Distinguishing the main components of submarine groundwater and estimating the corresponding fluxes based on radium tracing method—taking the Maowei Sea for example

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is an important part in the land-sea interactions, which mainly contains three components: submarine fresh groundwater discharge (SFGD), tidal flat recirculated saline groundwater discharge (tidal flat RSGD) and subtidal recirculated saline groundwater discharge (subtidal RSGD). In order to make a more accurate assessment of the impact of SGD on coastal ecological environment, it is necessary to distinguish the main components of SGD. In this study, the Maowei Sea, located in the northern part of the Beibu Gulf, was selected as the study area. Based on the radium (Ra) tracing method, we present a new analytical method for distinguishing the three main components of SGD in this area combined with field data. The average daily flow along the coastline of the Maowei Sea of tidal flat RSGD was slightly higher than that of SFGD, and both two were on the magnitude of 1×105 m3/d. The average daily flow for the subtidal RSGD of the entire subtidal zone of the Maowei Sea reached to the magnitude of 1×106–1×107 m3/d. The long-term variation trend of terrestrial SGD is a valuable information for the study of the influence of terrigenous material on the coastal ecological environment. Based on the results of four sampling periods, it is found that the fluxes of SFGD and tidal flat RSGD in the Maowei Sea had good linear correlation with the net precipitation. As an example, January 2015 to August 2022 were selected as the study periods, and the variation trends of SFGD and tidal flat RSGD were calculated by linear function with net precipitation as the independent variable. The results showed that the flux of tidal flat RSGD was slightly higher than that of SFGD, and the difference between the two is larger in flood season while smaller in dry season. In general, in the coastal range of China, the total SGD flux in the Maowei Sea area is at a high level, and the SFGD flux is at a medium level.     

Authigenic carbonates from the eastern Black Sea as an archive for shallow gas hydrate dynamics – Results from the combination of CT imaging with mineralogical and stable isotope analyses

Authigenic carbonates associated with cold seeps provide valuable archives of changes in the long-term seepage activity. To investigate the role of shallow-buried hydrates on the seepage strength and fluid composition we analysed methane-derived carbonate precipitates from a high-flux hydrocarbon seepage area (“Batumi seep area”) located on the south-eastern Black Sea slope in ca. 850 m. In a novel approach, we combined computerized X-ray tomography (CT) with mineralogical and isotope geochemical methods to get additional insights into the three-dimensional internal structure of the carbonate build-ups.     

The assessment of the hydrocarbon potential and maturity of Silurian intervals from eastern part of Moesian Platform – Romanian sector

The aim of this paper is the assessment of the hydrocarbon potential and maturity of Silurian intervals from the Călăraşi-Bordei Verde-Biruinţa perimeter – East Moesian Platform. All the information gathered from the wells drilled in the mentioned perimeter is used for the evaluation of the “shale gas” potential, too. This major sedimentary basin has all geological conditions for hydrocarbons generation, migration and accumulation. The main conclusions of the all geo-analyses are the following: the XRD analyses show that the samples consist of clay minerals with organic material, the organic matter contained in the samples of the wells shows widely distributed type of organoclasts. In absence of true vitrinite originating from higher plants in these Lower Paleozoic series, the various encountered organic remains consist of Tasmanites, microporous or homogeneous fragments, structured fragments of graptolites, oxidized or naturally rich in oxygen organoclasts inherited from the continent (phytoclasts, fungal remains). The maturity of the Silurian at Ţăndărei borehole is established taking into account the fluorescence of the Tasmanites and the reflectance of graptolites; the maturity increases with depth between 0.70 and 1% eq. VRo. The organic matter of Biruinţa and Călăraşi boreholes is overmature with maturity of around 1.40–1.55% at 400 m in Biruinţa and a maturity increase with depth between 1.85 and 2.05% eq. VRo in Călăraşi borehole. Those values are mainly deduced from vitrinite/graptolite correlation. According to the maturity trend deduced of Călăraşi and Ţăndărei boreholes, the high maturity of Biruinţa for such a low burial (around 400 m) indicates a possible erosion around 3400 m due to uplift. The Silurian studied samples consist of carbonated claystones with an organic matter of type II with relatively low residual TOC content: less than 1.2% weight for the overmature boreholes (Biruinţa and Călăraşi) and less than 1.6% weight in Ţăndărei borehole.     

