Effects of fouling on the Japanese scallop Mizuhopecten yessoensis (Jay) in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

A valuable mariculture object, the Japanese scallop Mizuhopecten (=Patinopevten) yessoensis (Jay), after six hours long transportation by air and sowing on the bottom is fouled greater by epi- and endolythical organisms than the members of the native population. It is likely that the fouling negatively affects the specimens, those that were the largest before the sowing at the bottom were not found among those that reached puberty. The results of the effects of the endolythic polychaete Polydora brevipalpa and the barnacle Hesperibalanus hesperius on the growth rate of the Japanese scallop cultivated on the bottom of Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan) are provided in this paper.     

Study of dissolved oxygen content in the Eastern Bosporus Strait (Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan)

Seasonal changes in the dissolved oxygen (DO) content in water were analyzed based on long-term observations (2006–2013) in the Eastern Bosporus Strait (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan). It was found that the monthly average DO concentrations at the bottom of the strait were significantly lower in summer than the average annual long-term data. The minimum DO contents were recorded during four months, from July to October. It was shown that the DO content in water depended on changes in current directions in the strait: lower DO contents resulted from hypoxic water inflow, mostly from Amur Bay.     

Quaternary sea-level change and sedimentation on the continental shelf and slope of Antibes,French Riviera

Thin Quaternary sediments overlie Neogene bedrock on the shelf off Antibes, southeastern France. Sparker seismic profiles show shelf break progradation at 110 m water depth, immediately below the most recent postglacial transgression. An older progradational event at the same depth correlates with the top of an acoustically, well-stratified sequence on the slope dated at 29.6 ka. Cores show the post-glacial transgressive surface overlain by shelly sands (dated at 12.7 ka at 85m) and several meters of mud. At the present, the seabed consists of an ephemeral cover of fine sand. The data set on sea-level rise complements data recently obtained on land on the Holocene transgression.     

Upper tertiary rocks from the continental shelf and slope off Southern Hawkes Bay

Sixteen rock samples were collected from the continental shelf and slope between Napier and Cape Turnagain, southern Hawkes Bay, most coming from offshore anticlinal ridges. Nine of the samples have a foraminiferal fauna of Upper Miocene and Pliocene age. The remainder cannot be dated, but most are probably of similar age. The foraminiferal. faunas are considered to have lived at depths ranging down to at least 1600 m deeper than the depth from which they were collected. Thus, the post‐depositional history of the samples includes tectonic uplift of similar magnitude since Upper Tertiary times. Because most of the samples arc very fine grained, unlike Recent sediments from ridges, it is suggested that the present regime of folding is largely post‐Pliocene in age.     

The spatiotemporal analysis of the bottom geomorphology in Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan

Based on the shipboard measurements data, GTOPO1 and ASTER satellite information, GEBCO databases, and bathymetry maps, a digital elevation model encompassing the shelf of Peter the Great Bay of the Sea of Japan is constructed. By two-dimensional singular spectral analysis, the scale decomposition of the surface of the shelf relief is made into the components with the main tectonic structure, the secondary folding zones, and the sedimentation landforms. A comparison between the found elements and the geological data on South Primorye is performed to specify the age of the tectonic units of different scale.     

An overview of sedimentation on the amazon continental shelf

Sedimentological, geochemical, and physical-oceanographic studies of the Brazilian continental shelf near the Amazon River help provide a broad understanding of this major sediment dispersal system. Amazon River sediment accumulates as a subaqueous delta, with the most rapid accumulation (10 cm/yr) occurring near the seaward edge of the topset beds and in the foreset beds. Amazon River sediment is dispersed northwestward along the shelf and is transported beyond the Brazilian border. Radiographic studies of sediment cores delineate three sedimentary environments: interbedded mud and sand, faintly laminated mud, and bioturbated mud. The distribution of these environments is a function of proximity to the river mouth and of sediment accumulation rate.     

Satellite Geological Indication of Morphostructural Elements of the Coasts and Bottom of Adjacent Water Areas (Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan)

Oceanology - The implementation of satellite geological investigations within the continent–Sea of Japan transition zone in Southern Primorye has made it possible to establish series,...     

