Study of the ice conditions in the Gulf of Ob

The results of theoretical studies of fracture lines in the ice floes of the Gulf of Ob as a function of the coefficient of internal sliding are presented in this paper. An estimate of the fractal dimensions of the emerging topological structures and the results of the calculation of stresses in the ice cover of the Gulf of Ob are presented as functions of different directions of external forcing caused by the joint action of winds and currents on the ice. The geographical locations of the zones of possible loads are shown, together with the estimates of the hummock sizes in the zones of the maximal compression of the ice floes in the Gulf of Ob.     

Features of the Intrinsic L-Band Radiation of the Gulf of Ob during the Freeze-Up Period

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - This article analyzes seasonal and interannual dependences of brightness temperature in different zones of the Gulf of Ob according to data from the...     

Litter pollution on the Jordanian shores of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea)

Litter was assessed on three beaches along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, south of the town Aqaba, monthly during 1994 and 1995, in order to determine its nature, extent and possible sources. The overall mean was about 5 and 3 items/m(2) in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Approximately a total of 14,000 m(2) were examined and a total of 101,000 items were noted, 67,000 during 1994 and 34,000 in 1995. More than 50% of the litter was plastic and the remainder wood, glass, cardboard, Styrofoam, metal and other materials. Most litter appears to be from local land-based or near shore sources, although there are some regional influences as well. The main local sources are the passenger port, the cargo port and the beach goers. The findings are compared with other regions of the world. The amount of litter is related to distance of the beach from the main sources, and shape, physiography and orientation of the beach. Spatial and seasonal variations are examined and discussed, and actions and measures to combat the problem on local and regional levels are suggested.     

北极地区1979—2015年西北航道7-10月份气旋的特征分析

本文采用气旋自动识别与追踪算法,基于欧洲中期天气预报中心ERA-Interim平均海平面气压场,建立1979-2015年共37年7-10月北极西北航道东西两个区域的气旋数据。数据包括气旋中心经纬度以及中心最低气压值。基于这套数据,分析了北极7-10月西北航道气旋数量特征、空间密度分布、强度特征、加深以及爆发性气旋的活动情况。西北航道东西两段的气旋个数存在显著的差异,东段气旋个数是西段区域的2~2.5倍,并且两段个数变化趋势不一致,西段的气旋个数趋势呈不显著的减少,东段的个数呈不显著上升趋势。西北航道气旋强度偏弱,中心最低气压达980 hPa的气旋仅占不到总数的5%。最低中心气压集中分布在990~1 000 hPa之间。1979-2015年以来,东段的气旋强度趋势增强,西段气旋在2002年以前也是显著的增强,2002年以后强度减弱。气旋的生命史集中在7 d以内,东段1 d以内的气旋个数明显偏多。西段气旋高密度区域主要分布在74°N以北的波弗特海北部,东段主要分布在巴芬湾的东北侧和巴芬岛的东南侧,近几年来其主要密度分布区域东西两段存在南移以及略微变化。西北航道内爆发性气旋的增长位置集中在70°N的沿岸附近,尤其是加拿大北部以及格陵兰西海岸附近。大西洋震荡指数与东段气旋的个数有较好的正相关。     

Bloom of Euglena sp. (Euglenophyceae,Euglenales) in the Outer Part of the Ob River Estuary

Oceanology - The material was obtained on July 18–24, 2016 in the area comprising the Ob River estuary and the adjacent shelf of the Kara Sea (71°28.3′–74°38.8′...     

Some remarks on the study of subsidence of sedimentary basins Application to the Gulf of Lions margin (Western Mediterranean)

