Intercomparison of coastal area morphodynamic models

Five different coastal area morphodynamic models have been set up to run on the same offshore breakwater layout and an intercomparison carried out on the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic output produced by each scheme. In addition, the predicted morphodynamics was checked against available laboratory and field data.It is concluded that the models are capable of producing realistic estimates for the dominant morphodynamic features associated with offshore breakwaters. Coupling of the wave, current and sediment transport components of each scheme is shown to yield bathymetry which attains a state of equilibrium, unlike models which are based on the initial transport field only.     

An overview and general results of the Lopez island OBS experiment

The purpose of the experiment was to determine the effects of coupling and bottom currents on ocean bottom seismometers. Twelve operational OBSs, three specially designed three-component systems, and a hydrophone were compared with each other. Unlike seismometers placed on hard rock at land stations, ocean bottom seismometers can be affected by soft sediments (which act as lossy mechanical springs) and by buoyancy. Coupling through soft sediments can modify the response to ground motion much as a low pass filter does, and high buoyancy tends to counteract this effect. These effects are observed in the Lopez data, which consist of signals from mechanical transient tests, cap shots, airgun pulses, and general background noise. The modification of response is pronounced for some instruments and barely noticeable in others. Instruments that stand high in the water relative to their base width tend to be susceptible to rocking motion that shows up as a mechanical cross coupling between horizontal and vertical motion. Correlation of Lopez results with coupling theory suggests that it is possible to design ocean bottom seismometers that will couple well to any sediment. Current levels at the Lopez site (<5 cm s^-1) were too small to produce noticeable effect on any of the instruments; however, the same design criteria that will minimize coupling problems will also lessen problems caused by ocean currents.Hawaii Institute of Geophysics Contribution No. 1171.     

Sand ridges on the inner Atlantic shelf of North America: Morphometric comparisons with Huthnance stability model

Sand ridge fields on the inner shelf of the Middle Atlantic Bight are generally thought to have formed in response to northeasterly storm flows as the shoreface underwent erosional retreat with postglacial sea-level rise. However, the hydrodynamic mechanism is poorly unerstood. Coastal boundary models see the ridges as responses of the seafloor to distortions in the flow induced by the coastal boundary. Stability models propose that an irregular initial topography will evolve toward an ordered array of bedforms in response to repeated flow events. The two classes of models are not mutually exclusive, nor are members within each class mutually exclusive. Results of measurements of ridge spacing on the inner Atlantic shelf of North America agree with the predictions of stability models.     

UNCLOS and the marine scientist

The deliberations at UNCLOS have been watched with great interest by individual marine scientists and by those who have attended as observers on behalf of scientific groups. Most of all these scientists have been apprehensive that their ability (freedom) to carry out research would be significantly limited by many of the provisions of the ICNT. In fact, one author goes as far as to state that progress has been made, largely at the expense of the marine research scientist¹.     

Radium and lead-210 in marine barite

Measurements of ²²⁶Ra and ²¹⁰Pb in barite samples separated from different depths of a piston core from the eastern equatorial Pacific are reported. ²²⁶Ra is enriched in the barite as would be expected from the chemistries of Ra and Ba; the ${}^{226}\text{Ra}\text{Ba}$ ratio centers around 1.5 · 10¹⁴ atoms/mole. The results suggest that barite is concentrating Ra at a rate comparable to its decay rate, viz. 5.78 · 10^?3 yr^?1. The gross ²¹⁰Pb depletion with respect to ²²⁶Ra is indicative of ²²²Rn loss due to the smallness of the barite crystals.     

Water colour index of the Guinean sector of the Atlantic Ocean

The distribution of the colour index is considered in the region bounded by 8–11°N and 13°30–18°30W based on the results of measurements made on board vessels of the Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the Ukrainian SSR Academy of Sciences (MHI) in 1977–1985. Mean values and statistical characteristics are calculated for the colour index variability over one-degree squares. A map of its multi-yearly average distribution is plotted.Translated by M. M. Trufanov.     

