Methane Distribution in Antarctic Sound (Southern Ocean)

Oceanology - The paper presents the first data on the methane distribution in the water column of Antarctic Sound (Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean) acquired during an integrated expedition of...     

南极布兰斯菲尔德海峡表层沉积物的酸解烃

本文研究了南极布兰斯菲尔德海峡表层沉积物的酸解烃分布特征，并佐以热释汞和蚀变碳酸盐的分析。从酸解烃中甲烷含量的低值和Ｃ１／（Ｃ２＋Ｃ３）比值，以及乙烯的存在等判断，布兰斯菲尔德海峡沉积物的烃类气体来自于生物成因。     

南极布兰斯菲尔德海峡区域重力场特征及异常分析

南极布兰斯菲尔德海峡及周边区域是南极大陆火山、地震等新构造活动最活跃的地区,与南设得兰海沟、南设得兰群岛一同构成南极大陆边缘现存唯一的"沟-弧-盆"构造体系。本文基于"雪龙"船第28、第30航次实测数据及两个航次的国际共享资料,利用均衡改正数据处理方法获得布兰斯菲尔德海峡的莫霍面深度及其分布规律,分析深部构造-断裂的区域分布及其重力异常特征等。布兰斯菲尔德海峡内的空间重力异常呈条带状分布,走向总体与地形相近,布格重力异常则由两侧向中间升高,大致在坡折处形成异常场值为100×10-5 m/s2的分界线,在中央次海盆和东部次海盆海山处形成两个异常高值圈闭,异常值最高为150×10-5 m/s2。莫霍面深度以弧后扩张中心为最低值,向南设得兰群岛和南极半岛两个方向递增,深度从12 km递增至陆坡位置的24 km。     

Particulate carbohydrate fluxes in the Bransfield Strait and the Drake Passage

Carbohydrate fluxes were determined for five drifting sediment traps (max. 30 h) in the Bransfield Strait and one moored trap array (52 days) in the Drake Passage in December/January 1980. In a Phaeocystis-dominated zone in the Bransfield Strait the carbohydrate composition was comparable to that of water column suspended material with absolute fluxes of 9.0 and 56.7 mg carbohydrate carbon m⁻²d⁻¹. In Bransfield Strait waters dominated by bacillariophyceae, fluxes were 75.4, 92.6 and 276.8 mg carbohydrate carbon m⁻²d⁻¹ with a pronounced dominance of glucose. This is attributed to the presence of the reserve polysaccharide chrysolaminarin in diatom resting spores. Drake Passage fluxes were 1–2 orders of magnitude lower with a distinct degradation of glucose with depth.     

The western boundary current in the Bransfield Strait,Antarctica

The Bransfield Strait west of the Antarctic Peninsula has been considered as a highly productive region for all trophic levels from primary production, to zooplankton aggregations, especially krill, to birds and mammals. The western boundary current, referred to as the Bransfield Current, plays an important role in determining the transport and retention of biota in the Bransfield Strait. Following the study of surface current characteristics in the strait using 39 tracks of mixed-layer drifters deployed between 1988 and 1990, a high-resolution transect of temperature, salinity and current measurements crossing the Bransfield Current was conducted between 13 and 14 March 2004, for understanding its horizontal and vertical structure and dynamics. The results from current, temperature and salinity measurements using a vessel mounted narrow band acoustic doppler current profiler and conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) sensors revealed the magnitude of this current of approximately 50 cm/s within a horizontal distance of 15 km associated with a narrow and deep density front 4–6 km wide and 500 m deep. The comparison between the direct current measurements and the geostrophic current estimates from the density field implies that the Bransfield Current is geostrophically balanced. The mechanism forming this current is explored with Sverdrup dynamics. Results indicate that the negative wind stress curl and β-effect lead to a southwestward transport in the Bransfield Strait. When this transport is restricted by land and shelves, a narrow western boundary current is formed.     

Water Structure in the Bransfield Strait (Antarctica) in January 2020: Hydrophysical,Optical, and Hydrochemical Features

Oceanology - Abiotic characteristics of the waters in the Bransfield Strait were studied in a section from the South Shetland Islands to the Antarctic Peninsula. The Bransfield Current was recorded...     

