A formal derivation and numerical modelling of the improved Boussinesq equations for varying depth

A formal derivation of the improved Boussinesq equations of Madsen and Sørens (1992) is presented to provide the correct forms of the depth-gradient related terms. Linear shoaling characteristics of the new equations are investigated by the method of Madsen and Sørensen (1992) and by the energy flux concept separately and found to agree perfectly, whereas these approaches give conflicting results for the equations derived by Madsen and Sørensen (1992). Furthermore, Nwogu's (1993) modified Boussinesq model is found to produce a linear shoaling-gradient identical with the present work. Numerical modelling of the derived equations for directional waves is carried out by three-time-level finite-difference approximations. A higher-order radiation condition is implemented for effective absorption of the outgoing waves. Several test cases are included to demonstrate the performance of the model.     

Observations of the Labrador Sea eddy field

This paper is an observational study of small-scale coherent eddies in the Labrador Sea, a region of dense water formation thought to be of considerable importance to the North Atlantic overturning circulation. Numerical studies of deep convection emphasize coherent eddies as a mechanism for the lateral transport of heat, yet their small size has hindered observational progress. A large part of this paper is therefore devoted to developing new methods for identifying and describing coherent eddies in two observational platforms, current meter moorings and satellite altimetry. Details of the current and water mass structure of individual eddy events, as they are swept past by an advecting flow, can then be extracted from the mooring data. A transition is seen during mid-1997, with long-lived boundary current eddies dominating the central Labrador Sea year-round after this time, and convectively formed eddies similar to those seen in deep convection modeling studies apparent prior to this time. The TOPEX / Poseidon altimeter covers the Labrador Sea with a loose “net” of observations, through which coherent eddies can seem to appear and disappear. By concentrating on locating and describing anomalous events in individual altimeter tracks, a portrait of the spatial and temporal variability of the underlying eddy field can be constructed. The altimeter results reveal an annual “pulsation” of energy and of coherent eddies originating during the late fall at a particular location in the boundary current, pinpointing the time and place of the boundary current-type eddy formation. The interannual variability seen at the mooring is reproduced, but the mooring site is found to be within a localized region of greatly enhanced eddy activity. Notably lacking in both the annual cycle and interannual variability is a clear relationship between the eddies or eddy energy and the intensity of wintertime cooling. These eddy observations, as well as hydrographic evidence, suggest an active role for boundary current dynamics in shaping the energetics and water mass properties of the interior region.     

Tectonics at the intersection of the East Pacific Rise with Tamayo Transform fault

During the Fall of 1979, a manned submersible program, utilizing DSRV ALVIN, was carried out at the intersection of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) with the Tamayo Transform boundary. A total of seven dives were completed in the vicinity of the EPR/Tamayo intersection depression and documented the geologic relationships that characterize the juxtaposition of these types of plate boundaries. The young volcanic terrain of the EPR axis can be traced into and across the Tamayo Transform valley but becomes buried by sedimentary talus that is being shed from sediment scarps along the unstable sediment slope that defines the north side of the intersection depression. Within 4 km of the transform boundary, the dominant trend (000°) of the fissures and faults that disrupt the rise-generated volcanics is markedly oblique to the regional direction of sea floor spreading (120°). Since no evidence was found to suggest that these structures accommodate significant amounts of strike-slip displacement, they are taken to reflect a distortion of the EPR extensional tectonic regime by a transform generated shear couple. The floor of the Tamayo Transform valley in this area is inundated by mass-wasted sediment, and the principal transform displacement zone is characterized at the surface by a narrow (<1.5 km) interval of fault scarps in sediment that trends parallel with the transform valley. Extrapolated to the west, this zone links with zones of transform deformation investigated during earlier submersible studies (CYAMEX and Pastouret, 1981). Evidence of low-level hydrothermal discharge was seen at one locality on the EPR axis and at another 8 km west of the axis at the edge of the zone of transform deformation.     

Particle transport from the West African shelves of Liberia and Sierra Leone to the deep sea: A chemical approach

The chemical and mineralogical composition of suspended particle suites has been used to assess off-shelf transport on the West African shelves of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Using the ratios of Si/Al, Fe/Al, Mg/Al and Mn/Al as tracers, it was possible to detect shelf-derived materials in slope waters. In the majority of cases, these inputs could not have been detected using particle mass or light scattering measurements and could only be measured by using the chemical signatures of the particulate matter. At the time of sampling, the suspensate which had been moved seaward over the slope was detected adjacent to submarine canyons and highly turbid areas on the outer shelf. The chemical and mineralogical composition of the suspensates, and sediments in the adjacent eastern Atlantic basin are similar to those found in the water column seaward of the West African continental shelves and yet distinct from the Sahelian dust which is considered the major source of sedimentary material for the tropical and semi-tropical areas of the deep eastern basin. These findings suggest that materials from this shelf area could be a more important input to the deep sea than was previously realised.     

Basement imaging with Side-Looking Seismics

The multistreamer Side-Looking Seismic system presented in this paper makes a sonograph of uncovered or buried crustal topography, thus revealing the structural fabric of the oceanic basement, even when this is covered with a sedimentary layer. Major elements of the system are an airgun as a sound source, five single-channel parallel streamers and two minicomputers for signal capture and processing.The system is used simultaneously for enhanced single-channel seismic profiling and for side-looking seismics. A vertical section with an improved signal-to-noise ratio and a suppression of side-echoes is produced on a digital seismic recorder. Primary side-looking seismic output in the form of 5 profiles with different angles of incidence is obtained within 10 seconds. This part of the processing can be done in real time.In sediment-covered areas the low frequencies used cause the slanted profiles (the side beams in the primary output) to be side-looking sonar images of buried topography. The projection process yielding final side-looking output corrects for slant range deformation caused by the water column and, if necessary, for deformation caused by refraction within the sedimentary column. The result approaches a conformal map of the structure of the traversed basement. Swath width is mainly determined by water depth and refraction effects in the sediment. In Madeira abyssal plain a swath width of 8000 m was attained in a water depth of 5000 m.Within the swath, oceanic basement structures are recognized in the form of elongate more or less parallel reflectors. They are interpreted as buried spreading topography. The lack of side-echoes within fracture zones combined with typical wall signatures can be used to trace fracture zones. These features are demonstrated for an area in Madeira abyssal plain.     

Optimum design of a servo-controlled breathing regulator for underwater divers

This article deals with the analysis, synthesis and performance evaluation of the flow and dynamic characteristics of the new class of servo-controlled breathing regulators for underwater divers.Emphasis on such a class of regulators has been stimulated by their tremendous potential in extending the dive depth and duration because they reduce the diver breathing effort to a great extent. This would eliminate the unnecessary exhaustion of the diver under such extreme diving conditions and accordingly improve his work efficiency underwater.The study aims at developing rational design procedures and guides that would enable the regulator designers to select the optimal design parameters of this class of regulators. Such design guides are based on the analysis of the flow and dynamic characteristics of the servo-controlled regulator as well as the basic principle of the theory of optimum control.The study presents also experimental evaluation techniques of the dynamic characteristics of this class of regulators in order to provide common quantitative means for comparison with the conventional regulator designs.The presented results emphasize the merits and the potential of the servo-controlled regulators as essential tools of supporting the life of divers underwater.