Incorporation,distribution and fate of saturated petroleum hydrocarbons in sediments from a controlled marine ecosystem

A simulation of a chronic input of petroleum into an estuarine environment was investigated using the facilities at the Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory at the University of Rhode Island. An oil-water dispersion of No. 2 fuel oil was added to the system (twice weekly for 24 weeks) and the saturated hydrocarbons from this oil were measured in suspended material and sediments. After the initial chronic oil addition, trace amounts of hydrocarbons were detected in the sediments within two weeks, but substantial accumulation was not detected for approximately 135 days. The oil appeared to enter the sediment via the suspended material, with most of the saturated hydrocarbons associated with smaller size sediment particles (< 45 μm to > 0·3 μm). With time, the fuel oil saturated hydrocarbons in the sediments were mixed to a depth of 3 to 4 cm. Although only 12% of the total saturated hydrocarbons added to the system were found in the sediments, these hydrocarbons appear to be relatively stable and were still detectable in these sediments for at least six months after the last oil addition.     

Phosphate adsorption and desorption in a tropical estuary (Maracaibo system)

The Maracaibo Estuary is of particular interest because of its location in the tropics, its large size (over 12,000 km²), the economic importance of its underlying hydrocarbon deposits and its increasing rate of pollution. Sediments from this estuary were studied in order to characterise their capacity to adsorb and desorb phosphorus. Considerable variability in capacity for phosphate sorption was found among the seventeen samples studied. This variability can be attributed first to the differences among the samples in total P content and, secondly, to their differences in free iron content. Also, it appears that P retention contributes to the control of P concentration in the water and therefore the sediments serve as a buffer in controlling P eutrophication in the estuary.     

Morphodynamics of a bar-trough surf zone

A field study was made of the distinguishing morphodynamic processes operating in a surf zone which perennially exhibits accentuated bar-trough topography (the “longshore-bar-trough” and “rhytmic-bar-and-beach” states as described by Wright and Short, 1984). Characteristic features of the morphology include a shallow bar with a steep shoreward face, a deep trough, and a steep beach face. This morphology, which is favored by moderate breaker heights and small tidal ranges, strongly controls the coupled suite of hydrodynamic processes. In contrast to fully dissipative surf zones, the bar-trough surf zone is not at all saturated and oscillations at incident wave frequency remain dominant from the break point to the subaerial beach. The degree of incident wave groupiness does not change appreciably across the surf zone. Infragravity standing waves which, in dissipative surf zones, dominate the inshore energy, remain energetically secondary and occur at higher frequencies in the bar trough surf zone. Analyses of the field data combined with numerical simulations of leaky mode and edge wave nodal—antinodal positions over observed surf-zone profiles, indicate that the frequencies which prevail are favored by the resonant condition of antinodes over the bar and nodes in the trough. Standing waves which would have nodes over the bar are suppressed. Sediment resuspension in the surf zone appears to be largely attributable to the incident waves which are the main source of bed shear stress. In addition, the extra near-bottom eddy viscosity provided by the reformed, non-breaking waves traversing the trough significantly affects the vertical velocity profile of the longshore current. Whereas the bar is highly mobile in terms of onshore—offshore migration rates, the beach face and inner regions of the trough are remarkably stable over time.     

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.     

Analytical and experimental investigation on vibrating rectangular plates with two opposite free edges and internal supports while the remaining are elastically restrained against rotation

This paper deals with the determination of an approximate fundamental frequency equation for a rectangular plate with two edges (y = 0, b) elastically restrained against rotation while the edges x=0, a are free but internal supports parallel to the free edges are present in the structural system. The algorithmic procedure can be easily implemented on a micro computer or even a hand, programmable calculator.Good engineering agreement with experimental results is shown to exist in the case of a plate with edges y=0,b rigidly clamped.     

