Biological structures as a source of habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity on the deep ocean margins

Biological structures exert a major influence on species diversity at both local and regional scales on deep continental margins. Some organisms use other species as substrates for attachment, shelter, feeding or parasitism, but there may also be mutual benefits from the association. Here, we highlight the structural attributes and biotic effects of the habitats that corals, sea pens, sponges and xenophyophores offer other organisms. The environmental setting of the biological structures influences their species composition. The importance of benthic species as substrates seems to increase with depth as the complexity of the surrounding geological substrate and food supply decline. There are marked differences in the degree of mutualistic relationships between habitat-forming taxa. This is especially evident for scleractinian corals, which have high numbers of facultative associates (commensals) and few obligate associates (mutualists), and gorgonians, with their few commensals and many obligate associates. Size, flexibility and architectural complexity of the habitat-forming organism are positively related to species diversity for both sessile and mobile species. This is mainly evident for commensal species sharing a facultative relationship with their host. Habitat complexity is enhanced by the architecture of biological structures, as well as by biological interactions. Colony morphology has a great influence on feeding efficiency for suspension feeders. Suspension feeding, habitat-forming organisms modify the environment to optimize their food uptake. This environmental advantage is also passed on to associated filter-feeding species. These effects are poorly understood but represent key points for understanding ecosystems and biodiversity on continental margins. In this paper we explore the contributions of organisms and the biotic structures they create (rather than physical modifications) to habitat heterogeneity and diversity on the deep continental margins.     

Seep mounds on the Southern Vøring Plateau (offshore Norway)

Multidisciplinary study of seep-related structures on Southern Vøring Plateau has been performed during several UNESCO/IOC TTR cruises on R/V Professor Logachev. High-resolution sidescan sonar and subbottom profiler data suggest that most of the studied fluid discharge structures have a positive relief at their central part surrounded by depression. Our data shows that the present day fluid activity is concentrated on the top of these “seep mounds”. Number of high hydrocarbon (HC) gas saturated sediment cores and 5 cores with gas hydrate presence have been recovered from these structures. δ¹³C of methane (between −68 and −94.6‰ VPDB) and dry composition of the gas points to its biogenic origin. The sulfate depletion generally occurs within the upper 30–200 cm bsf and usually coincides with an increase of methane concentration. Pore water δ¹⁸O ranges from 0.29 to 1.14‰ showing an overall gradual increase from bottom water values (δ¹⁸O ∼ 0.35‰). Although no obvious evidence of fluid seepage was observed during the TV surveys, coring data revealed a broad distribution of living Pogonophora and bacterial colonies on sea bottom inside seep structures. These evidences point to ongoing fluid activity (continuous seepage of methane) through these structures. From other side, considerable number and variety of chemosynthetic macro fauna with complete absence of living species suggest that present day level of fluid activity is significantly lower than it was in past. Dead and subfossil fauna recovered from various seep sites consist of solemyid (Acharax sp.), thyasirid and vesicomyid (cf. Calyptogena sp.) bivalves belonging to chemosymbiotic families. Significant variations in δ¹³C (−31.6‰ to −59.2‰) and δ¹⁸O (0.42‰ and 6.4‰) of methane-derived carbonates collected from these structures most probably related to changes in gas composition and bottom water temperature between periods of their precipitation. This led us to ideas that: (1) seep activity on the Southern Vøring Plateau was started with large input of the deep thermogenic gas and gradually decries in time with increasing of biogenic constituent; (2) authigenic carbonate precipitation started at the near normal deep sea environments with bottom water temperature around +5 °C and continues with gradual cooling up to negative temperatures recording at present time.     

