A literature review of the saturation state of seawater with respect to calcium carbonate and its possible significance for scale formation on OTEC heat exchangers

An investigation has been made of available data on the saturation state of seawater with respect to calcium carbonate and its possible significance for scale formation on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) heat exchangers. Pertinent oceanographic data is lacking at or near potential OTEC sites for the calculation of the degree of saturation of seawater with respect to calcium carbonate. Consequently, only “extrapolated” saturation values can be used. These indicate that near surface seawater is probably supersaturated, with respect to the calcium carbonate phases calcite and aragonite, at all potential OTEC sites. The deep seawater that would be brought to the surface at the potential Atlantic Ocean sites is also likely to be supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate. The deep seawater at the potential Pacific Ocean sites may be slightly undersaturated.The fact that OTEC heat exchangers will be operating in seawater, which is supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate, means that if nucleation of calcite or aragonite occurs on the heat exchanger surfaces, significant growth rates of calcium carbonate scale may be expected. The potential for calcium carbonate nucleation is highest at cathodic metal surface locations, which are produced as the result of aluminum corrosion in seawater. Consequently, corrosion and scale formation may be closely related. What the possible effects of biofouling may be on this process are not known.     

Eastern and Western Poor Cod (Trisopterus minutus capelanus) Populations in the Mediterranean Sea: Evidence from Allozyme and Minisatellite Loci

Abstract. Nine allozyme and two minisatellite loci were used to investigate potential genetic differentiation among three samples of Mediterranean poor cod, Trisopterus minutus capelanus, from the Gulf of Lion, the Tuscan Archipelago and the Aegean Sea. Both types of markers showed consistent results, with F_ST values of 0.0262 and 0.0296 (P < 0.0015, after Bonferroni correction for multiple tests) for allozymes and minisatellites, respectively. Allele frequency heterogeneity tests between pairs of samples showed a clear separation between the two western Mediterranean samples (Gulf of Lion, Tuscan Archipelago) and the eastern one (Aegean Sea). The results indicate that at least two reproductively isolated populations of poor cod occur in the Mediterranean.     

Structure and Quaternary tectonic history of the Woodlark triple junction region,Solomon Islands

The Woodlark triple junction region, a topographically and structurally complex triangular area of Quaternary age, lies east of Simbo Ridge and southwest of the New Georgia island group, Solomon Islands, at the junction of the Pacific, Australian and Solomon Sea plates. SeaMARC II side-scan imagery and bathymetry in conjunction with seismic reflection profiles, 3.5 kHz records, and petrologic, magnetic and gravity data show that the active Woodlark spreading centre does not extend into this region.South of the triple junction region, the Woodlark spreading centre reoriented at about 2 Ma into a series of short ESE-trending segments. These segments continued to spread until about 0.5 Ma, when the lithosphere on their northern sides was transferred from the Solomon Sea plate to the Australian plate. Simultaneously the Simbo transform propagated northwards along the western side of the transferred lithosphere, forming a trench-trench-transform triple junction located NNW of Simbo island and a new leaky plate boundary segment that built Simbo Ridge.As the Pacific plate approached, the area east of northern Simbo Ridge was tilted northwards, sheared by dominantly right-lateral faults, elevated, and intruded by arc-related magmas to form Ghizo Ridge. Calc-alkalic magmas sourced beneath the Pacific plate built three large strato-volcanic edifices on the subducting Australian plate: Simbo at the northern end of Simbo Ridge, and Kana Keoki and Coleman seamounts on an extensional fracture adjoining the SE end of Ghizo Ridge.A sediment drape, supplied in part from Simbo and Kana Keoki volcanoes, mantles the east-facing slopes of northern Simbo and Ghizo Ridges and passes distally into sediment ponded in the trench adjoining the Pacific plate. As a consequence of plate convergence, parts of the sediment drape and pond are presently being deformed, and faults are dismembering Kana Keoki and Coleman seamounts.The Woodlark system differs from other modern or Tertiary ridge subduction systems, which show wide variation in character and behaviour. Existing models describing the consequences of ridge subduction are likely to be predictive in only a general way, and deduced rules for the behaviour of oceanic lithosphere in ridge subduction systems may not be generally applicable.     

