Satellite Estimates of Wide-Range Suspended Sediment Concentrations in Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary Using MERIS Data

The Changjiang (Yangtze) estuarine and coastal waters are characterized by suspended sediments over a wide range of concentrations from 20 to 2,500 mg l⁻¹. Suspended sediment plays important roles in the estuarine and coastal system and environment. Previous algorithms for satellite estimates of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) showed a great limitation in that only low to moderate concentrations (up to 50 mg l⁻¹) could be reliably estimated. In this study, we developed a semi-empirical radiative transfer (SERT) model with physically based empirical coefficients to estimate SSC from MERIS data over turbid waters with a much wider range of SSC. The model was based on the Kubelka–Munk two-stream approximation of radiative transfer theory and calibrated using datasets from in situ measurements and outdoor controlled tank experiments. The results show that the sensitivity and saturation level of remote-sensing reflectance to SSC are dependent on wavelengths and SSC levels. Therefore, the SERT model, coupled with a multi-conditional algorithm scheme adapted to satellite retrieval of wide-range SSC, was proposed. Results suggest that this method is more effective and accurate in the estimation of SSC over turbid waters.     

Impact of Spawning Substrate Complexity on Egg Survival of Atlantic Herring (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clupea harengus</Emphasis>, L.) in the Baltic Sea

Shallow shore zones are generally considered to provide juvenile habitats for many invertebrate and fish species and additionally serve as spawning grounds for important components of oceanic food webs and fishery resources such as herring (Clupea spp.). Herring attach their demersal eggs to benthic substrates, rendering reproduction success vulnerable to environmental changes and local habitat alterations. However, little information is available on the effects of different substrates on the survival of demersal eggs. Hypothesizing that the structural complexity of spawning substrates generally affects herring egg survival and that the effect magnitude depends on the suitability of ambient environment, field experiments were conducted on a major spawning ground of C. harengus in the Southwestern Baltic Sea. Herring eggs were artificially spawned on substrates of different structural complexities and incubated in situ under differing temperature regimes, at the beginning and the end of the natural herring spawning season, to include the full suite of stressors occurring on littoral spawning beds. Results of this study indicate a positive relation between high structural complexity of spawning substrates and herring egg survival. Mean egg mortality was three times higher on substrates of lowest complexity than on highly complex substrates. These differences became even more prominent under unfavorable conditions that appeared with rising water temperatures later in the spawning season. Although the mechanisms are still unclear, we conclude that structural complexity, particularly formed by submerged aquatic vegetation, provides a crucial prerequisite for the successful reproduction of substrate spawning marine fishes such as herring in the Baltic Sea.     

基于ADCP反向散射强度估算悬沙浓度在洋山港的应用研究

洋山深水港地形差异大,流态复杂,在宽阔的西口门和窄深东口门,以传统方法同步开展悬沙输移监测十分困难。详述了在颗珠山汊道应用ADCP走航测沙的实现方法,结论显示,与传统代表垂线法成果相比,通过ADCP声反向散射信号计算的垂线平均含沙量,其对比标准差约为6%,随机不确定度在12%(置信水平为95%)左右,误差分布基本成正态,两种方法之间的断面输沙率相关系数达到0.96,可见,利用ADCP的声反向散射信号,只要标定得当,在洋山港区得到的垂线平均含沙量和断面输沙率是可信的,该技术将为洋山港区关键控制断面悬沙监测提供新思路。     

Tidal and Meteorological Forcing of Suspended Sediment Flux in a Muddy Mesotidal Estuary

