Biokarst on Limestone Coasts, Morphogenesis and Sediment Production

Abstract. Biokarst-forms on limestone coasts are developed and arranged according to the bionomic zonation. The development of biokarst is the result of bioerosion, a synergistic effect of biological corrosion by endoliths and biological abrasion by grazers.
The cumulative effect of biogenic carbonate destruction leads to coastal destruction with a resulting highly profiled morphology on the limestone surfaces along the coastal profile. Under the influence of environmental factors a zonation of organisms develops which brings in turn a zonation of erosion rates (0.1-1.1 mm a^-1) resulting in biokarst-forms such as rock holes, rock pools and notches.
Products of bioerosion on limestone coasts are dissolved carbonate (by biological corrosion, 10–30% of the decomposed limestone) and particulate carbonate (by biological abrasion, 70–90% of the decomposed limestone) both of which contribute directly or indirectly to nearshore sedimentation. Size and shape of the bioerosional grains are determined by the boring pattern of the endoliths. The fine-grained sediments (maximum within the fraction 20–63 μm) contribute 3–25 % to the nearshore sediments.
Drastic changes in the biological zonation (like the mass invasion of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in the Northern Adriatic since 1972 which eliminated nearly the entire macrophyte zone) due to unknown factors or pollution can have a profound effect on the bioerosion rates, altering them by as much as a factor of ten.     

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.     

Dinoflagellate cysts in recent marine sediment from Guangxi, China

Total of 33 species of dinoflagellate cysts were discovered from surface sediment in the searegion of Guangxi, among them 12 cyst types (Diplopsalopsis sp.1, D. sp. 2, D. sp. 3, Cochlodinium sp., Protoperidinium sp. 1, P. sp. 2, P. compressum , Scrippsiella sp. 1, S. sp. 2, Alexandrium sp. 1, A. sp. 2, A. sp. 3) were first reported from the South China Sea. And one cyst type (Cochlodinium sp.) was first reported in the world. Scrippsiella trochoidea is the dominant species in this area, accounting for 45% of all the cysts. There are 2 cysts of toxic dinoflagellate (Alexandrium tamarensis and Gymnodinium catenatum). But there is no relationship between cyst number and grain size distribution.     

A Numerical Model for Natural Backfill of Pipeline Trenches Subjected to Unidirectional／Oscillatory Flows

A numerical model for the self-burial of a pipeline trench is developed. Morphological evolutions of a pipeline trench under steady-current or oscillatory-flow conditions are simulated with/without a pipeline inside the trench. The oscillatory flow in this study represents the action of waves. The two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged continuity and Navier-Stokes equations with the standard k-e turbulence closure, as well as the sediment transport equations, are solved with the finite difference method in a eurvilirrear coordinate system. Both bed and suspended loads of sediment transport are included in the morphological model. Because of the lack of experimental data on the backfilling of pipeline trenches, the numericalmodel is firstly verified against three closely-relevant experiments available in literature. A detailed measurement of the channel migration phenomenon under steady currents is employed for the assessment of the integral performance of themodel. The two experimental results from U-tube tests are used to validate the model‘s ability in predicting oscillatory flows. Different time-marching schemes are employed for the morphological computation under unidirectional and oscillatory conditions. It is found that vortex motions within the trench play an important role in the trench development.     

Patterns and controls of surface sediment distribution: west-central Florida inner shelf

The west-central Florida inner shelf represents a transition between the quartz-dominated barrier-island system and the carbonate-dominated mid-outer shelf. Surface sediments exhibit a complex distribution pattern that can be attributed to multiple sediment sources and the ineffectiveness of physical processes for large-scale sediment redistribution. The west Florida shelf is the submerged extension of the Florida carbonate platform, consisting of a limestone karst surface veneered with a thin unconsolidated sediment cover. A total of 498 surface sediment samples were collected on the inner shelf and analyzed for texture and composition. Results show that sediment consists of a combination of fine quartz sand and coarse, biogenic carbonate sand and gravel, with variable but subordinate amounts of black, phosphorite-rich sand. The carbonate component consists primarily of molluskan fragments. The distribution is patchy and discontinuous with no discernible pattern, and the transition between sediment types is generally abrupt. Quartz-rich sediment dominates the inner 15 km north of the entrance into Tampa Bay, but south of the Bay is common only along the inner 3 km. Elsewhere, carbonate-rich sediment is the predominate sediment type, except where there is little sediment cover, in which cases black, phosphorite-rich sand dominates. Sediment sources are likely within, or around the periphery of the basin. Fine quartz sand is likely reworked from coastal units deposited during Pleistocene sea-level high stands. Carbonate sand and gravel is produced by marine organisms within the depositional basin. The black, phosphorite-rich sand likely originates from the bioerosion and reworking of the underlying strata that irregularly crop out within the study area. The distribution pattern contains elements of both storm- and tide-dominated siliciclastic shelves, but it is dictated primarily by the sediment source, similar to some carbonate systems. Other systems with similar sediment attributes include cool-water carbonate, sediment-starved, and mixed carbonate/siliciclastic systems. This study suggests a possible genetic link among the three systems.     

