Thermal conductivity and permeability assessment by electrical resistivity measurements in marine sediments

Abstract

The problem of radioactive waste containment, the modeling of hydrocarbon formation processes, and the proposed laying of fiber‐optic communication cables on the seafloor have recently focused attention on the thermal and fluid flow properties of porous media. Both properties are difficult to determine accurately for large volumes of material, particularly where disturbance is inevitable either on sampling or penetration of the measuring device. Both properties, however, have been tentatively identified as bearing some form of analogy with electrical flow, and evaluation of these relationships with electrical measurements may provide practical means of obtaining rapid coverage of the sediment from a semi‐remote position. Using a variety of laboratory cells, an attempt has been made to evaluate useful relationships between electrical formation factor and thermal conductivity and/or permeability for both sands and clays. Formation factor exhibits a close relationship with permeability, and the capability of predicting permeability to within an order of magnitude is shown providing the grade of sediment is identified (e.g., sand or clay). Formation factor is related to porosity and while any one sample is best represented by Archie's (sands) or Winsauer's (clays) empirical law, the overall trend is a third‐degree polynomial; particle shape appears to dominate both porosity and permeability relationships with electrical formation factor. Thermal conductivity shows a clear dependence on the porosity of a saturated sediment. The successful prediction of thermal conductivity using a geometrical model requiring volume and thermal conductivity values for the components has been demonstrated for a variety of particle shapes and sizes. Thermal conductivity may be related to formation factor through the porosity of the sample for both sands and clays.     

Seabed shear stresses under random waves: predictions vs estimates from field measurements

The paper discusses the seabed shear stresses under random waves, and compares model predictions with results from field measurements near the seabed in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington State, and at EDDA, North Sea. The model predictions as well as the interpretation of data are based on three different representative measures of random wave velocities within 12 minute records: root-mean-square, significant and maximum values. From the two locations the best agreement is found for the Strait of Juan de Fuca data regardless of the random velocity measure used. This agreement is attributed to the absence of suspended sediment at this location.     

Seabed measurements of modern corrosion rates on the Florida escarpment

A mooring containing diverse carbonate and anhydrite substrates was exposed to bottom waters for 9 months at the base of the Florida Escarpment to determine the influence of dissolution on the development of this continental margin. Weight loss was measured on all samples. Etching, pitting, and loss of the original framework components were observed on substrates with known characteristics. Extrapolations of modern dissolution rates predict only about 1.6 meters of corrosion per million years. However, more rapid anhydrite dissolution, up to 1 km per million years, would cause exposed anhydrite beds to undercut and destabilize intercalated limestones.     

Contamination of conductivity measurements by waterborne particles

Electrical conductivity sensors used in CTD profilers and microstructure instruments are sensitive to contamination by particulates in the water. These particles impact the sensor or pass through the cell volume and produce spurious and usually negative going “spikes” in the data. In addition, they occasionally get caught, fouling the sensor and causing significant high frequency noise and calibration offsets. Examples of both the discrete contamination and fouling problems are exhibited, evidence is presented which identifies the source, and methods of minimizing their effects are examined.     

Seabed characterization from broad-band acoustic echosounding with scattering models

Acoustic echoes obtained during high-resolution shallow marine seismic surveys contain information about the statistical nature of the sedimentary bottom and its spatial variability. Use of a broad-band seismic source and an appropriately chosen data acquisition window makes the acoustic responses particularly amenable to quantitive analysis. The work reported utilizes experimental frequency-domain spatial coherence functions of along-track acoustic echoes as empirical metrics of bottom character, and by virtue of their correlation with known sediment types, as objective bases for remote sediment classification. Theoretical relationships between parameters describing sediment surface topographies and echo coherence are derived for the case of dominant water-sediment interface acoustic scattering. The diverse experimental data base was acquired from the Grand Banks of Newfoundland using a 1- to 10-kHz Huntec DTS system. Bottom photographs, cores, and grab samples combined with expert geological synthesis provide qualitative and quantitative control.     

Derivation of coastal wind and wave parameters from offshore measurements of TOPEX satellite using ANN

The paper discusses an artificial neural network (ANN) approach to project information on wind speed and waves collected by the TOPEX satellite at deeper locations to a specified coastal site. The observations of significant wave heights, average wave period and wind speed at a number of locations over a satellite track parallel to a coastline are used to estimate corresponding values of these three parameters at the coastal site of interest. A combined network involving an input and output of all the three parameters, viz., wave height, period and wind speed instead of separate networks for each one of these variables was found to be necessary in order to train the network with sufficient flexibility. It was also found that network training based on statistical homogeneity of data sets is essential to obtain accurate results. The problem of modeling wind speeds that are always associated with very high variations in their magnitudes was tackled in this study by imparting training in an innovated manner.     

