Movement patterns of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in a marine reserve and an unprotected area in the NW Mediterranean

Sea urchins can alter the composition and dynamics of algal communities by grazing. Changes in their displacement capability can influence their grazing and thus their effect on algal communities. The daily and monthly movement of Paracentrotus lividus inside and outside a marine reserve in the NW Mediterranean Sea was studied in order to determine the role of predation in sea urchin movements and its potential grazing impacts. During the 3‐month study, the total distance travelled by sea urchins ranged from 71.8 to 673.6 cm (mean = 379.2 cm, SD = 221.3). Home ranges (distances from the initial position) were between 50 and 302 cm (mean = 150.7 cm, SD = 99.4). Movements were not directional but random, with a mean of 150 cm around the initial position. The activity of Paracentrotus lividus was significantly higher at night than during daylight. Total displacement at the end of the experiment was significantly higher in the unprotected area than in the reserve, as was the home range. The linear distance travelled in a 24‐h period ranged between 6 and 220 cm with a mean home range of 51 cm. These results agree with those of other authors, and allow us to rule out major migratory processes of sea urchin populations in this area. Nevertheless, these results underline the role of predatory fishes in reducing herbivory pressure by trophic cascades, reinforcing the evidence that sea urchin escape behaviour may be an important factor in structuring algal communities.     

Consequences of regime shifts for marine food webs

Climate-mediated ecological regime shifts can re-structure entire ecosystems from primary producers to top predators. As a consequence, major trophodynamic pathways change with the altered mix of dominating species. Four cases of ecosystem regime shifts forced by climate variability are presented (North Sea, central Baltic Sea, central North Pacific and Humboldt Current ecosystems) and the effect on food chains is elucidated. Different types of trophodynamic control mechanisms set in motion through the impact of climate variability and the potential impact of regime shifts on biogeochemical cycles are discussed.     

标准贯入试验在苏丹水利大坝勘察中的应用

近两年,我单位在苏丹国先后完成Kajbar,Shrerik、Sabloka,Dal、Dagash,Mograt等水利水电大坝的勘察工作。本文通过6个大坝详细勘察中标准贯入试验的操作工艺应用,以Dagash大坝为例对标准贯入试验进行阐述,并就与国内该试验实际操作存在的差异性进行比较。     

辽宁北票—义县地区NW向断裂的活动性分析及NW向断裂与朝阳—北票断裂的关系

在大量第一手资料的基础上,本文对北票－义县地区分布的１４条ＮＷ向断裂的发育特征和活动性进行了研究,并讨论了这一系列ＮＷ向断裂与朝阳－北票断裂之间在空间分布和活动特征上的相关性。结果表明,该地区ＮＷ向断裂与朝阳－北票断裂分处于不同的新构造运动单元,两者在空间上没有交汇;ＮＷ向断裂在晚更新世以来没有活动。     

Inverted metamorphism and the Main Central Thrust: field relations and thermobarometric constraints from the Kishtwar Window, NW Indian Himalaya

Following the early Eocene collision of the Indian and Asian plates, intracontinental subduction occurred along the Main Central Thrust (MCT) zone in the High Himalaya. In the Kishtwar–Zanskar Himalaya, the MCT is a 2 km thick shear zone of high strain, distributed ductile deformation which emplaces the amphibolite facies High Himalayan Crystalline (HHC) unit south‐westwards over the lower greenschist facies Lesser Himalaya. An inverted metamorphic field gradient, mapped from the first appearance of garnet, staurolite and kyanite index minerals, is coincident with the high strain zone. Petrography and garnet zoning profiles indicate that rocks in the lower MCT zone preserve a prograde assemblage, whereas rocks in the HHC unit show retrograde equilibration. Thermobarometric results derived using THERMOCALC indicate a P–T increase of c. 180 °C and c. 400 MPa across the base of the MCT zone, which is a consequence of the syn‐ to postmetamorphic juxtaposition of M1 kyanite grade rocks of the HHC unit on a cooling path over biotite grade footwall rocks, which subsequently attain their peak (M2) during thrusting. Inclusion thermobarometry from the lower MCT zone reveals that M2 was accompanied by loading, and peak conditions of 537±38 °C and 860±120 MPa were attained. M1 kyanite assemblages in the HHC unit, which have not been overprinted by M2 fibrolitic sillimanite, were not significantly affected by M2, and conditions of equilibration are estimated as 742±53 °C and 960±180 MPa. There is no evidence for dissipative or downward conductive heating in the MCT zone. Instead, the primary control on the distribution of peak assemblages, represented by the index minerals, is postmetamorphic ductile thrusting in a downward propagating shear zone. Polymetamorphism and diachroneity of equilibration are also important controls on the thermal profile through the MCT zone and HHC unit.     

