Bathymetry of the Tonga Trench and Forearc: a map series

Four new bathymetric maps of the Tonga Trench and forearc between 14 °S and 27 °S display the important morphologic and structural features of this dynamic convergent margin. The maps document a number of important geologic features of the margin. Major normal faults and fault lineaments on the Tonga platform can be traced along and across the upper trench slope. Numerous submarine canyons incised in the landward slope of the trench mark the pathways of sediment transport from the platform to mid- and lower-slope basins. Discontinuities in the trench axis and changes in the morphology of the landward slope can be clearly documented and may be associated with the passage and subduction of the Louisville Ridge and other structures on the subducting Pacific Plate. Changes in the morphology of the forearc as convergence changes from normal in the south to highly-oblique in the north are clearly documented. The bathymetric compilations, gridded at 500- and 200-m resolutions and extending along 500 km of the landward trench slope and axis, provide complete coverage of the outer forearc from the latitude of the Louisville Ridge-Tonga Trench collision to the northern terminus of the Tonga Ridge. These maps should serve as a valuable reference for other sea-going programs in the region, particularly the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and the National Science Foundation MARGINS initiative.     

Discussion on Coastal Erosion Near Xizhuang, Penglai, China

-In this work, on the basis of the characteristics of coastal erosion near Xizhuang (Penglai, Shandong, China) and the in-situ measured data and theoretical calculation, the causes of coastal erosion there are obtained: (1) natural erosion, (2) beach sand borrowing, and (3) sand borrowing at the Dengzhou shoal near Xizhuang, which results in the loss of the function of the wave force resistance of the shoal. Since the wave energy is increased, the longshore sediment transport rate is increased. Coastal erosions are more and more serious. A scientific basis to reduced the calamity of coastal erosion in local area is presented. Some experiences are accumulated for studying coastal erosion.     

The importance of extratropical and tropical cyclones on the short-term evolution of barrier islands along the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA

Data are presented indicating the complexity and highly variable response of beaches to cold front passages along the northern Gulf of Mexico, in addition to the impacts of tropical cyclones and winter storms. Within the past decade, an increase in the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes impacting the northern Gulf has dramatically altered the long-term equilibrium of a large portion of this coast. A time series of net sediment flux for subaerial and nearshore environments has been established for a section of this coast in Florida, and to a lesser extent, Mississippi. The data incorporate the morphological signature of six tropical storms/hurricanes and more than 200 frontal passages.

Data indicate that (1) barrier islands can conserve mass during catastrophic hurricanes (e.g., Hurricane Opal, a strong category 4 hurricane near landfall); (2) less severe hurricanes and tropical storms can promote rapid dune aggradation and can contribute sediment to the entire barrier system; (3) cold fronts play a critical role in the poststorm adjustment of the barrier by deflating the subaerial portion of the overwash terrace and eroding its marginal lobe along the bayside beach through locally generated, high frequency, steep waves; and (4) barrier systems along the northern Gulf do not necessarily enter an immediate poststorm recovery phase, although nested in sediment-rich nearshore environments. While high wave energy conditions associated with cold fronts play an integral role in the evolution and maintenance of barriers along the northern Gulf, these events are more effective in reworking sediment after the occurrence of extreme events such as hurricanes. This relationship is even more apparent during the clustering of tropical cyclones.

It is anticipated that these findings will have important implications for the longer term evolution of barrier systems in midlatitude, microtidal settings where the clustering of storms is apparent, and winter storms are significant in intensity and frequency along the coast.     

Carbon balance in a salt marsh: Interactions of diffusive export, tidal deposition and rainfall-caused erosion

Studies of the concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic carbon in the Duplin River, of the tidal exchange of POC and DOC in the marsh, of the standing stock and movement of Spartina alterniflora wrack in the Duplin, and of the removal of carbon from the surface of the marsh by rain were conducted at Sapelo Island, Georgia in order to test three hypotheses about export of carbon from the Duplin River watershed. We found that the gradients in POC and DOC concentrations are such that carbon is being transported down the Duplin River throughout the year, although in smaller quantities than previously believed. In contrast, almost all tidal exchanges within the marsh result in deposition of carbon. Most of this deposited carbon is subsequently eroded as a result of rain falling on the exposed marsh surface, and is washed back into the tidal creeks. This cycle of deposition and erosion is a possible mechanism keeping POC in the thin aerobic surface layer of the marsh, thus increasing its availability to detritivores and aerobic microbes. The standing stock of wrack is only a fraction of the S. alterniflora produced each year, and its export is a negligible term in the carbon balance equation.     

Modeling erosion of sedimentary coasts in the western Russian Arctic

Morphodynamic modeling is employed in the present work to predict the long-term evolution (over the next 100 years) of typical sedimentary coasts in the western Russian Arctic. The studied objects are the coasts of Varandey (the Barents Sea), Baydaratskaya Bay and Harasavey (the Kara Sea). The model developed takes into account both the short-term processes (storm events) and long-term factors (for example, changes in sea level, inter-annual variations in gross sediment flux, lack or excess of sediment supply). Predicted and observed morphological changes in coastal profiles are shown to agree well for time scales ranging from weeks to decades. It is revealed that under given environmental conditions, the morphological evolution is strongly influenced by storm surges and associated wind-driven circulation. The water level gradient created by a surge generates a seaward flow at the bed. This outflow is shown to be an important destructive mechanism contributing to the erosion and recession of Arctic coasts. The rate of change is found to depend on both the exposure of the coast (relative to the direction of dominant winds) and its height above the sea. The open coast of Varandey is expected to retreat as much as 300–500 m over 100 years, while recession of the less exposed coasts of Baydaratskaya Bay would not exceed about 100 m/century. If long-term sediment losses are insignificant, the rate of erosion decays with time and the morphodynamic system may tend toward equilibrium. It is concluded that the expected relative sea-level rise (up to 1 m over the nearest 100 years) is non-crucial to the future coastal evolution if an erosion activity is already high enough.     

