A shipborne magnetic survey in Hudson Bay

A marine magnetic total-field survey of Hudson Bay was conducted from 1975 to 1978. Approximately 62 000 line-km of data, or 35 000 five-minute averages, were acquired. The data were corrected for secular variation by means of a polynomial in latitude, longitude, and time, first fitted to annual mean differences from nine observatories and then integrated over time. The data were corrected for diurnal and transient variations by means of a linear interpolation, over geomagnetic latitude, of running hourly mean values from two neighbouring magnetic stations (numbering seven in all). Crossover differences are analysed in terms of a mixture of normal distributions resulting from the intermittent transient variations, and indicate the effectiveness of the corrections. The variance of the data is reduced, as a result of the corrections, by 87% during quiet periods and by 53% during disturbed periods, the weighted variance being reduced by 66%. Navigational accuracy is estimated, from a novel method utilizing crossover differences and field gradients, to be approximately 300 m. Anomalies are presented in profile form, and discussed briefly.Contribution from the Earth Physics Branch No. 973.     

In situ tests for ice strength measurements

Ice effects have caused extensive damage. Enormous forces have been recorded. On the other hand, ice has been used as a structural material under various situations. To use ice beneficially and to assess the danger of ice forces, it is necessary to know the mechanical properties of ice.Results from the large number of ice tests carried out in laboratories show the difficulties of sampling and testing procedures. Most of the tests have not reproduced faithfully enough the conditions existing in nature. To obtain adequate results, laborious and slow samplings and preparations of test specimens have been necessary. Recently, extensive use has been made of in situ tests in order to reduce the number of factors whixh can induce errors in measurements. Large scale tests have simulated actual structures. General ice properties have become available from small-scale in situ tests. Since these tests give rapid results, a large number are already available with a good coverage of field conditions.A theoretical basis has been devised for these in situ tests which measure essentially the unconfined and confined compressive strengths of ice, and practical devices have been developed to execute these tests. A correlation of measurements from laboratory tests and in situ tests has established a link between natural and artificial environments. Brittle elastic and clastic theories have been applied, to find the best correlations for ice tests. Test results have been related to the mechanical properties as used in engineering practice.A very summary conclusion of results is that cold sea ice and cold fresh water ice are both very strong. However, depending on the load rate, ice can be quite brittle, which mitigates dangerous effects from ice action against massive structures.     

Remote determination of momentum-flux profiles in the lower atmospheric boundary layer

An acoustic locator—a sodar—is a unique instrument for getting the objective characteristics of the current state of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) owing to a combination of such properties as remoteness, mobility, resolution, and information content. This study demonstrates the capabilities of a sodar to obtain data on the second moments of the field of wind-velocity fluctuations, in particular, the profiles of momentum flux in the lower ABL, which are very important in practical applications. A corresponding method is described, and the results of its experimental verification and some examples of its application under the conditions of different ABL stratification are presented.     

Nitrate assimilation by zooxanthellae maintained in laboratory culture

The ability of cultured zooxanthellae to use ammonium and nitrate was tested. The zooxanthellae were initially isolated from the anemone Aiptasia pulchella. The zooxanthellae were able to grow on media supplemented with either form of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) although ammonium was inhibitory above 300 μM. In accord with the intact symbiosis and freshly isolated algae, the cultured zooxanthellae took up ammonium. In contrast, the cultured algae demonstrated nitrate uptake and utilization. This was enhanced with DIN deprivation. Nitrate reductase was found in the algae and appeared to be inducible. Within the animal host, excretory ammonium may repress this induction.     

A general method for calculating three-dimensional laminar and turbulent boundary layers on ship hulls

A general method for representing the flow properties in the three-dimensional boundary layers around ship hulls of arbitrary shape is described. It makes use of an efficient two-point finite-diffirence schem to solve the boundary-layer equations and includes an algebraic eddy-viscosity representaion of the Reynolds-stress ternsor. The numericzal method contains novel and desirable features and allows the calculation of flows in which the circumferential velocity component contains regions of flow reversal across the boundary layer. The inviscid pressure distribution is determined with the Douglas-Neumann method which, if necessary, can conveniently allow for the boundary-layer displacement surface. To allow its application to ships, and particularly to those with double-elliptic and flat-bottomed hulls, a non-orthogonal coordinate system has been developed and is shown to be economical, precise and comparatively easy to use. Present calculations relate to zero Froude number but they can be extended to include the effects of a water wave and local regions of flow separation which may stem from bulbous-bow geometries.     

