Comparison of three oxidation methods used for the analysis of the dissolved organic carbon in seawater

Three methods for the determination of dissolved organic carbon in seawater were compared. Samples were analysed using persulphate oxidation, high-temperature combustion, and ultraviolet photo-oxidation. The dissolved organic carbon content of the seawater samples ranged from 0.6 to 1.6 mg C/I. This study shows that results of high-temperature oxidation and photo-oxidation procedures differ by less than 5%, whereas results with persulphate oxidation are about 15% less than those obtained with the high-temperature oxidation. The relative merits of each of the oxidation techniques for the determination of organic matter in seawater are discussed.     

3,4-benzopyrene and perylene in mussels, Mytilus sp., from the Laguna Veneta,North-East Italy

From July, 1975 to November, 1976 mussels from the Laguna Veneta, north-east Italy, and the adjacent Adriatic Sea were collected bimonthly at ten stations and analysed for 3,4-benzopyrene (BaP) and perylene (Pe) content. Mean concentrations were in the range 12·0–135·1 μg/kg dry weight for BaP and 1·5–16·9 μg/kg for Pe, but values as high as 327 μg/kg for BaP and 71 μg/kg for Pe have been measured. The distribution of BaP and Pe closely matches previous results on petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in mussels from this area and indicates that the major portion of BaP and Pe in these bivalves is due principally to human activities.     

Bathymetry of three deep-sea channels in the northeast and central Tufts Abyssal Plain

The drainage pattern in the northeast and central Tufts Abyssal Plain is described in detail. Satellite navigation on the systematic survey has allowed precise location of the major channel systems of the northeast Pacific Ocean. Two hundred channel profiles were collected from the echograms showing the Moresby-Scott, Mukluk, and Horizon Channel Systems trending in either a southwestward or westward direction across this section of the Tufts Plain. The channel profiles illustrate the prominence of the higher and wider right-hand levee (facing downstream). The Moresby-Scott Channel System disperses in the form of several distributaries throughout the area studied, and is probably responsible for much of the sediment deposits. Unlike the Moresby-Scott, the Mukluk extends throughout the survey area as a solitary channel with one minor branch. The Horizon Channel crosses the Sedna Fracture Zone east of the Sedna Seamount and terminates in distributary fashion in the central portion of the Tufts Plain. The Moresby-Scott, Mukluk, and Horizon Channels form one major system which encompasses the entire northeast and central Tufts Abyssal Plain.     

Studies on the determination of inorganic iodine in seawater

Existing methods for the determination of the various forms of iodine present in seawater are laborious or unwieldy in use. This paper describes modified forms of the iodate and total iodine methods described by Barkley and Thompson (1960), a spectrophotometric procedure for iodate determination derived from Johannesson's (1958) work, and an automatic method for total iodine determination. Procedures for iodate and total-iodine determination which are suitable for use aboard ship, are recommended. Both procedures for iodate determination returned a standard deviation close to 0.5 μg/l when several replicate samples of a seawater containing approximately 30 μg/l of iodate-iodine were analysed. The automatic method for total iodine determination yielded a standard deviation of 0.8 μg/l by the repeated analysis of a seawater containing a total of approximately 50 μg/l of iodine. Suitable methods for the filtration and storage of seawater are also described.     

Plate boundaries and evolution of the Solomon Sea region

The Solomon Sea Plate was widely developed during late Oligocene, separating the proto-West Melanesian Arc from the proto-Trobriand Arc. Spreading in the Bismarck Sea and in the Woodlark Basin resulted from interaction between the Pacific and Australian Plates, specifically from the collision of the proto-West Melanesian Arc with north New Guinea, which occurred after arc reversal. This model explains the extensive Miocene, Pliocene, and Quaternary volcanism of the Papua New Guinea mainland as it related to southward subduction of the Trobriand Trough. Our interpreted plate motions are concordant with the geological evidence onshore and also with complex tectonic features in the Solomon Sea Basin Region.