Natural expansion and experimental manipulation of seagrass (Zostera spp.) abundance and the response of infaunal invertebrates

A study of an expanding seagrass bed on the south-west coast of British Columbia, Canada involved documentation and explanation of the pattern of expansion of the vegetation as well as documentation and experimental investigation of the accompanying changes in the distribution of infaunal invertebrates. Expansion followed a major environmental change, improved water clarity initiated in 1969 when a causeway blocked access to the site for silty Fraser River water. The original eelgrass (Zostera marina) bed expanded landward over 30 m year⁻¹, probably causing more and more water to be retained in the bed at low tide and thus improving its own habitat. More rapid expansion occurred from 1979–1983 after Z.japonica colonized at the landward edge of the eelgrass bed and in a separate intertidal area. Expansion ceased around 1983 coincident with, but probably independent of, further construction.Burrowing shrimp (Callianassa californiensis) decreased in abundance between 1977 and 1984 in areas where the two seagrasses colonized. Short-term experiment over one summer and fall showed that removal of all shoots allowed adult shrimp and tube worms to colonize the sediment while addition of shoots of Z. japonica by transplanting caused temporary decreases in shrimp abundance. After a few weeks an established shrimp population destroyed the transplants. Among reasonable alternate hypotheses for the decline in Callianassa, the effect of sediment texture can be eliminated, but either direct negative effects of seagrass, i.e. inhibition of the burrowing of adult shrimp or of settlement of juveniles, or indirect effects, i.e. the harboring of more predators of shrimp in seagrass beds, deserve further study.     

Nereis diversicolor: an Unreliable Biomonitor of Metal Contamination in the 'Ría de Bilbao' (Spain)

Abstract. Samples of the polychaete Nereis diversicolor O.F. M üller and surficial sediments from a clean and a polluted estuary were taken during a year at monthly intervals to determine, by comparison, the range of temporal fluctuations in trace metal concentrations. Whereas metal variations in surficial sediments were more pronounced in the polluted estuary, concentrations in N. diversicolor in both estuaries showed a wide range of temporal variation that surpassed that of surficial sediments. A clear decline in all metals studied (except Mn) from polluted sediments was noted after episodes of strong rainfall. In the reference estuary the fluctuations were less pronounced. Metal body burdens in N. diversicolor from the two estuaries were usually quite similar even though total levels in sediments differed considerably, indicating a lack of worm-sediment relationship. The low level of Cu, Cr and Pb in the tissues of N. diversicolor suggest a mechanism which prevents the polychaete from being exposed to these metals in highly polluted sediments. Therefore, it is concluded that N. diversicolor cannot be considered to be an ideal biomonitor of metal contamination in the polluted Bilbao Estuary.     

Th sorption and export models in the water column: A review

Over the past few decades, the radioisotope pair of ²³⁸U / ²³⁴Th has been widely and increasingly used to describe particle dynamics and particle export fluxes in a variety of aquatic systems. The present paper is one of five review articles dedicated to ²³⁴Th. It is focused on the models associated with ²³⁴Th whereas the companion papers (same issue) are focused on present and future methodologies and techniques (Rutgers van der Loeff et al.), C / ²³⁴Th ratios (Buesseler et al.), ²³⁴Th speciation (Santschi et al.) and present and future applications of ²³⁴Th [Waples, J.T., Benitez-Nelson, C.R., Savoye, N., Rutgers van der Loeff, M., Baskaran, M., Gustafsson, Ö., this issue. An Introduction to the application and future use of ²³⁴Th in aquatic systems. Marine Chemistry, FATE special issue]. In this paper, we review current ²³⁴Th scavenging models and discuss the relative importance of the non-steady state and physical terms associated with the most commonly used model to estimate ²³⁴Th flux. Based on this discussion we recommend that for future work the use of models should be accompanied by a discussion of the effect that model and data uncertainty have on the model results. We also suggest that future field work incorporate repeat occupations of sample sites on time scales of 1–4 weeks in order to evaluate steady state versus non-steady state estimates of ²³⁴Th export, especially during high flux events (> ca. 800 dpm m^− 2 d^− 1). Finally, knowledge of the physical oceanography of the study area is essential, particularly in ocean margins and in areas of established upwelling (e.g., Equatorial Pacific). These suggestions will greatly enhance the application of ²³⁴Th as a tracer of particle dynamics and flux in more complicated regimes.     

