Sediment accumulation at a fringe marsh during transgression,Oyster, Virginia

A variety of processes and sources account for the total accumulation of sediment on a fringe marsh. The rates of accretion across Brockenberry fringe marsh at the south end of the Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, were determined by Pb-210 radiogeochronology. Rates are governed by the surface elevation with respect to midtide elevation, the rate of sea-level rise, and outwash from the mainland. Only some portions of the fringe marsh are able to keep pace with sea-level rise and thus migrate up the mainland slope during transgression.     

Dissolved inorganic and organic selenium in the Orca Basin

The vertical distributions of Se (IV), Se (VI) and dissolved organic Se have been determined in the oxic and non-sulfide-bearing anoxic zones of the Orca Basin. In the oxic waters, the concentration of Se (IV) increases with depth gradually from 0.25 nmole/kg at the surface to a maximum of 0.46 nmole/kg at 750 m and then decreases with depth to a relatively constant concentration of 0.39 nmole/ kg below 1,230 m. The concentration of Se (VI) is rather uniform in the top 250 m at about 0.24 nmole/ kg. Below 250 m it increases with depth to 0.50 nmole/kg at 1.230 m, and it stays relatively constant below this depth. The concentration of organic Se increases from 0.50 nmole/kg at the surface to 1.39 nmole/kg at 78 m. A pronounced broad maximum of organic Se exists between 78 and 250 m. The concentration decreases with depth below 250 m, dropping sharply between 250 and 380 m and more gradually at greater depths. It becomes undetectable at 1,230 m. Organic Se is the dominant species above 250 m. Se (IV) is the most abundant between 250 and 1,000 m while Se (VI) becomes the dominant species below 1,000 m. The distributions of these three species can be explained by the biological uptake of Se in the surface waters and the multi-step regeneration of Se from biogenic particles at greater depths. In suboxic waters at the oxic-anoxic interface, the concentration of Se (IV) increases while that of Se (VI) decreases reflecting a change in redox conditions in the environment. In the anoxic brine, the concentration of Se (IV) is around 0.25 nmole/kg while Se (VI) is undetectable. The concentration of organic Se increases sharply in the suboxic waters and reaches 2.6 nmole/kg in the anoxic brines probably as a result of the decomposition of organic matter and/or a diffusive flux from the underlying sediment.     

Development of shear localization in simulated quartz gouge: Effect of cumulative slip and gouge particle size

Frictional sliding experiments were conducted on two types of simulated quartz gouge (with median particle diameters 5 m and 25 m, respectively) at confining pressures ranging from 50 MPa to 190 MPa in a conventional triaxial configuration. To investigate the operative micromechanical processes, deformation texture developed in the gouge layer was studied in samples which had accumulated different amounts of frictional slip and undergone different stability modes of sliding. The spatial patterning of shear localization was characterized by a quantitative measurement of the shear band density and orientation. Shear localization in the ultrafine quartz gouge initiated very early before the onset of frictional sliding. Various modes of shear localization were evident, but within the gouge zoneR ₁-shears were predominant. The density of shear localization increased with cumulative slip, whereas the angle subtended at the rock-gouge interface decreased. Destabilization of the sliding behavior in the ultrafine quartz gouge corresponded to the extension ofR ₁-shears and formation of boundaryY-shear segments, whereas stabilization with cumulative slip was related to the coalescence ofY-shear segments to form a throughgoing boundary shear. In the coarse quartz gouge, the sliding behavior was relatively stable, probably because shear localization was inhibited by distributed comminution. Two different models were formulated to analyze the stress field within the gouge zone, with fundamentally different predictions on the orientations of the principal stresses. If the rock-gouge interface is assumed to be bonded without any displacement discontinuity, then the maximum principal stress in the gouge zone is predicted to subtend an angle greater than 45° at the interface. If no assumption on displacement or strain continuity is made and if the gouge has yielded as a Coulomb material, then the maximum principal stress in the gouge zone is predicted to subtend an angle less than 45°. If the apparent friction coefficient increases with overall slip (i.e., slip-hardening), then the Riedel shear angle progressively decreases with increasing shear strain within the gouge layer, possibly attaining a zero value which corresponds to a boundaryY-shear. Our quantitative data on shear localization orientation are in reasonable agreement with this second model, which implies the coefficient of internal friction to be about 0.75 for the ultrafine quartz gouge and 0.8 for the coarse gouge. The wide range of orientations for Riedel shear localization observed in natural faults suggests that the orientations of principal stresses vary as much as in an experimental gouge zone.     

Effects of reaction kinetics and fluid drainage on the development of pore pressure excess in a dehydrating system

Fluid is released by dehydration reactions during prograde metamorphism. If the Claperyron slope for the dehydrating reaction is positive, then there is a net decrease in the total solid volume, which implies an irreversible increase in porosity. If the dilation of the pore space is insufficient to provide storage for all the released fluid, then pore pressure excess is generated, and if it becomes sufficiently high, it may lead to brittle fracturing. The time scale for pressure generation and the pore pressure excess can be maintained over long duration hinge on the interplay of reaction kinetics and fluid drainage. Motivated by experimental and microstructural observations, a hydrological model is developed that incorporates dehydration kinetics and its pressure dependence. Analytic solutions were derived for the undrained development of pore pressure. Whether lithostatic pressure may be exceeded hinges on magnitude of the overstep in temperature and corresponding equilibrium pressure. The time scale for development of pore pressure depends on the trade-off between poroelasticity and the pressure sensitivity of reaction rate. A finite difference model was also developed to simulate the progressive development of pore pressure excess, dehydration and porosity development. The model captures the experimental observation in gypsum of a reaction front that progressively propagates from the drained end toward the undrained end of a laboratory sample. It is also in reasonable agreement with experimental data on fluid drainage and porosity production.     

