Accumulation Properties of Major and Trace Elements of the Subcolloidal Fraction of Bottom Sediments in the Marginal Filter of the Razdolnaya River (Amur Bay,Sea of Japan) under the Influence of Increased Runoff

Oceanology - The study reveals the distribution of contents of major (Si, Al, Fe, Mn) and trace elements (Ga, V, W, Th, Mo, U, Be, Y, Cd), Сorg, and clay minerals in the subcolloidal fraction...     

Pollutant Accumulation Areas in Barents Sea Bottom Sediments

Oceanology - The issue of identifying pollutant accumulation areas in Barents Sea sediments was considered based on years-long research (2002–2018) conducted by PINRO. GIS technology and...     

Satellite Geological Indication of Morphostructural Elements of the Coasts and Bottom of Adjacent Water Areas (Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan)

Oceanology - The implementation of satellite geological investigations within the continent–Sea of Japan transition zone in Southern Primorye has made it possible to establish series,...     

Phosphorus in Bottom Sediments of Pomeranian Bay (Southern Baltic—Poland)

The paper presents the results of determination of inorganic and organic forms of phosphorus in bottom sediments of Pomeranian Bay. The sediments were collected in March and July of 1996. The following characteristics of the sediments were determined: organic matter content, forms of inorganic phosphorus: loosely adsorbed phosphorus and phosphorus bound to aluminium, calcium and iron, as well as total inorganic phosphorus. Pomeranian Bay is a shallow basin, with depth averaging between 12 and 15 m and sandy sediments prevailing. Smaller silt fractions occur only in the vicinity of the wina River estuary and in deeper northern regions of the Bay. Calcium-bound phosphorus is the dominant form of inorganic phosphorus in the Pomeranian Bay. Iron-bound phosphorus is the second most prevailing form, and aluminium-bound phosphorus the third. Loosely bound phosphorus was present in the lowest amounts. Total inorganic phosphorus in the Bay consisted of the four forms listed above, except in estuarine regions where an additional form of phosphorus occurred, most probably occluded phosphorus. High organic phosphorus concentrations were found at the wina River estuary and in the northern part of the Bay (Saßnitz Deep) corresponding to the higher organic matter content of these sediments. Sediments of Pomeranian Bay contained less phosphorus than those from the Gulf of Gda sk or Puck Bay and other parts of the Baltic Sea, suggesting that the amount of phosphorus in the sediments was determined by a number of inter-related factors, such as sediment type, amount of organic matter, the chemical composition of the sediment and oxygen content of near-bottom water.     

Resources and habitat conditions of the bivalve mollusk Anadara broughtonii in the northern part of Amur Bay (Sea of Japan)

The population of ark shell Anadara broughtonii inhabiting the northern part of Amur Bay (Sea of Japan) is prone to the effects of the unstable environmental factors characteristic of the estuarine zone. The significant proportion of individuals with a decreased growth rate is due to the ecological and physiological peculiarities of the species at the northern limit of the geographical range. During the period of 2004?C2009, the temperature and salinity characteristics in the habitats of A. broughtonii showed no significant fluctuations. The commercial fishing for the ark shell was performed taking into account the scientifically approved maximum allowable catch size. The current condition of the population can be considered as stable.     

Features of Formation of the Sedimentation and Mass Accumulation Rate in Western Black Sea Bottom Sediments

Oceanology - The article is devoted to studing of the features of sedimentation on the bottom of the northwestern shelf and western deep-water area of the Black Sea based on an analysis of our own...     

Comparative Characterization of Techniques for Pore Water Sampling from Bottom Sediments and Permafrost Rocks from Buor-Khaya Bay (Laptev Sea)

Oceanology - A comparative analysis of pore water composition using different methods of sampling from bottom sediments and permafrost rocks from Buor-Khaya Bay (Laptev Sea) was carried out. The...     

