Sediment texture,distribution and transport on the Ayeyarwady continental shelf,Andaman Sea

The Ayeyarwady continental shelf is a complex sedimentary system characterized by large sediment influx (> 360 million ton/yr), a wide shelf (> 170 km), a strong tidal regime (7 m maximum tidal range), and incised by the Martaban Canyon. Grain size distribution on the Ayeyarwady shelf reveals three distinct areas in terms of sediment texture (i) a near-shore mud belt in the Gulf of Martaban and adjacent inner shelf (ii) outer shelf relict sands and (iii) mixed sediments with varying proportions of relict sand and modern mud in the Martaban Canyon. The bulk of the terrigenous sediment discharged by the Ayeyarwady River is displaced eastwards by a combination of tidal currents and clockwise flowing SW monsoon current and deposited in the Gulf of Martaban resulting in shoaling of its water depths. Part of the sediment discharge reaches the deep Andaman Sea via the Martaban Canyon and the rest is transported westward into the Bay of Bengal by the counter-clockwise flowing NE monsoon currents.     

Sediment distribution patterns on the Galicia-Minho continental shelf

A sedimentological and bathymetric study of the Minho-Galicia Shelf shows a strong contrast between a southern shelf region with a thin partially relict cover of sands and gravel, and a northern region where fine-grained sediments predominate. This contrast is explained through differences in the sediment supply, the oceanographic environment (storms and ocean currents) and the morphology of the shelf which results from its underlying tectonic framework.Most sediment is supplied to the Galicia-Minho Shelf by river discharges onto the Minho Shelf, particularly that from the Douro River. In the northern part of the shelf the Galician Rías act as sediment traps rather than sediment suppliers. The bulk of the sediment washes out of the rivers during episodic storm events. While most of the coarse sediments remain deposited close to the coast, the fine-grained material is exported to the outer areas of the shelf. Subsequently, coarse sediments close to the coast are transported southwards by the littoral drift. Whereas the fine-grained material is frequently resuspended through the action of the large swells who influence reaches deep into the water. This frequent resuspension has a long-term sorting effect on the sediments. Furthermore, resuspended sediments on the middle and outer regions of the shelf are transported northwards by a poleward flowing bottom current.As a consequence of the differential transport of coarse sediments to the south, and of the fine-grained sediments to the north, the outer reaches of the Minho Shelf are relatively poor in recent sediments. In many areas relict sediments as well as features associated with ancient coastlines and river mouths, still appear as seabed features. In contrast, the northern regions of the shelf are covered by a thin veneer of fine-grained material that smooth other most of these fossil features.The fine-grained sediment fractions (mostly very fine sands to coarse silts) are deposited in two large mud patches, the Douro and the Galicia Mud Patches, which are situated at water depths of around 100–120 m. These two mud patches are both controlled by the local hydrodynamics and morphology. The Beiral de Viana, to the west of the Douro Mud Patch is a plateau, up to 20 m high lying parallel to the shelf-break and is a morphological expression of an underlying horst system. This plateau acts as a barrier that prevents the drift of some of the fine-grained material to the west, out over the shelf-break and the continental slope. The Galicia Mud Patch is situated on the eastern part of the Galician Shelf to the north of the Douro Mud Patch. It is situated near the extension of the Porto–Tomar fault, which results in the shelf being usually steep in this region, down to a depth of about 100 m. West of this area the slope is much more gentle. Northward transport of the sediment is strongly reduced by the E–W trending outcrops of plutonic and metamorphic rocks.     

