Environment and Deep-Sea Mining: A Perspective

Abstract

As the quest for deep-sea mineral resources is gaining momentum, environment and ocean mining have become important aspects of study. Because many of these deposits occur in international waters, the concern for environmental conservation in view of the effects of deep-sea mining is resulting in these effects being studied in different oceans, and efforts to develop regulations governing this exploitation are also underway at national and international levels. The impact assessment of deep-sea mining needs to encompass a variety of subjects, including environmental, socioeconomic, technological, and legal aspects. At the same time, effects of in situ environmental conditions on mining activities also need to be considered for effecient performance by the mining system. Differences in the degree of impact have been noticed during the mining simulation experiments by different investigating agencies. Therefore, interparameter comparisons, standardization of methods, and improvement in mining design are important considerations for proper utilization of resources, conservation of environment, and cost efficiency of the mining operations.     

Reconstructing tsunami run-up from the characteristics of tsunami deposits on the Thai Andaman Coast

Tsunamis can leave deposits on the land surface they inundate. The characteristics of tsunami deposits can be used to calculate tsunami run-up height and velocity. This paper presents a reconstruction of tsunami run-up from tsunami deposit characteristics in a simple mathematical model. The model is modified and applied to reconstruct tsunami run-ups at Ao Kheuy beach and Khuk Khak beach, Phangnga province, Thailand. The input parameters are grain-size and maximum run-up distance of the sediment. The reconstructed run-up heights are 4.16–4.91 m at Ao Kheuy beach and 5.43–9.46 m at Khuk Khak beach. The estimated run-up velocities (maximum velocity) at the still water level are 12.78–19.21 m/s. In the area located 70–140 m inland to the end of run-up inundation, estimated mean run-up velocities decrease from approximately 1.93 m/s to 0 m/s. Reasonably good agreements are found between reconstructed and observed run-up heights. The tsunami run-up height and velocity can be used for risk assessment and coastal development programs in the tsunami affected area. The results show that the area from 0 to 140 m inland was flooded by high velocity run-ups and those run-up energies were dissipated mainly in this area. The area should be designated as either an area where settlement is not permitted or an area where effective protection is provided, for example with flood barriers or forest.     

Digital quantification of the miospore coloration to assess the thermal maturity: Novel RGB-based measuring technique

The post depositional thermal maturity and its related chemical changes induce the sporomorphs color alteration, which is a common useful tool in the optical microscopy of the organic matters (OM) and their pre-geochemical studies. The present contribution uses the modern available opportunity of digital technology to achieve a quantifying system technique, which includes color measurements and their possible graphic presentation. The normal digital images of sporomorphs from several ages and geological settings are used to obtain color measurements in the form of digital Red, Green and Blue triple color system (RGB). These measurements were accomplished using some software programs such as Photoshop™^© or ImageJ with employing average microscope setup. The triple RGB color readings are plotted on a ternary diagram, which is divided into three fields. These fields express the maturity levels. The presented new RGB-based quantifying technique is economic and provides a simple examination for maturity, which is linked to the hydrocarbon generation. This can partially replace or walk side by side with the vitrinite reflectance microscopy.     

霞浦核电基地海洋生物放射性本底水平及辐射剂量评价

为掌握霞浦核电基地海洋生物的放射性本底水平,在其周边50 km范围内采集5类9种海洋生物样品,测量其中的天然放射性核素²³⁸U、²³²Th、²²⁶Ra、⁴⁰K,以及人工放射性核素¹³⁷Cs、¹³⁴Cs、⁹⁰Sr、⁵⁸Co、⁶⁰Co、⁵⁴Mn、^110mAg、⁶⁵Zn的活度浓度并进行辐射剂量评价。结果显示,所有样品中¹³⁴Cs、⁵⁸Co、⁶⁰Co、⁵⁴Mn、^110mAg、⁶⁵Zn的活度浓度均低于最小可探测活度浓度,²³⁸U、²³²Th、²²⁶Ra、⁴⁰K、¹³⁷Cs和⁹⁰...     

