Sources and biogeochemical cycling of particulate selenium in the San Francisco Bay estuary

As part of a study of estuarine selenium cycling, we measured the concentration, chemical form (speciation), and distribution of particulate selenium under various river flow conditions in the North San Francisco Bay (from the Golden Gate to the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers). We also conducted laboratory studies on the accumulation of selenium by phytoplankton, the critical first step in the transformation of dissolved to particulate selenium. Total particulate selenium concentration in the North SF Bay was relatively constant between high and low flow periods, ranging spatially from 0.05 to 0.35 nmol l⁻¹ and comprising between 5 and 12% of the total water column selenium inventory. Mean concentrations were generally highest in the Carquinez Strait–Suisun Bay region (salinity 0–17) and lowest in Central Bay. However, selenium content of suspended particles varied with river flow, with higher content during low flow (9.76 ± 4.17 nmol g⁻¹; mean ± sd; n = 67) compared to high flow (7.10 ± 4.24 nmol g⁻¹; n = 39). Speciation analyses showed that most particulate selenium is organic selenide (45 ± 27%), with a smaller proportion (typically <30%) of adsorbed selenite + selenate and a varying proportion (35 ± 28%) of elemental selenium. Based on the amount of elemental selenium in the seston (total suspended material), we calculate that resuspension of estuarine sediments could contribute 29–100% of particulate selenium in the water column. While selenium content of SF Bay seston (>0.4 μm) is relatively unenriched compared to phytoplankton (13.6–155 nmol g⁻¹ dry weight) on a mass basis, when normalized to carbon or nitrogen, seston contains a similar selenium concentration to SF Bay sediments or phytoplankton cultures. SF Bay seston is thus comprised of selenium-rich phytoplankton and phyto-detritus, but also inorganic clay mineral particles that effectively “dilute” total particulate selenium. Selenium concentrations in algal cultures (11 species) exposed to 90 nmol l⁻¹ selenite show relatively large differences in selenium accumulation, with the diatoms, chlorophytes and cryptophytes generally having lower selenium cell content (3.8 ± 2.7 × 10⁻⁹ nmol selenium cell⁻¹) compared to the dinoflagellates (193 ± 73 × 10⁻⁹ nmol selenium cell⁻¹). Because phytoplankton are such a rich (but variable) source of selenium, their dynamics could have a profound effect on the particulate selenium inventory in the North SF Bay.     

Application of discovery process models in estimating petroleum resources at the play level in China

Discovery process modeling has gained wide acceptance in the Chinese exploration community. In recent years, a variety of discovery process models have been applied to the prediction of undiscovered petroleum resources at the play level in sedimentary basins in China. However, challenging problems have been encountered, particularly when one method alone has been applied to small plays in nonmarine sedimentary basins or in plays with an unusual order of discovery wells. This paper presents results gotten by using the lognormal discovery process model of the Geological Survey of Canada and the geoanchored method for three petroleum plays in basins with different geologic settings. Although the predicted shapes of the parentsize distributions which use these two models, were not always similar, the expected values of the total resources and the number of fields (pools) to be discovered are comparable. The combined use of two discovery process models in the same play compensates for the weaknesses in one method compared with the other and vice versa. Thus, more reliable estimates are the result.     

利用海洋温度剖面与海表盐度反演盐度剖面方法研究

为解决海洋中大量观测数据只含有温度剖面而缺乏盐度观测的问题, 基于历史观测的温盐剖面资料, 考虑到盐度卫星数据的发展, 采用回归分析方法, 在孟加拉湾建立了盐度与温度、经纬度、表层盐度的关系, 并对不同反演方法的反演结果进行检验评估。结果发现, 在不引入海表盐度(sea surface salinity, SSS)时, 最佳反演模型是温度、温度的二次项与经纬度确定的回归模型, 而SSS的引入则可以进一步优化反演结果。将反演结果与观测结果进行对比, 显示用反演的盐度剖面计算的比容海面高度误差超过2cm, 而引入SSS后的误差低于1.5cm。SSS的引入能够较为真实地反映海洋盐度场的垂直结构和内部变化特征, 既能够捕捉到对上混合层有重要影响的SSS信号, 又能够反映盐度在跃层上的季节内变化以及盐度障碍层的季节变化。水团分析显示, 与气候态相比, 盐度反演结果可以更好地表征海洋上层水团的变化特征。     

