yellow Sea

The geomorphology of the southern Yellow Sea（SYS） is characterized by offshore radial sand ridges（RSR）.An offshore tidal channel（KSY Channel） is located perpendicular to the coast,comprised of a main and a tributary channel separated by a submarine sand ridge（KSY Sand Ridge） extending seaward.In order to investigate the interactions among water flow,sediment transport,and topography,current velocity and suspended sediment concentration（SSC） were observed at 11 anchor stations along KSY Channel in RSR during a spring tide cycle.High resolution bottom topography was also surveyed.Residual currents and tidally averaged suspended sediment fluxes were calculated and analyzed by using the decomposition method.Results suggested that the water currents became stronger landward but with asymmetrical current speed and temporal duration of flood and ebb tides.Residual currents showed landward water transport in the nearshore channel and a clockwise circulation around the KSY Sand Ridge.Tidally-averaged SSC also increased landward along the channel.The main mechanisms controlling SSC variations were resuspension and horizontal advection,with spatial and temporal variations in the channel,which also contributed to sediment redistribution between channels and sand ridges.Residual flow transport and the tidal pumping effect dominated the suspended sediment flux in the KSY Channel.The KSY Sand Ridge had a potential southward migration due to the interaction between water flow,sediment transport,and topography.     

南黄海南部与东海北部之间的深部构造

针对南黄海南部与东海之间的深部构造，根据前一段地球物理研究的结果，与有关文献进行对比探讨，发现其差异．在重力和三维地震层析成像结果基础上，探讨分析了该海域的深部构造，给出分布在南黄海南部与东海北部之间的苏浙-济州岛构造带的分布位置、形态特征，并讨论了该构造带的性质、与周边构造体系和构造演化的关系．并指出这一构造由于朝鲜半岛西缘断裂带的存在而并未延伸进入朝鲜半岛．     

Increased zooplankton PAH concentrations across hydrographic fronts in the East China Sea

The Changjiang has transported large quantities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the East China Sea (ECS), but information of these pollutants in zooplankton is limited. To understand PAHs pollution in zooplankton in the ECS, total concentrations of PAHs in zooplankton from surface waters were measured. Values of PAHs ranged from 2 to 3500 ng m⁻³ in the ECS, with highest PAHs levels located at the salinity front between the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) and the mid-shelf waters. In contrast, concentrations of zooplankton PAHs in the mid-shelf and outer-shelf waters were significantly lower (2–23 ng m⁻³) than those in the CDW. These results demonstrate that PAHs are conspicuously accumulated in zooplankton at the salinity front between the CDW and the mid-shelf waters. These higher levels of PAHs in zooplankton at the salinity front may be further biomagnified in marine organisms of higher trophic levels through their feeding activities.     

对黄海—东海研究区深部结构的一些新认识

综合地震层析成像与重磁数据的处理结果,选择26°N～36°N,120°E～130°E的范围作为研究区,讨论了黄、东海研究区的深部结构特点及其与周边各地质单元的相互关系,完成了研究区两条剖面的密度结构反演,认为东海陆架地区地壳厚度变化与大陆地区相比并不明显,显著减薄开始于冲绳海槽地区,中地壳消失;琉球岛弧处地壳厚度明显再度增加,特别是上地壳的厚度增加最大,推断其原因应与俯冲作用及俯冲带附近板块与地幔的运动速率之差有关.地球物理场“东西分带”是黄海—东海地区壳内结构从西向东变化的反映,但随着深度的增加,研究区的岩石层结构出现以近EW向为优势的构造格局.因此推断深部近EW向的异常是三叠纪时期南北板块碰撞、挤压所致,浅部的NE向条带异常是后期构造运动在岩石层较浅部位构造效应的反映.黄海—东海地区岩石层结构存在浅部与深部优势构造方向不协调的现象.层析成像结果证实了南黄海东缘断层的存在,还勾绘出绍兴—十万大山碰撞带为以40°左右的倾角向NW方向倾斜的高速带,另一条倾向基本相同的高速带则是南、北扬子块体结合带在深部的反映.     

Optical dating of young tidal sediments in the Danish Wadden Sea

We have tested the applicability of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to the dating of young estuarine sediments (<1000 years) to determine whether this method can be used to complement and support existing techniques, such as ²¹⁰Pb dating. The degree of bleaching before deposition is investigated by examining the age trend in various sediment cores, and where possible, by comparison with independent age control provided by ²¹⁰Pb dating. The consistency between optical ages and ²¹⁰Pb ages is shown to be satisfactory on a time-scale down to only a few years.

We conclude that OSL provides reliable and reproducible results in cores from sub-, inter- and supra-tidal sediments, ranging from only a few years up to 1000 years old, confirming its value in the estimation of estuarine accretion rates. With OSL it is, for the first time, possible to date sediment cores from silty and sandy tidal flats, providing a new approach to the problem of evaluation of stability and calculation of sediment budgets for estuaries and coastal lagoons.     

