Spatial variation in shallow sediment methane sources and cycling on the Alaskan Beaufort Sea Shelf/Slope

The MITAS (Methane in the Arctic Shelf/Slope) expedition was conducted during September, 2009 onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Polar Sea (WAGB-11), on the Alaskan Shelf/Slope of the Beaufort Sea. Expedition goals were to investigate spatial variations in methane source(s), vertical methane flux in shallow sediments (<10 mbsf), and methane contributions to shallow sediment carbon cycling. Three nearshore to offshore transects were conducted across the slope at locations approximately 200 km apart in water column depths from 20 to 2100 m. Shallow sediments were collected by piston cores and vibracores and samples were analyzed for sediment headspace methane (CH₄), porewater sulfate (SO₄²⁻), chloride (Cl⁻), and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations, and CH₄ and DIC stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C). Downward SO₄²⁻ diffusion rates estimated from sediment porewater SO₄²⁻ profiles were between −15.4 and −154.8 mmol m⁻² a⁻¹ and imply a large spatial variation in vertical CH₄ flux between transects in the study region. Lowest inferred CH₄ fluxes were estimated along the easternmost transect. Higher inferred CH₄ flux rates were observed in the western transects. Sediment headspace ${\mathrm{\delta }}^{13}{\text{C}}_{{\text{CH}}_4}$ values ranged from −138 to −48‰, suggesting strong differences in shallow sediment CH₄ cycling within and among sample locations. Measured porewater DIC concentrations ranged from 2.53 mM to 79.39 mM with δ¹³C_DIC values ranging from −36.4‰ to 5.1‰. Higher down-core DIC concentrations were observed to occur with lower δ¹³C where an increase in ${\mathrm{\delta }}^{13}{\text{C}}_{{\text{CH}}_4}$ was measured, indicating locations with active anaerobic oxidation of methane. Shallow core CH₄ production was inferred at the two western most transects (i.e. Thetis Island and Halkett) through observations of low ${\mathrm{\delta }}^{13}{\text{C}}_{{\text{CH}}_4}$ coupled with elevated DIC concentrations. At the easternmost Hammerhead transect and offshore locations, ${\mathrm{\delta }}^{13}{\text{C}}_{{\text{CH}}_4}$ and DIC concentrations were not coupled suggesting less rapid methane cycling. Results from the MITAS expedition represent one of the most comprehensive studies of methane source(s) and vertical methane flux in shallow sediments of the U.S. Alaskan Beaufort Shelf to date and show geospatially variable sediment methane flux that is highly influenced by the local geophysical environment.     

Numerical investigation of the control factors driving Zhe-Min Coastal Current

During the northeast monsoon season, Zhe-Min Coastal Current(ZMCC) travels along the Chinese mainland coast and carries fresh, cold, and eutrophic water. ZMCC is significantly important for the hydrodynamic processes and marine ecosystems along its path. Thus, this bottom-trapped plume deserves to be further discussed in terms of the major driving factor, for which different opinions exist. For this purpose, in this study, a high resolution Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated Syste...     

大陆岛入海沉积物通量的估算研究

大陆岛入海沉积物通量（Q_s）信息对于精确解译大陆架沉积记录的研究是个重要补充。针对如何估算大陆岛Q_s的科学问题,本文以中国东南部海域的8 227个大陆岛为例,提出了一种基于邻近大陆中小型河流Q_s的经验公式计算大陆岛Q_s的解决方案。该方案在实施时需设置两个假定,即大陆岛的Q_s法则遵循邻近大陆中小河流的Q_s法则和可将1个大陆岛当作1个河流流域计算其Q_s。结果表明：（1）经验公式计算的大陆岛Q_s为其最小估计值;如考虑大陆岛流域的具体情况,实际的Q_s值会稍微增加,但其增幅不超过n^0.13（n为流域数量）;（2）经验公式能获取大陆岛Q_s的大致数量级信息;大陆岛的总面积为4 418.49 km²,对应Q_s的数量级为10⁶ t/a,与邻近大陆中型河流入海通量的数量级相当;（3）在大河河口湾充填阶段完成以前,大陆岛沉积物是内陆架泥质沉积体的主要物源之一。因此,大陆岛入海沉积物会对大陆架沉积体系的形成和演化造成一定程度的影响,需引起研究人员的高度重视。     

海阳市典型砂质海岸侵蚀机制与防护对策研究

海阳市砂质海岸资源丰富,延绵近120 km,尤以万米沙滩浴场著称,但近年岸滩侵蚀严重影响其社会经济发展.本研究基于海阳市羊角畔两侧长约20 km典型砂质海岸连续3 a的海岸线蚀和典型剖面蚀淤调查,定量化研究海滩侵蚀及其变化,辅以一维数值模型,研究人类活动影响下的泥沙运动特征和海滩侵蚀机制.研究结果表明,调查区42.5％...     