Observing spectral characteristics over a continental shelf and slope in the South China Sea

Using in situ measurement data from May-June, 1998, and data from the Asian seas international acoustics experiment （ASIAEX） from 2001 in the South China Sea （SCS）, the spectral density function and the dissipa- tion spectrum function are estimated. In the inffa-gravity wave （IGW） band, the power spectra of velocity （u, v, w） are universal functions with respect to characteristic frequencies, which correspond to the peak fre- quencies of the dissipation spectrum （PFDS）. This suggests that high-frequency internal waves in the IGW band have similar dynamical characteristics. In addition, the evolution of these characteristic frequencies is explored and its highest value is 8.8 cph （cycles per hour, 1 cph=2.778× 10-3 Hz）.     

Topographically trapped waves over the continental shelf and slope

General characteristics of topographically trapped subinertia waves are discussed from the viewpoint of an eigenvalue problem and ray theory. Special attention is paid to the slope parameterS(x) (=(dh/dx)/h, wherex denotes the coordinate perpendicular to the shoreline, increasing seaward, andh(x) is the depth) which is a measure of the strength of the restoring force of the waves. Three cases for theS distribution are considered, in whichS is assumed to be positive at the coast and to tend to zero far from the coast. The first is whereS(x) decreases monotonically towards the open ocean. It is found in this case that waves are trapped near the coast. The second is whereS(x) does not decrease monotonically, but has a maximum. It is concluded that this case may contain two types of waves, i.e., those trapped near the coast and those trapped near the maximum, and the dispersion curves corresponding to different types may nearly intersect, namely, result in “kissing”. The third is whereS(x) has a negative region (corresponding to the presence of a trench). It is found in this case that an infinite sequence of waves is trapped in the negativeS region which propagate with the coast to their left (right) in the northern (southern) hemisphere besides the waves trapped near the coast. The topography in the second case corresponds to a typical continental shelf and a typical continental slope. It is shown by model calculation that trapped waves are present over the continental slope as well as over the continental shelf. Almost the same results are obtained for superinertia waves ifS is replaced by 1/h which is a measure of the restoring force of superinertia waves.     

Movement of sediment on the Gulf of Mexico,continental slope and upper continental shelf

Abstract

Grain size, coarse fraction analyses, and depositional environment as interpreted from microfauna are related to the character of sparker reflections at the location of core holes drilled by Exxon, Chevron, Gulf, and Mobil on the continental slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Continuous sparker reflections are correlated with slowly deposited, evenly bedded sediments containing bathyal faunas. The coarse fraction is dominated by the tests of foraminifera. Discontinuous, discordant reflections and diffractions are correlated with sediments more rapidly emplaced in the bathyal environment of the continental slope by slumping and sliding from the continental shelf. Their coarse fraction is dominated by terrigenous sand grains. A large portion of the volume of continental slope sediments appears to consist of these “displaced”; sediments, including an area 3–24 km wide and 80 km long, southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. Comparable processes of movement of sediments are interpreted on the continental shelf south of the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River. Bathymetry in this area is characterized by a series of subaqueous “gullies”; radiating from the river mouth and leading to terraces at their southern extremities. Side‐scan sonar and PDR surveys show a rough bottom in these “gullies”; and terraces, as contrasted with a relatively smooth bottom elsewhere. The rough bottom is interpreted as indicative of slump and creep of the sediments from shallower water. Some foundation soil borings in this area south of Southwest Pass find a low‐strength material gradually increasing in strength with depth. Other borings find a “crust”; of anomalously strong material 8–15 m below the mudline. The microfauna recovered from the “crust”; has moved to its present position by slump or creep from shallower water along a pattern comparable to the gullies shown in the present‐day bathymetry.     

