Field Measurement of Suction, Water Content, and Water Permeability

This paper presents a review of techniques for field measurement of suction, water content, and water hydraulic conductivity (permeability). Main problems in the use of field tensiometers are addressed and hints on how to improve tensiometer performance are given. Advantages and limitations of instruments for indirect measurement of suction including electrical conductivity sensors, thermal conductivity sensors, dielectric permittivity sensors, filter paper, and psychrometer are discussed. Techniques for water content measurement based on dielectric methods are then presented. These include time and amplitude domain reflectometry and capacitance. Finally, a brief overview of methods for measurement of water permeability in the field is presented.     

长江冲淡水的扩展及其营养盐的输运

本文根据长江口及其邻近海域硝酸盐和硅酸盐的平面分布特征,研究得出,除冬季外,长江冲淡水中的营养盐同时向两个方向输送,一、向北或东北输入南黄海西南部;二、向南或东南输入东海。据此提出“长江冲淡水双向扩展”的观点,即长江冲淡水先顺河口走向朝东南方向流动,到达口门处分成两部分（冬季除外）,一部分穿过杭州湾口及舟山群岛一带沿岸南下,或自长江口向东南方向扩展;另一部分则左转向北或东北,进入南黄海西南部。南、北两股冲淡水的水量大小及其比例,因不同季节而异。     

一个两时间层分裂显格式海洋环流模式(MASNUM)及其检验

A two-time-level, three-dimensional numerical ocean circulation model（named MASNUM） was established with a two-level, single-step Eulerian forward-backward time-differencing scheme. A mathematical model of large-scale oceanic motions was based on the terrain-following coordinated, Boussinesq, Reynolds-averaged primitive equations of ocean dynamics. A simple but very practical Eulerian forward-backward method was adopted to replace the most preferred leapfrog scheme as the time-differencing method for both barotropic and baroclinic modes. The forward-backward method is of second-order of accuracy, computationally efficient by requiring only one function evaluation per time step, and free of the computational mode inherent in the three-level schemes. This method is superior to the leapfrog scheme in that the maximum time step of stability is twice as large as that of the leapfrog scheme in staggered meshes thus the computational efficiency could be doubled. A spatial smoothing method was introduced to control the nonlinear instability in the numerical integration. An ideal numerical experiment simulating the propagation of the equatorial Rossby soliton was performed to test the amplitude and phase error of this new model. The performance of this circulation model was further verified with a regional（northwest Pacific） and a quasi-global（global ocean simulation with the Arctic Ocean excluded） simulation experiments. These two numerical experiments show fairly good agreement with the observations. The maximum time step of stability in these two experiments were also investigated and compared between this model and that model which adopts the leapfrog scheme.     

Effects of the oophagous bivalve Acesta oophaga on the morphology and fecundity of its deep‐sea tubeworm host,Lamellibrachia luymesi

The deep‐sea bivalve Acesta oophaga lives attached to the anterior end of the vestimentiferan tubeworm, Lamellibrachia luymesi, at cold methane seeps. The bivalve is found almost exclusively on female tubeworms, where it consumes the lipid‐rich eggs of L. luymesi that are spawned year round (Biological Bulletin, 209, 2005, 87). It is apparent that A. oophaga benefits directly from this close association, but the consequences for the tubeworm host may be more complicated than just a simple predator–prey interaction. Since A. oophaga completely surrounds the tube opening and plume of the worm, it is likely that its presence would limit oxygen uptake by L. luymesi, thereby inhibiting worm growth and reproduction. We hypothesized that occupied tubeworms would compensate for this by growing larger plumes for oxygen uptake. To explore the effects of bivalve presence/absence on female tubeworms, several morphological features, including body size, plume length, tube diameter, and tube segment length, as well as instantaneous fecundity, were compared. Results suggest that the mere presence of A. oophaga has a significant impact on the morphology of its host worm, as all measures of worm size, except for tube segment length, were significantly greater with clams present. Additionally, instantaneous fecundity was 3.5 times higher in occupied worms, implying that tubeworms are not oxygen‐deprived or energy limited as a result of bivalve presence. Our findings suggest that the association between these two deep‐sea organisms may be a more complex form of symbiosis than the simple predator–prey relationship, as previously thought.     

A Zonal Pathway for NADW in the South Atlantic

Several large deployments of neutrally buoyant floats took place within the Antarctic Intermediate (AAIW), North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), and the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) of the South Atlantic in the 1990s and a number of hydrographic sections were occupied as well. Here we use the spatially and temporally averaged velocities measured by these floats, combined with the hydrographic section data and various estimates of regional current transports from moored current meter arrays, to determine the circulation of the three major subthermocline water masses in a zonal strip across the South Atlantic between the latitudes of 19°S and 30°S. We concentrate on this region because the historical literature suggests that it is where the Deep Western Boundary Current containing NADW bifurcates. In support of this notion, we find that a net of about 5 Sv. of the 15–20 Sv that crosses 19°S does continue zonally eastward at least as far as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Once across the ridge it takes a circuit to the north along the ridge flanks before returning to the south in the eastern half of the Angola Basin. The data suggest that the NADW then continues on into the Indian Ocean. This scheme is discussed in the context of distributions of dissolved oxygen, silicate and salinity. In spite of the many float-years of data that were collected in the region a surprising result is that their impact on the computed solutions is quite modest. Although the focus is on the NADW we also discuss the circulation for the AAIW and AABW layers.     

