Storm-built sand ridges on the Maryland inner shelf: a preliminary report

Several aspects of the Maryland ridge field are pertinent to the problem of ridge genesis in response to Holocene sea-level rise. There is a systematic morphologic change fromshoreface ridges throughnearshore ridges tooffshore ridges, which reflects the changing hydraulic regime. Grain size is 90° out of phase with topography, so that the coarsest sand lies between the axis of each trough and the adjacent seaward ridge crest, while the finest sand lies between each ridge crest and the axis of the adjacent seaward trough. Finally, analysis over a 43-year period on an outer ridge reveals a systematic pattern of landward flank erosion, seaward flank deposition, and seaward crest migration. These relationships support a model which explains the ridges as consequences of the up-current shift of maximum bottom shear stress with respect to the crests of initial bottom irregularities. The oblique orientation of the ridges with respect to the beach may be at least partly due to the more rapid migration rate of the ridges’ inshore ends.     

Comparison of high spatial resolution trace metal distributions with model simulations for surface waters of the Gulf of Cadiz

A multidisciplinary study in the Gulf of Cadiz is revisited, using additional diagnostic modelling tools. The dissolved trace metal (Cu, Ni, Zn, Co) distributions in the Gulf of Cadiz are analysed using modelled tracer evolutions, field observations and the concept of tracer ages. This study shows that a significant part of the observed metal distributions can be explained by the metal inputs of three river systems (Guadiana, Rio Tinto and Odiel, Guadalquivir) discharging into the Gulf of Cadiz, while the remainder of the signal is most likely associated with the benthic metal remobilisation along the shelf of this coastal region.     

The Aleutian Low, storm tracks, and winter climate variability in the Bering Sea

Previous studies have found inconsistent results regarding how wintertime conditions in the Bering Sea relate to variations in the North Pacific climate system. This problem is addressed through analysis of data from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis for the period 1950–2003. Composite patterns of sea-level pressure, 500 hPa geopotential heights, storm tracks and surface air temperature are presented for four situations: periods of strong Aleutian Low, weak Aleutian Low, warm Bering Sea air temperatures, and cold Bering Sea air temperatures. Winter temperatures in the Bering Sea are only marginally related to the strength of the Aleutian Low, and are much more sensitive to the position of the Aleutian Low and to variations in storm tracks. In particular, relatively warm temperatures are associated with either an enhanced storm track off the coast of Siberia, and hence anomalous southerly low-level flow, or an enhanced storm track entering the eastern Bering Sea from the southeast. These latter storms do not systematically affect the mean meridional winds, but rather serve to transport mild air of maritime origin over the Bering Sea. The leading indices for the North Pacific, such as the NP and PNA, are more representative of the patterns of tropospheric circulation and storm track anomalies associated with the strength of the Aleutian Low than patterns associated with warm and cold wintertime conditions in the Bering Sea.     

Suspended sediment concentration in a buoyant plume: Fraser River,Canada

A study of suspended sediment concentration in the buoyant plume of the Fraser River, Canada, showed that unstratified flow conditions at the river mouth caused resuspension of sandy bed material and high concentrations of coarse sediment. When flow at the mouth was stratified, sediment was fine-grained and concentrations were low. Application of a multivariate model revealed that suspended sediment concentration along the plume axis was controlled primarily by distance seaward of the river mouth, secondly by tidal height, and least by sediment concentration in the river.     

A technique for conducting seismic refraction experiments on the ocean bed using bottom shots

A technique has been devised for firing arrays of bottom shots on the ocean bed in depths upto 4000 m or more. Ten kilogram explosive charges are dropped from the surface while the shooting ship is navigated acoustically. They are detonated at preset times by an electronic timer which initiates an electrical detonator, detonating cord and cast PETN/TNT explosive. Ranges to ocean bottom seismographs, and the shot instants, can be calculated from the arrival-time differences of the direct and surface-reflected water waves. The accuracy, which is dependent on water-depth and range, was better than 22 m in range and 14 msec in shot instant for our experiments.     