真光层的颗粒动力学──Ⅵ.南海东北部海域上层水体颗粒动力学的示踪研究

利用234Th－238U不平衡研究南海东北部海域3个站位上层水体中的颗粒动力学性质，测定了水往中溶解态及颗粒态234Th的比活度，具体讨论各相中234Th／238U）AR（放射性活度比）比值的垂直分布情况及其与水化学要素间的关系。运用稿态箱式模型计算出各站位不同水层中溶解态234Th相对于清除至颗粒物的平均停留时间和颗粒态234Th相对于迁出作用的停留时间。由模型得出的参数表明3个站位的真光层具有两种不同的层化图像，这一情形与我们在南沙群岛海域得到的结果相一致。结合POC／PTh比值，估算出3个站位从真光层输出的颗粒有机碳（POC）通量分别为4.025.0和5．4mmolC·m－3－d-1。文中进一步讨论了234Th与POC两者停留时间的关系。     

Modified PIC Method for Sea Ice Dynamics

The sea ice cover displays various dynamical characteristics such as breakup, rafting, and ridging under external forces. To model the ice dynamic process accurately, the effective numerical modeling method should be established. In this paper, a modified particle-in-cell （PIC） method for sea ice dynamics is developed coupling the finite difference （FD） method and smoothed particle hydrodynamics （SPH）. In this method, the ice cover is first discretized into a series of lagrangian ice particles which have their own sizes, thicknesses, concentrations and velocities. The ice thickness and concentration at Eulerian grid positions are obtained by interpolation with the Gaussian function from their surrounding ice particles. The momentum of ice cover is solved with FD approach to obtain the Eulerian cell velocity, which is used to estimate the ice particle velocity with the Gaussian function also. The thickness and concentration of ice particles are adjnsted with particle mass density and smooth length, which are adjusted with the redistribution of ice particles. With the above modified PIC method, numerical simulations for ice motion in an idealized rectangular basin and the ice dynamics in the Bohai Sea are carried out. These simulations show that this modified PIC method is applicable to sea ice dynamics simulation.     

A Study on the Dynamic Analysis of A Tracked Vehicle for Ocean Mining on the Deep Seabed

1 .IntroductionOnthedeepseabed ,30 0 0～ 50 0 0mbelowthePacificOcean ,manganesenodulesaresolidifiedandspread ,andmanycountriesintheworldarestudyinghowtominethem .AccordingtoYamazakietal.( 1 998)andAmannetal.( 1 991 ) ,theenvironmentofthedeepseabedisdifferentfromthedrylandinmanyways .Inparticular,thesurfaceoftheseabedisverysoft.Inordertoensuretheperformanceofrunningofamanganesenodulemineronsuchasoftsurface ,thetrackedvehiclemaybeapplied .Ac cordingtoHongandChoi ( 2 0 0 1 ) ,astudyisbeingdone…     

Factors affecting spatial and temporal variability in material exchange between the Southern Everglades wetlands and Florida Bay (USA)

