Steepness and asymmetry of extreme waves and the highest waves in deep water

Traditional wave steepness s=H/L does not define steep asymmetric waves in a random sea uniquey. Three additional parameters characterising single zero-downcross waves in a time series are crest front steepness, vertical asymmetry factor and horizontal asymmetry factor. Results for steepness and asymmetry from zero-downcross analysis of wave data obtained from full scale measurements in deep water on the Norwegian continental shelf in 58 time series are presented. The analysis demonstrates clearly the asymmetry of both “extreme waves” and the highest waves. The period and height of the highest waves are also given together with their correlation to spectral parameters. The measured maximum wave heights are also compared with predicted values of maximum wave heights showing good agreement.     

Wind gust spectrum over waves: Effect of wave age

The effect of wave age on the wind gust spectrum over wind waves is considered by using the Ochi and Shin [1988. Wind turbulent spectra for design considerations of offshore structures. Proceedings of 20th Offshore Technology Conference, Paper No. 5736, Houston, Texas. pp. 461–467] spectrum together with the wave age dependant Volkov [2001. The dependence on wave age. In: Jones, I.S.F., Toba, Y. (Eds.), Wind Stress Over the Ocean. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 206–217] sea surface roughness formula. The wave age independent Charnock [1955. Wind stress on a water surface. Quarterly Journal of Royal Meteorological Society 81, 639–640] sea surface roughness is used as a reference. An example of results demonstrates a clear effect of wave age on the wind gust spectrum.     

Mobile layer thickness in sheet flow beneath random waves

The erosion depth and the sheet flow layer thickness represent two characteristic parameters for transport processes in oscillatory sheet flow. Formulas for these parameters under regular waves have been applied to obtain characteristic statistical values under random waves. The applicability of the method for practical purposes is illustrated by two examples using data typical for field conditions at water depths of 70 m (Ekofisk location in the North Sea) and 15 m, respectively. Two fictive storms based on the Dohmen-Janssen and Hanes [Dohmen-Janssen, C.M., Hanes, D.M., 2005. Sheet flow and suspended sediment due to wave groups in a large wave flume. Cont. Shelf Res. 25, 333–347] data from large scale wave flume tests have also been utilized to demonstrate how the return period of the sheet flow layer thickness observed in their experiments can be estimated.     

Bottom friction beneath random waves

The effect of random waves on the bottom friction is studied by assuming that the wave motion is a stationary Gaussian narrow-band random process. The approach is also based on simple explicit friction coefficient formulas for sinusoidal waves. The probability distribution functions of the maximum bottom shear stress for laminar flow as well as smooth turbulent and rough turbulent flow are presented. The maximum bottom shear stress follows the Rayleigh distribution for laminar flow and the Weibull distribution for smooth turbulent and rough turbulent flow. Some characteristic statistical values of the maximum bottom shear stress for the three flow regimes are also given.     

Effects of high pressure,hot water shore cleaning after oil spills on shore ecosystems in the Northern Baltic proper

The use of high pressure, hot water hosing techniques in oil spill clean-up operations on rocky and stony-gravelly shores drastically reduces the shore vegetation and macrofauna. The negative effects are more substantial than on oiled shores cleaned by raking and scraping. After one year the hot water cleaned shores were not restored completely.On rocky shores the high pressure, hot water technique is very efficient in terms of freeing the rocks from oil. However, due to its detrimental effects on shore organisms this type of oil spill clean-up operation can only be recommended for bird or wildlife protection areas. The cleanup method is inefficient on stony-gravelly shores due to penetration of oil into the ground and sediment and direct killing of shore organisms. The method should be avoided on these types of shores.     

UV-B susceptibility and photoprotection of Arctic Daphnia morphotypes

UV-B tolerance and susceptibility of high Arctic morphotypes of the Daphnia pulexl D. tenebrosa complex were assessed by in situ experiments at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (79°N). Animals from local ponds were exposed to ambient light plus additional UV-B from lamps in a greenhouse facility. Taxonomic affinities did not appear as major determinants of UV susceptibility, but a major difference in UV-B tolerance was seen between morphotypes with pigmented carapaces and those without, the latter being far more susceptible. Assays on levels of carotene and the anti-oxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase did not reveal clear-cut differences between populations, and could not account for the higher tolerance in pigmented populations. Levels of glutathione transferase were higher in the transparent population, however. In the absence of blue light and UV, laboratory reared animals did not reconstitute their carapace melanization after moulting, indicating that short-wave light is the cue for melanin synthesis. Tests on melanized individuals and individuals of the same population reared indoors through 1-2 moults supported the major role of melanin for UV protection. Periods with high UV exposure during hatching of ephippia could induce shifts in morphotype or clonal dominance.     

