Annual Variation of Benthic Nutrient Fluxes in Shallow Coastal Waters (Gulf of Trieste, Northern Adriatic Sea)

Abstract. Benthic fluxes of dissolved N. Si and P nutrients, alkalinity, dissolved inorganic C (DIC), and O₂ from sediments in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic, Italy) were measured monthly for 16 months, using laboratory incubated flux chambers at in siru temperatures in the dark. The annual average fluxes were: 02 = -19.3 ± 8.2, DIC = 13.7 ± 9.6, NO3 = -0.04 ± 0.16, NH4 = 0.3 ± 0.4. PO₄= 4.001 ± 0.01, Si = 0.9 ± 0.1 mmol m-² d^-1, with strong temporal fluctuations. The highest effluxes of all nutrients and DIC were observed in the summer. Small effluxes of DIC and NH4 and influxes of Si and PO4 were observed in late winter. Only NH₄ (ca. 50%) and Si (ca. 70%) fluxes were significantly correlated with temperature. This correlation suggests that the rate of downward input and the quality of sedimented organic matter (autochthonous and allochthonous) were superimposed on the temperature fluctuations. High DIC, NH₄ and Si effluxes observed in May 1993 during low temperature were due to the degradation of sedimentary organic matter produced by an early spring bloom of benthic microalgae which occurred about 6 weeks earlies while the autumn phytoplankton bloom was simultaneously reflected in enhanced benthic fluxes due to higher temperature. The role of benthic biological advection in this transport across the sediment-water interface, evaluated by comparison between measured benthic and calculated diffusive fluxes from nutrient pore water concentrations, was of minor importance. This is probably due to low infaunal activity throughout the year it was localized mostly in the narrow surficial layer. The annual average diffusive fluxes of NH4 and PO4 were higher than those measured, probably due to the presence of nitrificationdenitrifi-cation processes and redox-dependent chemical reactions at the oxic sediment-water interface, respectively. Only during bottom-water hypoxia in September 1993 did strong PO₄ effluxes prevail. Calculations based on the Redfield stoichiometry of oxic decomposition of organic N to NH4 and NO3, and differences between diffusive and measured NH₄ fluxes showed that denitrifkation averaged 0.8 mmol m^-2 d^-1. Significant correlations between NH₄ and PO₄ DIC and Si, and NH4 and Si fluxes suggested their parallel regeneration and utilization at the sediment-water interface. The nutrient fluxes observed were not significantly linked to O₂ consumption, suggesting also that anaerobic oxidation processes were important at the sediment-water interface in the gulf. The N, P and Si nutriqnts released from sediment pore waters are probably utilized in benthic microalgal and bottorn-hater primary production. This indicates that pelagic and benthic communities in the central part of the Gulf of Trieste function relatively independently of each other.     

桑沟湾沉积碳库年汇入速率的长期变化及其区域性差异

对取自桑沟湾北西南三根柱样近200 a碳来源及埋藏通量的解析,分析了湾内不同站位各形态碳的差异性,进而对全湾碳埋藏进行了估算。湾内环流、贝藻养殖等造成湾内不同区域碳埋藏的差异;桑沟湾总碳（TC）平均量1.79%,有机碳（TOC）平均量0.54%,无机碳（TIC）平均量1.25%,TOC含量相对较小,为海陆混合来源,以陆源有机碳（C_t）为主,大规模人工养殖后,海源有机碳（C_a）有明显增加的趋势。桑沟湾碳埋藏通量平均为228.9 g/（m2·a）,以无机碳为主要埋藏形式（约占70%）,高的沉积速率及生物残骸沉降使桑沟湾养殖区碳的来源及埋藏区别于其他陆架海域。     

波浪作用下渤海湾近岸海域污染物的输移扩散规律

用物理模型实验和数学模型计算相结合的方法,研究了均匀缓坡岸滩上,规则波及不规则波浪作用下形成的沿岸流及其对岸边排放污染物输移扩散的影响。针对渤海湾的地形和主要波浪方向,研究了渤海湾主要排污口附近单纯波浪以及波浪、潮流共同作用下近岸海域内流动速度分布与相应污染物输移扩散规律。结果表明,在渤海湾近岸海域(一定范围内),污染物输移扩散受到波浪作用的影响,表现为平行岸线方向。波浪作用使得远离污染物排放口的滩涂受污染的影响增大。     