Although the supply and fate of suspended sediment is of fundamental importance to the functioning and morphological evolution of muddy estuaries, reliable sediment budgets have been established in only a few cases. Especially for smaller estuaries, inadequate bathymetric surveys and a lack of intertidal sedimentation data often preclude estimation of the sediment budget from morphological change, while instrument-derived residual fluxes typically lie well within the errors associated with measurement of much larger gross tidal transports. Given suitably long-term records of continuously monitored suspended sediment concentration (SSC), however, analysis of the major scales of variation in sediment transport and their relation to hydrodynamic and meteorological forcing permits qualitative testing of hypotheses suggested by directly measured residual fluxes. This paper analyzes data from a 1-year acoustic Doppler profiler deployment in the Blyth estuary, a muddy mesotidal barrier-enclosed system on the UK east coast. Flux calculations indicate a small sediment import equivalent to just 1.5% of the gross flood tide transport. Little confidence can be assigned to either the magnitude or direction of such a small residual when considered in isolation. However, the inference that the sediment regime is finely balanced is qualitatively supported by the close similarity between flood-tide and ebb-tide SSC values. Singular spectrum analysis of the SSC time series shows the expectedly large contributions to the variance in SSC at intratidal and subtidal (semimonthly and monthly) scales but also picks out intermittent variability that is initially attributed to a combination of non-tidal surge and wind stress forcing. Closer examination of the data through cross-correlograms and event-scale analysis indicates that local meteorological forcing is the major factor. Acting through the resuspension of intertidal mudflat sediments at times of strong westerlies, meteorological forcing is directly implicated in episodic sediment export from the estuary. Thresholding of tide-averaged fluxes using a range of critical wind stress values further indicates that ‘tide-dominated’ (i.e., low wind stress) and ‘wave-dominated’ (high wind stress) conditions are associated with sediment import and export. Sediment balance is potentially sensitive to the frequency of high wind stress events, since the associated sediment exports are several times larger than the average import under calm conditions. Intermittent meteorological forcing may thus exert an important control on the sedimentary balance of otherwise tidally dominated muddy estuarine systems, and the role of wind climate should not be overlooked in studies of estuary response to environmental change.     

Decadal Change in Sediment Community Oxygen Consumption in the Abyssal Northeast Pacific

Long time-series studies are critical to assessing impacts of climate change on the marine carbon cycle. A 27-year time-series study in the abyssal northeast Pacific (Sta. M, 4000 m depth) has provided the first concurrent measurements of sinking particulate organic carbon supply (POC flux) and remineralization by the benthic community. Sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC), an estimate of organic carbon remineralization, was measured in situ over daily to interannual periods with four different instruments. Daily averages of SCOC ranged from a low of 5.0 mg C m^?2 day^?1 in February 1991 to a high of 31.0 mg C m^?2 day^?1 in June 2012. POC flux estimated from sediment trap collections at 600 and 50 m above bottom ranged from 0.3 mg C m^?2 day^?1 in October 2013 to 32.0 mg C m^?2 day^?1 in June 2011. Monthly averages of SCOC and POC flux correlated significantly with no time lag. Over the long time series, yearly average POC flux accounted for 63 % of the estimated carbon demand of the benthic community. Long time-series studies of sediment community processes, particularly SCOC, have shown similar fluctuations with the flux of POC reaching the abyssal seafloor. SCOC quickly responds to changes in food supply and tracks POC flux. Yet, SCOC consistently exceeds POC flux as measured by sediment traps alone. The shortfall of ~37 % could be explained by sediment trap sampling artifacts over decadal scales including undersampling of large sinking particles. High-resolution measurements of SCOC are critical to developing a realistic carbon cycle model for the open ocean. Such input is essential to evaluate the impact of climate change on the oceanic carbon cycle, and the long-term influences on the sedimentation record.     

Suspended Sediment Transport in the Freshwater Reach of the Hudson River Estuary in Eastern New York

Deposition of Hudson River sediment into New York Harbor interferes with navigation lanes and requires continuous dredging. Sediment dynamics at the Hudson estuary turbidity maximum (ETM) have received considerable study, but delivery of sediment to the ETM through the freshwater reach of the estuary has received relatively little attention and few direct measurements. An acoustic Doppler current profiler was positioned at the approximate limit of continuous freshwater to develop a 4-year time series of water velocity, discharge, suspended sediment concentration, and suspended sediment discharge. This data set was compared with suspended sediment discharge data collected during the same period at two sites just above the Hudson head-of-tide (the Federal Dam at Troy) that together represent the single largest source of sediment entering the estuary. The mean annual suspended sediment–discharge from the freshwater reach of the estuary was 737,000 metric tons. Unexpectedly, the total suspended sediment discharge at the study site in November and December slightly exceeded that observed during March and April, the months during which rain and snowmelt typically result in the largest sediment discharge to the estuary. Suspended sediment discharge at the study site exceeded that from the Federal Dam, even though the intervening reach appears to store significant amounts of sediment, suggesting that 30–40% of sediment discharge observed at the study site is derived from tributaries to the estuary between the Federal Dam and study site. A simple model of sediment entering and passing through the freshwater reach on a timescale of weeks appears reasonable during normal hydrologic conditions in adjoining watersheds; however, this simple model may dramatically overestimate sediment delivery during extreme tributary high flows, especially those at the end of, or after, the “flushing season” (October through April). Previous estimates of annual or seasonal sediment delivery from tributaries and the Federal Dam to the ETM and harbor may be high for those years with extreme tributary high-flow events.     

