Methane in the Sevastopol coastal area, Black Sea

Concentrations of dissolved methane in seawater and bottom sediments, as well as of methane emanating from gas seeps were measured at 18 stations including several small bays in the Sevastopol coastal area (Black Sea) during 2007–2008. Methane concentrations in surface waters ranged from 10 to 2,970 nmol l^?1, and correlated well with values recorded for sediments. Methane concentrations in the water column were influenced by water depth, as well as by air and water temperatures. In the spring and summer of 2008, in situ CH₄ saturation relative to air was in the range of 970–71,900%. Maximum saturation was in summer. CH₄ fluxes to the atmosphere from the Sevastopol coastal area were estimated to vary from 190 to 1,550 μmol m^?2 day^?1. Gas bubbles escaping from the seepages contained about 57 vol% methane. Radiocarbon dating of the methane revealed an age not exceeding 150 years, implying a biogenic origin.     

南海地区全新世高海平面遗迹高程的区域差异问题

本文较全面地列举南海地区6500～5000a(BP)期间的古海平面遗迹，共61个实例，其中正高程的或高程为0m的有45例．这些遗迹的现存高程差异很大，主要是受构造升降运动的影响．按照遗迹高程的分布，可分为5个区域，台湾为高程最大值。巽他群岛居其次，中南半岛和马来半岛居第三位，华南沿海的高程较小，南海海盆为最小值．负高程的实例主要分布在五大三角洲地区．     

东海海水中的溶存甲烷

基于1994年秋季航次在东海的调查资料,较详细地分析了溶存甲烷在水体中的分布规律、成因和来源.表层水中溶存甲烷呈过饱和状态,饱和度127%～254%,温跃层以上水体中,甲烷的断面分布不同于营养盐的分布,各站测值相近,没有显示出受长江冲淡水的影响,而呈现的舌状分布,在陆架底层水中有明显的高浓度甲烷水体,表明甲烷从沉积物中迅速扩散进入底层水.黑潮次表层水的涌升过程稀释了陆架边缘底层水中的甲烷.在陆架和大洋区测站上,甲烷的垂直分布不同,前者主要受物理混合过程所控制;后者呈大洋区分布特征,在温跃层附近出现甲烷的次表层最大,这可能是陆架底层高浓度甲烷沿等密度面的输送所致.

     

Oscillations of the Black Sea sea level in the north part of the coast

We analyze oscillations of the Black Sea level at 43 points in the north part of the coast. At some points, the data of every-day measurements are accumulated for more than 100 years. Actually, at all points with minor exceptions, we observe a general trend toward an increase in the sea level. The amplitude of oscillations of the sea level about the average trend obeys a normal distribution. We determine numerical characteristics of this distribution. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

On the cyclonic circulation mechanism in the Black Sea

This paper discusses the results of numerical experiments on the generation of a large-scale circulation in the sea carried out in the framework of a multilayer quasi-isopycnic model. The role played by wind vorticity, non-uniformity of the heat flux through the sea surface, and the fluxes of mass, salt, and heat across the liquid lateral boundaries is studied separately. It is shown that wind with cyclonic vorticity induces cyclonic vorticity in the upper layers of the sea and anticyclonic vorticity in the lower layer. A uniform wind having even a non-uniform heat flux does not give rise to a cyclonic circulation in the sea. Within the period calculated (410 years), the heat, mass, and salt fluxes through the lateral boundaries also do not result in a cyclonic circulation; this is apparently connected with the fact that the solution has not reached steady-state conditions in this period.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Meiobenthos from an active methane seepage area in the NW Black Sea

Meiobenthos densities and higher taxon composition were studied in an active gas seepage area at depths from 182 to 252 m in the submarine Dnieper Canyon located in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. The meiobenthos was represented by Ciliata, Foraminifera, Nematoda, Polychaeta, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Amphipoda, and Acarina. Also present in the sediment samples were juvenile stages of Copepoda and Cladocera which may be of planktonic origin. Nematoda and Foraminifera were the dominant groups. The abundance of the meiobenthos varied between 2397 and 52,593 ind.·m⁻². Maximum densities of Nematoda and Foraminifera were recorded in the upper sediment layer of a permanent H₂S zone at depths from 220 to 250 m. This dense concentration of meiobenthos was found in an area where intense methane seeps were covered by methane‐oxidizing microbial mats. Results suggest that methane and its microbial oxidation products are the factors responsible for the presence of a highly sulfidic and biologically productive zone characterized by specially adapted benthic groups. At the same time, an inverse correlation was found between meiofauna densities and methane concentrations in the uppermost sediment layers. The hypothesis is that the concentration of Nematoda and Foraminifera within the areas enriched with methane is an ecological compromise between the food requirements of these organisms and their adaptations to the toxic H₂S.     

