The Continuous Plankton Recorder: concepts and history, from Plankton Indicator to undulating recorders

Alister Hardy conceived the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey in the 1920s as a means of mapping near-surface plankton in space and time, interpreting the changing fortunes of the fisheries and relating plankton changes to hydrometeorology and climatic change. The seed he planted has grown to become the most extensive long-term survey of marine organisms in the world and the breadth of his vision becomes ever more apparent. The survey has now run for over 70 years and its value increases with every passing decade. Operating from ‘ships of opportunity’ the machines used are robust, reliable and easy to handle. Wherever possible, all the sampling and analytical methods have not been changed to maintain the consistency of the time series. Computerisation and the development of new statistical approaches have increased our ability to handle the large quantities of information generated and enhance the sensitivity of the data analyses. This overview, based on almost 900 papers, recounts the various phases in the history of the survey. It starts with the Indicator Survey (1921–1934), the deployment of the first CPR on the Discovery Expedition (1924–1927) and the early CPR survey in the North Sea (1931–1939). The survey reopened in 1946 after the Second World War and expanded across the North Atlantic to North America from 1959. Taxonomic studies were initiated and an emphasis was placed on patterns of distribution, which were seen to reflect the varying oceanographic conditions. The years 1968–1976 saw further expansion with operations even in the American Great Lakes, publication of a Plankton Atlas and initial evidence for a downward trend in plankton biomass. At about this time electronic instrumentation was attached to CPRs to make additional measurements and work was started on the development of a new generation of undulating Continuous Plankton and Environmental Recorders (CPERs). In 1976 the survey moved to Plymouth. Scientific priorities in the UK changed in the subsequent decade and funding became more difficult to secure even though some of the CPR papers being published at the time are now regarded as classics in plankton ecology. In 1988 the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) decided to close the survey. An international rescue operation led to the creation of the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) in 1990, which has continued with consortium funding from a number of countries, and from 1999 again included NERC. The scientific rationale of the survey has gained credibility as concern over climate change and other anthropogenic effects has grown and as the key role that plankton plays as an indicator of large-scale environmental conditions becomes ever more apparent. Recently, the survey became an integral component of the Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS) and expanded into the North Pacific. It plays a complementary role in many large international and multidisciplinary projects and is providing inspiration, advice and support to daughter surveys elsewhere in the world. At the start of a new millennium, Hardy’s vision from the 1920s is a powerful driving force not just in international biological oceanography, but in global environmental science.     

Geochemical cycling in the Hooghly estuary, India

U–Th decay series isotopes, δ¹⁸O and Si measurements in the river estuarine waters and sediments of the polluted Hooghly estuary as well as the surface waters of the Bay of Bengal, its high salinity end member, are reported. Dissolved Si indicates that there are probably two mixing regimes, dissolved U behaviour is nonconservative and δ¹⁸O behaves conservatively in the overall estuarine region. Isotopes of reactive elements, viz. ²³⁴Th and ²¹⁰Po, are removed from the estuarine waters in <2 days and <1 month, respectively, which is due to high suspended matter (30–301 mg l⁻¹). ²²⁸Ra and ²²⁶Ra are profusely released into the estuarine waters in the low to mid-salinity regions.As expected, the opposite trend is observed in the case of estuarine sediments and suspended matter. Reactive isotopes of Th, ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po are enriched, whereas Ra isotopes are depleted with respect to their parent nuclides in the estuarine sediments and suspended matter. ²³²Th/Al ratio appears well suited to study the distribution and mixing of the bed load sediments of the Ganga–Brahmaputra (G–B) and the Hooghly rivers with those from other rivers on the Bay of Bengal floor.     

厦门潮间带表层沉积物天然放射系不平衡研究

用HPGeγ谱仪测定了厦门潮间带表层沉积物中的放射性核素,得到11种核素238U2、34Th2、26Ra2、22Rn2、10Pb2、28Ra2、28Ac2、28Th2、24Ra2、12Pb、40K的平均比活度分别为:40.2、82.7、32.4、28.9、94.2、69.3、57.1、71.6、64.0、71.4、692Bq/kg.结果表明潮间带沉积物中天然放射系不平衡,其中234Th相对于238U2、10Pb相对于226Ra过剩,222Rn相对于226Ra2、28Ac相对于228Ra2、24Ra相对于228Th亏损.     

