Deep-sea Fe-Mn Crusts from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean: Composition and Resource Considerations

Eighteen deep-sea ferromanganese crusts (Fe-Mn crusts) from 10 seamounts in the northeast Atlantic were studied. Samples were recovered from water depths of ～1,200 to ～4,600 m from seamounts near Madeira, the Canary and Azores islands, and one sample from the western Mediterranean Sea.

The mineralogical and chemical compositions of the samples indicate that the crusts are typical continental margin, hydrogenetic Fe-Mn crusts. The Fe-Mn crusts exhibit a Co + Cu + Ni maximum of 0.96 wt%. Platinum-group element contents analyzed for five samples showed Pt contents from 153 to 512 ppb.

The resource potential of Fe-Mn crusts within and adjacent to the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is evaluated to be comparable to that of crusts in the central Pacific, indicating that these Atlantic deposits may be an important future resource.     

Winter ice experiment Beaufort Sea (Wiebs)—data collection

Abstract

Under a joint government/industry program called the Winter Ice Experiment Beaufort Sea (WIEBS), during November and December 1979 and April 1981, two data sets were acquired in the southeastern Beaufort Sea, for the purpose of developing and testing a dynamical/thermodynamical sea ice model. The data sets included meteorological, oceanographic, and sea ice parameters. Also, on a limited scale, ground truthing data were obtained. This paper deals with the data collection aspects of the experiment and their archival.     

Late Devonian rifting in the central North Sea: Evidence from altered felsic volcanic rocks in the Embla oil field

In the Embla oil field on the northern flank of the Mid North Sea High, the central North Sea, multiple quartz porphyric volcanic beds at ca. 4600 m depth form part of a volcano-sedimentary interval above the Caledonian basement as interpreted from seismic data. Zircon U–Pb laser ablation ICPMS date one bed to 374 ± 3 Ma, indicating that the volcanic rocks and interbedded sediments are early Famennian and correlate to the Buchan Formation. The volcanic rocks have been extensively clay and carbonate altered in a near-surface environment, but high field strength element data show that the protoliths were alkali rhyolites, yielding intra-plate signatures in tectonic discrimination diagrams. Famennian quartz porphyric volcanic rocks have also been reported from well A17-1 on the southern flank of the Mid North Sea High. The Famennian volcanism on the northern and southern flanks testify to an active magmatic environment in the central North Sea in the early Famennian, supporting the existence of a late Devonian proto-Central Graben rift extending northwards into the central North Sea. The rift is likely an early example of strain localisation to a zone of reduced crustal strength along the Caledonian suture between Avalonia and Baltica.     

Intensified oxygen minimum zone on the western shelf of Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon: influence of river discharge

A study on biogeochemical cycling in the west coastal Bay of Bengal was undertaken during the peak discharge period to understand the influence of enhanced stratification and primary production on the possible intensification of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Our study reveals that oxygen concentrations were below the detection limits in the northwestern (NW) coastal Bay of Bengal between 100 and 500 m associated with strong stratification and high phytoplankton biomass. Such low oxygen concentrations have never been reported so far from the coastal Bay of Bengal. Despite the existence of an environment conducive to denitrification in the coastal Bay of Bengal, accumulation of neither secondary nitrite nor nitrous oxide (N₂O) was observed. The absence of denitrification was reported to be caused by faster scavenging of organic matter and low bacterial respiration rates; in contrast, our results suggest that neither of these factors are potential reasons for the absence of denitrification in the coastal Bay of Bengal.     

Currents in the Drake Passage by the observations in October–November of 2011

The currents in the Drake Passage are studied from the ADCP and CTD data acquired in a section across the Drake Passage in October-November of 2011 and from the satellite altimeter data. A complicated pattern of currents including eight jets of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and a system of slope and abyssal currents was found. The most interesting result is the discovery of several cyclonic and anticyclonic mesoscale eddies confined to the abyss. Some reasons explaining the generation of such eddies by the meandering of the ACC jets in the upper ocean layer are presented.     

加里福尼亚南部岸外泥火山的甲烷成因方解石、13C亏损的双壳类贝壳以及气水合物

沿大陆边缘的气体和流体通量与构造—沉积过程和(产生冷泉、温泉和甲烷水合物的)物化条件有关(如Obzhirov等,2004)。我们对水合物进行了深入研究,因为它对块体坡移、能源、全球气候突然变化以及全球的碳质量平衡具有潜在的贡献。其中冷泉尤其重要,因为其与大的气体和流体通量、     

The morphology and behaviour of larvae of some intertidal sponges

The morphology, swimming behaviour, settlement preferences and behaviour of five species of Demospongiae are described. The sponges, Haliclona sp., Microciona coccinea, Ophlitaspongia seriata, Mycale macilenta, and Halichondria moorei, are all common in the intertidal region in the north of New Zealand. The view is put forward that larval behaviour must be interpreted in terms of the known ecological situation of the adult sponge.     

Seasonal growth in brown trout in two New Zealand streams

Brown trout Salmo trutta Linn, were marked with individual tags and recaptured throughout a year in two small Canterbury streams. The growth recorded showed a marked seasonal variation which differed in pattern in the two streams. There was a considerable difference in the growth rate between the two populations and fish transferred from the slow‐growth stream to the faster‐growth stream showed an immediate response to the change.     

Meteorological effects on the surface circulation and hydrology of Tasman bay,New Zealand

Analyses of trajectories of drift cards, released over a 2‐year period April 1969‐Aprit 1971, and hydrological observations at nine stations all occupied in and near Tasman Bay within 19 hours on 4–5 March 1970, show variable surface flows, which are strongly influenced by wind. Water characteristics are altered by insolation and coastal run‐off. The exchange times for the water in Tasman Bay were calculated for differing wind speeds.