On the Contribution of the Eddy Transport to the Annual Mean Heat Budget of the Upper Layer in the North Atlantic

According to Ocean Re-Analysis System 3 (ORA-S3) data, all components of the annual mean heat budget of the upper quasi-homogeneous ocean layer (UQL) in the North Atlantic for the period of 1959–2011 have been calculated and errors of these estimates have been determined. It has been shown that the contribution of the horizontal eddy diffusivity (estimated as a residual term of the UQL heat balance equation) to changes in the UQL annual mean temperature is significantly overestimated. This takes place mainly due to neglecting the covariances of seasonal fluctuations of current velocity vector components and UQL temperature gradients in calculations carried out with the use of annual average values. These covariances play an important role in the annual mean heat budget in some regions of the North Atlantic, especially in tropical latitudes. Changes in the annual average UQL temperature in the central and eastern parts of the North Atlantic are significantly affected by errors related to an inaccuracy of estimates of annual average heat fluxes on the ocean surface. The maximum contribution of the horizontal eddy diffusivity to the interannual variability of the UQL temperature is observed in the northwestern part of the North Atlantic and the region of the Subpolar Gyre.     

Sub-inertial oscillations in the Black Sea generated by the semidiurnal tidal potential

The Black Sea shelf is a region of intense manifestation of various dynamical processes. Under the influence of different natural forces, eddy-wave phenomena develop here, which influence the general circulation of sea waters, biological productivity, and the condition of the engineering structures. Modern numerical models allow us to simulate and analyze the processes of the joint dynamics of marine circulation and large-scale waves. In this work, we study the spatiotemporal spectral characteristics of the sea level and velocity fluctuations formed due to atmospheric forcing and tidal potential. The hydrophysical fields are calculated using the Institute of Numerical Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences (INM RAS), σ model based on primitive equations. We use the CORE data as atmospheric forcing at the sea surface; the tidal potential is described by the semidiurnal lunar constituent M₂. Analyzing the simulation results makes it possible to emphasize that accounting for the semidiurnal tidal potential not only improves the accuracy of the sea-level calculation at coastal stations, but also generates subinertial baroclinic oscillations previously found in the Black Sea from the data of in situ observations.     

Holocene Faunal Trends in West Siberia and Their Causes

Based on an analysis of the transformation of vertebrate and invertebrate fauna of West Siberia in the Holocene, the classification and periodization of the main faunal trends are presented. Against the background of changing environmental conditions, the key regularities of the faunal dynamics, and the ways some species penetrate into the territory of the region and others disappear from the beginning of the Holocene to the present time have been indicated. Three global and four fluctuating trends are identified. The anthropogenic trend is ascertained separately. A conclusion is made about the prevailing causes of these changes, associated primarily with periodic climatic processes of different levels, determined by planetary geological and cosmic cycles. It is emphasized that, in the historical period, anthropogenic factors play a significant role in the regional faunal dynamics.     

Temporal Variability of Total Ozone in the Asian Region Inferred from Ground-Based and Satellite Measurement Data

This paper reports investigation data on the temporal variability of total ozone content (TOC) in the Central Asian and Tibet Plateau mountain regions obtained by conventional methods, as well as by spectral, cross-wavelet, and composite analyses. The data of ground-based observation stations located at Huang He, Kunming, and Lake Issyk-Kul, along with the satellite data obtained at SBUV/SBUV2 (SBUV merged total and profile ozone data, Version 8.6) for 1980–2013 and OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) and TOU (Total Ozone Unit) for 2009–2013 have been used. The average relative deviation from the SBUV/SBUV2 data is less than 1% in Kunming and Issyk-Kul for the period of 1980–2013, while the Huang He Station is characterized by an excess of the satellite data over the ground-based information at an average deviation of 2%. According to the Fourier analysis results, the distribution of amplitudes and the periods of TOC oscillations within a range of over 14 months is similar for all series analyzed. Meanwhile, according to the cross-wavelet and composite analyses results, the phase relationships between the series may considerably differ, especially in the periods of 5–7 years. The phase of quasi-decennial oscillations in the Kunming Station is close to the 11-year oscillations of the solar cycle, while in the Huang He and Issyk-Kul stations the TOC variations go ahead of the solar cycle.     

