The impact of several chemical poisons on the absorbing 45Ca by the Arca granosa

The impact of several chemical poisons on the Arca granosa absorbing 45Ca was studied. The results showed that the absorption of 45Ca in the blood and the soft tissue by Arca granosa was inhibited by the inorganic compounds of Cu, Zn, Pd, Cd, Hg and so on, among which the inhibition of Cd was the strongest, next was that of Cu and Hg. But the inhibition of the absorption of 45Ca in the shell of Arca granosa was little. The impact of three kinds of energy metabolism inhibitory substances on the absorption of 45Ca by the Area granosa showed that the absorption was an active transfer process.     

A prospective thermomagnetic temperature transducer

The possibilities of measuring the temperature of seawater as a continuous medium are analysed. It is shown that contemporary thin-film platinum resistance thermometers are inadequate for seawater temperature measurements because of their lag and resolution. The following shortcomings of these thermometers are indicated: heat dissipation by the terminals and the need for them to be hermetically sealed. A prospective improved design is suggested for a thermomagnetic temperature transducer, which provides for the minimal possible lag for the required resolution.Translated by V. Puchkin.     

三峡工程对长江口区无脊椎动物资源影响的预测

长江大量径流给其河口及邻近海域带来丰富的营养物质,维持了长江河口生态系统的巨大生产力,并使之成为多种重要经济鱼虾类的索饵和产卵场。长江口生态环境的变化,对我国最大、最重要的浙江舟山渔场和江苏吕四渔场的渔业资源有举足轻重的影响。三峡工程的兴建将使长江入海径流量及其季节分配有很大改变,也不可避免地影响到河口和近海的海洋环境、经济动物的组成及资源状况。为研究长江口无脊椎动物资源结构及其分布特征,以及预测三峡工程对自然生态环境的影响,于1985年9月至1986年8月进行了无脊椎动物资源底拖网试捕调查。本文系统整理调查所得资料,结合历史资料进行分析研究。     

国外海洋机器人技术发展动态

世界海洋机器人随着海洋事业的发展和军事上的需要正在迅猛发展,一批智能化的用途广泛的海洋机器人,如“深潜万米机器人”、“机器鱼”、“机器龙虾”、“六足蟹”、水下“飞机”和深海“呼吸器”等,相继研制成功,尚在研制中的机器人还有“机器金枪鱼”和“机器蛇”。     

Effect of Pollutants on the Physical and Engineering Behavior of Lime-Treated Marine Clay

Rapid industrial growth and increasing population has resulted in the discharge of wastes into the ocean, wastes which ultimately reach the seabed and contaminate the marine sediments. The soil-contaminants interaction, and their associated physico chemical properties with sediments control the behavior of marine clays. Marine clay deposits of low strength and high compressibility are located in many coastal and offshore areas. There are several foundation problems encountered in these weak marine clays. In this study, experimental work was carried out in the laboratory to stabilize soft marine clays using the lime column technique. Also the lime-induced effects on the physical and engineering behavior of marine clays in sulfate-contaminated marine environment was investigated. Consolidation tests indicate that compressibility of the lime-treated samples was reduced to 1/2-1/3 of the virgin soil after 45 days treatment. The test results also suggest that the lime column technique can be conveniently used to improve the behavior of contaminated marine clay deposits.     

A late Pliocene diatom Ge/Si record from the Southeast Atlantic

As a result of both culture and sediment core studies, the ratio of germanium (Ge) to silicon (Si) in diatom shells has been proposed as a proxy for monitoring whole-ocean changes in seawater Ge/Si, a ratio affected by changes in continental weathering. However, because of the difficulties of extracting and cleaning diatom frustules from deep-sea sediments, only samples from highly pure diatom oozes in the Antarctic region have been previously analyzed. Here we present data on diatom Ge/Si ratios, (Ge/Si)_opal, for the time interval between 3.1 and 1.9 Ma from a mid-latitude, coastal upwelling area where significant terrigenous sediment input complicated the sample processing and analyses. In general, our (Ge/Si)_opal values show the same decreasing trend after 2.6 Ma than previously measured in Antarctic sediments (Shemesh et al., 1989. Paleoceanography 4, 221–231), but with a noisier background that may reflect the local imprint of proximal continental input superimposed upon global changes in the ocean reservoir. The time of initiation of large-scale North Hemisphere glaciation at 2.6 Ma is characterized by a declining pattern of diatom Ge/Si ratios, which could have resulted from a global increase in the input of riverine Si due to enhanced silica weathering and/or equatorward (northward) intrusions of subantarctic waters enriched in silica. High (Ge/Si)_opal ratios are associated with high opal contents from the same sediment samples and with warm climate as indicated by depleted benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O values from the North and Equatorial Atlantic. Cold periods signified by enriched benthic δ¹⁸O values, on the contrary, are associated with lower (Ge/Si)_opal ratios. We interpret diatom Ge/Si values to reflect the prevailing weathering state on the continents, with greater chemical weathering during warm and wet periods of the Pliocene and less during cooler and drier intervals.     

Acoustic imaging,visualization, and quantification of buoyant hydrothermal plumes in the Ocean

We develop and apply visualization and quantification methods to reconstruct hydrothermal plumes in 3D from acoustic images and to make the first direct measurements from the reconstructions of scalar properties that describe the behavior of two buoyant plumes discharging from adjacent black smoker chimneys. The actual behavior is then compared to that predicted by a classic simple buoyant plume model. The images are reconstructed as isointensity surfaces of backscatter from particulate matter suspended in the plumes. The measurements pertinent to the role of the plumes as agents of dispersal of heat and mass into the ocean include change with height of diameter, particle distribution, dilution, centerline attitude, surface protrusions, and connectivity. The protrusions are the surface expression of eddies and appear to follow a bifurcating helical flow pattern that resemble simulation of the naturally forced flow of coherent vortex rings as the eddies rise with the buoyant plume. These direct measurements and the derived entrainment coefficient are generally consistent with behavior predicted by the simple buoyant plume model and support engulfment by vortex shedding as a primary mechanism for entrainment of surrounding seawater. Deviations from predicted buoyant plume behavior are diagnostic of particle dynamics.     

Oxidative stress in ecotoxicology: from the analysis of individual antioxidants to a more integrated approach

An integrate approach will be discussed for investigations on oxidative stress in xenobiotic toxicity. While the analysis of individual antioxidants is useful for their sensitivity and to understand the mode of action of a stressor, the integration with the analysis of the total antioxidant capacity provides a more holistic assessment of the overall biological significance of such variations. TOSC has a greater predictive value on the health condition of the organisms and allows to discriminate the different role of specific ROS in oxidative stress syndrome.