Seasonal and Spatial Variations of Total Mass Flux around Coral Reefs in the Southern Ryukyus,Japan

Total mass flux, size distribution of sediment particles and some chemical components such as total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) were monitored monthly using a multi-cup sediment traps at seven coral reef sites (6 reef flat and 1 reef slope) of the Marine Protected Areas around Ishigaki, Kohama, Kuroshima and Iriomote Islands in the southern Ryukyus, Japan from September 2000 to September 2001. The size distribution of trapped sediments revealed mostly uni-modal fine sand to mud in the reef flat and gravelly to coarse sand in the reef slope. The total mass flux ranged between 0.54 to 872 gm⁻²d⁻¹, and showed a pronounced seasonality (high in summer-autumn and low in spring) at each site, which was consistent with the rainfall and typhoon regime. Exceptionally high values were observed on the reef slope (Iriomote) in February–March 2001 (1533 gm⁻²d⁻¹) owing to a large amount of bottom sediment re-suspension. On the reef flat (Todoroki South and North; Ishigaki), values obtained in July–August 2001 (872 gm⁻²d⁻¹) and August–September 2001 (800 gm^{− 2}d⁻¹) indicate the high terrestrial discharge from Todoroki River. Trapped sediment particles consist of CaCO₃ (1.2–27.1%) and a non-carbonate fraction (98.8–72.9%), which contains total carbon (4.9–26%), carbonate carbon (CO₂-C) (0.2–3.1%) and non-carbonate carbon (NC-C) (7.9–25.6%). Total nitrogen content was in the range 0.02–0.48%. TN is contained mainly in the carbonate fraction and NC-C may be contained in the non-carbonate fraction. The low TN/OC ratio of the trapped sediments suggests that they were mostly of terrestrial origin and that both fractions migrated. The high total mass flux derived from Todoroki River exceeded the threshold at which a lethal effect on coral community is caused. The results stress the importance of conducting seasonal studies of sedimentation over more than one year and at more than one location in south Japan coral reef ecosystems to gain an understanding of the processes controlling the total mass fluxes and their nutrients content, also to develop an awareness of how to prevent the damage of coral reef ecosystems and, if it does occur, to allow mitigation measures to be undertaken.     

Influence of Current Width Variation on the Annual Mean Transport of the East Sakhalin Current: A Simple Model

Recent observations suggest that the annual mean southward transport of the East Sakhalin Current (ESC) is significantly larger than the annual mean Sverdrup transport. Motivated by this observational result, transport of a western boundary current has been investigated using a simple numerical model with a western slope. This transport is defined as the instantaneous barotropic transport integrated from the western boundary to the offshore point where the barotropic velocity vanishes. The model, forced by seasonally varying wind stress, exhibits an annual mean of the western boundary current transport that is larger than that of the Sverdrup transport, as observed. The southward transport from October to March in the model nearly equals the instantaneous Sverdrup transport, while the southward transport from April to September decreases slowly. Although the Sverdrup transport in July vanishes, the southward transport in summer nearly maintains the annual mean Sverdrup transport, because the barotropic Rossby wave cannot intrude on the western slope. This summer transport causes the larger annual mean. Although there are some uncertainties in the estimation of the Sverdrup transport in the Sea of Okhotsk, the seasonal variation of the southward transport in the model is qualitatively similar to the observations.     

南麂站定常波风浪波高与风速的经验关系

本文以南麂海洋站１９８３～１９９０年风、浪的实测资料为依据，建立了南麂海城春、夏、秋、冬季定常波风浪波高与风速的经验关系式。检验结果表明，曲线回归显著，计算值与实测值吻合良好。文中还对偏ＮＮＥ向和偏ＳＳＷ向计算波高随风速增大的快慢，同一方向在同一风速作用下计算波高的季节变化及其机理作了初浅的讨论。     

云贵高原湖泊沉积物─水界面碱度扩散通量研究

于1991-1995年间5次在云贵高原泸沽湖、洱海湖和贵州阿哈湖、百花湖的湖心采集沉积物柱芯、界面水和湖水样品，通过其pH值和HCO-3浓度剖面及界面碱度扩散通量的研究，首次定量评估高原湖泊界面扩散作用上覆水体碱度的影响程度。研究结果表明，云贵高原某些湖水寄宿时间相对较长、湖水深度相对小的湖泊，界面扩散作用是水体碱度的重要来源之一;湖水寄宿时间较短、深度较小的湖泊，界面扩散对上覆水体的影响可以忽略不计。     

大鹏湾夜光藻种群的季节变化和分布特征

于１９９０年３月－１９９２年６月对中国南海大鹏湾盐田附近海域的夜光藻种群动态及时空分布进行了综合调查，结果表明，夜光藻种群的出现期间一般为每年的１－６月，最早是１９９１年的１２月，娄量高峰期为３－５月，种群密度的波动极为显著；调查期间共发生８次赤潮，且都发生在３月初至５月初；大鹏湾夜光藻赤潮的发生特点是，赤潮的发生和消失突然，持续时间短，一般不超过３ｄ。     