南海表层沉积物中钙质超微化石分布特征

为系统描述钙质超微化石在南海表层沉积中的分布特征,对遍布南海的175个样品进行了实验分析。发现不同地区钙质超微化石绝对丰度相差很大,从0—3.8×1010个.g-1不等。平面上将钙质超微化石丰度分为3个区。共鉴定出钙质超微化石21属28种,以Emiliania huxleyi、Florisphaera profunda和Gephyrocapsa oceanica为优势种,其中Florisphaera profunda占据绝对优势。南海钙质超微化石分布具有两个明显特征:一是14°N线南北两边钙质超微化石的分布存在差异;二是南海钙质超微化石丰度以南沙群岛和西沙群岛两片海域为最高,并有东北-西南走向的分布趋势。对影响钙质超微化石分布的水深、上升流与营养盐、陆源物质稀释作用、碳酸盐溶解作用等因素作了讨论,并根据钙质超微化石随水深的变化推测南海碳酸盐补偿深度应在4 000m左右。     

含沙量对草地坡面径流泥沙沉积和水力特性的影响

通过室内模拟试验,在坡度为3°和9°、流量为20和60L/min条件下研究了不同浓度(0～350kg/m3)含沙水流流经草地的泥沙沉积过程及其水力学特性。结果表明,坡面泥沙沉积量随含沙量的增加而增大,3°时泥沙沉积率与含沙量呈正相关,而9°时沉积率与含沙量呈反势。坡度对泥沙沉积影响显著,而在相同坡度条件下,两种流量试验的泥沙沉积量无明显差异。相同坡面坡上部位流速小于坡下部位,且含沙量对坡面流速影响较小。在相同坡度和流量条件下,水流雷诺数随含沙量的增大而减小。3°时水流阻力系数和曼宁糙率均随含沙量的增加而增大,而9°时含沙量对阻力影响不明显,因此在土壤侵蚀较严重地区进行坡面水文过程演算时需考虑含沙量对缓坡糙率的影响。     

甘肃两河口地区水系沉积物异常评价

对两河口地区1:5万水系沉积物资料处理,圈定了大量元素异常。应用R型因子分析结果,划分元素组合。从元素组合特征方面分析,评价异常找矿意义,确定了7个找矿远景区,其中1号异常为最佳找矿靶区。     

红枫湖夏季分层期间pCO2分布规律的研究

在夏季分层期间对红枫湖南、北湖湖心的水样进行分层采集,同时测定了分层水样的温度、pH、HCO₃-浓度、溶解氧(DO)、叶绿素a(Chl-a)及铵根离子(NH₄+)、硝酸根离子(NO₃-)、磷酸根离子(PO₄3-)的浓度,水体中CO₂的分压(pCO₂)由化学平衡及亨利定律求得。研究结果表明:光合作用、有机质降解及水体热分层是影响红枫湖夏季pCO₂分布的主要因素。其中,温水层CO₂欠饱和是光合作用吸收CO₂引起的,温跃层中pCO₂的急剧增加是光合产物降解产生CO₂引起的。静水层沉积物附近pCO₂最高并且还有持续增加的趋势,说明沉积物中有机质降解是静水层中CO₂增加的主要原因,夏季湖底水温较高加快了沉积物中有机质的降解。分层现象使pCO₂在水体中的分布差别明显,并且使静水层中CO₂得到积累。此外,夏季红枫湖水体中pCO₂的变化与NH₄+、PO₄3-的变化密不可分,表现为温水层中光合作用消耗NH₄+、PO₄3-,有机质降解过程伴随NH₄+、PO₄3-的释放。     

蚀变岩的蠕变特性研究

以某水电站工程项目为依托,利用自行研制的试验仪器对大量的蚀变岩做了单轴压缩流变试验。通过对试验数据的处理和分析,得到了该种岩石的流变,并对蚀变岩的蠕变特性进行了分析总结,为工程设计提供了试验依据。