Climatic satellite monitoring of the external heat balance of the oceans and Black Sea

The long-wave outgoing radiation, effective cloudiness equal to the product of the total cloud amount by their optical density, and the sea-surface temperature determined from the satellites are used to determine the annual course of the components of external heat balance on the sea surface whose climatic anomalies, parallel with the meridional heat and water transfer in the ocean-atmosphere system, specify the intraannual and interannual large-scale variations of weather in different regions of the Earth. The development of these studies is connected with the progress of satellite hydrophysics because the data obtained from the space become sufficiently exact, regular, and global. The increase in the existing data array on the external heat balance of the oceans from ∼15–20 to 100 yr and more would promote the solution of the problem of oscillations of Earth's climate. We present examples of coordinated numerical analysis of the heat balance of the upper (0–100 m ) layer of the Black Sea performed on the basis of the shipborne and satellite data. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 6, pp. 59–75, November–December, 2007.     

Deep tow studies of the Tamayo transform fault

The Tamayo transform fault occurs at the north end of the East Pacific Rise where it enters the Gulf of California. The two deep-tow surveys reported here show that the transform fault zone changes significantly as a function of distance from the spreading center intersections. At site 1, near the intersection, one side of the fault is young and the fault zone is narrow and well-defined. Strike slip occurs in a zone approximately 1-km wide suggesting a correspondingly narrow zone of decoupling between the Pacific and North American plates. On the young side of the strike-slip zone, normal faults occur along shear zones which are 45°–50° oblique to the transform strike. They occur parallel to the short axis of the strain ellipse for transform fault strain here, i.e., perpendicular to the least compressive stress. The transform walls are formed by normal faulting as has been pointed out in previous detailed surveys. Here, however, the age contrast of 2.5 m.y. across the transform valley is apparent in the morphology of the normal fault scarps. While the scarps are steep and well-defined on the young side, the scarps on the older side have gradual 10°–30° slopes and appear to be primarily talus ramps. Apparently, the scarps have been tectonically eroded by continued strike slip activity after the initial stages of normal faulting. Thus, transform valleys should be quite asymmetric in cross-section where there is a significant age contrast and one side is less than approximately 0.5 m.y. old. Also, along older sections of the transform valley walls, normal faulting may not be at all obvious due to degradation of the scarps by tectonic erosion. This phenomenon makes the likelihood of transform faults providing windows into the oceanic crust most unlikely except in special cases.The picture of transform deformation is more complex at site 2 in the central portion of the fault where both sides of the fault are greater than 1 m.y. old. Here the transform valley is wider (25–30 km as opposed to 2–5 km). There is no clear simple zone of strike slip tectonics. In fact, the only clear evidence for deformation is the intrusion of magmatic or serpentinite diapirs through the sediments of the transform valley floor. The diapirs have deformed the turbidite layers flooring the valley and in one carefully studied case the turbidite sequence has been uplifted, perched atop the diapir. The pattern of deformation on this outcropping diapir shows radial and concentric fractures which can be modeled by a vertical intrusion circular in plan view. Magnetic studies limit the possible composition to basalt or serpentinite. A 60-km-long median ridge is also likely to be the product of intrusion along the transform fault. The survey at site 2 pointed out the importance of vertical tectonics in the transform valley floor and in particular the importance of diapiric intrusions of either basaltic or serpentinite composition.Based on initial boundary conditions and present tectonic elements in the Tamayo fault zone, a possible history of the mouth of the Gulf of California is outlined. The median ridge was emplaced starting approximately 0.8 m.y. ago by regional extension across the transform fault, the result of leaky transform faulting. The diapirs occur along a possible relay zone of extension midway along the fault which began approximately 0.15 m.y. ago. The extension in this case is parallel to the trend of the transform fault, is still occurring at present, and may evolve into a true spreading center.Contribution of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, new series.     

