Seismic reflection profiling with a deep-towed vertical hydrophone array

A seismic reflection profiling system consisting of a 264 m long, deep-towed, 15-element, end-fire, vertical array and a 40 cubic inch airgun was successfully used to profile a sediment pond in the trough of the inactive segment of the Kane Fracture Zone close to it's intersection with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 24° N. The increased signal to noise ratio achieved with the array demonstrates that it is a useful tool for detailed seismic profiling in areas of rough topography in the deep ocean.Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Contribution No. 5443.     

Use of radio-controlled miniature aircraft for marine atmosphere sampling

The use of Radio-Controlled Miniature aircraft by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for obtaining marine air samples is discussed. The particular requirements for gaseous as well as large-volume particulate sampling are discussed and at-sea tests performed from the R/V “Knorr” are described. Handling and logistics of use as well as aircraft characteristics are discussed.     

A network-based telemetry architecture developed for the Martha'sVineyard Coastal Observatory

Underwater observatories with real-time data and virtually unlimited power transmission capabilities compared to traditional oceanographic moorings are beginning to provide scientists with continuous access to the coastal and open ocean. However, for any coastal observatory to serve as a cost-effective system for the collection of long-term scientific and environmental data, it must have a simple, upgradeable power and telemetry system and an instrument interface that is compatible with existing standards. It must be designed for extended environmental exposure and ease of service to avoid high maintenance costs. Most importantly, the observatory must be accessible to all potential users, including students, scientists, engineers, and policy makers. This strategy was applied to the design of the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory on the south shore of the island of Martha's Vineyard. The new facility, and in particular its system architecture, as developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with support from the National Science Foundation, are described     

A fast responding temperature measurement system for CTD applications

The temperature measurement system of the standard Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Neil Brown Instrument Systems conductivity-temperature-depth microprofiler consists of a platinum thermometer, which has stable calibration characteristics but response time of order 200 ms combined with a fast response thermistor designed to sample the higher frequency temperature fluctuations. The calibration characteristics and temporal response of the individual sensors relative to the conductivity cell were studied using a modified instrument which digitized these data channels separately. The relative responses of the individual sensors were found to be fairly well modeled by a single pole filter, but the response of the standard temperature signal, which is an analog combination of the two temperature sensor outputs, exhibited a complicated behavior. Several methods for obtaining a well-calibrated fast-responding temperature signal from the digitized platinum thermometer and thermistor records are discussed. Preliminary results suggest that thermohaline features on scales of less than a meter in the vertical are resolvable.     

Recent developments in ocean data telemetry at Woods HoleOceanographic Institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is developing techniques for telemetering oceanographic data from the deep ocean to the laboratory in near real time. Three general approaches that provide a link between subsurface instruments and surface buoys equipped with satellite transmitters are being pursued. These approaches are: cabled systems that use electromechanical cables to connect subsurface instruments to a central controller; high data rate acoustic modems to transfer information between multiple remote units and a central controller; and inductive modems that use standard mechanical mooring lines as the transmission medium between instruments deployed on the mooring and a central controller. These telemetry systems are targeted for general use by the oceanographic community and are designed to be power efficient, low in cost, and capable of integration with most oceanographic data collection systems     

The Gibbs Fracture Zone: A double fracture zone at 52°30′N in the Atlantic Ocean

A bathymetric survey of the offset in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Crest at approximately 53°N revealed an east-west offset of 190 nautical miles and north-south offset of 75 nautical miles. The offset is filled with two valleys separated by a sill below 1900 fm. The valley strend approximately 95° east of north and are inconsistent with spreading poles calculated for the north Atlantic. Their trends have been used by earlier authors to calculate poles of rotation. It is proposed to name the offset The Gibbs Fracture Zone after the ship that made the survey.Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Contribution No. 2443.     

Some observational results of sea storm current

INTRODUCTIONDr. Hollister, a marine geologist of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, firstpointed out that there was ocean storm current in the ocean. He found out the wavy texture inthe seabed core samples, and suggested that this wavy texture was caused by the high speedsea current in remote antiquity. He then suggested a bold hypothesis that there existed a benthic storm current near the ocean bottom, and presented this hypothesis at the IUGG confer-ence held at San Francisco…     

