Prediction of impact pressure induced by breaking waves on vertical cylinders in random seas

This paper presents a method to statistically predict the magnitude of impact pressure (including extreme values) produced by deep water waves breaking on a circular cylinder representing a column of an ocean structure. Breaking waves defined here are not those whose tops are blown off by the wind but those whose breaking is associated with steepness. The probability density function of wave period associated with breaking waves is derived for a specified wave spectrum, and then converted to the probability density function of impact pressure. Impacts caused by two different breaking conditions are considered; one is the impact associated with waves breaking in close proximity to the column, the other is an impact caused by waves approaching the column after they have broken. As an example of the application of the present method, numerical computations are carried out for a wave spectrum obtained from measured data in the North Atlantic.     

Using ocean ambient noise for array self-localization and self-synchronization

Estimates of the travel times between the elements of a bottom hydrophone array can be extracted from the time-averaged ambient noise cross-correlation function (NCF). This is confirmed using 11-min-long data blocks of ambient noise recordings that were collected in May 1995 near the southern California coast at an average depth of 21 m in the 150-700 Hz frequency range. Coherent horizontal wavefronts emerging from the time derivative of the NCF are obtained across the array's aperture and are related to the direct arrival time of the time-domain Green's function (TDGF). These coherent wavefronts are used for array element self-localization (AESL) and array element self-synchronization (AESS). The estimated array element locations are used to beamform on a towed source.     

Nonlinear response of a moored buoy

The nonlinear dynamic analysis of a multipoint slack moored buoy is performed under the action of first and second order wave forces. The nonlinearity of the system is caused by the geometric nonlinearity of the mooring lines. The resulting nonlinear equation of motion is solved by an incremental time marching scheme. The nonlinear responses of the system are analysed to investigate different kinds of dynamic instability phenomena that may arise due to the nonlinearity of the system. As an illustrative example, a hollow cylindrical buoy anchored to the sea bed by means of six slack mooring lines is considered. The responses of the system are obtained and analysed for three regular waves namely, 5 m/5 s, 12 m/10 s and 18 m/15 s. The results of the study show that different kinds of instability phenomena like nT subharmonic oscillations, symmetry breaking bifurcation and aperiodic responses may occur in slack mooring systems. Further, a second order wave force may considerably influence the dynamic stability of such systems.     

Particulate flux in the water column overlying Santa Monica Basin

Fluxes of particulate carbon, nitrogen, phytoplankton pigments, biogenic silica and dry mass were measured using free-floating and moored sediment trap arrays in the Santa Monica Basin during the period from October 1985 to August 1990 as part of the California Basin Study (CaBS) Program. In field testing for potential sources of sediment trap biases, we found little significant or consistent difference in rate estimates between short-term drifting traps and long-term moored traps, between preserved and unpreserved traps in short-term experiments, between different preservatives (mercury or formalin) in long-term experiments, between different designs of small cylindrical traps, and between deep-moored cylindrical traps and large conical traps. We did, however, find that sediment trap samples collected and analyzed on 0.45 μm silver filters gave estimates of carbon and nitrogen fluxes about 25% higher than samples collected on GF/F glass-fiber filters. Concurrent trap deployments at two stations 18km apart revealed low mesoscale variability in flux estimates. Seasonal patterns in carbon and nitrogen flux were not evident in our data, but strong seasonality, with spring maxima and summer minima, were observed for fluxes of phaeopigments and biogenic silica out of the euphotic zone.Time-averaged rates of particulate flux for long-term trap deployments from January to August 1990, were 121, 18.8, 1.5, 67 and 633mg m⁻²d⁻¹ at 110–135m for carbon, nitrogen, phaeopigment, biogenic silica and mass, respectively. Flux estimates to the basin floor (835–860m) were 50, 6.5, 0.64, 41.6 and 575mg m⁻²d⁻¹ for the same parameters. The former estimates are constrained by and in good agreement with independent assessments of new production from nitrate uptake in the euphotic zone. The latter agree with rates previously inferred from the sedimentary record using ²¹⁰Pb as a tracer. In addition, the difference in carbon estimates in the water column between the euphotic zone and the basin floor is consistent with the requirements for bacterial growth and metabolism at intermediate depths as measured by the thymidine method.     

Glutathione S-transferase from an antarctic fish, Dissostichus mawsoni

Glutathione S-transferase activity was measured in the hepatic cytosol front Dissostichus mawsoni and Pagothenia borchgrevinki. Activity measures with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as substrate were 11·2 and 16·7 μmol/min/g tissue respectively. Little or no activity was detected when p-nitrobenzyl chloride or 3,4-dichloro-1-nitrobenzene were used as substrate. The hepatic glutathione S-transferases from D. mawsoni were partially purified using gel filtration and chromatofocusing. Three peaks of activity were resolved. The major isozyme (158-fold purification) eluting at pH7·1 appeared to be catalytically a homodimer. The isozyme was highly inhibited by triphenyltin chloride (IC₅₀ = 0·1 μ) while inhibition constants for Cibicron Blue 3GA, bromosulphophalein and hematin were 1·1, 20 and 34 μ respectively.     

Distribution, texture and composition of modern phosphate pellets in Peru shelf muds

Textural analysis, including estimates of concentrations of authigenic phosphate pellets, were made for eight sediment cores from the Peru continental margin. Phosphatic pellets separated from these modern organic-rich sediments are black, spherical-ovoidal in shape, and in thin section often display a concentric structure around a nucleus consisting of inorganic mineral grains. Some pellets have a gray-white exterior coating which appears to be secondary diagenetic calcite. Phosphatic pellets account for upwards of 80% of the sediment mass in some cores. Pellets concentrate in specific size classes, generally between 125 and 500 μm in diameter, and occur within a poorly sorted sediment.