New data on the structure of the Knipovich Ridge,North Atlantic

The Knipovich Ridge extends for 550–600 km between the Mohns Ridge and the demarcation Spitsbergen Fracture Zone. The structural features of this ridge are repeatedly mentioned in the literature; however, substantial discrepancies remain in the treatment of its tectonics. New data on the structure of this ridge presented in this paper are based on the results of continuous seismic profiling in the area studied by the expedition of the Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate on the R/V Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov in 2006; 56 seismic lines allow us to depict zones differing in seismic records that provide insights into their internal tectonic structure. Interpretation of the seismic data makes it possible to compile maps of the acoustic basement surface and sedimentary cover thickness in the studied area. These maps expand our knowledge of the geological history and geodynamics of the Knipovich Ridge at the neotectonic stage of its evolution.     

Quaternary sedimentation,margin architecture and ocean circulation variability around the Faroe Islands,North Atlantic

The Quaternary development offshore the Faroe Islands has been studied using high-resolution seismic and core data from the R/V DANA 2000 cruise and previous cruises. Several glacial-related features and deposits are observed, all bearing witness to former extensive glaciations of the Faroe area. On the shelves, overlaying a mid-Pleistocene glacial erosional surface, glacial and glacimarine deposits form a sheet geometry interrupted by ridges of sediment that are likely to represent ice-front deposits. An iceberg turbate north of the Faroe Islands provides evidence of large-scale drift of ultra-deep draft (>600 m) icebergs in the Nordic Seas at pre-Weichselian glacial stage(s). Marginal and transverse troughs found on the eastern and western shelf are suggested to have formed during the same glacial period(s) as the iceberg turbate. Iceberg plough-marks and abundant ice rafted material of non-Faroese origin, together with the relict moraine ridges encircling the Faroe Islands at around the 100 and 200 m water depth contours, indicate that the outer shelf was probably ice free during the Weichselian ice age. On the slopes and basinal parts, the formation of fine-grained contourites was favoured during (Weichselian) glacial stages when bottom currents were reduced. Sediment overloading during these glacial stages resulted in repeated slope instability, causing mass failures of the contourite deposits.     

Processing NOAA-AVHRR satellite data for sea ice and oceanographic research in the marginal ice zone of the polar seas

This paper describes a method for NOAA-AVHRR satellite data processing in sea ice and oceanographic studies in the polar seas. This method includes geometrical processing to generate gridded and corrected images according to a polar stereographic map, ice and cloud discrimination during summer, and the production of combined sea ice and sea surface temperature imagery for watching marginal ice zone processes.     

Plate motions in the Alpine region and their correlation to the opening of the Atlantic ocean

The plate tectonic evolution of the Alps is intimately related to the stepwise protrusion of the Atlantic ocean to the north. The South Penninic oceanic basin of the Alps is part of the spreading system of the early Atlantic ocean in the Jurassic. In the Lower Cretacous, the North Peeninic basin forms as an appendix of the Atlantic in its second stage of evolution, connected with it via the Pyrenees trough and the Bay of Biscay. Subduction in the South Penninic ocean by convergent motion of the Briançonian and the Adriatic plates leads to a first continental collision in about mid-Cretaceous time. In the Upper Cretaceous, when the Atlantic ocean protrudes between North America and Greenland, Eurasia and Africa move divergently, and there is relative quiescence in the Alps. In the Tertiary, the Atlantic ocean spreads between Greenland and Scandinavia which results in convergent motion between Eurasia and Africa and important compressional events in the Alps.

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Zusammenfassung Die plattentektonische Entwicklung in den Alpen steht mit dem etappenweisen Vorstoß des Atlantischen Ozeans nach Norden in engem Zusammenhang. Das ozeanische Südpenninische Becken der Alpen ist Teil des frühen Atlantik im Jura. In der Unterkreide bildet sich das Nordpenninische Becken als Fortsatz des Atlantik in dessen zweitem Entwicklungsstadium und steht mit diesem über den Pyrenäentrog und die Biscaya in Verbindung. Annäherung der Briançonischen und der Adritischen Platte führt zu Subduktion im Südpenninischen Becken und zu einer ersten Kontinentkollision in der Mittelkreide. Zur Zeit des atlantischen Vorstoßes zwischen Nordamerika und Grönland werden Eurasien und Afrika auseinanderbewegt, und es herrscht relative Ruhe in den Alpen. Im Tertiär bahnt sich der Atlantik seinen Weg zwischen Grönland und Skandinavien; dies führt Eurasien und Afrika gegeneinander und hat bedeutende Einengung in den Alpen zur Folge.