The impact of implanted whale carcass on nematode communities in shallow water area of Peter the Great Bay (East Sea)

In May, 2007 we sank the remains of a Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the East Sea, Peter the Great Bay, at 30 m of water near the coast of Big Pelis Island. In the present study we describe the nematode communities in sediments under the implanted whale carcass. Abundance of nematodes increased with the distance from the carcass. Dominant trophic group was non-selective deposit feeders. The highest values of indexes of a specific diversity and evenness were noted in sediments under the whale, while domination index occurred at the highest distance from the whale. The suggestion is made that the cause of low density of nematodes in sediments under the whale is an extreme increase in number of macrofaunal animals, and predation and food competition between macro- and meiofauna. The changes noted in nematode assemblages living in an implanted whale in shallow waters are similar to those in deep-sea assemblages.     

Sedimentary matter fluxes in the contour current sedimentation system over the continental slope of the Norwegian Sea

The sedimentation system of the bottom contour current over the continental slope of Bear Island in the Norwegian Sea is considered. The nepheloid layer that provides the high horizontal flux of sedimentary material represents the main source of matter for the bottom sediments. The vertical particulate matter flux is largely formed in the nepheloid layer; the flux from higher layers of the water column is insignificant. Horizontal and vertical fluxes of sedimentary matter show a positive correlation. The flux of the matter from the bottom sediment into the nepheloid matter and the residence time of particles in the latter are estimated.     

Composition and conditions for formation of neogene deposits at the Primorye continental slope in the area of Vladimir Bay in the Sea of Japan

The petrographic and micropaleontological studies of the rocks in the sedimentary cover of the Primorye continental slope in the area of Vladimir Bay in the Sea of Japan made it possible to establish that the sedimentary cover is represented in this area by two different facial complexes of Late Miocene rocks. The first facial complex consists of terrigenous rocks (siltstones, sandstones, and conglomerates) that were accumulated under relatively shallow-water conditions of the shelf and the uppermost part of the continental slope. The second one is formed by diatomaceous-clayey rocks under more deep-water conditions, mainly in the upper part of the continental slope. The carbonate nodules that are widely distributed among the deposits of the first complex but are also recorded in the second one were formed as a result of diagenetic processes in the terrigenous or silicious-terrigenous sediments that had been formed. With respect to their age, the Late Miocene deposits are characterized by a full succession of diatomaceous zones over 10.0–5.5 mln yr. The sediments of the first facial complex accumulated during the first third of the Late Miocene (10.0–8.5 mln yr), while those of the second began to accumulate somewhat later, but their accumulation continued until the late Miocene (9.2–5.5 mln yr).     

Vertical biological zoning of the continental slope depending on the sedimentation conditions

Of particular interest in the vertical biological zoning of the continental slope in seas and oceans are the substantial differences in the composition, diversity, and abundance (biomass and production) of benthic faunal communities populating the upper and lower subzones of the bathyal zone. The upper bathyal subzone (down to depths of 1500 ± 500 m) resembles the neritic (shelf) one, while its lower subzone is characterized by both reduced diversity and biomass, being similar in its biological parameters to the near-slope abyssal zone (>3000 m). The study of the bottom contour currents and related sediments (contourites) made the geological prerequisites for such differences understandable. Based on a comparative analysis of the bionomical boundaries and core depths of the contour currents in the North Atlantic and Gulf of Alaska, a changing of trophic zones, as well as quantitative and production characteristics of benthic communities, are established. It is shown that the differences between the biological parameters of the upper and lower bathyal subzones (the benthic biomass, the feeding mode of invertebrates, the growth rate, and the maximal sizes of adult specimens) are related to geological agents such as roiling and redeposition of the sediments.     

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.     

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.     

Effects of longshore shelf variations on barotropic continental shelf waves,slope currents and ocean modes

