A New Video Controlled,Hydraulically Damped Corer for Sediment/Water Interaction Studies

Abstract

A new box-corer is described. Placement and penetration of the box-corer is video-assisted to secure a sample representative of the bottom. The box itself is constructed of fully transparent polycarbonate which allows for video control observation of the sediment/water interface during sampling. The box is open during the descent towards the seabed but closes when the release is triggered. The box-corer is hydraulically damped so that the box after landing is very gently pushed into the seabed to a predetermined depth. A sediment sample with a total length of about 35 cm and with a surface area of 400 cm² (20.0x20.0 cm) is collected in the box together with the near bottom water to a height of about 10 cm above the bed. The box-corer height is 180 cm and the total weight about 200 kg. The legs can be dismounted which makes transportation easy. The box-corer has been operated with success both in coarse sand and in soft silt and clay dominated sediments.     

一种新型水陆空潜四栖遥控机器

为解决目前海洋上机器自动化探查技术中分离式技术的不成熟与作品设计的缺陷问题,对水陆空三栖遥控机器进行改进,通过六轴多旋翼飞行器以及万向轮并加入潜水模块,增加机械自动化探查功能并实现水陆空潜四栖的可行性。该四栖遥控机器通用性强,不停留于模型不变的老旧模式,同一车体通过简单的结构变化能实现水陆空潜四栖运动,相比普通两栖有更多的功能,同时设计轻巧,减少了机器探查技术因分离式探查而带来的器械成本,其简单的操作运行模式更具研究价值。     

A New Video and Digital Camera System for Studies of the Dynamics of Microtopographic Features on Tidal Flats

A newly developed video and camera system for tidal flat microtopographic studies is presented. It consists of a SONY handy cam placed in an underwater housing mounted on a frame about 70?cm above the sediment surface. A rectangular surface area of 30?×40?cm is imaged by the camera. The camera records video sequences and/or digital images at predetermined time lapses. The total number of images is about 540, and a similar number of 10-second long video sequences can be recorded. The camera is programmed with a PC before deployment, and the total deployment time depends on the time lapse between recordings. The camera is connected to an external power supply (12?volt), and a halogen projector pointing towards the sediment surface ensures that the system is operable on a 24-hours scale. The system has been tested in the Danish Wadden Sea. It has proved to be a very useful tool in studies of topographic effects of erosion and deposition sequences, and for studies of benthic organisms-sediment interactions. The test site was further equipped with sensors for water and seabed measurements, which proved to be indispensable regarding the interpretation of recorded image time-series.     

A New Video and Digital Camera System for Studies of the Dynamics of Microtopographic Features on Tidal Flats

A newly developed video and camera system for tidal flat microtopographic studies is presented. It consists of a SONY handy cam placed in an underwater housing mounted on a frame about 70 cm above the sediment surface. A rectangular surface area of 30 ×40 cm is imaged by the camera. The camera records video sequences and/or digital images at predetermined time lapses. The total number of images is about 540, and a similar number of 10-second long video sequences can be recorded. The camera is programmed with a PC before deployment, and the total deployment time depends on the time lapse between recordings. The camera is connected to an external power supply (12 volt), and a halogen projector pointing towards the sediment surface ensures that the system is operable on a 24-hours scale. The system has been tested in the Danish Wadden Sea. It has proved to be a very useful tool in studies of topographic effects of erosion and deposition sequences, and for studies of benthic organisms-sediment interactions. The test site was further equipped with sensors for water and seabed measurements, which proved to be indispensable regarding the interpretation of recorded image time-series.     

莱州湾、渤海湾及渤海中央盆地沉积物岩芯地球化学的初步研究

本文对莱州湾、渤海湾、渤海中央盆地的海洋底质沉积环境进行了研宄,通过对17柱沉积物岩芯样品中Fe,Al,Mn,Ti的测定和分析,论述了四元素在底质表层沉积物中及在岩芯沉积物中的含量和分布规律,用数理统计的方法分析了渤海中央盆地Fe,Al,Mn,Ti的丰度值,为渤海环境背景值及环境背景历史的研究提供了重要参数。     

A simple method to determine breaker height and depth for different deepwater wave height/length ratios and sea floor slopes

Existing, easily applicable methods to calculate the depth and height of breaking waves are hampered by two obstacles. First, the breaker depth is usually required to compute its height, and vice versa. Second, the equations take into account either the deepwater height to wavelength ratio or the sea floor slope, but not both. A simple iterative procedure is therefore proposed which incorporates both elements. For fully developed waves breaking over a nearly horizontal bottom, the breaker height and depth are also direct functions of the deepwater wavelength.     