Trace metals in the Western Pacific: temporal and spatial variability in the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Mn and Ni

Profiles of total dissolvable Cd, Cu, Mn and Ni are reported for samples collected from the southwest Pacific in 1989, from the western equatorial Pacific along 155°E at 5°S, 0° and 5°N in 1990 and 1993, and along the equator from 143°E to 152°E and in the Bismarck Sea in 1997 and 2000. Profiles of Cd along 155°E in 1990 and along the equator were essentially the same but, in 1993, Cd values at 5°N were higher by a factor of about 1.5–2 than at 5°S over the depth range 500–1500 m. Similar, but less pronounced, differences were observed for PO₄ and Ni. Cd and Ni were both strongly correlated with PO₄, and an even stronger correlation was found between Ni and Cd. The concentration of Ni did not fall below ≈2 nmolkg⁻¹, even in the nitrate-depleted waters of the western equatorial Pacific, where primary production is strongly dependent on recycled nitrogen (mainly ammonia and urea). It is proposed that this residual Ni is not bioavailable and that Ni could be biolimiting, since the metabolism of urea requires the nickel-containing enzyme urease. The impact of the Sepik River on Cd, Cu and Ni concentrations was small but elevated concentrations of Mn were observed near the Sepik River and close to the coast suggesting that the rivers and sediments on the north coast of New Guinea are a significant local source of Mn to the Bismarck Sea. Simple mass balance calculations show that the elevated levels of Mn observed in the Equatorial Undercurrent cannot be due to input from the rivers of New Guinea and they were attributed to the trapping of particulate matter due to strong current shear. A strong hydrothermal source of Mn was observed in the central Bismarck Sea.     

Diel fluctuations in dissolved free amino acids and monosaccharides in Chesapeake Bay dinoflagellate blooms

The accumulation of phytoplankton biomass in recurring summer dinoflagellate blooms of Chesapeake Bay is accompanied by large pools of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Two fractions of the DOM, free amino acids (DFAA) and monosaccharides (MONO), were measured at 3 h intervals in mixed species dinoflagellate blooms (Katodinium rotundatum, Gymnodinium spp.) and related to productivity, biomass and photoperiod. Peak chlorophyll levels for the three blooms were 28, 65 and 938 μg1⁻¹. In general, DFAA and MONO concentrations increased with increasing biomass of bloom-forming species, reaching 203 and 844 μg1⁻¹. MONO appeared to accumulate during the day while there was no consistent pattern for DFAA. The accumulations of DFAA and MONO in blooms indicate that bloom production might stimulate microheterotrophy, thereby enhancing carbon and nutrient cycling in bloom-impacted regions.     

Magnetic studies over the northern extension of the Prathap Ridge complex,eastern Arabian Sea

The northern parts of the Prathap and Laccadive Ridge system, eastern Arabian Sea, consist of three parallel basement ridge peaks at varied depths. The topographic highs are associated with either well-developed or subdued magnetic signatures. Model studies, constrained by seismic results, determine the varied nature and depth to the top of the causative basement bodies. Similarities of the geophysical signatures of the ridges and their structural resemblance perhaps point to their common origin. Hence we propose that the Prathap Ridge complex may be a part of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge system and formed because of the Reunion hotspot activity.     

Secondary flow caused by differential roughness,Langmuir circulations,and their effect on the development of sand ribbons

The process of Differential Roughness Secondary Flow (DRSF), hitherto little recognized, recently was demonstrated in a wind tunnel and in a flume. It is suggested here the DRSF may, in the natural environment, play an important part in the persistence and sharp definition of sand ribbons, previously initiated by other processes. In 1980 Karl described a series of sand ribbons, alternating with exposed substrate, which he attributed to the effect of Langmuir circulations. Although Langmuir Circulation Secondary Flow (LCSF) may indeed, in some cases, initiate sand ribbons, the sharply-defined edges typical of these features are explained better by DRSF.     

Palaeo-carbonate seep structures above an oil reservoir, Gryphon Field, Tertiary, North Sea

Petrographic and geochemical analyses performed on a North Sea core from the Gryphon Field reveal the presence of palaeo-degassing features surrounded by injected sandstones in the Eocene interval. The injected sandstones are oil-stained and poorly cemented by carbonate and quartz. ¹⁸O isotope analyses indicate that carbonate cementation occurred during shallow burial (likely less than about 300 m). Depleted ¹³C (around –30 V-PDB) carbonate cement suggests that bicarbonate was derived from the microbial oxidation of oil and gas. Late quartz overgrowths enclose oil present in the injected units. The tubular degassing conduits are composed of zoned cements and have ¹⁸O and ¹³C isotope values similar to the injected sandstones, indicating that oil and gas seepage induced the precipitation of authigenic carbonate in the shallow subsurface. Oil inclusions in inter- and intra-crystal cement sites in both injected sandstones and degassing conduits indicate that oil seepage was an ongoing feature at shallow burial. A proposed model involves oil and gas seepage and the formation of the degassing conduits, followed by a sand injection phase. It seems likely that oil and gas continued to leak towards the seabed by exploiting the network of permeable injected sandstones and the horizons of porous degassing features.