Past and present sedimentary activity in the Capbreton Canyon, southern Bay of Biscay

Located in the south-eastern part of the Bay of Biscay, the Capbreton Canyon incises the continental shelf up to the 30 m isobath contour, and acts as a natural conduit for continental and shelf-derived sediments. EM1000 multibeam bathymetry shows two main features characterising the canyon — a deeply entrenched meandering channel, bordered by fluvial-like terraces constituting large sediment traps. A dataset of cores and seismic profiles together with a multibeam bathymetry map has enabled the characterisation of recent sedimentary activity in the axial channel and on the terraces. Data analysis evidenced the major role of the canyon head in recent sediment dynamics. This part of the canyon is a temporary reservoir for sediments, accumulated by coastal hydrodynamic processes. Exceptional climatic, tectonic or hydrodynamic events can mobilise the sediments and generate gravity-driven flows. Under the present-day sea-level highstand conditions, these flows are not powerful enough to bring their bedload to the deep sea, and are confined mainly to the upper part of the canyon. Turbidity currents model the axial channel pathway and are at the origin of terrace formation. Terraces in the Capbreton Canyon are not typical but rather are reduced to confined levees. Three factors control the vertical growth of a terrace: (1) the amount of overspilled sediments brought by turbidity currents, (2) hemipelagic sedimentation and (3) terrace height. The amount of sediment spilling over a terrace decreases with increased terrace elevation. Concurrently, the proportion of hemipelagic fallout depositing on a terrace increases. Terraces are considered to be fossil when the height of the terrace prevents further deposition by overspilling. The terraces studied in this paper are interpreted as having formed during the Holocene, implying that the sediment dynamics of the Capbreton Canyon is continuous through time. Highstand periods differ from lowstand periods because they show a decrease in the energy of erosive processes. Temporal variations in erosive and depositional processes in the canyon are controlled by the Adour River, which delivers large amounts of sediment to the system.     

Persistent volcanic signature observed around Barren Island, Andaman Sea, India

This study delineates the formation of a warm pool (>34°C) of air to the west (downwind) of the active volcano of the Barren Island during October–November 2005. Barren Island is located in the Sumatra–Andaman region, about 135 km east of Port Blair, and lies within the Burma microplate, the southern tip of which experienced a submarine earthquake (M _w 9.3) causing a tsunami in December 2004. Barren Island is the only volcano, which has shown sustained eruptive activity since shortly after the Great Sumatran Earthquake of December 2004. Our observations require further corroboration to relate how submarine earthquakes activate volcanoes and how far these thermal emissions influence climate changes. Because it links global warming and climate changes to the frequent emissions from a volcano activated by submarine earthquakes, this case study is of special interest to the earth-ocean-atmosphere sciences community.     

On the use of poorly soluble hygroscopic substances for modification of warm clouds and fogs

From analysis of the relationships between the equilibrium state of condensation nuclei and the relative humidity, a conclusion is made concerning the preferred use of poorly soluble substances for the generation of artificial condensation nuclei (ACN) designed for modification of warm clouds and fogs with the purpose of their dissipation and precipitation formation. The advantage of poorly soluble substances over commonly used soluble salts is that the finely dispersed part of the spectrum of the poorly soluble ACN does not deliquesce and so is not involved in the formation of cloud droplets. For experimental testing of the conclusions, preference was given to cement, whose main soluble substance is calcium oxide with a solubility of about 1 g/l. The spectrum of dispersed cement particles was measured and compared with the spectra of pyrotechnic flares widely used for modification at present. The process of formation of the cloud droplet spectra was simulated in the aerosol chamber of the Institute of Experimental Meteorology by decreasing the preliminarily generated excess pressure. It was found in these experiments that, compared to the spectra of particles formed on background condensation nuclei, the introduction of dispersed cement leads to the broadening of spectra and to a decrease in the concentration of droplets. Even at the early stage of condensation, droplets with radii of ∼20 μm appear. In this case, no “overseeding” phenomenon is observed, which, for soluble substances, manifests itself in an increase in the concentration of cloud droplets with a large ACN concentration. These effects indicate that, according to the existing concepts about the mechanism of warm-cloud modification with hygroscopic substances, the introduction of poorly soluble ACN (in particular, dispersed cement) below the base of cumulus clouds should stimulate coagulation processes and accelerate rain-formation processes. Considerations are given that the introduction of poorly soluble ACN into the already existing cumulus or stratocumulus clouds or fogs should also result in the acceleration of precipitation-formation processes or cloud dispersal. Comparison of cement powder with the well-known means of warm-cloud and fog modification is carried out. Original Russian Text ? N.P. Romanov, A.S. Drofa, N.S. Kim, A.V. Savchenko, G.F. Yaskevich, 2006, published in Izvestiya AN. Fizika Atmosfery i Okeana, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 80–91.     

