The use of variable body forces to control the depth of towed submersibles

The relationship between the depth and trail attained by a towed submerged vehicle and the magnitude and direction of the forces on it has been examined theoretically, for cases involving faired cables.It is shown that when the body force is varied the body in equilibrium moves on an almost circular path as if the cable were straight, and that depth changes depend primarily upon the change in the component of the body force that acts at right angles to the line joining the top and bottom of the cable.Examples are given which demonstrate that for bodies towed at large depression angles the use of water brakes is more effective in changing depth than the use of lifting wings.The data is presented so that a rapid preliminary assessment can be made of any proposed system to obtain the best combination of speed and scope for achieving a given depth with a body having known lift and drag coefficients.     

Horizontal and Vertical Structure of Geostrophic Currents in the Black Sea According to the Data of the Summer Survey Performed as a Part of the ComSBlack-92 Program

We describe the methodology and software developed for the numerical analysis of the characteristics of the horizontal and vertical structure of geostrophic currents. We present the results of computation of these characteristics according to the data of the summer survey of the Black Sea carried out as a part of the ComSBlack-92 program. The distinctive features of the space structure of geostrophic currents discovered as a result and the established parameters of their variability may supplement the existing data on the current field in the Black Sea.     

Forced Waves in a Bounded Basin with One Thermocline

Within the framework of the linear theory taking into account the action of the Coriolis force, we study waves induced in a continuously stratified fluid with one thermocline by periodic variations of pressure on the free surface. The fluid fills a bounded basin of constant depth. We establish the dependences of the wave amplitudes and wave velocities on the period of disturbing pressure. The sequence of transformations of generated waves from the barotropic character of motion to baroclinic depending on changes in the period of disturbing pressure is studied in detail.     

Inhibition of coral fertilisation and larval metamorphosis by tributyltin and copper

Fertilisation and larval metamorphosis of reef-building corals are important life history events leading to recruitment of juvenile corals to reef populations. Little is known of the sensitivity of these early life phases to pollution, or their relative susceptibility to certain toxicants compared with established coral colonies. Inhibition of fertilisation and larval metamorphosis of the coral Acropora millepora (Ehrenberg, 1834) was assessed in response to solutions of the antifoulants tributyltin (TBT) and copper (Cu) using laboratory-based bioassays. Nominal concentrations that inhibited 50% fertilisation and metamorphosis (IC50) were calculated from 4 h fertilisation and 24 h metamorphosis assays and were based on introduced dose. Cu was most potent towards fertilisation with an IC50 of 17.4 micrograms/l. TBT however, proved more toxic to larval metamorphosis having an IC50 of 2.0 micrograms/l. Inert surfaces coated with either Cu- or TBT-based antifouling paint also inhibited fertilisation and metamorphosis. The degree of inhibition was correlated with surface area of the paint coating. These results indicate fertilisation and metamorphosis of coral can be sensitive to active components of antifouling paints.     

A map series of the Southern East Pacific Rise and its flanks, 15° S to 19° S

Four large-scale bathymetric maps of the Southern East Pacific Rise and its flanks between 15° S and 19° S display many of the unique features of this superfast spreading environment including abundant seamounts (the Rano Rahi Field), axial discontinuities, discontinuity migration, and abyssal hill variation. Along with a summary of the regional geology, these maps will provide a valuable reference for other sea-going programs on-and off-axis in this area, including the Mantle ELectromagnetic and Tomography (MELT) experiment.     

Phosphate adsorption and desorption in a tropical estuary (Maracaibo system)

The Maracaibo Estuary is of particular interest because of its location in the tropics, its large size (over 12,000 km²), the economic importance of its underlying hydrocarbon deposits and its increasing rate of pollution. Sediments from this estuary were studied in order to characterise their capacity to adsorb and desorb phosphorus. Considerable variability in capacity for phosphate sorption was found among the seventeen samples studied. This variability can be attributed first to the differences among the samples in total P content and, secondly, to their differences in free iron content. Also, it appears that P retention contributes to the control of P concentration in the water and therefore the sediments serve as a buffer in controlling P eutrophication in the estuary.     

Pressure prediction in the Bullwinkle Basin through petrophysics and flow modeling (Green Canyon 65, Gulf of Mexico)

Reservoir pressures within the Bullwinkle minibasin (Green Canyon 65, Gulf of Mexico continental slope) increase at a hydrostatic gradient whereas pressures predicted from porosity within mudstones bounding these reservoirs increase at a lithostatic gradient: they are equal at a depth 1/3 of the way down from the crest of the structure. Two- and three-dimensional steady-state flow models demonstrate that bowl-shaped structures will have lower pressures than equivalent two-dimensional structures and that if a low permeability salt layer underlies the basin, the pressure is reduced. We conclude that at Bullwinkle, pressure is reduced due to an underlying salt body and the bowl-shape of the basin. A geometric approach to predict sandstone pressure is to assume that the reservoir pressure equals the area-weighted average of the mudstone pressure. When the mudstone pressure gradient is constant, as at Bullwinkle, the reservoir pressure equals the mudstone pressure at the average depth (centroid) of the reservoir.     

Jason-1: Assessment of the System Performances

On 7 December 2001, Jason-1 was successfully launched by a Boeing Delta II rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The Jason-1 satellite will maintain the high accuracy altimeter service provided since 1992 by TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P), ensuring the continuity in observing and monitoring the Ocean Dynamics (intraseasonal to interannual changes, mean sea level, tides, etc.). Despite one-fourth the mass and power, the Jason-1 system has been designed to have basically the same performance as T/P, measuring sea surface topography at a centimetric level. This new CNES/NASA mission also provides near real-time data for sea state and ocean forecast. The first two months of the Jason-1 mission have been dedicated to the assessment of the overall system. The goals of this assessment phase were:

1. To assess the behavior of the spacecraft at the platform and payload levels (Jason-1 being the first program to call on the PROTEUS versatile multimission platform for Low and Medium Earth Orbit Missions developed in partnership between Alcatel Space and CNES);

2. To verify that platform performance requirements are met with respect to Jason-1 requirements;

3. To verify that payload instruments performance requirements evaluated at instrument level are met;

4. To assess the performance of the Jason-1 Ground System.

This article will display the main outputs of the assessment of the system. It will demonstrate that all the elements of the onboard and ground systems are within the specifications. Provision of data to the Jason-1 Science Working Team started at the end of March 2002. This is the goal of a six-month phase after closure of the initial assessment phase to derive the error budget of the system in terms of altimetry user products.