A New Wetting and Drying Method for Moving Boundary in Shallow Water Flow Models

To deal with the moving boundary hydrodynamic problems of the tidal flats in shallow water flow models, a new wetting and drying (WD) method is proposed. In the new method, a “predicted water depth” is evaluated explicitly based on the simplified shallow water equations and used to determine the status (wet or dry) together with the direction of flow. Compared with previous WD method, besides the water elevation, more factors, such as the flow velocity and the surface shear stress, are taken into account in the new method to determine the moving boundary. In addition, a formula is deduced to determine the threshold, as critical water depth, which needs to be preset before simulations. The new WD method is tested with five cases including three 1D ones and two 2D ones. The results show that the new WD method can simulate the wetting and drying process, in both typical and practical cases, with smooth manner and achieves effective estimation of the retention volume at shallow water body.     

A New Wetting and Drying Method for Moving Boundary in Shallow Water Flow Models

To deal with the moving boundary hydrodynamic problems of the tidal flats in shallow water flow models,a new wetting and drying (WD) method is proposed.In the new method,a "predicted water depth" is evaluated explicitly based on the simplified shallow water equations and used to determine the status (wet or dry) together with the direction of flow.Compared with previous WD method,besides the water elevation,more factors,such as the flow velocity and the surface shear stress,are taken into account in the new method to determine the moving boundary.In addition,a formula is deduced to determine the threshold,as critical water depth,which needs to be preset before simulations.The new WD method is tested with five cases including three 1D ones and two 2D ones.The results show that the new WD method can simulate the wetting and drying process,in both typical and practical cases,with smooth manner and achieves effective estimation of the retention volume at shallow water body.     

In Situ Measurement of Pinna nobilis Shells for Age and Growth Studies: A New Device

Abstract. Pinna nobilis Linnaeus 1758 is an endemic bivalve mollusc in the Mediterranean Sea, where it inhabits seagrass meadows, especially Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile. It is the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean, reaching lengths up to 120 cm. In its natural habitat, P. nobilis lives with the anterior part of the valve buried in the seabed, attached to Posidonia rhizomes by byssus threads.
This habit makes it impossible to measure its total length directly in situ. As the only way to determine the individual age is the relationship between age and total length, several equations have been proposed to estimate total length by relating it to the unburied parts of the shell. Such measurements are essential to ecological studies that consider age, growth, and population dynamics, and that evaluate the environmental factors that affect this species.
Accurately estimating total length depends on the accuracy and precision of the method employed to measure the unburied shell parts. In this paper, we point out the lack of precision of the instruments and methods used until now; we also demonstrate the reason for this imprecision. A new device to measure unburied parts of Pinna nobilis with a precision comparable to that obtained when measuring extracted valves is described. This device is unaffected by substratum type and reduces measurement time. The latter is a very important feature, because these procedures are usually performed whilst SCUBA diving. Finally, a growth equation has been fitted to the measurements obtained with the new device from a population located in Moraira (Alicante, western Mediterranean).     

SARAL/AltiKa Waveform Analysis to Monitor Inland Water Levels: A Case Study of Maithon Reservoir,Jharkhand, India

In the present study, behavior of the SARAL/AltiKa (Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa) waveforms over Maithon Reservoir (～65 km² of surface area), Jharkhand, India, has been studied. The estimated water level has been compared with the in situ measurements at hydro-gauging station at the dam site. The problem of minimization of errors in the water level retrieval from AltiKa measurements has been resolved by improvement of the retracking method. A real retracking gate detection algorithm based on statistical analysis harnessing various physical parameters of the waveform has been developed, which has been applied to SARAL/AltiKa waveforms over the Maithon reservoir. Comparing the in-situ measurements with altimetry data (from cycle 1, 19 March 2013 to cycle 12, 8 April 2014) showed that it is crucial to improve the retracking method. Results showed accuracy of water level monitoring increased by nearly 76% by the newly developed waveform retracking algorithm over non-retracked water level. We also compared this new method with the existing ice-1 algorithm and found that with the new method there is improvement of ～27% over ice-1 retracked water level. The correlation coefficient values and root mean square values without retracking, with ice-1 algorithm and with newly developed retracking algorithm were 0.87, 0.91, and 0.95, and 8.12 cm, 2.08 cm, and 1.42 cm, respectively. This shows the proposed retracker performed better than ice-1. The retracking procedure helped in outliers' identification and substitution and with waveform fitting and waveform parameter extraction. This algorithm should have good performance capability for retrieving water level over inland water bodies like Maithon reservoir.     

