A seasonal dipolar eddy near Ras Al Hamra (Sea of Oman)

Trajectories and hydrological data from two Argo floats indicate that warm and salty water at 200–300-m depths was ejected from the coast of Oman, near Ras al Hamra, in spring 2008, 2011, and 2012. This warm and salty water, Persian Gulf Water (PGW), once ejected from the coast, recirculated cyclonically in the western Sea of Oman, but also flowed eastward along the Iranian and Pakistani coasts. There, it was expelled seaward by mesoscale eddies as shown by other float data. Seasonal maps of salinity were computed from all available Argo floats; they showed that, in spring, PGW is present in the middle and north of the Sea of Oman, contrary to fall, when the salinity maxima lie southeast of Ras al Hadd. The ejection of PGW from Ras al Hamra is related here to the influence of a mesoscale dipolar eddy which often appears near this cape in spring. The time-averaged and empirical orthogonal functions of altimetric maps over 11 years for this season confirm the frequent presence and the persistence of this feature. From surface currents and hydrology, deep currents were computed via thermal wind balance, and the associated shear and strain fields were obtained. This deformation field is intense near Ras al Hamra, with an offshore direction. This flow structure associated with the mesoscale dipole explains PGW ejection from the coast. This observation suggests that PGW distribution in the Northern Arabian Sea can be strongly influenced by seasonal mesoscale eddies.     

Wetlands of Northeast Asia and High Asia: an overview

This review reports background information on wetlands in the Northeast Asia and High Asia areas, including wetland coverage and type, significance for local populations, and threats to their vitality and protection, with particular focus on the relationship of how global change influenced wetlands. Natural wetlands in these areas have been greatly depleted and degraded, largely due to global climate change, drainage and conversion to agriculture and silviculture, hydrologic alterations, exotics invasions, and misguided management policies. Global warming has caused wetland and ice-sheet loss in High Asia and permafrost thawing in tundra wetlands in Northeast Asia, and hence induced enormous reductions in water-storage sources in High Asia and carbon loss in Northeast Asia. This, in the long term, will exacerbate chronic water shortage and positively feed back global warming. Recently, better understanding of the vital role of healthy wetland ecosystems to Asia’s sustainable economic development has led to major efforts in wetland conservation and restoration. Nonetheless, collaborative efforts to restore and protect the wetlands must involve not only the countries of Northeast and High Asia but also international agencies. Research has been productive but the results should be more effectively integrated with policy-making and wetland restoration practices under future climatic scenarios.     

Southern Ocean warming and increased ice shelf basal melting in the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries based on coupled ice-ocean finite-element modelling

We utilise a global finite-element sea ice–ocean model (FESOM), focused on the Antarctic marginal seas, to analyse projections of ice shelf basal melting in a warmer climate. Ice shelf–ocean interaction is described using a three-equation system with a diagnostic computation of temperature and salinity at the ice–ocean interface. A tetrahedral mesh with a minimumhorizontal resolution of 4 km and hybrid vertical coordinates is used. Ice shelf draft, cavity geometry, and global ocean bathymetry have been derived from the RTopo-1 data set. The model is forced with the atmospheric output from two climate models: (1) the Hadley Centre Climate Model (HadCM3) and (2) Max Planck Institute’s ECHAM5/MPI-OM coupled climate model. Results from experiments forced with their twentieth century output are used to evaluate the modelled present-day ocean state. Sea ice coverage is largely realistic in both simulations; modelled ice shelf basal melt rates compare well with observations in both cases, but are consistently smaller for ECHAM5/MPI-OM. Projections for future ice shelf basal melting are computed using atmospheric output for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios E1 and A1B. In simulations forced with ECHAM5 data, trends in ice shelf basal melting are small. In contrast, decreasing convection along the Antarctic coast in HadCM3 scenarios leads to a decreasing salinity on the continental shelf and to intrusions of warm deep water of open ocean origin. In the case of the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf (FRIS), this water reaches deep into the cavity, so that basal melting increases by a factor of 4 to 6 compared to the present value of about 90 Gt/year. By the middle of the twenty-second century, FRIS becomes the dominant contributor to total ice shelf basal mass loss in these simulations. Our results indicate that the surface freshwater fluxes on the continental shelves may be crucial for the future of especially the large cold water ice shelves in the Southern Ocean.     

