The chemical forms of transition elements in marine sediments

The chemical forms of transition metals in marine sediments are discussed on the basis of differential chemical leaching.A large part of hydrogenous transition metals in the near-shore sediments is leached with dilute acetic acid, whereas hydrogenous transition metals in the deep-sea sediments are slightly leached with the acid solution and mostly leached with the reducing agent solution. This difference is attributed to the different forms of hydrogenous iron and manganese between the near-shore and deep-sea sediments.The chemical behavior of hydrogenous transition metals in the deep-sea sediments for the acid and reducing agent leaching solutions is similar to that in ferromanganese nodules. This similarity indicates that the major parts of hydrogenous transition metals in deep-sea sediments are associated with iron-manganese oxide minerals dispersed in or coated on the sediments.     

Sources of the transuranic elements plutonium and neptunium in arctic marine sediments

We report here thermal ionization mass spectrometry measurements of ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, ²⁴¹Pu, ²⁴²Pu, and ²³⁷Np isolated from oceanic, estuarine, and riverine sediments from the Arctic Ocean Basin. ²³⁸Pu/^239+240Pu activity ratios are also reported for alpha spectrometric analyses undertaken on a subset of these samples. Our results indicate that the Pu in sediments on the Alaskan shelf and slope, as well as that in the deep basins (Amerasian and Eurasian) of the Arctic Ocean, has its origin in stratospheric and tropospheric fallout. Sediments from the Ob and Yenisei Rivers show isotopic Pu signatures that are distinctly different from those of northern-hemisphere stratospheric fallout and indicate the presence of weapons-grade Pu originating from nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes generated at Russian facilities within these river catchments. Consequently, sediments of the Eurasian Arctic Ocean, particularly those in the Barents and Kara Seas, probably contain a mixture of Pu from stratospheric fallout, tropospheric fallout, and fuel-reprocessing wastes of riverine origin. In particular, the ²⁴¹Pu/²³⁹Pu ratios observed in these sediments are inconsistent with significant contributions of Pu to the arctic sediments studied from western European reprocessing facilities, principally Sellafield in the UK. Several other potential sources of Pu to arctic sediments can also be excluded as significant based upon the transuranic isotope ratios presented.     

Fine scale distribution of nitrous oxide in marine sediments

Vertical profiles of nitrous oxide and other inorganic nitrogen compounds in the sediments in Tokyo Bay and its vicinity were measured using the whole core squeezing method. Within the bay area, vertical profiles of nitrous oxide in the interstitial waters showed one or two distinctive peaks around the depth of 2–4 cm, which corresponded to the peaks of nitrite and nitrate. In situ formation of nitrous oxide through nitrification was suggested in those sediments, which was possibly activated by the presence of benthic animals. On the other hand, at the deep sediment off Tokyo Bay the profiles of nitrous oxide, nitrite and nitrate gave a monotonous single peak, indicating less bioturbated condition. Denitrification or dissimilatory nitrate reduction might be important for the formation of nitrous oxide peaks in the latter type of sediment.     

Influence of sedimentological features on the distribution of trace metals in marine sediments

The most important parameters influencing trace metal distribution in sediments are reviewed. The accent is put on sedimentation rate, grain size distribution and the knowledge of past events through sedimentological and mineralogical parameters. It is concluded that chemical data must be compared to sedimentological data before being interpreted.     

Trace metal distribution in different chemical fractions of nearshore marine sediments

The major objective of this study was to carry out sequential chemical extractions for the partitioning of particulate trace metals in sediment samples, collected from False Bay. Eight metals, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, were examined in each of 65 samples. Three chemical fractions of the sediments were separated and the concentrations of the trace metals were determined in each, by atomic absorption techniques. The three different leaches used were hydroxylamine hydrochloride-acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and nitricperchloric acids. Fe and Pb were concentrated mainly in the fraction extracted by nitric-perchloric acid, while Cu, Zn and Ni were found mainly in the peroxide fraction. Most of the metals in the peroxide phase were found in the finer sediments in the central area of the bay, where the concentration of organic meterial was high. The metal concentrations (except for Pb) correlated well with the organic content of the sediments.     

