Water colour index of the Guinean sector of the Atlantic Ocean

The distribution of the colour index is considered in the region bounded by 8–11°N and 13°30–18°30W based on the results of measurements made on board vessels of the Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the Ukrainian SSR Academy of Sciences (MHI) in 1977–1985. Mean values and statistical characteristics are calculated for the colour index variability over one-degree squares. A map of its multi-yearly average distribution is plotted.Translated by M. M. Trufanov.     

Fluid forces on a small cylinder in the presence of a large cylinder in relative oscillatory flow

The present brief paper is intended to show that the fluid forces on a small cylinder can be considerably magnified when it is in the flow field of a larger cylinder. Two cylinders of unequal diameter are oscillated in a tank of fluid, and the lift and in-line forces on the smaller cylinder are measured when the pair of cylinders is placed at various orientations and spacings.     

A note on the seafloor coupling characteristics of the new ONR ocean-bottom seismometer

A series of transient tests were conducted to determine the seafloor coupling characteristics of a new ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) developed for the United States Office of Naval Research (ONR). The OBS comprises a large recording package and a separate sensor package that is deployed from the recording package. In addition to the coupling characteristics of both the sensor and the recording packages, the seismic energy radiated from the main recording package as a result of motion of the recording package was measured. The observed vertical coupling resonances of both the recording package and the sensor package are in good agreement with those predicted by a simple model of soil-structure interaction. The most important result of this study is that significant energy is radiated from the recording package in response to horizontal motions of the recording package. When the sensor package is 1 m from the recording package, the amplitude of the recorded signal is similar to that recorded in the recording package. In the field, this effect will result in distortion of seismic signals and increased background noise recorded by the sensor package if the recording package is disturbed by seafloor currents or biological activity. The amplitude of this signal attenuates by approximately a factor of two as sensor/recorder separation is increased from 1 to 6 m, suggesting that an improved response can be achieved by increasing the separation between the recording package and the sensors. This effect is much less severe for vertical disturbances of the recording package.     

Oxidative stress in two populations of killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) with differing contaminant exposure histories

A population of killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) inhabiting a creosote-polluted inlet of the Elizabeth River demonstrates tolerance to the acute toxic effects exerted by contaminated sediments on reference site killifish. Previous data have suggested that upregulated antioxidant defenses contribute to short-term tolerance in killifish exposed to Elizabeth River sediments. This study investigated population differences in antioxidant defenses from wild caught Elizabeth River and reference population killifish in different seasons, and after being held in the laboratory. Parameters measured in the killifish were total glutathione concentrations (GSH(T)), activities of glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and lipid peroxidation (LPO), all in adult hepatic tissues. The Elizabeth River population exhibited greater GSH(T), higher GPx activities, and increased LPO as compared to the reference population. Sex specific population differences were also observed in GSH(T) and GPx. Both populations displayed decreased GSH(T) and increased GR from early to late summer, as well as after being held in the laboratory. This study indicates that there are many factors that may contribute to differences in levels of antioxidant defenses in addition to exposure to contaminants, including reproductive status and environmental conditions.     

Neashore auto-suspending turbidity flows

A class of turbidity flows is investigated in which sediment is entrained sufficient to balance losses and an equilibrium flow is sustained. The analytical models for predicting equilibrium flow configurations are surveyed. These are found to differ by two orders of magnitude in the required flow speeds. Five field observations of self-sustaining turbidity flows are investigated as a test for the analytical models. The model of Bagnold (1962) is found to have skill in predicting all of the field observations. The significance of these flows to the reliability of pipelines, cables and other engineering structures on continental shelves is considered. Circumstantial evidence is presented that suggests that these flows may be a mechanism for offshore flows of sand from beaches during major storms.     

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.     

Patterns and controls of surface sediment distribution: west-central Florida inner shelf

The west-central Florida inner shelf represents a transition between the quartz-dominated barrier-island system and the carbonate-dominated mid-outer shelf. Surface sediments exhibit a complex distribution pattern that can be attributed to multiple sediment sources and the ineffectiveness of physical processes for large-scale sediment redistribution. The west Florida shelf is the submerged extension of the Florida carbonate platform, consisting of a limestone karst surface veneered with a thin unconsolidated sediment cover. A total of 498 surface sediment samples were collected on the inner shelf and analyzed for texture and composition. Results show that sediment consists of a combination of fine quartz sand and coarse, biogenic carbonate sand and gravel, with variable but subordinate amounts of black, phosphorite-rich sand. The carbonate component consists primarily of molluskan fragments. The distribution is patchy and discontinuous with no discernible pattern, and the transition between sediment types is generally abrupt. Quartz-rich sediment dominates the inner 15 km north of the entrance into Tampa Bay, but south of the Bay is common only along the inner 3 km. Elsewhere, carbonate-rich sediment is the predominate sediment type, except where there is little sediment cover, in which cases black, phosphorite-rich sand dominates. Sediment sources are likely within, or around the periphery of the basin. Fine quartz sand is likely reworked from coastal units deposited during Pleistocene sea-level high stands. Carbonate sand and gravel is produced by marine organisms within the depositional basin. The black, phosphorite-rich sand likely originates from the bioerosion and reworking of the underlying strata that irregularly crop out within the study area. The distribution pattern contains elements of both storm- and tide-dominated siliciclastic shelves, but it is dictated primarily by the sediment source, similar to some carbonate systems. Other systems with similar sediment attributes include cool-water carbonate, sediment-starved, and mixed carbonate/siliciclastic systems. This study suggests a possible genetic link among the three systems.     

Changing anthropogenic influence on the Santa Monica Bay watershed

Santa Monica Bay is an open coastal embayment located directly seaward of Los Angeles, California. The Bay provides vital economic value through its water-dependent activities, such as swimming, diving, boating, and fishing. An increase from 100,000 residents in 1900 to 10 million in 2000 has imposed numerous environmental stressors on the Bay, including urbanization of the watershed. Pollutant discharges into the Bay increased throughout the early part of the century, but declined following passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Since that time, the predominant source of pollutant inputs has changed from point sources to non-point urban runoff. To assess how present-day and historical pollution interact to affect the environmental quality of Santa Monica Bay, three organizations collaborated on a multi-disciplinary study in 1997, towards which this volume is focused. This paper details the temporal patterns of anthropogenic influence on Santa Monica Bay to provide context for the papers that follow.