The study of basin subsidence is a helpful geological tool for understanding the tectonic and thermal evolution of sedimentary basins. Subsidence is clearly one major aspect of the geodynamics of ‘rifted’ basins. It is controlled by the inner lithospheric and crustal processes of mechanical, thermal and also tectonic origin. The load of sediments which fill the initial rift depression amplify these vertical movements, according to the laws of isostatic compensation.The purpose of the backstripping method is to separate these two components of subsidence. The subsidence due to both controlling factors (geodynamics and sediments loading), called total subsidence, can be estimated by a precise reconstruction of paleotopography in the basin during past sedimentation. This geohistorical reconstruction is based on observational data, mainly the chronostratigraphy of the sedimentary cover, lithologies and paleoenvironments, all data being constrained by the global geological context in the basin studied.The tectonic subsidence, which corresponds to the driving lithospheric phenomena, is computed according to a model of the response of lithosphere to sediment loading. Two models are considered, the Airy or local isostasy model and flexure models. In flexure models, the main difficulty is to estimate the history of the flexural rigidity of the lithosphere below continental margins and rifted basins. The influence of compensation models on subsidence history will be discussed.The present paper brings out some remarks on the use of backstripping techniques. In particular, the two-dimensional approach is emphasized because it gives better constraints on the geological validity of the paleotopographic reconstruction and the distribution of subsidence in space and time. Discussion is illustrated by the study of the young passive margin of Gulf of Lions, in the northwestern part of the Mediterranean Basin. The rifting was initiated during upper Oligocene and lasted until Aquitanian time. A seismic survey in the Gulf of Lions and on-shore geological studies of the bordering areas (Sardinia, Camargue) have shown that the postrift history mainly consists of a regional subsidence of the whole margin. The hypothesis of a thermal control of the postrift subsidence, as predicted by geodynamical models (McKenzie, 1978), will be discussed. The geohistorical reconstruction deals with two main problems. (1) Determination of paleobathymetry is not accurate enough from observation data. (2) A strong erosional event, known as the Messinian Event, is superimposed to the geodynamic evolution of the margin. Thus, the complete paleotopographic reconstruction will be based on observations and also geological hypotheses, mainly the likely continuity of the geological phenomena during the postrift history of the margin, since they are controlled by the thermal evolution at depth.     

Metal sources to the Baltic clam Macoma balthica (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in the southern Baltic Sea (the Gulf of Gdansk)

Metal concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in an infaunal facultative deposit-feeding bivalve, the Baltic clam Macoma balthica, in the Gulf of Gdansk (southern Baltic Sea) were assessed and compared to selected concentrations of metals in the environment. Between October 1996 and September 1997, dissolved and easy extractable (by 1M HCl) metal fractions of total suspended particulate matter (TPM) in the overlying water and of surficial sediments (<63 microm) were measured monthly at five sublittoral sites in the Gulf of Gdansk, and accumulated tissue metal concentrations in M. balthica were determined simultaneously. The study highlights the importance of sediment geochemistry as a factor modifying ambient trace metal bioavailabilities. Surficial sediments appeared to contribute most to the accumulation of Cu and Pb in M. balthica, reflecting the high metal availability in the Gulf. Assimilation of Cu from sediments is controlled by Mn components possibly through an inhibitory effect of Mn oxyhydroxides, while Pb accumulation from sediments depends on the organic content of the sediment. A dual metal uptake pathway, with a suspended particulate-bound fraction and surficial sediments, was apparent for Mn and Zn. Partitioning of Mn in sediments was related to the concentration of labile Fe, with increased levels of Fe tending to inhibit the accumulation of Mn by the clam. Tissue accumulated Zn might have been altered by the clam's internal regulation, making Zn tissue concentrations, to some degree, independent of its environmental level. The principal source of Ni accumulated by the clams exists in the soluble phase.     

北部湾年极值波浪与设计波浪估算的研究

本文基于海上与其附近沿岸台站短期观测资料的分析,建立了两种关系:一种是海上的风速与浪之间的关系;另一种是海上与岸站两地风速之间的关系.通过这些关系,用岸站观测的风速资料可以得到海上的年极值波浪.采用 P—Ⅲ型、Gumbel 和 weibull 方法分别估算海上的设计波浪,结果彼此之间有较大的差异。选用柯尔莫哥洛夫(Kolmogoroff)适合度方法检验表明,估算设计波浪的波高用 P—Ⅲ型方法最好,而估算设计波浪的周期用 Weibull 方法最好。     

Ecology of Pinnidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from the Gulf of Thailand

The ecology of the family Pinnidae was studied by sampling three pinnid species from 36 sampling sites across four different microhabitats in the Gulf of Thailand. The species spatial distributions were mostly uniform, with some populations having random distributions. Species abundances differed between sandy and coral habitats according to non-metric multi-dimension scaling analyses. Although the Gulf of Thailand is a relatively small geographic area, habitats are varied enough to provide variable shell densities. Small islands are important distribution areas, and coral reefs provide both direct and indirect shelter which support high abundances, densities and increased shell size. The highest density was recorded in sand beds within coral reefs. Low density and small shell size in sand beaches might be related to high mortality in shallow water or to adaptations for survival in shallow waters. A clear correlation between sediment composition and species abundance was found in Pinna atropurpurea; abundance increased with the sand content of the sediment. For P. deltodes, abundance increased as the rock fraction of the sediment increased. These results suggest that adaptations in Pinnidae, such as shell size, shell morphology, and the exposure of the shell above the sediment-water interface, are responses for survival in different habitats.     

