Laboratory experiments on along-slope flows in homogeneous and stratified rotating fluids

Laboratory experiments have been carried out for the flow along isobaths of simulated shelf-continental slope geometry. Cases of both homogeneous and linearly stratified fluids are considered and the background flows are sufficiently strong to have the flow near the bottom boundary range from transitional to fully turbulent. The background motions are impulsively started and flows with a coast on the right (spin-down) and on the left (spin-up) are considered. The homogeneous spin-down and spin-up processes are smooth in the sense that no vortical structures were found to be of the order of the slope width or larger. Flows reach equilibrium more quickly for spin-down cases, and this is attributed to secondary flows forced by the basin geometry. All of the stratified experiments exhibited large-scale instabilities as evidenced by the generation of slope and basin scale eddy structures and a much slower decay than their homogeneous counterparts.     

Role of fronts in the formation of Arabian Sea barrier layers during summer monsoon

The barrier layer (BL) — a salinity stratification embedded in the upper warm layer — is a common feature of the tropical oceans. In the northern Indian Ocean, it has the potential to significantly alter the air–sea interactions. In the present paper, we investigate the spatio-temporal structure of BL in the Arabian Sea during summer monsoon. This season is indeed a key component of the Asian climate. Based on a comprehensive dataset of Conductivity–Temperature–Depth (CTD) and Argo in situ hydrographic profiles, we find that a BL exists in the central Arabian Sea during summer. However, it is highly heterogeneous in space, and intermittent, with scales of about ～100 km or less and a couple of weeks. The BL patterns appear to be closely associated to the salinity front separating two water masses (Arabian Sea High Salinity Water in the Northern and Eastern part of the basin, fresher Bay of Bengal Water to the south and to the west). An ocean general circulation model is used to infer the formation mechanism of the BL. It appears that thick (more than 40 m) BL patterns are formed at the salinity front by subduction of the saltier water mass under the fresher one in an area of relatively uniform temperature. Those thick BL events, with variable position and timing, result in a broader envelope of thinner BL in climatological conditions. However, the individual patterns of BL are probably too much short-lived to significantly affect the monsoonal air–sea interactions.     

Electrical conductivity and crustal structure beneath the central Hellenides around the Gulf of Corinth (Greece) and their relationship with the seismotectonics

A deep magnetotelluric sounding (MTS) investigation in the western part of the Gulf of Corinth has revealed a complex electrical image of the crustal structure. The geotectonic structure of the Parnassos unit and the Transition zone in the central Hellenides, overthrusting the Pindos zone both towards the west and towards the south, has been clearly identified by its higher resistivity and its intrinsic anisotropy related to the N–S strike of the Hellenides range. Subsequent N–S extension of the Gulf introduced another heterogeneous anisotropy characteristic that corresponds to E–W-trending normal faults on both sides of the Gulf. The 2-D modelling of the MTS results reveals the existence of a relatively conductive layer about 4 km thick at a depth greater than 10 km in the middle crust. It corresponds to a ductile detachment zone suggested by microseismic and seismic studies ( King et al . 1985 ; Rigo et al . 1996 ; Bernard et al . 1997a ). It may be attributed to the phyllite series lying between the allochthonous Hellenic nappes and the autochthonous Plattenkalk basement. Towards the east, under the Pangalos peninsula, approaching the internal Hellenides, the detachment zone could root deeply into the lower crust.
Some strong local electrical anomalies are observed, reaching the conductive layer in the middle crust, such as that under the Mamousia fault and under the front of the overthrust of the Transition zone on the Pindos zone. Other anomalies affect only the shallower zones such as that beneath the Helike fault and in the Psaromita peninsula. These shallower anomalies provide complementary information to the study of spatial and temporal variations of the seismic anisotropy in relation to the short- and long-term tectonic activity of the Gulf ( Bouin et al . 1996 ; Gamar et al . 1999 ).     

