Observations of the Labrador Sea eddy field

This paper is an observational study of small-scale coherent eddies in the Labrador Sea, a region of dense water formation thought to be of considerable importance to the North Atlantic overturning circulation. Numerical studies of deep convection emphasize coherent eddies as a mechanism for the lateral transport of heat, yet their small size has hindered observational progress. A large part of this paper is therefore devoted to developing new methods for identifying and describing coherent eddies in two observational platforms, current meter moorings and satellite altimetry. Details of the current and water mass structure of individual eddy events, as they are swept past by an advecting flow, can then be extracted from the mooring data. A transition is seen during mid-1997, with long-lived boundary current eddies dominating the central Labrador Sea year-round after this time, and convectively formed eddies similar to those seen in deep convection modeling studies apparent prior to this time. The TOPEX / Poseidon altimeter covers the Labrador Sea with a loose “net” of observations, through which coherent eddies can seem to appear and disappear. By concentrating on locating and describing anomalous events in individual altimeter tracks, a portrait of the spatial and temporal variability of the underlying eddy field can be constructed. The altimeter results reveal an annual “pulsation” of energy and of coherent eddies originating during the late fall at a particular location in the boundary current, pinpointing the time and place of the boundary current-type eddy formation. The interannual variability seen at the mooring is reproduced, but the mooring site is found to be within a localized region of greatly enhanced eddy activity. Notably lacking in both the annual cycle and interannual variability is a clear relationship between the eddies or eddy energy and the intensity of wintertime cooling. These eddy observations, as well as hydrographic evidence, suggest an active role for boundary current dynamics in shaping the energetics and water mass properties of the interior region.     

Relationship between Shot-Induced Noise and Shot Interval in Seismic Refraction Experiments at Sea

Seismic noise induced by the seismic source during continuous profiling reduces the signal-to-noise ratio and hence the data quality. This noise is largely dependent on the shot interval. In this paper, the noise amplitude of refraction seismic records from a special experiment is analysed as a function of the shot interval. An empirical exponential relationship between mean peak noise amplitude and shot interval is deduced. By increasing the shot interval, the induced noise can be minimized on all successive records. This results in an improvement of the data, predominantly the signal-to-noise ratio. Because the seismic signal and the shot-induced noise have nearly the same spectra, the chance of improving the signal-to-noise ratio by stacking is significantly reduced.     

Seasonal and interannual variations in the East Sakhalin current revealed by TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data

Seasonal and interannual variations in the East Sakhalin Current (ESC) are investigated using ten-year records of the sea level anomaly (SLA) observed by the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) altimeter. The T/P SLA clearly documents seasonal and interannual variations in the ESC along the east coast of Sakhalin Island, although sea ice masks the region from January to April. Estimates of surface current velocity anomaly derived from T/P SLA are in good agreement with drifting buoy observations. The ESC is strong in winter, with a typical current velocity of 30–40 cm s⁻¹ in December, and almost disappears in summer. Southward flow of the ESC is confined to the shelf and slope region and consists of two velocity cores. These features of the ESC are consistent with short-term observations reported in previous studies. Analysis of the ten-year records of T/P SLA confirms that the structure of the ESC is maintained each winter and the seasonal cycle is repeated every year, although the strength of the ESC shows large interannual variations. Seasonal and interannual variations in the ESC are discussed in relation to wind-driven circulation in the Sea of Okhotsk, using wind stress and wind stress curl fields derived from European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis data and a scatterometer-derived wind product. Seasonal and interannual variations of the anticyclonic eddy in the Kuril Basin are also revealed using T/P SLA.     

Variability of organic δC and C/N in the Mersey Estuary, U.K. and its implications for sea-level reconstruction studies

Microfossil analysis (e.g. diatoms, foraminifera and pollen) represents the cornerstone of Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) reconstruction because their distribution in the contemporary inter-tidal zone is principally controlled by ground elevation within the tidal frame. A combination of poor microfossil preservation and a limited range in the sediment record may severely restrict the accuracy of resulting RSL reconstructions. Organic δ¹³C and C/N analysis of inter-tidal sediments have shown some potential as coastal palaeoenvironmental proxies. Here we assess their viability for reconstructing RSL change by examining patterns of organic δ¹³C and C/N values in a modern estuarine environment. δ¹³C and C/N analysis of bulk organic inter-tidal sediments and vegetation, as well as suspended and bedload organic sediments of the Mersey Estuary, U.K., demonstrate that the two main sources of organic carbon to surface saltmarsh sediments (terrestrial vegetation and tidal-derived particulate organic matter) have distinctive δ¹³C and C/N signatures. The resulting relationship between ground elevation within the tidal frame and surface sediment δ¹³C and C/N is unaffected by decompositional changes. The potential of this technique for RSL reconstruction is demonstrated by the analysis of part of an early Holocene sediment core from the Mersey Estuary. Organic δ¹³C and C/N analysis is less time consuming than microfossil analysis and is likely to provide continuous records of RSL change.     

