Deposition Rates of Terrestrial and Marine Organic Carbon in the Osaka Bay, Seto Inland Sea, Japan, Determined Using Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Ratios in the Sediment

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (¹³C and ¹⁵N) of surface sediments were measured within Osaka Bay, in the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, in order to better understand the sedimentation processes operating on both terrestrial and marine organic matter in the Bay. The ¹³C and ¹⁵N of surface sediments in the estuary of the Yodo River were less than –23 and 5 respectively, but increased in the area up to about 10 km from the river mouth. At greater distances they became constant (giving ¹³C of about –20 and ¹⁵N about 6). It can be concluded that large amounts of terrestrial organic matter exist near the mouth of the Yodo River. Stable isotope ratios in the estuary of the Yodo River within 10 km of the river mouth were useful indicators allowing study of the movement of terrestrial organic matter. Deposition rates for total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) over the whole of the Bay were estimated to be 63,100 ton C/year and 7,590 ton N/year, respectively. The deposition rate of terrestrial organic carbon was estimated to be 13,200 (range 2,000–21,500) ton C/year for the whole of Osaka Bay, and terrestrial organic carbon was estimated to be about 21% (range 3–34) of the TOC deposition rate. The ratio of the deposition rate of terrestrial organic carbon to the rate inflow of riverine TOC and particulate organic carbon (POC) were estimated to be 19% (range 3–31) and 76% (range 12–100), respectively.     

Assessment of spatial variation in carbon utilization by benthic and pelagic invertebrates in a temperate South African estuary using stable isotope signatures

Stable isotope analyses (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were used to evaluate the spatial variations in carbon flow from primary producers to consumers at two sites in the temperate and permanently open Kariega Estuary on the southeastern coast of South Africa during October 2005 and February 2006. One site was located opposite a salt marsh while the second was upstream of the marsh. Except for significantly enriched δ¹³C values of Zostera capensis and surface sediments near the salt marsh, the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures of the producers were similar between sites. The invertebrates were clustered into groups roughly corresponding to the predominant feeding modes. The suspension feeders showed δ¹³C values closest to the seston, whereas the deposit feeders, detritivores and scavengers/predators had more enriched δ¹³C values reflecting primary carbon sources that were likely a combination of seston, Spartina maritima and Z. capensis at the upstream site, with an increased influence of benthic algae and Z. capensis at the salt marsh site. The δ¹⁵N signatures of the consumers showed a stepwise continuum rather than distinct levels of fractionation, indicating highly complex trophic linkages and significant dietary overlap among the species. Consumers exhibited significantly enriched δ¹³C values at the salt marsh site, an effect that was attributed to enriched Z. capensis detritus in this region in addition to increased phytoplankton biomass in their diets compared with invertebrates living upstream. The data reinforce the concept that between-site variations in the stable isotope ratios of consumers can result not only from dietary shifts, but also from alterations in the isotope ratios of primary producers.     

Estimation of Uplift Capacity of Rapidly Loaded Plate Anchors in Soft Clay

Plate anchors are extensively used in civil engineering constructions as they provide an economical alternative to gravity and other embedded anchors. The rate of loading is one of the important factors that affects the magnitude of soil resistance as well as soil suction force. This article outlines the effect of pullout rate on uplift behavior of plate anchors (70 mm diameter) buried in soft saturated clay by varying the pullout rate from 1.4 mm/min to 21.0 mm/min. The variation of breakout force and suction force with embedment depth and rate of pull are presented. A correlation between the rate of increase of undrained strength of clay and anchor capacity with rate of strain has been established. Finally an empirical equation has been proposed that includes the rate of pull in the estimation of breakout capacity of anchors.     

Stress Sharing Behavior and Its Mechanism during Consolidation Process in Composite Ground Improved by Sand Compaction Piles with Low Replacement Area Ratio

In order to accurately design a sand compaction pile (SCP) with low replacement area ratio, it is important to understand the mechanical interaction between the sand pile and clay ground and its mechanism during consolidation process in composite ground. In this article, therefore, a series of numerical analyses on composite ground improved by SCP with low replacement area ratio were carried out. The applicability of numerical analyses, in which an elasto-viscoplastic consolidation finite element method was applied, were confirmed by comparing the results obtained from a series of laboratory model tests with the composite ground improved by SCP. Through the results of the numerical analyses, mechanical behavior of the sand pile and clay in composite ground during consolidation is elucidated, together with a stress sharing mechanism between sand pile and clay.     