An experimental marine ecosystem study of the pelagic biogeochemistry of pentachlorophenol

The marine biogeochemistry of pure pentachlorophenol was studied relative to a control treatment at a scale which provided a good model for the pelagic planktonic environment (70 m³ polyethylene bags). Pentachlorophenol that was dispersed at concentrations of 10 and 100 μg/litre showed identical relative rates of decrease over 25 days to concentrations 32·8% and 31·1%, respectively, of the initial concentrations. No bioaccumulation by phytoplankton or zooplankton was observed and pentachlorophenol removal by adsorption (by particulates, zooplankton or the enclosure walls) was insignificant. The log of the pentachlorophenol concentration was significantly correlated to the hours of bright sunshine up to Day 18, after which the photolysis efficiency decreased as the proportion of pentachlorophenol exposed to sunlight decreased. The results imply a long residence time for pentachlorophenol in deeper waters outside the photolysis zone. A persistent reduction in the primary production and production per unit carbon was observed at 100 μg/litre and, when coupled to the reproducible demise of the centric diatom Skeletonema costatum in culture and the spiked enclosures, suggests that pentachlorophenol inhibits phytoplankton growth.     

Rocking buoy wave energy converter

A device for converting ocean wave energy into electricity utilizing a rocking buoy and a hydrogen pressure cell is described. The moored buoy contains a pneumatic tube filled with a dense liquid which rocks back and forth as a result of the ocean wave activity. Hydrogen gas, maintained above the dense fluid is alternatively compressed and expanded by the moving fluid. The hydrogen gas communicates with a hydrogen pressure cell and the resulting pressure difference across the cell leads to an electrical voltage and under load, to electrical power.     

Tephrostratigraphy and paleo-environmental implications of Late Quaternary sediments and interstitial water in the western Ulleung Basin, East/Japan Sea

Two piston cores, collected from the western Ulleung Basin of the East/Japan Sea, were used to investigate the Late Quaternary tephrostratigraphy, lithology, and mineralogy of the sediments, as well as the elemental composition of both sediments and interstitial water, and their paleo-environmental implications. The cores show two lapilli tephra layers and one rhyolitic ash layer at the boundaries between sedimentary lithofacies units I, II, and III. These layers can be correlated with the well-known Ulleung-Oki (ca. 9.3 ka; boundary of units I/II), Ulleung-Yamato (ca. 25–33 ka), and Aira-Tanzawa (ca. 25.1 ka; boundary of units II/III) layers, respectively. These data suggest that the cores cover the period from the middle stage of marine isotope stage (MIS) 3 to the Holocene. In each core, a so-called dark laminated mud (DLM) layer in unit II commonly has high contents of Si and Al, suggesting that the DLM layer generally contains significant amounts of fine-grained silicates and/or aluminosilicates. In addition, these DLM layers are enriched in Fe relative to Mn, iron being predominantly bound in framboidal pyrite. The size distribution of pyrite in the DLM layers suggests that these have formed under anoxic (euxinic) conditions at times of reduced water circulation in the basin during sea-level lowstand (euxinic environment). The C/N ratios [5–12] suggest that sedimentary organic matter in the cores is predominantly of marine origin. Total organic carbon (TOC) contents increased shortly before Termination I. This could have been caused by an increased flux of marine organic matter in association with sea-level rise. The C and S values of units II and III (Late Pleistocene sediments; C: <2.0%; S: 0.5–2.1%) suggest a more euxinic environment than that of unit I (Holocene sediments; C: 1.0–3.5%; S: <1.0%). Concentrations of SO₄^2– in the interstitial water decrease with increasing burial depth, whereas CH₄ concentrations show the reverse trend. Therefore, it seems that sulfate reduction, probably related to microbial activity, predominates in the upper core sections (<5 m), shifting to methanogenesis in the lower core sections.