Hydrothermally induced diagenesis: Evidence from shallow marine-deltaic sediments,Wilhelmøya,Svalbard

Sedimentary basins containing igneous intrusions within sedimentary reservoir units represent an important risk in petroleum exploration. The Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic sediments at Wilhelm?ya(Svalbard) contains reservoir heterogeneity as a result of sill emplacement and represent a unique case study to better understand the effect of magmatic intrusions on the general burial diagenesis of siliciclastic sediments. Sills develop contact metamorphic aureoles by conduction as presented in many earlier studies. However, there is significant impact of localized hydrothermal circulation systems affecting reservoir sediments at considerable distance from the sill intrusions. Dolerite sill intrusions in the studied area are of limited vertical extent(～12 m thick), but created localized hydrothermal convection cells affecting sediments at considerable distance(more than five times the thickness of the sill)from the intrusions. We present evidence that the sedimentary sequence can be divided into two units:(1) the bulk poorly lithified sediment with a maximum burial temperature much lower than 60-70 ℃,and(2) thinner intervals outside the contact zone that have experienced hydrothermal temperatures(around 140 ℃). The main diagenetic alteration associated with normal burial diagenesis is minor mechanical plastic deformation of ductile grains such as mica. Mineral grain contacts show no evidence of pressure dissolution and the vitrinite reflectance suggests a maximum temperature of ～40 ℃. Contrary to this, part of the sediment, preferentially along calcite cemented flow baffles, show evidence of hydrothermal alteration. These hydrothermally altered sediment sections are characterized by recrystallized carbonate cemented intervals. Further, the hydrothermal solutions have resulted in localized sericitization(illitization) of feldspars, albitization of both K-feldspar and plagioclase and the formation of fibrous illite nucleated on kaolinite. These observations suggest hydrothermal alteration at T 120-140 ℃ at distances considerably further away than expected from sill heat dissipation by conduction only, which commonly affect sediments about twice the thickness of the sill intrusion. We propose that carbonate-cemented sections acted as flow baffles already during the hydrothermal fluid mobility and controlled the migration pathways of the buoyant hot fluids. Significant hydrothermally induced diagenetic alterations affecting the porosity and hence reservoir quality was not noted in the noncarbonate-cemented reservoir intervals.     

1000 m long gas blow-out pipes

This study presents seismic observation of pipe anomalies from offshore Nigeria, outcrops of blow-out pipes from Rhodes, Greece, and geophysical modelling of an acoustic pipe. The studies give insight into how pipes form, their internal structure, the seismic image and geophysical artefacts related to the pipes. Over one hundred seafloor craters, 100 m-700 m wide and up to 30 m deep, have been observed on the seafloor offshore Nigeria. They are underlain by interpreted cones and seismic pipe anomalies that can be traced down to reservoir zones at 1000 m-1300 m below the seafloor. The seismic pipe anomalies are 50 m-150 m wide and almost vertical. They are interpreted as up-scaled pipes found in outcrops on Rhodes, Greece. The outcrops show pipe-related structures at three levels. Lowest, the reservoir rock contains metre-sized cavities which are filled with a mixture of clay derived from the overlying cap rock. In the middle, several circular to oval structures in plane view of pipes are observed in the lowest part of the cap rock. Highest, 15 m into the clay cap rock, strongly sheared country rock forms circular structures with a core of structureless clay. Based on outcrop observation on Rhodes we constructed an acoustic model of a 50 m wide and 1000 m long pipe. Seismic modelling proves that such pipes would be expressed in seismic data, that they are similar to the seismic pipe anomalies offshore Nigeria but this study also revealed that prominent intra-pipe reflections are artefacts. A formation model for the pipes is suggested: High fluid overpressure in the reservoir generated hydro fractures from the reservoir to seafloor where a mixture of gas and fluid flowed at high speed to form pipes, cones and seafloor craters. After hours to weeks of gas and fluid flow through the pipe the pore pressure in the reservoir dropped and the blow-out terminated. Muddy slurry fell back and plugged the cavity in the reservoir and the pipe.     

北大西洋年际变率的海气耦合模式模拟Ⅰ：局地海气相互作用

检验了一个全球海气耦合模式对北大西洋年际气候变率的模拟,讨论了导致这种年际变率型的物理机制,并分析了其对年代际变率的可能影响。北大西洋冬季SST的主导变率模态,在经向上表现为三核型,自北而南出现“- -”的带状距平型;最大距平中心位于副极地大洋、中纬度大洋的西部以及热带海域,耦合模式较为真实地再现了这一特征。与三核型SST异常相对应的大气环流型表现为北大西洋涛动,具有显著的正压结构。上述异常型主要发生在年际尺度,具有3—4年的谱峰;在次年代际尺度上,也存在谱峰。分析表明,模式中三核型SST异常的产生,主要来自大气的强迫,NAO增强,中纬度大洋上的西风减弱,海洋感热和潜热通量损失减少,中纬度大洋得到的净热通量增加,导致SST出现正距平;在包括Labrador海在内的副极地大洋,NAO增强、冰岛低压加深,气旋性环流增强,来自高纬度的冷空气吹过洋面,海气温差加大,大洋的感热通量损失增加,SST降低。热带地区东风的增强,也是导致那里SST降低的重要机制。三核型SST异常对大气的反馈作用较弱,文中没有证据表明它能够影响到北大西洋地区的年代际气候变率。     

A possible feedback mechanism involving the Arctic freshwater, the Arctic sea ice, and the North Atlantic Drift