南极布兰斯菲尔德海峡船测重力资料平差处理

基于中国南极考察第28航次和第30航次所获得的实测重力数据,结合NGDC的部分资料,我们采用最小二乘算法平差处理布兰斯菲尔德海峡内470 610个有效船测重力观测值点,使航次内、航次间观测误差达到极小。针对不同航次、不同船只数据交点的分布情况,对平差方式进行不同程度的微调,完成对研究区4组数据的平差。其中,中国南极考察第28航次船测数据交点误差的标准差由平差前的5.5×10-5 m/s2降为平差后的1.78×10-5m/s2,而全部125个交点平差后标准差降为1.545×10-5 m/s2。在此基础上,绘制了研究区空间重力异常图,相比卫星重力异常数据,融合成果数据能更真实地反映海底火山等特征,从而进一步提高了数据精度。     

Distribution,provenance, and dispersal pattern of clay minerals in surface sediments,Bransfield Strait,Antarctica

Clay minerals of the surface sediments of Bransfield Strait, Antarctica, exhibit distinctive geographical distributions: kaolinite has the highest concentration near the shore of the South Shetland Islands in the northern strait (20%); chlorite, near Smith Island in the northwestern strait; illite, on the continental shelf off the Antarctic Peninsula in the southern strait (80%); and smectite, close to the Penguin and Bridgeman islands in the northeastern strait (25%). This distribution pattern, combined with hydrographic and climatic data for the strait, are used to infer clay mineral provenance and dispersal patterns.     

The stages of the development of the basin of the Bransfield Strait

The study of the sedimentary body of the Bransfield Strait has made it possible to identify several sedimentary complexes, to construct the first electronic charts for the acoustic basement, and to establish four stages of the evolution of its floor, which updates the previous knowledge about the formation of the strait. At the first stage, there was an increase in tension stresses that were accompanied by the local splits of the continental crust at the periphery of the Antarctic Peninsula. At the second stage, a graben-like structure filled with the Lower stratigraphic complex was formed northward of the Antarctic Peninsula. At the third stage, the continuing processes of extension led to intensive explosive activity of the growing volcanic structures and filling of the graben with sediments of the Middle seismostratigraphic complex. The fourth stage, which has continued until recently, is characterized by quasi-linear localization of the major centers of volcanic activity in the band closer to the South-Shetland Islands and the formation of the Upper seismostratigraphic sedimentary complex. The evolution of the floor of the Bransfield Strait reflects the process of penetration of the American-Antarctic ridge to the continental lithosphere of the Antarctic Peninsula for the last million years.     

Currents in the Bransfield Strait Based on Geostrophic Calculations and Data of Instrumental Measurements

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - In January 2022, several sections were made across the Bransfield Strait during an Antarctic expedition on the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh....     

Sources of water in the Taiwan Strait

The conveyor of the source water that feeds into the Taiwan Strait (TS), particularly from the south, is investigated using historical CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) data and a North Pacific Ocean and East Asian seas coupled model. The modeled currents and drifter trajectories suggest that the Kuroshio Branch Water (KBW) rarely flows directly into the TS from the Luzon Strait (LS) in winter; instead the massive westward movement of the Kuroshio conveys high salinity water to the southeastern TS through a loop-like route. In summer, the modeled flow fields suggest that the Kuroshio surface currents hardly intrude into the TS directly from the LS. Observations and model results show that the monsoon-driven northeastwardflowing currents in the northern South China Sea transport relatively low salinity water through the entire TS.     

Hydrographic and hydrodynamic characteristics of the eastern basin of the Bransfield Strait (Antarctica)

Hydrographic station and current meter data are used to estimate circulation and transport in the eastern basin of the Bransfield Strait. The short distance between adjacent hydrographic stations (20 km) allows evaluation of structures at scales seldom addressed in previous studies. The main feature of the derived circulation is the Bransfield Front and its associated baroclinic jet (the Bransfield Current). This frontal current crosses the northern half of the basin in a generally SW–NE direction, has maximum geostrophic speeds of 22 cm s^−l (at the jet entrance), and has geostrophic transport relative to 500 dbar estimated to be 1 Sv. Dynamically significant mesoscale features associated with the Bransfield Current are seen to be relevant down to 500 dbar. Specific aspects inferred from our analysis are the apparent high degree of stationarity of the described circulation, the shallow intrusions of Circumpolar Deep Water through the northern boundary of the domain (from the Drake Passage), and the northward sinking of Weddell Sea water over most of the domain.     

