冷泉系统甲烷气体渗漏的声学特征及潜在环境效应

The amount of methane leaked from deep sea cold seeps is enormous and potentially affects the global warming,ocean acidification and global carbon cycle. It is of great significance to study the methane bubble movement and dissolution process in the water column and its output to the atmosphere. Methane bubbles produce strong acoustic impedance in water bodies, and bubble strings released from deep sea cold seeps are called "gas flares"which expressed as flame-like strong backscatter in the water column. We characterized the morphology and movement of methane bubbles released into the water using multibeam water column data at two cold seeps. The result shows that methane at site I reached 920 m water depth without passing through the top of the gas hydrate stability zone(GHSZ, 850 m), while methane bubbles at site II passed through the top of the GHSZ(597 m) and entered the non-GHSZ(above 550 m). By applying two methods on the multibeam data, the bubble rising velocity in the water column at sites I and II were estimated to be 9.6 cm/s and 24 cm/s, respectively. Bubble velocity is positively associated with water depth which is inferred to be resulted from decrease of bubble size during methane ascending in the water. Combined with numerical simulation, we concluded that formation of gas hydrate shells plays an important role in helping methane bubbles entering the upper water bodies, while other factors, including water depth, bubble velocity, initial kinetic energy and bubble size, also influence the bubble residence time in the water and the possibility of methane entering the atmosphere. We estimate that methane gas flux at these two sites is 0.4×10~6–87.6×10~6 mol/a which is extremely small compared to the total amount of methane in the ocean body, however, methane leakage might exert significant impact on the ocean acidification considering the widespread distributed cold seeps. In addition, although methane entering the atmosphere is not observed, further research is still needed to understand its potential impact on increasing methane concentration in the surface seawater and gas-water interface methane exchange rate, which consequently increase the greenhouse effect.     

Delineation of the 85°E ridge and its structure in the Mahanadi Offshore Basin,Eastern Continental Margin of India (ECMI), from seismic reflection imaging

The passive Eastern Continental Margin of India (ECMI) evolved during the break up of India and East Antarctica in the Early Cretaceous. The 85°E ridge is a prominent linear aseismic feature extending from the Afanasy Nikitin Seamounts northward to the Mahanadi basin along the ECMI. Earlier workers have interpreted the ridge to be a prominent hot spot trail. In the absence of conclusive data, the extension of the ridge towards its northern extremity below the thick Bengal Fan sediments was a matter of postulation. In the present study, interpretation of high resolution 2-D reflection data from the Mahanadi Offshore Basin, located in the northern part of the ridge, unequivocally indicates continuation of the ridge across the continent–ocean boundary into the slope and shelf tracts of the ECMI. Its morphology and internal architecture suggest a volcanic plume related origin that can be correlated with the activity of the Kerguelen hot spot in the nascent Indian Ocean. In the continental region, the plume related volcanic activity appears to have obliterated all seismic features typical of continental crust. The deeper oceanic crust, over which the hot spot plume erupted, shows the presence of linear NS aligned basement highs, corresponding with the ridge, underlain by a depressed Moho discontinuity. In the deep oceanic basin, the ridge influences the sediment dispersal pattern from the Early Cretaceous (?)/early part of Late Cretaceous times till the end of Oligocene, which is an important aspect for understanding the hydrocarbon potential of the basin.     

东海陆架两期沙脊的时空对比东海陆架两期沙脊的时空对比

基于高分辨率的单道地震和多波束测深数据,识别并对比了东海陆架中部同一海区相距20余万年的层U14和层U2两期沙脊群,其中层U14期沙脊属于埋藏沙脊,位于东海海底以下90 m深处,推测属于距今320~200 ka的海侵体系域(TST),沙脊顶界面是该期海侵的最大洪泛面(MFS);层U2期沙脊位于东海陆架,属于衰退沙脊,系末次盛冰期(LGM)以来的TST,顶界面是LGM以来的MFS。尽管两期沙脊形成年代相距20余万年,地层层位相距近90 m,但是沙脊群总体走向一致,表明距今2×105 a以来东海陆架潮波基本格局稳定。从层U2期可识别出4个亚期沙脊,通过多波束海底地形图可识别出4组走向的沙脊,多亚期、多走向沙脊是LGM以来海平面阶梯状波动在海底地形演变过程中的响应证据。     