Sediment distribution and transport across the continental shelf and slope under idealized wind forcing

Resuspension, transport, and deposition of sediments over the continental shelf and slope are complex processes and there is still a need to understand the underlying spatial and temporal dynamical scales. As a step towards this goal, a two-dimensional slice model (zero gradients in the alongshore direction) based on the primitive flow equations and a range of sediment classes has been developed. The circulation is forced from rest by upwelling or downwelling winds, which are spatially uniform. Results are presented for a range of wind speeds and sediment settling speeds. Upwelling flows carry fine sediments (low settling speeds) far offshore within the surface Ekman layer, and significant deposition eventually occurs beyond the shelf break. However, coarser sediments quickly settle out of the deeper onshore component of the circulation, which can lead to accumulation of bottom sediments within the coastal zone. Downwelling flows are more effective at transporting coarse sediments off the shelf. However, strong vertical mixing at the shelf break ensures that some material is also carried into the surface Ekman layer and returned onshore. The concentrations and settling fluxes of coarse sediments decrease offshore and increase with depth under both upwelling and downwelling conditions, consistent with trends observed in sediment trap data. However, finer sediments decrease with depth (upwelling) or reach a maximum around the depth of the shelf break (downwelling). It is shown that under uniform wind conditions, suspended sediment concentrations and settling fluxes decay offshore over a length scale of order τ_s/ρf|w_s|, where τ_s is the wind stress, ρ the water density, f the Coriolis parameter, and w_s is the sediment settling velocity. This scaling applies to both upwelling and downwelling conditions, provided offshore transport is dominated by wind-driven advection, rather than horizontal diffusion.     

夏季浙江沿岸陆架区泥沙输运机制

基于2014年夏季浙江沿岸陆架区的水文、泥沙、底质沉积物等实测资料,运用物质通量分析方法和Gao-Collins粒径趋势分析法,探讨了泥沙的输运通量、输运方向、动力机制及净输运趋势。夏季,近岸含沙量规律性较强,由西至东逐渐降低,由南至北逐渐升高,且与潮流有非常好的对应关系,呈现出明显的潮周期变化特征。研究区净悬沙通量自岸向外海迅速变小,悬沙输运中平流输运占主导地位,其次是垂向净环流对悬沙输运的影响,近岸海域表现为向海输沙,30 m以深海域表现为东北向输沙,同时台湾暖流的屏障作用也影响了悬沙向海扩散。粒径趋势分析显示浙江沿岸陆架表层沉积物的长期输运机制为由东北向西南输运,在流系以及海底地形的影响下,中部海域出现粒径趋势较弱的沉积中心。而在夏季,悬浮泥沙主要为平行岸线向东北输运,估算每天进入研究海域的净悬浮泥沙约为1.9×106 t。     

Sources and transport of lipids on Amazon continental shelf

Dissolved material and recent sediment from the Amazon continental shelf have been analyzed for hydrocarbons to study the sources and potential fate of the transported organic matter. Dissolvedn-alkanes are present at low concentrations (ppb level) and are dominated by lipids from marine phytoplankton with carbon number maxima (C_max) at C₁₈/C₂₂ and an even-to-odd carbon predominance < C₃₀ (CPI_17–27 from 0.18 to 0.54). In the sediments, bimodal distributions ofn-alkane chain length suggest a mixed input of terrestrial (C_max at C₂₇/C₂₉/C₃₁ and CPI_25–33 from 0.75 to 1.82) and phytoplanktonic/microbial (C_max at C₂₀ and CPI_15–25 from 0.38 to 0.62) organic matter. Sesquiterpenes were the most significant cyclic compounds in all the dissolved samples analyzed reflecting a contribution from resinous trees to the terrestrial organic pool. On the other hand, enhanced concentrations of these compounds in the dissolved phase on the northwest portion of the Amazon shelf, contrasting with decreased concentrations in the sediment samples, suggest that dissolved lipids are released from solid phase in the intensely stirred seabed. Structured organic matter in the sediment has been characterized as being composed of, on average: 19% plant cuticles, 25% woody tissue, 13% pollens and spores, 24% amorphous material, 7% bituminite and 12% altered organic material.     