A Stable Carbon Isotope Study of the Food-web in a Freshwater-deprived South African Estuary, with Particular Emphasis on the Ichthyofauna

The importance of macrophytes as food sources for estuarine nekton is unclear. Previous carbon isotope investigations in the macrophyte-dominated, freshwater-deprived Kariega Estuary showed that the bivalveSolen cylindraceusdid not utilize the dominant estuarine macrophytes found within the estuary as a primary food source. This finding prompted questions as to what the nekton of this estuary utilize as primary energy sources. δ¹³C analyses of the principal autochthonous and allochthonous primary carbon sources, as well as the dominant invertebrate and fish species, indicate that there are two main carbon pathways within the Kariega Estuary. The littoral community, which incorporates the majority of crustaceans, gobies, mullet and a sparid, utilizes δ¹³C enriched primary food sources namelySpartina maritima,Zosteracapensis and epiphytes. The channel fauna, which includes the zooplankton, zooplanktivorous and piscivorous fish, utilizes a primary food source depleted in δ¹³C, which is most likely a mixture of phytoplankton, terrestrial plant debris and C₄macrophyte detritus. The C₃saltmarsh macrophytesSarcocornia perennisandChenolea diffusa, as well as benthic microalgae, appear to be less important as primary food sources to the nekton of the Kariega Estuary.     

Contemporary ocean and coastal management issues in Australia and New Zealand: an overview

The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of international treaties, conventions and agreements dealing with maritime issues and oceans governance. Most nations are attempting to cope with this expanding agenda at a time of fiscal constraint, competing environmental demands and the emergence of a new global strategic, political and economic order. However, similar issues do not always lead to similar outcomes. Australia and New Zealand share some common oceanic and coastal management problems, but variations in response arise from geographical differences, constitutional provisions, political style and administrative arrangements. This paper provides a brief overview of contemporary maritime issues and attempted solutions in both nations.     

Relationship between the seismicity and geologic structure of the Blanco Transform Fault Zone

Morphologic studies of an oceanic transform, the Blanco Transform Fault Zone (BTFZ), have shown it to consist of a series of extensional basins that offset the major strike-slip faults. The largest of the extensional basins, the Cascadia Depression, effectively divides the transform into a northwest segment, composed of several relatively short strike-slip faults, and a southeast segment dominated by fewer, longer faults. The regional seismicity distribution (m _b 4.0) and frequency-magnitude relationships (b-values) of the BTFZ show that the largest magnitude events are located on the southeast segment. Furthermore, estimates of the cumulative seismic moment release and seismic moment release rate along the southeast segment are significantly greater than that of the northwest segment. These observations suggest that slip along the southeast segment is accommodated by a greater number of large magnitude earthquakes. Comparison of the seismic moment rate, derived from empirical estimates, with the seismic moment rate determined from plate motion constraints suggests a difference in the seismic coupling strength between the segments. This difference in coupling may partially explain the disparity in earthquake size distribution. However, the results appear to confirm the relation between earthquake size and fault length, observed along continental strike-slip faults, for this oceanic transform.     

Iodine chemistry in deep anoxic basins and overlying waters of the Mediterranean Sea

Iodate (IO₃⁻) is the predominant dissolved species of iodine in the oxygenated waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Iodide (I⁻) is present in significant quantities (up to 65 nM) in oxygenated waters in the photic zone and near the interface above the anoxic and saline Bannock Basin. Lesser quantities of I⁻ (< 10 nM) are found throughout the rest of the oxic water column. An additional unidentified dissolved iodine species is present immediately above the anoxic interface.Total dissolved iodine (ΣI) increases dramatically across the seawater/brine interface. Part of this increase is undoubtedly the result of the dissolution of iodine-rich evaporites during formation of the brine bodies at the Tyro and Bannock Basins. The vertical distribution of ΣI and other dissolved chemical species (particularly PO₄³⁻) in the Bannock Basin brine, however, suggests an additional, present-day, diagenetic source of dissolved iodine to the brine. Based on the increase in the concentration of the most soluble major ions across the seawater/brine interface, 5–7 μM of the 11.5-μM increase in ΣI concentration must be attributed to diagenesis.