Strategies for High Precision Processing of GPS Measurements with Application to the Amery Ice Shelf,East Antarctica

A number of statistic Global Positioning System (GPS) measurement campaigns have been made on a floating Antarctic ice shelf, the Amery Ice Shelf, as part of ongoing glaciological studies designed to investigate the ice shelf dynamics, grounding zone definition, and ice shelf strain. Such studies ar fundamental to improving out knowledge of the Antarctic ice-sheet mass balance and dynamical models of ice sheet/ocean interaction. This article describes two techniques used to process the statistic GPS data. One approach uses a segmented version of the classical static methodology, and the other approach adopts a new sequential processing technique. Both approaches yield similar results for the station coordinates and demonstrate the potential of GPS for extracting the tidal signal on the ice shelves and giving information on the dynamical motion of the ice sheet. To verify our results for the vertical component, we compare the ice shelf GPS tidal signal with a tidal model derived from tide gauge measurements at nearby Beaver Lake. Comparison of the GPS results with the tide model give good agreement in amplitude at the few cm level (GPS results always larger) but clearly shows evidence of phase propagation of the ocean tidal wave under the ice shelf. Improving the resolution of the tides over the ice shelves will be of tremendous benefit for future satellite missions, such as Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESAT), and the integrated use of GPS and satellite data will be fundamental for any on-going Antarctic ice sheet mass balance studies. ? 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Present-day stress and pore pressure fields in the Cuu Long and Nam Con Son Basins, offshore Vietnam

Knowledge of the in situ, or contemporary stress field is vital for planning optimum orientations of deviated and horizontal wells, reservoir characterization and a better understanding of geodynamic processes and their effects on basin evolution.This study provides the first documented analysis of in situ stress and pore pressure fields in the sedimentary formations of the Cuu Long and Nam Con Son Basins, offshore Vietnam, based on data from petroleum exploration and production wells.In the Cuu Long Basin, the maximum horizontal stress is mainly oriented in NNW–SSE to N–S in the northern part and central high. In the Nam Con Son Basin, the maximum horizontal stress is mainly oriented in NE–SW in the northern part and to N–S in the central part of the basin.The magnitude of the vertical stress has a gradient of approximately 22.2 MPa/km at 3500 m depth. Minimum horizontal stress magnitude is approximately 61% of the vertical stress magnitude in normally pressured sequences.The effect of pore pressure change on horizontal stress magnitudes was estimated from pore pressure and fracture tests data in depleted zone caused by fluid production, and an average pore pressure–stress coupling ratio (ΔS_h/ΔP_p) obtained was 0.66. The minimum horizontal stress magnitude approaches the vertical stress magnitude in overpressured zones of the Nam Con Son Basin, suggesting that an isotropic or strike-slip faulting stress regime may exist in the deeper overpressured sequences.     

A synthetic bandwidth measurement system for acoustic remotesensing of geoacoustic properties of bottom sediments

A series of narrowband acoustic transmissions may be combined into an equivalent broadband signal - with a corresponding increase in resolution in the time domain. This procedure is called synthetic bandwidth processing. If ray methods are used in combination with inverse theory to determine the otacoustic properties of bottom sediments, the increased time resolution aids in the identification of arrivals which are closely spaced in time. This, in turn, permits improved estimates of the spatial distribution of properties and more accurate otacoustic models. Signal processing techniques and guidelines for synthesizing multioctave broadband pulse-like signals are presented. Also described is the instrumentation used to implement the technique in real ocean environments     

Explicit expression and regularization of the harmonic reproducing kernels for the earth's ellipsoid

The reproducing kernel functions and the integral formulae involving the solutions of the fixed gravimetric boundary value problems for the earth's ellipsoid are investigated in a suitable polar coordinate system defined on the boundary ellipsoid. The infinite series expressions of the reproducing kernel functions are represented explicitly up to the square of the first excentricity of the boundary surface. The obtained results show that the reproducing kernel functions for the earth's ellipsoid are, in contrast to the case of the spherical boundary, inhomogeneous and anisotropic. Moreover, the anisotropy is stronger near the pole. Subsequently the kernel functions are regularized in order to overcome the weak singularity of the integrals.     

The Brittlestar Amphiodia urtica; A Candidate Bioindicator?