Effects of continental shelf bends, converging depth contours and changing depth profiles are discussed. Some analysis is carried out for previously unstudied cases. Separate oceanic interior and shelf flow problems are formulated for a sufficiently narrow shelf. The ocean interior ‘sees’ only an integrated shelf effect, typically increasing shelf-edge amplitudes, retarding longshore Kelvin-wave propagation and increasing natural mode periods by 0 (10%). On the local shelf, the flow matches to the ocean interior and is nondivergent. Effects on shelf waves and slope currents depend subtly on the nature of the longshore variations. Curvature and contour convergence do not per se imply scaterring or generation of shelf waves. Indeed, any depth h(ξ) where ▽² ξ(x,y) = 0 (a condition approximating longshelf uniformity in the topography's convexity) supports essentially the same shelf waves as do straight depth contours (DAVIS, 1983), and slope currents follow depth contours. Scattering results rather from breaks in analyticity of the depth profile. Hence calculations for small isolated features (necessarily highly convex or concave) may overestimate scattering, and superposition for realistic topography may lead to much self-cancellation among scattered waves. Otherwise, examples show a strong preference for scattering into adjacent mode numbers and into any shelf wave mode near to its maximum frequency. A shelf sector, where the maximum shelf wave frequency maxω is less than the frequency ω of an incident shelf wave, causes substantial scattering unless maxω and ω are very close. Adjustment of slope currents to changed conditions takes place through (and over the decay distance of) scattered shelf waves.     

Organic matter composition of the continental shelf and bathyal sediments of the Cretan Sea (NE Mediterranean)

The seasonal, spatial and bathymetric changes in the distribution of chloroplastic pigments (Chl a, phaeopigments and CPE), TOC, TON, ATP, bottom water nutrient content and the main biochemical classes of organic compounds (lipids, proteins and carbohydrates) were recorded from May 1994 to September 1995 over the continental margin of northern Crete. The concentration of chloroplastic pigment equivalents (CPE) was always low, dropping dramatically along the shelf-slope gradient. Microbial activity (ATP) also dropped sharply beyond the continental shelf following a distribution pattern similar to TOC and TON. Lipid, protein and carbohydrate concentrations, as well as biopolymeric carbon were comparable to those reported for other more productive areas, however, the quality of the organic matter itself was rather poor. Thus, carbohydrates, the dominant biochemical class, were characterised by being highly (80–99%) refractory, as soluble carbohydrates represented (on annual average) only 6% of the total carbohydrate pool. Protein and lipid concentrations strongly decreased with depth, indicating depletion of trophic resources in the bathyal zone. Proteins appeared to be the more degradable compounds and indeed the protein to carbohydrate ratios were found to decrease strongly in the deeper stations. Organic matter content and quality decreased both with increasing distance from the coast and within the sediment. All sedimentary organic compounds were found to vary between sampling periods, with the changes being more pronounced over the continental shelf. The different temporal patterns of the various components suggest a different composition and/or origin of the OM inputs during the different sampling periods. The amount of material reaching the sediments below 540 m is extremely low, suggesting that most of the organic material is decomposed and/or utilised before reaching the sea floor. In conclusion, the continental shelf and bathyal sediments of the Cretan Sea can be considered, from a trophic point of view, as two different subsystems.     

东南极普里兹湾陆架区大型底栖动物群落结构

To explore the spatial pattern of macrobenthic communities and their response to environmental factors in the Prydz Bay,samples were collected using a 0.25-m2 box corer at 10 stations from November 2012 to April 2013.A total of 50 species of macrobenthos belonging to 8 phyla and 33 families were identified,of which polychaetes(e.g.,Maldane sarsi)and sponges(e.g.,Halichondria sp.and Leucosolenia sp.)were the most prominent groups.The macrobenthos in study area were categorized into five functional groups based on the feeding type,and the detritivorous group represented by polychaetes showed the highest average abundance,while the planktophagous group represented by sponges showed the highest average biomass.Macrobenthos abundance(0–592 ind./m2)and biomass(0–1155.5 g/m2)in the Prydz Bay were relatively lower than those of other Antarctic shelf soft-bottom waters,although the compositions of the dominant species and functional feeding groups were similar.The results of the Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated that the average biomass of the macrobenthos and the biomass of the planktophagous group in the study area were negatively correlated with the water depth,sediment grain size and silt percentage.However,these variables were clearly not strong determinants of macrobenthos assemblage structure.Many factors not measured in the study,e.g.,sediment organic matter and iceberg interference,have probably influenced the spatial distribution of macrobenthic community structure in the Prydz Bay.