思林水电站通航建筑物高边坡稳定分析和评价

应用ANSYS结构分析软件,模拟了思林水电站通航建筑物高边坡的地形、地质条件以及开挖的过程,建立边坡开挖的有限元计算分析模型,分析边坡在自然状态、分级开挖以及锚杆支护加固等工况下的应力、变形及其整体稳定性.定义单元的局部安全系数,得到了边坡开挖加固后稳定安全系数的分布.根据计算成果,指出现设计加固措施可以保证边坡稳定,无需增加其他工程措施.     

电磁波信号在对流层中路径弯曲改正的级数展开式

大气折射延迟是空间大地测量中的一个主要误差源。本文严格地给出了中性大气路径弯曲改正的原理性公式。通过对各种因素量级的分析,在亚毫米量级的精度上给出了一个以视天顶距正切和正割乘积为参数的级数展开模型。新模型在球对称大气模型下,级数展开模型的精度达到了毫米量级,理论上可以展开到任意阶次,且可允许观测高度角小到5°。     

BP神经网络模型在澜沧江流域径流量模拟中的应用

河川径流等水文时间序列属于复杂的非线性系统,使用回归分析等传统的分析方法,难以获取和描述其内在关联和变化规律。利用现有的相关站点的径流量历史数据和输沙量、降水量数据,在进行规格化处理和主成分分析的基础上,利用三层BP人工神经网络模型,对澜沧江流域上游昌都站径流量与各关联因子之间复杂的非线性映射关系进行模拟,采用拟牛顿算法对模型进行训练,模拟结果达到期望精度要求,并利用1982年~1985年实测数据进行模型验证。结果证明利用BP神经网络模型对澜沧江流域站点的月径流量序列进行模拟、预测和数据补缺处理具有可行性。     

新疆北部石炭纪地层、岩相古地理与烃源岩

依据近几年新疆区域地质调查结果,结合新疆油田与吐哈油田最新勘探成果,通过区域构造背景和沉积充填演化特征推断石炭系沉积建造样式,理顺了新疆北疆地区石炭纪地层层序,目的是推断石炭纪烃源岩发育层段与主力生烃区范围。下石炭统有效烃源岩分布较广,主要发育于北疆西准噶尔达尔布特山前、博格达山前、准噶尔东部陆东—五彩湾地区早石炭世被动陆缘海相和海陆过渡相沉积盆地;上石炭统有效烃源岩分布相对局限,主要发育于东准噶尔克拉美丽山前石钱滩区、布尔津—吉木乃区及库普—三塘湖区海陆过渡相沉积盆地内。石炭系油气成藏严格遵循"源控论",有效生烃区决定其有效成藏范围,所伴随发育的火山岩体决定其富集程度。优选西准噶尔、东准噶尔、库普—三塘湖区、博格达山前区、布尔津—吉木乃区石炭系烃源岩发育区及其相邻构造带,作为今后石炭系油气勘探战略选区的重要领域和区带。     

火山沉积岩及其矿床研究中伽马测井曲线解释的误区

根据酸性凝灰岩和酸性火山事件粘土岩的自然伽马测井曲线,对当前流传的"沉积岩层的放射性强度(或放射性核素的含量)随泥质含量的增加而增高"的概念和用自然伽马值及经验公式求泥质含量提出质凝。酸性凝灰岩的自然伽马曲线有高异常响应,若解释为泥岩显然是误解,故将沉积岩伽马曲线高异常一律解释为泥岩是片面的。各类火山事件粘土岩的伽马值相差悬殊,但其泥质含量几乎相等,用它们的伽马值计算泥质含量误差甚大。最后对铝土矿层的伽马曲线稍加解释,指出核测井应用的远景。     

贵州中东部剩余重力异常与区域矿产分布关系

重点研究1:20万剩余重力异常,结合航磁、物性、地质等资料,初步圈定区内隐伏、半隐伏岩浆岩体,对研究与重力异常、岩体分布关系密切的矿产的时间、空间分布及其成因,有一定参考价值和指示意义。     

化学地层学研究中的若干注意事项

化学地层学因其交叉学科特点和研究对象的复杂性使得研究过程中任何一个环节的不足都将造成测试出现偏差,成果的可信度也将出现问题。高昂的成本也要求研究者把有限的资源集中到正确的目标上。近20年研究历程却恰恰将此类性质的问题陆续暴露了出来。如采样阶段获取原生性状考虑不充分或依据不足、测试阶段缺乏校验、数据分析阶段挖潜和综合利用有待完善以及化学岩、碎屑岩和生物岩各自的基础性和针对性研究有待提高等。有些问题带有相当程度的普遍性,有些甚至是严重的核心技术问题。笔者结合最新相关研究成果对上述问题进行了逐一分析和系统修正。