Microbial activity promotes the enrichment of cobalt over nickel on hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts

The different mineral phases of the ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) crusts stem from the interaction of biotic and abiotic components. It is therefore vital to study the activity of these components to decipher their contribution to the enrichment/depletion of metals in the crust. Thus, the present study examined sorption and release of Co and Ni by Fe-Mn crusts with associated microbial communities in the presence and absence of the metabolic poison sodium azide (15?mM). The study was conducted in the presence (G⁺) and absence (G^?) of added glucose (0.1%) at temperatures of 4?±?1°C and 28?±?2°C. Results showed that the microbial community had maximal sorption of Co of 66.12?µg?g^?1 at 4?±?1°C in the absence of added glucose and 479.75?µg?g^?1 at 28?±?2°C in the presence of added glucose. Maximum sorption of Ni in the absence of added glucose was 1.89?µg?g^?1 at 4?±?1°C and release of Ni was 51.28?µg?g^?1 in the presence of added glucose. Under abiotic conditions with 15?mM sodium azide as a metabolic inhibitor, significant amounts of Co and Ni were released in the G⁺ medium. Total cell counts on the Fe-Mn crust in the presence of added glucose increased by an order of magnitude from 10⁶ to 10⁷ cells g^?1 and in the absence of added glucose remained within the order of 10⁶ cells?g^?1 irrespective of temperature of incubation. Microscopic observation of the samples from biotic incubations showed numerous bacterial cells, exopolysaccharides, and structures resembling secondary minerals formed by bacteria. The results indicate that bacteria promote the enrichment of Co and Ni on the hydrogenetic Fe-Mn crusts by sorption processes and release of Ni by reductive dissolution of the oxides. The higher enrichment of Co than Ni is attributed to the way in which microbes interact with the metals.     

Modelling of sediment movement in the surf and swash zones

Under the action of marine currents, non-cohesive sediments evolve by bed-load, by saltation or suspension depending on their granulometry. Several authors have considered that the movement of sediment...     

Features of wind waves at the southeastern coast of Sakhalin according to bottom-pressure measurements

The results of wind-wave measurements with bottom-pressure sensors are discussed. These measurements were performed at the southeastern coast of the Island of Sakhalin in 2006–2009. The problems of converting data obtained with these sensors into water-level displacent in the context of the linear theory are noted. Twenty records with a duration of 2 weeks to 3 months were obtained. These records contain from 150000 to 1200000 waves for three different observation points located at the southeastern coast of Sakhalin in the regions of the village of Vzmor’ye, Lake Izmenchivoye, and the Cape of Ostryi. The estimates obtained for wave-height distributions were approximated by the Weibull distribution. They were compared to the theoretical Rayleigh, Forristall, Weibull, and Glukhovskii distributions. As one would expect, in the region of small wave heights, all distributions prove to be close to one another, and, for large wave heights, the Weibull distribution is preferred.     

不同刚度植物杆群对规则波传播及紊动特性影响研究

以不同刚度硅胶圆杆群为概化植物模型,测定其抗弯弹性模量,通过波浪水槽实验,研究规则波在不同刚度植物杆群内的流速分布、紊动特征及不同刚度杆群的消浪效果。实验结果表明,当波浪通过柔性杆群时,受其摆动的影响,流速周期变化从单峰型逐渐转变成双峰型,杆群刚度越小形成的二次波峰越明显;不同刚度杆群内水体紊动强度变化显示,杆群刚度越大,造成杆群内水体的紊动强度越大;随着杆群抗弯弹性模量的增大,其消浪系数也增大,消浪系数的增长与材料的抗弯弹性模量值非线性关系,而是在某一弹性模量范围内,对消浪系数的影响较为敏感。