The carbonate system of Amur Bay (sea of Japan) under conditions of hypoxia

In the course of the expedition of the Pacific Oceanological Institute in August 2007, extensive hypoxia was found in the near-bottom layer of the Amur Bay water mass. The hypoxia’s formation was immediately reflected in the values and distribution of the carbonate parameters in the near-bottom waters of the bay. The maximum values of the carbon dioxide partial pressure, the dissolved inorganic carbon, and the total alkalinity were associated with the areas of the minimum oxygen content. The microbial destruction of the dead phytoplankton greatly increased the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, which was over 2000 μatm in the hypoxia centers at a depth of about 20 m. At the same time, the carbon dioxide partial pressure in the surface waters of Amur Bay was considerably lower than that in the atmosphere. Hence, the bay’s aquatic area was a sink for the atmospheric CO₂ despite its high content in the near-bottom waters. It was shown that the excess alkalinity associated with the hypoxia sites in the near-bottom layer of water was caused by the sulfate reduction proceeding in the upper layer of the sediment.     

Bottom Communities of Sedova Bay (Novaya Zemlya,the Kara Sea)

Oceanology - The benthic fauna of Sedova Bay (Kara Sea, Novaya Zemlya Archipelago) was studied during two cruises of the R/V Academik Mstislav Keldysh in 2015–2016. Three macrobenthic...     

Environmental changes in the Amur Bay (Japan/East Sea) during the last 150 years revealed by examination of diatoms and silicoflagellates

Siliceous unicellular microalgae — diatoms and silicoflagellates from sediments in Amur Bay were analyzed with high temporal resolution to examine changes over the last 150 years. The age of sediments was estimated from unsupported ²¹⁰Pb controlled by ¹³⁷Cs. Siliceous microalgae examined in each cm of two sediment cores demonstrated significant changes in the ecological structure of the assemblages that reflected changes in sedimentation conditions. During the years 1860–1910 the sediments accumulated under the great influence of river runoff. For about the next 50 years the number of freshwater species and marine benthic diatoms in sediments sharply declined, which is probably connected with the weakening of the effects of river runoff due to deforestation. Since the early 1960s the sedimentation conditions in the Amur Bay changed significantly. Marine planktonic diatoms and silicoflagellates began to prevail in sediments and this reflects increasing microphytoplankton productivity. One consequence of this was the formation of seasonal bottom hypoxia in Amur Bay. The ecological structure of diatom and silicoflagellate assemblages indicates that the sea level began to rise since the early 1960s and this corresponds to the water and air temperature increase in the area for that period. The obtained data suggest that the environmental changes over the last 150 years in Armur Bay are associated with the weakening of river runoff due to deforestation, sea level rise caused by global warming, and the increase of siliceous microplankton productivity that resulted in the formation of seasonal bottom hypoxia.

     

A Yesso Scallop Population Exposed to Climate-Induced and Anthropogenic Habitat Changes in Amur Bay,Sea of Japan

Oceanology - In the study area, located in the coastal waters of Amur Bay off Vladivostok, which is exposed to industrial and domestic sewage effluents, the population of the Yesso scallop...     

Grain Size Properties of the Bottom Sediments from Buor-Khaya Bay

Oceanology - The paper presents the results of grain size analysis of bottom sediments and subsea permafrost from three cores drilled in Buor-Khaya Bay. A pronounced lithologic differentiation of...     

Effect of the Bottom Topography on Tsunami Propagation in the East （Japan） Sea

A study of tsunami events in the East （Japan） Sea using continuous Galerkin finite element model, aiming at reproducing tsunami waves generated by underwater earthquakes in 1983 and 1993 respectively has been performed focusing on the geographic extent of a topographic feature in the East （Japan） Sea. Numerical models can be the proper tools to study the combined effects of realistic topography. Subsequently, using the FEM based two-dimensional model we have simulated the smoothed and flattened topographic effects by removal of Yamato Rise and seamounts for the cases of tthe 1983 Central region earthquake tsunami and the 1993 southwestern Hokkaido earthquake tsunami. The results have shown that there will be higher tsunamis along the eastern coasts of Korea in general except some areas, like Sokcho with removal of topographic highs, thus providing complicated bottom topography of the East （Japan） Sea as effective tsunami energy scattering.     