Phosphorus forms and distribution in Zhejiang coastal sediment in the East China Sea

Surface and core sediment samples were collected from Zhejiang coastal waters of the East China Sea to study phosphorus（P） forms and understand the potential release of P as well as adsorption.The sediments were extracted sequentially to determine four phosphorus fractions,and non-sequentially for total phosphorus（TP）.The total concentration of phosphorus in the surface sediments ranged from 527.2 to 680.5 mg kg-1.Inorganic P was the major form and accounted for 84-94%of TP.Among the four forms,P-Detrital was dominant（58.6-73.2%）,followed by P-CDB（10.5-20.9%）,P-Organic（6.1-15.9%）,and P-CFA（5.9-16.3%）.The distribution pattern of TP in the surface sediments was similar to that of P-Detrital and P-Organic,but different from P-CDB and P-CFA.A relatively high level of phosphorus was observed in estuarine sediments,reflecting the influence from terrestrial input.Phosphorus in all forms in core sediments at each station decreased with depth.In addition,potentially bio-available phosphorus accounted for 20-34%of TP.     

The distribution of dissolved lead in the coastal waters of the East China Sea

The distribution of dissolved lead in the coastal waters of the East China Sea was investigated seasonally. The average concentrations in surface waters during the spring and autumn were 0.52 nM and 0.27 nM, respectively. In the spring, the concentration of dissolved Pb in the surface waters and bottom waters ranged from 0.13 to 1.86 nM and from 0.15 to 0.94 nM, respectively. For both the surface water and the bottom water, the highest values were observed at the Yangtze River Estuary. Seasonal variability of D-Pb between spring and autumn in the ECS was observed. These results suggested that riverine inputs and atmospheric inputs may be the main sources of lead in this area, while adsorption and co-precipitation on suspended particles at the river estuary and biological process may be the major sinks.     

Yangtze- and Taiwan-derived sediments on the inner shelf of East China Sea

X-ray diffraction (XRD) mineralogical and grain-size analyses indicate that inner continental shelf sediments in the East China Sea (ECS) represent a unique mixing of clays derived from the Yangtze River and silts/sands from small western Taiwanese rivers. Taiwanese (e.g., Choshui) clays (<2 μm) display no smectite but the best illite crystallinity and are only distributed along southeastern Taiwan Strait. Both Yangtze and Taiwanese river clays are illite-dominated, but the poor illite crystallinity and the presence of smectite and kaolinite indicate that Taiwan Strait clays are mainly Yangtze-dominated. In contrast, medium silts (20–35 μm) and very fine sands (63–90 μm) in the Taiwan Strait are characterized by low feldspar/quartz, low K-feldspar/plagioclase and high kaolinite/quartz, indicating their provenance from Taiwanese rivers. Taiwanese silts and sands are introduced primarily by the way of typhoon-derived floods and transported northward by the Taiwan Warm Current during summer–fall months. Yangtze clays, in contrast, are widely dispersed southward about 1000 km to the western Taiwan Strait, transported by the China Coastal Current during winter–spring months. Since most Taiwan Strait samples were collected in May 2006, clay results in this paper might only represent the winter–spring pattern of the dispersal of Yangtze sediments.     

利用GRACE数据反演东海沉积物变化

GRACE卫星的成功发射为海底沉积物的监测提供了新的方法.利用2003-2014年间的GRACE RL05数据,采用同期的测高数据对海面高变化进行改正,使用水文模式数据和基于均一假设的尺度因子估计方法处理泄漏误差,反演了东海地区的沉积物变化情况,并对GIA效应进行了改正.结果表明：东海入海口处沉积物的平均变化速率为5.44±0.88 mm·a^-1,最大值出现在浙江沿海地区,变化速率为6~7 mm·a^-1;在空间分布上,呈现河口处沉积速率大,远离河口的大洋地区沉积速率小的特征.在时空分布上均与实测数据很好的吻合.沉积物变化时间序列的周年项振为6.8 cm,周年变化主要与东海泥沙扩散路径相关的海洋环流模式有关;半周年项和两周年项振幅分别为0.6 cm和0.7 cm,这两项变化主要与长江流域降水引起的土壤侵蚀变化有关.最后,分析讨论了本文沉积物监测方法推广到其他地区的适用性和局限性.