Monte-Carlo模拟与经验路径模型预测台风极值风速的对比

台风是我国东南沿海区域每年发生的严重自然灾害之一。本文分别采用传统的Monte-Carlo模拟方法以及较为先进的经验路径模拟方法预测中国东南沿海区域台风的极值风速(10 m高度处10 min平均值),并对两种方法的预测结果进行了对比。本文将东南海岸线向内陆扩展约200 km的区域划分为0.25°×0.25°的网格,以每个网格点作为研究点。首先采用Monte-Carlo模拟方法产生每个研究点1 000年间的虚拟台风事件。然后采用经验路径模型方法构建了西北太平洋1 000年的热带气旋事件集,采用模拟圆方法从中提取对各个研究站点有影响的台风事件。接着采用Yan Meng风场模型计算每个研究点台风的最大风速,构成极值风速序列。最后采用极值分布模型预测每个研究点不同重现期的极值风速,并对两种不同方法预测的结果进行了对比。研究发现在研究区域的内陆侧经验路径方法预测的风速略高于Monte-Carlo模拟方法预测的结果,而在海岸沿线一带经验路径方法预测的结果略低,这主要是由两种方法构造的虚拟台风的中心压强存在差异以及模型本身的不确定性造成的。本文的研究结果可以为防灾减灾系统提供有益的参考。     

Distribution of oxygen-containing functional groups and elements in humic acids from marine sediments

The elemental composition and oxygen-containing functional groups contents in the marine humic acids from the five sediment samples from Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay were determined. Kumada's method of classification of soil humic acids was applied to the marine humic acids. The carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur contents of the marine humic acids were, on average, 52.96, 5.12, 5.79, 34.99 and 1.13%, respectively, without wide variation. In comparison with terrestrial humic acids, the marine ones had relatively lower carbon content and higher hydrogen and nitrogen contents. It is suggested that the marine humic acids have more aliphatic and less aromatic character, as expected from their possible origins, e.g., phytoplankton. The total acidity, carboxyl, phenolic and alcoholic hydroxyl, carbonyl and methoxyl group contents in the marine humic acids were, on average, 5.80, 3.27, 2.53, 2.53, 3.09 and 0.41 milliequivalents per gram of dry ash-free humic acid (me g^–1), respectively. From quantitative data on the elemental composition and functional groups of the average marine humic acid, its empirical formula was calculated to be C₁₀₇H₁₃₈O₂₀(COOH)₉(OH)₇ ^phenolic (OH)₇ ^alcoholic (CO)₉(OCH)₃N₁₀S. The marine humic acids were similar to the so-called B type of soil humic acids with regard to the distribution of functional groups and spectroscopic properties.     

海洋沉积物含水率对部分碱金属及碱土金属元素含量的影响及意义

利用电感耦合等离子体光谱仪(ICP-AES)对海洋表层沉积物及上覆海水、海洋沉积物国家标准物质、陆地的水系沉积物及土壤国家标准物质进行检测以对比海洋沉积物含水率对部分碱金属及碱土金属元素分析结果所造成的影响。结果显示海洋沉积物含水率对钠离子影响最大,往往有超过50%的钠离子来自其中所含海水的贡献,而海洋沉积物含水率对钾、钙、镁的影响则较为微弱。因此,研究海洋沉积物化学组分时有必要考虑其所含海水对钠含量的贡献,以期达到不同海洋沉积物化学组分的可比性。     

Analysis and distribution of iron sulfide minerals in recent anoxic marine sediments

Acid-volatile sulfide (AVS), pyrite-sulfur, iron and organic carbon distributions were examined in sediments from a variety of oxic and anoxic marine environments. Multiple determinations of AVS using different acid conditions showed that most extractants give similar AVS concentrations, with the exception of stannous chloride in hot HCl which digested between 10 and 81% of pyrite-sulfur.An extensive examination of iron sulfide minerals in sediments, using scanning electron microscopy combined with simultaneous elemental analysis, showed that identifiable iron sulfides were almost always pyrite. Occurrence of greigite observable by SEM was limited to one site and mackinawite was not found in any samples. Thus, if these minerals are precursors to pyrite formation, as has been frequently hypothesized, they must be primarily present as coatings on other mineral grains or submicron particles.     

Incorporation,distribution and fate of saturated petroleum hydrocarbons in sediments from a controlled marine ecosystem

A simulation of a chronic input of petroleum into an estuarine environment was investigated using the facilities at the Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory at the University of Rhode Island. An oil-water dispersion of No. 2 fuel oil was added to the system (twice weekly for 24 weeks) and the saturated hydrocarbons from this oil were measured in suspended material and sediments. After the initial chronic oil addition, trace amounts of hydrocarbons were detected in the sediments within two weeks, but substantial accumulation was not detected for approximately 135 days. The oil appeared to enter the sediment via the suspended material, with most of the saturated hydrocarbons associated with smaller size sediment particles (< 45 μm to > 0·3 μm). With time, the fuel oil saturated hydrocarbons in the sediments were mixed to a depth of 3 to 4 cm. Although only 12% of the total saturated hydrocarbons added to the system were found in the sediments, these hydrocarbons appear to be relatively stable and were still detectable in these sediments for at least six months after the last oil addition.     