Methylmercury production in sediments of Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic continental margin

Methylmercury (MeHg) concentration and production rates were studied in bottom sediments along the mainstem of Chesapeake Bay and on the adjoining continental shelf and slope. Our objectives were to 1) observe spatial and temporal changes in total mercury (HgT) and MeHg concentrations in the mid-Atlantic coastal region, 2) investigate biogeochemical factors that affect MeHg production, and 3) examine the potential of these sediments as sources of MeHg to coastal and open waters. Estuarine, shelf and slope sediments contained on average 0.5 to 1.5% Hg as MeHg (% MeHg), which increased significantly with salinity across our study site, with weak seasonal trends. Methylation rate constants (k_meth), estimated using enriched stable mercury isotope spikes to intact cores, showed a similar, but weaker, salinity trend, but strong seasonality, and was highly correlated with % MeHg. Together, these patterns suggest that some fraction of MeHg is preserved thru seasons, as found by others [Orihel, D.M., Paterson, M.J., Blanchfield, P.J., Bodaly, R.A., Gilmour, C.C., Hintelmann, H., 2008. Temporal changes in the distribution, methylation, and bioaccumulation of newly deposited mercury in an aquatic ecosystem. Environmental Pollution 154, 77] Similar to other ecosystems, methylation was most favored in sediment depth horizons where sulfate was available, but sulfide concentrations were low (between 0.1 and 10 μM). MeHg production was maximal at the sediment surface in the organic sediments of the upper and mid Bay where oxygen penetration was small, but was found at increasingly deeper depths, and across a wider vertical range, as salinity increased, where oxygen penetration was deeper. Vertical trends in MeHg production mirrored the deeper, vertically expanded redox boundary layers in these offshore sediments. The organic content of the sediments had a strong impact on the sediment:water partitioning of Hg, and therefore, on methylation rates. However, the HgT distribution coefficient (K_D) normalized to organic matter varied by more than an order of magnitude across the study area, suggesting an important role of organic matter quality in Hg sequestration. We hypothesize that the lower sulfur content organic matter of shelf and slope sediments has a lower binding capacity for Hg resulting in higher MeHg production, relative to sediments in the estuary. Substantially higher MeHg concentrations in pore water relative to the water column indicate all sites are sources of MeHg to the water column throughout the seasons studied. Calculated diffusional fluxes for MeHg averaged  1 pmol m^− 2 day^− 1. It is likely that the total MeHg flux in sediments of the lower Bay and continental margin are significantly higher than their estimated diffusive fluxes due to enhanced MeHg mobilization by biological and/or physical processes. Our flux estimates across the full salinity gradient of Chesapeake Bay and its adjacent slope and shelf strongly suggest that the flux from coastal sediments is of the same order as other sources and contributes substantially to the coastal MeHg budget.     

Mesoscale physical processes and zooplankton transport-retention in the northern Norwegian shelf region

Northern Norwegian shelf regions are highly productive, supporting fisheries rich in commercially important species such as cod, herring and capelin. It has been long recognized that the mesoscale jets, meanders and eddies associated with interactions between the North Atlantic Current, Norwegian Coastal Current and regional bottom topographic features such as troughs, banks and shelfbreaks play important roles in transporting and retaining zooplankton. To investigate zooplankton distributions and their correspondence with the physical fields, three large-scale surveys with mesoscale resolutions on physical and biological fields were conducted in northern Norwegian shelf regions between latitudes 68°15′N and 70°15′N in springs of 2000–2002. Survey results provide insights into the relationships between zooplankton distributions and the physical features such as fronts, the Norwegian Coastal Current and eddies related to topographic features. The physical and biological data are integrated and analyzed focusing on water types, estimation of geostrophic currents from direct current measurements, along-shelf transport of zooplankton, and retention of zooplankton by the mesoscale meander–eddy over a typical bank area on the shelf. The estimated mean transport in the upper 100 m on the shelf in the survey region is approximately 6.4×10³ tonnes wet weight day⁻¹ northward. High zooplankton abundances were found over both Malangsgrunnen and Sveinsgrunnen banks. The specific accumulation rate from northward–southward transport in the upper 100 m over Malangsgrunnen was approximately 0.08 day⁻¹, while variable currents with an offshore gradient of zooplankton abundance over Sveinsgrunnen implies an offshore dispersion of coastal-originated zooplankton cohort.     