Some statistical characteristics of large deepwater waves around the Korean Peninsula

The relationship between significant wave height and period, the variability of significant wave period, the spectral peak enhancement factor, and the directional spreading parameter of large deepwater waves around the Korean Peninsula have been investigated using various sources of wave measurement and hindcasting data. For very large waves comparable to design waves, it is recommended to use the average value of the empirical formulas proposed by Shore Protection Manual in 1977 and by Goda in 2003 for the relationship between significant wave height and period. The standard deviation of significant wave periods non-dimensionalized with respect to the mean value for a certain significant wave height varies between 0.04 and 0.21 with a typical value of 0.1 depending upon different regions and different ranges of significant wave heights. The probability density function of the peak enhancement factor is expressed as a lognormal distribution, with its mean value of 2.14, which is somewhat smaller than the value in the North Sea. For relatively large waves, the probability density function of the directional spreading parameter at peak frequency is also expressed as a lognormal distribution.     

A joint distribution of significant wave height and characteristic surf parameter

The paper provides a joint distribution of significant wave height and characteristic surf parameter. The characteristic surf parameter is given by the ratio between the slope of a beach or a structure and the square root of the characteristic wave steepness in deep water defined in terms of the significant wave height and the spectral peak period. The characteristic surf parameter is used to characterize surf zone processes and is relevant for e.g. wave run-up on beaches and coastal structures. The paper presents statistical properties of the wave parameters as well as an example of results corresponding to typical field conditions.     

郯庐断裂带中南段重磁特征与深部构造

郯庐断裂带是中国东部地球物理场的分界线。它在磁场上呈现出一条NNE向线性正磁异常带,它的重力场特征表现为规模较大的布格重力异常梯度带。在断裂带的两侧,其区域磁场、区域重力场无论是场值大小,还是异常规模以及各异常的展布形态等诸方面都具有明显的区别。地球物理特征揭示郯庐断裂带深部构造,为研究重点矿产分布规律及地震灾害预报具有重要的实际意义。     

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。     

The new wave overtopping database for coastal structures

Significant effort has been made to generate a homogeneous database on wave overtopping consisting of more than 10,000 irregular wave overtopping tests from more than 160 independent projects or test series, each described by means of 31 parameters. Many coastal structures, including dikes, rubble mound breakwaters, berm breakwaters, caisson structures and combinations have been considered and have been schematised for inclusion in the database. All these overtopping tests are represented by over 300,000 numbers in the database.     

胶西北金矿集中区亚热柱幔枝构造成矿研究

胶西北是我国最大的黄金矿集区,不仅黄金储量巨大,而且成矿时间集中（115±5)Ma。研究认为燕山运动以来,华北东部地区进入了地幔热柱演化阶段;胶西北形成了莱阳地幔亚热柱及其外围郭家店、艾山、盘石店等幔枝构造体系。深源含矿流体通过地幔热柱→地幔亚热柱→幔枝构造→有利构造扩容带,迁移到幔枝构造的脆韧性韧脆性剪切带、侵入岩体的内、外接触带、密集的构造裂隙带、各种脉岩与围岩的接触带等有利部位集聚成矿,从而构成以幔枝构造为中心的金成矿密集区。该文以郭家店幔枝构造研究为例,分析了成矿作用,归纳了成矿模式。     

招平断裂带中段深部结构构造——来自地震剖面的证据

玲珑花岗岩岩基东侧的招平断裂带是胶西北矿集区的主要控矿构造之一。布设于招平断裂带中段大尹格庄矿区的地震剖面,揭示了招平断裂带中段深部的结构构造特征,地震剖面显示,玲珑岩基内部有多个类似"拱弧构造"的岩浆侵入形成的弧形界面,由此推测存在2~3期的岩浆活动。剖面显示了3期构造组合样式,第1期为以招平断裂带和宋家河断裂为组合倾向SE的铲式断裂,底部似汇入统一的构造滑脱带;第2期为倾向NW的错断了招平断裂带的反倾伸展断裂;第3期为NE向延伸以花状构造为特征的走滑断裂。前两期反映构造发育处于伸展环境,第3期显示为左行走滑。招平断裂带深部延伸存在分支复合现象,形成由2个主裂面夹持的透镜状岩片。地震反射剖面数据的获得对深刻理解该区域中生代岩浆构造演化过程和深部找矿具有重要的借鉴意义。