Reference sediment core and paleogeography of the underwater Slupsk river foredelta in the Baltic Sea

Core Psd-590 (length 947 cm, water depth 124 m) penetrated the entire sequence of marine (Littorina) mud (730 cm) and stopped in gray lacustrine (Ancylus) clays with hydrotroilitic films. The Littorina mud is gray-colored, microlaminated in the interval of 730 to 700 cm, and dark gray with hydrotoilitic films and obscure microlamination higher in the section. According to the diatom data, typical marine sediments begin at the level of 620 cm, while the lithological-geochemical data indicate this change at the level of 730 cm. This level is marked by a considerable increase in the concentrations of SiO_2amorph, CO₂, C_org, and Mn in the sediments. In the interval of 730 to 620 cm, diatoms are represented by both freshwater and brackish-water species. The Littorina transgression began in the form of individual flows of saline North Sea waters into the Baltic Sea, which is evident from the microlamination and sharp peaks in the concentrations of the chemical elements. The transgression exhibits two weakening and one strengthening (core interval of 380 to 220 cm) stages; the latter was marked by the maximal water salinity. The post-Littorina mud contains molluscan shells and fish bones and is enriched in the fraction of 0.05–0.01 mm. The microlaminated Littorina mud was deposited during periods with stagnant conditions in the bottom water layer, while the homogenous sediments accumulated during periods of its aeration.     

Assessment of the effectiveness of POLYMODE data assimilation by a numerical barotropic model for synoptic motions

This paper considers the results of numerical experiments involving POLYMODE data assimilation by a barotropic model for synoptic ocean dynamics. The model's response the data assimilation for various space-time discretenesses of assimilation is studied. Results derived from the application of optimal interpolation algorithms and modified optimal filtration algorithms are compared. Qualitative similarity to the calculations carried out through the simulation modelling technique is noted. Optimal assimilation algorithms are determined, depending on the space-time discreteness used. An optimal sampling discreteness for the POLYMODE conditions is suggested.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Four-dimensional analysis of the variability of hydrophysical fields in the tropical atlantic and on the shelf of guinea

The problem of monitoring of the mesoscale variability of hydrophysical fields in the shelf zone is considered. The usefulness of the data available in regional information centres is discussed. The possibility of monitoring the dynamics of the oceanic fields in the tropical Atlantic encompassing separate observation sites is demonstrated using the oceanographic databank of the scientific research centre (CERESCOR) in Conakry-Rogbane as an example. The results of assimilation of the hydrophysical survey data derived on the shelf in a telescopic model of the region are given.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

The “calcari aLucina” macrofauna reconsidered: Deep-sea faunal oases from Miocene-age cold vents in the Romagna Apennine,Italy

Recent suggestions that the Miocene-age calcari aLucina blocks scattered in the Apennine chain of the Italian peninsula are methanogenic in nature (paleo cold vents) calls for a reexamination of their macrofauna. Two Tortonian-age outcrops of such limestones (Case Rovereti and Montepetra) have been analyzed for their mollusk content and shown to host a diverse vent fauna. The paleoassemblages show remarkable similarities with modern counterparts associated with hydrocarbon venting on the Gulf of Mexico continental slope. Faunal data from both sites lend support to the hypothesis that methane/hydrocarbon venting was active during the Miocene and sustained specialized bathyal chemosynthetic communities in the ancient Mediterranean.     

Side-scan and acoustic subbottom characterization of the sea floor near the Dry Tortugas, Florida

 Between 2 and 6 February, 1995, a 25 km² area at the Dry Tortugas (Florida Keys) was surveyed with a 100 kHz side-scan sonar system and 3.5-kHz subbottom profiler. The side-scan system revealed a pattern of alternating high and low backscatter. The subbottom profiler showed areas with no acoustic penetration between sediment troughs. The combination of both methods allowed delineation of the boundaries in high-backscatter regions, and sediment samples allowed correlations between high backscatter and coarser-grained sediments.     

The effect of currents on the generation of internal waves by a barotropic tide near an underwater ridge

In the frame of the linear theory for long waves, the paper studies long waves generated by a barotropic tide running at an arbitrary angle over a bottom ridge. The ocean is assumed to be two-layered. In the area of a ridge with a rectangular cross section, geostrophic flows are considered, coupled with the inclinations of the free surface and interface. Wave amplitudes are shown to depend on the angle of an onrunning tide and this allows us to reach a conclusion about the influence of a geostrophic current on the generation of internal waves. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Geoacoustic and physical properties of carbonate sediments of the Lower Florida Keys

 Near-surface sediment geoacoustic and physical properties were measured from a variety of unconsolidated carbonate sediments in the Lower Florida Keys. Surficial values of compressional and shear speed correlate with sediment physical properties and near-surface acoustic reflectivity. Highest speeds (shear 125–150 m s^-1; compressional 1670–1725 m s^-1) are from sandy sediments near Rebecca Shoal and lowest speeds (shear 40–65 m s^-1; compressional 1520–1570 m s^-1) are found in soft, silty sediments which collect in sediment ponds in the Southeast Channel of the Dry Tortugas. High compressional wave attenuation is attributed to scattering of acoustic waves from heterogeneity caused by accumulation of abundant shell material and other impedance discontinuities rather than high intrinsic attenuation. Compared to siliciclastic sediments, carbonate sediment shear wave speed is high for comparable values of sediment physical properties. Sediment fabric, rather than changes due to the effects of biogeochemical processes, is responsible for these differences.