中国东部断陷湖盆细粒沉积岩岩相划分方案探讨——以渤海湾盆地南部古近系细粒沉积岩为例

细粒沉积岩岩相研究是烃源岩和页岩油、致密油储层研究的重要基础,鉴于我国陆相断陷湖盆环境多变和细粒沉积岩类型多样、岩石组合类型复杂的特点,需要进行细粒沉积岩岩相分类。以渤海湾盆地南部古近系细粒沉积岩发育段为研究对象,通过厘米级岩芯观察描述、岩石薄片鉴定、激光共聚焦显微镜观察分析等技术,研究细粒沉积岩基本特征。陆相断陷湖盆细粒沉积岩岩相划分可以按照(1)宏观岩芯精细观察描述,归纳垂向岩石类型组合;(2)分析沉积微环境;(3)对不同岩石类型组合进行X射线全岩矿物衍射和TOC测试,划分岩石类型和岩相大类;(4)微观镜下剖析纹层叠置关系;(5)分析成因和形成机制,对岩亚类细分等5步进行。岩相大类划分要简洁,是为满足油田勘探工作易于操作、建立与常规测井资料之间关系等要求;亚类细分是便于研究微观源储关系、分析沉积微环境和储层微观结构等。     

Seasonal change in body length of important small copepods and relationship with environmental factors in Jiaozhou Bay,China

Differences among species in prosome length and in species’ response to environmental factors do exist. Therefore, it is useful to examine prosome length for different copepod species in variable environments. Seasonal variations in prosome length of four small copepods and their copepodite stages in the Jiaozhou Bay were compared and the relative influence of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll concentration were examined. Two peaks were found in the mean prosome length of Paracalanus parvus (in early winter and May). For Acartia bifilosa, the maximum values of all copepodites occurred mainly from February to April, and decreased to the bottom in July. Prosome length of Acartia pacifica peaked when it first appeared in June, then reached to the minimum in July. Parvocalanus crassirostris only appeared from late summer to autumn and the mean prosome length showed no clear changes. Correlations of adult prosome length with environmental factors were evaluated. For the four species, temperature was negatively correlated to prosome length except for P. crassirostris. But the different species varied markedly in their responds to temperature. A. bifilosa showed a more definite trend of size variation with temperature than P. parvus and A. pacifica. Correlations of prosome length with salinity were significantly positive for almost all the small copepods. The relationship between chlorophyll concentration and prosome length was complicated for these copepods, but for P. parvus, chlorophyll concentration was also an important affecting factor. Furthermore, investigation needs to be done on food quality for some copepod. These results are essential to estimate the biomass and the production, and to understand these small copepods’ population dynamics in this human-affected bay.     

Thickness distribution and extent of sea ice and snow in Prydz Bay and surrounding waters observed in 2012/2013 austral summer

Three ship-based observational campaigns were conducted to survey sea ice and snow in Prydz Bay and the surrounding waters(64.40°S–69.40°S, 76.11°E–81.29°E) from 28 November 2012 to 3 February 2013. In this paper, we present the sea ice extent and its variation, and the ice and snow thickness distributions and their variations with time in the observed zone. In the pack ice zone, the southern edge of the pack ice changed little, whereas the northern edge retreated significantly during the two earlier observation periods. Compared with the pack ice, the fast ice exhibited a significantly slower variation in extent with its northernmost edge retreating southwards by 6.7 km at a rate of 0.37 km?d-1. Generally, ice showed an increment in thickness with increasing latitude from the end of November to the middle of December. Ice and snow thickness followed an approximate normal distribution during the two earlier observations(79.7±28.9 cm, 79.1±19.1 cm for ice thickness, and 11.6±6.1 cm, 9.6±3.4 cm for snow thickness, respectively), and the distribution tended to be more concentrated in mid-December than in late November. The expected value of ice thickness decreased by 0.6 cm, whereas that of snow thickness decreased by 2 cm from 28 November to 18 December 2012. Ice thickness distribution showed no obvious regularity between 31 January and 3 February, 2013.     

Application and comparison of two symptom-based eutrophication-assessment methods in Jiaozhou Bay,China

Increasing numbers of approaches to assess eutrophication, such as estuarine trophic status, the Oslo-Paris Commission Common Procedure, and the Water Framework Directive, focus on the symptoms of eutrophication. In China, however, nutrient index methods dominate the assessment of coastal waters. In this study, an integrated method that includes both water quality and ecological response was compared with the Northwest Pacifi c Action Plan (NOWPAP) Common Procedure. Observation data from Jiaozhou Bay, Shandong, China, were used in a comparison of the two methods in a trophic status study. Overall, both clearly revealed a high level of nutrient enrichment in the bay, indicated by high nutrient concentrations. Though the two methods diff ered in their methodological design in the assessment of the ecological eff ects of nutrient enrichment, they have acquired similar results: the integrated method suggested that the status was good, and the NOWPAP Common Procedure suggested that the status was low (indicating that the bay had no serious eutrophication problem). The introduction of fi lter feeders (shellfi sh aquaculture) into the bay on a reasonable scale may have been eff ective in mitigating eutrophic conditions, and perhaps explains the low ecological impacts there. Our results will be useful to ecosystem-based eutrophication management in the bay and in similar areas.     