利用MODIS反演长江中游悬浮泥沙含量的初步研究

在众多卫星传感器中,中等分辨率成像光谱仪(MODIS)数据因其高的时间分辨率和中等的空间分辨率,对于水质研究具有自身的潜力和优越性.选取长江中游主河道武汉至宜昌段为例,利用MODIS 250 m波段数据定量反演了内陆河流悬浮泥沙的质量浓度.研究结果表明,地面实测的悬浮泥沙质量浓度与MODIS1,2波段的反射率组合(R1-R2)/(R1 R2)有很好的相关关系(相关系数 R2=0.72,样品数n=41),基于这种相关性建立了长江中游主河道武汉至宜昌段表层悬浮泥沙的遥感定量反演经验模型.     

Clay Minerals in Basalt Sills from the Sediment Cover,East Pacific Rise

Clay minerals in basalt sills from the northern East Pacific Rise, covered by Upper Pleistocene clayey–sandy–silty sediments (turbidites, hemipelagites, and diatom oozes) sampled from DSDP Holes 477, 478, and 481A, were studied by X-ray methods based on the modeling of diffraction patterns. Trioctahedral smectites formed in thin (0.1–0.5 and 1.8–4 m) fissured sills that are well permeable for water delivered from the water-saturated host sediments heated by the sills. Smectites in basalts are found in the interstices (20–40 vol % in the rock and up to 50–80 vol % in hyalobasalts). They replace olivine and fill cracks and vesicles. Plagioclase and clinopyroxene are generally unaltered. The structure of smectites is characterized by different height of layers depending on the composition of cations in the interlayers and the degree of their hydration. The different-height layers either make up individual smectite phases or alternate in different proportions and with a high degree of segregation in the mixed-layer structures. Under conditions of a prolonged cooling, thick (43 m) sills are distinguished from the thin varieties by the formation of trioctahedral minerals (smectite–chlorite, chlorite, defective chlorite, and talc). They are found mainly in the interstices that make up 3–7 vol % of the rock.     

西太平洋深海沉积物古菌多样性垂直分布

以提取并纯化的西太平洋深海沉积物DNA为模板,利用古菌PCR特异性引物扩增出样品中古菌的16S rDNA片段,构建其克隆文库,建立阳性克隆子RFLP(Restriction Fragment Length Polymor-phism)酶切图谱。据酶切图谱对所获得的120个克隆进行测序,并与数据库中的序列进行比对,从而进行古菌的多样性和系统发育分析。结果表明,沉积物中扩增的16S rDNA古菌序列分别来自泉古生菌(Crenarchaeota)和广古生菌(Euryarchaeota),以Marine Benthic Group B(11.8%)、Marine Benthic Group D(13.6%)、Marine Crenarchaeotic Group(68.69%)为主。少量序列为South African Gold Mine Euryarchaeotic Group(1.07%)、Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Euryarchaeotic Group(1.61%)、UIIB(1.25%)、VALIII(1.79%)、Marine Benthic Group E(0.18%)。以上结果表明西太平洋深海沉积物中有丰富多样的古菌群落。     

A Breadth Averaged Numerical Model for Suspended Sediment Transport in Hooghly Estuary,East Coast of India

Sedimentation is of vital concern in the conservation, development and utilization ofour soil and water resources. The suspended sediment in estuarine waters is hazardousto navigation in estuaries, which have important ports and harbours. A breadth-averagednumerical model to study circulation and sediment transport is presented in this paper.The model is applied to Hooghly estuary, along the east coast of India. The model is fullynon-linear and uses a semi-explicit finite difference scheme to solve mass, momentum andadvection diffusion equation for suspended sediments in a vertical plane. The erosion anddeposition have been computed by empirically developed source and sink terms in thesuspended sediment equation.     

Evolution of Micropterigidae (Lepidoptera) in the SW Pacific

The distribution and possible evolutionary history of two major lineages of Micropterigidae in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand are presented. In Australia a simple vicariant evolutionary model is applied to the data and it is noted that the development of micropterigids is paralleled by the evolutionary history of eastern Australian rainforests. In New Zealand there appear to be distinct patterns of evolution in the different micropterigid lineages, a situation which is interpreted in terms of separate evolutionary histories, possibly on different land masses. In New Caledonia a species swarm exists which is also interpreted in terms of a former more complex geography. It is concluded that micropterigid evolution in the SW Pacific supports the idea of a composite origin for both New Zealand and New Caledonia.