金沙江下游支流黑水河松新电站幼鱼下行过坝研究

梯级小水电的开发一定程度上破坏了河流连通性并阻碍了鱼类洄游通道。黑水河流域松新坝址为了满足鱼类上行产卵修建了松新鱼道,然而作为洄游物种生命周期中的关键行为,鱼类下行洄游的需求也同等重要。为了寻求一种可行、高效、低损伤的下行过鱼方式,了解河流中不同环境因素对鱼类下行效率的影响,本研究在金沙江下游支流黑水河松新水电站补水通道开展鱼类下行过坝效果评估研究。针对两种鲤科鱼类(棒花鱼Abbottina rivularis和短须裂腹鱼Schizothorax wangchiachii)幼鱼和两种鳅科鱼类(短体副鳅Paracobitis potanini和红尾副鳅Paracobitis variegatus)幼鱼各放鱼90尾,定量分析鱼种、水体透明度、放鱼位置、流量、水温、水位等因素对鱼类下行效率的影响。结果表明:棒花鱼、短须裂腹鱼、短体副鳅、红尾副鳅的下行率依次为22.22%(20尾)、28.89%(26尾)、8.89%(8尾)、15.56%(14尾);幼鱼下行成功率与上游河道水温呈正相关趋势,且放鱼位置、鱼种、上游河道水温和流量均对鱼类下行成功率有显著影响。通过构建二元Logistic回归模型识...     

A large excess of 210Po in the overlying water of the Zhubi Coral Reef flat, in the South China Sea

The temporal variability of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb was examined in the overlying water of the Zhubi Coral Reef flat to detect nutrient-like behavior of ²¹⁰Po. Different mechanisms influencing their geochemical behaviors were observed. Excess ²¹⁰Po relative to ²¹⁰Pb revealed an additional input of ²¹⁰Po other than in situ production from ²¹⁰Pb. The ²¹⁰Po input comes from the reef flat sediment through diffusion. The diffusion contributes 62% of the total ²¹⁰Po. This diffusion of ²¹⁰Po directly highlights its nutrient-like behavior. No input, but the slight removal, of ²¹⁰Pb was observed. Fractionation factors indicate that particulate matter prefers to adsorb ²¹⁰Po rather than ²¹⁰Pb. In combination with particulate composition, ²¹⁰Po diffusion was closely related to organic matter. These results reveal that ²¹⁰Po might be a potential tracer for quantifying nutrient recycling in the Coral Reef system.     

Coastal habitat degradation and green sea turtle diets in Southeastern Brazil

To show the influence of coastal habitat degradation on the availability of food for green turtles (Chelonia mydas), we assessed the dietary preferences and macroalgae community at a feeding area in a highly urbanized region. The area showed low species richness and was classified as degraded. We examined stomach contents of 15 dead stranded turtles (CCL = 44.0 cm (SD 6.7 cm)). The diet was composed primarily of green algae Ulva spp. (83.6%). In contrast, the macroalgae community was dominated by the green alga Caulerpa mexicana. We found a selection for red algae, seagrass and Ulva spp., and avoidance for C. mexicana and brown alga Dictyopteris delicatula. The low diversity of available food items, possibly a result of environmental degradation, likely contributed to the low dietary diversity. The nutritional implications of this restricted diet are unclear.     

2009年萨摩亚—汤加特大地震触发的两次大震

特大地震(≥8.0级的地震)一般都含有构造板块之间边界岩体的突然滑动。这种板间的破裂通常出现在俯冲带特大逆冲事件的海沟斜坡区,会产生动态及静态应力变化,从而激活周边的板内余震(Christensen and Ruff,1988;Dmowskaetal,1988;Layetal,1989;Ammonetal,2008)。本文研究的地震序列展示一少见的例子———特大海沟斜坡的一次板内地震触发了广泛的板间断层活动,颠倒了典型的活动模式,从而广泛地扩大了地震和海啸灾害。2009年9月29日,在汤加俯冲带北端的外海沟斜坡发生矩震级8.1的正断层地震事件,该震开始破裂后的2分钟内,发生了总地震矩等于矩震级8.0级的第二个特大地震,它由两次(矩震级均为7.8级)板间下插逆冲大地震组成,导致了周边俯冲带巨型逆断层的破裂。联合的断层作用引发了海啸,局部地区抬升约12m,导致萨摩亚、美属萨摩亚和汤加192人死亡。地震信号的重叠掩盖了这样的事实:相隔约50km的性质不同的断层发生了不同几何形状的破裂,这些被触发的逆冲断层滑动只有通过详细的地震波分析才能揭示出来。在汤加北部俯冲带的大部分区域内,激活了广泛的板间和板内余震活动。     

