台风“海马”对吕宋海峡附近暖涡的影响及其动力机制

台风和海洋涡旋相互作用,对台风路径和强度的预报和预警具有重要的意义。本文根据2016年第22号超强台风"海马"登陆前后在吕宋海峡附近海域的水文要素现场观测,结合卫星遥感资料,分析了台风过境前后位于吕宋海峡北部的中尺度暖涡内海洋物理要素的分布及其对台风的响应特征。结果表明,处于台风边缘的暖涡并没有因为台风过境产生的强冷抽吸作用而被削弱;反而因台风边缘产生的较强的负风应力旋度异常,导致此区域上层暖海水辐聚下沉、混合层厚度增加,从而增强了该暖涡。台风过境前后,暖涡内热含量的变化也证实了该涡旋的增强。而离台风中心较近的暖涡,则受到强的正风应力旋度产生的冷抽吸作用而被削弱。此次观测研究丰富了台风和涡旋的相互作用物理机制探索,为台风预测预警提供了现场观测数据支持。     

新元古代沂沭海峡地震引发的软沉积物变形及其微量元素信息*

新元古代沂沭海峡位于郯庐断裂带昌邑—大店断层西侧宽60~90,km、长300,km的区域内,其分布范围基本与郯庐断裂带中段一致。新元古代,该海峡盆地先后沉积了青白口系、南华系及震旦系的滨—浅海相陆源碎屑、泥质及碳酸盐沉积物,其岩石地层称之为土门群。本次研究从该海峡盆地土门群佟家庄组(由石英砂岩、泥灰岩和页岩组成,属南华系)、浮来山组(由细—粉砂岩夹页岩组成,属震旦系)及石旺庄组(主要由碳酸盐岩组成,下部夹页岩,属震旦系)中鉴别出了一系列地震触动软沉积物形成的变形构造,包括液化砂墙和砂脉、负载构造、火焰构造、球枕构造、软布丁构造、底辟构造、滑塌褶曲和同沉积断层等。它们是地震事件的记录——震积岩。新元古代中晚期(约800—600,Ma)沂沭海峡盆地拉张裂陷是它们形成的动力机制。根据石旺庄组中的微亮晶方解石脉与地震成因的变形构造(如负载、火焰、软布丁及同沉积断层等)共(伴)生的事实,并结合模拟地震试验结果分析,认为微亮晶方解石脉很可能是地震引发的饱和灰泥(方解石微粒)液化脉。微量化学元素分析结果表明,这些震积岩中的w(La)/w(Sc)和 w(La)/w(Th)值高于上地壳平均值和正常沉积层,而w(Th)/w(Sc)值则较低,深源微量元素Ni和Cr的含量也高于上地壳平均值及正常沉积层。这些微量元素特征是当时的盆地基底不稳定、快速沉积且伴有深部物质元素混入的反映,强地震很可能是快速沉积和促进深源物质混入的主要动力。土门群中发育的一系列地震引起的软沉积物变形(震积岩),再次证明了古郯庐断裂带的存在,由它们记录的地震事件也是晋宁运动乃至Rodinia超大陆的裂解的响应。     

吕宋海峡西侧海域混合层盐度低频变化特征分析

利用WOD09和Argo剖面资料,结合SODA、OFES、GPCP和WHOI等资料分析了吕宋海峡西侧海域混合层盐度1984—2010年间的长期变化趋势和年代际变化特征,并利用混合层盐度平衡方程探讨了其变化机理。研究结果表明:(1)吕宋海峡西侧海域的盐度整体上呈现下降趋势,线性趋势为-0.020/a;(2)以1999年为界,吕宋海峡西侧海域的盐度在1999年之前为正距平,最大正距平值可达0.14,平均值为0.05,在1999年之后为负距平,最大负距平值为-0.22,平均值为-0.06;(3)影响该海域混合层盐度的长期变化趋势和年代际变化的主要因素为平流作用,特别是黑潮入侵的变化。     

An unexploited population of oysters,Ostrea lutaria Hutton,from foveaux strait

Settlement of Ostrea lutaria on sand‐cement‐plastered asbestos plates held in steel frames on the bottom of Foveaux Strait was studied from March 1965 to April 1967. Spat mortality over the period of plate exposure (about one month) was very low (maximum of 3 percent) and was greatest shortly after settlement. There was no evidence that mortality was due to predation. Essentially the same seasonal pattern of settlement was observed each year. Eighty to 90 percent of spat settled between mid December and mid February in both summers; settlement occurred as early as October; some was observed as late as July.