Geophysical evidence of mud diapirism on the Mediterranean Ridge accretionary complex

Mud volcanoes, mud cones, and mud ridges have been identified on the inner portion of the crestal area, and possibly on the inner escarpment, of the Mediterranean Ridge accretionary complex. Four areas containing one or more mud diapirs have been investigated through bathymetric profiling, single channel seismic reflection profiling, heat flow measurements, and coring. A sequence of events is identified in the evolution of the mud diapirs: initially the expulsion on the seafloor of gasrich mud produces a seafloor depression outlined in the seismic record by downward dip of the host sediment reflectors towards the mud conduit; subsequent eruptions of fluid mud may create a flat topped mud volcano with step-like profile; finally, the intrusion of viscous mud produces a mud cone.The origin of the diapirs is deep within the Mediterranean Ridge. Although a minimum depth of about 400 m below the seafloor has been computed from the hydrostatic balance between the diapiric sediments and the host sediments, a maximum depth, suggested by geometric considerations, ranges between 5.3 and 7 km. The presence of thermogenic gas in the diapiric sediments suggests a better constrained origin depth of at least 2.2 km.The heat flow measured within the Olimpi mud diapir field and along a transect orthogonal to the diapiric field is low, ranging between 16 ± 5 and 41 ± 6 mW m^–2. Due to the presence of gas, the thermal conductivity of the diapiric sediments is lower than that of the host hemipelagic oozes (0.6–0.9 and 1.0–1.15 W m^–1 K^–1 respectively).We consider the distribution of mud diapirs to be controlled by the presence of tectonic features such as reverse faults or thrusts (inner escarpment) that develop where the thickness of the Late Miocene evaporites appears to be minimum. An upward migration through time of the position of the décollement within the stratigraphic column from the Upper Oligocene (diapiric sediments) to the Upper Miocene (present position) is identified.     

Spatial variability in the primary productivity in the East China Sea and its adjacent waters

Primary productivity in the East China Sea and its adjacent area was measured by the¹³C tracer method during winter, summer and fall in 1993 and 1994. The depth-integrated primary productivity in the Kuroshio Current ranged from 220 to 350 mgC m⁻²d⁻¹, and showed little seasonal variability. High primary productivity (above 570 mgC m⁻²d⁻¹) was measured at the center of the continental shelf throughout the observation period. The productivity at the station nearest to the Changjiang estuary exhibited a distinctive seasonal change from 68 to 1,500 mgC m⁻²d⁻¹. Depth-integrated primary productivity was 2.7 times higher in the shelf area than the rates at the Kuroshio Current. High chlorophyll-a specific productivity (mgC mgChl.-a⁻²d⁻¹) throughout the euphotic zone was mainly found in the shelf area rather than off-shelf area, probably due to higher nutrient availability and higher activity of phytoplankton at the subsurface layer in the shelf area.     

Spatial and temporal variability of the ratios between the nitrate and phosphate concentrations in the Sea of Okhotsk

The relation between the nitrate and phosphate concentrations in the Sea of Okhotsk and the bordering waters of the Pacific Ocean were studied. The surveys were carried out in the autumn, spring, and summer of 2001–2002. For the deepwater part of the sea, the relation [NO^? ₃] = ((14.88 ± 0.07) × [PO^3? ₄] ? 5.46 ± 0.17) was found. The coefficients in the equation given are statistically different from those in the similar equation for the Pacific waters: [NO^? ₃] = (16.05 ± 0.15) × [PO^3? ₄]-(7.23 ± 0.36). In the northern part of the sea; on the shelf; in the slope area; and, especially, in the deep waters of the TINRO Depression, the linear dependence between the phosphate and nitrate concentrations was distorted. This feature was described in terms of nitrate deficiency. The maximum values of this deficiency were found in the near-bottom waters. The principal processes that might cause the nitrate deficiency were considered: the difference in the oxidation rates of the nitrogen and phosphorus organic compounds, the matter transfer between the continent and the sea, the different efficiency of the biogenic burial of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bottom sediments, and the denitrification in the upper layer of the bottom sediments. It was shown that the most probable cause of the nitrate deficiency was the denitrification. The loss of inorganic nitrogen owing to the supply of the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk to the Pacific Ocean was estimated as ～2.5 × 10¹¹ mol N/year.     

Wave run-up and overtopping on smooth and rough slopes of coastal structures

A series of hydraulic model tests has been carried out in a glass wave flume to investigate the influences of wave height, wave period, wave steepness, surf similarity parameter, roughness, layer thickness and porosity on wave run-up and overtopping of 1:2 sloped impermeable and permeable breakwaters fronted by a 1:10 gentle, smooth beach slope. The analysis of results involves the correlation between the overtopping energy transfer with the relative wall height and the relationship between wave run-up and overtopping rate. Further, measured wave run-up and overtopping rates are compared with the results given in the Shore Protection Manual (1984), Automated Coastal Engineering System (1992)and results of other investigators.     

