SEDIMENT RESUSPENSION IN THE CHANGJIANG ESTUARY

ＳＥＤＩＭＥＮＴＲＥＳＵＳＰＥＮＳＩＯＮＩＮＴＨＥＣＨＡＮＧＪＩＡＮＧＥＳＴＵＡＲＹＳＨＩＷｅｉｒｏｎｇ１ａｎｄＬＩＪｉｕｆａ２Ａｂｓｔｒａｃｔ：Ａｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃｖａｒｉａｔｉｏｎｐａｔｔｅｒｎｏｆｔｈｅｎｅａｒｂｏｔｔｏｍｓｕｓｐｅｎｄｅｄｓｅｄ...     

Sediment transport and resuspension due to combined motion of wave and current in the northern Adriatic Sea during a Bora event in January 2001: A numerical modelling study

The Adriatic Sea general circulation model coupled to a third generation wave model SWAN and a sediment transport model was implemented in the Adriatic Sea to study the dynamics of the sediment transport and resuspension in the northern Adriatic Sea (NAS) during the Bora event in January 2001. The bottom boundary layer (BBL) was resolved by the coupled model with high vertical resolution, and the mechanism of the wave–current interaction in the BBL was also represented in the model. The study found that, during the Bora event of 13–17 January 2001, large waves with significant wave height 2 m and period of 5 s were generated by strong winds in the northwestern shelf of the Adriatic where the direction of wave propagation was orthogonal to the current. The combined motion of the wave and current in the BBL increased the bottom stress over the western Adriatic shelf, resulting in stronger sediment resuspension there. Combining stronger bottom resuspension and strong upward vertical flux of resuspended sediments due to turbulent mixing, the model predicted that sediment concentration near the Po River was much higher than that predicted by the model run without wave forcing. The study also shows that wave–current interaction in the BBL reduced the western Adriatic Coastal Currents (WACCs) in the shallower north. It is concluded that wave forcing significantly changed the sediment distributions and increased the total horizontal fluxes over the western shelf. These results signified wave effect on sediment flux and distribution in the NAS, and suggested that waves cannot be neglected in the study of dynamics of sediment transport and resuspension in the shallow coastal seas. By including the tidal forcing in the coupled model, we also examined the effect of tides on the sediment transport dynamics in the NAS.     

Processes that can disturb the chronostratigraphy of laminated sediments and pollen deposition

The sediment trap technique was used to study the sedimentation processes in two parts of Lake Goci, central Poland, the deep of the main basin and the shallow bay area. From field and lab data was noted that seasonal and annual deposition of pollen grains on the lake bottom was disturbed in the main basin by an increase in water mass dynamics and by resuspension and focusing. Greater concordance between pollen sedimentation and the flowering periods of plants was found in the bay area, where sediment resuspension took place sporadically and with less intensity, compared to the main basin. Futhermore, it is suggested that resuspension of pollen can occur even if laminated sediments are formed, a process which therby diminishes the chronostratigraphic value of sediments and pollen analyses.     

Characteristics and generation mechanism of turbidity maximum in the Changjiang Estuary

INTRODUCTIONItiswellknownthattheregenerallyexistsahigherconcentrationsedimentzoneinrivermouththanthatinthe'upperandlowerones,whichiscalledturbiditymaximum(TM).ButnomoreintensiveresearchonthisphenomenonhadbeenconductedforalongtimesinceitwasfoundinFrenchGirondeEstuaryin1938.Itwasnotuntilthe1950swhenitattractedresearchersallovertheworldandwasregardedasacommonphenomenoninanestuary.Itplayedanimportantroleinestuarinesedimentationandenvironment.Sincethe1960s,lotsofstudiesonTMintheChangjiangE…     

The effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on seabed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico

To assess the extent to which Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), sediment cores were analyzed in late 2005 from: a shallow shelf, a deeper shelf, and a marsh station. Sediment geochronology, fabric, and geochemistry show that the 2005 storms deposited ∼10 cm of sediment to the surface of a core at 5-12A. Bulk carbon geochemistry and PAH isomers in this top layer suggest that the source of sediment to the top portion of core 5-12A was from a relatively more marine area. Particulate PAHs in the marsh core (04 M) appeared unaffected by the storms while sediments in the core from Station 5-1B (deeper shelf) were affected minimally (some possible storm-derived deposition). Substantial amounts of PAH-laden particles may have been displaced from the seabed in shallow areas of the water column in the GOM by these 2005 storms.     

Suspended sediment transport in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean): Impact of extreme storms and floods

In situ observations were combined with 3D modeling to gain understanding of and to quantify the suspended sediment transport in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean Sea). The outputs of a hydrodynamic–sediment transport coupled model were compared to near-bottom current and suspended sediment concentration measurements collected at the head of seven submarine canyons and at a shallow shelf site, over a 6-month period (November 2003–May 2004). The comparisons provide a reasonable validation of the model that reproduces the observed spatial and time variations. The study period was marked by an unusual occurrence of marine storms and high river inputs. The major water and sediment discharges were supplied by the Rhone, the largest Mediterranean river, during an exceptional flood accompanying a severe marine storm in early December 2003. A second major storm, with moderate flooding, occurred in February 2004. The estimate of river input during the studied period was 5.9 Mt. Our study reveals (i) that most of the particulate matter delivered by the Rhone was entrapped on the prodelta, and (ii) that marine storms played a crucial role on the sediment dispersal on the shelf and the off-shelf export. The marine storms occurring in early December 2003 and late February 2004 resuspended a very large amount of shelf sediment (>8 Mt). Erosion was controlled by waves on the inner shelf and by energetic currents on the outer shelf. Sediment deposition took place in the middle part of the shelf, between 50 and 100 m depth. Resuspended sediments and river-borne particles were transported to the southwestern end of the shelf by a cyclonic circulation induced by these onshore winds and exported towards the Catalan shelf and into the Cap de Creus Canyon which incises the slope close to the shore. Export taking place mostly during marine storms was estimated to reach 9.1 Mt during the study period.     