海洋沉积物微量元素地球化学特征对天然气水合物勘探的指示意义

天然气水合物与资源和全球环境变化等重大科学问题密切相关。前期关于甲烷渗漏区地球化学特征的研究主要集中于浅表层沉积物（＜20 m）,而浅层沉积物（＞20 m）地球化学特征知之甚少。为探讨海洋浅层沉积物微量元素特征与天然气水合物勘探的相关关系,对南海神狐海域沉积物进行了4个站位的钻探取样,分析了样品主、微量元素和有机碳地球化学特征,并采用氧化还原状态以及Mo与TOC相关关系的分析方法进行探讨。结果显示,沉积物主量元素特征主要受到陆源碎屑物质输入的主导,与天然气水合物富集无明显关系。水合物赋存段及附近沉积物中Ba和Mo元素高度富集,存在明显的“Ba峰”和“Mo峰”,主要是由于天然气水合物分解释放大量甲烷产生的硫化环境所导致。因此,沉积物中的Ba和Mo富集特征可作为识别可能存在天然气水合物分布的重要地球化学指标。     

Low phosphorus sediments in a hypersaline marine bay

Shark Bay, Western Australia is a large, shallow, hypersaline coastal lagoon with low nutrient input. Dissolved inorganic P in the water column decreased from 0·2 μm in the oceanic region of the bay to undetectable limits in the hypersaline areas of the bay. Organic C, total N, and total P were measured in the sediments along the salinity gradient. The sediment organic C was 1–3 mmol C g⁻¹ and increased into the bay; total N was positively correlated with C; but P decreased from 15 μmol P g⁻¹ in the outer bay to less than 1 μmol P g⁻¹ in the hypersaline region. Sediment inorganic P comprised 80–90% of the total sediment P. The molar C:P ratio of the sediment organic phase increased from 1700 in the outer bay to 12 000 in the hypersaline region. Organic C and total P were also measured in the benthic plants. P content of the plants also decreased as salinity increased, resulting in an increase in the plant C:P ratio which was similar to the increase in the C:P ratio of the sediment organic phase. P composition of the coastal sediments can change dramatically in a relatively short distance as a result of net uptake and sedimentation by benthic communities.     

On similarity profiles predicted in the convective marine boundary layer

On the basis of the ideal of local scale similarity theory, the profile equations of wind, temperature and humidity for the eonvective marine boundary layer have been obtained. The marine boundary layer measurements were made over the western Pacific Ocean as past of the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Programme during Nov. 1986-Feb. 1987. The similarity profiles predicledfor wind. temperature and humidity in the MBL are in good agreement with the observational data.     

山东半岛东部海域表层沉积物微量元素分布及物源指示意义

依据山东半岛东部海域79个站位表层沉积物微量元素测试结果,分析了研究区微量元素含量空间分布特征,识别了沉积物来源,探讨了其控制因素和沉积物输运模式。结果表明,研究区表层沉积物微量元素中Ba和Sr平均质量比最高,分别为465μg/g和198μg/g;Ba含量整体呈中间低、四周高的趋势; Sr整体呈近岸高、离岸低的分布特征。除Ba和Sr外, Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb、Co和V含量空间分布特征基本一致,整体呈近岸低、离岸高的分布特征。通过m(Cr)/m(V)-m(Ni)(m表示元素质量比,μg/g)散点图判别,研究区沉积物主要来源于黄河物质,南部可能有少量长江物质输入。微量元素的分布受物源和粒度效应的控制。研究区微量元素除Ba、Sr外,其余元素与平均粒径呈正相关, Sr元素则与平均粒径呈负相关性,Ba与沉积物粒径无明显相关性。黄海沿岸流携带黄河物质绕过成山头后在研究区发生沉积,同时受到北上黄海暖流的阻隔,在研究区南部发生混合扩散后沉积。研究成果对于补充完善山东半岛泥质区的物源和输运机制具有重要意义。     

