NotesBenthic foraminiferal distribution in surface sediments along continental slope of the southern Okinawa Trough: dependance on water masses and food supply

Benthic foraminiferal analysis of 29 samples in surface sediments from the southern Okinawa Trough is carried out. The results indicate that benthic foraminiferal abundance decreases rapidly with increasing water depth. Percentage frequencies of agglutinated foraminifera further confirm the modern shallow carbonate lysocline in the southern Okinawa Trough. From continental shelf edge to the bottom of Okinawa Trough, benthic foraminiferal fauna in the surface sediments can be divided into 5 assemblages: (1) Continental shelf break assemblage, dominated by Cibicides pseudoungerianus, corresponds to subsurface water mass of the Kuroshio Current; (2) upper continental slope assemblage, dominated by Cassidulina carinata , Globocassidulina subglobosa, corresponds to intermediate water mass of the Kuroshio Current; (3) intermediate continental slope assemblage, dominated by Uvigerina hispi-da, corresponds to the Okinawa Trough deep water mass above the carbonate lysocline; (4) lower continental slope- trough b     

Benthic foraminiferal distribution in surface sediments along continental slope of the southern Okinawa Trough: dependance on water masses and food supply

Benthic foraminiferal analysis of 29 samples in surface sediments from the southern Okinawa Trough is carried out.The results indicate that benthic foraminiferal abundance decreases rapidly with increasing water depth.Percentage frequencies of agglutinated foraminifera further confirm the modern shallow carbonate lysocline in the southern Okinawa Trough.From continental shelf edge to the bottom of Okinawa Trough,benthic foraminiferal fauna in the surface sediments can be divided into 5 assemblages:(1) Continental shelf break assemblage,dominated by Cibicides pseudoungerianus,corresponds to subsurface water mass of the Kuroshio Current;(2) upper continental slope assemblage,dominated by Cassidulina carinata,Globocassidulina subglobosa,corresponds to intermediate water mass of the Kuroshio Current;(3) intermediate continental slope assemblage,dominated by Uvigerina hispida,corresponds to the Okinawa Trough deep water mass above the carbonate lysocline.     

Upward transport of iron at the west shelf edge–slope of the Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea

We studied the behavior of chemical substances in the upper 300 m of the water column across the continental shelf–slope interface in the East China Sea off the Okinawa Trough. The behaviors of iron, inorganic nutrients, and humic-like fluorescent dissolved organic matter were strongly influenced by the extensive water exchange between the East China Sea and the Kuroshio Current across the shelf break and slope via upwelling and frontal processes. We attributed the high humic-like fluorescent intensity at the subsurface of the shelf break and slope regions to the lateral supply of humic-like fluorescent dissolved organic matter from the shelf sediments to the outer shelf region due to the intrusion of shelf water into Kuroshio subsurface water. We found that the behavior of iron at the continental shelf–slope was remarkably different from the conservative mixing of inorganic nutrients and humic-like fluorescent dissolved organic matter. In deep and bottom waters at the shelf–slope, high total iron concentrations, which were closely related to water transmittance, possibly resulted from the swept transport of iron-rich resuspended sediments over the shelf floor from the slope by the invading Kuroshio Intermediate Water close to the bottom.     

冲绳海槽中部表层沉积物中的放射虫

1992年7月“向阳红16号”海洋调查船利用大洋50型抓斗在冲绳海槽中部（25°30’－30°N,125°－129°E）区域内获取表层沉积物样品88个。表层沉积物中的放射虫定量分析结果表明;愈近海槽放射虫的数量及属、种丰度值愈高,西侧槽坡离开槽区越远,放射虫数量及属种越渐少。而东侧槽被放射虫数量则表现了高、低值成点状分布的格局。表层沉积物中两大类放射虫的百分含量分别为泡沫虫约占87％,罩笼虫约占13％。另外根据分析结果,把本区分为3个小的沉积区：陆坡上部沉积区;陆被下部沉积区;海槽底部沉积区。     