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Résumé Le développement de la tectonique de plaques dans les Alpes est rapport étroit avec la poussée par etapes de l'Océan Atlantique en direction du Nord. Le bassin océanique piémontais des Alpes est une partie de l'Atlantique originel au moment du Jurassique. C'est au Crétacé inferieur que se forme le bassin valaisan en tant qu'appendice de l'Atlantique dans son deuxième stade de développement; il se trouve par là en relation avec la fosse pyrénéenne et le Golfe de Gascogne. Le rapprochement de la plaque briançonnaise et de la plaque adriatique conduit à une subduction dans le bassin piémontais et à une premiére collision continentale au Crétacé moyen. A l'époque de la pénétration atlantique entre l'Amérique du Nord et le Groenland, l'Eurasie et l'Atlantique s'écartérent, tandis qu'il règne une période d'accalmie relative dans les Alpes. C'est au Tertiaire que l'Atlantique se fraie son passage entre le Groenland et la Scandinavie. Cela mène à la rencontre de l'Eurasie et de l'Afrique, ce qui entraîne un rétrécissement important dans les Alpes.

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Gas hydrates in the sedimentary cover of passive oceanic margins: Possibilities of prediction based on satellite altimetry data in the Atlantic and Arctic

Analysis of factual data on acoustic indicators of fluid occurrences, negative gravity anomalies based on satellite altimetry, tectonic deformations, and findings of ultramafic rocks and serpentinites was carried out. Such data make up stable sublatitudinal groups across the Atlantic Ocean. The image obtained suggests the following cause-and-effect series of processes: (1) tectonic deformations; (2) serpentinization of ultramafic rocks and generation of methane; and (3) accumulation of gas hydrates in the sedimentary cover near the continental margin. The second process is accompanied by the formation of negative gravity anomalies; the third process, by the specific reflection of fluids in the acoustic wave field. These facts provide a basis for forecasting the presence of gas hydrates based on reductions of the satellite altimetry data and regional maps of the sedimentary cover in the Atlantic and Arctic.     

Interdecadal variability of water thermal structure in the North Atlantic Region and its climatic significance

Doklady Earth Sciences -     

Advances in microwave remote sensing of the ocean and atmosphere

This article reviews the current state-of-the-art and future prospects of the microwave techniques for remote sensing of the earth’s atmosphere and ocean. Geophysical parameters and their relationship with measured thermal microwave radiation is established through radiative transfer processes. The atmospheric temperature profile obtained from microwave sounding unit (msu) onboardtiros-N series of satellites is operational and is used for numerical weather prediction. The demonstrated applications of scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (smmr) onboard most recent and advancedseasat satellite are highlighted.The capability ofseasat active sensors for monitoring ocean parameters have also been indicated. Feasible applications of microwave techniquese.g. moisture profile with advanced moisture sounder (amsu), and surface pressure from multifrequency active microwave pressure sounder (mps) are also described. Finally the recent and advanced microwave limb sounding (mls) technique and its applications to upper atmospheric research has been reviewed.     

Distribution and composition of suspended particulate matter in the Atlantic Ocean: Direct measurements and satellite data

The main purpose of this work is to study the real distribution and spatial–temporal variations of suspended particulate matter and its main components in surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean on the basis of direct and satellite measurements for development of new and perfection of available algorithms for converting satellite data. The distribution fields of suspended particulate matter were calculated and plotted for the entire Atlantic Ocean. It is established that its distribution in the open ocean is subordinate to the latitudinal climatic zonality. The areas with maximum concentrations form latitudinal belts corresponding to high-productivity eutrophic and mesotrophic waters of the northern and southern temperate humid belts and with the equatorial humid zone. Phytoplankton, the productivity of which depends primarily on the climatic zonality, is the main producer of suspended particulate matter in the surface water layer.     