Using meteorological observer data to compare wind erosion during two great droughts in eastern Australia; the World War II Drought (1937–1946) and the Millennium Drought (2001–2010)

Australian meteorological observers started using the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) weather coding system in the 1950s. This system is still in use around the world today. However, observing and recording the weather in an organized and systematic manner had been ongoing for over 100 years prior to the adoption of this coding system, and much like Australia, most countries will have historical meteorological records. In this paper we compare the wind erosion of two of the greatest droughts in Australian recorded history; the World War II (WWII) Drought (1937–1945) and the Millennium Drought (2001–2009). To do this we analysed previously unavailable meteorological observer records from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM). Wind erosion records, mostly in long‐hand written form, were translated to the modern WMO coding system for the WWII Drought and compared with the wind erosion of Australia's recently‐ended Millennium Drought, one of the longest and harshest on record. We quantify wind erosion using Dust Event Days (DED) and a modified version of a published Dust Storm Index (DSI) to show that wind erosion during the WWII Drought was up to 4.6 times higher than during the Millennium Drought. This study has international significance because it demonstrates a methodology for tracking changes in wind erosion over the past 75 years based on observer records available in every country with a history of organized weather observation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diffusive equilibrium in thin films provides evidence of suppression of hyporheic exchange and large‐scale nitrate transformation in a groundwater‐fed river

The hyporheic zone of riverbed sediments has the potential to attenuate nitrate from upwelling, polluted groundwater. However, the coarse‐scale (5–10 cm) measurement of nitrogen biogeochemistry in the hyporheic zone can often mask fine‐scale (<1 cm) biogeochemical patterns, especially in near‐surface sediments, leading to incomplete or inaccurate representation of the capacity of the hyporheic zone to transform upwelling NO₃^?. In this study, we utilised diffusive equilibrium in thin‐films samplers to capture high resolution (cm‐scale) vertical concentration profiles of NO₃^?, SO₄^2?, Fe and Mn in the upper 15 cm of armoured and permeable riverbed sediments. The goal was to test whether nitrate attenuation was occurring in a sub‐reach characterised by strong vertical (upwelling) water fluxes. The vertical concentration profiles obtained from diffusive equilibrium in thin‐films samplers indicate considerable cm‐scale variability in NO₃^? (4.4 ± 2.9 mg N/L), SO₄^2? (9.9 ± 3.1 mg/l) and dissolved Fe (1.6 ± 2.1 mg/l) and Mn (0.2 ± 0.2 mg/l). However, the overall trend suggests the absence of substantial net chemical transformations and surface‐subsurface water mixing in the shallow sediments of our sub‐reach under baseflow conditions. The significance of this is that upwelling NO₃^?‐rich groundwater does not appear to be attenuated in the riverbed sediments at <15 cm depth as might occur where hyporheic exchange flows deliver organic matter to the sediments for metabolic processes. It would appear that the chemical patterns observed in the shallow sediments of our sub‐reach are not controlled exclusively by redox processes and/or hyporheic exchange flows. Deeper‐seated groundwater fluxes and hydro‐stratigraphy may be additional important drivers of chemical patterns in the shallow sediments of our study sub‐reach. © 2015 The Authors. Hydrological Processes Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Spatial constrained inverse rock physics modelling

Predicting reservoir parameters, such as porosity, lithology, and saturations, from geophysical parameters is a problem with non‐unique solutions. The variance in solutions can be extensive, especially for saturation and lithology. However, the reservoir parameters will typically vary smoothly within certain zones—in vertical and horizontal directions. In this work, we integrate spatial correlations in the predicted parameters to constrain the range of predicted solutions from a particular type of inverse rock physics modelling method. Our analysis is based on well‐log data from the Glitne field, where vertical correlations with depth are expected. It was found that the reservoir parameters with the shortest depth correlation (lithology and saturation) provided the strongest constraint to the set of solutions. In addition, due to the interdependence between the reservoir parameters, constraining the predictions by the spatial correlation of one parameter also reduced the number of predictions of the other two parameters. Moreover, the use of additional constraints such as measured log data at specific depth locations can further narrow the range of solutions.