Microbial nitrogen transformations in sediments and inorganic nitrogen fluxes across the sediment/water interface on the South Island West Coast,New Zealand

In January 1982, sediment microbial N transformations and inorganic N fluxes across the sediment/water interface were studied at nine sites off the South Island West Coast, New Zealand. The sediments showed a great variety in physical, chemical and biological properties. The sediment organic matter had a molar $\text{C}\text{N}$ ratio of 5.9–10.9, and the total $\text{N}\text{P}$ ratio was 1.2–4.0. The denitrification capacity in the top 7.5 cm of sediment was 0.1–77.2 mmol N m^?2 day^?1 and generally declined with increasing sediment depth. The in situ denitrification rate was 0.02–1.84 mmol N m^?2 day^?1 and highest activities were generally found in surface sediments and at 6–7.5 cm depth. Denitrification accounted for 82–100% of total nitrate reduction. Net N mineralization was indirectly estimated at 0.6–2.4 mmol N m^?2 day^?1, and the experimental determination of this N transformation gave 0.6–3.2 mmol N m^?2 day^?1. Denitrification accounted for 3–75% of net N mineralization. The diffusive flux of ammonium and nitrate across the sediment/water interface was 0.1–0.7 and 0.1–0.6 mmol N m^?2 day^?1, respectively.     

The 4-day rotation of the upper atmosphere of venus

Near u.v. photographs of Venus have been analysed. Evidence is presented that so-called Y- and ψ-shaped markings accelerate from local sunrise to some time during local afternoon; mean horizontal velocities are 83 msec^?1 (morning) and 122 msec^?1 (afternoon). Possibly these configurations are more stable than a normal cloud system. ‘Irregular’ features do not seem to share this acceleration; they circulate at higher altitudes, sometimes covering or distorting the stable configurations.     

Morphodynamics and cobbles behavior in and near the surf zone

The evolution of an initially flat sandy slope and the dynamics of large objects (cobbles/mines) emplaced on it are studied in a laboratory wave tank under simulated surf conditions. Upon initiation of wave forcing, the initially flat beach undergoes bedform changes before reaching a quasi-steady morphology characterized by a system of sand ripples along the slope and a large bar near the break point. Although the incoming wave characteristics are held fixed, the bottom morphology never reaches a strict steady state, but rather slowly changes due to the migration of ripples and bar transformation. When the wave characteristics are changed, the bedform adjusts to a new quasi-steady state after a suitable adjustment time. Studies conducted by placing model cobbles/mines on the evolving sandy bottom subjected to wave forcing show four distinct scenarios: (i) periodic cobble oscillations with zero mean displacement and small scour around the cobbles, (ii) mean onshore motion of relatively light cobbles, (iii) periodic burial of relatively heavy cobbles when their sizes are comparable to those of sand ripples, and (iv) the burial of relatively large cobbles under the bar, when the bar migrates due to changes of incoming waves. Quantitative data on the characteristics and dynamics of the bedform, including ripple-formation front propagating down the slope, ripple growth and drift, and flow around ripples, are presented. Physical explanations are provided for the observations.     

Dynamics of cobbles in the shoaling region of a surf zone

The motion of large bottom particles (cobbles/mines) was studied in the laboratory under simulated surf conditions. A series of experiments was conducted in a large wave tank, 32×0.9×1.8 m, equipped with a computer-controlled wave maker and a sloping beach. As a first step, a solid impermeable beach with artificial roughness was used in the experiments. Cobbles of different size were placed along the floor and their evolution with time was studied and compared with the model predictions. Onshore and offshore mean motions of cobbles, as well as steady oscillations with zero mean displacement, were observed for different conditions. To explain the results of observations a theoretical model was advanced. The model takes into account all main governing parameters (size and density of cobbles, bottom slope, dynamic and static friction at the bottom, background flow characteristics, etc.). Standard parameterizations were used for a pressure accelerating term, drag, lift and other nonlinear forces. For the range of parameters used in the experiments, satisfactory agreement between the measured and calculated values of the cobble displacements as a function of time was obtained. The model is practically insensitive to the vertical accelerating pressure term but sensitive to the dynamic and static friction. One of the most important variables in the model, which is known with the least accuracy, is the virtual mass coefficient for disk-shaped cobbles moving with variable velocity along a solid boundary.