Diet of albacore Thunnus alalunga from the waters of Mauritius (western Indian Ocean) inferred from stomach contents and fatty acid analysis

The diet of albacore Thunnus alalunga from their spawning ground in the waters of Mauritius was investigated. The stomach contents of 249 albacore individuals, caught by industrial longliners and artisanal fishers, was analysed, and the dominant prey taxa were selected for lipid and fatty acid (FA) analysis. The FA profiles of prey were compared with those of liver tissue of spawning-capable and post-spawning female albacore, using multivariate analysis. Whereas stomach content analysis identified cephalopods and crustaceans as the dominant prey items in number, FA-profile analysis identified crustaceans and fishes as the most-frequently consumed prey of post-spawning female albacore. In contrast, the FA profiles of spawning-capable albacore and those of prey showed very low similarity. Analysis of the prey suggests that although cephalopods, crustaceans and fishes could all provide albacore with the required lipids and FAs, cephalopod prey seem to be less desirable owing to their lower energy content (i.e. low in total lipid, triacylglycerol, 16:0, 18:0 and 18:1ω9). Instead, the most beneficial food appeared to be locally available fishes, which are more energy-rich and have a higher docosahexaenoic acid/ eicosapentaenoic acid ratio. These results provide new information on the trophic ecology of albacore, promote our understanding of the importance of prey type for successful reproduction of albacore, and highlight the advantages of FA profiling to study diet.     

热带西太平洋海-气热量交换特征分析

本文采用1985年12月12日至1986年2月8日“向阳红14”号调查船在太平洋调查所获海洋水文气象资料,计算了四种热交换量。结果表明:海-气热输送与天气系统和海洋水文条件关系密切。冬季,在各种天气系统条件下西太平洋及中太平洋的大气主要是从海洋得到热量,其中以黑潮流经的海域最为明显,而热交换的方式主要是海洋以潜热的形式把热量输送给大气。     

Lower Cd/P ratio in settling particles than in surface seawater in the Okinawa Trough

The characteristics of the ratios between cadmium (Cd) and phosphorus (P) in settling particles collected from the Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea were examined using a sediment trap, moored at a depth of 811 m for one year. The Cd/P ratios varied within a narrow range throughout the year, in spite of the large seasonal change in the total dry mass, Cd, and P fluxes. The average Cd/P ratio of settling particles was 0.062 (nmol/μmol), which was obviously lower than that of surface seawater around the study site (0.16). This lower ratio in the Okinawa Trough particles collected using the 811 m-moored trap certainly reflected the mixture of biologically produced organic matter around the study site and other components that were mainly transported as lateral flux from the shelf edge and slope area of the East China Sea.     

Three-Dimensional Velocity Field and Cross-Frontal Water Exchange in the Kuroshio Extension

A spread of warm water from the first crest of the Kuroshio Extension is periodically enhanced by northward warm water intrusions from the main current. The water type in the spread area was previously found to be the same as that in the Kuroshio front at depth. In looking for the possible mechanism responsible for the northward warm water intrusions, a dynamic analysis in the Kuroshio front was carried out by using CTD, ADCP, AVHRR and ARGOS buoy data, obtained in 1996 by the R.V. Hakuho Maru. Downstream, cross-stream and vertical velocities in the Kuroshio Extension were found by using a "stream coordinate system". The velocity field in the Kuroshio front at the first crest showed a double structure with two surface velocity maxima. In the inner part of the front, relatively high cross-stream (northward) and vertical (upward) velocities were found. Thus, this study suggests that while water particles flow downstream along the first stationary meander of the Kuroshio Extension, they also experience lateral and vertical movements which allow the deeper water from an upstream location to rise to the surface layer, and in certain locations to deflect northward. By assuming isopycnal movement and conservation of potential vorticity, it was found that in those locations where anticyclonic curvature of the meander increases, warm water is more likely to deflect northward. High ageostrophic components observed in the first 300 m of the water column are probably related to the relatively high cross-stream and vertical velocities in the inner part of the front.     

A preliminary study of carbon system in the East China Sea

In the central part of the East China Sea, the activity of CO₂ in the surface water and total carbonate, pH and alkalinity in the water column were determined in winter and autumn of 1993. The activity of CO₂ in the continental shelf water was about 50 ppm lower than that of surface air. This decrease corresponds to the absorption of about 40 gC/m²/yr of atmospheric CO₂ in the coastal zone or 1 GtC/yr in the global continental shelf, if this rate is applicable to entire coastal seas. The normalized total carbonate contents were higher in the water near the coast and near the bottom. This increase toward the bottom may be due to the organic matter deposited on the bottom. This conclusion is supported by the distribution of pH. The normalized alkalinity distribution also showed higher values in the near-coast water, but in the surface water, indicating the supply of bicarbonate from river water. The residence time of the East China Sea water, including the Yellow Sea water, has been calculated to be about 0.8 yr from the excess alkalinity and the alkalinity input. Using this residence time and the excess carbonate, we can estimate that the amount of dissolved carbonate transported from the coastal zone to the oceanic basin is about 70 gC/m²/yr or 2 GtC/yr/area-of-global-continental-shelf. This also means that the rivers transport carbon to the oceans at a rate of 30 gC/m²/yr of the coastal sea or 0.8 GtC/yr/ area-of-global shelf, the carbon consisting of dissolved inorganic carbonate and terrestrial organic carbon decomposed on the continental shelf.