Cost of beach maintenance in the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Spain)

Beach erosion problems have been solved by adding sand to the beaches along the Gulf of Cadiz. The Gulf is located in SW Spain between the Portuguese border and the Strait of Gibraltar. During the last decade, more than 12×10⁶ m³ of sand have been nourished in 38 restoration operations carried out on 28 beaches. The main characteristics of the nourishment campaigns (year, volume, budget, transport method, sand data, etc.) are presented. Location of sand borrow sites and distance to the beaches are also shown. Monitoring programs have been performed in order to calculate sediment loss rates. These results have been related to the beach length, the berm width and the budget in order to obtain a variety of relationships for maintenance cost as, for example, the total annual cost for each beach. This information is very useful when developing a strategy in coastal zone management. Furthermore, at least in reef-protected beaches, small yearly renourishments similar to the yearly losses, instead of greater nourishments performed with a periodicity of many years, lead to an economical saving, as well as to a better use of the natural resources.     

Sediment failures and flows in the Gulf of Cadiz (eastern Atlantic)

Several types of sediment failures in the Gulf of Cadiz were observed using multibeam bathymetry, acoustic imagery and high-resolution seismic. These instabilities are mainly sediment failures and flows. Their width and length vary from 1 to more than 10 km. The failures are mainly related to high sedimentation rates, particularly in places where the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) spills over, such as channel bends and the outer side of the giant contourite levee. Steep slopes are also a trigger for failure at the continental shelf-slope transition, on valley sides, on canyon flanks, and on the sides of bathymetric highs. Other mass movements are related to fluid escape (mud volcanoes) and earthquakes. In areas where the MOW flows along the seafloor, the constant shearing and related erosion can add to the overall stresses. The frequency of failures can be estimated using the deposits resulting of their distal transformations into turbidites.     

Seismic crustal structure in the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Iberian Peninsula)

The sedimentary structure in the Gulf of Cadiz has been extensively studied by oil exploration companies. However, up to now little is known about its deep crustal structure. Moreover, the total thickness of the sedimentary layers remains unknown in large areas. The purpose of this paper is the crustal-scale interpretation of deep seismic near-vertical reflection and refraction/wide-angle reflection data obtained during the IAM (Iberian Atlantic Margins) project, carried out in 1993. Our results indicate that a continental type crust is underlying the entire Gulf of Cadiz, with progressive thinning from east to west. The sedimentary cover shows a great thickness, reaching 8 km in the center of the Gulf. Three main sedimentary units can be recognized: Jurassic-Cretaceous calcareous rocks, continuation of Algarve outcrops; the Allochthonous Units of Guadalquivir/Gulf of Cadiz, the offshore continuation of the inland Carmona nappe; and sub-horizontal post-Miocene marine sediments. The crystalline crust is divided into three main layers: the upper crust is characterized by P-wave velocity values of 5.7–6.1 km/s; the middle crust shows values of 6.3–6.4 km/s; the lower crust has a mean vertical velocity gradient of 0.02 km/s/km, with velocities between 6.9 to 7.1 km/s. The total crustal thickness varies from 27 km for the eastern part of the studied area, to 20 km for the westernmost part. The crustal thinning is more pronounced in a N-S direction than in an E-W direction. No major structures related with a defined Iberia-Africa plate boundary could be found. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Response of Summer Phytoplankton to Episodic Meteorological Events (Gulf of Trieste, Adriatic Sea)

Abstract. Despite increasing evidence that atmospheric deposition may contribute considerably to new production in coastal seas, the role of this nutrient source in the shallow northern Adriatic ecosystem has remained largely unassessed. This study demonstrates that locally collected rain water significantly stimulates primary production and phytoplankton biomass accumulation in microcosm experiments. The concentration of nutrients in rain water collected during summer storms (11.38–77.19 μmol·1^-1 nitrate. 4.45–36.38 μmol.1·1 ammonium, 0.93–4.75 μmol·1^-1 phosphate) indicated that the precipitation is influenced by anthropogenic emissions from urbanised and industrialised regions of the European continent. Rainfall events delivered relatively large (127 tons nitrogen, 9.5 tons phosphorus in the period 10 June to 10 September, 1993). though episodic, nutrient input into the area. Field measurements showed that storm events were followed by an increase of phytoplankton standing crop and a shift of community structure.