     

Spawning origin of small,late-hatched Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) larvae in a Maine estuary

Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) larvae have been collected for resource monitoring purposes in the Sheepscot River in mid-coastal Maine during October–February, for the past 20 years. During this period, the larval population in the river has typically peaked in October-early November and has been composed of larvae derived from August–September spawning in eastern Maine and New Brunswick waters and from September-early October spawning along the central Maine coast. Larvae from eastern coastal spawning areas are transported to the river by the prevailing westerly coastal current. The appearance of small (≤15 mm SL) larvae in the river during December and January 1985–1989 suggested an additional time and area of origin. Aging procedures based on enumeration of daily otolith increments showed the majority of these small larvae were spawned from mid October to mid November when spawning usually occurs in western Maine coastal waters and in the vicinity of Jeffreys Ledge. Comparison of back-calculated hatching dates for small larvae collected in the river with wind direction and velocity data from mid October through November suggested that larvae were transported eastward against a weakened Gulf of Maine coastal current to the Sheepscot River by complex wind-driven surface currents that occur off the western Maine coast in the fall. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY059 00003     

Material balance in manganese nodule formation (north central Pacific)

All data necessary to calculate the metal balance for Mn nodules in a well-investigated area of the North Central Pacific are now available. The nodules lie on porous siliceous ooze, and receive more than 96% of their metal content from the underlying ooze by diagenetic mobilisation. Only a very small portion of the metal contained in the sediment has to be mobilised to form the nodules, which explains why the expected depletion of metals from the sediments has never been demonstrated.     

Ore potential of the Marcus-Wake rise (Central Pacific)

The data on the geological structure of different guyots on the Marcus-Wake rise with cobalt-bearing Fe–Mn crusts are discussed. Crusts are represented by three-layer aggregates composed of one lower phosphatized (I-1) and two upper non-phosphatized (II and III) layers. Fe-vernadite and Mn-feroxygite are the major ore minerals in all studied crusts and their layers. Small contents of vernadite, asbolane–buserite, and goethite are registered. Crusts of guyots on the rise are characterized by a stable concentration of heavy and rare metals (Co_tot, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mo, and Cd) independently of their latitudinal location.     

Larval settlement of the Atlantic rangia,Rangia cuneata (Bivalvia: Mactridae)

Rangia cuneata larvae were given the opportunity to settle on substrate types that differed in grain size, organic content, and bacterial abundance. Larvae settled in very fine sand (63–125 μm) and fine and medium sand (125–500 μm) more than in silt and clay (<63 μm) or on a hard substratum (empty polystyrene petri dishes). Proportionally more larvae settled onto untreated sediment from the adult habitat than onto the same sediment autoclaved, or treated with either H₂O₂ to remove organic material, or treated with antibiotics to reduce bacterial abundance. However, it appears that competent larvae do not delay settlement, even in the absence of “attractive” substrates.     

Oligocene biogeography of the North Pacific (Implications of Mollusks)

First biogeographic maps are proposed for the late Eocene-Oligocene of the North Pacific. The maps are compiled based on distribution of 120 molluscan species studied in 30 reference sections of the region. The analyzed Machigar (Sakhalin), Rategin, Amanina-Gakh (western Kamchatka), Asagai-Momidziyama (Japan) type assemblages and their age analogues are well known and described long ago. Over 50 schematic biogeographic maps illustrate distribution areas of different taxa in the late Eocene, early Oligocene, and late Oligocene epochs. Some of them characterize distribution areas of individual species, while the others depict habitat areas of typical (Machigar and Rategin) assemblages or certain genera different in terms of their thermotropism. Analysis of the maps resulted in recognition of the Japan-Kamchatka and Kamchatka-North American paleoprovinces, and indications of general gradual seawater temperature decrease during the Oligocene are defined. The attention is paid to the commenced diversification of North Pacific biota that leads to formation of boreal communities and also to different-rank the amphipacific dusjunctions.     

