Dynamics of ocean cables with local low-tension regions

A general set of 3-D dynamic field equations for a cable segment is derived based on the classical Euler-Kirchhoff theory of an elastica. The model includes flexural stiffness to remove the potential singularity when cable tension vanishes and can be reduced to the equations for a perfectly flexible cable. A hybrid model and a solution scheme by direct integration are then proposed to solve the oceanic cable/body system with a localized low-tension region. Numerical examples demonstrate the capability and validity of the formulation and the numerical algorithm.     

The distribution of tritium and CFCs in the Weddell Sea during the mid-1980s

Transient tracer data (tritium, CFC11 and CFC12) from the southern, central and northwestern Weddell Sea collected during Polarstern cruises ANT III-3, ANT V-2/3/4 and during Andenes cruise NARE 85 are presented and discussed in the context of hydrographic observations. A kinematic, time-dependent, multi-box model is used to estimate mean residence times and formation rates of several water masses observed in the Weddell Sea.Ice Shelf Water is marked by higher tritium and lower CFC concentrations compared to surface waters. The tracer signature of Ice Shelf Water can only be explained by assuming that its source water mass, Western Shelf Water, has characteristics different from those of surface waters. Using the transient nature of tritium and the CFCs, the mean residence time of Western Shelf Water on the shelf is estimated to be approximately 5 years. Ice Shelf Water is renewed on a time scale of about 14 years from Western Shelf Water by interaction of this water mass with glacial ice underneath the Filchner-Ronne Ice shelf. The Ice Shelf Water signature can be traced across the sill of the Filchner Depression and down the continental slope of the southern Weddell Sea. On the continental slope, new Weddell Sea Bottom Water is formed by entrainment of Weddell Deep Water and Weddell Sea Deep Water into the Ice Shelf Water plume. In the northwestern Weddell Sea, new Weddell Sea Bottom Water is observed in two narrow, deep boundary currents flowing along the base of the continental slope. Classically defined Weddell Sea Bottom Water (θ ≤ −0.7°C) and Weddell Sea Deep Water (−0.7°C ≤ θ ≤ 0°C) are ventilated from the deeper of these boundary currents by lateral spreading and mixing. Model-based estimates yield a total formation rate of 3.5Sv for new Weddell Sea Bottom Water (θ = −1.0°C) and a formation rate of at least 11Sv for Antarctic Bottom Water (θ = −0.5°C).     

Seafloor Geomorphology and Processes on the Western Continental Margin of India based on Multibeam Acoustic Backscatter Data Analysis

An assessment of the multibeam sonar data of the central Western Continental Margins of India has been carried out to evaluate the seafloor geomorphology and processes by examining the geomorphological attributes e.g., slope, sediments, structures, etc. associated with geomorphic features. The variation in relief and the features located in the region have been mapped and interpreted collectively by utilizing several geospatial mapping tools. The backscatter strength across the area, apparently congruent with the local relief, has helped to examine the sediment movement on the seafloor. The prominent features found in the region include faults, pockmarks, mounds, submarine terraces, and submerged fossil reefs. Several areas with varying topography engender comparable fractal dimension at short scale breaks, and the probability density functions (PDFs) utilizing backscatter data depicting overlapping classes. The present study highlights how fractals and scale break parameters can be utilized to determine the seafloor processes and associated sedimentological dynamics in a complex geographical environment with strong bottom currents, seasonal upwelling, and faulted structure. The role and impact of the various geomorphic processes on the reworking of sediment movement and the overall progression of the seafloor morphology has been revealed for the first time in this part of the ocean bottom.     

Hydrothermal Vent Geology and Biology at Earth’s Fastest Spreading Rates

Earth’s fastest present seafloor spreading occurs along the East Pacific Rise near 31°–32° S. Two of the major hydrothermal plume areas discovered during a 1998 multidisciplinary geophysical/hydrothermal investigation of these mid-ocean ridge axes were explored during a 1999 Alvin expedition. Both occur in recently eruptive areas where shallow collapse structures mark the neovolcanic axis. The 31° S vent area occurs in a broad linear zone of collapses and fractures coalescing into an axial summit trough. The 32° S vent area has been volcanically repaved by a more recent eruption, with non-linear collapses that have not yet coalesced. Both sites occur in highly inflated areas, near local inflation peaks, which is the best segment-scale predictor of hydrothermal activity at these superfast spreading rates (150 mm/yr).     

Spatial and diurnal distribution of invertebrate and fish fauna of a Zostera marina bed and nearby unvegetated sediments in Damariscotta River, Maine (USA)

Fish, epibenthos and macroinfauna were collected in a Zostera marina bed and nearby unvegetated sediments in the estuary of the Damariscotta River, on the mid-coast of Maine. Samples of epibenthic fauna and fish were collected at low tides both during day and night, and samples of infauna at low tides during the day. The mean density of Zostera shoots in the study area was 335 m⁻². Abundance and species number of fish were greater at night than during the day and greater in eelgrass beds (Z. marina) than in unvegetated habitats. Daytime fish collections were dominated by Atlantic silversides (Medinia medinia), while juvenile winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) dominated night collections. Also Zostera-associated epifaunal abundances and number of species were significantly higher at night than during the day. Mysis stenolepis, Idotea balthica and Littorina obtusata were dominant species in the epifauna samples. Of the total of 37 invertebrate species encountered, only five occurred both in the infaunal and epifaunal samples. Nineteen different taxa were collected from the benthic core samples. The most abundant invertebrate infaunal taxa were sipunculids, the polychaete Nereis virens, and oligochaetes. Infaunal invertebrate abundances and species diversity were significantly higher in eelgrass beds than in unvegetated sediments. The abundance and number of species of benthic invertebrates were also positively correlated to seagrass biomass. Community diversity values (H′) were relatively low but fit well in the general pattern of decreasing diversity towards northern latitudes.     

浅海和陆相地层的高分辨率层序地层对比——以东犹他州书崖地区白垩系黑鹰组Sunnyside段为例

现代地层学研究中一个关键的问题是陆相和浅海相地层的对比和整和,尽管层序地层学在两种地层中均有很大发展,可是很少有成功的两者对比研究,本文的目的就是用陆地有机相和海相地层水进水退来产生一种新的层序地层演化的整和模式。