Grain-size distribution of quartz and feldspar extracts and implications for flocculation processes

Quartz and feldspar extracts, obtained by chemical dissolution of the clay minerals, provide insight into the inorganic flocculation and mineralogical influences upon the texture of fine-grained glaciomarine deposits. Glacial comminution in higher latitudes explains the relatively high contents of quartz and feldspars. Quartz and feldspar are better sorted and were apparently less influenced by flocculation than were phyllosilicates, except for particles less than approximately 16 μm, which are poorly sorted due to their inclusion in flocs. The 16-μm boundary is suggested to be useful for approximately separating fines that are usually involved in flocculation and coarse silt and larger grains that are less influenced.     

Three Kings Ridge: a west-facing arc

The Three Kings Ridge has been described as a remnant arc or an east-facing arc on the western side of the South Fiji Basin under which symmetric South Fiji Basin magnetic anomaly lineations have been lost. We find evidence of neither arc-trench morphology on the eastern flank of the ridge nor collision tectonism within the adjacent South Fiji Basin that might have obliterated it. We believe there is room for the missing magnetic lineations within the South Fiji Basin and we recognize the distinctive island-arc morphology characteristic of a west-facing arc on the western flank of the Three Kings Ridge. Our interpretation requires that arc volcanism postdated formation of much of the South Fiji Basin and that oceanic lithosphere from the adjacent Norfolk Basin must have been subducted beneath the west-facing Three Kings Arc.     

PCDD/F and PCB in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) from British Columbia: response to exposure to pulp mill effluents

Blubber of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) sampled from the Strait of Georgia, BC, in 1991 and 1992 contained higher concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) than did samples from Quatsino Sound on western Vancouver Island. The higher proportions of 1,2,3,6,7,8-hexachlorodibenzodioxin and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran in the Strait of Georgia samples probably reflect contamination arising from the discharge of effluents from bleached kraft mills. Higher concentrations of non-ortho- and mono-ortho substituted polychlorinated biphenyls were also found in the Strait of Georgia samples, probably as a result of general industrial activity in the region. Principal components analysis showed that residues were distributed differently between males and females. Within males, concentrations of PCDD, PCDF and PCBs appeared to increase with age. Toxic equivalents (TEQ) to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin in the Quatsino Sd. samples were close to the working guidelines for edible fish used by Health Canada; TEQ calculated for the Strait of Georgia samples exceeded these guidelines by up to a factor of five.     

Evaluating the effects of protection on fish predators and sea urchins in shallow artificial rocky habitats: a case study in the northern Adriatic Sea

Man-made defence structures (e.g., breakwaters, jetties) are becoming common features of marine coastal landscapes all around the world. The ecology of assemblages of species associated with such artificial structures is, however, poorly known. In this study, we evaluated the density and size of fish predators of echinoids (i.e., Diplodus sargus, Diplodus vulgaris, Sparus aurata), and the density of sea urchins (i.e., Paracentrotus lividus) at defence structures (i.e., breakwaters) inside and outside the marine protected area of Miramare (northern Adriatic Sea) in order to: (1) assess possible differences in fish predator density and size between protected and fished breakwaters; (2) assess whether fish predation may have the potential to affect sea urchin density in artificial rocky habitats. Surveys were carried out at four random times over a period of two years. Total density, and density of medium- and large-sized individuals of the three predatory fishes were generally greater at the protected than at the fished breakwaters, whereas no differences were detected in the density of small-sized individuals. Density of the sea urchin P. lividus did not show any difference between protected and fished breakwaters. The results of this study suggest that: (1) protection may significantly affect predatory fishes in artificial rocky habitats; (2) differences in predatory fish density, and size may be unrelated with the density of the sea urchin P. lividus; (3) protected artificial structures such as breakwaters, originally planned for other purposes, could represent a potential tool for fish population recovery and enhancement of local fisheries.