MOS-1/1b MESSR Observations of the Antarctic Sea Ice: Ice Bands and Ice Streamers

Meso- or submeso-scale features of the Antarctic sea ice are investigated using the MOS-1/1b MESSR Images (spatial resolution of approximately 50 m) received at Syowa Station. Particular attention is paid to the ice bands and ice streamers in coastal polynyas. In the Antarctic Ocean, ice bands can be often seen not only at the ice edge but also in the ice interior zone throughout the year and they extend for hundreds of kilometers in the latitudinal direction. It is found that the width and spacing of ice bands tend to decrease from winter to summer. The width of ice band is about 2–6 km in August and September, and 0.1–0.7 km in December. The spacing of ice bands is about 3–10 km in August and September, and 0.1–2 km in December. In coastal polynyas, ice streamers, which are composed of new ice, are sometimes observed. In general, the row of the streamers is spaced at 0.5–2 km with a width of 0.1–1.0 km.     

Light regime and components of turbidity in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

The underwater light regime of a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Albufera des Grau, Balearic Islands) was studied during four years in order to characterise the spatial and temporal variations in the light attenuation coefficient (K) and to assess the relative contribution of the different water components to total light attenuation.     

福建沿海地区水资源紧缺问题及其解决途径

本文针对福建沿海地区存在的水资源紧问题,通过对福沿海地区水资源数量,供需平衡的分析探讨了水资源紧缺问题存在的主要原因,并结合水资源利用的现状特征,进一步深入评述了现状利用中存在的问题,最后从可持续利用水资源的角度出发,重点讨论解决途径。     

Study on Coastal Protection Engineering in the Area of Abandoned Yellow River Mouth

This paper reviews the history of coast evolution and coastal protection in the area of theabandoned Yellow River mouth in Jiangsu Province,analyzes the erosion characteristics and dynamic en-vironment,evaluates the efficiency of coastal protection engineering works and designs the dimensions ofthe main seadike and offshore submerged dam.A gerneral scheme of shore protection for this area is pro-posed.     

The Effect of the Introduction of the American Species Marenzelleria viridis (Polychaeta; Spionidae) on the Benthic Ecosystem of Vistula Lagoon

Abstract. In the late 1980s, a radical change in the macrozoobenthos composition occurred in the Vistula Lagoon, an oligohaline and silted water basin. This structural change is a result of the mass appearance of the very strongly euryhaline spionid polychaete Marenzelleria viridis Verrill, a newcomer from North American estuaries. It considerably reduced the previous bottom macrofauna, which was composed mainly of Chironornidae larvae and oligochaetes.
The penetration depth of the macrozoobenthos into the sediments and its total biomass increased in the last years, which enhanced the organic matter displacement in sediment layers of a greater thickness. The previous bottom dwellers inhabited mainly the most superficial sediment layer, whereas the new polychaete immigrant can penetrate down to a depth of 20–40 cm.     

Dissolved iron in the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean (CLIVAR SR3 section): Meridional and seasonal trends

We report measurements of dissolved iron (dFe, <0.4 μm) in seawater collected from the upper 300 m of the water column along the CLIVAR SR3 section south of Tasmania in March 1998 (between 42°S and 54°S) and November–December 2001 (between 47°S and 66°S). Results from both cruises indicate a general north-to-south decrease in mixed-layer dFe concentrations, from values as high as 0.76 nM in the Subtropical Front to uniformly low concentrations (<0.1 nM) between the Polar Front and the Antarctic continental shelf. Samples collected from the seasonal sea-ice zone in November–December 2001 provide no evidence of significant dFe inputs from the melting pack ice, which may explain the absence of pronounced ice-edge algal blooms in this sector of the Southern Ocean, as implied by satellite ocean-color images. Our data also allow us to infer changes in the dFe concentration of surface waters during the growing season. South of the Polar Front, a comparison of near-surface with subsurface (150 m depth) dFe concentrations in November–December 2001 suggests a net seasonal biological uptake of at least 0.14–0.18 nM dFe, of which 0.05–0.12 nM is depleted early in the growing season (before mid December). A comparison of our spring 2001 and fall 1998 data indicates a barely discernible seasonal depletion of dFe (0.03 nM) within the Polar Frontal Zone. Further north, most of our iron profiles do not exhibit near-surface depletions, and mixed-layer dFe concentrations are sometimes higher in samples from fall 1998 compared to spring 2001; here, the near-surface dFe distributions appear to be dominated by time-varying inputs of aerosol iron or advection of iron-rich subtropical waters from the north.