陆架环流作用下的北黄海中北部细颗粒物质输运

海洋泥质沉积是流域、古气候及海平面变化信息的重要载体,对该粒级物质的系统研究,是获取环境信息的重要手段。为此,采集北黄海中北部表层沉积物80件,经室内筛分处理,并对细颗粒组分（<63 μm）进行了稀土元素（REE）测试。结果显示REE的含量及分布模式在长山列岛东西两侧差异显著:东侧物质明显富集REE,尤其轻稀土元素（LREE）,Eu元素则明显缺失,指示了受鸭绿江的显著控制;长山列岛以西,REE除含量降低外,分布模式也变平缓。造影剂马根维显（Gd-DTPA）在磁共振成像（MRI）中的大量使用,可能是造成Gd明显富集的主要原因。此外,辽南沿岸物质的来源及分布与以往认识存在差异,以往认为辽南沿岸泥质沉积为鸭绿江为主的辽东半岛河流的远端泥沉积,而本文的研究发现:辽东半岛东侧长山列岛至大连湾外海域以黄河来源物质为主,鸭绿江物质对北黄海西部泥质区的贡献在西侧大于东侧,其中陆架环流对物质输运发挥着重要作用。     

东海北部外陆架EY02-1孔磁性地层研究

对长达70.20m的东海浅钻EY02-1进行了岩石磁学和古地磁分析,证明沉积物的载磁矿物主要为低矫顽力的磁铁矿,磁性地层揭示了发生于9.62~8.58m的磁极性事件,结合钻孔上部的AMS14C测年证明它为全新世初期的哥德堡磁极性漂移,线性外推的时间是距今12681~10206Ma,为全新世开始时地磁场是否发生过短期的磁极性漂移提供了新证据;与东海高分辨率的浅地层地震剖面以及典型钻孔(中法联合东海地震调查和DZQ4钻孔)对比还揭示,在中更新世地层中也出现过两次磁倾角变化。在钻孔中下部54.00~50.94m(2271—2151号样品)出现一段磁倾角变小甚至变成负值,但是由于该段沉积物以粗颗粒的砂为主并且负向样品并不连续,依据研究的标准不作为反磁极性事件。第二个比较连续的负向样品段出现在最底部70.20~64.31m。虽然研究区域内不乏揭示中更新统地层的地震剖面,但至今没有足够长的钻孔在时间上予以佐证。根据东海地震相对比和沉积物中海侵和海退旋回的不同特征以及布容期以来报道的反磁极性事件发生的时间来推测下部地层的时代归属。由于钻孔最底部的沉积主要是粗颗粒的粉砂质砂和细砂,同时钻孔也穿透了倒数第二冰期的杂乱地震相地层和其下的平行透明海相层,所以推测下部的倒转可能为发生在MIS8晚期的CR0反磁极性事件(距今265~255ka)。     

Sediment accumulation rates along the inner eastern Brazilian continental shelf

Box cores were collected close to river mouths along the eastern Brazilian shelf at water depths of 10–30 m. One core was taken from more than 1000 m depth at the shelf slope. ²¹⁰Pb and ²²⁶Ra activities were measured to establish sediment accumulation rates. Seven of the 10 cores exhibited an exponential decrease with depth of excess ²¹⁰Pb activities. The sediments from the sheltered Sudeste Channel off Caravelas revealed the highest sediment accumulation rate of 0.81 cm yr⁻¹. The sediments at the shelf slope seaward of the Rio Doce revealed the lowest accumulation rate of 0.13 cm yr⁻¹. Sediment accumulation rates increased towards the Caravelas Bank. Current patterns and the morphology of the seabed favor sediment deposition in this area.     

南海西北部陆架区住筒虫属的种类描述及其丰度分布

住筒虫是浮游被囊动物的一类,隶属于脊索动物门、尾索动物亚门、有尾纲、住筒虫科、住筒虫属,在海洋生物食物链中占重要位置。根据南海西北部陆架区2006年夏季、冬季和2007年春季3个航次各82个站的浮游动物拖网(网目孔径169 μm)调查资料,共鉴定到8种住筒虫:Fritillaria aberrens,F.abjornseni, F.formica, F.haplostoma, F.megachile, F.pacifica, F.pellucida, F.tenella,其中F.aberrens、F.abjornseni和F.pacifica为南海新纪录。对它们进行了形态描述,并结合环境因子探讨其丰度分布特征。夏季出现住筒虫8种,平均丰度为(2.62±4.68 )个/m3;冬季3种,春季4种,平均丰度分别为(0.23±0.52)和(1.72±5.43)个/m3。F.formica是丰度最高的一种,在夏季、冬季和春季分别占总丰度的43.88%,80.18%和84.29%;其次是F.pellucida和F.haplostoma;以上三种分布广,丰度较高。与环境因子分析表明,夏季琼东沿岸上升流和雷州半岛东部海域冷涡现象对种类向沿岸推移及其丰度增加有一定的助长作用。     

