Depositional architecture and sequence stratigraphy of the Karoo basin floor to shelf edge succession, Laingsburg depocentre, South Africa

The Laingsburg depocentre of the SW Karoo Basin, South Africa preserves a well-exposed 1200 m thick succession of upper Permian strata that record the early filling of a basin during an icehouse climate. Uniformly fine-grained sandstones were derived from far-field granitic sources, possibly in Patagonia, although the coeval staging and delivery systems are not preserved. Early condensed shallow marine deposits are overlain by distal basin plain siltstone-prone turbidites and volcanic ashes. An order of magnitude increase in siliciclastic input to the basin plain is represented by up to 270 m of siltstone with thin sandstone turbidites (Vischkuil Formation). The upper Vischkuil Formation comprises three depositional sequences, each bounded by a regionally developed zone of soft sediment deformation and associated 20-45 m thick debrite that represent the initiation of a major sand delivery system. The overlying 300 m thick sandy basin-floor fan system (Unit A) is divisible into three composite sequences arranged in a progradational-aggradational-retrogradational stacking pattern, followed by up to 40 m of basin-wide hemipelagic claystone. This claystone contains Interfan A/B, a distributive lobe system that lies 10 m beneath Unit B, a sandstone-dominated succession that averages 150 m thickness and is interpreted to represent a toe of slope channelized lobe system. Unit B and the A/B interfan together comprise 4 depositional sequences in a composite sequence with an overall basinward-stepping stacking pattern, overlain by 30 m of hemipelagic claystone. The overlying 400 m thick submarine slope succession (Fort Brown Formation) is characterized by 10-120 m thick sand-prone to heterolithic packages separated by 30-70 m thick claystone units. On the largest scale the slope stratigraphy is defined by two major cycles interpreted as composite sequence sets. The lower cycle comprises lithostratigraphic Units B/C, C and D while the upper cycle includes lithostratigraphic Units D/E, E and F. In each case a sandy basal composite sequence is represented by an intraslope lobe (Units B/C and D/E respectively). The second composite sequence in each cycle (Units C and E respectively) is characterized by slope channel-levee systems with distributive lobes 20-30 km down dip. The uppermost composite sequence in each cycle (Units D and F respectively) are characterised by deeply entrenched slope valley systems. Most composite sequences comprise three sequences separated by thin (<5 m thick) claystones. Architectural style is similar at individual sequence scale for comparable positions within each composite sequence set and each composite sequence. The main control on stratigraphic development is interpreted as late icehouse glacio-eustasy but along-strike changes associated with changing shelf edge delivery systems and variable bathymetry due to differential substrate compaction complicate the resultant stratigraphy.     

Defining the concept of stratigraphic grade and applying it to stratal (reservoir) architecture and evolution of the slope-to-basin profile: An outcrop perspective

Stratigraphic grade is the similarity of the morphology of successive slope-to-basin profiles in a genetically related depositional system. In this article we use data collected from regional cross-sections of six depositional systems, stratal architecture derived from outcrops of the Lewis Shale (Wyoming, USA), and the Ross Sandstone (Ireland), and supplementary outcrop and subsurface data from other depositional systems to determine how stratigraphic grade relates to stratal (reservoir) architecture in deepwater systems.Four methods are developed that collectively define stratigraphic grade: (1) regional stacking patterns of fourth-order stratigraphic surfaces, (2) the relationship between the trajectory of the shelf edge (T_se) and the trajectory of the depocenter (T_d) for fourth-order stratigraphic units, (3) morphology of the slope-to-basin profiles of fourth-order stratigraphic surfaces, and (4) the similarity of the morphologies of slope-to-basin profiles of fourth-order surfaces in a system (σ_s, σ_r). Several characteristics of stratigraphic (reservoir) architecture of fourth-order stratigraphic cycles are related to stratigraphic grade: (1) longitudinal distribution of sandstone in fourth-order cycles, (2) location of maximum sandstone relative to the depocenter of fourth-order cycles, (3) lengths of fourth-order submarine fans, and (4) longitudinal and vertical distribution of architectural elements. Stratigraphic grade is thus a predictor of reservoir architecture and can thereby be used to reduce the uncertainty in the interpretation of subsurface data.The concept of stratigraphic grade is useful in understanding the stratigraphic evolution of deepwater systems. Most deepwater systems analyzed in this study initiated as out-of-grade and temporally evolved to graded systems over a time span of millions of years. Systems rarely evolve from graded to out-of-grade. First-order controls on stratigraphic grade are determined to be angle of slope, tectonically forced changes in angle of slope during deposition, and sediment supply.     