Biogeochemical impacts due to mesoscale eddy activity in the Sargasso Sea as measured at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS)

A comparison of monthly biogeochemical measurements made from 1993 to 1995, combined with hydrography and satellite altimetry, was used to assess the impacts of nine eddy events on primary productivity and particle flux in the Sargasso Sea. Measurements of primary production, thorium-234 flux, nitrate+nitrite, and photosynthetic pigments made at the US JGOFS Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site were used. During the 3 years of this study, four out of six high thorium-234 flux events occurred during the passage of an eddy. Primary production nearly as high as the spring bloom maximum was observed in two mode-water eddies (May 1993 and July 1995). The 1994 spring bloom at BATS was suppressed by the passage of an anticyclone. Distinct phytoplankton community shifts were observed in mode-water eddies, which had an increased percentage of diatoms and dinoflagellates, and in cyclones, which had an increased percentage of Synechococcus. These variations in species composition within mode-water eddies and cyclones may be associated with the ages of the sampled eddies, and/or differences in physical, chemical, and biological factors in these two distinct eddy types. In general, eddies that were 1–2 months old elicited a large biological response; eddies that were 3 months old may show a biological response and were accompanied by high thorium flux; eddies that were 4 months old or older did not show a biological response or high thorium flux. A conceptual model depicting temporal changes during eddy upwelling, maturation, and decay can explain the observations in all seven upwelling eddies present in the time-series investigated herein.     

Spatial patterns and environmental risks of ringnet fishing along the Kenyan coast

Ringnet fishing began in the early 20th century and is practised worldwide, mainly to target nearshore pelagic species. The method was introduced to Kenya’s coastal waters by migrant fishers from Tanzania. However, the impacts of this fishing gear remain poorly assessed. We assessed the spatial distribution of ringnet fishing effort and its possible effects on ecosystem components, such as coral reefs, marine megafauna and marine protected areas, on the south coast of Kenya. We tracked 89 ringnet fishing trips made from December 2015 to January 2016 and used spatial multicriteria analysis to determine hotspots of possible environmental risks. The results showed that habitat type and bathymetric profile influenced the spatial distribution of ringnet fishing effort. Mixed seagrass and coral habitats had the highest concentration of the effort. Most of the habitats in the study area were moderately exposed to the impacts of the ringnet fishery. The study identifies high-risk areas that require spatial measures to minimise possible environmental risks of the gear both to habitats and to endangered sea turtles.     

Variations in wave direction estimated using first and second order Fourier coefficients

In most design applications such as alignment of the berthing structure and breakwater alignment, it becomes necessary to determine the direction of design wave. There are two different approaches to determine wave direction. One involves the use of first order Fourier coefficients (mean wave direction) while the other uses second order Fourier coefficients (principal wave direction). Both the average wave direction over the entire frequency range (0.03–0.58 Hz) and the direction corresponding to the peak frequency are used in practice. In the present study, comparison is made on wave directions estimated based on first and second order Fourier coefficients using data collected at four locations in the west and east coasts of India. Study shows that at all locations, the mean and principal wave directions for frequencies ranging from 0.07 to 0.25 Hz (±0.5 times peak frequency) co-vary with a correlation coefficient of 0.99 but at lower and higher frequencies, difference between the parameters is large. Average difference between the mean wave direction at peak frequency and the average over the frequency related to spectral energy more than 20% of maximum value is less, around 13°. Study shows that average difference in the sea and swell directions is around 39°.     

Towards a more detailed seismic picture of the oceanic crust and mantle

A review is presented of current interpretation techniques in marine refraction seismology with particular emphasis on those features which are most useful in structural studies using ocean bottom seismometers. Travel time analysis techniques are discussed for both refraction and variable angle reflection profiles and are compared with systematic travel time inversion methods. Amplitude and waveform analysis techniques allow a more detailed velocity depth profile to be determined, and are illustrated for both surface and bottom receivers. The study of anisotropy and lateral variations in crustal structure may be usefully combined using delay time function methods but a detailed structural model also requires velocity-depth information. Signal processing techniques which are particularly useful for shear wave and long range propagation studies are also metioned. Structural studies using OBS' should lead to detailed knowledge of the oceanic crust and the P wave velocity distribution in the upper mantle.