Extension of the Paraná Basin to offshore Brazil: Implications for coalbed methane evaluation

Coalbed methane (CBM) is a worldwide exploration target of the petroleum industry. In Brazil, the most important coal-bearing succession is associated with the Permian Rio Bonito Formation of the Paraná Basin. The gas-prone areas are located at the southeastern margin of the Paraná Basin and possibly in the offshore region of the northern part of the Pelotas Basin. Coalfields end abruptly at the present day shoreline, a result of rifting of Gondwana and the evolution of the South Atlantic Ocean. All geologic indicators suggest that in pre-rift times the coal seams extended further eastwards, probably now lying deeply buried below the sedimentary succession of the Pelotas Basin. The present paper discusses structural, stratigraphic, seismic and aeromagenetic data that support the preservation of continental crust beneath ocean sediment. If the coal beds had similar lateral extent to known onshore coals, and coal beds extended across the projected extension of the Parana basin, and there was a conservative 5 m of cumulative coal thickness, then a potential methane volume can be estimated for this newly inferred resource. Average onshore coal gas content is 32 scf/ton (1.00 m³/ton). If this is similar in the offshore coal deposits, then the hypothetical methane volume in the offshore area could be in excess of 1.9 × 10¹² scf (56 × 10⁹ m³). Metamorphism from dikes associated with rifting are potential complicating factors in these deposits, and since no borehole reaching the deep-lying strata in the offshore area are available, this is a hypothetical gas resource with a certain level of uncertainty which should be tested in the future by drilling a deep borehole.     

Human and climate forcing of zooplankton populations: Introduction

Zooplankton play a key role in the pelagic foodweb by controllingphytoplankton production and shaping pelagic ecosystems. Inaddition, because of their critical role as a food source forlarval and juvenile fish, the dynamics of zooplankton populationshave a significant influence on recruitment to fish stocks.In 1961, ICES convened the First Zooplankton Production Symposiumin Charlottenlund, Denmark. ICES also played a leading rolein the Second Zooplankton Production Symposium on "ZooplanktonProduction: measurement and role in global     

Upwelling in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea: Atmospheric forcing and local versus non-local response

The spin up and relaxation of an autumn upwelling event on the Beaufort slope is investigated using a combination of oceanic and atmospheric data and numerical models. The event occurred in November 2002 and was driven by an Aleutian low storm. The wind field was strongly influenced by the pack-ice distribution, resulting in enhanced winds over the open water of the Chukchi Sea. Flow distortion due to the Brooks mountain range was also evident. Mooring observations east of Barrow Canyon show that the Beaufort shelfbreak jet reversed to the west under strong easterly winds, followed by upwelling of Atlantic Water onto the shelf. After the winds subsided a deep eastward jet of Atlantic Water developed, centered at 250 m depth. An idealized numerical model reproduces these results and suggests that the oceanic response to the local winds is modulated by a propagating signal from the western edge of the storm. The disparity in wave speeds between the sea surface height signal—traveling at the fast barotropic shelf wave speed—versus the interior density signal—traveling at the slow baroclinic wave speed—leads to the deep eastward jet. The broad-scale response to the storm over the Chukchi Sea is investigated using a regional numerical model. The strong gradient in windspeed at the ice edge results in convergence of the offshore Ekman transport, leading to the establishment of an anti-cyclonic gyre in the northern Chukchi Sea. Accordingly, the Chukchi shelfbreak jet accelerates to the east into the wind during the storm, and no upwelling occurs west of Barrow Canyon. Hence the storm response is fundamentally different on the Beaufort slope (upwelling) versus the Chukchi slope (no upwelling). The regional numerical model results are supported by additional mooring data in the Chukchi Sea.     

In Memoriam

Abstract

The engineering properties of deep continental margin sediments were determined on a worldwide basis. Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) core data and material were utilized from over 900 cores obtained from 89 sites, primarily on the continental margins. Cores were recovered from penetrations to 200 m in water depths averaging 3000 m. Supplementary laboratory testing on selected cores was directed toward determining index properties and shear strength properties of the sediments. The study included a literature review of deep‐sea soil properties, the results of which are to be used by DSDP to evaluate foundation conditions for reentry cones with long casing strings. The results will also be used for a feasibility study of an ultradeepwater marine riser and well‐control system. The marine sediments examined can be divided into three main types: clay, calcareous ooze, and siliceous ooze. Sediment distribution consisted of 48% calcareous ooze, 43% clay, 6% siliceous ooze, and 3% volcanic ash. Because of the sample disturbance inherent in the deepwater coring operation, emphasis was placed on analyzing sediment properties not significantly affected by changes in in situ stresses and structure caused by sampling. Averages and ranges in values of water content and unit weight are presented for the three main sediment types. Plasticity and strength characteristics are discussed in detail and the elastic and compression properties are outlined. The geotechnical properties of deep continental margin soils are summarized.     