南极布兰斯菲尔德海峡及象岛邻近水域小型浮游植物的分布特征研究

本文分析研究了布兰斯菲尔德海峡及象岛邻近水域小型浮游植物的种类组成、数量分布、群落结构及其与环境因子的关系,共鉴定了小型浮游植物54属201种,平均细胞丰度为4406×10~3个/m~3,大部分为硅藻类,数量最大的为扭链角刺藻、长形环毛藻、克革伦氏菱形藻和翼根管藻等种类。小型浮游植物最高丰度分布在南设得兰群岛近岸、陆架水域,这是由近岸冷水性的小型浮游植物群落组成。小型浮游植物的密度与硅酸盐浓度呈正相关(r=0.438,n=28,P<0.05)。     

Morphostructure and evolution of the central and Eastern Bransfield Basins (NW Antarctic Peninsula)

The Bransfield Basin is a narrow and elongated active rift basin located between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. The Bransfield Basin is composed of three small basins, and two of them, the Central and Eastern Bransfield Basins, were surveyed during a recent cruise (GEBRA 93). The full swath bathymetry coverage as well as the single-channel seismic reflection and magnetic profiles that have been acquired, help us to better understand the morphostructure and recent evolution of the Bransfield Basin. Six large volcanic edifices aligned with the basin axis stick out of the sedimented seafloor of the Central Bransfield Basin. In contrast, the Eastern Bransfield Basin is characterised by four deep troughs displaying a rhombic-shape, and small, scattered volcanic cones located in the southwestern half basin. Seamount volcanism plays an important role in the formation of new crust in the Bransfield Basin. The larger seamounts of the Central Bransfield Basin are located at the intersection of the two main orthogonal sets of faults (longitudinal ENE-WSW and transversal NNW-SSE). Morphological analysis of the seamounts indicates a multi-staged volcano-tectonic construction. The distribution and shape of these edifices suggests that both volcanism and extension are concentrated at the same preferential areas through time. This might be related to the fracturation style of the continental crust. The Central and Eastern Bransfield Basins are very different in morphostructure, volcanism, and sedimentary cover. The Central Bransfield Basin shows evidence of NW-SE extensional faulting and focused active MORB-volcanism interpreted as result of incipient seafloor spreading. The Eastern Bransfield Basin is still in a rifting stage, mainly dominated by a NW-SE extension and some left-lateral strike-slip component probably related to the South Scotia Ridge.J. Acosta, J. Baraza, P. Bart, A.M. Calafat, J.L. Casamor, M. De Batist, G. Ercilla, G. Francés, E. Ramos, J.L. Sanz, and A. Tassone.     

台湾海峡铀的来源及保守性混合

Seawater samples are collected in the spring of 2013 from the Taiwan Strait for the analysis of uranium(U)concentrations and isotopic compositions using MC-ICP-MS, and the geochemical behavior patterns of U in the Taiwan Strait are then investigated. Average concentrations of individual U isotopes are(3.23±0.14) μg/kg for 238 U,(2.34±0.09)×10~(–2) μg/kg for ~(235)U and(2.05±0.07)×10~(–4) μg/kg for 234 U. Correspondingly, the U isotopic compositions are 155±18 for δ234U and 138±2 for 238U:235U. The U concentrations and isotopic ratios in the Taiwan Strait are similar to those of open ocean seawater, suggesting the dominance of the open ocean input to the strait's U pool.However, river input, as suggested by the slightly lower salinity than that of the open ocean, also affected the U concentrations and isotopic compositions in the strait. From a compilation of U concentrations in the Taiwan Strait and adjacent areas, including the Jiulong Estuary and Zhujiang Estuary, the Xiamen Bay and the northern South China Sea, a strong and significant relationship between U concentration and salinity [U:S; U=(0.093 4±0.002 4)S+(0.092 0±0.061 5)] is revealed, suggesting conservative mixing of U in the Taiwan Strait. To better understand the U geochemistry in the Taiwan Strait, a multiple endmembers mixing model is applied to estimate the contributions of potential sources. The open ocean seawater contributed 69%–95% of U in the Taiwan Strait, with river water approximately 2%, and dust deposition only around 0.13%. Therefore, the model results supported the open ocean input source and the conservative mixing behavior of U derived from the observation of U concentrations and isotopic ratios and U:S ratios. The sediment interstitial water may be an important source of U to the Taiwan Strait with a possible contribution of 3%–29%, consistent with previous investigations based on radium isotopes.However, further investigations are warranted to examine the U concentration in the sediment interstitial water and its input to the overlying seawater in the Taiwan Strait.     

