Summer distribution and geochemical composition of suspended-particulate matter in the east china sea

The distribution and geochemical composition of suspended-particulate matter (SPM) in the East China Sea (ECS) were investigated during the summer period of high continental runoff to elucidate SPM sources, distribution and cross-shelf transport. The spatial variability of SPM distribution (0.3–6.5 mg l⁻¹) and geochemical composition (POC, Al, Si, Fe, Mn, Ca, Mg and K) in the ECS was pronounced during summer when the continental fluxes of freshwater and terrestrial materials were highest during the year. Under the influences of Changjiang runoff, Kuroshio intrusion, surface production and bottom resuspension, the distribution generally showed strong gradients decreasing seaward for both biogenic and lithogenic materials. Particulate organic carbon was enriched in surface water (mean ∼18%) due to the influence of biological productivity, and was diluted by resuspended and/or laterally-transported materials in bottom water (mean 9.4%). The abundance of lithogenic elements (Al, Si, Fe, Mn) increased toward the bottom, and the distribution correlations were highly significant. Particulate CaCO₃ distribution provided evidence that the SPM of the bottom water in the northern part of the study area was likely mixed with sediments originally derived from Huanghe. A distinct benthic nepheloid layer (BNL) was present in all seaward transects of the ECS shelf. Sediment resuspension may be caused by tidal fluctuation and other forcing and be regarded as the principal agent in the formation of BNL. This BNL was likely responsible for the transport of biogenic and lithogenic particles across or along the ECS shelf. Total inventories of SPM, POC and PN are 46, 2.8 and 0.4 Tg, respectively, measured over the total area of 0.45 × 10⁶ km² of the ECS shelf. Their mean residence times are about 27, 13 and 11 days, respectively. The inventory of SPM in the water column was higher in the northernmost and southernmost transects and lower in the middle transects, reflecting the influences of terrestrial inputs from Changjiang and/or resuspended materials from Huanghe deposits in the north and perhaps from Minjiang and/or Taiwan’s rivers in the south. The distribution and transport patterns of SPM and geochemical elements strongly indicate that continental sources and cross-shelf transport modulate ECS particulate matter in summer.     

Tank wall effects on broadside current forces on barge models

Three different barge sizes were tested in uniform current in a tank of limited width. One of the barges was tested with and without bilge keels. Tests were conducted in both deep and shallow water. The barges were placed broadside to the current flow and the lateral forces on the barges were measured. The effect of the tank walls on these forces is clearly shown.     

Cross-shelf exchange in a model of the Ross Sea circulation and biogeochemistry

Transport of warm, nutrient-rich Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) onto Antarctic continental shelves and coastal seas has important effects on physical and biological processes. The present study investigates the locations of this transport and its dynamics in the Ross Sea with a high-resolution three-dimensional numerical model. The model circulation is forced by daily wind stress along with heat and salt fluxes calculated from atmospheric climatologies by bulk formulae. All surface fluxes are modified by an imposed climatological ice cover. Waters under the Ross Ice Shelf are not included explicitly, but their effect on temperature and salinity is imposed in a buffer zone at the southern end of the model domain. A simple nutrient uptake is calculated based on the climatological chlorophyll distribution and Monod uptake kinetics.Model circulation is strongly affected by bottom topography, due to weak stratification, and agrees with schematics of the general flow and long-term current measurements except near the southern boundary. The sea-surface temperature is similar to satellite estimates except that the warmest simulated temperatures are slightly higher than observations. There is a significant correlation between the curvature of the shelf break and the transport across the shelf break. A momentum term balance shows that momentum advection helps to force flow across the shelf break in specific locations due to the curvature of the bathymetry (that is, the isobaths curve in front of the flow). For the model to create a strong intrusion of CDW onto the shelf, it appears two mechanisms are necessary. First, CDW is driven onto the shelf at least partially due to momentum advection and the curvature of the shelf break; then, the general circulation on the shelf takes the CDW into the interior.     

Reflection of large-scale inhomogeneities in the air-sea boundary layer on the intensity of surface wave breaking in the ocean

An overview of experiments is given on the observation of the dependence of the intensity of wind wave breaking on large-scale currents' inhomogeneities and atmospheric boundary layer stratification. The data were interpreted using a model in which the variance of the wind wave breaking intensity reflects fluctuations in the influx of energy to wind waves due to various factors. Translated by V. Puchkin.     

Aquatic surface microlayer contamination in chesapeake bay

The aquatic surface microlayer (SMIC), 50 μm thick, serves as a concentration point for metal and organic contaminants that have low water solubility or are associated with floatable particles. Also, the eggs and larvae of many fish and shellfish species float on, or come in contact with, the water surface throughout their early development. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the present degree of aquatic surface microlayer pollution at selected sites in Chesapeake Bay, and (2) to provide a preliminary evaluation of sources contributing to any observed contamination.Twelve stations located in urban bays, major rivers, and the north central bay were sampled three times, each at 5-day intervals during May 1986. Samples of 1.4–4.1 each were collected from the upper 30–60-μm water surface (surface microlayer, SMIC) using a Teflon-coated rotating drum microlayer sampler. One sample of subsurface water was collected in the central bay.At all stations, concentrations of metals, alkanes, and aromatic hydrocarbons in the SMIC were high compared with one bulk-water sample and with typical concentrations in water of Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere. SMIC contamination varied greatly among the three sampling times, but high mean contaminant levels (total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 1.9–6.2 μg 1⁻¹; Pb, 4.9–24 μg 1⁻¹; Cu, 4–16 μg 1⁻¹; and Zn, 34–59 μg 1⁻¹) were found at the upper Potomac and northern bay sites. Three separate areas were identified on the basis of relative concentrations of different aromatic hydrocarbons in SMIC samples - the northern bay, the Potomac River, and the cleaner southern and eastern portions of the sampling area.Suspected sources of surface contamination include gasoline and diesel fuel combustion, coal combustion, and petroleum product releases. Concentrations of metals and hydrocarbons, at approximately half the stations sampled, are sufficient to pose a threat to the reproductive stages of some fish and shellfish. Sampling and analysis of the surface microlayer provides a sensitive tool for source identification and monitoring of potentially harmful aquatic pollution.     

Short-term shoreline changes due to cross-shore structures: a one-line numerical model

The proposed numerical model simulates the short-term temporal changes in shoreline position due to a structure interrupting the longshore sediment flux. The impacts of both the groin-type construction and underwater trench of arbitrary orientation relative to the shore are discussed. In order to estimate the sediment mass trapped by the structure, a submodel of the longshore sediment transport induced by a random wave field is developed. The contribution of the surface roller in momentum balance as well as in sediment suspension is included. The shoreline changes are computed from the equation deduced from the mass conservation. The perturbations in the longshore sediment discharge caused by a structure are assumed to concentrate within some boundary area of which the spatial scale is proportional to the structure's length until the latter is exceeded by the width of the sediment flux. It is shown in particular that the total effect of a long trench (channel) and a pier in its nearshore part results in general shoreline recession except for the vicinity of a pier. The model is tested against the laboratory data of Baidei et al. (1994) and applied to the Baidara Bay coast (Kara Sea) where a pipeline would be designed.     

Generation of small-scale turbulence in the Antarctic circumpolar current

A functional connection between probability of turbulence generation by shear instability in current velocity and Väisälä-Brunt frequency is obtained. Examples are cited of sections with isoclines of probable turbulence generation in the 30–500-m layer in the Antarctic circumpolar current north of Kergelen island.UDK [551.465.15+551.46.08] (269)