Dynamical geochemistry of the Hawaiian plume

This paper presents a simple dynamical model for melting and trace element distribution in the Hawaiian mantle plume. I model the plume as a partially molten stagnation point flow against the oceanic lithosphere, and obtain solutions for the temperature, melt migration rate, and trace element concentration within it. Trace element concentrations in the melt exceed simple batch melting predictions by up to 70%. The magnitude of this effect depends strongly on the solid-melt partition coefficientK. Trace elements with differentK therefore experience a “dynamical fractionation” within the plume, and incompatible trace element ratios such asLa/Ce always exceed the batch melting predictions. I suggest a simple model for plume-lithosphere interaction in which melts from these two sources mix in proportions determined by thermodynamic constraints. The model can explain the composition of basalts from Haleakala if the degree of melting of the lithosphereF₁ decreases with time from roughly 10% for tholeiites to 2% for alkalic basalts. These values are considerably higher than previous estimates ofF₁ < 1%, and imply correspondingly smaller and more realistic values ( 10 km) for the thickness of the melted part of the lithosphere. Partial melting of additional depleted sources such as the asthenosphere is therefore not required by the Haleakala data. Estimates ofF₁ are highly sensitive to the values chosen for the partition coefficients, however, and should therefore be interpreted with caution.     

Über submarine Denudation und chemische Sedimente

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Matthew Fontaine Maury und die Brüsseler Konferenz 1853

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Polyester mooring for the Mad Dog spar—design issues and other considerations

The Mad dog project will use a polyester mooring system on the drilling and production truss spar. This will be the first use of a permanent polyester mooring system on a Floating Production System (FPS) outside of Brazil and the first time polyester has been used on a spar. As such, there were many challenges, which include:

• Regulatory approval.

• Designing a mooring system which is dominated by current loadings.

• Largest polyester rope break load ever required.

• Rope design qualification and testing.

• Quality control and assurance.

• Inspection, Maintenance, Repair and Retirement (IMRR) of such a mooring system.

This paper will focus on the design issues, rope design, manufacturing, qualification and testing, and the IMRR plan that was developed to provide the assurance that the polyester mooring system could be safely operated over the 20-year field life.     

The diffraction of linear waves by a uniform vertical cylinder with cosine-type radial perturbations

The interaction of linear waves with a uniform, bottom-mounted, surface-piercing cylinder whose diameter exhibits a cosine-type variation is investigated. Two solution methods are presented. One method is based on a perturbation theory, using a perturbation parameter defined in terms of the surface geometry of the cylinder. The analysis includes terms up to the first-order in this parameter, where the zeroth-order solution corresponds to a circular cylinder. The velocity potentials at the zeroth and first orders are expressed as eigenfunction expansions involving unknown coefficients that are subsequently determined through the cylinder boundary conditions. The second method is based on Green's theorem and gives rise to an integral equation for the fluid velocity potential on the cylinder surface. A comparison between the results of these two methods has proved that they are in good agreement for small values of the perturbation parameter. Numerical results are presented that illustrate the influence of the magnitude and frequency of these perturbations on the resulting hydrodynamic force and the wave runup on the cylinder.     

Sensitivity of AUV response to variations in hydrodynamic parameters

The sensitivity of the response of a typical AUV to changes in hydrodynamic parameters is examined. The analysis is primarily performed using a computer model of an axi-symmetric vehicle typical of many AUVs in service today. The vehicle used is the Canadian Self-Contained Off-the-shelf Underwater Testbed (C-SCOUT), designed and built by graduate and work term students. The fully nonlinear computer model is based on Newton–Euler equations of motion, and uses the component build-up method to describe the excitation forces. The hydrodynamic parameters are varied in a series of simulations with the computer model; the response being analyzed for specific performance indicators.