南海西北部陆架区住筒虫属的种类描述及其丰度分布

住筒虫是浮游被囊动物的一类,隶属于脊索动物门、尾索动物亚门、有尾纲、住筒虫科、住筒虫属,在海洋生物食物链中占重要位置。根据南海西北部陆架区2006年夏季、冬季和2007年春季3个航次各82个站的浮游动物拖网(网目孔径169 μm)调查资料,共鉴定到8种住筒虫:Fritillaria aberrens,F.abjornseni, F.formica, F.haplostoma, F.megachile, F.pacifica, F.pellucida, F.tenella,其中F.aberrens、F.abjornseni和F.pacifica为南海新纪录。对它们进行了形态描述,并结合环境因子探讨其丰度分布特征。夏季出现住筒虫8种,平均丰度为(2.62±4.68 )个/m³;冬季3种,春季4种,平均丰度分别为(0.23±0.52)和(1.72±5.43)个/m³。F.formica是丰度最高的一种,在夏季、冬季和春季分别占总丰度的43.88%,80.18%和84.29%;其次是F.pellucida和F.haplostoma;以上三种分布广,丰度较高。与环境因子分析表明,夏季琼东沿岸上升流和雷州半岛东部海域冷涡现象对种类向沿岸推移及其丰度增加有一定的助长作用。     

Sedimentary environments of the east-central Bering Sea continental shelf

A factor analysis of 180 bottom sediment samples from the east-central Bering Sea continental shelf identifies five factors that account for 95% of the variation in the 17 whole ø size classes that were used as variables. Factor I represents coarse sediments that have been bypassed in areas of active water circulation. Factors II and III represent fine and very fine sands that have been hydraulically sorted, reworked, and mixed. Factor IV represents coarse to medium silt that has been segregated from areas of relatively high energy. Factor V represents both the production of sediments finer than medium silt and deposition within the lowest-energy environment in this area.Modern and palimpsest sediments are areally prevalent over this section of the shelf. Relict sediments occur in only a few small areas. The dispersal of sediments is affected by surface and tidal currents as well as wave action. Ice rafting is not an important geological agent. Data from the eastcentral Bering Sea shelf indicate that sediments on subarctic continental shelves are not necessarily characterized by an abundance of rocky sediments or gravel.     

南海北部陆架区底层渔业资源的空间分布特征

根据2006年10月至2007年9月南海北部大陆架海域4个航次底拖网调查资料,分析了该海域渔业资源的种类组成、种类丰富度和渔获率的空间分布。结果表明,渔获种类数以湛江断面最多(405种),汕头断面最少(337种)。种类数随水深变化呈非对称正态分布,以40—80m水深组种类数最多。物种丰富度指数D的空间分布与种类数基本一致。在总渔获物中,鱼类、头足类和甲壳类3大类群重量组成比例为80:12:8,在断面分布上,组成比例鱼类以珠江口断面最高,头足类以湛江断面最高,甲壳类以阳江断面最高。在水深分布上,鱼类占比随水深的增加而增加,头足类占比在40—100m水深较高,甲壳类在10—20m浅水区最高。鱼类最主要的优势种有6种,其中,深水金线鱼主要在90—120m水深占优势,黄鳍马面鲀在60—90m水深占优势,条尾绯鲤在60—120m水深占优势,单棘豹鲂鮄在120—200m水深占优势,六指马鲅在30—60m水深占优势,龙头鱼在10—30m水深占优势。鱼类渔获率断面分布以珠江口和粤西海域较高,汕头海域最低;水深分布渔获率随水深的增加而增加。头足类渔获率以粤西和珠江口海域较高,粤东海域较低;在100m水深范围内,渔获率随水深的增...     