Copper in the resurrection fjord, Alaska

Copper concentrations have been measured in more than 200 samples collected from an Alaskan fjord and continental shelf and slope regions in the northwestern Gulf of Alaska. Concentrations were lowest (2·1 nmol kg⁻¹) at depths of 400–1000 m in the continental slope waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Copper increased systematically with decreasing salinities shoreward to concentrations >30 nmol kg⁻¹ in fjord surface waters during summer months of high freshwater runoff. Copper concentrations increased with depth at an inner fjord station where deep basin waters have restricted circulation, and these data together with surface (<5 cm) pore water copper concentrations (mean=122 nmol kg⁻¹) about an order of magnitude higher than bottom water copper concentrations are indicative of a flux of copper across the sediment-seawater interface. This latter was estimated at 32±12 nmol cm⁻² annually, and represented less than 20% of the annual input to fjord surface water (228–411 nmol cm⁻²) added during summer months. Mass balances in bottom waters indicate a vigorous recycling of copper with a residence time estimated at 21±11 days. Most copper that is remobilized in surface sediments is returned to bottom waters and little (3%) is removed by subsequent diagenetic reaction in the buried sediments. However, an estimate of copper accumulating in anoxic fjord sediments was comparable with copper added to fjord surface waters suggesting that input-removal reactions rather than internal cycling controls copper geochemistry in this estuary.     

冲绳海槽中段表层沉积物物质来源的定量分离:Sr-Nd同位素方法

利用1994年85－904航次获取的冲绳海槽中段表层沉积物样品，测定其硅酸盐相的^87Sr/^86Cr和^143Nd/^144Nd比值，以定量研究冲绳海槽中段表层沉积物硅酸盐物质的来源，结果表明，冲绳海槽中段陆坡区表层沉积物硅酸盐相的^87Sr/^86Sr/^143Nd/^144Nd与东海陆架沉物硅酸盐相的^87Sr/^86Sr和^143Nd/^143Nd相当，槽底和东坡沉积物硅酸盐相的^87Sr/^86Cr和^143Nd/^144Nd值介于中国大陆硅酸盐物质和海槽水山碎屑的^87Sr/^86Sr,^143Nd/^144Nd比值之间，并大致具有两端员混合特征，利用以Sr同位素为参数的二端员混合方程进行物源定量分析的结果表明，冲绳海槽中段的西坡和槽底表层沉积物硅酸盐相以陆源物质为主，最大值为91．07％，由西向东，陆源物逐渐减少，在海槽东坡含量最小，最小值为9．93％，火山源物质在东坡含量最高，量大值为64．92％，由东向西，由北向东，火山源物质逐渐减少为零。     

冲绳海槽中南部不同环境表层沉积物质来源

对冲绳海槽中南部3种不同沉积环境(东海外陆架、东海陆坡和冲绳海槽)表层沉积物进行了稀土等元素地球化学分析,结果显示,冲绳海槽和陆坡表层沉积物具有与台湾物质来源类似的稀土元素配分模式,La/Sm-Gd/Yb散点图也显示海槽和陆坡沉积物主要分布在台湾物源端元区,表明冲绳海槽中南部海槽和陆坡表层沉积物主要来源于台湾,而外陆架...     

冲绳海槽中南部及其邻近陆架悬浮体的分布、组成和影响因子分析

初夏冲绳海槽中南部海域悬浮体含量的分布特点为:表层水体中部海区高,南北海区低;中底层水体自南西至北东由低至高.从陆架到海槽断面的悬浮体含量分布为陆架最高值区、陆坡最低值区和海槽低值区.悬浮体组成包括矿物岩石碎屑、生物骨屑以及絮凝体.矿物岩石碎屑主要分布在陆架区中、下层水体,生物骨屑主要分布在海槽区(整个水层)和陆架区上层水体,絮凝体在研究区都有分布.海槽区与陆架区的悬浮体含量垂直分布和组分特征具有明显的差异.研究区悬浮体分布和组成主要受控于黑潮对陆架物质向冲绳海槽输送的阻隔、生物生产量以及地形、地理环境.     

The calculation of Kuroshio current structure in the East China Sea—early summer 1986

On the basis of hydrographic data and moored current meter records obtained during an early summer cruise (May 20–June 23) of 1986, a three dimensional diagnostic calculation of the circulation is performed in the survey area, which covers the East China Sea continental shelf, Okinawa Trough and an area east of the Ryukyu Island. The Kuroshio Current condition and structure in the East China Sea, its branches and their interrelationship as well as the eddies around the Kuroshio, are discussed. When the Kuroshio entered the area northeast of Taiwan, there were two branches. The main branch flowed northeastward along the continental slope and the other branch was at the eastern part of the Okinawa Trough. The main axis of the Kuroshio followed the continental slope above the 300 m level, but moved gradually eastward to the Okinawa Trough below the 300 m level.     