A coupled tide-wave model for the NW European shelf seas

Understanding the interaction of tides and waves is essential in many studies, including marine renewable energy, sediment transport, long-term seabed morphodynamics, storm surges and the impacts of climate change. In the present research, a COAWST model of the NW European shelf seas has been developed and applied to a number of physical processes. Although many aspects of wave–current interaction can be investigated by this model, our focus is on the interaction of barotropic tides and waves at shelf scale. While the COWAST model was about five times more computationally expensive than running decoupled ROMS (ocean model) and SWAN (wave model), it provided an integrated modelling system which could incorporate many wave–tide interaction processes, and produce the tide and wave parameters in a unified file system with a convenient post-processing capacity. Some applications of the model such as the effect of tides on quantifying the wave energy resource, which exceeded 10% in parts of the region, and the effect of waves on the calculation of the bottom stress, which was dominant in parts of the North Sea and Scotland, during an energetic wave period are presented, and some challenges are discussed. It was also shown that the model performance in the prediction of the wave parameters can improve by 25% in some places where the wave-tide interaction is significant.     

老挝西北部琅勃拉邦构造带放射虫硅质岩及其构造意义

琅勃拉邦构造带内放射虫硅质岩含有放射虫Entactinia vulgaris Won, Entactinosphaera palimpola Foreman和Belowea variabilis (Ormiston et Lane),时代为早石炭世,为老挝境内首次报告。硅质岩样品具有很高的SiO2质量分数(95.29%~98.17%),大部分样品表现出相类似的稀土配分模式,部分样品配分模式图表现为上凸状,具有中稀土富集,均具有明显的Ce负异常,Ce/Ce*值为0.64~0.74,其中部分样品具有Eu的负异常,为0.58~0.68。Y/Ho比值为31.05~40.96,类似日本Sasayama中-晚二叠世的远洋硅质岩。地球化学显示其为含酸性火山碎屑非热液成因的远洋硅质岩。这些研究证实了在思茅板块和印支板块之间存在一个开阔的石炭纪时期弧后盆地。     

Sediment recycling and adjustment of deposition during deglacial drowning of a low-accumulation shelf (NW Iberia)

Based on a well-established stratigraphic framework and 47 AMS-¹⁴C dated sediment cores, the distribution of facies types on the NW Iberian margin is analysed in response to the last deglacial sea-level rise, thus providing a case study on the sedimentary evolution of a high-energy, low-accumulation shelf system.     

中国东部北北西(北西)向构造系与地震活动关系的讨论

本文依实际资料,讨论了中国东部北北西(北西)向构造系与地震活动的关系。其结论是:中国东部的地震活动主要是北北西(北西)向构造系,在北东东向压应力作用下,两组共轭剪切断裂分别发生右旋和左旋错动的结果。两者关系颇为密切。     

Petrogenetic Evolution of the Bayan Gol Ophiolite— Geological Record of an Early Carboniferous "Red Sea Type"Ocean Basin in the Tianshan Mountains, Northwestern China

The Bayan Gol ophiolite fragment is a portion of the North Tianshan Early Carboniferous ophiolite belt. This ophiolite belt represents a geological record of an Early Carboniferous “Red Sea type” ocean basin that was developed on the northern margin of the Tianshan Carboniferous-Permian rift system in northwestern China. The late Early Carboniferous Bayan Gol ophiolite suite was emplaced in an Early Carboniferous rift volcanosedimentary succession of shallow-marine to continental facies (Volcanics Unit). Ophiolitic rocks in the Bayan Gol area comprise ultramafic rocks, gabbros with associated plagiogranite veins, diorite, diabase, pillow basalts and massive lavas. The Early Carboniferous tiffing and the opening process of the North Tianshan ocean basin produced mafic magmas in composition of tholeiite and minor amounts of evolved magmas. Compositions of trace elements and Nd, Sr and Pb isotopes reveal the presence of two distinct mantle sources: (1) the Early Carboniferous rift mafic lavas from the Volcanics Unit were generated by a relatively low degree of partial melting of an asthenospheric OIB-type intraplate source; (2)younger (late Early Carboniferous, -324.8 Ma ago) mafic lavas from the Ophiolite Unit were formed in a relatively depleted MORB-like mantle source, located in the uppermost asthenosphere and then gradually mixed with melts from the asthenospheric OIB-like mantle. A slight interaction between asthenosphere-derived magmas and lithospheric mantle took place during ascent to the surface. Subsequently, the most depleted mafic lavas of the ophiolite assemblage were contaminated by upper-crustal components (seawater or carbonate crust).