Sandbank occurrence on the Dutch continental shelf in the North Sea

Sandbanks, the largest of bed patterns in shallow sandy seas, pose a potential risk to shipping. They are also valuable elements of natural coastal protection, dissipating the energy of waves. In the Southern Bight of the North Sea, several sandbank areas have been reported in the literature. However, based on an objective crest–trough analysis of the bathymetry of the Dutch continental shelf, the present study shows that sandbanks are more widespread than commonly considered. These banks are relatively low, presumably explaining why they have not been documented before. This widespread occurrence of sandbanks in the North Sea is in agreement with theoretical predictions based on stability analysis techniques. The possible interference between large-scale human activity and low-amplitude open-shelf ridges implies that one should be careful not to overlook these patterns if none should appear in a preliminary (visual) assessment. The only part of the Southern Bight in which no ridges can be seen is a circular area with a diameter of about 50 km near the mouth of the river Rhine. Here, freshwater outflow affects the direction of tidal ellipses and residual flow, and suppresses the formation of open ridges.     

Sediment dynamics on the narrow,canyon-incised and current-swept shelf of the northern KwaZulu-Natal continental shelf,South Africa

Side-scan sonar, multibeam bathymetry, Shipek^TM grab, and high- to moderate-resolution sub-bottom data for the northern KwaZulu-Natal continental shelf reveal further insights into the interactions between sediment dynamics, strong western boundary currents and submarine canyon topography. Unlike previously recognised mechanisms for bedload parting on current-swept shelves, bedload partings here are the result of complex interactions between the western boundary poleward-flowing Agulhas Current and submarine canyon topography. This has resulted in bedforms orientated orthogonally to the canyon axis, with sediments entrained equator-wards into the canyon heads before resuming their dominant southerly migration. It is in these zones of parting where the most prominent bedforms occur; these bedform fields are formed by positive feedback in the boundary layer between an increasingly undulatory Agulhas Current and a seafloor incised by regularly spaced submarine canyons. Bedform morphometrics such as wavelength–height, depth–height and distance from thalweg–height relationships show no distinct patterns, indicating that the bedforms are heavily reworked and appear to be out of equilibrium with the inherent oceanographic conditions.     

High-resolution analysis of the deposition pattern on the Amazon sub-aquatic delta and outer continental shelf

Continental shelves off major river deltas or estuaries act as an interface between terrestrial environments and marine depo centers like the Amazon Fan. In order to understand sedimentary processes on the Amazon sub-aquatic delta and outer shelf, Late-Quaternary erosional and depositional structures have been investigated with an ultra high-resolution seismic survey system (4 kHz). The wavy morphology of the outer shelf implies the presence of tidal sand ridges or meandering channels. In the latter case, the local presence of channel fill deposits suggests several cut-off loops (ox bows). The inter-channel areas are consequently interpreted as levees, which reach their maximum height of 10 m in the area between the Amazon river mouth and the Amazon canyon. The morphology of terraces in front of the sub-aquatic delta reflect erosional processes which presumably occurred during accelerated sea level rise at the beginning and the end of the Younger Dryas. A carbonate platform is present in the northwestern survey area close to the shelf break. Its water depth of 120–130 m implies an evolution during the last glacial maximum. The asymmetric shape of the Cabo Norte Shoal on the topset of the sub-aquatic delta is typical of bottom current produced shoals. The steeper northwestern flank lies in the lee position of the northwest flowing coastal current. Southeast of the shoal the <10 m thick uppermost sequence of presumably Holocene age consists of lobes that dip with the same apparent angle as the foreset towards the offlap break. Within the area 20 km northwest of the shoal the uppermost sequence forms a smooth depression and may be erosionally truncated at the seafloor. Here, the prograding direction includes a northwest component. A shale diapir, which rises from a transparent underlying sequence, marks the transition to an area where the upper sequence is not resolved in the data.     