柴达木盆地昆特依盐湖的地球化学演化与古气候变化

１９９０年用铀系年代学及古地磁对昆特依盐湖沉积物进行年代测定，探讨该湖区地球化学演化与古气候变化关系。结果表明，该区最老的盐层形成于早更新世晚期（大于７３０ｋａ），大量的盐类沉积则始于３００ｋａ左右；盐湖沉积物中元素含量变化主要受古盐度、矿物、类质同象和吸附控制；沉积物水溶Ｆ／Ｃｌ比值与古盐度成反比关系；该湖２０００ｋａ以来的古环境演变：盐层形成于干冷、偏酸性的氧化环境，泥岩层形成于湿暖、偏碱性的     

Representation of double-peaked sea wave spectra in Jiaozhou Bay

The spectrum shape characteristics of double-peaked sea wave spectia actually measured in the Jiaozhou Bay were analysed and one representation of double-peaked sea wave spectra with six-parameters which can be determined from a given sea wave spectrum is proposed in this paper. After verifying by fitting process with the data sets of double-peaked sea wave spectra measured in the Jiaozhou Bay, it can be seen from the results that the representation mentioned above may be used to express the double-peaked sea wave spectra generated in the Jiaozhou Bay under various sea states, and that the absolute values of maximum deviation index (D.I.) do not exceed 30. 0.     

Study of zooplankton ecology in Zhejiang coastal upwelling system-Zooplankton biomass and abundance of major groups

The studied area is a shallow water area that belongs to the East China Sea continent shelf. The distribution of zooplankton biomass is higher inshore than offshore. The maximum abundance is in the inshore edge of the centre of upwelling, which is the superposed area of the salinity front and temperature front, due to the fact that the mixture of three different waters has brought about a concentration of nutrients. The herbivorous Euphausia, Copepoda and Tunicata are the major groups of the abundant area. Tunicata possess the possibility to compete against other kinds of herbivorous zooplankton. This means that there is negative correlation between the distribution of Tunicata and that of Copepoda and Euphausia. The positions of maximum areas of zooplankton biomass, phytoplankton individual and the concentration of phosphates and chlorophyll-a overlap one another. In the centre of upwelling, zooplankton can not adapt itself to the environment of lower temperature and less oxygen even with rich nutrient     

Seismic structure and tectonics of the Shackleton Fracture Zone (Drake Passage,Scotia Sea)

The structural framework of the southern part of the Shackleton Fracture Zone has been investigated through the analysis of a 130-km-long multichannel seismic reflection profile acquired orthogonally to the fracture zone near 60° S. The Shackleton Fracture Zone is a 800-km-long, mostly rectilinear and pronounced bathymetric lineation joining the westernmost South Scotia Ridge to southern South America south of Cape Horn, separating the western Scotia Sea plate from the Antarctic plate. Conventional processing applied to the seismic data outlines the main structures of the Shackleton Fracture Zone, but only the use of enhanced techniques, such as accurate velocity analyses and pre-stack depth migration, provides a good definition of the acoustic basement and the architecture of the sedimentary sequences. In particular, a strong and mostly continuous reflector found at about 8.0 s two-way traveltime is very clear across the entire section and is interpreted as the Moho discontinuity. Data show a complex system of troughs developed along the eastern flank of the crustal ridge, containing tilted and rotated blocks, and the presence of a prominent listric normal fault developed within the oceanic crust. Positive flower structures developed within the oceanic basement indicate strike-slip tectonism and partial reactivation of pre-existing faults. Present-day tectonic activity is found mostly in correspondence to the relief, whereas fault-induced deformation is negligible across the entire trough system. This indicates that the E–W-directed stress regime present in the Drake Passage region is mainly dissipated along a narrow zone within the Shackleton Ridge axis. A reappraisal of all available magnetic anomaly identifications in the western Scotia Sea and in the former Phoenix plate, in conjunction with new magnetic profiles acquired to the east of the Shackleton Fracture Zone off the Tierra del Fuego continental margin, has allowed us to propose a simple reconstruction of Shackleton Fracture Zone development in the general context of the Drake Passage opening.     

Simulations of Annual Cycle of Phytoplankton Production and the Utilization of Nitrogen in the Yellow Sea

A nutrient dynamic model coupled with a 3D physical model has been developed to study the annual cycle of phytoplankton production in the Yellow Sea. The biological model involves interactions between inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium), phosphate and phytoplankton biomass. The model successfully reproduces the main features of phytoplankton-nutrient variation and dynamics of production. 1. The well-mixed coastal water is characterized by high primary production, as well as high new production. 2. In summer, the convergence of tidal front is an important hydrodynamic process, which contributes to high biomass at frontal areas. 3. The evolution of phytoplankton blooms and thermocline in the central region demonstrate that mixing is a dominant factor to the production in the Yellow Sea. In this simulation, nitrate- and ammonium-based productions are estimated regionally and temporally. The northern Yellow Sea is one of the highly ranked regions in the Yellow Sea for the capability of fixing carbon and nitrogen. The annual averaged f-ratio of 0.37 indicates that regenerated production prevails over the Yellow Sea. The result also shows that phosphate is the major nutrient, limiting phytoplankton growth throughout the year and it can be an indicator to predict the bloom magnitude. Finally, the relative roles of external nutrient sources have been evaluated, and benthic fluxes might play a significant role in compensating 54.6% of new nitrogen for new production consumption.