Sediment-starved sand ridges on a mixed carbonate/siliciclastic inner shelf off west-central Florida

High-resolution side-scan mosaics, sediment analyses, and physical process data have revealed that the mixed carbonate/siliciclastic, inner shelf of west-central Florida supports a highly complex field of active sand ridges mantled by a hierarchy of bedforms. The sand ridges, mostly oriented obliquely to the shoreline trend, extend from 2 km to over 25 km offshore. They show many similarities to their well-known counterparts situated along the US Atlantic margin in that both increase in relief with increasing water depth, both are oriented obliquely to the coast, and both respond to modern shelf dynamics. There are significant differences in that the sand ridges on the west-central Florida shelf are smaller in all dimensions, have a relatively high carbonate content, and are separated by exposed rock surfaces. They are also shoreface-detached and are sediment-starved, thus stunting their development. Morphological details are highly distinctive and apparent in side-scan imagery due to the high acoustic contrast. The seafloor is active and not a relict system as indicated by: (1) relatively young AMS ¹⁴C dates (<1600 yr BP) from forams in the shallow subsurface (1.6 meters below seafloor), (2) apparent shifts in sharply distinctive grayscale boundaries seen in time-series side-scan mosaics, (3) maintenance of these sharp acoustic boundaries and development of small bedforms in an area of constant and extensive bioturbation, (4) sediment textural asymmetry indicative of selective transport across bedform topography, (5) morphological asymmetry of sand ridges and 2D dunes, and (6) current-meter data indicating that the critical threshold velocity for sediment transport is frequently exceeded. Although larger sand ridges are found along other portions of the west-central Florida inner shelf, these smaller sand ridges are best developed seaward of a major coastal headland, suggesting some genetic relationship. The headland may focus and accelerate the N–S reversing currents. An elevated rock terrace extending from the headland supports these ridges in a shallower water environment than the surrounding shelf, allowing them to be more easily influenced by currents and surface gravity waves. Tidal currents, storm-generated flows, and seasonally developed flows are shore-parallel and oriented obliquely to the NW–SE trending ridges, indicating that they have developed as described by the Huthnance model. Although inner shelf sand ridges have been extensively examined elsewhere, this study is the first to describe them in a low-energy, sediment-starved, dominantly mixed siliciclastic/carbonate sedimentary environment situated on a former limestone platform.     

The influence of salinity on the solubility of Zn and Cd sulphides in the Scheldt estuary

In the estuary of the river Scheldt, where an oxygen gradient exists in addition to the salinity gradient, redox processes will be of major importance for trace metal mobilisation. In this study, the influence of salinity and pH on the redox processes of dissolved Zn and Cd sulphides is investigated together with the effects on the ratio of the dissolved Zn and Cd concentrations. The speciation of these metals is calculated with the chemical equilibrium programme +. Zn sulphides are oxidised at lower oxygen concentrations than Cd sulphides, due to lower stability constants, causing a sudden increase or peak in the dissolved Zn/Cd ratio. The formation of dissolved Cd chloride complexes when oxidation occurs at high salinities (S=15) increases the mobility of Cd, causing a decrease in the Zn/Cd peak of the total dissolved concentrations. The peak is three to four times smaller at S=15 than when oxidation occurs at S=2. The simple model calculations compare very well with field data. The Scheldt estuary is suitable to illustrate these calculations. In the 1970s, the anoxic part of the estuary reached S=15–20, but since the early 1980s it has dropped to S=2–10. Historic data on metals in the estuary from 1978, 1987 and the 1990s were used to compare with the equilibrium calculations. The increase of the dissolved Zn/Cd peak at low salinity as a consequence, of the decreasing anoxic region is confirmed well by the data. The good agreement between model calculations and field data is a proof of the extreme importance of redox processes for the solubility of Zn and Cd sulphides in the estuary.     

