Wind-induced motion of water in shallow-water closed basins

The motion of water induced by tangential wind stresses in a circular basin of finite depth is studied by the finite-element method. The dependences of vertical displacements of the surface of the basin and the field of horizontal wave currents on the topography of the bottom and the direction of the wind are analyzed. The transformations of wind-induced disturbances observed after termination of the wind action are investigated.Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 35–44, September–October, 2004.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to cover date.     

On the possible mechanism of the intensification of the vertical exchange in the ocean during earthquakes

In recent years, some papers reported events of the lowering of the temperature of the sea surface subsequent to earthquakes. This paper is devoted to a discussion of the possible mechanism of the intensification of the mixing of seawater under earthquakes. The possible role of the intensive turbidity flows that are sometimes generated in the near-bottom layer over a sloping bottom subsequent to earthquakes is discussed. The estimates made on the basis of a semiempirical theory of turbulence show that the shear currents caused by these flows can lead to a fast turbulization and mixing of rather thick water layers.     

An automated precise Winkler titration for determining dissolved oxygen on board ship

An automated titration for the Winkler method is presented for measuring primary productivity in the ocean. The system is based on a microcomputer-controlled titration with potentiometric endpoint detection. By the use of 0.005-N sodium thiosulfate as a titrant and a program designed to shorten the time for measuring, the method achieves a precision of 0.04% coefficient of variation with a range of 0.01 to 0.10% for six replicates of samples at oxygen concentration of 70 to 250 M. It takes about four to five minutes to measure one sample.     

Relationship of Caspian tern foraging ecology to nesting success in the Columbia River estuary, Oregon, USA

The prevalence of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) and marine forage fishes in the diet of Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) nesting in the Columbia River estuary has been established, but the relationship between diet composition, foraging distribution, and productivity of these birds has received little attention. We used radio-telemetry and on-colony observations to relate changes in off-colony distribution to patterns of colony attendance, diet composition, and productivity of adult terns nesting on East Sand Island during two years of different river and prey conditions. Average distance from the East Sand Island colony (located in the marine zone of the estuary) was 38% (6.6 km) greater in 2000 compared to 2001, associated with lower availability of marine forage fish near East Sand Island and lower prevalence of marine prey in tern diets. Colony attendance was much lower (37.0% vs. 62.5% of daylight hours), average trip duration was 40% longer (38.9 min), and nesting success was much lower (0.57 young fledged pair⁻¹ vs. 1.40 young fledged pair⁻¹) in 2000 compared to 2001. Higher proportions of juvenile salmonids in the diet were associated with relatively high use of the freshwater zone of the estuary by radio-tagged terns, which occurred prior to chick-rearing and when out-migrating salmonid smolts were relatively abundant. Lower availability of marine prey in 2000 apparently limited Caspian tern nesting success by markedly reducing colony attendance and lengthening foraging trips by nesting terns, thereby increasing chick mortality rates from predation, exposure, and starvation.     

Field measurements of the vertical shears for a drift current

We describe the procedure of field experiments aimed at measuring the vertical profiles of the vectors of a drift current with the help of quasi-Lagrangian drifters. We present the data on the vertical shears of the current at depths of 0.5–5 m obtained under the conditions of neutral stratification in the upper 5-m layer of the sea in the presence of weak and moderate winds. The correspondence of the obtained data to the concept according to which the subsurface layer of the sea is regarded as a near-wall turbulent layer with Ekman current located below is analyzed. A conclusion is made that the results of measurements correspond, on the average, to the classical concepts demonstrating both the region of logarithmic sublayer and its transition into the Ekman spiral. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 1, pp. 32–44, January–February, 2007.     

Effects of long-term sample preservation on flow cytometric analysis of natural populations of pico-and nanophytoplankton

The effects of long-term preservation on flow cytometric parameters of natural oceanic populations of pico-and nanophytoplankton have been examined. Populations collected at oligotrophic subtropical and subarctic locations in the North Pacific were fixed with glutaraldehyde and frozen in liquid nitrogen, according to Vaulot et al. (1989). During six months’ storage, chlorophyll red fluorescence declined in all the groups examined, while forward light scatter was enhanced in Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus, and weakened in nanoeucaryotes. Cell loss was not significant except for Synechococcus. Caution is required when analyzing flow cytometric data of samples stored for more than a month.     

Climatic trends in temperature,zonal flow,and stationary planetary waves from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data

A detailed analysis of climatic trends in the longitudinally averaged temperature, zonal wind velocity, and activity of a stationary planetary wave with the zonal wave number 1 (SPW1) is made for January. The results of analysis indicate that marked climatic temperature variations having opposite signs in the low and high latitudes are observed. These variations cause the relevant variations in the intensity and arrangement of maxima of tropospheric jet flows and, thereby, are responsible for changes in SPW1 propagation conditions. SPW1 propagation from the troposphere into the upper atmosphere is calculated with a linearized model by using the distributions of zonal mean flow that are characteristic of the 1960s and the early 21st century. These calculations indicate that, over the past 40 years, the propagation conditions have improved “on average” and the calculated SPW1 amplitude in the stratosphere and mesosphere of the winter hemisphere has increased substantially. Analysis of the amplitudes of the zonal wind velocity for SPW1 that were obtained from the NCEP/NCAR data is consistent with the results of simulation and shows that some enhancement of SPW1 activity in the lower stratosphere has been actually observed in recent years. These variations in the amplitudes are also accompanied by the enhancement of SPW1 interannual variability.     

A simplified analysis method for piled raft foundations subjected to ground movements induced by tunnelling

A simplified method of numerical analysis has been developed to estimate the deformation and load distribution of piled raft foundations subjected to ground movements induced by tunnelling and incorporated into a computer program ‘PRAB’. In this method, a hybrid model is employed in which the flexible raft is modelled as thin plates, the piles as elastic beams, and the soil is treated as interactive springs. The interactions between structural members, pile–soil–pile, pile–soil–raft and raft–soil–raft interactions, are modelled based on Mindlin's solutions for both vertical and lateral forces. The validity of the proposed method is verified through comparisons with some published solutions for single piles and pile groups subjected to ground movements induced by tunnelling. Thereafter, the solutions from this approach for the analysis of a pile group and a piled raft subjected to ground movements induced by tunnelling are compared with those from three‐dimensional finite difference program. Good agreements between these solutions are demonstrated. The method is then used for a parametric study of single piles, pile groups and piled rafts subjected to ground movements induced by tunnelling. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Currents and intensity of turbulent processes in the Gavan’ Gaidamak Inlet (Vostok Bay, Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan)

Presented are the data of observations carried out in the fall of 2000 in the Gavan?? Gaidamak Inlet (Vostok Bay, Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan). It is revealed that the main transport of water takes place in the surface horizons from 0 to 1?C2 m predominantly in the meridional direction (north-south). It is demonstrated that in spite of not being under wind influence, the inlet area has a high degree of water flow turbulization. It was also registered that the wind-induced phenomena promote the development of turbulent processes and serve as the main self-cleaning mechanism of the inlet.     

Population Structure of White Sea Harp Seals (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagophilus groenlandicus</Emphasis>) as an Adaptation to Habitat Conditions

The spatiotemporal distribution of harp seal pups around breeding grounds in the White Sea is considered. It is shown that spatial localization of groups of females with different terms of mass pup birth takes place. This somewhat confirms the data on the gregarious structure of White Sea harp seal population. It is possible to explain the structure of this adaptation of the seal population to different living conditions in different feeding areas.