Indium and yttrium in North Atlantic and Mediterranean waters: comparison to the Pacific data

Vertical profiles of dissolved indium and yttrium were determined in the eastern North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea to compare with those of the North Pacific reported earlier. The Y concentrations in the surface waters are 120 pmol/kg in the North Atlantic and 205 pmol/kg in the Mediterranean Sea, which are significantly higher than 80 pmol/kg in the North Pacific. The difference may be attributable to the different strength of input of Y to the oceans from fluvial and aeolian sources. In contrast, the deep water concentration of Y increases in the order of North Atlantic < Mediterranean < North Pacific. This trend is similar to that of dissolved Si, suggesting that Y is involved in the biogeochemical regeneration cycle. The vertical profiles of In are far more complex than Y. The In profile shows a systematic increase from 0.6 pmol/kg at the surface to 1.7 pmol/kg at 2100 m in the North Atlantic, whereas it is almost featureless at a mean concentration of 3.8 ± 0.6 pmol/kg in the Mediterranean Sea. The North Atlantic and Mediterranean In concentrations are considerably higher than those observed in the North Pacific (∼0.1 pmol/kg), and such a large interoceanic variation has been reported before only for Al and Ga. Like Al, the deep water In concentration that decreases in the order of Mediterranean > North > North Pacific exhibits an inverse trend of Y and nutrients. Indium is highly particle-reactive (47% association in the Mediterranean Sea), and must have a short mean oceanic residence time. However, the featureless dissolved In profile in the Mediterranean Sea is clearly different from the profiles of dissolved Al, showing increase with depth Hydes et al 1988, Measures and Edmond 1988, suggesting that significant fractionation of the two elements is taking place in the ocean.The interoceanic variations of dissolved In and Al may be ascribed to the different intensities of external input of which aeolian has been considered to be major rather than fluvial. However, the difference of In and Al concentrations in the deep waters of the above oceanic basins are significantly greater than those of other refractory elements, such as Ce, Ti, Hf, and Zr, whose major sources to the ocean are also considered to be aeolian. Furthermore, the In/Al ratios in seawater are about two orders of magnitude greater than the average crustal ratio. Thus, some additional sources, though not yet certain, may be required to explain the high concentrations of In in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean deep waters.     

基于MODIS卫星遥感图像数据典型地表发射率光学特性分析

地表发射率是热红外遥感中的重要参量,也是辐射传输中的重要参数。基于MOD11B1卫星遥感图像数据,利用HDF插件获取典型地表温度参数,具体包括沙地、黄土、草坪、江水、冰面和雪地。在ENVI Classic软件环境下,针对2015年12月至2016年8月不同区域、不同季节的典型地表进行6个热红外波段发射率数据获取,研究不同季节典型地表的发射率随波长以及温度的变化规律。研究结果表明：冬季典型地表发射率参数最高且变化范围小在0.02内。沙地的发射率数值平均在0.870~0.990之间;草坪、黄土和江水的发射率数值平均在0.910~0.990之间,冰面和雪地的发射率数值平均在0.965~0.985之间。草坪、沙地、黄土、江水、雪地和冰面地表发射率在波长3~5 μm范围内随温度成波浪型分布;草坪、江水、雪地和冰面地表发射率在波长8~12 μm范围内随温度不变化。     

Recent tectonics in the northern part of the Knipovich Ridge,Atlantic ocean

The walls of the Knipovich Ridge are complicated by normal and reverse faults revealed by a high-frequency profilograph. The map of their spatial distribution shows that the faults are grouped into domains a few tens of kilometers in size and are a result of superposition of several inequivalent geodynamic factors: the shear zone oriented parallel to the Hornsunn Fault and superposed on the typical dynamics of the midocean ridge with offsets along transform fracture zones and rifting along short segments of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). According to the anomalous magnetic field, the Knipovich Ridge as a segment of the MAR has formed since the Oligocene including several segments with normal direction of spreading separated by a multitransform system of fracture zones. In the Quaternary, the boundary of plate interaction along the tension crack has been straightened to form the contemporary Knipovich Ridge, which crosses the previously existing magmatic spreading substrate and sedimentary cover at an angle of about 45° relative to the direction of accretion. The sedimentary cover along the walls of the Knipovich is Paleogene in age and has subsided into the rift valley to a depth of 500–1000 m along the normal faults.