A shipborne magnetic survey in Hudson Bay

A marine magnetic total-field survey of Hudson Bay was conducted from 1975 to 1978. Approximately 62 000 line-km of data, or 35 000 five-minute averages, were acquired. The data were corrected for secular variation by means of a polynomial in latitude, longitude, and time, first fitted to annual mean differences from nine observatories and then integrated over time. The data were corrected for diurnal and transient variations by means of a linear interpolation, over geomagnetic latitude, of running hourly mean values from two neighbouring magnetic stations (numbering seven in all). Crossover differences are analysed in terms of a mixture of normal distributions resulting from the intermittent transient variations, and indicate the effectiveness of the corrections. The variance of the data is reduced, as a result of the corrections, by 87% during quiet periods and by 53% during disturbed periods, the weighted variance being reduced by 66%. Navigational accuracy is estimated, from a novel method utilizing crossover differences and field gradients, to be approximately 300 m. Anomalies are presented in profile form, and discussed briefly.Contribution from the Earth Physics Branch No. 973.     

Oxidative stress in ecotoxicology: from the analysis of individual antioxidants to a more integrated approach

An integrate approach will be discussed for investigations on oxidative stress in xenobiotic toxicity. While the analysis of individual antioxidants is useful for their sensitivity and to understand the mode of action of a stressor, the integration with the analysis of the total antioxidant capacity provides a more holistic assessment of the overall biological significance of such variations. TOSC has a greater predictive value on the health condition of the organisms and allows to discriminate the different role of specific ROS in oxidative stress syndrome.     

Short period internal waves over the Huanghe (Yellow River) delta front

Internal waves with periods of about 5 minutes and trough to crest heights of up to 6.2 m were observed acoustically over the actively accreting delta front of the Huanghe (Yellow River) in the western portion of the Gulf of Bohai, Peoples Republic of China. The radian frequency of the internal waves was close to the locally-observed Brunt-Vaisala frequency. Through the relatively short (one hour) duration of an internal wave train, the amplitude was observed to decrease progressively with time. These internal waves may cause resuspension of delta-front sediments.     

Statistical analysis of a global photochemical model of the atmosphere

This is a study of the sensitivity of model results (atmospheric content of main gas constituents and radiative characteristics of the atmosphere) to errors in emissions of a number of atmospheric gaseous pollutants. Groups of the model variables most dependent on these errors are selected. Two variants of emissions are considered: one without their evolution and the other with their variation according to the IPCC scenario. The estimates are made on the basis of standard statistical methods for the results obtained with the detailed onedimensional radiative—photochemical model of the Main Geophysical Observatory (MGO). Some approaches to such estimations with models of higher complexity and to the solution of the inverse problem (i.e., the estimation of the necessary accuracy of external model parameters for obtaining the given accuracy of model results) are outlined.     

Primary production and plankton stocks in the Pacific Ocean and their seasonal variation according to remote sensing and field observations

Data collected from 20 years of observations by the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (about 250 comprehensive ecosystem stations) are summarized to evaluate the primary production and biomass of the principal groups of plankton in the Pacific Ocean. The stations were classified into geographical regions according to satellite determined criteria. The areas of these regions were evaluated according to CZCS data from 1978 to 1986. The total value of primary production was evaluated as 26·9 Gt C year⁻¹. Taking the “bottle effect” correction into account, this value may be as high as 45.6 Gt C year⁻¹. Total biomass values of phytoplankton (134 Mt C), bacteria (86 Mt C), protozoa (26 Mt C) and mesoplankton (184 Mt C) were also calculated. Seasonal variabilities of all these values were remarkably insignificant.     

Simulation ABC Model of Consumption of Natural Resources

The problem of simulation of possible scenarios of the development of processes running in ecological economic systems is studied as a part of the general problem of control over natural economic complexes. The consumption of mineral, food, and ecological resources is regarded as credits given by the society to the producer and then refunded as a part of his gains. If this nature-protective tax does not compensate the damage to the environment caused by production, then the debt of the producer (called accumulated credit) appears and, finally, the process of consumption of the resources is terminated. A universal simulation model is constructed by using a new method of adaptive balance of causes (ABC method). We present basic concepts of this method and some examples of application of the simulation model to the analysis of various scenarios of consumption of marine bioresources under variable economic conditions for a marine environment with variable assimilation capacity.     

Vertical and lateral transport of organic carbon and the carbon budget in Santa Monica Basin, California

The flux and compositions of solvent-extractable lipid fractions were measured in particulate matter collected periodically by moored sediment traps in the Santa Monica Basin from 1985–1988. The purpose was to assess the compositional changes during settling, the carbon dynamics in the basin and to estimate the impacts of energy-related by-products on the surface sediments. Sediment traps recorded consistently high lipid fluxes in the eastern slope relative to the central basin, reflecting elevated terrigenous carbon inputs possibly from land-based human activities. Generally, lipid fluxes decrease offshore but increase vertically with water depth below 500m, implying lateral transport of particles. The steep decline of flux in the top 500m of the water is related to the rapid decomposition and mineralization of the marine-derived cellular carbon compounds. Less than 5% of the marine lipid components reach the seabed. In contrast, preferential preservation of terrigenous lipid is clearly evident from the chemistry of deeper traps and surface sediments.The lateral transport of particles is reflected in the presence of higher plant-derived lignin phenols and sewage-derived coprostanol and epicoprostanol in the deep trap material as well as in surface sediment throughout the basin. Petroleum triterpanes characteristic of natural seepage also permeates through the entire basin. Based on the data collected from both the trap particulte matter and surface sediments, a carbon budget for the Santa Monica Basin has been constructed.     

Reversing Water Exchange Patterns at the Entrance to a Semiarid Coastal Lagoon

Water velocity and density profiles were obtained in late-spring and late-winter to document reversing mean circulation patterns at the entrance to a semiarid coastal lagoon, the Bay of Guaymas, in the Gulf of California, Mexico. The lagoon is shallow but the bathymetry at its entrance is similar to that of temperate estuaries with an asymmetrically positioned channel flanked by shoals. In late-spring the mean circulation at the entrance to the lagoon was driven by horizontal density gradients that arose from excess evaporation over precipitation in the area as evidenced by water density profiles. The lagoon exported relatively warm (25·8 °C) and salty (36·2) water to the Gulf of California through the channel. This export was consistent with inverse estuarine circulation influenced by bathymetry. In late-winter, the circulation at the entrance of the lagoon was mostly driven by wind stress that blew from the northwest, roughly along the main axis of the lagoon. Relatively cool (16·0) °C) and less salty (35·1) water from the Gulf of California was driven into the lagoon within the channel. Density gradients inside the lagoon seem to have played a secondary role in driving the circulation. The late-winter circulation was then estuarine-like, with outflow in the direction of the wind over the shallow areas and a compensatory inflow appearing in the channel as expected from theory of wind-driven flow over bathymetry. This estuarine-like circulation developed despite the lack of measurable freshwater input to the lagoon and was the opposite to that observed in late-spring. These observations then document a reversal in water exchange patterns from season to season in a semiarid coastal lagoon. The observations also constitute one of the few reported examples of flow over shoals driven in the same direction as the wind stress with a compensatory flow in the channel.