A sound projector for acoustic tomography and global ocean monitoring

Long-range underwater acoustic systems, such as those used in ocean acoustic tomography, require low-frequency signals covering a broad frequency band. To meet this requirement, a novel design based on a tunable narrow-band high-efficiency sound projector has been used. The projector transmits a frequency sweep signal by mechanically tuning a resonator tube (or organ pipe) to match the frequency and phase of a reference signal. The resonator tube projector consists of a symmetrical pressure-balanced Tonpilz driver placed between two coaxially mounted tubes. The Tonpilz acoustic driver is composed of two pistons separated by preloaded ceramic stacks. The resonant tube is a simple, efficient, narrow-band, medium-output projector that operates at any ocean depth. Both projector tubes have slots (or vents) which are progressively covered or uncovered by sliding coaxial tubular sleeves. The frequency varies with the sleeve position. A computer-controlled electromechanical actuator moves the cylindrical sleeves along the tubes, keeping the projector in resonance at the instantaneous frequency of a swept frequency signal. The actuator smoothly tunes the resonator tube frequency in a bandwidth of 200 to 300 Hz during a 135-s transmission. A computer synthesizes the linear frequency-modulated signal; compares the phase between transmitted and reference signals; and, using a phase-lock loop (PLL) system, keeps the resonator tube frequency in resonance with the driver frequency. The estimated PLL precision is better than 3/spl deg/ phase error. The system was analyzed by means of finite element analysis and electrical equivalent circuit simulation. The projector prototype was first tested at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock in Woods Hole, MA and later in the Pacific Ocean during a voyage of the R/V "Point Sur" in November 2001.     

Combining data from a multisensor tag and passive sonar to determine the diving behavior of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)

Reports on the diving behavior of a sperm whale tagged and tracked on September 6, 2000 during the Sirena 2000 cruise in the Ligurian Sea. A total of about 4.5 h of acoustic and nonacoustic sensor data were recorded when a sperm whale was tagged with a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution developed tag with a hydrophone, motion, and pressure sensors. The animal was simultaneously tracked with a passive sonar system deployed from the NATO research vessel NRV Alliance. By combining data from the tag and passive sonar, we were able to reconstruct a three-dimensional track of the whale, along with its orientation and vocal behavior. While it was tagged, the whale carried out three deep dives to a depth of about 900 m in an area with a bottom depth of about 2600 m. The inter-click intervals of the diving whale were not consistent with ranging on the bottom, but were consistent with the hypothesis that the whale was possibly echolocating on some target(s) near the depth at which it dove to feed. This study demonstrated an ability to track subtle changes in the behavior of diving whales. This ability is important for three areas: 1) basic research, 2) studies of the responses of these animals to controlled exposures of man-made noise, and 3) studies to infer the biological significance of behavioral disruption.     

Evaluation of monthly turbulent heat fluxes from WHOI analysis and NCEP reanalysis in the tropical Atlantic

1 IntroductionThe empirical and simple model studies suggestthe existence of a SST dipole mode in the tropical At-lantic which is antisymmetric about the annual-meanthe intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and in-volves air- sea interaction through the wind- SST-evaporation (WES) feedback (Carton, 1996; Chang etal., 1997; Zhao et al., 2003). Chang et al. (2000)found that the dominant near-surface atmospheric re-sponse in the tropical Atlantic sector primarily comesfrom the local SST f…     

Modeling the tide and wind-induced circulation in Buzzards Bay

Hydrodynamic model application to Buzzards Bay is performed using a three-dimensional Boundary-fitted Hydrodynamic model in this study. The model is forced with observed tidal harmonic constants along the open boundaries and winds on the surface. The main focus of the present study is to model the detailed wind and tide-induced circulation in Buzzards Bay. The observed surface elevations and currents given in [Butman, B., Signell, R., Shoukimas, P., Beardsley, R.C., 1988. Current Observations in Buzzards Bay, 1982–1986. Open File Report 88-5. United States Geological Survey] and the tide and current harmonics given in [Signell, R.P., 1987. Tide- and Wind-forced Currents in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Technical Report WH-87-15. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts] are used to validate the model predictions. The calibrated model is then used to study the relative contributions of tidal and wind forcing on the instantaneous and residual circulation in Buzzards Bay. The amplitudes and phases of the principal tidal constituents at 10 tidal stations in Buzzards Bay obtained from a harmonic analysis of a 60-day simulation compare well with the observed data. The predicted amplitude and phase of the M₂ tidal constituent of surface elevations at these stations are, respectively, within 4 cm and 5° of the observed data. The errors in the model-predicted M₂ harmonic principal current speeds are less than 6 cm/s, and the principal current directions and phases are within 14° of the observations. The observed surface elevations and currents given in [Butman, B., Signell, R., Shoukimas, P., Beardsley, R.C., 1988. Current Observations in Buzzards Bay, 1982–1986. Open File Report 88-5. United States Geological Survey] are used to validate the model-predicted low-frequency surface elevations and currents. The model predictions in low-frequency surface elevations at Woods Hole closely follow the trends seen in the observations with a correlation coefficient of 0.735, but fail to capture some of the peak surges seen in the observations. The model-predicted low-frequency currents in the east–west direction at stations in Buzzards Bay compare well with the observations with the correlation coefficient exceeding 0.811 and the model capturing the trends seen in the observations, for the most part. However, the model-predicted north–south velocities does not compare well with the observations. The model-predictions agree with the observations that the tidal currents in Vineyard Sound lagged the currents in Buzzards Bay by more than 3 h. The interaction of wind stress with large bathymetric gradients was shown to cause many vortices in Buzzards Bay, as seen from the model predictions. Model simulations show that the winds play a more dominant role than the tides in the generation of the barotropic residual currents in Buzzards Bay, while the model-predicted tide-induced residual current was seen to be small.     