Abstract. The ophiuroid Amphiiodia urtica L yman is presently under study as a potential wastewater discharge indicator species from ocean outfalls in the Southern California Bight. On the San Pedro Shelf, the maximum abundance of A. urtica was found at depths from 30 to 100 m, and in sediment with a median grain size of 0.085 nim, 60–80% sand. 15–30% silt, 0–37% clay, and 0.2–0.5% TOC. The mean abundance of A. urtica fluctuated annually with a slight increase from 1977 through 1993.
The hypothesis was posed that the distribution and abundance of A. urtica is not influenced by an ocean outfall and its operation on the San Pedro Shelf. Based on long-term (1977–1994) and intensive (2860 samples) sampling. the hypothesis was rejected. However, the effect of the outfall is not clear because sediment bioassays from test stations and controls produced no significant differences in survivorship and growth of juveniles. Amphiodia presently occupies areas within the Zone of Initial Dilution (ZID) where it was not found during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. While recognizing that A. urtica abundance responds to proximity to the outfall, the mechanism for this response is still unclear. The application of a single species as a bioindicator is not recommended, and most certainly not without fully essing its role in community structure and function.     

Effect of saline intrusion on the properties of cohesive soils in the Red River Delta,Vietnam

Abstract

This study conducted a series of laboratory experiments and established numerical models on selected undisturbed soil samples in the Red River Delta (RRD) to determine the effect of change in soils intruded by saline water. The variation in the technical parameters of soils was verified in soils fully saturated by solution of four salt concentrations, that is, 0.0, 9.9, 19.8, and 33.0?g/L. Results show that the content and composition of clay minerals in cohesive soils before and after saline intrusion are unchanged. The same finding is obtained for clay after removing absorbed water layer by using a centrifuge apparatus. The zeta potential and settlement velocity of soils in the RRD increase when salt is added to the saturated solution. Similarly, the deformation of soils increases proportionally with the salt concentrations of that solution. This result is attributed to the linear decrease in deformation modulus. The decrease in modulus versus salinities is nearly consistent for pressure stages from 100 to 400?kPa. The safety factor of bearing capacity also decreases linearly with salinities. The decrease reaches 12.5–16.3% when soils are in the maximum saline solution. All these changes are considered as the degradation of soils in saline media.     

Monsoon-induced upwelling off the Vietnamese coast

During the southwest monsoon from July 8 to 28, 2003, an interdisciplinary cruise took place in the central area of Vietnamese upwelling with “MV Nghien Cuu Bien” in the South China Sea. Physical observations in the upwelling area are analyzed with respect to local/regional wind forcing and far field forcing. Nutrients and phytoplankton measurements are discussed with respect to exchange processes between different water masses. The wind-induced coastal upwelling by local wind forcing is much weaker than in the previous years due to weaker-than-normal winds. This can be attributed to the far field forcing of the 2002/2003 El Niño event which modulates the upwelling intensity. The atmospheric conditions reflect the typical situation after an El Niño event which weakens the wind-induced coastal upwelling, reduces the latent heat flux, and results in higher-than-normal sea-surface temperatures. The general circulation pattern during SW monsoon is driven by the spatial asymmetry in the monsoon forcing. The flow pattern is characterized by an upwelling-induced northward undercurrent and a recently detected southward countercurrent. The resulting stretching deformation of this flow pattern forms an offshore jet between ～12°N and 12.5°N and causes a local enhancement of the upwelling intensity. The upwelling due to stretching deformation is a peculiarity, which makes the Vietnamese upwelling area different to other upwelling areas. A budget of the upwelling components is presented: the strongest contribution in 2003 to the Vietnamese upwelling is the dynamical upwelling due to the clockwise rotation of the northward undercurrent. The internal radius of deformation separates the upwelling area from the offshore area as well as different water masses. Mekong River and the Gulf of Thailand waters which are offshore show nutrient depletion. Therefore, high chlorophyll maxima cannot be explained by nutrient supply from river runoff. The dynamical upwelling brings in nutrient-rich Maximum Salinity Water into the euphotic zone. This causes a subsurface chlorophyll maximum between 20 and 40 m water depth along the northward undercurrent. Deflection from the Redfield ratio in the C:N ratio and negative excess nitrogen identifies the region as nitrogen-limited which may favor cyanobacteria blooms. The consequence is a unique feature in new production: in the upwelling area, new production is based on upwelled nitrate, whereas offshore in the nutrient-depleted Mekong and Gulf of Thailand water, new production is based in addition on nitrogen fixation.