2008年南海季风爆发前后西沙海域海气通量变化特征

基于2008年4至5月在南海西沙永兴岛进行的海气通量观测试验资料和NCEP资料,应用COARE3.0通量算法计算了海气通量,分析了季风爆发前后西沙海域天气变化特点和海气通量对南海季风爆发的响应。结果表明:2008年南海季风首先于5月第1候在南海南部爆发,受热带气旋等因素的影响,北部海区季风爆发推迟到5月18日。季风爆发和热带气旋活动对西沙海域的风速和海气通量影响较大,其中热带气旋的影响更强烈。热带气旋来临之前,潜热通量、感热通量以及动量通量均较小;在气旋活动及此后的季风爆发时期,大风使潜热通量和动量通量显著增强,感热通量则在降水期间变化明显;动量通量的最大值出现在热带气旋活动期间,其在此过程中的均值是观测初期均值的3倍以上。在整个观测过程中,潜热通量明显大于感热通量,后者是前者的16∶1。不同类型天气过程中,潜热通量的日变化相似,而感热通量的日变化有差异。湍流交换系数与风速有较好的相关关系。     

Inorganic arsenic speciation in the waters of the Penzé estuary (NW France): Seasonal variations and fluxes to the coastal area

Over this one-year study, the variations of inorganic As species were examined monthly along the salinity gradient of the Penzé estuary (NW France) in relation with different biogeochemical parameters. In most cases, dissolved As exhibited a non-conservative behaviour which resulted from the competition between two major processes. In the upstream section of the estuary, a strong input of both total inorganic As and As(III) occurred. Then, the removal of the same species, under precipitation of iron oxides/oxyhydroxides, was observed in the low-salinity range (S < 10). Using our experimental data, the fluxes of the various As species were estimated for the first time in estuarine waters. Inputs from the river were mainly constituted of particulate As (∼70%). Conversely, dissolved species were predominant in the net fluxes (∼65%) and As(III) accounted for ∼15% of the dissolved net flux.     

Daily variability of river concentrations and fluxes: indicators based on the segmentation of the rating curve

The variability of water chemistry on a daily scale is rarely addressed due to the lack of records. Appropriate tools, such as typologies and dimensionless indicators, which permit comparisons between stations and between river materials, are missing. Such tools are developed here for daily concentrations (C), specific fluxes or yields (Y) and specific river flow (q). The data set includes 128 long‐term daily records, for suspended particulate matter (SPM), total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved and total nutrients, totalling 1236 years of records. These 86 river basins (10³–10⁶ km²) cover a wide range of environmental conditions in semi‐arid and temperate regions. The segmentation—truncation of C–q rating curves into two parts at median flows (q₅₀) generates two exponents (b_50inf and b_50sup) that are different for 66% of the analysed rating curves. After segmentation, the analysis of records results in the definition of nine major C–q types combining concentrating, diluting or stable patterns, showing inflexions, chevron and U shapes. SPM and TDS are preferentially distributed among a few types, while dissolved and total nutrients are more widely distributed. Four dimensionless indicators of daily variability combine median (C₅₀, Y₅₀), extreme (C₉₉, Y₉₉) and flow‐weighted (C*, Y*) concentrations and yields (e.g. C₉₉/C₅₀, Y*/Y₅₀). They vary over two to four orders of magnitude in the analysed records, discriminating stations and river material. A second set of four indicators of relative variability [e.g. (Y*/Y₅₀)/(q*/q₅₀)], takes into account the daily flow variability, as expressed by q*/q₅₀ and q₉₉/q₅₀, which also vary over multiple orders of magnitude. The truncated exponent b_50sup is used to describe fluxes at higher flows accounting for 75% (TDS) to 97% (SPM) of interannual fluxes. It ranges from ? 0·61 to + 1·86 in the database. It can be regarded as the key amplificator (positive b_50sup) or reductor (negative b_50sup) of concentrations or yields variability. C₅₀, Y₅₀, b_50sup can also be estimated in discrete surveys, which provides a new perspective for quantifying and mapping water quality variability at daily scale. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Falling sphere observations of anisotropic gravity wave motions in the upper stratosphere over Australia