Physical and biological processes controlling spatial and temporal variations in material concentration and exchange between the Southern Everglades wetlands and Florida Bay were studied for 2.5 years in three of the five major creek systems draining the watershed. Daily total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) fluxes were measured for 2 years in Taylor River, and ten 10-day intensive studies were conducted in this creek to estimate the seasonal flux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), total organic carbon (TOC), and suspended matter. Four 10-day studies were conducted simultaneously in Taylor, McCormick, and Trout Creeks to study the spatial variation in concentration and flux. The annual fluxes of TOC, TN, and TP from the Southern Everglades were estimated from regression equations. The Southern Everglades watershed, a 460-km² area that includes Taylor Slough and the area south of the C-111 canal, exported 7.1 g C m⁻², 0.46 g N m⁻², and 0.007 g P m⁻², annually. Everglades P flux is three to four orders of magnitude lower than published flux estimates from wetlands influenced by terrigenous sedimentary inputs. These low P flux values reflect both the inherently low P content of Everglades surface water and the efficiency of Everglades carbonate sediments and biota in conserving and recycling this limiting nutrient. The seasonal variation of freshwater input to the watershed was responsible for major temporal variations in N, P, and C export to Florida Bay; approximately 99% of the export occurred during the rainy season. Wind-driven forcing was most important during the later stages of the dry season when low freshwater head coincided with southerly winds, resulting in a net import of water and materials into the wetlands. We also observed an east to west decrease in TN:TP ratio from 212:1 to 127:1. Major spatial gradients in N:P ratios and nutrient concentration and flux among the creek were consistent with the westward decrease in surface water runoff from the P-limited Everglades and increased advection of relatively P-rich Gulf of Mexico (GOM) waters into Florida Bay. Comparison of measured nutrient flux from Everglades surface water inputs from this study with published estimates of other sources of nutrients to Florida Bay (i.e. atmospheric deposition, anthropogenic inputs from the Florida Keys, advection from the GOM) show that Everglades runoff represents only 2% of N inputs and 0.5% of P input to Florida Bay.     

海洋环境荷载下输液立管的静、动力特性研究

考虑管内流动流体和管外海洋环境荷载共同作用 ,建立海洋立管侧向运动微分方程。用Hermite插值函数离散 ,在微机上编写海洋立管静、动力分析程序 ,通过计算分析研究管内流体对立管侧向变形和应力的作用 ;另外 ,探讨管内流体的流动速度和立管顶端的预张力对立管动力特性的影响。结果表明 ,立管变形和应力均随管内流体流动速度增加而增大 ,同时内流速度的增大会降低立管的固有频率 ,但适当增大立管顶端预张力会抵消内流流速增加引起的固有频率下降。     

Origin of short period comets

Reasons for interest in the origin of short-period comets and the difficulties of computing their long-term dynamcal evolution are reviewed. The relative advantages of a source region in an extended inner core of the Oort cloud or a compact comet belt just beyond the planetary system are finely balanced, and it is premature to consider the problem solved. A complication is that some comets belonging to the Jupiter family may be part of a time-dependent system, possibly the remains of a giant comet such as Chiron which could have been part of the system 104 yr ago. The origin of short-period comets plays a pivotal role in many areas of solar system science: planet formation, the source of water (possibly life) on the terrestrial planets, the cratering record on the terrestrial planets and satellites of the outer planets, and the environmental impact posed by massive bodies and their decay products in the Earth's near-space environment.     

基于时刻独立脉冲耦合神经网络的高空间分辨率摇感影像分割

高空间分辨率遥感影像中地物目标内部光谱信息复杂性的增强,使得传统基于光谱特征值的数据处理方法效果不再显著,影像分割为解决这一问题提供了一种思路,成为当前高空间分辨率遥感影像处理的研究焦点.时刻独立脉冲耦合神经网络具有状态相近、空间相邻神经元相互耦合同步脉冲激发和区域之间神经元脉冲激发时刻独立两大特点,已被应用于非遥感影像分割中,并取得较好效果.本文结合高空间分辨率遥感影像特点,通过对网络参数进行实验和分析,提出一个基于时刻独立脉冲耦合神经网络的高空间分辨率遥感影像分割方法,并利用空间分辨率0.3m的航空影像进行了数据试验,将分割结果进行讨论并与现有时刻独立脉冲耦合神经网络方法和ISODATA方法分割结果进行对比分析.结果表明:时刻独立脉冲耦合神经网络在高空间分辨率遥感影像分割处理中具有很好的应用前景.