Crustal Thinning of the Northern Continental Margin of the South China Sea

Magnetic data suggest that the distribution of the oceanic crust in the northern South China Sea (SCS) may extend to about 21 °N and 118.5 °E. To examine the crustal features of the corresponding continent–ocean transition zone, we have studied the crustal structures of the northern continental margin of the SCS. We have also performed gravity modeling by using a simple four-layer crustal model to understand the geometry of the Moho surface and the crustal thicknesses beneath this transition zone. In general, we can distinguish the crustal structures of the study area into the continental crust, the thinned continental crust, and the oceanic crust. However, some volcanic intrusions or extrusions exist. Our results indicate the existence of oceanic crust in the northernmost SCS as observed by magnetic data. Accordingly, we have moved the continent–ocean boundary (COB) in the northeastern SCS from about 19 °N and 119.5 °E to 21 °N and 118.5 °E. Morphologically, the new COB is located along the base of the continental slope. The southeastward thinning of the continental crust in the study area is prominent. The average value of crustal thinning factor of the thinned continental crust zone is about 1.3–1.5. In the study region, the Moho depths generally vary from ca. 28 km to ca. 12 km and the crustal thicknesses vary from ca. 24 km to ca. 6 km; a regional maximum exists around the Dongsha Island. Our gravity modeling has shown that the oceanic crust in the northern SCS is slightly thicker than normal oceanic crust. This situation could be ascribed to the post-spreading volcanism or underplating in this region.     

Roles of Continental Shelves and Marginal Seas in the Biogeochemical Cycles of the North Pacific Ocean

Most marginal seas in the North Pacific are fed by nutrients supported mainly by upwelling and many are undersaturated with respect to atmospheric CO₂ in the surface water mainly as a result of the biological pump and winter cooling. These seas absorb CO₂ at an average rate of 1.1 ± 0.3 mol C m⁻²yr⁻¹ but release N₂/N₂O at an average rate of 0.07 ± 0.03 mol N m⁻²yr⁻¹. Most of primary production, however, is regenerated on the shelves, and only less than 15% is transported to the open oceans as dissolved and particulate organic carbon (POC) with a small amount of POC deposited in the sediments. It is estimated that seawater in the marginal seas in the North Pacific alone may have taken up 1.6 ± 0.3 Gt (10¹⁵ g) of excess carbon, including 0.21 ± 0.05 Gt for the Bering Sea, 0.18 ± 0.08 Gt for the Okhotsk Sea; 0.31 ± 0.05 Gt for the Japan/East Sea; 0.07 ± 0.02 Gt for the East China and Yellow Seas; 0.80 ± 0.15 Gt for the South China Sea; and 0.015 ± 0.005 Gt for the Gulf of California. More importantly, high latitude marginal seas such as the Bering and Okhotsk Seas may act as conveyer belts in exporting 0.1 ± 0.08 Gt C anthropogenic, excess CO₂ into the North Pacific Intermediate Water per year. The upward migration of calcite and aragonite saturation horizons due to the penetration of excess CO₂ may also make the shelf deposits on the Bering and Okhotsk Seas more susceptible to dissolution, which would then neutralize excess CO₂ in the near future. Further, because most nutrients come from upwelling, increased water consumption on land and damming of major rivers may reduce freshwater output and the buoyancy effect on the shelves. As a result, upwelling, nutrient input and biological productivity may all be reduced in the future. As a final note, the Japan/East Sea has started to show responses to global warming. Warmer surface layer has reduced upwelling of nutrient-rich subsurface water, resulting in a decline of spring phytoplankton biomass. Less bottom water formation because of less winter cooling may lead to the disappearance of the bottom water as early as 2040. Or else, an anoxic condition may form as early as 2200 AD. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

南海南部大陆架的残留沉积

研究了南海南部大陆架的残留沉积物的粒度、石英砂表面结构特征、生物分布等，并指出残留沉积普遍遭受改造。按其早期的形成环境差异和改造作用不同，划分出加里曼丹－巴拉望残留沉积区和亚南巴斯－纳土纳残留沉积区。     

南海北部含油气构造上方化探异常研究

在南海北部利用地球化学方法作为油气勘探的一种辅助手段。在6个航次中采集了沉积物、底层海水及海面大气样品，测定了近50种化探指标，并采用稳健统计方法进行了数据处理和异常圈定。化探结果在油气藏上方发现了清晰的、具不同指标组合的综合化探异常，与邻近空构造形成鲜明的对照。圈闭顶部的块状异常和圈闭周绿的环状、半环状异常是下伏油气藏的良好指示，而剖面上呈锯齿状、平面上呈线状的异常则与断裂带有关。实践表明，建立已知油气藏上方的化探异常模式及解剖已知空构造上方的地球化学特征对于指导本区或邻区的化探异常评价是十分必要的。     

A Zonal Pathway for NADW in the South Atlantic

Several large deployments of neutrally buoyant floats took place within the Antarctic Intermediate (AAIW), North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), and the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) of the South Atlantic in the 1990s and a number of hydrographic sections were occupied as well. Here we use the spatially and temporally averaged velocities measured by these floats, combined with the hydrographic section data and various estimates of regional current transports from moored current meter arrays, to determine the circulation of the three major subthermocline water masses in a zonal strip across the South Atlantic between the latitudes of 19°S and 30°S. We concentrate on this region because the historical literature suggests that it is where the Deep Western Boundary Current containing NADW bifurcates. In support of this notion, we find that a net of about 5 Sv. of the 15–20 Sv that crosses 19°S does continue zonally eastward at least as far as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Once across the ridge it takes a circuit to the north along the ridge flanks before returning to the south in the eastern half of the Angola Basin. The data suggest that the NADW then continues on into the Indian Ocean. This scheme is discussed in the context of distributions of dissolved oxygen, silicate and salinity. In spite of the many float-years of data that were collected in the region a surprising result is that their impact on the computed solutions is quite modest. Although the focus is on the NADW we also discuss the circulation for the AAIW and AABW layers.     