基于电导率测定海水悬沙含量试验研究

为了寻求一种简单、快速、连续确定悬浮泥沙含量的方法,以高含沙量海区黄河口泥沙为研究对象,利用电导率仪测定了不同悬浮泥沙含量水体的电导率,建立起了悬浮泥沙含量与电导率之间的关系,并对影响上述关系的因素进行了分析,结果表明,悬浮泥沙含量与电导率之间有很好的线性关系;盐度、颗粒粒径对电导率具有一定的影响,其中盐度的影响最大,颗粒粒径的影响较小。在盐度变化范围有限的高悬沙含量海区,用电导率的方法来实现现场监测悬浮泥沙含量是可行的。     

海底沉积物烃类气体地球化学异常识别与成因解释

烃类气体是海底渗漏烃的重要组分之一。它们在海底沉积物中主要以游离态和束缚态形式存在。测量海底沉积物烃类气体组成的方法有顶空气法、酸解烃法和热释烃法等。顶空气测量的是在海底沉积物中以游离态存在的烃类气体,酸解烃测定的是吸附在颗粒表面或存在内部包裹体中的束缚烃类气体,热释烃测定的是海底沉积物中被硅铝酸盐所吸附的束缚烃类气体。海底沉积物地球化学异常识别方法包括图解法和计算法等多种方法。海底沉积物地球化学异常成因主要包括有生物成因、热成因和混合成因等。利用烃类气体含量、组合及比值,结合同位素组成特征可以解释地球化学异常成因。     

Electromagnetic fields of waves in the sea stratified over density and electrical conductivity

The paper addresses the theoretical problem of electromagnetic fields induced by surface and internal waves in a fluid with continuously stratified electrical conductivity and density. Calculations of the electromagnetic fields induced by the wave motion in the tropical Atlantic have been performed considering the exponentially changing electrical conductivity in the vertical. The consideration of the electrical conductivity stratification is shown to be capable of modifying electromagnetic fields in the individual fluid layers by about 50%, and the role of this stratification is shown to increase with the growth of the wave period. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Parametrical modelling of the spectra of small-scale electrical conductivity pulsations in the ocean

Parametrical models of the spectra of small-scale electrical conductivity and current velocity pulsations in the ocean are considered.Translated by V. Puchkin     

波浪作用下海床瞬态剪切破坏深度的计算分析

鉴于弹性本构模型的简便性,目前波浪作用下海床瞬态剪切破坏深度的计算一般都是基于海床的多孔弹性介质模型,这种方法不能考虑塑性单元不平衡应力的重分配,而如果将海床视为多孔理想弹塑性介质进行波浪作用下的瞬态响应分析,则可以克服上述缺陷。为此,以波浪作用下砂质、粉砂质海床瞬态响应模型为例,基于Mohr-Coulomb屈服准则,对不同海床计算参数条件下上述2种计算方法的结果进行了对比分析。结果表明,将海床视为多孔理想弹塑性介质时海床瞬态剪切破坏深度大于等于海床为多孔弹性介质时的计算结果;随着海床计算参数的变化,2种方法计算结果的变化趋势较为一致,且在砂质、粉砂质海床常见计算参数范围内,2种方法计算结果的差值在一个相对固定的范围内变化。     

Estimation of sea-bed conductivity and its influence upon velocity measurements with towed electrodes

A formula to determine an effective electric conductivity of channel-bed from measurements of water velocity, cross-channel potential difference and electric current-density is presented. The effective conductivity defined in this paper is the conductivity averaged over depth from channel-bed surface to a depth of the order comparable to a breadth of the channel. Effective conductivities for the Izu Island region and the Straits of Tsugaru are estimated as 2.2×10^–2 mhos/m and 6.0×10^–2 mhos/m, which are considerably large and very large, respectively, in comparison to most of those determined for several regions near England. High conductivities for these regions are consistent with the distribution of underground conductivity anomaly deduced from that of geomagnetic field anomaly observed at the earth's surface in Japan. An influence of underground conductivity upon measurements of sea surface water velocity with towed electrodes is estimated for the regions.     