TOPOGRAPHY AND SEDIMENTATION OF THE EAST CHINA SEA SHELFBREAK

The shelfbreak of the East China Sea lies in an area with a marked change in gradient between the continental shelf and the slope (west wall of Okinawa Trough), depth ranging from 132 to 162m with an average of about 147 m, and the width ranging from 4 to 18 km. The types of the shelfbreak differ markedly from the north to the south, having an abrupt break in the south and a gradual break in the middle and the north. Without permanent deposition of fine-grained material formed at the shelfbreak zone, it serves only as a temporary resting place for terrigenous sediments moving toward the Okinawa Trough through submarine canyons as important transport conduits.     

Deep-water circulation in the North Pacific deduced from Si-O diagrams

A simple dissolved silica (Si) and dissolved oxygen (O) diagram method was applied to study the deep-water circulation in the North Pacific and the following results and conclusion have been obtained. In the abyssal water flowing northward in the western Pacific Si increases with a constant ratio of Si to decreasing O(Si/O=–0.30). The water is designated as the main sequence. In the eastern Pacific the Si-O diagram is characteristic of the location and reflects the degrees of mixing with older waters and of alteration due to decomposition of biogenic material. The Bay of Alaska is found to be a great source of silica in the North Pacific and its bottom water spreads out to the central North Pacific north of 40°N, called here the abyssal front. The younger abyssal water in the Aleutian Trench flowing to the eastern North Pacific north of 40°N comes through the north end of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench instead of the gap in the Emperor Seamounts at about 46°N. The deep water is almost completely homogenized by active isopycnal mixing and advection when the deep water reaches its upper boundary by upwelling in the western North Pacific including the Bering Sea. Thus the high productivity in the Bering Sea is principally caused neither by the direct supply of abyssal water rich in nutrients nor by the extremely active vertical mixing reaching depths greater than 500 m, but it may be caused simply by the shallower upper boundary of the deep water mass in the Bering Sea, from which nutrients are easily transported to the surface.     

Morphology and architecture of the typical erosion-genesis submarine canyons on the East China Sea slope

The Yithi submarine canyons,composed of four canyons less than 60 km in length,are located on the narrowest part of the East China Sea(ECS) slope.They extend from the shelf break at 160 m down to water depth of 1 500 m with an average gradient(along the canyon axis) of 3°(<1 000 m) and 0.7°(>1000 m).The sinuosity of the canyons ranges form 1.02 to 1.14 and their pathways extend radially from the shelf break to the axis of the Okinawa Trough.Structural and evolution pattern of the Yithi canyons are mainly controlled by sediment mass-movements and turbidity current and similar with that of the canyons in Ebro continental slope.The whole canyon system consists of three parts:the canyon,the channel and the fan.Slumps and slides often develop in the upper part of canyon where the water depth is less than 1000 m,and the turbidities usually developed on the fan.The scale of turbidites becomes smaller and their inner structures become more regular towards the ends of the canyons.Canyon-fans are often associated with small angle progradational reflection.Most canyon-fans and levees were transversely cut by active normal faults with NEE-SWW trending that are coupled to the modern extension of the Okinawa Trough.According to the age of formation of canyon-fans and sediments incised by canyons,we can infer that the Yithi canyons were formed since the middle the Medio-Pleistocene.     

239, 240Pu,137Cs and90Sr in the central North Pacific

^{239, 240}Pu,¹³⁷Cs and⁹⁰Sr concentrations were determined in sea waters from the central and western North Pacific in 1980 and 1982. The results are consistent with those reported earlier for North Pacific waters. The profiles of⁹⁰Sr and¹³⁷Cs show a monotonic decrease with depth, whilst^{239, 240}Pu shows a distinct subsurface maximum at a depth between 400 and 1,000 m. The calculated inventories of these nuclides significantly exceed the global mean fallout inputs for these latitudes. This may be due to local fallout input to the ocean at times of large-scale nuclear weapon tests in the equatorial North Pacific. The existence of measurable amounts of¹³⁷Cs and^{239, 240}Pu in deep waters suggests that these nuclides are transported by sinking particulate matter from the surface to the deep ocean.     