Ageostrophic dynamics of the upper ocean layer: Measurements over the transatlantic section along 53° N

Some aspects of the upper ocean layer dynamics are considered, including the Ekman transport, the relation of the thickness of the quasi-homogeneous layer to the thickness of the layer of rotation of the drift current vector, and the correlation between the level of the turbulent energy dissipation and the thickness of the quasi-homogeneous layer.     

Spatial and temporal variability of the ratios between the nitrate and phosphate concentrations in the Sea of Okhotsk

The relation between the nitrate and phosphate concentrations in the Sea of Okhotsk and the bordering waters of the Pacific Ocean were studied. The surveys were carried out in the autumn, spring, and summer of 2001–2002. For the deepwater part of the sea, the relation [NO^? ₃] = ((14.88 ± 0.07) × [PO^3? ₄] ? 5.46 ± 0.17) was found. The coefficients in the equation given are statistically different from those in the similar equation for the Pacific waters: [NO^? ₃] = (16.05 ± 0.15) × [PO^3? ₄]-(7.23 ± 0.36). In the northern part of the sea; on the shelf; in the slope area; and, especially, in the deep waters of the TINRO Depression, the linear dependence between the phosphate and nitrate concentrations was distorted. This feature was described in terms of nitrate deficiency. The maximum values of this deficiency were found in the near-bottom waters. The principal processes that might cause the nitrate deficiency were considered: the difference in the oxidation rates of the nitrogen and phosphorus organic compounds, the matter transfer between the continent and the sea, the different efficiency of the biogenic burial of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bottom sediments, and the denitrification in the upper layer of the bottom sediments. It was shown that the most probable cause of the nitrate deficiency was the denitrification. The loss of inorganic nitrogen owing to the supply of the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk to the Pacific Ocean was estimated as ～2.5 × 10¹¹ mol N/year.     

Estimation of the oxygen and CO2 mean exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere in key areas of the ocean

Current estimations of gas exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere are based on the concepts about diffusive gas transfer across the interface and about a stationary character of the processes; however, under a strong wind, these concepts are invalid. Transfer equations for gas constitutents of the air are incorporated into a numerical model of a nonstationary upper layer of the ocean. These equations contain the source function—gas transfer by bubbles, which becomes noticeable even at a wind speed of 8–10 m/s. The fluxes of oxygen and CO₂ are calculated at a specified wind speed, dependences of these fluxes on the wind speed are constructed, and estimates for the average annual fluxes are obtained for several areas of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio. A substantial change in the difference of the air-water gas contents under a strong wind, caused by the turbulent exchange growth and appreciably affecting the gas exchange, is noted. The influence of the carbonate system of seawater on the CO₂ transfer during a storm is estimated. The results obtained are compared to the estimates based on the traditional approach.     

First results from the North Iceland experiment

Between June 2004 and September 2004 a temporary seismic network was installed on the northern insular shelf of Iceland and onshore in north Iceland. The seismic setup aimed at resolving the subsurface structure and, thus, the geodynamical transition from Icelandic crust to typical oceanic crust along Kolbeinsey Ridge. The experiment recorded about 1,000 earthquakes. The region encloses the Tjörnes Fracture Zone containing the Husavik–Flatey strike-slip fault and the extensional seismic Grimsey Lineament. Most of the seismicity occurs in swarms offshore. Preliminary results reveal typical mid-ocean crust north of Grimsey and a heterogeneous structure with major velocity anomalies along the seismic lineaments and north–south trending subsurface features. Complementary bathymetric mapping highlight numerous extrusion features along the Grimsey Lineament and Kolbeinsey Ridge. The seismic dataset promises to deliver new insights into the tectonic framework for earthquakes in an extensional transform zone along the global mid-ocean ridge system.     

Parameterization of the depth of the upper quasi-homogeneous layer based on measurements in the North Atlantic (Section along 53° N)

The dependence of the variation in the depth of the upper mixed layer (MLD) on the governing parameters (the momentum flux, the buoyancy fluxes at the ocean surface, and the density gradient in the pycnocline) is considered. It is shown that, in the spring storm season, wind mixing dominates over convective mixing. In this case, the MLD is linearly correlated with the Ekman scale calculated from the friction velocity observed approximately 12 h before the measurement of the MLD.     

Composition and quantitative distribution of macrozoobenthos in Amur Bay

The data on the species composition, trophic structure, and distribution of macrozoobenthos in Amur Bay obtained in 2001 are presented. Long-term changes in the benthos are analyzed. In 2001, the total benthos biomass significantly increased, although the parameters of the species richness declined as compared to 1986–1989. In 2001, as well as in the 1970s and 1980s, the benthos trophic structure was characterized by the prevalence of deposit feeders. The entire structure of the benthos is evaluated as an eutrophic one. Eutrophication of the bay is considered to be the most probable cause of the negative changes in the benthic communities of the bay in 2001, as well as 15 years ago.