Sea surface temperature variations in the southwestern South China Sea over the past 160 ka

Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the southwestern South China Sea have been reconstructed for the past 160 ka using the Uk37 paleothermometer from the core MD01-2392. The temperature differences between glacial times (MISs 6 and 2) and interglacial times (MISs 5.5 and 1) are 2.2~2.5 ℃. Younger Dryas event during the last deglaciation was documented in both the planktonic foraminiferal δ18O and SST records. After MIS 5.5, SSTs displayed a progressive cooling from 28.6 to 24.5 ℃, culminating at the LGM. During this gradual cooling period, warm events such as MISs 5.3, 5.1 and 3 were also clearly documented. By comparison of SST between the study core and Core 17954, a pattern of low or no meridional SST gradients during the interglacial periods and high meridional SST gradients during the glacial periods was exhibited. This pattern indicates the much stronger East Asian winter monsoon at the glacial than at the interglacial periods. Spectral analysis gives two prominent cycles: 41 and 23 ka, with the former more pronounced, suggesting that SSTs in the southern SCS varied in concert with high-latitude processes through the connection of East Asian winter monsoon.     

Spatio-temporal variability of small copepods (especially Oithona plumifera) in shallow nearshore waters off the south coast of South Africa

Although small copepods are one of the main dietary sources for many commercially important fish, their role in the pelagic trophic dynamics has traditionally been underestimated due to the methodology commonly used in plankton sampling. Temporal variation in abundance of adults and nauplii of small copepods (particularly Oithona plumifera) in nearshore waters on the south coast of South Africa was investigated fortnightly over 14 months at site (km) and location (100 m) scales. Sampling was within <500 m of the shore, where depth was ca. 10 m, using vertical hauls of an 80-μm mesh plankton net from 1 m above the seabed to the surface. Twenty-seven adult copepod taxa were recorded, but Oithona spp. was consistently the most abundant. Taxon richness was 7–19 on each sampling occasion. There was strong temporal variation (Oithona varied between 0 and 2300 m⁻³), but much of this was short-term variability (e.g. between consecutive sampling sessions), with no seasonality or other long-term discernable patterns. There were periods of consistently low numbers, but very high numbers often followed samples with low abundances. Nor was there spatial structure at the location scale, though numbers differed between sites. Despite considerable variability at the location scale within sites, Kenton consistently showed higher densities than High Rocks. Separate analyses, with Bonferroni adjustment, showed that this difference was significant on eight out of 21 occasions for Oithona, six for other pelagic copepods and three for nauplii. This suggests that hydrodynamics favour aggregation of plankton at Kenton. A high degree of short-term variability, with a tendency for aggregation of small zooplankton at certain sites has implications for both pelagic processes and food-web links between the benthic and pelagic environments.     

晚中生代─新生代南海周缘地块运动与南海演化

报道了由华南几个盆地的古地磁数据综合而得的反映该区白垩纪以来古纬度变化曲线，结合Ｓｃｈｍｉｄｔｋｅ等（１９９０）发表的加里曼丹１５０Ｍａ以来的古地磁数据，表明华南与加里曼丹在４０Ｍａ前具有大致相同的古纬度变化史，差异仅出现在距今３０Ｍａ前后和１０Ｍａ以来。若此趋势可靠，则可作出下列推断：（１）南海的扩张只能发生在距今３０Ｍａ附近或１０Ｍａ以后华南与加里曼丹反向运动时期；距今３０Ｍａ的扩张已被广为接受；（２）华南与加里曼丹之向可能存在的古南海只能在９１Ｍａ之前存在；（３）南海演化可能存在两期扩张。南海的拟合可通过沿３５００ｍ等深线的先道时针旋转、后北向平移两个步骤完成。这与Ｈａｙａｓｈｉｄａ等（１９９１）提出的日本海张开与扩张模式很相似，提示东亚边缘海的形成和演化可能具有同样的机制。华南距今５０Ｍａ以来的古纬度变化与Ｔａｐｐｏｎｎｉｅｒ（１９８２）的传播挤出构造模式所预期的基本吻合，表明距今５０Ｍａ以来华南古纬度变化的运动学机制可用Ｔａｐｐｏｎｎｉｅｒ模式作解释。     

南海南部约30 ka来沉积有机质的生物输入特征

对位于南沙海区的1962柱状样中的有机质进行了热解色谱分析，估算了沉积有机质中水生生物输入和陆源生物输入的变化情况，得出了两种输入的高分辨率的堆积速率曲线，并依此探讨了有关的古海洋事件。发现Younger Dryas、Heinrich及Bond周期事件在本海区皆有表现，说明“西太平洋暖池”在末次冰期是不稳定的。     

Several significant hydrographic characteristics and their formation mechanism in the South China Sea during the spring and summer of 1998

INTRODUCTIONTheSCSisthelargestmarginseainthewestoftheNorthPacificOcean .Theprevailingwindinwinterisnortheast,whileinsummeritissouthwest .Itisstilluncertainthathowthecirculationandtemperature -salinityfieldassociatewiththemonsoonforcingandaccompanywithseveralkindsofvariationsbeforeorafterthesummermonsoonburst .DuringSECMEXin 1 998,twointensiveobservationperiods (IOP)havebeencarriedoutntheSCS (Fig 1 ) :IOP1 ,from 1 0Aprilto 5May ;IOP2 ,from 1 2JunetoJuly 6 ,inordertounderstandthe…