A calibration of the Bagnold beach equation

A simple sand trap is used to measure swash and backwash bedload transport rates on intertidal profiles. Data from sixty-eight beach experiments are used to calculate a mean value of 12.78 kg m^?4s^?2 for the calibration coefficient in the Bagnold beach equation.     

Imagery of the inhomogeneities of currents on the ocean surface state

The influence of inhomogeneities of surface currents on the intensity of breaking wind waves is considered and a model for the relation between whitecap contrasts and the tensor of current gradients is developed. The imagery of typical patterns of ocean currents is discussed. The results of field observations supporting this model are given.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

Evidence for slope instability and current-induced sediment transport,the RMSTitanic wreck search area,Newfoundland rise

The first map of the sea bed morphology and sedimentary features within the RMSTitanic search area is proposed from the interpretation of SAR side-scan sonar images. Downslope sedimentary features such as erosional furrows and crown scarps constitute a 7 km wide instability corridor. A large field (15 km²) of asymmetrical sediment waves indicating a downslope transport is identified. Current-induced features corresponding to associated sand ribbons and barchan dunes resulting from the Western Boundary Undercurrent action are mapped. The morphology of theTitanic Canyon is also precised from the SAR images. Finally, the origin of the sea bed features is discussed in an attempt to link each bed form to a sedimentary process.     

Phytoplankton productivity in relation to light intensity: A simple equation

A simple exponential equation is used to describe photosynthetic rate as a function of light intensity for a variety of unicellular algae and higher plants where photosynthesis is proportional to (1-e^−β1). The parameter β ( ) is derived by a simultaneous curve-fitting method, where I is incident quantum-flux density. The exponential equation is tested against a wide range of data and is found to adequately describe P vs. I curves. The errors associated with photosynthetic parameters are calculated. A simplified statistical model (Poisson) of photon capture provides a biophysical basis for the equation and for its ability to fit a range of light intensities. The exponential equation provides a non-subjective simultaneous curve fitting estimate for photosynthetic efficiency (a) which is less ambiguous than subjective methods: subjective methods assume that a linear region of the P vs. I curve is readily identifiable. Photosynthetic parameters β and a are used widely in aquatic studies to define photosynthesis at low quantum flux. These parameters are particularly important in estuarine environments where high suspended-material concentrations and high diffuse-light extinction coefficients are commonly encountered.     

Geotechnical aspects of fine-grained mass flow deposits: California Continental Borderland

Seismic reflection profiling demonstrates the importance of mass movement in the north-central California Borderland. Bulk properties of surficial hemipelagic sediments in the Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and San Nicolas basins show that different types of mass-transported sediments have different properties, although their general sedimentologic characteristics are very similar. Slump deposits have moderate water contents (48% wet weight basis), high plasticity indices (46%), and moderate activities (1.6). For debris flows these values are low: 28%, 5%, and 0.3, respectively, and for other types (liquefied flow, mudflows, and turbidities) the values are high: 54 to 63%, 49 to 58%, and 1.2 to 1.5, respectively.     

Comparison of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon distributions and sedimentary organic matter characteristics in contaminated, coastal sediments from Pensacola Bay, Florida

In this study, we examined the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a contaminated coastal area and the characteristics of the natural organic matter in tandem. We present a detailed study of PAH concentration, distribution, and organic matter characteristics of three core samples from Pensacola Bay, Florida. Solid-state 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), pyrolysis gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) thermochemolysis GC-MS were applied to obtain structural details about the sedimentary organic matter. Elemental compositions (carbon and nitrogen) and estimates of black carbon contents are also reported. These coastal sediments were found to contain more PAHs in the upper 15 cm layers than in the bottom 15-25 cm samples. The samples that contained the most PAHs also contained the least amount of aromatic carbon and contained a significant amount of paraffinic carbon. Lignin-derived pyrolysis and TMAH thermochemolysis products were abundant and generally higher in all of the samples in comparison to those reported for modern coastal sediments, indicating a large flux of terrestrial carbon. The black carbon contents were found to range from 4.3% to 6.8%, which are significantly lower than other reports of black carbon in sediments, which represent as much as 65% of the total organic carbon content. The low black carbon content suggests that this type of refractory carbon may not be as responsible for regulating PAH distribution as indicated by other researchers.     

Copepod grazing during spring blooms: Can Pseudocalanus newmani induce trophic cascades?

During late winter and spring of 2002 and 2003, 24 two- to three-day cruises were conducted to Dabob Bay, Washington State, USA, to examine the grazing, egg production, and hatching success rates of adult female Calanus pacificus and Pseudocalanus newmani. Here, we discuss the results of our grazing experiments for P. newmani. Each week, we conducted traditional microzooplankton dilution experiments and “copepod dilution” experiments, each from two different layers. Grazing was measured by changes in chlorophyll concentration and direct cell counts. Clearance rates on individual prey species, as calculated by cell counts, showed that Pseudocalanus are highly selective in their feeding, and may have much higher grazing rates on individual taxa than calculated from bulk chlorophyll disappearance. The grazing rates of the copepods, however, are typically an order of magnitude lower than the grazing rates of the microzooplankton community, or the growth rates of the phytoplankton. P. newmani ingested diatoms, but, at certain times fed preferentially on microzooplankton, such as ciliates, tintinnids, and larger dinoflagellates. Removal of the microzooplankton may have released the other phytoplankton species from grazing pressure, allowing those species’ abundance to increase, which was measured as an apparent “negative” grazing on those phytoplankton species. The net result of grazing on some phytoplankton species, while simultaneously releasing others from grazing pressure resulted in bulk chlorophyll-derived estimates of grazing which were essentially zero or slightly negative; thus bulk chlorophyll disappearance is a poor indicator of copepod grazing. Whether copepods can significantly release phytoplankton from the grazing pressure by microzooplankton in situ, thus causing a trophic cascade, remains to be verified, but is suggested by our study.     

Numerical prediction of performance of submerged breakwaters

The results of a numerical model study on the transmission characteristics of a submerged breakwater are presented. Study aimed to determine the effect of depth of submergence, crest width, initial wave conditions and material properties on the transmission characteristics of the submerged breakwater. The results highlight the optimum crest width of the breakwater and optimum clear spacing between two breakwaters. A submerged permeable breakwater with d_s/d=0.5, p=0.3 and f=1.0, reduces the transmission coefficient by about 10% than the impermeable breakwater. The results indicates an optimum width ratio of B/d=0.75 for achieving minimum transmission. By restricting the effective width ratio of the series of breakwaters to 0.75, studies were conducted to determine the effect of clear spacing between breakwaters on transmission coefficient, suggesting an optimum clear spacing of w/b=2.00 to obtain K_t below 0.6.