     

Sensitivity of tidal sand wavelength to environmental parameters: A combined data analysis and modelling approach

An integrated field data-modelling approach is employed to investigate relationships between the wavelength of tidal sand waves and four environmental parameters: tidal current amplitude, water depth, tidal ellipticity and median grain size. From echo sounder data at 23 locations on the Dutch continental shelf, the average wavelengths of observed sand waves are determined and compared with the wavelengths obtained with a process-based model. The latter describes the initial formation of these bedforms due to feedbacks between the tidal current and the erodible bed and uses environmental parameters for the 23 locations as input. Good agreement between observed and modelled wavelengths is found if the bottom stress experienced by tidal currents is adequately quantified. Model results show that the wavelength of sand waves increases with increasing water depth, tidal ellipticity and grain size (coarse sand), whilst it decreases with increasing tidal current amplitude and grain size (fine sand). Due to the limited number of stations and the fact that all four parameters change from location to location, the modelled relationships are only partly supported by the field observations.     

Evolution of radiative sand ridge field of the South Yellow Sea and its sedimentary characteristics

A sand ridge field of 22 470 km² consists of fine sands and silts originally from the old Changjiang River sediment during the late Pleistocene period. Late Holocene sand stratum with its well-preserved larmnary bedding of more clay particles reflects the influence from the Yellow River. There are three genetic types of morphology of sand ridge field as follows: (i) reformed alluvial sandy bodies and old river valleys, located in the central and southern parts, formed from the end of Pleistocene to the present. (ii) Radiative current ridges and patrimonal valley type, located in the northeastern part, formed during the early or middle Holocene time. (iii) Eroded-depositional sandy bodies in the north and outer parts, and erosional trough in the north formed since the middle Holocene transgression. The sand ridge field has a periodic nature of developing processes: the period of sediment accumulation by rivers during cold epoch with low sea level and the period of erosional formation by tidal currents during warm epoch of transgression. The river-sea interactive process in the area is closely related to the climate change; the rising and falling of the sea level is the detonating agent of the coast zone land-sea dynamic interactive processes. They can be summarized as “transgression-dynamic-sedimentation” processes. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49236120). Pmject codmg: SCIEL 21198103.     

Sediment characteristics and internal architecture of offshore sand ridges on a tideless continental shelf (western Mediterranean)

An integrated approach combining swath bathymetry, an extensive dataset of vibrocores and high-resolution seismic reflection data was used to assess the origin and evolution of offshore sand ridges on a tideless continental shelf (Gulf of Valencia, western Mediterranean). The sand ridges are located in the mid-outer shelf at 55–85 m water depth, obliquely oriented to the shoreline. They are 1.5 to 7 m high, with a wavelength between 600 and 1,100 m and a mean height-to-wavelength ratio of 0.004. The sand ridges are composed of well-sorted medium sand and are partially covered by a mud layer, evidencing a moribund stage. They overlie an erosion surface that locally crops out at the seafloor and is interpreted as the Holocene wave-ravinement surface. In the sediment cores, this surface corresponds to an erosional lag composed of coarse sand and gravel with pebbles. Small topographic irregularities on this surface are interpreted as shoreline-associated features that may act as the precursor for ridge development. Their preservation within the sand ridges could be related to the hardness of these features. Internally, the sand ridges display high-angle dipping reflections, indicating ridge migration towards the southeast in the direction of the present-day sediment transport direction. The presence of interbedded mud layers, associated with these reflections, indicates intermittent episodes of mud deposition when active. The internal architecture of some small ridges also provides new insights into their transition from an active to moribund state, as evidenced by a change in the geometry of the internal units from progradational to aggradational, finally being overlain by onlapping finer deposits over the flanks and in the troughs. The Gulf of Valencia sand ridge field constitutes a valuable potential sand resource of 22 million m³ of well-sorted medium and coarse sand with limited mud content, which must be preserved as a strategic sand reservoir. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

东海陆架盆地重震联合解释推断研究

目前,我国海洋区域地质调查以重磁为主,辅以二维地震,用单一的物探方法难以探测海区沉积盆地中的各个密度界面,本文充分发挥地震、重力和磁力资料的特点,进行优势互补,利用重震联合界面反演技术,对东海陆架盆地的三个密度界面,上新统底界面、中新统底界面和沉积基底进行反演,利用反演结果对研究区的构造区划进行重新认识.东海陆架盆地西部凹陷基本缺失渐新统,海礁凸起南北两块的分界处东西方向的长度较短,钱塘凹陷向东北方向延伸较长,东部西湖凹陷地层发育齐全,新生代沉积厚度大,沉降幅度大,底界面在11794米左右.说明利用重震联合密度界面反演及解释是一项可行的技术.     

视密度反演在东海及邻区重力异常解释中的应用

简要介绍了基于位场分离的视密度反演法的原理,并利用该技术对东海的重力异常进行处理并进行了区域地质解释应用.视密度反演的方法在对研究区内的区域性大断裂如郯庐断裂、江绍断裂以及东引—海礁隐伏断裂有很好的分辨能力.不同深度的视密度切片信息能够帮助我们了解这些大断裂的发育深度和规模.在沟弧盆等地形以及构造复杂地区利用视密度反演法研究深部地质构造,可以揭示不同深度上补偿质量分布情况,从而推测莫霍面的起伏情况.