Model studies point to enhanced warming and to increased freshwater fluxes to high northern latitudes in response to global warming. In order to address possible feedbacks in the ice-ocean system in response to such changes, the combined effect of increased freshwater input to the Arctic Ocean and Arctic warming--the latter manifested as a gradual melting of the Arctic sea ice--is examined using a 3-D isopycnic coordinate ocean general circulation model. A suite of three idealized experiments is carried out: one control integration, one integration with a doubling of the modern Arctic river runoff, and a third more extreme case, where the river runoff is five times the modern value. In the two freshwater cases, the sea ice thickness is reduced by 1.5-2 m in the central Arctic Ocean over a 50-year period. The modelled ocean response is qualitatively the same for both perturbation experiments: freshwater propagates into the Atlantic Ocean and the Nordic Seas, leading to an initial weakening of the North Atlantic Drift.Furthermore, changes in the geostrophic currents in the central Arctic and melting of the Arctic sea ice lead to an intensified Beaufort Gyre, which in turn increases the southward volume transport through the Canadian Archipelago. To compensate for this southward transport of mass, more warm and saline Atlantic water is carried northward with the North Atlantic Drift. It is found that the increased transport of salt into the northern North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas tends to counteract the impact of the increased freshwater originating from the Arctic, leading to a stabilization of the North Atlantic Drift.     

Variation in mercury content of Guillemot feathers over 150 years

The feathers of 277 Black, Common and Brünnich's Guillemot from the Baltic, Kattegat, Faroe Islands and Greenland were analysed for mercury. The levels were found to be higher in the Baltic and the Kattegat compared to the Faroe Islands and Greenland. While the levels were almost constant for the last two areas a substantial increase during this century was found for the Baltic and the Kattegat. In Common Guillemots from the Baltic a decrease was indicated after 1969. In general the mercury levels were higher for Black Guillemots living close to the coast compared to the Uria sp. living off-shore. The inhomogeniety of the mercury load near the shore was indicated by a large individual variation within a colony of Black Guillemots. This variation was reinforced by differences in migration and feeding habits. It has been shown by analysis of individuals recaptured during successive years that the year to year variation of one individual is considerably smaller.It is concluded that chronological series based on feathers from sea birds and museum collections may contribute to the elucidation of the long term trend of mercury pollution at sea.     

一个淡水扰动试验中垂直混合对于北大西洋经圈环流的影响

It has been reported recently that the simulated Atlantic meridional overturning circulation(AMOC) using the coupled Bergen climate model(BCM) showed initial intensity declines followed by gradual recoveries over a 150-year enhanced freshwater input experiment.Stratification-dependent oceanic diapycnal mixing has been hypothesized as a reason for the simulated recovery of the AMOC.This study investigated the role of diapycnal mixing in transient responses of simulated AMOCs.Our results showed that stratification-dependent diapycnal mixing can cause stronger upwelling of deep water in the tropical Atlantic than that produced under conditions of fixed diapycnal mixing.Moreover,simulated AMOCs were more sensitive to active stratification-dependent diapycnal mixing than fixed mixing.However,stratification-dependent diapycnal mixing cannot be conclusively singled out as the critical cause of the recoveries of simulated AMOCs under enhanced-freshwater inputs.     

Diagnostic lipid biomarker and stable carbon isotope signatures of microbial communities mediating the anaerobic oxidation of methane with sulphate

The anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) with sulphate is the most important sink for methane in marine environments. This process is mediated by a consortium of methanotrophic archaea and sulphate reducing bacteria. So far, three groups of anaerobic methane oxidisers (ANME-1, -2 and -3) related to the methanogenic Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales were discovered. The sulphate reducing partner of ANME-1 and -2 are two different eco-types of SRB related to the Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus cluster (Seep-SRB1), whereas ANME-3 is associated with Desulfobulbus spp. (DBB). In this article, we reviewed literature data to assign statistically significant lipid biomarker signatures for a chemotaxonomic identification of the three known AOM communities. The lipid signatures of ANME-2/Seep-SRB1 and ANME-3/DBB are intriguingly similar, whereas ANME-1/Seep-SRB1 shows substantial differences to these AOM communities. ANME-1 can be distinguished from ANME-2 and -3 by a low ratio of the isoprenoidal dialkyl glycerol diethers sn2-hydroxyarchaeol and archaeol combined with a comparably low stable carbon isotope difference of archaeol relative to the source methane. Furthermore, only ANME-1 contains substantial amounts of isoprenoidal glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), however, with the probable exception of the ANME-2c sub-cluster. In contrast to the ANME-1 archaea, the tail to tail linked hydrocarbon tetramethylhexadecane (crocetane) is unique to ANME-2, whereas pentamethylicosenes (PMIs) with 4 and 5 double bonds without any higher saturated homologues were only found in ANME-3. The sulphate reducing partner of ANME-1 can be discerned from those of ANME-2 and -3 by a low ratio of the fatty acids (FAs) C_16:1ω5 relative to i-C_15:0 and, although to a lesser degree, by a high abundance of ai-C_15:0 relative to i-C_15:0. Furthermore, substantial amounts of ¹³C depleted non-isoprenoidal monoalkyl glycerol ethers (MAGEs) were only found in the sulphate reducing partners of ANME-2 and -3. A differentiation of these SRB is possible based on the characteristic presence of the FAs cy-C_17:0ω5,6 and C_17:1ω6, respectively. Generally, the data analysed here show overlaps between the different AOM communities, which highlights the need to use multiple lipid signatures for a robust identification of the dominating microbes involved.