Hydrographic structure and variability of the Kara Sea: Implications for pollutant distribution

Nuclear activity on land and dumping of waste in the Siberian shelf seas mean that the Kara Sea is most likely to experience inputs of radioactivity. Industrial and other anthropogenic activities in the expansive Ob' and Yenisey watersheds also contribute organochlorines, heavy metals and oil to this region. Contaminant fate is influenced by the distribution of the river discharge and processes associated with ice formation and ocean currents. Although average conditions are important in the transport of pollutants, events such as storms and iceberg gouging may be critical in deciding the ultimate fate of dumped and released contaminants.     

Detection of free gas and gas hydrate based on 3D seismic data and cone penetration testing: An example from the Nigerian Continental Slope

We present a new method to characterize free gas, gas hydrates and carbonate concretions occurrence which are considered as high-risk factors for sub-sea developments in the Niger delta. This method is based on the combination of 3D seismic data to the geotechnical site characterizations using piezocone CPTU tests (Cone Penetration Test with additional measurement of the pore water pressure). A special processing of the 3D seismic data has enabled the determination of the interval compressional velocity. Using the effective-medium theory, velocity anomalies (negative and positive) within the first 15 m were translated in gas hydrate and free gas distribution. The calibration of the P wave velocity anomalies was done thanks to in-situ geotechnical testing carried out during two oceanographic surveys (2003 and 2004). Comparison between in-situ testing, recovered cores and the prediction of the gas and the gas hydrate distribution based on the compressional wave velocity have shown that 3D seismic data is a valuable tool to identify heterogeneous areas but the use of the piezocone was essential to discriminate between gas hydrate occurrences and carbonate concretions' presence. Furthermore, in-situ compressional wave velocity (V_p) measurements have clearly demonstrated what it was suspected from the 3D seismic data, the co-existence in the study area between gas hydrate and free gas.     

Calculation of the nonlinear energy transfer through the wave spectrum at the sea surface covered with broken ice

The nonlinear energy transfer through the wave spectrum is studied on the basis of the previously obtained explicit equation for matrix elements of a four-wave kinetic integral. The equation describes the evolution of a system of gravity waves at the surface of a sea of finite depth with a uniform distribution of broken ice over the sea surface. Particular attention is paid to the analytical part of the algorithm of the calculation of the kinetic integral. This part differs from the standard algorithm by a set of prominent features of the dispersion relation for wave oscillations in the ice-covered water. The kinetic integral for the system under consideration is calculated, and the results are compared with the results obtained for the ice-free water.     

Age of the western Black Sea basin according to an analysis of the anomalous magnetic field and geological data

Until recently, the ideas about the age of the Black Sea deep-water basin have been based on land geological observations in the coastal areas at the interaction periphery, underwater observations from manned submersibles, and on the data of seismic reflection and refraction studies and drilling. Formerly, the scarcity of the information led to a wide scattering of the age determinations: from the Jurassic to the Eocene. Recently, with the appearance of reliable geological and geophysical data, the range of the age estimates has been considerably reduced during the last few years, although there is no commonly accepted opinion on this issue. Therefore, the first attempt to determine the age of the Western Black Sea basin using an analysis of the anomalous magnetic field is of certain interest. The following results were obtained: the basin probably opened between 71.338 and 71.587 My B.P. (subchron C32n.1r). During the interval 68.737–71.071 My B.P. (subchron C31r), extinction of the spreading axes took place. Thus, the total duration of the Campanian-Maestrichtian phase of the opening was about 3 My (interval from 71.587 to 68.737 My B.P.). This result does not agree with the geological and geophysical data available to date. To solve this problem, collection of new geological data and further studies of the structure of the anomalous magnetic field are required.     

Plankton distribution and vertical flux of biogenic matter during high summer stratification in the Krka estuary (Eastern Adriatic)

The aim of this study was to investigate phytoplankton abundance, composition and vertical export in the highly stratified Krka estuary, Croatia. The estuary is stratified throughout the year, and an interface between fresh- and brackish water plays an important role in production and degradation of biogenic matter. Vertical export of particulate organic carbon (POC), phytoplankton carbon (PPC) and faecal pellet carbon (FPC) was studied by deploying sediment traps in the middle and lower reach of the estuary and in the adjacent coastal zone. Zooplankton faecal pellet (FP) production experiments were conducted to provide additional information on the potential contribution of FP to the total carbon flux. High suspended concentrations of POC, chlorophyll a and phytoplankton was found in the lower reaches of the Krka estuary, adjacent to a source of anthropogenic eutrophication. The fraction of organic detritus to the total POC flux was 61–69% inside the estuary but only 7% at the marine station. This indicates that the primary producers in the surface layer of the Krka estuary are decomposed in and below the interface and then settle as detritus to the bottom. Low sedimentation rates in the coastal zone outside the estuary revealed that the eutrophication does not spread out of the estuary. Mesozooplankton played a modest role in vertical flux regulation, due to their low abundance and dominance of smaller forms as well as low faecal pellet production rates. It is concluded that processes taking place at the freshwater-seawater interface are of major importance for the vertical carbon flux in the investigated area.     

The mineralogy and provenance of deep-sea sediments recovered by gravity corer off Sierra Leone,West Africa

The mineralogy of eight gravity cores recovered between Sierra Leone and 25°W longitude has been examined in an investigation of the provenance of the recent sediments in the eastern Equatorial Atlantic. X-ray analyses show that the principal mineral components are calcite, quartz, feldspar, kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite. One core taken from the upper continental slope off Freetown also contains gibbsite, a product of intense tropical weathering. Biogenic material forms the dominant component of most sections of the cores but it is clear from the abundance of quartz, kaolinite and freshwater diatoms that an aeolian supply of continental detritus has been important in the formation of the recent sediment cover. A significant contribution from volcanic sources can be recognised to the west of the Sierra Leone Rise. The occurrence of calcareous turbidites in two cores from the St. Paul's Fracture Zone and from the basin west of the Sierra Leone Rise appears to be a reflection of recent tectonic activity.     

Radium and lead-210 in marine barite

Measurements of ²²⁶Ra and ²¹⁰Pb in barite samples separated from different depths of a piston core from the eastern equatorial Pacific are reported. ²²⁶Ra is enriched in the barite as would be expected from the chemistries of Ra and Ba; the ${}^{226}\text{Ra}\text{Ba}$ ratio centers around 1.5 · 10¹⁴ atoms/mole. The results suggest that barite is concentrating Ra at a rate comparable to its decay rate, viz. 5.78 · 10^?3 yr^?1. The gross ²¹⁰Pb depletion with respect to ²²⁶Ra is indicative of ²²²Rn loss due to the smallness of the barite crystals.     

Water colour index of the Guinean sector of the Atlantic Ocean

The distribution of the colour index is considered in the region bounded by 8–11°N and 13°30–18°30W based on the results of measurements made on board vessels of the Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the Ukrainian SSR Academy of Sciences (MHI) in 1977–1985. Mean values and statistical characteristics are calculated for the colour index variability over one-degree squares. A map of its multi-yearly average distribution is plotted.Translated by M. M. Trufanov.