新亚欧大陆桥(河南段)经济带地下水资源形势的研究

新亚欧大陆桥,是又一条连接亚欧大陆的“黄金通道”。陆桥的开通,给河南城市群的崛起和城乡产业经济的发展带来了契机。作为经济可持续发展限制因素之一的地下水资源,在陆桥（河南段）经济带范围内,能否满足沿线经济对地下水的需求？研究结论是：地下水形势不容乐观,潜力尚有８７×１０８ｍ３／ａ,同时还存在超采量３８８×１０８ｍ３／ａ,城乡开发地下水强度不一,已引发多种环境地质问题,对陆桥（河南段）经济带的发展构成了严重威胁。为缓和陆桥（河南段）沿线用水矛盾,必须遵循“因地制宜,量水为出,适度开发,统一规划”的原则,在开源、节流、管理上做好用水文章,充分发挥地下水资源的整体效益,实现陆桥（河南段）经济带地下水的可持续开发利用。     

藏北尼玛地区白垩纪岩浆岩对班公湖-怒江缝合带演化的制约

班公湖-怒江缝合带及其两侧广泛分布白垩纪岩浆岩,这些岩浆活动记录了班公湖-怒江特提斯洋俯冲至闭合以及拉萨-羌塘板块碰撞过程.为了约束该缝合带在早-晚白垩世的演化过程,本文对缝合带中段尼玛地区花岗岩进行岩相学、地球化学、锆石年代学和Hf同位素研究.尼玛北部虾别错花岗岩侵入到中生代地层中,发育石英闪长质包体.锆石U-Pb定...     

The chronostratigraphy of a quaternary sequence at the distal part of the nile littoral cell,Haifa Bay,Israel

The current detailed chronostratigraphic framework of the last 1 Ma of an eastern Mediterranean sequence (Haifa Bay, Israel) aims to examine the relative roles of sea‐level changes, climate and tectonics. Seven continuous marine cores, up to ～120 m long, were recovered from shallow water depths. The cores were dated by optically stimulated luminescence, ¹⁴C, magnetostratigraphy, ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U, ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be, occurrence of index fossils and correlated to the global sea‐level curve and Marine Isotope Stages (MIS). The sedimentary sequence accumulated during the last ca. 1.0 Ma consists of 21 transgression–regression units with hiatuses between them. Five marine/terrestrial cycles, which occur in the lower part of the sequence, are attributed to the Jaramillo subchron and the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary, and correspond to MIS 29–21. The top ～50 m includes three sedimentary cycles deposited in the last ca. 400 ka. The regressive phases during this interval correspond to Glacial MIS 8, 6 and 2, while the transgressions correspond to Interglacial MIS 11, 7, 5 and 1. Thus, for the first time, this study documents the longest Quaternary succession dated so far in a key area of the Levant, sensitive to global history of sea‐level changes and glacial/interglacial fluctuations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The control of maturity and kerogen type on quantitative analytical pyrolysis data

Quantitative pyrolysis-gas chromatography has been performed on 96 kerogen samples isolated from 17 wells on the Norwegian Continental shelf. Petrographic and bulk geochemical measurements were also performed on the samples, and a combined data set of 117 variables for each sample was analysed using principal components analysis (PCA). This approach provides an objective and reproducible means of kerogen characterisation, which can be easily automated. In addition to objective kerogen characterisation and facile visualisation of facies and maturity related chemical trends, the method has the potential to allow objective prediction of key geochemical parameters such as maturity level from pyrogram data.     

Continental size,eustasy and sediment yield

Sediment yield from modern continental blocks is a function of the area (dissolved load) and hypsometry (mechanical load) of the blocks. Hypsographic curves for modern continental blocks show that the change in the percentage area flooded for any change in eustatic sea level depends on the size of the block and the absolute sea level. This allows predictions of changes in sediment yield around different sized blocks for any given eustatic change. The range in size of continental blocks is such that, for any given sea level change, the blocks will show different percentage changes in yield. Data from modern continental blocks are compared with theoretical results. Assuming that the rules governing modern hypsometries applied in the past, and a constant volume of continental crust, it is possible to estimate the hypsographic curves of former continental blocks. The implications of suggested past continental configurations and sea levels for sediment yield are discussed.