Ecological periodic tables for benthic macrofaunal usage of estuarine habitats in the US Pacific Northwest

This study shows that spatially and temporally recurring benthic macrofauna-habitat patterns validate the ecological relevance of habitat types to benthic macrofauna and suggest they can serve as elements in ecological periodic tables of benthic macrofaunal usage. We discovered patterns across nine habitat types (intertidal eelgrass [Zostera marina], dwarf eelgrass [Zostera japonica], oyster [Crassostrea gigas] ground culture, burrowing mud shrimp [Upogebia pugettensis], burrowing ghost shrimp [Neotrypaea californiensis], shell, sand, mud, and subtidal) on a variety of benthic macrofaunal community state variables in Grays Harbor, Washington, USA and compared them to those in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA. There were nominal differences in benthic macrofaunal Bray-Curtis similarity between all the habitats investigated except eelgrass and oyster in both estuaries. Across-habitat patterns on mean benthic macrofaunal species richness, abundance, biomass, abundance of deposit, suspension and facultative feeders, a dominance and a diversity index for the five habitats common to both studies were the same on a rank measurement scale: eelgrass ≈ oyster > mud shrimp > ghost shrimp ≈ subtidal. The patterns for most of the habitats and benthic macrofaunal measures were the same on a ratio measurement scale.     

Marine renewable energy: The ecological implications of altering the hydrodynamics of the marine environment

Many countries now recognise the need for mitigation of climate change induced by human activities and have incorporated renewable energy resources within their energy policy. There are extensive resources of renewable energy within the marine environment and increasing interest in extracting energy from locations with either large tidal range, rapid flow with and without wave interaction, or large wave resources. However, the ecological implications of altering the hydrodynamics of the marine environment are poorly understood. Ecological data for areas targeted for marine renewable developments are often limited, not least because of the considerable challenges to sampling in high energy environments. In order to predict the scale and nature of ecological implications there is a need for greater understanding of the distribution and extent of the renewable energy resource and in turn, of how marine renewable energy installations (MREIs) may alter energy in the environment. Regional ecological implications of a MREI need to be considered against the greater and global ecological threat of climate change. Finally, it is recommended that the identification of species and biotopes susceptible to the removal of hydrokinetic energy could be a suitable strategy for understanding how a MREI may alter flow conditions.     

Spatial variability and temporal dynamics of surface water pCO2, ��O2/Ar and dimethylsulfide in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

We report results from two surveys of pCO₂, biological O₂ saturation (??O₂/Ar) and dimethylsulfide (DMS) in surface waters of the Ross Sea polynya. Measurements were made during early spring (November 2006-December 2006) and mid-summer (December 2005-January 2006) using ship-board membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) for high spatial resolution (i.e. sub-km) analysis. During the early spring survey, the polynya was in the initial stages of development and exhibited a rapid increase in open water area and phytoplankton biomass over the course of our ∼3 week occupation. We observed a rapid transition from a net heterotrophic ice-covered system (supersaturated pCO₂ and undersaturated O₂) to a high productivity regime associated with a Phaeocystis-dominated phytoplankton bloom. The timing of the early spring phytoplankton bloom was closely tied to increasing sea surface temperature across the polynya, as well as reduced wind speeds and ice cover, leading to enhanced vertical stratification. There was a strong correlation between pCO₂, ??O₂/Ar, DMS and chlorophyll a (Chl a) during the spring phytoplankton bloom, indicating a strong biological imprint on gas distributions. Box model calculations suggest that pCO₂ drawdown was largely attributable to net community production, while gas exchange and shoaling mixed layers also exerted a strong control on the re-equilibration of mixed layer ??₂ with the overlying atmosphere. DMS concentrations were closely coupled to Phaeocystis biomass across the early spring polynya, with maximum concentrations exceeding 100 nM.During the summer cruise, we sampled a large net autotrophic polynya, shortly after the seasonal peak in phytoplankton productivity. Both diatoms and Phaeocystis were abundant in the phytoplankton assemblages during this time. Minimum pCO₂ was less than 100 ppm, while ??O₂/Ar exceeded 30% in some regions. Mean DMS concentrations were ∼2-fold lower than during the spring, although the range of concentrations was similar between the two surveys. There was a significant correlation between pCO₂, ??O₂/Ar and Chl a across the summer polynya, but the strength of these correlations and the slope of O₂ vs. CO₂ relationship were significantly lower than during the early spring. Summertime DMS concentrations were not significantly correlated to phytoplankton biomass (Chl a), pCO₂ or ??O₂/Ar. In contrast to the early spring time, there were no clear temporal trends in summertime gas concentrations. Rather, small-scale spatial variability, likely resulting from mixing and localized sea-ice melt, was clearly evident in surface gas distributions across the polynya. Analysis of length-scale dependent variability demonstrated that much of the spatial variance in surface water gases occurred at scales of <20 km, suggesting that high resolution analysis is needed to fully capture biogeochemical heterogeneity in this system.     

