Shallow-Water Gasohydrothermal Vents of Ushishir Volcano and the Ecosystem of Kraternaya Bight (The Kurile Islands)

Abstract. A marine ecosystem in the crater of the Ushishir Volcano (Kraternaya Bight, Yankich Island, the Kuriles) showing gasothcrmal activity was studied for hydrographical, hydrochemical, and biological characteristics. Maximal changes in chemical and biological characteristics were observed in the surface water layer of 0–5 m. This layer had higher water temperature, was saturated with volcanogcnic carbon dioxide (up to 2000 10^-6 torr), ovcrsaturatcd with oxygen (up to 200 %), and contained high concentrations of chlorophyll a. Hydrogen sulfide was found in the surface water layer and at a depth of 15 m in the area of maximal effect of volcanic effluents.
The planktonic community is characterized by high rates of production and destruction of organic matter only in the 0–5 m layer. Daily vertical migrations of the ciliatc Mesodinium rubrum were observed, which caused "red tides".
Bacterial, algobacterial, and diatom mats developed on the bottom of the bight in the zone of gasohydrothermal vents and in areas of volcanic water seeping. The rate of organic matter production in algobacterial mats reached 33.4g C-rrr²-d^-l, chcmolithotrophy predominating. Bottom settlements had high population density and great animal biomass, which reached 10 kg m^-2 in gasohydrothermal fields. They obtain sufficient energy from primary production of microphy-tobenthos, algobacterial, and bacterial mats. Bcnthic species dominant in the bight were not found off the Ushishir Islands.
Some species of macrobenthos inhabiting the Kraternaya Bight differ markedly in size and biomass from the same species found beyond the bight.     

The effect of low level supplementary heating on diving duration

The exothermic reaction which proceeds when small sachets containing particulate mixtures of iron and magnesium are flooded with sea water, has been used for thermal support of free divers. Initial application of such generators to heating of the hands (Burton and Chan, 1981), and later extension to heating of the torso, have been described previously (Chan and Burton, 1981, 1982). Of considerable interest during field trials of the torso heating system was a strong subjective impression among those taking part, that significant increases of dive duration and decreases of perceived discomfort could be obtained with relatively low levels of power generation, for example less than 50% of that required for thermal balance. In this paper, a simple mathematical model of human stored heat loss is used to rationalize this observation. Also it successfully predicts voluntary exposure times of unheated divers who become cold. When used to estimate body heat debt, the model enables documented dives by this laboratory and by others, including recent exposures in Antarctica using low level supplementary heating, to be analysed.     

Semisubmersible response to transient ice forces

The paper presents an analytical and experimental study on the transient response of semisubmersibles to bergybit impact and the strength of bergybit ice to high strain-rate loadings. Two approaches have been proposed for the solution of the semisubmersible-bergybit interaction problem, one using the energy approach and the other using the conventional structural dynamics approach with initial velocity conditions. In addition the local behaviour of the impacted regions have been analysed for deformation and failure. Numerical results have been given for local behaviour of an impacted column and global behaviour of semisubmersible-bergybit system. Experimental study has been reported on the impact strength of iceberg ice at strain rates of 10⁻³, 10⁻² and 10⁻¹; the indentation impact strength of ice is found to be 3–4 times the unaixial compressive strength, at the same strain rate.     

Validation of a time-domain strip method to calculate the motions and loads on a fast monohull

The paper presents a comparison between experimental data and numerical results of the hydrodynamic coefficients and also of the wave induced motions and loads on a fast monohull model. The model with 4.52 m length was constructed in Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP), and made up of 4 segments connected by a backbone in order to measure sectional loads. The objective of the investigation was to assess the capability of a nonlinear time domain strip method to represent the nonlinear and also the forward speed effects on a displacement high speed vessel advancing in large amplitude waves. With this objective in mind the experimental program included forced oscillation tests in heaving and pitching, for a range of periods, three different amplitudes and several speeds of advance. In head regular waves comprehensive ranges of wave periods, wave steepness and speeds, were tested in order to measure heave, pitch and loads in three cross sections.

The numerical method assumes that the radiation and diffraction hydrodynamic forces are linear and the nonlinear contributions arise from the hydrostatics and Froude–Krilov forces and the effects of green water on deck. The assumption of linearity of the radiation forces is validated by comparing calculated hydrodynamic coefficients with experimental data for three different amplitudes of the forced oscillations. Both global coefficients and sectional coefficients are compared. The motions and loads in waves are compared in terms of first and higher harmonic amplitudes and also in terms of sagging and hogging peaks.     

Parallel experiments with Thalassiosira rotula in outdoor plastic tanks: Development of dissolved free amino acids during an algae bloom

Three outdoor plastic tanks were filled with North Sea water. The water was filtered free of algae and inoculated with the diatom Thalassiosira rotula. Under nearly natural nutrient supply an exponential plankton growth occurred with realistic cell concentrations. The flexible tanks (3–4 m³, 4–5 m deep) were exposed in the German Bight at a station in the outer harbour of Helgoland. The concentration changes of dissolved free amino acids (DFAA) were determined. The direct determination method applied permitted an analysis in picomole range without loss and with good reproducibility. The preliminary concentration of DFAA amounted to 0.2 μmol dm⁻³ in all three cultures, increasing during the development of T. rotula to 0.9–1.3 μmol dm⁻³ and decreasing in the stationary phase back again to smaller values. A high degree of temporal variation in DFAA was observed in all three cultures. In spite of these rapid changes in concentration, a good parallel development could be shown for all cultures, which extended as far as the spectra of the amino acids. Relationships between DFAA and other parameters of the culture-systems were examined.     

On the use of grate-turbulators for tests of microstructural probes

Highly sensitive microstructural probes subjected to noise disturbances are free of these in laboratory tests. This leads necessarily to the working out of methods for complex testsin situ. The paper reports on the successful use for this purpose of a grate (net) suspended from a free-falling probe. The grate sets up turbulence with reproducible structure in the area of sensor location.UDK 551.46.085     

New sets of wavelet-forming functions

One of the most efficient tools of studying meteorological and climatic time series is wavelet analysis, which allows local properties of a nonstationary time series to be examined. New sets of continuous and discrete wavelet-forming functions are proposed. All proposed wavelets are finite (have a bounded carrier), even, and well localized in the spectral space.