渤黄海沿海2月份海平面异常偏高成因分析

使用1980—2010年的水位、气温、海温、气压和风场资料,对中国渤黄海沿海2月份的海平面变化特征以及异常偏高成因进行了探讨,分析结果表明:近30年,渤黄海沿海2月份海平面呈现明显的上升趋势,2009年和2010年2月份的海平面达到近30年的高值,冬季高海平面导致全年平均海平面偏高。近两年2月份海平面处于多个长周期振动的高位重合期,各振幅叠加的结果近100 mm,对海平面起了明显的抬升作用。高海平面使得辽宁、河北以及山东等沿岸地区的海水入侵距离和土壤盐渍化程度均有所增加,海岸侵蚀加重;上海在2009—2010年连续2年2月份发生了近年较严重的咸潮入侵。2009年和2010年2月份,气压较常年同期显著偏低,冬季季风显著偏弱,是海平面上升的主要原因之一。     

Seasonal variability of acoustic characteristics in the northern Black Sea continental slope area

The peculiarities of seasonal variability of the calculated sound speed and elements of its vertical stratification in the northern Black Sea continental slope are considered. Typical acoustic structures have been identified. The impact of seasonal variability of the sound speed upon the ray characteristics of acoustic fields is studied. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

渤海、黄海沿岸几种经济贝类及其生存环境中的异养细菌

报道渤海、黄海6个重点沿岸海域(吕四、青岛、北戴河、盘锦、大连、庄河)海水和沉积物及经济贝类样品中的异养细菌总数检测结果.结果表明,整个渤海、黄海沿岸海域经济贝类体内异养细菌总数的变化范围为2.0×103～1.6×106cfu/g湿重,平均值为2.7×105cfu/g湿重,其中异养细菌总数最高的样品是在吕四沿岸3号站采集的四角蛤蜊(1.6×106cfu/g湿重),其次分别在北戴河沿岸2号站采集的杂色蛤(1.2×106cfu/g湿重)和毛蚶(1.1×106cfu/g湿重),而异养细菌总数最低样品是在青岛沿岸采集的镜蛤(2.0×103cfu/g湿重)和在大连沿岸采集的太平洋牡蛎、紫贻贝和皱纹盘鲍(≤5.0×103cfu/g湿重).该海区表层海水中异养细菌总数变化范围为2.5×105～1.0×108cfu/dm3,全海域平均值为1.2×107cfu/dm3.表层沉积物中异养细菌数量变化范围为2.8×103～7.5×105cfu/g干重,全海域平均值为1.3×105cfu/g干重.根据上述结果和欧共体委员会(93/51/EEC)指令要求,对各海区贝类卫生质量进行了初步评价.这在国内尚属首次.     

Numerical model and calculation of the water circulation in the north-western Black Sea

A multilevel model based on primitive equations and a monotonic finite-difference scheme is applied to study the fluid dynamics over the north-western Black Sea shelf. Wind-generated currents and currents induced by river discharge are simulated in terms of the barotropic version. The effects of the bottom topography, the rigid-lid approximation, and the interaction of wind and river discharge-induced flows are examined.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

东海水体中POC的分布特征

本文研究１９９４年春、秋季东海陆架海区水体ＰＯＣ的分布特征。０和１０ｍ层的水平分布图呈现：近岸海区水体的ＰＯＣ含量最高，并片外海递减，黑潮区域是ＰＯＣ的低值区。在离岸远的深水海区受长江径流影响削弱，ＰＯＣ分布比较均匀。秋季ＰＯＣ等值线呈现与岸平行并片外海递减，这是受陆地径流、海区生物活动所控制。春季ＰＯＣ的分布呈现受水团推移的迹象，在ＰＮ线上的４０６－４０８－４１１站位附近海区出现ＰＯＣ高值区，与     

Condition of coastal mesoplankton communities in the northeastern area of the Black Sea in 2005

The structure and distribution of mesoplankton in the northeastern part of the Black Sea along 6-mile and 100-mile sections in the area off Golubaya Bay (near the city of Gelendzhik) were analyzed. The studies were performed from R/V Akvanavt and the boat Ashamba. The observations were carried out during the vegetation season from the beginning of June to the first half of October 2005. Samples of mesoplankton were collected with use of a BSD net with an opening of 0.1 m² and a mesh size of 180 μm. Both the total (over the entire water column) and layer-by-layer (separately for the upper quasi-homogeneous layer, the seasonal thermocline, and the subthermocline layer) hauls were performed down to the bottom (at sea depths of less than 200 m) or down to the upper boundary of the hydrogen sulfide waters. The particular hydrophysical conditions that were observed in 2005 resulted in an approximately one-month advance of the phenological condition of the planktonic community as compared to the usual pattern. Beroe ovata appeared in the plankton at the end of July, the mass development of Mnemiopsis leidyi was suppressed, and the duration of its influence on edible zooplankton was essentially reduced. As a result, the total mesoplankton biomass in August–October 2005 was 1.5–2 times as great as that in 2004. The abundance of Acartia clausi increased approximately 4–5 times and the quantity of Sagitta setosa also considerably increased. At selected stations, Mnemiopsis leidyias, the main predator in the community, was replaced by Sagitta setosa.     