Distribution of some ions and minor gaseous components by concentrations in the atmospheric surface layer of some regions in Eastern Siberia and the Far East

We consider the resemblance between the ion composition of the fraction of soluble aerosols and gaseous admixtures in the atmospheric surface layer at the high-level Mondy station (East Sayan), those in the Listvyanka settlement south of Lake Baikal, in the city of Irkutsk, and at the Primorskaya station near the city of Ussuriysk (Primorskii krai). We use measurement data on the concentrations of the following ions: HCO ₃ ^? , SO ₄ ^2? , NO ₃ ^? , Cl^?, H⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ in the soluble fraction of aerosols and gases HNO₃, HCl, NH₃, and SO₂ in air samples over a 10-year period conducted in the mode of online monitoring. We found the lognormal form of distributions of concentrations of each of the abovementioned components according to the number of samples. A versatile scheme of the distribution of mean geometric concentrations of atmospheric components was proposed for all four groups.     

Filter-based differential hygroscopicity analyzer of aerosol particles

We describe a new differential analyzer implementing a technique for studying the hygroscopic properties of filter-precipitated aerosol particles based on a katharometric measurement of the amount of water vapor absorbed by an aerosol sample. The instrument has been tested on particles of sodium chloride and ammonium sulphate. A comparison of our data with the results of analogous measurements described in literature shows that the suggested technique has several important advantages, i.e., (1) higher sensitivity, which allows the measurement of particles of no more than 0.1 mg in mass; (2) a wide range of relative humidity variations (up to 99% at an accuracy of 0.06% RH at the upper-range value); (3) the absence of intermediate measurement steps connected with the need to account for water absorption by elements of a measurement system; and (4) the absence of restrictions to the size and shape of particles studied. In addition, the measurement technique rules out the possibility of errors caused by the kinetic effects of mass transport in the aerosol-water vapor system.     

A straightforward approach for using single time domain simulations to assess characteristic extreme responses

Short-term wave design approach of marine structures, using nonlinear time domain simulations, is a design procedure that is recognized by various modern standard codes. One of the most challenging points of this approach is the evaluation of the characteristic extreme values for response parameters used in the design check equations. The most straightforward and recommended way to evaluate a response characteristic value is by fitting an extreme value probability distribution to the N-sample of extreme values extracted from N independent time domain simulations with duration equal to the short-term period indicated by the code, which is usually taken as 3 h. However, this procedure would not be practical for some types of marine structures, such as risers and mooring lines, under numerous design load cases and demanding huge finite element models. A more feasible approach would be to assess the response extreme value distribution using only a single short-term time domain simulation with duration shorter than 3 h. But reduced time simulations always introduce some additional statistical uncertainty into the extreme values estimates. This paper discusses a workable way of properly taking into account the statistical uncertainty associated with the simulation length in the assessment of a characteristic short-term extreme response value based on a single time series.     

Retrospective short-term forecast of the 1996 Andreanov (Aleutian Islands) tsunami

A brief review of the problem of short-term (operative) tsunami forecasting is presented. A method of short-term tsunami forecasting based on the sea level data at remote points is described. The forecast is based only on the seismological information about the coordinates of the earthquake’s epicenter. The application of this method for a retrospective forecast of the 1996 Andreanov tsunami demonstrates a satisfactory coincidence with the predicted and observed tsunami waveforms. The results are compared with the modeling prediction of the same event by other authors. The suggested method of the operative tsunami forecast can serve a basis for the development of a unique programming complex for operative forecasting and can be realized within regional and local tsunami warning services. The method can be used in tsunami warning systems at the stage of their development.