Sediment delivery,resuspension, and transport in two contrasting canyon environments in the southwest Gulf of Lions

Multiple canyons incise the continental slope at the seaward edge of the continental shelf in the Gulf of Lions and are actively involved in the transfer of sediment from shelf to deep sea. Two canyons in the southwest region of the Gulf of Lions, Lacaze-Duthiers Canyon and Cap de Creus Canyon, were instrumented with bottom-boundary-layer tripods in their heads to evaluate the processes involved in sediment delivery, resuspension and transport. In both canyons, intense cold, dense-water flows carry sediment across the slope. In the Lacaze-Duthiers canyon head (located ∼35 km from the shoreline), dense-water cascading into the canyon was episodic. Currents were highly variable in the canyon head, and responded to interactions between the along-slope Northern Current and the sharp walls of the canyon. Inertial and other high-frequency fluctuations were associated with suspended-sediment concentrations of ∼5 mg/l. In Cap de Creus canyon head (located ∼14 km from the shoreline), downslope currents were higher in magnitude and more persistent than in Lacaze-Duthiers canyon head. Greater suspended-sediment concentrations (peaks up to 20 mg/l) were observed in Cap de Creus Canyon due to resuspension of the canyon seabed during dense-water cascading events. The similarities and contrasts between processes in these two canyon heads emphasize the importance of the interaction of currents with sharp canyon bathymetry. The data also suggest that cold, dense-water flows have more potential to carry sediment to the slope on narrow shelves, and may more efficiently transfer that sediment to the deep sea where a smooth transition between shelf and slope exists.     

冬季台湾海峡210Po和210Pb的分布特征及颗粒物的输出

~(210) Po and ~(210) Pb are increasingly used to constrain particle dynamics in the open oceans, however they are less used in coastal waters. Here, distributions and partitions of ~(210) Po and ~(210) Pb were examined in the Taiwan Strait, as well as their application to quantify particle sinking. Activity concentrations of dissolved ~(210) Po and ~(210) Pb(0.6 μm)ranged from 1.21 to 7.63 dpm/(100 L) and from 1.07 to 6.33 dpm/(100 L), respectively. Activity concentrations of particulate ~(210) Po and ~(210) Pb varied from 1.96 to 36.74 dpm/(100 L) and from 3.11 to 38.06 dpm/(100 L). Overall,particulate ~(210) Po and ~(210) Pb accounted for the majority of the bulk ~(210) Po and ~(210) Pb. 210 Po either in dissolved or particulate phases showed similar spatial patterns to 210 Pb, indicating similar mechanisms for controlling the distributions of ~(210) Po and ~(210) Pb in the Taiwan Strait. The different fractionation coefficients indicated that particles in the Zhemin Coastal Current(ZCC) inclined to absorb 210 Po prior to 210 Pb while they showed an opposite effect in the Taiwan Warm Current(TWC). Based on the disequilibria between ~(210) Po and ~(210) Pb, the sinking fluxes of total particulate matter(TPM) were estimated to range from –0.22 to 3.84 g/(m2·d), showing an overall comparable spatial distribution to previous reported sediment accumulation rates. However, our sinking fluxes were lower than the sedimentation rates, indicating a sediment resuspension in winter and horizontal transport of particulate matter from the Taiwan Strait to the East China Sea.     

Factors controlling aggregate formation in the benthic boundary layer of the Mecklenburg Bight (western Baltic Sea)

Studies on aggregate formation and size distribution in relation to bottom water composition and flow regime were carried out in November 1994 at two transects in the inner and outer Mecklenburg Bight (Baltic Sea). The bottom water sampler ‘BIOPROBE' (BWS) was used to collect 10-dm³ water samples at 5, 10, 20 and 40 cm above the seabed. The outer transect samples tended to be more influenced by the open western Baltic Sea, whereas the inner transect samples were more affected by the coastal hydrography. Aggregate size distribution was investigated using a newly developed particle camera allowing identification of particles down to 150 μm size. Increasing concentrations of total particulate matter (TPM), particulate organic carbon (POC) and chlorophyll pigment equivalents (CPE) towards the seafloor together with a low proportion of POC/TPM (<5%) implied that the material was of resuspended origin. Aggregate size in both transects was positively correlated with TPM, transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and bacterial cell abundance. Higher particle concentrations and aggregate numbers in the outer transect indicated a higher resuspension frequency, or lateral advection processes. The higher concentration of aggregates at the outer transect may reflect the larger amount of near-bottom transported material.