Methane in the southern North Sea: Sources, spatial distribution and budgets

Measurements of methane (CH₄) so far have always shown supersaturation in the entire North Sea relative to the atmospheric partial pressure and the distribution of surface CH₄ reveals a distinct increase towards the shore. Since North Sea sediments presumably are an insignificant source for CH₄ the coastal contribution via rivers and tidal flats gains in importance.In this work, CH₄ data from the River Weser, the back barrier tidal flats of Spiekeroog Island (NW Germany), and the German Bight are presented. Results from the River Weser are compared to other rivers draining into the German Bight. Measurements in the tidal flat area of Spiekeroog Island highlight this ecosystem as an additional contributor to the overall CH₄ budget of the southern North Sea. A tidally driven CH₄ pattern is observed for the water column with maximum values during low tide. Tidal flat sediments turn out to be the dominating source because pore waters discharged during low tide are highly enriched in CH₄. In contrast, the freshwater contribution to the tidal flats by small coastal tributaries has almost no impact on water column CH₄ concentrations. The CH₄ level seems to be disturbed irregularly by wind forcing due to elevated degassing and prevention of advective flow when tidal flats remain covered by water.Based on our data, two model calculations were used to estimate the impact of tidal flats on the CH₄ budget in the German Bight. Our results demonstrate that the back barrier tidal flats of the east Frisian Wadden Sea contribute CH₄ in an order of magnitude between the Wash estuary and River Elbe and thus have to be considered in budget calculations.     

台湾海峡小型底栖生物数量的量分布

海洋小型底栖生物是海洋生态环境中一重要生物类群,在海洋环境中表现出种类繁多、数量大、生命周期短、生产量高等特点,是底栖生物食物链中不可忽视的一环,在生态系统的能量转换中具有重要作用,已在生态研究中把它作为重要的研究对象。     

Distribution Patterns of Methane,Hydrogen, and Helium in the Water Column of the Kara Sea

Oceanology - Estimates of the content of dissolved methane, hydrogen, and helium in seawater of the Kara Sea were obtained. It was found that the methane concentration in the studied areas varied...     

台湾海峡西部沉积物中碳的来源及埋藏

根据2005年夏季航次观测的沉积物中总有机碳(TOC)、无机碳(CaCO3)、总氮(TN)、悬浮体颗粒有机碳(POC)、沉积物粒度数据得出,台湾海峡西部表层沉积物TOC质量分数的范围为0.01～1.79,平均值为0.37±0.24,略高于20多年前台湾海峡南部海区,而低于台湾海峡中、北部海区;TOC的质量分数湾内比湾外...     

巽他海峡的水交换过程研究

巽他海峡是爪哇海与东印度洋进行水交换的重要西部通道,其水交换过程与两侧水团性质和环流有密切关系。本研究基于巽他海峡及其附近海域的观测和遥感再分析数据,分析了爪哇海与印度洋通过巽他海峡进行水交换的多时间尺度变化规律,并探讨了局地和大尺度过程对水体输运的影响。研究表明,巽他海峡贯穿流主要由流出爪哇海的年均南向流与随季风南北转向的季节反向流组成,并存在显著的季节内变化。2008—2016年期间,巽他海峡贯穿流3次观测的年均流量分别为(-0.31±0.34),(-0.27±0.43)和(-0.49±0.31)Sv(负号代表流出爪哇海)。巽他海峡贯穿流与局地风和海峡两侧海表面高度梯度密切相关,因此采用多元回归重构了1993—2017年水体输运时间序列,并计算出25 a的平均流量为(-0.37±0.43)Sv。研究也表明,巽他海峡水体输运的年际变化异常与ENSO,IOD相关。