Magnetic fabric results from DSDP Holes 380A (Black Sea) and 524 (South Atlantic) sediment cores: A case study for the comparison between low and high field torque magnetometer measurements

Magnetic fabric (anisotropy) measurements have been made on samples of Quaternary sediments from DSDP Hole 380A (Black Sea) and Tertiary and Cretaceous nannofossil oozes, marls and volcanoclastic sandstones from the Southeast flank of the Walvis Ridge at Hole 524, recovered during Legs 42B and 73 of the International Program of Ocean Drilling (IPOD). The fabric was determined by means of both a low field and a high field torque magnetometer.The overall results from the low field measurements are similar to those from the high field measurements. The results from both sets of measurements indicate the existence of a NE-SW lineation at Hole 380A and a NW-SE lineation at Hole 524. For Hole 380A some of the individual parameters show slight differences in values for the low field and high field torque measurements while for Hole 524 these individual parameters compare favourably and indicate an approximately one-to-one correspondence. In general the fabric is better defined at Hole 524 than at Hole 380A. Anisotropy measurements sometimes were found to be greatly affected by the shape of the sample. This apparent shape-effect appears to be more prevalent in the high field than in the low field measurements. In addition, for Holes 380A and 524 some samples show deformational-style fabric characteristics on one instrument and depositional-style characteristics on the other. The reasons for these differences and how the effects on the anisotropy data can be removed or minimised are described in this paper.     

Seasonal variability of turbulent heat fluxes in the tropical Atlantic Ocean based on WHOI flux product

The mean seasonal variability of turbulent heat fluxes in the tropical Atlantic Ocean is examined using the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution(WHOI) flux product.The most turbulent heat fluxes occur during winter seasons in the two hemispheres,whose centers are located at 10°~20°N and 5°～15°S respectively.In climatological ITCZ,the turbulent heat fluxes are the greatest from June to August,and in equatorial cold tongue the turbulent heat fluxes are the greatest from March to May.Seasonal variability of sensible heat flux is smaller than that of latent heat flux and mainly is dominated by the variations of air-sea temperature difference.In the region with larger climatological mean wind speed(air-sea humidity difference),the variations of air-sea humidity difference(wind speed) dominate the variability of latent heat flux.The characteristics of turbulent heat flux yielded from theory analysis and WHOI dataset is consistent in physics which turns out that WHOI's flux data are pretty reliable in the tropical Atlantic Ocean.     

A study on suspended matters in the South Huanghai Sea in summer time

A joint investigation of marine geoloy in the South Huanshai Sea was carried out by the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA during 1983～1984. This paper reports the investigation results of the suspended matters in the water column at 55 stations in July, 1984 (summer time). The highest concentration region where the value is less than 0.5 mg/L, is found in the central part of the study area and the southern part of Shandong Peninsula. The Taiwan Warm Current which might obstruct the discharge of the Changjiang River to the east of the sea, appears in the distribution of the suspended matters outside the Changjiang River Estuary. Although lots of materials are brought into the sea during the high flow period of the Huanghe and the Chansjiang Rivers in July, this does not form the main scarce of the suspended matters. The main source is the resuspension of depesits. The materials brought by rivers come the second, and biogeneons components in the sea co     

Coupling parameters of the MIT OBS at two nearshore sites

A model representing the coupling of an ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) to the seafloor as a mass-spring-dashpot system satisfactorily explains the results of transient tests performed on different instruments during the Lopez Island intercomparison test. In this paper, we compare the results obtained for the MIT OBS at Lopez Island to results from similar tests at a dockside site at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The vertical instrument response at the Lopez Island site shows a highly damped resonance at a frequency of 22 Hz, whereas the response at the Woods Hole site shows a marked resonance at 13 Hz. The difference between the responses at the two sites can be qualitatively attributed to the difference between the surficial sediments.     

