Estuarine biofilm patterns: Modern analogues for Precambrian self-organization

This field and laboratory study examines whether regularly patterned biofilms on present-day intertidal flats are equivalent to microbially induced bedforms found in geological records dating back to the onset of life on Earth. Algal mats of filamentous Vaucheria species, functionally similar to microbial biofilms, cover the topographic highs of regularly spaced ridge–runnel bedforms. As regular patterning is typically associated with self-organization processes, indicators of self-organization are tested and found to support this hypothesis. The measurements suggest that biofilm-induced sediment trapping and biostabilization enhance bedform relief, strength and multi-year persistence. This demonstrates the importance of primitive organisms for sedimentary landscape development. Algal-covered ridges consist of wavy-crinkly laminated sedimentary deposits that resemble the layered structure of fossil stromatolites and microbially induced sedimentary structures. In addition to layering, both the morphological pattern and the suggested formation mechanism of the recent bedforms are strikingly similar to microbialite strata found in rock records from the Precambrian onwards. This implies that self-organization was an important morphological process in times when biofilms were the predominant sessile ecosystem. These findings furthermore emphasize that self-organization dynamics, such as critical transitions invoking ecosystem emergence or collapse, might have been captured in fossil microbialites, influencing their laminae. This notion may be important for paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on such strata. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

我国浅海滩涂资源开发与对策

我国浅海滩涂开发已成为海洋开发的战场和向深海远洋挺进的桥头堡，但存在管理混乱，资源浪费和破坏严重，争抢资源等海事纠纷上升，海洋劳力素质和劳效下降等问题，应采取优化资源配置，加强政策立法，重视科技投入，强化综合管理等对策，促其健康发展。     

强震成组活动与潮汐力调制触发

本文应用构造场体成组震模型的研究结果，探讨了中国大陆Ms≥7．0地震的成组活动的引潮力的调制触发关系。研究表明：我国陆区7级以上强震明显受潮汐力的调制触发，且主要表现为对活跃期内（即成组发生的）7级强震的调制触发。平静期内的7级以上地震基本不受潮汐力触发，而活跃期内82．4％的7级强震发生在受潮汐力触发的月相期，比本底概率高出36．4％。因此，潮汐力的调制触发对于强震活跃期的判断和活跃期内强震的临震（时间）预测有实际意义。文章还分析了潮汐力触发与强震活动的区域动力学环境之间的关系，并用构造场体成组孕震模型讨论了潮汐力对强震活动触发作用的力学机制。     

成山头海域潮流能资源可开发量评估

针对潮流能资源较丰富的成山头外海域,利用FVCOM数值模式,在良好模拟该海域潮流场的基础上,运用能量耗散原理,对该海域的潮流能资源可开发量进行了评估。结果表明,在转换装置的拖拽系数为0.07时,面积为27km2的成山头近岸海域的可开发潮流能资源约为17.9MW,其中大潮期间的可开发量高达37.7MW,而小潮期间则为7.3MW。在此条件下,该海域大潮期间涨急和落急时刻的流速分别减小了40%和38%,但发电装置对潮汐的影响较小,在成山头顶端的高潮潮位仅下降了4cm。     

长江口外潮汐精细化模型研究与精度分析

长江口外海上测量除受风浪影响较大外,最重要的问题是潮位控制非常困难。文中简要阐述了开展长江口外潮汐精细化模型研究的方法,介绍了利用潮汐精细化模型对长江口外航路任意点进行潮汐预报的方法,并通过实测数据进行了精度分析,提出了建议。     

The morphodynamic modelling of tidal sand waves on the shoreface

An artificial sand wave on the Dutch shoreface of the North Sea has been studied in conditions with relatively strong tidal currents in the range of 0.5 to 1 m/s and sediments in the medium sand size range of 0.2 to 0.5 mm. The sand wave is perpendicular to the tidal current and has a maximum height and length of the order of 5 m and 1 km, respectively. The sand wave is dynamically active and shows migration rates of the order of a few metres per year. A numerical morphodynamic model (DELFT3D model) has been used to simulate the morphological behaviour of the sand wave in the North Sea. This model approach is based on the numerical solution of the three-dimensional shallow water equations in combination with a surface wave propagation model (wind waves) and the advection–diffusion equation for the sediment particles with online bed updating after each time step. The model results show that the sand wave grows in the case of dominant bed-load transport (weak tidal currents; relatively coarse sediment; small roughness height; low waves) and that the sand wave decays in the case of dominant suspended transport (strong currents, relatively fine sediment, large roughness height; storm waves).     

Modelling the biogeochemistry of a tidal flat ecosystem with EcoTiM

The ecological tidal model simulates the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphate, and silicate and describes the tidal, diurnal, and annual dynamics of the back barrier area of the island Spiekeroog in the German Bight. The region is characterized by strong tidal currents and extensive tidal flats. It is strongly influenced by the conditions in the southern part of the German Bight. This model study investigates the dependence of the model behavior on the boundary conditions and the forcing. The effect of short- and long-term sea level rise on nutrient and plankton dynamics is analyzed. As the model is set up as semi-Lagrangian with only a coarse approximation of the hydrodynamics, the seasonal and intratidal variability in the biogeochemical cycling can only be reproduced qualitatively. By varying the boundary conditions, the intrinsic dynamics of the back barrier area can be separated from boundary condition effects. This study shows that any agreement between model results and field data cannot be expected without correct boundary conditions. The seasonal variability is of major importance, while higher-frequency variability only plays a minor role.     

Benchmark on the numerical simulations of the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic evolution of tidal channels and tidal inlets

A correct understanding of the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics of tidal basins is of fundamental importance for the fate of the Venice Lagoon, Italy. If on one hand, the development of sophisticated numerical models is called for in order to reproduce the complexity of the mechanisms governing the morphodynamic evolution of many natural environments, including lagoons, on the other hand, a clear knowledge of the reliability and limits of the results provided by these models is crucial in order to establish the condition under which they can be safely applied. To this aim, researchers involved in numerical modeling in the framework of the recent Corila research programmes, agreed to perform an accurate comparison of results provided by three different numerical models, applying them to the test case offered by the experimental investigations performed under controlled conditions by Tambroni et al. (2005a). Here, we consider the following numerical models: (i) a 2D finite element hydrodynamic model coupled with a 2D finite volume morphodynamic model (5 and 3); (ii) a 2D finite element morphodynamic model (Ferrarin et al., 2008); (iii) a 2D depth-averaged model for the inlet region, coupled with a 1D model for the channel (Tambroni et al., 2005b). A first set of simulations concerns the fixed bed case and shows that all the models provide similar results: in particular, they are able to predict the observed free surface oscillations satisfactorily, while comparison with the measured velocity field is less satisfactory. Moreover, as far as the flow field at the inlet is concerned, the models describe accurately the potential flow into the channel during the flood phase, while they are not able to adequately reproduce the occurrence of the fine structure of the shear layers shed by the inlet edges during the ebb phase. This limit is related to the shallow water character of the models. As for the morphodynamics, the long term equilibrium configurations of the bottom of the channel and of the near inlet region show qualitative agreement with the experimental observations, although in this case the differences between the results provided by the distinct numerical approaches are more marked.     

Coastal landslides and swelling clays at Røsnæs,Denmark

Prior, D. B., 1973: Coastal landslides and swelling clays at Røsnæs, Denmark. Geografisk Tidsskrift, 72: 45–48. København, September 30, 1973.

The landslide morphology of the Røsnæs area has been examined and materials involved in active landsliding analysed.