南海北缘东部盆地油气资源研究

南海北缘东部的珠江口盆地及台西南盆地蕴藏着十分丰富的油气资源，根据区域构造背景、盆地发育分布的特点及中、新生代的油气地质条件，结合含油气构造、油气田、油气井的分布规律，利用油气资源评价的理论、方法，对区内的油气资源进行了综合研究，并按照油气资源状况划分出油气富集区、油气潜力区、油气远景区，在此基础上，再进一步划分出4条油气富集带、11条油气潜力带、8条油气远景带，充分显示了该区石油、天然气的分布规律和油气地质特点，为商业性的勘探开发和理论研究奠定了基础。     

提取分潮调和常数的新方法——正交方法

给出了提取潮汐调和常数的一种新方法--正交方法,并应用1992～1997年的TOPEX/POSEIDON卫星高度计遥感资料,提取中国海M2分潮调和常数.同时,利用最小二乘法来提取中国海M2分潮调和常数,两种方法结果比较渤海、黄海、东海海域M2分潮振幅、迟角的均方差分别是3.3 cm,3.6°;南中国海海域M2分潮振幅、迟角均方差分别是1.1 cm,1.7°,结果表明正交方法是一种可信的具有实用性的方法.     

Mean flow and variability in the southwestern East Sea

The Ulleung Basin is one of three deep basins that are contained within the East/Japan Sea. Current meter moorings have been maintained in this basin beginning in 1996. The data from these moorings are used to investigate the mean circulation pattern, variability of deep flows, and volume transports of major water masses in the Ulleung Basin with supporting hydrographic data and help from a high-resolution numerical model. The bottom water within the Ulleung Basin, which must enter through a constricted passage from the north, is found to circulate cyclonically—a pattern that seems prevalent throughout the East Sea. A strong current of about 6 cms⁻¹ on average flows southward over the continental slope off the Korean coast underlying the northward East Korean Warm Current as part of the mean abyssal cyclonic circulation. Volume transports of the northward East Korean Warm Current, and southward flowing East Sea Intermediate Water and East Sea Proper Water are estimated to be 1.4 Sv (1 Sv=10⁻⁶ m³ s⁻¹), 0.8 Sv, and 3.0–4.0 Sv, respectively. Deep flow variability involves a wide range of time scales with no apparent seasonal variations, whereas the deep currents in the northern East Sea are known to be strongly seasonal.     

用Matlab中的Neural Network Toolbox仿真赤道东太平洋SST的预报模型

基于ＮＣＥＰ／ＮＣＡＲ再分析资料和ＣＯＡＤＳ海洋资料中的全球月平均海平面气压场、８５０hPa纬向风场及海洋温度场，利用Ｍatlab中的Ｎeural Network Toolbox仿真环境和ＢＰ模型改进算法比较准确地仿真和反演出了南方涛动指数、赤道纬向风指数和滞后的赤道东太平洋海温之间的动力结构和预报模型。该模型具有很好的拟合精度和可行的预报效果。可在一定时效内预测赤道东太平洋月平均海温的变化趋势。由于所建系统是具有直接因果关系的预报模型，因此不仅可直接用于预测，而且可有效避免类拟非线性微分方程组在积分过程中由于对初值敏感性而可能产生的对预报结果的不确定性。     

青藏高原中部湖泊沉积物中Zr/Rb值及其环境意义

由于青藏高原及其周边地区构造复杂,湖泊沉积物中的粒级差别很大,单一的测量方法往往难以奏效。Rb、Zr是表生地球化学过程中的稳定元素,但它们之间也存在显著差别,Rb一般富集在细颗粒中,Zr则在粗颗粒中含量较高。研究发现,湖泊沉积物中Zr/Rb比值与粘土(<2μm)含量存在显著相关,Zr/Rb值反映了湖泊沉积物的粒度大小。Zr/Rb比值所揭示的青藏高原中部280万年来经历的3次大的环境演化过程与岩性变化、孢粉指标反映的环境特征是一致的。