Hydrological observations across the tropical convergence north of New Zealand

Hydrological observations, mainly sea surface temperature measurements, are presented for the triangular region bounded by New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Western Samoa. The existence of the Tropical Convergence and the general seasonal variation of the surface parameters are discussed. A secondary convergence lying between the Subtropical Convergence and the Tropical Convergence is proposed and its relationship to the general surface circulation of the Tasman, Sea is examined.     

Submerged vegetation of the Rotorua and Waikato lakes

Five plant communities in Lake Rotoiti, North Island, New Zealand (38° 02’ S, 176° 24’ E) are described. In shallow water (0–2 m depth) partly protected from the prevailing westerly winds, some indigenous species form characteristic mounds. From 2 to 6 m depth the exotic macrophyte Lagarosiphon major (Ridley) Moss is the dominant and forms dense beds which appear to have completely replaced any native vegetation. Elodea canadensis Michx., a longer‐established exotic, may form a minor component of this zone, but may become the dominant species in water above and below the Lagarosiphon zone. Lagarosiphon appears to be primarily restricted to silty sand, but on pure silt areas it is replaced by Elodea and/or Nitella hookeri A. Braun. These zonations are probably static rather than successional. On underwater cliff faces and boulder shores a seasonal succession of algae was the major vegetation. Only filamentous cyanophytes grew within 1–2m of geothermal springs in the lake.     

Macrobenthic polychaete assemblages of the continental shelf and upper slope off the west coast of the South Island,New Zealand

Polychaete assemblages are described from replicate box‐core samples collected in summer 1983 at 18 stations on the continental shelf and upper slope (28–943 m) off the west coast of the South Island, New Zealand, south‐eastern Tasman Sea (c. 41–43°S, 169–172°E). Three main station groupings were identified by multivariate analysis: (1) inner shelf sandy stations characterised by Prionospio australiensis, Aricidea (Acesta) sp., Magelona cf. dakini, Paraprionospio aff. pinnata, Aglaophamus sp., Heteromastus filiformis, and Magelona sp.; (2) middle to outer shelf muddy stations characterised by Levinsenia cf. gracilis, Prionospio australiensis, Paraprionospio coora, Aglaophamus verrilli, and Auchenoplax mesos; and (3) upper slope sandy mud or mud stations characterised by Prionospio ehlersi. A combination of water depth and sediment clay content provided the best correlation with the biotic pattern. Spionidae was the most abundant family (49% of polychaete individuals), which may reflect the scope for opportunistic species in a shelf environment characterised by a high input of terrigenous sediment and episodic upwelling.     

Abergasilus amplexus Hewitt, 1978 (Ergasilidae: Copepoda) from New Zealand,with a description of the male

The male of Abergasilus amplexus Hewitt, 1978 is described for the first time. Previous records of A. amplexus are discussed and a new locality, Te Whanga Lagoon, Chatham Islands, is reported.     

Earthquake of February 3, 2016 in the Middle Baikal Region: Source Parameters and Macroseismic Effects

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - We study in detail the source parameters, seismotectonic position, and macroseismic effects of the February 3, 2016, earthquake that occurred in the...     

Composition and secondary alterations of microfossils in sediments of the Ashadze-1 hydrothermal field (tropical Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

The first thorough analysis of microfossils from ore-bearing sediments of the Ashadze-1 hydrothermal field in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge sampled during cruise 26 of the R/V Professor Logachev in 2005 revealed the substantial influence of hydrothermal processes on the preservation of planktonic calcareous organisms, as well as on the preservation and composition of the benthic foraminifers. From the lateral and vertical distribution patterns and the secondary alterations of the microfossils, it is inferred that the main phase of the hydrothermal mineralization occurred in the Holocene. Heavy metals (Cu, Co, Cr, and Ag) were accumulated by foraminiferal tests and in their enveloping Fe-Mn crusts. The distribution of authigenic minerals replacing foraminiferal tests demonstrates local zoning related to the hydrothermal activity. There are three mineral-geochemical zones defined: the sulfide zone, the zone with an elevated Mg content, and zone of Fe-Mn crusts.     

Petroleum-related hydrocarbons in deep and subsurface sediments from South-Western Barents Sea

Subsurface sediments from a pockmark area in South-Western Barents Sea have been earlier found to contain elevated levels of petroleum-related polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This work describes a comprehensive analysis of various biomarkers, including the highly source-specific hopanes, in a 4.5?m long gravity core from the same area, together with subsurface sediment samples from other areas in the region without pockmarks present ("background samples"). A clear difference between the pockmark gravity core and the background sediment cores was found, both with regard to genesis and the level of transformation of organic matter. A number of indicator parameters, such as methylphenanthrene index (MPI-1), point towards a significantly higher maturity of hydrocarbons in the pockmark core throughout its length as compared to the other sampled locations. Higher contents of microbial hopanoids (hopenes) may indicate the former presence of petroleum. These findings confirm the hypothesis of a natural hydrocarbon source in the deeper strata present in the studied location with pockmarks.     

A temporally second-order accurate Godunov-type scheme for solving the extended Boussinesq equations

A numerical scheme for solving the class of extended Boussinesq equations is presented. Unlike previous schemes, where the governing equations are integrated through time using a fourth-order method, a second-order Godunov-type scheme is used thus saving storage and computational resources. The spatial derivatives are discretised using a combination of finite-volume and finite-difference methods. A fourth-order MUSCL reconstruction technique is used to compute the values at the cell interfaces for use in the local Riemann problems, whilst the bed source and dispersion terms are discretised using centred finite-differences of up to fourth-order accuracy. Numerical results show that the class of extended Boussinesq equations can be accurately solved without the need for a fourth-order time discretisation, thus improving the computational speed of Boussinesq-type numerical models. The numerical scheme has been applied to model a number of standard test cases for the extended Boussinesq equations and comparisons made to physical wave flume experiments.     

Thermodynamic characterization of boltwoodite and uranophane: Enthalpy of formation and aqueous solubility

Boltwoodite and uranophane are uranyl silicates common in oxidized zones of uranium ore deposits. An understanding of processes that impact uranium transport in the environment, especially pertaining to the distribution of uranium between solid phases and aqueous solutions, ultimately requires determination of thermodynamic parameters for such crystalline materials. We measured formation enthalpies of synthetic boltwoodites, K(UO₂)(HSiO₄)·H₂O and Na(UO₂)(HSiO₄)·H₂O, and uranophane, Ca(UO₂)₂(HSiO₄)₂·5H₂O, by high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. We also studied the aqueous solubility of these phases from both saturated and undersaturated conditions at a variety of pH. The combined data permit the determination of standard enthalpies, entropies and Gibbs free energies of formation for each phase and analysis of its potential geological impact from a thermodynamic point of view.     

Vertical Variability of Primary Production and Chlorophyll a in the Kara Sea in the Middle of Summer: Contribution of Subsurface Maxima to the Water Column Values

Oceanology - Spatial and vertical variability of primary production (PP) and Chl a were studied in the framework of the 76th cruise of R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh to the Kara Sea from July 7 to...