Instrumentation of SEASWAB experiment

Abstract

From September 1975 to April 1976 offshore production Platform V in South Pass, Block 28 (East Bay, Louisiana), was instrumented to measure the effect of storm waves on the soft sediments typical of the Mississippi delta (in a project given the acronym SEASWAB). A portion of this project consisted of four identifiable units of instrumentation (see note): (1) an accelerometer package buried 1 m in the sediment to measure three‐dimensional sediment accelerations and an associated pressure transducer, which measured wave‐induced pressures; (2) an array of instruments that included a wave staff, electromagnetic current meter, and a pressure transducer to examine various relationships between wave properties; (3) a wave‐, current‐, and wind‐measuring station 3.35 km inshore of Platform V to determine the transformation of the waves as they moved over the sediments; and (4) a transponder buried in the mud, the position monitored so that long‐term mudflow could be measured. The direct measurement of seafloor oscillations required the unique instrumentation of the accelerometer system. Three Bruel and Kjaer 8306 accelerometers mounted at right angles to each other made possible the measurement of small oscillations (～0.01 m) at low frequencies (0.1–0.3 Hz). The acoustic method of measuring long‐term mudflow was subject to problems associated with sound propagation in shallow water. The range of the system was found to be 2.74 km, apparently independent of depth. Multiple returns received after single interrogations of the transponder decreased the accuracy of the system.     

Nonlinear sediment thickness increase on the western East Pacific Rise flank, 45°S

Sediment thickness was evaluated on the western flank of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) at 45°S, based on high-resolution seismic data gathered during cruise 213/2 of R/V Sonne in 2011. Two zones with distinctly different sediment thickness were identified, separated by a transitional zone bordering a pseudo-fault. Sediment in the more distal zone 2 is almost twice as thick (~120 m) as in zone 1 close to the EPR. This is in contrast to the expected progressive sedimentary column thickening with seafloor age and distance from the spreading axis. The younger of two seismic units detected within the sedimentary column (EPR-2) occurs mainly in the distal zone on crust older than 9 Ma, whereas on younger crust it is present only in small isolated bodies. Both sedimentary units drape the basement. The drape is interpreted to represent particle settling from suspension and a generally low regional primary productivity. The spatial variation in sediment thickness cannot be explained by existing models, and other processes considered in the present case are (1) higher productivity in the western sector of the survey area, where thicker sediments were observed (zone 2), (2) the formation of sediment drifts near basement highs (‘seamount effect’), due to flow of Lower Circumpolar Deep Water affecting sediment deposition, and (3) erosion and/or non-deposition of the younger EPR-2 unit, due to elevated bed shear stresses associated with eddies transferring kinetic energy to the seafloor     

A simple meteorological buoy with satellite telemetry

A small, inexpensive, and easily deployable meteorological buoy is described. Buoy motion is greatly reduced by appropriate ballast techniques; vector averaging further removes buoy motion effects from wind data. Data is transmitted to the GOES satellite and is retrieved by telephone. Measurements are vector-averaged wind components, wind speed, wind direction, water temperature, air temperature, and compass direction. Data from two field trials are discussed. Speed comparisons averaged 0.2 m sec⁻¹ with a standard deviation of 0.6 m sec⁻¹. Direction comparisons were different due to local topography, but they indicate a probable accuracy of ±5°.     

Spatial and temporal variability in the lower food web of the tidal freshwater Hudson River

The mid Hudson River is a heterotrophic system where allochthonous inputs apparently fuel the largest proportion of secondary production and ecosystem metabolism. We have analyzed a 6-yr dataset collected quarterly at six stations spanning a 150-km reach to assess variability at inter- and intra-annual time scales and regional spatial scales. The major components of the lower food web: bacterial biomass, detrital particulate organic carbon (POC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), show surprisingly discordant patterns in temporal and spatial variability. Bacterial abundance shows significant variability at all three scales, but the interannual variability is by far the greatest. DOC concentrations showed greatest variability among years, with intra-annual and spatial variability roughly equal. Freshwater flow is commonly considered a major driving force in river-estuarine variability but simple discharge was not a strong predictor of any component of suspended matter or DOC. For organisms in the Hudson River food web, these multiple scales of variability indicate highly unpredictable food resources in time and space, and these fluctuations may contribute to the variability in higher trophic levels.     

A modified linear analysis of a wave-energy conversion buoy

The analysis of a pneumatic-type wave-energy conversion buoy is developed assuming independence of the buoy heaving motion and the motion of the water column within the center pipe. Results of the analysis are then compared with experimental data in a study of the relative air velocity within the turbine passage. The results compare very well. The effect of the variation of the center pipe length is found to be significant for periods about the surge chamber resonance but is negligible in the neighborhood of the heaving resonance period. Further, the theory is applied to a prototype buoy study of the U.S. Coast Guard, and a dimensionless design curve is developed from the results of the prototype analysis.