The biokinetic behavior of Tc in juvenile Coho Salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum)

Juvenile coho salmon, Onchorynchus kisutch, were exposed to ^95mTc in both saltwater and freshwater to study the biokinetic behavior of this element in an anadromous fish. In freshwater, equilibrium whole-body concentration factors (CF₅) ranged from 28 to 32 in two separate experiments, in sharp contrast to an equilibriumCF of < 5 in saltwater. While the uptake kinetics were unimodal in saltwater, in freshwater, biomodal uptake kinetics were observed.Technetium-95m retention was biphasic in freshwater depuration experiments, an initial rapid loss of 21% to 26% of the steady-state activity with an elimination half-life of 3 to 5 days was followed by a slower loss rate, with a whole-body elimination half-life ranging from 23 to 33 days. In saltwater, retention was monophasic with an elimination half-life of 5–16 days. Dramatic decreases in ^95mTc body burdens when freshwater-labeled fish are transferred to Tc-labeled saltwater indicate that the changes in physiology accompanying saltwater acclimation lead to the loss of ^95mTc.     

Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Co distribution in the German Bight

Cd, Pb and Cu concentrations, dissolved and total, have been determined in the German Bight. In 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1983 water samples were collected at 215 sampling stations. In the 1983 mission samples were also analysed for Ni and Co. The samples were filtered and acidified immediately after collection. Analysis was performed by voltammetry.The analytical data indicate that a net portion of the Cd, the Weser being a distinct source for it, will cross the estuarine zone. Open sea Cd levels in the German Bight are about a factor 10 higher than North Atlantic values. Pb, being transported mainly with the suspended particulate phase (up to 99.5%), is better eliminated by sedimentation in the estuaries. Ni and Cu occur mainly in the dissolved phase. Pollution by Co is distinct in the Elbe, but the output is rapidly diluted to background contents below 10 ng kg⁻¹. An interpretation of the results from the different years yields a rather steady state situation in the German Bight.     

Cross-Calibration and Long-Term Monitoring of the Microwave Radiometers of ERS, TOPEX, GFO, Jason, and Envisat

The radiometers on board the satellites ERS-1, TOPEX/Poseidon, ERS-2, GFO, Jason-1, and Envisat measure brightness temperatures at two or three different frequencies to determine the total columnal water vapor content and wet tropospheric path delay, a major correction to the altimeter range measurements. In order to asses the long-term stability of the path delay, the radiometers are calibrated against vicarious cold and hot references, against each other, and against several atmospheric models. Four of these radiometers exhibit significant drifts in at least one of the channels, resulting in yet unmodeled errors in path delay of up to 1 mm/year, thus limiting the accuracy at which global sea level rise can be inferred from the altimeter range measurements.     

Storms and shoreline retreat in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Storms play a major role in shoreline recession on transgressive coasts. In the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), southeastern Canada, long-term relative sea-level rise off the North Shore of Prince Edward Island has averaged 0.3 m/century over the past 6000 years (>0.2 m/century over 2000 years). This has driven long-term coastal retreat at mean rates >0.5 m/a but the variance and details of coastal profile response remain poorly understood. Despite extensive sandy shores, sediment supply is limited and sand is transferred landward into multidecadal to century-scale storage in coastal dunes, barrier washover deposits, and flood-tidal delta sinks. Charlottetown tide-gauge records show mean relative sea-level rise of 3.2 mm/a (0.32 m/century) since 1911. A further rise of 0.7±0.4 m is projected over the next 100 years. When differenced from tidal predictions, the water-level data provide a 90-year record of storm-surge occurrence. Combined with wind, wave hindcast, and sea-ice data, this provides a catalogue of potentially significant coastal storms. We also document coastal impacts from three recent storms of great severity in January and October 2000 and November 2001. Digital photogrammetry (1935–1990) and shore-zone surveys (1989–2001) show large spatial and temporal variance in coastal recession rates, weakly correlated with the storm record, in part because of wave suppression or coastal protection by sea ice. Large storms cause rapid erosion from which recovery depends in part on local sand supply, but barrier volume may be conserved by washover deposition. Barrier shores with dunes show high longshore and interdecadal variance, with extensive multidecadal healing of former inlet and overwash gaps. This reflects recovery from an episode of widespread overwash prior to 1935, possibly initiated by intense storms or groups of storms in the latter half of the 19th century. With evidence from the storms of 2000–2001, this points to the importance of storm clustering on scales of weeks to years in determining erosion vulnerability, as well as the need for a long-term, large-scale perspective in assessing coastal stability. The expected acceleration in relative sea-level rise, together with projections of increasing storm intensity and greatly diminished winter ice cover in the southern GSL, implies a significant increase in coastal erosion hazards in future.