Results of field experiments suggest some very tentative conclusions on the settlement behaviour of O. lutaria: (1) The larvae are benthopelagic and remain on the bottom in strong current conditions. (2) Light stimulates swimming of larvae in still water. (3) In still water and low light intensities of the area larvae tend to swim upward toward the light. (4) In still water and dim light of the area larvae settle predominantly on under surfaces. (5) In still water in the absence of light larvae settle predominantly on upper surfaces. (6) Under the conditions of current and light in the multiplate frames used to sample spatfall here, larvae settle mainly on upper surfaces. (7) Larvae tend to crawl up inclined surfaces before settling.

The results indicate that larval behaviour may be changed by small alterations of light intensity and current. The contradictory nature of surface angle preferences found by other workers for various species of Ostrea and Crassostrea may have been due to such small variations caused by the experimental techniques. It is possible that the settlement behaviour of all species of these genera is similar.     

Observations of the Karimata Strait througflow from December 2007 to November 2008

In order to quantitatively estimate the volume and property transports between the South China Sea and Indonesian Seas via the Karimata Strait, two trawl-resistant bottom mounts, with ADCPs embedded, were deployed in the strait to measure the velocity profile as part of the South China Sea-Indonesian Seas transport/exchange (SITE) program. A pair of surface and bottom acoustic modems was employed to transfer the measured velocity without recovering the mooring. The advantage and problems of the instruments in this field work are reported and discussed. The field observations confirm the existence of the South China Sea branch of Indonesian throughflow via the Karimata Strait with a stronger southward flow in boreal winter and weaker southward bottom flow in boreal summer, beneath the upper layer northward (reversal) flow. The estimate of the averaged volume, heat and freshwater transports from December 2007 to March 2008 (winter) is (-2.7 ± 1.1) × 10 6 m3/s, (-0.30 ± 0.11) PW, (-0.18 ± 0.07) × 106m3/s and from May to September 2008 (summer) is (1.2 ± 0.6) × 106m3/s, (0.14 ± 0.03) PW, (0.12 ± 0.04) × 106m3/s and for the entire record from December 2007 to October 2008 is (-0.5 ± 1.9) × 10 6 m3/s, (-0.05 ± 0.22) PW, (-0.01 ± 0.15) × 106m3/s (negative/positive represents southward/northward transport), respectively. The existence of southward bottom flow in boreal summer implies that the downward sea surface slope from north to south as found by Fang et al. (2010) for winter is a year-round phenomenon.     

Variations in silicate concentration affecting photosynthetic carbon fixation by spring phytoplankton assemblages in surface water of the Strait of Malacca

The Strait of Malacca (SoM), the world’s busiest sea-route, is increasingly polluted as the rapid development of world trades, affecting phytoplankton primary productivity therein. The variations of surface phytoplankton biomass, size-structure and carbon fixation were investigated across the SoM during the spring period (May 4 to 9, 2011). Chlorophyll a concentration increased from 0.12 μg/L at the northwest entrance of the SoM to a maximal 0.63 μg/L at narrowest section, and decreased to 0.10 μg/L at the southeast entrance. Photosynthetic carbon fixation by phytoplankton coincided well with Chl a biomass, and increased from 10.8 to 22.3 μg C/(L d), then decreased to 9.21 μg C/(L d); while the carbon fixation rate showed an inverse pattern to the changes of Chl a, and decreased from 87.1 to 35.5 μg C/(μg Chl a d) and increased thereafter to 95.3 μg C/(μg Chla·d). Picophytoplankton cells (<3 μm) contributed to more than 60% and 50% of the total Chl a and carbon fixation at both the entry waters; while the contributions of pico-cells decreased sharply to the minimum of 18.3% and 27.5% at the narrowest part of the SoM. In particular, our results showed that the silicate concentration positively regulated Chl a biomass and carbon fixation, reflecting that the higher silicate favoured the growth of phytoplankton and thus led to higher primary production in this strait.     