海底扇对外大陆架划界的潜在影响

自《联合国海洋法公约》1994年生效以来,外大陆架划界工作引起了地质、法律等多学科研究者的共同关注。为论证海底扇这一特殊海底地形在外大陆架划界工作中可能产生的影响,通过对全球典型的10个海底扇共同特征的统计,运用CARIS LOTS 4.0划界软件,对《联合国海洋法公约》第76条中2大重要地质因素——大陆坡脚位置和沉积物厚度进行了分析和研究,对孟加拉海底扇、蒙特利尔海底扇及印度海底扇3个全球典型的海底扇进行了外大陆架区域的划界分析,探讨了海底扇的发育及其对地貌的改造作用,以及对划界结果可能造成的影响。结果显示,影响海底扇发育的3大主要因素——构造环境、沉积物供给和海平面变化,使大陆坡脚位置的确定成为大陆架划界工作中面临的首要且关键的问题,对外大陆架的划界结果有潜在影响。而海底扇复杂的地质背景和特征,无疑对划界时使用《联合国海洋法公约》中的规定条款提出了新的挑战。在考虑海底扇影响的前提之下,陆坡坡脚位置会因其地形的变化向前推进或后退,峡谷和水道的分布对选区剖面确定最大坡折点的位置也会带来较大影响。因此,在外大陆架划界工作中,不但需要考虑《联合国海洋法公约》中的法律条款,海底扇及影响其形态、分布等3大重要因素的规律性,也是未来划界工作中需要进一步深入研究的重要问题。     

Indirect evidence for sediment transport on the continental shelf off Israel

The geographical distribution of coal particles that fell during nine years to the sea bottom from the open sea coal terminal off Hadera, Israel, shows a consistent northerly transport path, and it is inconceivable that the sand at that location would move in an opposite direction. Semicircular, current-scoured moats associated with small mounds found at the edge of the continental shelf off Ashdod and Haifa, Israel, also suggest a general northward-directed sediment transport. The northward sediment flow on the Israeli continental shelf inferred from this evidence therefore supports the model of Emery and Neev about general sand transport patterns along the Israeli coastline and continental shelf.     

黄海、东海陆架区沉积物中氮的形态分布及与浮游植物总量的关系

利用分级浸取分离法将黄海、东海陆架区沉积物氮分为转化态氮(TF-N)和非转化态氮,并将可转化态氮区分为4种形态:离子交换态氮IEF-N 、碳酸盐结合态氮CF-N 、铁锰氧化态氮IMOF-N及有机态和硫化物结合态氮OSF-N。 对各形态氮的平面、垂直和沉积剖面年际分布进行了分析,并进一步探讨了该区域氮形态与古生产力的替代指标——生物硅(BSi)的相关性,揭示了氮形态的地球化学特征及与浮游植物总量的关系。结果表明,黄海、东海陆架区表层沉积物中可转化态氮占总氮的百分比为16.81%,可转化态氮中4种形态氮的平均含量为:IMOF-N(66.65 μg/g)>IEF-N(22.96 μg/g)>OSF-N(17.40 μg/g)>CF-N(11.26 μg/g),IMOF-N是可转化态氮的优势形态;柱状沉积物中各形态氮垂直分布不同,长江口沉积物中各形态氮垂向变化幅度大于南黄海中部;离子交换态氮IEF-N和铁锰氧化态氮IMOF-N对浮游植物总量贡献较大。     

Mississippi-Alabama outer continental shelf topographic features formed during the late Pleistocene-Holocene transgression

A geophysical survey of the outer Missisippi-Alabama continental shelf revealed three types of topographic features: 1) reef-like mounds (RLM), 2) isobath-parallel ridges, and 3) shallow depressions. RLM appear to be bioherms. Their bases cluster in two isobath bands, 105 to 120 m and 74 to 82 m, implying the late Pleistocene-Holocene transgression was nonuniform. The deeper RLM probably formed during a slow sea level rise at the beginning of the deglaciation. An 11 ka BP C¹⁴ age was obtained from the summit of one, at a depth of 90 m. Depth relationships suggest the shallower RLM and most ridges formed about the time of the mid-deglacial Younger Dryas cooling episode.