Submersible structural study of Tamayo transform fault: East Pacific Rise, 23°N (project RITA)

A submersible structural study of Tamayo transform fault, the second field study of an oceanic transform, was conducted with the diving saucer CYANA as part of the international project RITA. On the basis of the surface ship surveys and deep-tow traverses made prior to the diving program, the four successful dives of CYANA established the geometry of the presently active shear zones and demonstrated that the median ridge of the Tamayo transform is tectonically inactive. The dive results require the presence, in an area marked by diapir-like bodies, of an extensional relay zone linking the two offset shear zones which trend about 110°.P. CHOUKROUNE, Laboratoire de Géologie structurale, Université de Rennes I, avenue du Général-Leclerc, 35042-Rennes Cédex, France; P. J. FOX, State University of New York at Alban, Albany, New York, 12222, USA; M. SEGURET, Laboratoire de Géologie structurale Université des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Place Eugéne-Bataillon, 34060, Montpellier Cédex, France; J. FRANCHETEAU, H. D. NEEDHAM, Centre Océanologique de Bretagne, B. P. 337, 29273, Brest Cédex, France; T. JUTEAU, Laboratoire de Minéralogie-Pétrographie, Université Louis-Pasteur, 1 rue Blessig, 67084, Strasbourg, Cédex, France; R. D. BALLARD, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, USA; W. NORMARK, United States Geological Survey, Pacific-Arctic Branch of Marine Geology, Menlo Park, California, 94025, USA; A. CARRANZA, Centro de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico 20 DF, Mexico; D. CORDOBA, J. GUERRERO, Instituto de Geologia, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico 20 DF Mexico; C. RANGIN, UNAM,now at Université de Paris VI, France.     

The heterotrophic activity for amino acids,glucose and acetate in Antarctic waters

The kinetic approach ofWright andHobbie (1966) was used to determine the heterotrophic potential of Antarctic waters. Variations with depth and geographical location are discussed. Temperature studies indicate the psychrophilic nature of the microbial population. In samples having environmental temperatures of approximately –1C, significant activities were recorded at the lowest incubation temperatures tested (–3C). Activities increased with increasing incubation temperatures up to +3C but were somewhat depressed at +10C and above. By testing a wide range of substrates, qualitative differences were noted in the microbial populations of different areas.Highest rates of uptake were found in the euphotic zone whereas V_max values of samples from depths of 500 m and below were in most cases unmeasurable.Published as Technical Paper No. 4259, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.     

全球海洋酸化研究态势与最新进展分析

海洋是一个巨大的碳库,通过吸收大气中的二氧化碳减缓了全球变暖的局势。海洋同时也是蕴含丰富资源的宝库,过量二氧化碳的吸收造成海水pH值发生变化,海洋酸化对这个资源宝库的影响不容忽视。文章通过文献计量与统计分析的方法,从宏观角度研究了海洋酸化研究的整体发展现状、主要研究力量与研究主题分布,分析了未来的发展趋势,并结合现有问题给出了讨论建议,以期为未来的海洋酸化研究提供一定的参考借鉴。研究结果表明：海洋酸化研究经历了探索、成型、快速增长与稳步增长4个时期,澳大利亚、美国、加拿大和英国是主要研究国家,美国国家海洋与大气管理局、美国伍兹霍尔海洋研究所、美国加州大学、澳大利亚昆士兰大学和詹姆斯库克大学是主要研究机构。海洋酸化过程与成因、敏感性生物与生命过程影响、生态系统影响与生态效应、珊瑚礁与藻类典型研究等内容则是该领域的主要研究主题。未来的海洋酸化研究还应该拓展广度和深度、提升方法和技术,并注意制定综合研究计划、慎重定性与量化研究结果、考虑多方面差异耦合因子并加强基础研究与国际合作。     

How does the ocean response to the withdrawal of water from a watergate located at the eastern boundary on a beta-plane?

The formation of the spun up region by the withdrawal of water from a watergate located in the eastern boundary in a homogeneous ocean on a beta-plane at low Rossby number is presented. The spun up region penetrates only westward from the Watergate because of the special character of the generated Rossby waves. The growth rate and the final longitudinal length of the spun up region in the dissipative system is much affected by the watergate scale in the north-south direction.The relation with the experiment ofLong (1952) and the geophysical application are presented.