Spatiotemporal variability of the ocean since 1900: testing a new analysis approach using global sea level reconstruction

Ocean Dynamics - A new approach for analysis of spatiotemporal variability across ocean basins was tested using global 1° × 1° monthly sea level reconstruction (RecSL)...     

The great Sumatra–Andaman earthquakes — Imaging the boundary between the ruptures of the great 2004 and 2005 earthquakes

Segmentation along convergent margins controls earthquake magnitude and location, but the physical causes of segment boundaries, and their impact on earthquake rupture dynamics, are still poorly understood. One aspect of the 2004 and 2005 great Sumatra–Andaman earthquakes is their abrupt termination along a common boundary. This has led to speculation on the nature of the boundary, its origin and why it was not breached.

For the first time the boundary has been imaged and, with newly acquired marine geophysical data, we demonstrate that a ridge on the subducting Indo-Australian oceanic crust may exert a control on margin segmentation. This suggests a lower plate influence on margin structure, particularly its segmentation. The ridge is masked by the sedimentary cover in the trench. Its most likely trend is NNE–SSW. It is interpreted as a fracture zone on the subducting oceanic plate. A ramp or tear along the eastern flank of the subducting fracture zone beneath Simeulue Island may be considered as an intensification factor in terms of rupture propagation barrier.     

Sulfur and selenium in chondritic meteorites

Abstract— We report here new analyses of S and Se in carbonaceous chondrites (2 CIs, 11 CMs, 6 CO3s, 7 CV3s, 2 C4s, 4 CRs, and 1 CH), 2 rumurutiites, ordinary chondrites (2 Hs, 2 Ls, and 1 LL), 3 anomalous chondrites, 3 acapulcoites, 3 lodranites, and in silicate inclusions of the Landes IAB iron meteorite. To avoid problems from inhomogeneous distribution of sulfides, the same samples that had been analysed for Se by INAA were analysed for S using a Leybold Heraeus Carbon and Sulfur Analyser (CSA 2002). With the measured CI contents of 5.41% S and 21.4 ppm Se a CI S/Se ratio of 2540 is obtained. A nearly identical S/Se ratio of 2560 ± 150 is found for carbonaceous chondrites (average of falls). The average ratio of all meteorite falls analysed in this study was 2500 ± 270. These data suggest that the new S content of Orgueil with 5.41% provides a reliable estimate for the average Solar System. The new solar system abundance of S of 4.62 × 10⁵ (atoms/10⁶ Si) is in good agreement with the solar photospheric abundance of 7.21 (log (a(H)) = E12) (Anders and Grevesse, 1989). Among the 50 analysed meteorites, 24 were finds from hot (Australia, Africa) and cold (Antarctica) deserts. Weathering effects in the carbonaceous chondrites and in one lodranite from the hot deserts resulted in losses of S, Se, Na and occasionally Ni. Sulfur is apparently more affected by weathering than Se. No losses were observed in ordinary chondrite finds and in meteorites collected in the Antarctica, except for the obvious loss of Na in the CM-chondrite Y 74662. The low S-content of 0.096% in Gibson, a lodranite, is probably not representative of this group of meteorites. Gibson is a find from the Australian desert and has lost S and also Se by weathering. Two other lodranites, finds from Antarctica, have about 2% S.     