胶州湾及其邻近河流中壬基酚等有机污染物的分布特征

为分析青岛胶州湾及其邻近河流中的壬基酚（NP）及其短链氧乙烯醚母体化合物、壬基酚单氧乙烯醚（NP1EO）和壬基酚二氧乙烯醚（NP2EO）的污染状况和分布特征,在研究区域内设置了17个站位分别采集了海水和沉积物样品,样品经萃取、浓缩、净化后采用气质联用仪测定各污染物的浓度。胶州湾水体中的NP、NP1EO和NP2EO的浓度分别为20．2-268．7、11．2-200．4和4．8-32．5ng／L。胶州湾沉积物中上述3种污染物的浓度分别为3．6-299．3、3．8-25．2和4．9-103．2ng／g。胶州湾邻近河流中的污染物浓度远远高于湾内,其中墨水河的污染最严重,水体和沉积物中NP的浓度分别达到28656ng／L和31704ng／g。与世界其他海湾NP等污染物的浓度相比,胶州湾属于严重污染地区之一,已经超出了其生物效应临界浓度。研究区域内50％的站位中NP浓度已经超过导致扇贝苗死亡的临界浓度,10％的站位已经超过引起雄性鱼类雌性化的临界浓度。     

Dissolved nutrient balance and net ecosystem metabolism in a Mediterranean-climate coastal lagoon: San Diego Bay

The temporal and spatial variability of dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP), nitrogen (DIN), carbon (DIC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were studied in order to determine the net ecosystem metabolism (NEM) of San Diego Bay (SDB), a Mediterranean-climate lagoon. A series of four sampling campaigns were carried out during the rainy (January 2000) and the dry (August 2000 and May and September 2001) seasons. During the dry season, temperature, salinity and DIP, DIC and DOC concentrations increased from oceanic values in the outer bay to higher values at the innermost end of the bay. DIP, DIC and DOC concentrations showed a clear offset from conservative mixing implying production of these dissolved materials inside the bay. During the rainy season, DIP and DOC increased to the head, whereas salinity decreased toward the mouth due to land runoff and river discharges. The distributions of DIP and DOC also showed a deviation from conservative mixing in this season, implying a net addition of these dissolved materials during estuarine mixing within the bay. Mass balance calculations showed that SDB consistently exported DIP (2.8–9.8 × 10³ mol P d⁻¹), DIC (263–352 × 10³ mol C d⁻¹) and DOC (198–1233 × 10³ mol C d⁻¹), whereas DIN (5.5–18.2 × 10³ mol N d⁻¹) was exported in all samplings except in May 2001 when it was imported (8.6 × 10³ mol N d⁻¹). The DIP, DIC and DOC export rates along with the strong relationship between DIP, DIC or DOC and salinity suggest that intense tidal mixing plays an important role in controlling their distributions and that SDB is a source of nutrients and DOC to the Southern California Bight. Furthermore, NEM ranged from −8.1 ± 1.8 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ in September to −13.5 ± 5.8 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ in January, highlighting the heterotrophic character of SDB. In order to explain the net heterotrophy of this system, we postulate that phytoplankton-derived particulate organic matter, stimulated by upwelling processes in the adjacent coastal waters, is transported into the bay, retained and then remineralized within the system. Our results were compared with those reported for the heterotrophic hypersaline coastal lagoons located in the semi-arid coast of California–Baja California, and with those autotrophic hypersaline systems found in the semi-arid areas of Australia. We point out that the balance between autotrophy and heterotrophy in inverse estuaries is dependent on net external inputs of either inorganic nutrients or organic matter as it has been indicated for positive estuaries.     

Distribution characteristics of heavy metals in surface sediments and core sediments of the Shenzhen Bay in Guangdong Province, China

The concentration of zinc, chromium, cadmium, nickel, lead and copper was measured on both surface sediments and core sediments in the Shenzhen Bay. The average contents of all metals have exceeded the background values in the coastal zone of Guangdong Province. Cadmium is a heavy pollution matter which indicates a strong pollution level according to the ecological risk coefficient method. The ecological risk index of the whole area is 299 which belongs to middle and strong level. The area with strong pollution level is the near shore area closing to the inside of Shenzhen Bay, Shakou area is in the middle level while the weak pollution level occurs in Shenzhenhe Estuary according to ecological risk index. The four sediment cores can be divided into two parts based on lead-210 dating, sediments size analysis and economic development period in surrounding areas since 1950 with strong human intervention. The sediment size, deposition rate and human activities have positive relationship with the contents of heavy metals which directly impact the pollution level of heavy metals in sediments in Shenzhen Bay.