Impacts of trawling on benthic macro-fauna and -flora of the Spencer Gulf prawn fishing grounds

The overall effects of trawling on benthic habitats and their assemblages are dependent on the distribution and intensity of trawl effort. The benthic habitats of the Spencer Gulf prawn trawling grounds are subjected to known variable levels of trawling disturbance recorded from fisher's logbooks. These habitats have not been quantitatively investigated. The aim of the study was firstly to characterise the macro-faunal and -floral assemblages and secondly, to comparatively assess trawl impact by testing the null hypothesis of no differences between five sites exposed to different intensity of trawl effort. The distribution and abundance of benthic macro-fauna and -flora were studied at two sampling resolutions by using beam trawl sampling (10,000 m²) and underwater stereophotography (4.5 m²) at five sites with different levels of trawl disturbance (effort). The results showed that the Spencer Gulf prawn trawling grounds are characterised by sandy sediments with a low content of silt and clay, with the exception of one site with very fine gravel. Biomass, abundance and cover of macro-fauna and -flora were generally low throughout, but with large differences among sites. Biomass, abundance and cover were found to be negatively correlated to both trawl hours from 1994–1998 and during the period of study. ANOSIM and SIMPER analyses using biomass, abundance and percentage cover as variables showed significant differences between sites with eight species or taxonomic groups contributing more than 10% to the observed similarity within sites. The two northern sites were dominated by sponges and the bearded mussel, Trichomya hirsutus, and the southern hammer oyster, Malleus meridianus. Other species that contributed to the similarity within sites were the ascidian, Polycarpa viridis, mobile epifauna (the blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus, and the western king prawn, Penaeus (Melicertus) latisulcatus) and demersal fish species (Degens leatherjacket, Thamnaconus degeni, and the Melbourne silver belly, Parequula melbournensis). Simpson's Index of Diversity (1 − λ) and species richness in the beam trawl samples were fairly even across all sites, but a significant effect of site was found in the stereophotographic transect samples. It was concluded that prawn trawling has a strong influence on the structure of the benthic habitats of the Spencer Gulf prawn fishing grounds highlighted by the magnitude of change and the strength of the gradient of effects. Confounding factors linked to the biophysical attributes of the sites are believed to be minor.     

Business case for mussel aquaculture in offshore wind farms in the North Sea

The European Blue Growth strategy aims to expand the new maritime sectors of aquaculture, energy, biotechnology, coastal tourism and mineral mining. Growth of these sectors will increases pressure on the seas, particularly on those areas that are densely used by traditional sectors such as fisheries and transport. This has triggered interest in developing multiuse of space and multiuse platforms at sea. This paper assesses the feasibility of offshore mussel production project in wind farms by design and ex-ante evaluation of a mussel aquaculture system in the North Sea. A system for mussel cultivation in the Dutch Borssele offshore wind farm was designed, producing both mussel seed and consumption-sized mussels with semi-submerged longlines. Based on the economic model and the risk assessment, this paper concludes that mussel aquaculture is an appealing commercial model for increased returns in offshore wind farms. The economic models shows that the internal rate of return and net present value are positive and based on the sensitivity analysis, it can be concluded that these results are robust.     

海洋功能区开发潜力评价方法

借鉴海洋资源开发潜力、旅游开发潜力、土地开发潜力、主体功能区开发潜力、可持续发展能力和多指标综合评价等方面的研究方法和指标体系,首次提出了海洋功能区开发潜力的概念、构成和指标,并分析了层次分析法在海洋功能区开发潜力评价中的适用性,总结了海洋功能区开发潜力评价的方法、步骤和存在的问题。     

Development of a skill assessment tool for the Korea operational oceanographic system

A standard skill assessment(SA) tool was developed and implemented to evaluate the performance of operational forecast models in the Korea operational oceanographic system.The SA tool provided a robust way to assess model skill in the system by comparing predictions and observations,and involved the computation of multiple skill metrics including correlation and error skills.User-and system-based acceptance criteria of skill metrics were applied to determine whether predictions were acceptable for the system.To achieve this,the tool produced a time series comparison plot,a skill score table,and an advanced summarized diagram to effectively demonstrate the multiple skill scores.Moreover,the SA was conducted to evaluate both atmospheric and hydrodynamic forecast variables.For the atmospheric variables,acceptable error criteria were preferable to acceptable correlation criteria over short timescales,since the mean square error overwhelmed the observation variance.Conversely,for the hydrodynamic variables,acceptable root mean square percentage error(e.g.,p erms) criteria were preferable to acceptable error(e.g.,erms) criteria owing to the spatially variable tidal intensity around the Korean Peninsula.Furthermore,the SA indicated that predetermined acceptance error criteria were appropriate to satisfy a target central frequency(fc) for which errors fell within the specified limits(i.e.,the fc equals 70%).     

新世纪南黄海地震勘探成果与展望

进入21世纪后,针对南黄海海相残留盆地地震调查的难题,开展了反射特征理论模拟、采集与处理技术方法攻关与实践工作,取得了一系列的成果。介绍了南黄海地震勘探的主要进展与成果,在此基础上展望了近期的发展方向。