AVO study of a gas-hydrate deposit, offshore Costa Rica

Amplitude variation with offset (AVO) analysis and waveform inversion are techniques used to determine qualitative or quantitative information on gas hydrates and free gas in sediments. However, the quantitative contribution of gas hydrates to the acoustic impedance contrast observed at the bottom‐simulating reflector and the reliability of quantitative AVO analyses are still topics of discussion. In this study, common‐midpoint gathers from multichannel wide‐angle reflection seismic data, acquired offshore Costa Rica, have been processed to preserve true amplitude information at the bottom‐simulating reflector for a quantitative AVO analysis incorporating angles of incidence of up to 60°. Corrections were applied for effects that significantly alter the observed amplitudes, such as the source directivity. AVO and rock‐physics modelling indicate that free gas immediately beneath the gas‐hydrate stability zone can be detected and low concentrations can be quantified from AVO analysis, whereas the offset‐dependent reflectivity is not sensitive to gas‐hydrate concentrations of less than about 10% at the base of the gas‐hydrate stability zone. Bulk free‐gas saturations up to 5% have been determined from the reflection seismic data assuming a homogeneous distribution of free gas in the sediment. Assuming a patchy distribution of free gas increases the estimated concentrations up to 14%. There is a patchy occurrence of bottom‐simulating reflectors south‐east of the Nicoya Peninsula on the continental margin, offshore Costa Rica. AVO analysis indicates that this phenomenon is related to the local presence of free gas beneath the gas‐hydrate stability zone, probably related to a focused vertical fluid flow. In areas without bottom‐simulating reflectors, the results indicate that no free gas is present.     

Evolution of an accretionary complex along the north arm of the Island of Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract Seismic reflections across the accretionary prism of the North Sulawesi provide excellent images of the various structural domains landward of the frontal thrust. The structural domain in the accretionary prism area of the North Sulawesi Trench can be divided into four zones: (i) trench area; (ii) Zone A; (iii) Zone B; and (iv) Zone C. Zone A is an active imbrication zone where a decollement is well imaged. Zone B is dominated by out‐of‐sequence thrusts and small slope basins. Zone C is structurally high in the forearc basin, overlain by a thick sedimentary sequence. The subducted and accreted sedimentary packages are separated by the decollement. Topography of the oceanic basement is rough, both in the basin and beneath the wedge. The accretionary prism along the North Sulawesi Trench grew because of the collision between eastern Sulawesi and the Bangai–Sula microcontinent along the Sorong Fault in the middle Miocene. This collision produced a large rotation of the north arm of Sulawesi Island. Rotation and northward movement of the north arm of Sulawesi may have resulted in southward subduction and development of the accretionary wedge along North Sulawesi. Lateral variations are wider in the western areas relative to the eastern areas. This is due to greater convergence rates in the western area: 5 km/My for the west and 1.5 km/My for the east. An accretionary prism model indicates that the initiation of growth of the accretionary prism in the North Sulawesi Trench occurred approximately 5 Ma. A comparison between the North Sulawesi accretionary prism and the Nankai accretionary prism of Japan reveals similar internal structures, suggesting similar mechanical processes and structural evolution.     

Seasonal to decadal forcing of high water level percentiles in the German Bight throughout the last century

For the purpose of coastal planning and management, especially under changing climatic conditions, enhanced knowledge about the evolution of extreme sea levels in the past, present, and future is required. This paper presents statistical analyses of high seasonal water level percentiles of 13 tide gauges in the German Bight, spanning over a period of up to 109 years throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Seasonal and annual high percentile time series of water levels were investigated in comparison to the mean sea level (MSL) for changes on seasonal, inter-annual, and decadal timescales. While throughout the first half of the twentieth century extreme water levels generally followed changes in MSL, during the second half of the century, linear extreme sea level trends exceeded those in MSL in the order of 9–64 cm per century. The largest, although insignificant, contribution to the magnitude of these trends occurs in the winter season (January to March), while smaller but, due to the generally lower atmospheric variability, significant changes are observed during spring (April to June). The observed multi-decadal trends are generally in good agreement with multi-decadal trends in the corresponding percentiles of local zonal surface winds. Only small parts of the trends remain unexplained. It is suggested that these remaining trends result from modifications in the local tidal regime. For the aspects of coastal planning, the findings clarify that in the German Bight, in addition to changes in MSL, potential changes in storminess and in the tidal regime significantly contribute to the development of extreme water levels. Since these factors have influenced the characteristic of extremes throughout the recent past, they also have to be taken into account when estimating design water levels for, e.g., dikes (in a warming climate) under changing greenhouse gas emissions.