Light Requirements for Growth and Survival of Eelgrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera marina</Emphasis> L.) in Pacific Northwest (USA) Estuaries

We developed light requirements for eelgrass in the Pacific Northwest, USA, to evaluate the effects of short- and long-term reductions in irradiance reaching eelgrass, especially related to turbidity and overwater structures. Photosynthesis-irradiance experiments and depth distribution field studies indicated that eelgrass productivity was maximum at a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of about 350–550 μmol quanta m⁻² s⁻¹. Winter plants had approximately threefold greater net apparent primary productivity rate at the same irradiance as summer plants. Growth studies using artificial shading as well as field monitoring of light and eelgrass growth indicated that long-term survival required at least 3 mol quanta m⁻² day⁻¹ on average during spring and summer (i.e., May-September), and that growth was saturated above about 7 mol quanta m⁻² day⁻¹. We conclude that non-light-limited growth of eelgrass in the Pacific Northwest requires an average of at least 7 mol quanta m⁻² day⁻¹ during spring and summer and that long-term survival requires a minimum average of 3 mol quanta m⁻² day⁻¹.     

Suspended sediments in the Kharaa River catchment (Mongolia) and its impact on hyporheic zone functions

A previous study investigating the ecological status of the Kharaa River in Northern Mongolia reported fine-grained sediments as being a major stress factor causing adverse impacts on the benthic ecology. However, the source of these sediments within the catchment as well as the specific impact on hyporheic zone functions in the Kharaa River remained unclear. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to investigate the underlying source–receptor system and implement an integrated monitoring approach. Suspended sediment sources within the Kharaa catchment were identified by using extensive spatially distributed sediment sampling and geochemical and isotope fingerprinting methods. On the receptor side, the ecological implications across a gradient of fine-grained sediment influx were analyzed using a distinct hyporheic zone monitoring scheme at three representative river reaches along the Kharaa River. Results of suspended sediment source monitoring show that during snowmelt runoff, riverbank and gully erosion were the dominant sources. During the summer period, upland erosion contributed a substantial share of suspended sediment. Fine-grained sediment influx proved to be the cause of habitat loss in the hyporheic zone and benthic oxygen production limitation. This combined catchment and in-stream monitoring approach will allow for a better understanding and spatially explicit analysis of the interactions of suspended sediment transport and hyporheic zone functioning. This information has built the basis for a coupled modeling framework that will help to develop efficient management measures within the Kharaa River basin with special emphasis on rapidly changing land-use and climatic conditions.     

Spatial, Temporal, and Human-Induced Variations in Suspended Sediment Concentration in the Surface Waters of the Yangtze Estuary and Adjacent Coastal Areas

To delineate temporal and spatial variations in suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the Yangtze (Changjiang) Estuary and adjacent coastal waters, surface-water samples were taken twice daily from 10 stations over periods ranging from 2 to 12?years (total number of samples >28,000). Synoptic measurements in 2009 showed an increase in surface SSC from 0.058?g/l in the upper sections of the estuary to ??0.6?g/l at the Yangtze River turbidity maximum at the river mouth, decreasing seaward to 0.057?g/l. Annual periodicities reflect variations in the Yangtze discharge, which affect the horizontal distribution and transport of SSC, and seasonal winds, which result in vertical resuspension and mixing. Over the past 10?C20?years, annual surface SSC in the lower Yangtze River and the upper estuary has decreased by 55%, due mainly to dam construction in the upper and middle reaches of the river. The 20?C30% decrease in mean surface SSC in the lower estuary and adjacent coastal waters over the same period presumably reflects sediment resuspension, in part due to erosion of the subaqueous Yangtze Delta. SSCs in the estuary and adjacent coastal waters are expected to continue to decline as new dams are constructed in the Yangtze basin and as erosion of the subaqueous delta slows in coming decades.     

The Association of Cobalt with Iron and Manganese (Oxyhydr)oxides in Marine Sediment

Formation and dissolution of authigenic Fe and Mn (oxyhydr)oxides influence cycling of trace metals in oxic/suboxic surface sediments. We used the diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) to estimate the association of cobalt with iron and manganese oxides. We compared Co, Fe and Mn maxima measured by DGT in the pore waters of fresh and aged marine sediment cores and estimated the Co/Fe and Co/Mn ratios in the metal oxides. A Mn maximum was not visible in DGT concentration profiles of freshly collected sediment cores, but after ageing the sediment, we observed a distinct Mn peak, presumably due to broadening of the depth range over which the various electron acceptors occur. Estimated Co/Mn ratios from both experiments are within the range of literature values for marine sediments, but the value from the aged experiment is at the lower end of the range. This is attributed to stimulation of sulphate reduction and precipitation of cobalt sulphides. The good correlation between Co and Fe maxima in the fresh sediments is attributed to the similarity of their reactions with sulphide rather than Co being released during authigenic Fe oxide reduction.