Sources of Bottom Sediments in the Eastern Part of East Siberian Sea (Reconstruction from Geochemical Data)

Oceanology - Based on analytical materials obtained in 2008 an the expedition of the R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrentiev along a regional gas-geochemical profile stretching 550 km from Billings...     

Features of Bitumoid Distribution in Bottom Sediments of the Barents Sea

Oceanology - The results on the content, composition, and distribution of chloroform bitumoids (CBs) in the Holocene sediments of the Barents Sea are presented (Cruise 68 of the R/V Akademik...     

Hydrocarbons in the Surface Layer of Bottom Sediments in the Northwestern Caspian Sea

The paper presents research results on the concentrations and compositions of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the surface layer of bottom sediments in the Northwestern Caspian Sea (2014) and compares them to data for sediments of the Middle and Southern Caspian (2012–2013). The seepage of hydrocarbons out of the sediment mass, resulting in abnormally high concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons per dry weight (up to 468 μg/g), as well as within the C_org composition (up to 35.2%), is considered the main source of hydrocarbons in sediments in the surveyed area of the Northern Caspian. This is also confirmed by the absence of any correlation between the hydrocarbon and C_org distributions, as well as by the transformed oil composition of high-molecular alkanes. The distribution of markers within polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons points to a mixed genesis—petrogenic and pyrogenic—with prevalence of the latter. Unlike the shallow-water northern part of the Caspian Sea, the content and composition of hydrocarbons in deep-seated sediments are affected by facial conditions of sedimentation and by matter exchange at the water–bottom interface. Therefore, despite high C_org concentrations (up to 9.9%), sediments in deep-water depressions are characterized by a quite low concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons (52 μg/g on average; 0.2% of C_org) with prevailing natural allochthonous alkanes.     

Sensitivity of Salt-leached Clay Sediments in the Ariake Bay Area,Japan

This study aims to determine whether the principle that “divalent cation predominance in the pore water precludes quick clay development” applies to the Ariake Bay sediments. The chemical and geotechnical properties of an Ariake clay sediment are presented, and sensitivity is discussed with a focus on pore-water salinity and cation composition. In recent years, reduction of pore-water salinity has occurred due to permeation of river water through the sediments because of overpumping of groundwater. Sodium remains the dominant pore-water cation in an upper zone, whereas divalent cations are dominant in the deeper zone. Divalent cation domination in the deeper zone is ascribed to Ca release from nearby cement-stabilized sediments and to Mg increase in response to a change in river water quality. The upper zone's sensitivity ranged from 15 to 77, and the remolded strength was mostly <0.5 kPa, such that quick clay was present over much of its depth. In contrast, the deeper zone's sensitivity was <40, and its remolded strength exceeded 0.5 kPa; quick clay was not present despite the <2 g/L salinity. The absence of quick clay is ascribed to the high remolded strength caused by the pore-water divalent to monovalent cation ratio being greater than 0.25.     

Grain Size Distribution of the Surface Layer of Bottom Sediments in the Barents Sea

Oceanology - The paper presents data from a granulometric analysis based on the results of studying of 44 surface (0–5 cm) sediment samples obtained on cruise 67 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav...     

Ore Sands in Curonian Spit Sediments (Baltic Sea)

Oceanology - For the first time, the results of a study of ore sands formed during storm waves and winds on the sea beach of Curonian Spit and in the quieter wind environment on the beach of the...     

关于海底沉积物声特性实验室直接测量方法的探讨

海底沉积物声学特性实验室测量是除原位(in situ)测量之外最直接的沉积物声学特性测量方法。作为一项基础性研究,利用声波参数仪准确测量海底沉积物的声速和声衰减对建立海洋地声学模型具有重要意义。文章针对RS- ST01C型数字超声测试仪在测量过程中所存在的一些问题进行了探讨,对规范海底沉积物声学特性实验室测量方法具有实际意义。