Major Features of Topography,Geology, and Crustal Stability in the Taiwan Strait: A Scientific Approach to the Problem of the Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project

This article discusses briefly the major features of topography, geology, and crustal stability of the possible Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project (TST Project) area. Any one route of the conceived TST Project is larger than either of the English Channel Tunnel or the Seikan submarine Tunnel (Japan) by at least three times in length, and the topographic and geologic conditions are rather more complex and complicated than those of the former two projects. Moreover, the Taiwan Strait is a seismic risk area. Hence, the selection of the route of the submarine tunnel should take advantage of the favorable conditions in the topographic, geologic, seismologic, and other fields to avoid the unfavorable circumstances. At the end of the article, two supposed by comparable routes, especially the south one of TST Project are discussed.     

Potential Seismic Risk in Taiwan Strait Region

GPS observation indicates that the Fujian coastal region of China mainland, the region of Taiwan Strait and northern Taiwan island all show a generally homogenous horizontal motion with weak deformation. Historical earthquake record over more than 800 years and modern instrumental data reveal that there is potential seismic risk in and around Taiwan Strait region. After the National Seismic Zoning Map of China (2001) the expected seismic risk in northern part of the Taiwan Strait is lower than that in middle and southern part. The suggested northern route of the Taiwan Strait passage project seems to be relatively save seismically.     

Distribution and Acoustic Characteristics of Shallow Gas in the Korea Strait Shelf Mud off SE Korea

Shallow gas in the Korea Strait shelf mud (KSSM) off SE Korea, revealed by high-resolution subbottom profiles, is associated with acoustic blanking, acoustic turbidity, seepages with plumes in the water column, and seafloor depressions. The acoustic blanking, characterized by strong, consistent top reflection and wipeout below, is most dominant. The seaward edge of the acoustic blanking zone generally coincides with the 100-m water-depth contour, suggesting that the water depth (the pressure) may control the distribution of shallow gas. The acoustic turbidity, characterized by diffuse top reflection, is a dark smear, partially blanking the data below. The seepages with plumes, characterized by vertical smearing and disturbed seafloor, are seen only along the shallowest, landward edge of the acoustic blanking zone. This may suggest that the decreased gas solubility at shallow water depths, caused by the lowered pressure, increases the volume of free gas in the sediments, facilitating the gas escape. The seafloor depressions, interpreted as pockmarks, are accompanied by cone-shaped acoustic masking, which is probably the reflection from a narrow vent of gas. The gas-related acoustic anomalies appear to occur mostly in the upper, recent mud of the KSSM. Neither permeable beds nor faults, which can act as vertical migration pathways for deep thermogenic gas, are evident in the recent mud. We interpret that the bacterial degradation of organic matter in situ is the main source for the gas in the KSSM. The upwelling off SE Korea may be an important source for the increased organic matter in the area.     

The Hormuz Strait Dam Macroproject—21st Century Electricity Development Infrastructure Node (EDIN)?

ABSTRACT

Ocean gulfs offer a means of artificially creating a depression, which can be used for a regionally significant hydroelectric macroproject. We examine here the case for a dam at the Strait of Hormuz that blocks a large gulf situated in an arid region. A 35 m evaporation of this concentration basin will reduce its watery surface area by ～53% and allow generation of ～2.050 MW (or possibly ～2.500 MW) of electricity. Our conclusion is that the proposed Electricity Development Infrastructure Node (EDIN) is a feasible and desirable macroproject. If the macroproject starts in the near-term future, it would require a significant change in the logistics of oil and gas transport from this region. Alternatively, it can be considered as an attractive future solution for the energy requirements of the region after exhaustion of its oil and gas reserves.