In-Situ Observation of Fluid Mud in the North Passage of Yangtze Estuary, China

Observations of fluid mud were made in the lower North Passage of the Yangtze Estuary in February 2000, on 10 -11 August 2000, on 30 - 31 August 2000 (after two strong typhoons), on 21 - 24 August 2000 (neap tide) and on 3 -6 September 2000 (mean tide) respectively. In situ data show that the fluid mud in this area consists of fine cohesive sediment (median size 7.23 μm). The formation and movement of fluid mud varied during the neap-spring and flood-ebb tidal cycle. Observations suggest that fluid mud phenomena in this area may be categorised in a three-fold manner as slack water, storm and saltwedge features. The thickness of the fluid mud layer of slack water during the neap tide ranged from 0.2 to 0.96 m, whereas during the mean tide, the thickness ranged from 0.17 to 0.73 m, and the thickness of the fluid mud layer was larger during slack water than at the flood peak. Shoals cover an area of 800 km^2 with a water depth smaller than 5 m. Erosion of these extensive intertidal mudflats due to storm action provides an abundant sediment source. This is particularly significant in this estuary when the tidal level is lower than 5 m. The lower North Passage is a typical zone of saltwater wedging, so the saltwedge fluid mud has the most extensive spatial range in the estuary.     

GIS支持下的长江口拦门沙泥沙冲淤定量计算

依据1842～1997年10幅不同年代的长江口海图资料,利用地理信息系统和数字化仪进行处理,建立不同时期的长江口水下数字高程模型,以此作为基础资料,实现了从横剖面、深泓线纵剖面、平面变化等不同角度对长江口拦门沙地区滩槽演变、岸线侵蚀、沙岛形成与变迁等进行研究.通过计算河槽容积,实现了对不同时段泥沙冲淤量的计算.结果表明,155a来拦门沙总的趋势是不断淤积,但不同时期淤积速度大不一样,个别时期甚至会发生一定程度的冲刷,这主要与动力条件的波动有关.1842～1997年,共淤积泥沙38.10亿t,平均每年淤积0.246亿t,约占长江来沙的5%,年均淤厚为1.1cm泥沙淤积部位主要在九段沙、横沙及横沙东滩、崇明东滩三处.发生冲刷的范围较小,仅占总面积的21.4%,主要在北槽,北港上段和南槽局部也有轻微的冲刷发生.     

浙江省海岸侵蚀及防治概述

浙江海岸侵蚀现象普遍存在。基岩海岸海蚀地貌发育,因其组成物质抗冲蚀能力强,岸线后退不明显;砂砾质海岸普遍发生侵蚀,尤其是无计划的人工挖沙,造成沙滩减小或消失;淤泥质海岸大多处于缓慢的淤涨状态,但由于自然条件的改变和人为作用的影响,某些岸段发生侵蚀,特别是受到台风暴潮的影响,岸线在短时间内出现大规模后退和滩面下蚀。侵蚀岸段主要见于杭州湾北岸澉浦至金丝娘桥岸段,杭州湾南岸临山至西三岸段及瓯江口北岸盘石至黄华岸段。淤泥质海岸后缘为滨海平原,组成物质为粘土质粉砂,抗冲蚀能力弱,为防止和减轻海岸侵蚀,沿岸建造各类海岸工程(海塘、丁坝、导堤等),提高防潮抗浪能力,在朝滩种植大米草,互花米草,消浪促淤明显。另外,在海岸开发活动中,应加强海岸侵蚀监测和综合管理。     

塔里木盆地的构造演化

从地震大剖面显示，塔里木盆地发育为手风琴式的演化史。大体上形成有3层“断-坳”结构：①震旦系的“断”，古生界-三叠系的“坳”；②侏罗系的“断”，上白垩系的“坳”；③古近系的“断”，新近系的“坳”。断陷与坳陷分别由拉张与挤压应力场所致，这种应力场的变化是由相邻洋壳板块俯冲倾角由小到大的变化所引起的。由于地壳的多旋回运动，多次发生构造沉积演变，构成了多套生储盖组合，多领域、多种圈闭类型的油气藏，从震旦系-古生界-中生界-新生界，各断陷-坳陷结构的盆地都有可能形成油气藏的地质条件。     

辽东湾两侧砂质海岸侵蚀灾害与防治

自20世纪60年代至90年代，由于多种原因，辽东湾东西两侧的初始沙质海岸侵蚀范围逐年扩大，侵蚀不断加剧，给当人民的生产和生活带来严重危害。由多年监测资料发现，侵蚀严重的熊岳岸线以2～4m／a的速率而大幅度后退，特别严重的地区最大后退达10km；辽西绥中某些岸段平均每年后退1～2m。20世纪90年代后期，由于一些海域管理措施的出台和相应的海岸防护工程的建设，海岸侵蚀逐渐减弱。通过现场调查和多年监测，分析了辽东湾东西两侧砂质海岸侵蚀的特点，认为海岸组成物质松散与海岸动力作用强烈是本区现代海岸侵蚀的基本条件，人为活动是关键因素，并提出了海岸侵蚀灾害的防治对策。