Theoretical assessment of changes in design flood peak of an overland plane for two opposing urbanization sequences

By considering urbanization on an overland plane as a process whereby a relatively rough, permeable surface is gradually replaced by a relatively smooth, less permeable surface, the effect of urbanization sequence on the flood peak is theoretically assessed by the kinematic wave method. In the assessment, two opposing urbanization sequences are considered: one from downstream to upstream, and the other from upstream to downstream. The assessment is carried out in terms of the individual effect as well as the combined effect of the Manning resistance coefficient and the runoff coefficient. For both urbanization sequences and for all degrees of urbanization, the assessment shows that surface conversion from rough to smooth, or from permeable to less permeable causes the flood peak to increase. A comparison of the individual effects shows that for equal reductions in surface roughness and permeability, the reduction in permeability causes greater increases in the flood peak compared with the reduction in surface roughness. For a partially urbanized plane and for the same degree of urbanization, due to the partial area effect, urbanization at the downstream end generally causes greater increases in the flood peak. In terms of urbanization sequence, the downstream to upstream urbanization sequence generally causes greater increases in the flood peak. The effect of urbanization sequence on the flood peak, however, is only significant for the larger reductions in surface roughness and permeability. Finally, a comparison of the results of this study with those obtained from drainage basins shows that for most of the results from the basins, they correspond to those for the small reductions in surface roughness and permeability on an overland plane. For these cases, the effect of urbanization sequence on the flood peak is small. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南海颗粒有机碳通量的垂向变化及早期降解作用的标志物

南海不同水层的颗粒有机碳通量与表层沉积物有机碳积累率的对比 ,以及氨基酸、氨基糖、糖类物质的组成变化表明 ,南海水柱中的颗粒有机碳主要来源于近期生长的海洋浮游生物 ,仅有 1.4%～ 1.6 %初级生产力产生的有机碳进入深海水柱 ,而在深海盆地沉积物中积累的有机碳仅占初级生产力的 0 .2 2 %以下 .颗粒有机物通量与组成改变主要发生在表层数百米以及底层海水与沉积物界面之间 ,而在中下水层变化较小 . (TAA+TSUG)OC ,AA/AS ,Gluam/Galam ,Arom .AA/Non Prot.AA ,ASP/b ALA ,GLU/g ABA等指标在颗粒物沉积过程中逐渐减少 ,指示了有机物质的早期降解作用     

Using sediment ‘fingerprints’ to assess sediment-budget errors,North Halawa Valley,Oahu, Hawaii, 1991–92

Reliable estimates of sediment-budget errors are important for interpreting sediment-budget results. Sediment-budget errors are commonly considered equal to sediment-budget imbalances, which may underestimate actual sediment-budget errors if they include compensating positive and negative errors. We modified the sediment ‘fingerprinting’ approach to qualitatively evaluate compensating errors in an annual (1991) fine (<63 μm) sediment budget for the North Halawa Valley, a mountainous, forested drainage basin on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, during construction of a major highway. We measured concentrations of aeolian quartz and ¹³⁷Cs in sediment sources and fluvial sediments, and combined concentrations of these aerosols with the sediment budget to construct aerosol budgets. Aerosol concentrations were independent of the sediment budget, hence aerosol budgets were less likely than sediment budgets to include compensating errors. Differences between sediment-budget and aerosol-budget imbalances therefore provide a measure of compensating errors in the sediment budget. The sediment-budget imbalance equalled 25 per cent of the fluvial fine-sediment load. Aerosol-budget imbalances were equal to 19 per cent of the fluvial ¹³⁷Cs load and 34 per cent of the fluvial quartz load. The reasonably close agreement between sediment- and aerosol-budget imbalances indicates that compensating errors in the sediment budget were not large and that the sediment-budget imbalance is a reliable measure of sediment-budget error. We attribute at least one-third of the 1991 fluvial fine-sediment load to highway construction. Continued monitoring indicated that highway construction produced 90 per cent of the fluvial fine-sediment load during 1992. Erosion of channel margins and attrition of coarse particles provided most of the fine sediment produced by natural processes. Hillslope processes contributed relatively minor amounts of sediment. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An improved calibration method for the drift of the conductivity sensor on autonomous CTD profiling floats by θ–S climatology

An improved method to estimate the time-varying drift of measured conductivity from autonomous CTD profiling floats has been developed. This procedure extends previous methods developed by Wong, Johnson and Owens [2003. Delayed-mode calibration of autonomous CTD profiling float salinity data by θ–S climatology. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 20, 308–318] and Böhme and Send [2005. Objective analyses of hydrographic data for referencing profiling float salinities in highly variable environments. Deep-Sea Research Part II, 52, 651–664]. It uses climatological salinity interpolated to the float positions and observed θ surfaces and chooses 10 ‘best’ levels that are within well-mixed mode waters or deep homogeneous water masses. A piece-wise linear fit is used to estimate the temporally varying multiplicative adjustment to the float potential conductivities. An objective, statistical method is used to choose the breakpoints in the float time series where there are multiple drift trends. In the previous methods these breakpoints were chosen subjectively by manually splitting the time series into separate segments over which the fits were made. Our statistical procedure reduces the subjectivity by providing an automated way for doing the piece-wise linear fit. Uncertainties in this predicted adjustment are estimated using a Monte-Carlo simulation. Examples of this new procedure as applied to two Argo floats are presented.