Heat,volume and chemical fluxes from submarine venting: A synthesis of results from the Rainbow hydrothermal field, 36°N MAR

High-temperature hydrothermal activity occurs in all ocean basins and along ridge crests of all spreading rates. While it has long been recognized that the fluxes associated with such venting are large, precise quantification of their impact on ocean biogeochemistry has proved elusive. Here, we report a comprehensive study of heat, fluid and chemical fluxes from a single submarine hydrothermal field. To achieve this, we have exploited the integrating nature of the non-buoyant plume dispersing above the Rainbow hydrothermal field, a long-lived and tectonically hosted high-temperature vent site on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Our calculations yield heat and volume fluxes for high-temperature fluids exiting the seafloor of ～0.5 GW and 450 L s^?1, together with accompanying chemical fluxes, for Fe, Mn and CH₄ of ～10, ～1 and ～1 mol s^?1, respectively. Accompanying fluxes for 25 additional chemical species that are associated with Fe-rich plume particles have also been calculated as they are transported away from the Rainbow vent site before settling to the seabed. High-temperature venting has been found to recur at least once every ～100 km along all slow-spreading ridges investigated to-date, with half of all known sites on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge occurring as long-lived and tectonically hosted systems. If these patterns persist along all slow- and ultraslow-spreading ridges, high-temperature venting of the kind reported here could account for ～50% of the on-axis hydrothermal heat flux along ～30,000 km of the ～55,000 km global ridge crest.     

Temporal variability of amino acid, hexosamine, and carbohydrate fluxes on the eastern Brazilian continental margin related to discharge of the São Francisco River, Brazil

Settling particles collected at 1550 m water depth off the São Francisco River, Brazil, between January and May 1995 showed peak fluxes of amino acids, hexosamines, and carbohydrates, which formed the onset of a three-week period of high organic matter (OM) flux, coinciding with the high discharge period of the river. Two phases of OM deposition exist: (1) the fluvial input of nutrients triggering a bloom of non biomineralizing plankton, and (2) suspended sediment mainly derived from shelf erosion increasing the fluxes of refractory OM. This indicates the importance of seasonally varying hydrodynamic conditions and nutrient input from the continent for the production and sedimentation of OM to the continental margin of eastern Brazil.     

Bathymetric reconstructions of the Miocene-age “calcari aLucina” (northern Apennines,Italy) from oxygen isotopes and benthic Foraminifera

Two independent methods of paleobathymetry, applicable to hydrocarbon-derived carbonates, are explored in this study. The oxygen isotope method exploits the temperature decline with depth that leaves a measurable imprint on the ¹⁸O composition of pristine products of venting comprised of aragonites and dolomites. The other method makes use of the bathymetric preferences of benthic foraminiferal taxa entrapped in the carbonate buildups. These two methods were tested on the calcari aLucina limestones hosted in turbidites and mudstones infilling the Miocene-age Marnoso-arenacea basin. The limestone blocks, rich in fossils of chemosymbiotic-like fauna, preserve a 10-Ma record of hydrocarbon venting from Langhian to lower Messinian times. Our results indicate that carbonate accretion and lithification occurred at upper bathyal depths in waters not shallower than 200–250 m. The ¹⁸O of venting products contains the imprints of profound hydrographic changes that occurred in the ancient Mediterranean basin from the lower Serravallian to the lower Messinian.     

The role of port cities and transnational municipal networks in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on land and at sea from shipping – An assessment of the World Ports Climate Initiative

In 2008, 55 of the world's largest ports voluntarily adopted the World Ports Climate Declaration (WPCD) and the International Association of Ports and Harbours committed to long-term work on implementation through the World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI). This article assesses the work of WPCI since 2008 and makes five recommendations that, if implemented, could support efforts to reduce the climate and environmental impacts of port operations and international shipping. In particular, as the impetus for the WPCD came from a port city – Rotterdam – and their engagement with a transnational municipal network – the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group – the paper considers the role of cities and transnational municipal networks in governance, and the potential for cities to play a more active and influential role in the maritime sector. The article presents an overview of literature on the role and function of transnational municipal networks, the background and development of the WPCD, analysis of the work of WPCI, and a discussion concerning the potential of cities and transnational municipal networks to support and add value to WPCI or similar initiatives in the maritime sector. This informs the conclusions and recommendations to marine policy-makers and port stakeholders.