Distribution of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers, alkenones and polyunsaturated fatty acids in suspended particulate organic matter in the East China Sea

We investigated the spatial distribution of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), alkenones, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in particulate organic matter collected at four sites along a depth transect from the continental shelf to the Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea during the spring bloom in 2008. The maximum alkenone concentration appeared in the top 25?m at all sites and the $ U_{37}^{{{\text{K}}'}} $ values were consistent with in situ water temperatures in the depth interval, suggesting that the alkenones were produced mainly in surface water. At the slope and shelf sites, GDGTs in the water column showed a concentration maximum at 74?C99?m depth, and the $ {\text{TEX}}_{86}^{\text{H}} $ agreed with in situ water temperatures, suggesting the in situ production of GDGTs in the depth interval. The low-salinity surface water above 20?m depth was characterized by low GDGT concentrations and low $ {\text{TEX}}_{86}^{\text{L}} $ -based temperatures, suggesting either the production of GDGTs in winter season or the lateral advection of GDGTs by an eastward current. At the slope and Okinawa Trough sites, TEX₈₆-based temperatures were nearly constant in the water column deeper than 300?m and corresponded to temperatures at the surface and near-surface waters rather than in situ temperatures. This observation is consistent with a hypothesis that Thaumarchaeota cells produced in surface waters are delivered to deeper water and also indicates that the residence time of suspended GDGTs in the deep-water column is large enough to mix the GDGTs produced in different seasons.     

Lower Cd/P ratio in settling particles than in surface seawater in the Okinawa Trough

The characteristics of the ratios between cadmium (Cd) and phosphorus (P) in settling particles collected from the Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea were examined using a sediment trap, moored at a depth of 811 m for one year. The Cd/P ratios varied within a narrow range throughout the year, in spite of the large seasonal change in the total dry mass, Cd, and P fluxes. The average Cd/P ratio of settling particles was 0.062 (nmol/μmol), which was obviously lower than that of surface seawater around the study site (0.16). This lower ratio in the Okinawa Trough particles collected using the 811 m-moored trap certainly reflected the mixture of biologically produced organic matter around the study site and other components that were mainly transported as lateral flux from the shelf edge and slope area of the East China Sea.     

东海陆架外缘区构造特征及其成因机制

东海陆架边缘的构造特征记录了有关冲绳海槽张裂过程的关键信息,对于进一步理解海槽的形成演化以及弧后张裂与弧-陆碰撞之间的相互作用至关重要。本文基于多道地震和重磁资料,分析了东海陆架边缘的地形和构造特征,并对冲绳海槽早期张裂过程、北西向断裂带的分隔控制作用、钓鱼岛隆起带南北构造差异和冲绳海槽的向西前展等问题进行了探讨。结果表明,冲绳海槽西侧陆坡存在的分段性,各分段在地形地貌、地层展布和构造特征等方面的不同,体现了其构造演化和现今构造活动性的差异。冲绳海槽中—北段的张裂始于陆架前缘坳陷,在晚中新世向东扩展至整个海槽,晚中新世至今以分散式张裂为主。北西向断裂带对东海陆架边缘不同分段的构造特征和构造活动起到了分隔控制和转换协调作用,控制了不同类型陆坡的形成和发育。受冲绳海槽在全宽度上向西前展的影响,钓鱼岛隆起带南段的基底隆起及其支撑的陆架边缘发生了破坏和沉降,形成基底起伏较大、地形崎岖不平的陆坡。     

冲绳海槽沉积物混合作用的研究

介绍了利用方向性同位素＾２１０Ｐａ活度在岩芯中的垂直分布，根据沉积作用的数学模式，结合有关资料对冲绳海槽海水－海底界面沉积物的混合作用强度进行了了探讨。＾２１０Ｐｂ资料表明冲绳海槽表层沉积物中，＾２１０Ｐｂ放射性活度存在空间差异，介于２６．２６－９２．４０ｄｐｍ／ｇ，沉积物混合系数个于０．５１－６．８８ｃｍ＾２．ａ，这反映了研究海区不同的混合作用强度和沉积环境。     