A mid-depth front separating the South China Sea water and the Philippine sea water

In order to understand the influence of the South China Sea (SCS) water on the Kuroshio, and to study the dissolved carbonate system, we participated in six WOCE cruises aboard R/V Ocean Researcher 1. The areas studied were the northeast South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea near the Luzon Strait. Temperature, salinity, pH, alkalinity and total CO₂ were measured. Our data indicate that, although the Kuroshio and the SCS waters flow in and out of the Luzon Strait near surface, the SCS water seems mainly to flow out of the SCS at mid-depth. There exists a mid-depth front near 122°E between 350 and 1350 m in all seasons and years that we studied. The water mass between 350 and 1350 m east of the front belongs to the West Philippine Sea proper water, while on the west is the mixed water of the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea.     

On the formation of atmospheric seasonal precipitation in the Black Sea region

The climatic features of the formation of precipitation and their correlation with the baric situation in the Atlantic-European sector are studied on the basis of the data of the Sevastopol and Feodosiya coastal hydrometeorological stations. As the source data, we use the data arrays of daily precipitation at these stations in 1900–2005 and the data of reanalysis of the fields of atmospheric pressure in the Atlantic-European sector. The comparative statistical analysis of daily precipitation for the wet and dry summer and winter seasons and the estimates of extremely high levels of precipitation for the specified periods of repeatability are presented. The existence of the dependence of occurrence of wet and dry winter seasons in Sevastopol and Feodosiya on the large-scale baric fields in the Atlantic-European sector is confirmed. Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, pp. 43–51, July–August, 2008.     

Exchange fluxes of nutrients between sediment and sea water in the Bohai Sea

IrocrIowThere is a linkage in shallow marine systerns between sea-noor biOgaxhemical pmeessesand water column pnductivity (Bereson et al., l998). Benthic fluxes provide a significantsource of nutrients to the overlying water tO supPOrt primary pnduction and play a role in de-.creasing oxygen concentrations (van et al., l999; Cowan and Boynton, l996; Berelson etal., 1998; Friedl et al., l998; Zabel et al., l998). TherefOre, it is imPOrtant to define theediment di8genetic pathways for the …     

On the long-term variability of normalized radiance of the Black Sea

Basin-wide distributions of normalized spectral radiances averaged over different time periods were plotted based on the estimates of the average radiance for 20 × 20 km squares in 482 digital images of the Black Sea obtained with a SeaWiFS color scanner in 1998–2004. Significant distinctions of the annual average distributions in the amplitude, localization, and configuration of basin-scale inhomogeneities allowed us to consider these distributions as yearly spectral-radiance portraits of the Black Sea that reflect specific features of the annual behavior of the hydrometeorological conditions over the Black Sea region. Seasonal features of the radiance distributions related to the wind field were discovered. Substantial interannual variability in the errors of the standard atmospheric correction algorithm resulting in an underestimation of the shortwave radiances were revealed. It is shown that the river discharge and the stratification of the layer sensed substantially influence the yearly spectral-radiance portraits of the Black Sea.     

海区分局海洋事业发展“十一五”规划的思考

根据国家海洋局的统一部署,目前各海区海洋分局正在编制各海区的海洋事业发展“十一五”规划纲要。按照国务院关于全面推进依法行政的决定,依法履行国务院赋予海区分局的职能和职责,做好海区分局海洋事业发展“十一五”规划纲要,这是未来五年做好海区海洋行政管理的重要基础性工作。特发表此文,与各海区制定海洋分局海洋事业发展“十一五”规划纲要的各位专家讨论。     

Deviation of mean sea level from the mean geoid in the transition area between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea

The mean sea level along the coasts of the Skagerrak, the Kattegat, and the Danish Straits—i.e., the transition area between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea—has been computed geodetically. The basis consists of mean sea level data from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in various more or less inappropriate height systems. These are transformed and unified into a common height system relevant for oceanographic purposes to show the deviation of the mean sea level (1960) from the mean geoid, with Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP) as zero. The geodetically determined mean sea surface is compared with oceanographic model results for parts of the area. Among other findings, the outflow of low‐salinity water from the Baltic Sea, as well as its separation from high‐salinity North Sea water along the Kattegat‐Skagerrak front are clearly revealed.