Postglacial depositional environments and sedimentation rates in the Norwegian Channel off southern Norway

Based on seismic profiles, multibeam bathymetry and sediment cores, an improved understanding of the deglaciation/postglacial history of the southern part of the Norwegian Channel has been obtained. The Norwegian Channel Ice Stream started to recede from the shelf edge ca. 15.5 ka BP (¹⁴C ages are used throughout). Approximately 500–1000 years later the ice margin was located east of the deep Skagerrak trough. At that time, the Norwegian Channel off southern Norway had become a large fjord-like embayment, surrounded by the grounded ice sheet along the northern slope and possibly stagnant ice remnants at the southern flank. The Norwegian Channel off southern Norway has been the main sediment trap of the North Sea, and south of Egersund more than 200 m of sediments have been deposited since the start of the deglaciation. Five seismic units are mapped. The oldest unit E occurs in some of the deepest troughs, and was deposited immediately after the ice became buoyant. Unit D is acoustically massive and comprises mass-movement deposits in eastern Skagerrak and south of Egersund. Unit C (in the channel southwest of Lista/Egersund) is interpreted to comprise mainly bottom current deposits derived from palaeo-rivers, e.g. Elben. During deposition of unit C (ca. 14.5–13 ka BP), there was limited inflow of Atlantic water. A change in depositional environment at ca. 13 ka BP is related to an increased inflow of saline water and more open hydrographic circulation. Widely distributed, acoustically stratified clays of unit B were deposited ca. 13–10 ka BP. The Holocene Unit A shows a depositional pattern broadly similar to that of unit B.     

Wave power statistics for individual waves

The paper provides a bivariate distribution of wave power and wave height, as well as a bivariate distribution of wave power and wave period; both bivariate distributions are for individual waves within a sea state. This is relevant for e.g. making assessments of wave power devices and their potential for converting energy from waves. The results can be applied to compare systematically the wave power potential for individual waves in a given sea state at different locations.     

Identification and implications of fight hydrocarbon fluid inclusions from the Proterozoic Bidjovagge gold-copper deposit, Finnmark, Norway

Carbonic fluid inclusions were observed in quartz-bearing veins at the Proterozoic Bidjovagge AuCu deposit within the Kautokeino greenstone belt in Norway, where mineralization occurred in oxidation zones of graphitic schists. A primary fluid inclusion zonation was observed with C0₂-rich fluid inclusions in the structural footwall of the deposit, and CH₄-rich inclusions within the ore zone in the oxidation zone. Microthermometry of the primary hydrocarbon inclusions revealed 2 groups; (1) a group which homogenized between −125°C and the critical temperature of CH₄ (−82.1°C), which indicated the presence of pure CH₄, and (2) a group which homogenized between the critical temperature of CH₄ and −42°C, which indicated the presence CH₄ and higher hydrocarbons (HHC). Raman microprobe analyses of the first group confirmed the presence of CH₄. The second inclusion group were fluorescent, and Raman spectra clearly displayed CH₄,C₂H₆, and rarer C₃H₈ peaks. A typical feature of the Raman spectra were elevated baselines at the hydrocarbon peaks. Carbon peaks were also usually detected in each inclusion by Raman analysis. Bulk gas chromatography analyses of samples containing the first group (CH₄) indicated the presence of CH₄ and low concentrations of C₂H₆ and C₃H₈. Gas chromatography analyses of samples containing the second group (CH₄ and higher hydrocarbons) confirmed the presence of CH₄, and higher hydrocarbons such as C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ and also butanes. Based on the spacial zonation of hydrocarbons and the estimated PT conditions of 300 to 375°C and 2 to 4 kbars, the authors suggest an abiotic origin for the hydrocarbons. It is suggested that the hydrothermal fluids oxidized the graphitic schist, precipitated Cu and Au and formed light gas hydrocarbons.     

Effects of wave age and air stability on whitecap coverage

The paper considers the effects of wave age and air stability on the whitecap coverage at sea. This is made by using the logarithmic mean wind velocity profile including a stability function as well as adopting a recent wave age dependent sea surface roughness formula. The results are valid for wind waves in local equilibrium with the steady wind. Examples of results demonstrate clear effects of wave age and air stability on the whitecap coverage. Comparisons are also made with field measurements by Sugihara et al. [Sugihara, Y., et al., 2007. Variation of whitecap coverage with wave-field conditions. J. Mar. Syst. 66, 47–60], representing unstable air stability conditions. Although the data basis is limited, the wave age independent Charnock sea roughness based predictions capture the main features of the observed whitecap coverage, suggesting a stronger dependence on air stability than on wave age in the data.