Testing taxonomic resolution,data transformation and selection of species for monitoring macroalgae communities

The Water Framework and Habitats Directives require the evaluation of both the conservation and ecological status of macroalgae communities at water body or habitat level. However, assessments of macroalgal communities are highly time-consuming, both in terms of sampling effort and laboratory processing. These constraints have brought about their oversight in many marine monitoring programs, especially in subtidal environments. By using data from intertidal and subtidal macroalgae assemblages of Mouro Island (North coast of Spain) we wanted to identify possible cost-effective methods for monitoring this biological indicator, based on both high taxa levels and use of representative taxa. Multivariate analyses were applied using different data transformations. The results show that macroalgal communities are robust to aggregation to genus or even family level. Moreover, the outcomes show that transformation types introduce higher variation in the multivariate pattern of samples than the taxonomic level to which organisms are identified. Also, the study supports the use of representative taxa as a surrogate to overall community structure. Therefore, we conclude that a rapid-assessment by means of field evaluations, based on coverage of representative taxa, is a reliable alternative for the assessment of macroalgae status. In addition this procedure allows evaluation at a broader spatial scale (water body or habitat level) than traditional quantitative sampling procedure does.     

Soft computing approach for real-time estimation of missing wave heights

This paper presents soft computing approach for estimation of missing wave heights at a particular location on a real-time basis using wave heights at other locations. Six such buoy networks are developed in Eastern Gulf of Mexico using soft computing techniques of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Genetic Programming (GP). Wave heights at five stations are used to estimate wave height at the sixth station. Though ANN is now an established tool in time series analysis, use of GP in the field of time series forecasting/analysis particularly in the area of Ocean Engineering is relatively new and needs to be explored further. Both ANN and GP approach perform well in terms of accuracy of estimation as evident from values of various statistical parameters employed. The GP models work better in case of extreme events. Results of both approaches are also compared with the performance of large-scale continuous wave modeling/forecasting system WAVEWATCH III. The models are also applied on real time basis for 3 months in the year 2007. A software is developed using evolved GP codes (C++) as back end with Visual Basic as the Front End tool for real-time application of wave estimation model.     

象山港水交换数值研究──Ⅰ.对流-扩散型的水交换模式

以溶解态的保守性物质作为湾内水的示踪剂,建立了对流－扩散型的海湾水交换数值模型。数值模型使用参数化的方法把重力环流和潮振荡的垂向剪切作用的水平混合效应包纳在水平二维的示踪剂对流－扩散方程中。在空间网距较小时,模型的稳定性和守恒性均可满足海湾水交换研究的需要。     

Semi-analytical solution for the water wave diffraction by arrays of truncated circular cylinders in front of a vertical wall

The present study investigates the combined wave field that is induced by the continuous interaction of plane waves with an array of truncated circular cylinders in front of a rigid wall. The long-term goal of the study is the investigation of possible increase in the efficiency of cylindrical Wave Energy Converters (WECs) by putting in the vicinity of the array a barrier to propagation, a wall, that could assist the reflection of the incoming waves. The main task is to develop a generic solution method that is free of conceptual simplifications employed, e.g. by the method of images and the assumption of “pure” wave reflection. To cope with the set task, the proposed method relies on the semi-analytical formulation of the velocity potentials, while the solution is sought by combined expressions that involve polar and elliptical harmonics. The wall is represented as an elliptical cylinder with zero semi-minor axis. This assumption has eventually a beneficial effect to the underlying formulation given that it simplifies significantly the expansions of the involved diffraction potentials.     

Warming and depth convergence of the Arctic Intermediate Water in the Canada Basin during 1985-2006

The warming of the Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW) is studied based on the analyses of hydrographic observations in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean during 1985-2006. It is shown that how the anomalously warm AIW spreads in the Canada Basin during the observation time through the analysis of the AIW temperature spatial distribution in different periods. The results indicate that by 2006, the entire Canada Basin has almost been covered by the warming AIW. In order to study interannual variability of the AIW in the Canada Basin, the Canada Basin is divided into five regions according to the bottom topography. From the interannual variation of AIW temperature in each region, it is shown that a cooling period follows after the warming event in upstream regions. At the Chukchi Abyssal Plain and Chukchi Plateau, upstream of the Arctic Circumpolar Boundary Current (ACBC) in the Canada Basin, the AIW temperature reached maximum and then started to fall respectively in 2000 and 2002. However, the AIW in the Canada Abyssal Plain and Beaufort Sea continues to warm monotonically until the year 2006. Furthermore, it is revealed that there is convergence of the AIW depth in the five different regions of the Canada Basin when the AIW warming occurs during observation time. The difference of AIW depth between the five regions of the Canada Basin is getting smaller and smaller, all approaching 410 m in recent years. The results show that depth convergence is related to the variation of AIW potential density in the Canada Basin.