A comparison of the temperature coefficients of electrical conductivity of Atlantic and Pacific seawaters

The Practical Salinity Scale 1978 (PSS) defines the relationship among salinity, electrical conductivity, temperature, and pressure. Strictly speaking, the PSS is only applicable to waters with the same relative chemical composition as standard seawater. We have tested the predictions of the PSS for samples of Atlantic and Pacific waters. The results indicate that the PSS is valid for these natural seawaters over the defined temperature range of the scale.     

Modern Mapping of the Seabed Relief Using the Example from the NE Black Sea

Oceanology - Data on seafloor bathymetry are necessary for marine geology and geomorphology, cartography and paleogeography, geoecology and hydroacoustics, and other applied research areas....     

Seabed shear stresses under irregular waves plus current from Monte Carlo simulations of parameterized models

Shear stresses on a rough seabed under irregular waves plus current are calculated. Parameterized models valid for regular waves plus current have been used in Monte Carlo simulations, assuming the wave amplitudes to be Rayleigh-distributed. Numerical estimates of the probability distribution functions are presented. For waves only, the shear stress maxima follow a Weibull distribution, while for waves plus current, both the maximum and time-averaged shear stresses are well represented by a three-parameter Weibull distribution. The behaviour of the maximum shear stresses under a wide range of wave-current conditions has been investigated, and it appears that under certain conditions, the current has a significant influence on the maximum shear stresses. Results of comparison between predictions and measurements of the maximum bottom shear stresses from laboratory and field experiments are presented.     

The electrical conductivity of weight diluted and concentrated standard seawater as a function of salinity and temperature

The ratiosR_{s,t,o}of electrical conductivity of seawater samples of precisely known salinity to standard seawater at the same temperature have been measured over a wide range of salinities from 0 to42permilS and over the full range of oceanic temperatures from -2 to35degC. The samples withS<35permilwere prepared by accurate weight dilution of standard seawater with distilled water. High salinity samples were prepared by fast evaporation of standard seawater and subsequent weight dilution into the already determined <35permilrange. An equation was derived which expresses the S versusR_{s,t,o}relationship very precisely from1-42permiland at all temperatures, i.e.,S = f_{1}(R_{s,t,o}) + f_{2}(R_{s, t,o},t) =Sigma_{n=0}^{5} a_{n}R^{n/2}+ frac{Delta t}{1+kDelta t} Sigma_{n=0}^{5} b_{n}R^{n/2}whereDelta t = t-15degC,R = R_{s, t.o}; only the first termf_{1}is required at15degC. The effeet of temperature on the electrical conductivity of standard seawater was also measured. The ratior_{t}of the conductivity at temperaturetto the conductivity at15degC (C_{35,t, o}/C_{35,15,o}) is very aeenrately expressed by a fourth degree equation int. i.e,r_{t}=Sigma_{n=0}^{4} c_{n}t^{n}These two equations are sufficient for all salinity determinations at normal atmospheric pressure.     

Estimation of Seabed Properties Using Ambient Noise from Shallow Water Sites of the Indian Continental Shelf

In this study an attempt has been made to extract sediment geoacoustic properties using ambient noise measured from a vertical hydrophone array. Time series noise data recorded from three shallow water sites (Chennai, Cuddalore and Cochin) along the Indian continental shelf were used for the analysis. The compressional sound speed of sediment for all the sites was estimated from the vertical directionality of ambient noise. Using the value of the compressional sound speed remaining wave properties and material properties were deduced from the Grain-Shearing (G-S) theory of wave propagation in saturated granular media. The type of sediment extracted from the G-S theory correlates well with the results obtained from sieve and particle size analysis of grab samples, collected from all the sites. The study clearly shows the application of ambient noise in extracting environmental information in shallow water, and further applying it to improve sonar performance modeling.     

利用侧扫声呐和单道地震提取海底微地貌的方法

文章简要介绍侧扫声呐和单道地震系统的工作原理,并以海南岛南部近海海域为例,分析通过侧扫声呐图像和单道地震剖面提取沙波、沙脊、海底礁石和陡坎等海底微地貌的可行性及其过程。研究表明:沙波和海底礁石可通过对侧扫声呐图像的判读和识别,对比单道地震剖面图,直接在侧扫声呐图像上圈定;陡坎和沙脊可通过对单道地震剖面图的判读和识别,提取海底水深剖面数据制作平面剖面图,并结合潮流动力方向圈定;综合利用侧扫声呐和单道地震数据,可有效提高海底微地貌的解译精度。