Distribution and stoichiometry of Al,Mn, Fe,Co, Ni,Cu, Zn,Cd, and Pb in seawater around the Juan de Fuca Ridge

A central theme of the ongoing GEOTRACES program is to improve the understanding of processes occurring at ocean interfaces with continents, sediments, and ocean crust. In this context, we studied the distributions of Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb around the Juan de Fuca Ridge (JdFR) in total dissolvable (td), dissolved (d), and labile particulate (lp) fractions, which represent a fraction in unfiltered samples, filtered samples through an AcroPak capsule filter, and the difference between td and d, respectively. Al and Fe were dominated by lp-species, while Ni, Zn, and Cd were dominated by d-species with undetectable amounts of lp-species. Major findings in this study are as follows: (1) The continental margin (CM) provided large sources of Al, Mn, Fe, and Co from the surface to ~2000 m in depth. The supply from CM caused high surface concentrations of dMn and dCo, a subsurface (100–300 m depth) maximum of dCo, and intermediate (500–2000 m depth) maxima of lpAl and lpFe. The supply of dFe from CM was ~10 times that from the high-temperature hydrothermal activity at station BD21, which is located at ~3 km from the Middle Valley venting site and ~ 200 km from Vancouver Island. (2) DPb was maximum at the top layer of North Pacific Intermediate Water, probably owing to isopycnal transport of anthropogenic Pb via advection of subducted surface waters. Although dCo and dPb had different sources in the upper water, they showed a strong linearity below 300 m (r ² = 0.95, n = 38), indicating concurrent scavenging. (3) A high-temperature hydrothermal plume occurred at a depth of 2300 m at BD21, accounting for maxima of dAl, dMn, dFe, lpCu, and lpPb and a minimum of dCu. (4) Strong bottom maxima of lpAl, lpMn, lpFe, lpCo, and lpPb occurred above the abyssal plain at the western foot of the JdFR, indicating resuspension of sediments. However, bottom maxima of d-species were apparent only for dAl and dCu.     

Vertical velocity and transport in the South China Sea

Deep water in the South China Sea is renewed by the cold and dense Luzon Strait overflow. However, from where and how the deep water upwells is poorly understood yet. Based on the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model reanalysis data, vertical velocity is derived to answer these questions. Domain-integrated vertical velocity is of two maxima, one in the shallow water and the other at depth, and separated by a layer of minimum at the bottom of the thermocline. Further analysis shows that this two-segmented vertical transport is attributed to the vertical compensation of subsurface water to the excessive outflow of shallow water and upward push of the dense Luzon Strait overflow, respectively. In the abyssal basin, the vertical transport increases upward from zero at the depth of 3 500–4 000 m and reaches a maximum of 1.5×106 m3/s at about 1 500 m. Deep water upwells mainly from the northeastern and southwestern ends of the abyssal basin and off the continental slopes. To explain the upward velocity arising from slope breaks, a possible mechanism is proposed that an onshore velocity component can be derived from the deep western boundary current above steep slopes under bottom friction.     

CFC Indicating Renewal of the Japan Sea Deep Water in Winter 2000–2001

The distributions of CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) in the water column was determined twice in 2000 and 2001 in the northwestern Japan Sea. In 2000 the CFC-11 concentration decreased almost exponentially with depth from 6 pmol/kg at a few hundred m deep to 0.3 pmol/kg or less at the bottom of about 3400 m depth at three stations (40–41°N, 132–133°E) about 300 km off Vladivostok. In 2001 the CFC-11 concentration increased sharply up to 2 pmol/kg in the bottom water, while it did not increase at a station (42.0°N, 136.5°E) about 450 km away to the northeast. This is due to the renewal of the bottom water which is replaced by the surface water flowing down along the continental slope, as suggested by Tsunogai et al. (1999), who proposed the continental shelf pump. Furthermore, an increase in the CFC-11 concentration was observed throughout the entire water column above 3000 m depth, although the proportion of the increase was about 20%, which was one order of magnitude smaller than that in the bottom water. The increase in inventory is almost four times larger than that in the bottom water below 3000 m depth which is equivalent to about 1/6 of the total inventory found in 2000. The increase also means that 3% of the deep water was replaced by the recent surface water, or, if the turnover occurs every year, that the turnover time of the deep water to be about 30 years. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.