海底沉积物纵波速度与强度参数关系模型研究

海底沉积物具有质地松软、强度低的特点,其强度参数与海上平台插桩就位、导管架的安装等工程关系紧密,与海上作业安全息息相关。常规钻孔取芯与静力触探等强度参数获取方法成本较高、取样点少,且对沉积物扰动较大,利用易获取的声学资料预测海底沉积物的强度参数具有重要研究意义。本文基于Wood方程、Biot-Stoll模型、Dvorkin等效介质模型等声波传播理论,计算不同物性参数（密度、孔隙度）梯度下的理论纵波速度,结合室内模拟地层声学实验,对比了模型计算声速与实测声速的变化特征,建立了声速与物性参数关系模型。基于室内模拟地层土力学试验,揭示了沉积物物性与抗剪强度、黏聚力等参数之间的关系,建立了物性与强度参数关系模型。以物性参数为桥梁,建立基于声学特征的海底沉积物强度参数预测模型。此模型既避免了原位取样沉积物失水扰动的问题,又弥补了经验公式局限性的缺点,具有普适性与准确性,有效提高无法取样地区沉积物强度参数的精度,提高了经济效益,对浅层的勘探与开发起到了理论指导的作用。     

去除有机质前后海底沉积物对稀土元素吸附能力的变化研究

为更好地了解有机质对沉积物吸附稀土元素能力的影响,对珠江口和南海沉积物在去除有机质之前和之后进行了稀土元素吸附实验研究。结果表明,同一种沉积物在去除有机质前后对稀土元素的吸附呈现基本相同的规律,只是吸附量有所不同。沉积物在去除有机质之后对稀土离子的吸附能力比去除有机质之前大大降低;沉积物对各种稀土元素吸附量降低的百分比为:珠江口沉积物对Yb的吸附量减少了47.24%,对La的吸附量减少了75.50%,对其它元素的吸附量减少介于47.24%—75.50%之间;南海沉积物对Sm的吸附量减少了35.93%,对Ho的吸附量减少了45.41%,对其它元素的吸附量减少介于35.93%—45.41%之间。     

Release and uptake of dissolved silica in seawater by marine sediments

Natural marine sediments can release dissolved silica to silica-poor seawater and can remove silica from seawater enriched with dissolved silica. These are fast reactions, with sufficient reaction occurring within the first 48 hours to indicate clearly the direction of the reaction. The relative importance of these two processes varies with the ratio of clays to biogenic silica in the sediment. Both the release and the uptake reactions approach the interstitial water concentration of dissolved silica as an end point, which suggests that these reactions may influence this concentration. No change in sediment reactivity with respect to silica uptake or release reactions was observed with increasing depth in core for the three sediment cores investigated; this indicates that uptake sites are not saturated, and silica is available for dissolution for a long time after deposition.     

Minor elements in carbonaceous sediments of the Baltic Sea

According to the geochemical analysis, the carbonaceous sediments of the Baltic Sea??s deep basins containing 3?C5% C_org are enriched with some metals such as Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Zn, V, and U as compared with the shallow-water facies of the Bay of Finland. These metals are also concentrated (against the background values in the clayey rocks) in ancient carbonaceous shales, where the average Cu and V contents are slightly higher and that of Mo, Pb, and Zn lower than in the deepwater carbonaceous sediments of the Baltic Sea. In addition, the carbonaceous sediments of the last basin are enriched, although less notably than the ancient shales, with Ag, As, Bi, and Cd. These data confirm the previous assumptions that the carbonaceous sediments accumulating now in seas and oceans may be considered as recent analogs of ancient metalliferous shales.     

Distribution of free gas in marine sediments: a global overview

To quantify the global distribution of free gas in shallow marine sediments, we have identified and indexed over 100 documented cases in the scientific and engineering literature. Our survey confirms previous assumptions, primarily that gas bubbles are ubiquitous in the organic-rich muds of coastal waters and shallow adjacent seas. Acoustic turbidity, as recorded during seismo-acoustic surveys, is the most frequently cited evidence used to infer the presence of seafloor gas. Biogenic methane predominates within these shallow subbottom deposits. Because of their global prevalence, growing interest in gassy marine sediments is understandable, as their presence can have profound scientific, engineering and environmental significance.     

Spectra of the above-surface magnetic fields predicted by a canonical model of oceanic internal waves

The various fluctuation spectra associated with the magnetic induction field and its spatial derivatives generated by a canonical model of oceanic internal waves are calculated. The calculations are based upon the well-known canonical distribution from statistical mechanics. While in a general ease it is necessary to consider the details of the strong nonlinear interactions between linear internal waves, it is shown that the spectra of the above-surface magnetic fields are independent of such details. The predictions of the canonical model are compared to those of the Garrett-Munk (GM) model. The two models are found to yield significantly different results. An experiment to test the two models is suggested.