Possible origin of laminated sediments of the anoxic Bannock Basin (eastern Mediterranean)

Quantitative analysis of nannofossils and microfossils in laminated sediments recovered from the Libeccio Basin of the Bannock area and a comparison with similar laminated sediments from anoxic basins in the Black Sea and the Gulf of Mexico suggest that the laminated sediments in this eastern Mediterranean anoxic basin are the result of cyclic productivity changes. It is suggested on the basis of periodicity estimates of 80 yr that the laminae are related to changes in solar activity (Wolf-Gleissberg cycles) that influenced the Nile discharge and thus the nutrient supply in the water masses.     

Spectra of the Black-Sea tsunamis

We perform the analysis of the time spectra of four tsunamis generated in the Black Sea by the earthquakes of 26.07.1927, 11.09.1927, 26.12.1939, and 12.07.1966. For the analysis of the spectra, we used digitized marigrams obtained for 12 points of the Black-Sea coast. The obtained spectra are, as a rule, multimode and have 1–4 spectral maxima. One maximum corresponds to the periods typical of tsunami waves and the other maxima correspond to the oscillations of the sea level with lower frequencies. It seems likely that the events of tsunami are accompanied by low-frequency oscillations of the level caused by the atmospheric forcing, seiches, or other factors. In numerous cases, the oscillations from the predominant energy range lie outside the characteristic range of periods of the tsunami waves. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 21–30, September–October, 2007.     

Preservation of enzymic activity in marine plankton by low-temperature freezing

The measurement of enzymic activity in plankton communities is useful in the study of marine ecosystems. Such measurements can lead to a clearer understanding of the biological transformations in plankton communities at a particular time. However, the assays are somewhat time-consuming. To facilitate analysis of large numbers of samples, we have developed a method of quick-freezing of whole cells and of cell-free extracts of the diatom, Skeletonema costatum, followed by storage at ?60°C for up to one week. No loss in either the electron transport system (ETS) or the glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity occurs. Similar conditions of storage can be used for the preservation of ETS activity in the marine copepod Calanus pacificus. Also, no measurable loss in either the GDH or the ETS activity is detectable after the quick-frozen whole cells of S. costatum have been kept frozen for over a year.     

Macrofauna impact on Ulva rigida C. Ag. production and relationship with environmental variables in the lagoon of Venice

The grazing pressure of the macrofaunal invertebrates associated with the biomass of Ulva rigida in the Venice lagoon, their species composition and relationship with environmental variables have been studied. Fifteen sampling campaigns were carried out during different seasons both in the central basin of the lagoon, dominated by macroalgae (especially U. rigida C. Ag.) and in the southern basin, prevalently populated by seagrasses (especially Zostera marina L.). Replicate experiments were conducted in the field by exposing Ulva fronds in net cages of 10 and 1 mm (control) mesh-sizes to allow or prevent grazer entrance. The grazing pressure was determined as Ulva growth rate difference in the cages. In the absence of invertebrate herbivores, Ulva exhibited per cent relative growth rates (%RGRs) ranging from 1.5 to 9.5% day(-1), whereas in their presence the %RGRs were significantly lower (from -2.5 to 3.4% day(-1)) and frequently negative, especially in the station dominated by macroalgae. In this area, peak grazing rates and macrofauna biomasses of up to 8.6% day(-1) and 1,480 g m(-2) fwt (84.4 ash-free dry weight), respectively, were found. On the whole, during in field experiments in the Ulva-dominated station, herbivores removed an amount of biomass whose percentage ranged from 59 to 165% (mean: 103%) of the biomass yield (grazers excluded) found in the cages. These results suggest the possibility that grazers could act as an important factor affecting Ulva production in the Venice lagoon. Macrofauna populations were analysed by means of multivaliate techniques applied to biological variables only and biological and environmental variables together. Data of individual abundance, after a log(x + 1) transformation and the calculation of the Bray-Curtis matrix, were classified using the Cluster Analysis and ordinated by means of the Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) technique, in accordance with the strategies used in the study of multispecies distributions. Finally, biological and environmental variables were analysed together by means of correlation matrices and the Principal Component Analysis.