A New Method of Combination of Electroosmosis, Vacuum and Surcharge Preloading for Soft Ground Improvement

As a rapid and effective ground improvement method is urgently required for the booming land reclamation in China’s coastal area, this study proposes a new combined method of electroosmosis, vacuum preloading and surcharge preloading. A new type of electrical prefabricated vertical drain (ePVD) and a new electroosmotic drainage system are suggested to allow the application of the new method. This combined method is then field-tested and compared with the conventional vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method. The monitoring and foundation test results show that the new method induces a settlement 20% larger than that of the conventional vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method in the same treatment period, and saves approximately half of the treatment time compared with the vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method according to the finite element prediction of the settlement. The proposed method also increases the vane shear strength of the soil significantly. The bearing capacity of the ground improved by use of the new proposed method raises 118%. In comparison, there is only a 75% rise when using the vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method during the same reinforcement period. All results indicate that the proposed combined method is effective and suitable for reinforcing the soft clay ground. Besides, the voltage applied between the anode and cathode increases exponentially versus treatment time when the output current of power supplies is kept constant. Most of the voltage potential in electroosmosis is lost at electrodes, leaving smaller than 50% of the voltage to be effectively transmitted into the soil.     

A cellular automata model for population expansion of Spartina alterniflora at Jiuduansha Shoals,Shanghai, China

Biological invasion has received considerable attention recently because of increasing impacts on local ecosystems. Expansion of Spartina alterniflora, a non-native species, on the intertidal mudflats of Jiuduansha Shoals at the Yangtze River Estuary is a prime example of a spatially-structured invasion in a relatively simple habitat, for which strategic control efforts can be modeled and applied. Here, we developed a Cellular Automata (CA) model, in conjunction with Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems, to simulate the expanding process of S. alterniflora for a period of 8 years after being introduced to the new shoals, and to study the interactions between spatial pattern and ecosystem processes for the saltmarsh vegetation. The results showed that the CA model could simulate the population dynamics of S. alterniflora and Phragmites australis on the Jiuduansha Shoals successfully. The results strongly support the hypothesis of space pre-emption as well as range expansion with simple advancing wave fronts for these two species. In the Yangtze River Estuary, the native species P. australis shares the same niche with the exotic species S. alterniflora. However, the range expansion rate of P. australis was much slower than that of S. alterniflora. With the accretion of the Jiuduansha Shoals due to the large quantity of sediments deposited by the Yangtze River, a rapid range expansion of S. alterniflora is predicted to last for a long period into future. This study indicated the potential for this approach to provide valuable insights into population and community ecology of invasive species, which could be very important for wetland biodiversity conservation and resource management in the Yangtze River Estuary and other such impacted areas.     

芳烃／海水界面张力的研究──1．苯及甲苯与海水界面张力的研究

首次用滴体积法比较系统地测定苯、甲苯与海水在不同温度（２０～３５℃）、不同盐度（０～４０．５）范围内的界面张力。测定值相对误差小于０．５％。用统计方法得出这两个芳烃与海水界面张力分别与温度和盐度的经验公式。指出：公式计算值与实验测定值之间平均标准偏差＜０．１ｍＮ／ｍ。     

辽东湾海蜇增殖放流模式的建立和应用

基于中国近海浪-流耦合业务化预报系统（OFS-C）和Lagrangian粒子追踪方法,本文首次建立了辽东湾海蜇增殖放流模型。模型中,海蜇用虚拟的粒子表示,具有昼夜垂直运动（DVM）特性。海蜇运动由海流和次网格参数化引起的随机运动驱动。利用航次调查数据对模型结果进行了验证,模式结果可以很好的模拟放流海蜇分布的主要结构。模型分析了物理过程对辽东湾放流海蜇的输运和分布的影响,结果显示海蜇运动主要受海流和间接的风应力的影响。放流地和捕捞地的连通性分析表明,辽东湾海蜇的主要捕捞地集中于湾顶。另外,连通性矩阵表明,瓦房店放流的部分海蜇不能到达捕捞地,因此,相对于其它放流地来说,瓦房店不是理想的放流地。敏感性实验表明了随机游走的重要性,但是对于游走格式并不敏感。海蜇栖息的深度会影响海蜇最终的分布,若海蜇栖息于海底,则在低层环流的影响下,最终分布于辽东湾中部,部分会流出辽东湾,而不能到达湾顶。