A study of inertial scale gravity wave motions in the region of the atmosphere between 30 and 60 km has been undertaken, using wind and temperature data derived from rocket-borne falling sphere density experiments performed over Woomera, Australia between 1962 nad 1976. The gross features of the wave field compare favorably with those found in similar northern hemispheric studies. Wave propagation is found to be both vertically and horizontally anisotropic. A rotary spectral analysis indicates predominately upgoing wave energy, suggesting that the majority of sources of these waves lie below 30 km. A detailed statistical investigation of the waves, made using the Stokes parameters technique, reveals that phase progression is also highly directional in the horizontal, with a significant zonal component in summer, but with a strong meridional component in winter. Propagation towards the southeast is inferred in summer, with the waves possibly emanating from tropospheric sources in equatorial regions to the north of Australia. The technique also shows that, on average, the waves appear to have mean ellipse eccentricities (=f/) around 0.4–0.45. Indirect estimates of a number of important wave parameters are made. In particular,v andw flux estimates are made over several height intervals. The vertical gradient of density weighted flux implies wave-induced mean flow accelerations of the order 0.1–1 ms^–1day^–1. This suggests that dissipating gravity waves are a significant source of the momentum residuals that are encountered in studies of satellite data from this region.     

Global spectra of energy and enstrophy and their fluxes during July 1979

Transient and stationary spectra of kinetic energy (KE), available potential energy (APE) and enstrophy (EN), and their spectral fluxes as a function of the two-dimensional wavenumbern were computed for July 1979. Triangular truncation at zonal wavenumber 42 was used for computation. The slopes of various spectra in the wavenumber range 14≤n≤25 were obtained by fitting a straight line in log-log scale by the least square method. The transientKE, APE andEN spectra in the lower (upper) troposphere had slopes −2·21 (−2·30), −2·65 (−2·64) and −0·36 (−0·46), respectively. The effect of stationary and divergent motion on the slope values was investigated. The possible correlation between the slope and percentage of transient component in the combined energy and enstrophy was examined to identify the transient motion of the atmosphere with the two-dimensional homogeneous isotropic turbulence. The vertically averaged slope of kinetic energy and enstrophy in the lower (upper) troposphere was close to the value at 700 (200) hPa level. The spectral fluxes of kinetic energy and enstrophy in the wavenumber range 14≤n≤25 satisfied, to a very rough approximation, the criteria of inertial subrange. The stationary fluxes were small. The estimated stationary-transient component of flux was larger, comparable and less than the corresponding transient flux of APE, KE and EN. Representative levels for computation of energy and enstrophy spectra and their fluxes in the lower and upper troposphere were identified.     

Radiometric dating of lake sediments from Signy Island (maritime Antarctic): evidence of recent climatic change

Sediment cores from three lakes (Moss, Sombre and Heywood) in the maritime Antarctic (Signy Island, South Orkney Islands) have been successfully dated radiometrically by²¹⁰Pb and¹³⁷Cs. The core inventories of both fallout radionuclides are an order of magnitude higher than that which can be supported by the direct atmospheric flux at this latitude. The elevated values may be explained by fallout onto the catchment during the winter being delivered directly to the lakes during the annual thaw. Two of the lakes (Sombre and Heywood) show marked increases in sediment accumulation afterc. 1950. This appears to be associated with a documented rise in temperature in the South Orkney Islands, which has caused extensive deglaciation at Signy Island.This is the tenth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments. Dr P.G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

Emission of nitric oxide from soils and termite nests in a Trachypogon savanna of the Orinoco basin

Nitric oxide fluxes from soils in the Trachypogon savanna of the Orinoco basin were determined during the dry season using the static chamber method. The emission from dry soils fluctuated from 0.4 to 3 ng N m^–2 s^–1 and increased up to 25 ng N m^–2 s^–1 after moderate watering or light rain-falls (1 to 5 mm). The mean emission values are up to 6 times lower than one observed earlier at the Chaguaramas site, but up to 10 times higher than one recorded at the Guri site, indicating an important spatial variability in NO fluxes of the Venezuelan savanna region. The changes observed after the addition of nitrogen to the soil, in the form of ammonium and/or nitrate, indicate a high denitrification potential in this acidic soil. Burning of the surface vegetation produced an increase by a factor of 10 in the emission rate of NO, but the effect was relatively short in time, about 5 days. It was estimated for the savanna region that burning increases the total NO soil emission during the dry season by 15% compared to the unburnt case. Soils with termite nests emit 10 times more NO than soil without nests, but the contribution from this source is less than 2% of the total savanna soil flux.