The Luzon Strait transport variations during 1997～2000

Based on the output data from 1997 to 2000 obtained by the MITgcm's (general circulation model) adjoint assimilation method, volume, heat and salt transports through the Luzon Strait are calculated. The results indicate that there are obvious different characteristics between 1997 and 1998～2000 on the transports through the Luzon Strait. During 1997, theLuzon Strait had a mean net westward transport of 3.93×10⁶ m³/s with a maximum transport of 7.34×10⁶ m³/s in October. During 1998～2000, the Luzon Strait possessed an annual mean eastward transport of 0.93×10⁶, 1.80×10⁶ and 1.00×10⁶ m³/s respectively with a maximum eastward transport of 4.10×10⁶/3.31×10⁶ m³/s in July 1998/1999 and 2.06×10⁶ m³/s in April 2000, respectively. Moreover, the transports in 1997 indicated a difference from the other years, i.e.,that the ranges of westward inflows expanded more obviously to north of the Luzon Strait and downwards exceedingthose of the other years. The westward inflows expanded horizontally to the north part of the Luzon Strait until 21°N.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of iceberg rafting (IRD) along the East Greenland margin,ca. 68°N,over the last 14 cal.ka

Twelve 1–2 m, 10-cm-diameter gravity cores collected in 1988 and 1991, from the continental shelf and fjords of East Greenland near Kangerlussuaq Fjord/Trough (ca. 68°N, 32°W), have distinct changes in lithofacies and in the quantity of iceberg rafted (IRD) sediments. These changes are readily observed in X-radiographs of the split cores. We quantify the IRD contribution through grain-size analyses and counting the number of clasts >2 mm from the X-radiographs. Chronological control is provided by acclerated mass spectroscopy ¹⁴C dates on foraminifera. During deglaciation, after 14 cal.ka there was one interval of IRD accumulation ca. 12–13 cal.ka, followed by a brief return to IRD conditions centred at 9 cal.ka. Thereafter, a prominent feature of most cores on the shelf is an increase in IRD accumulation that started ca. 5–6 cal.ka, and which has increased toward the present. Indicators of iceberg rafting, such as the net sand flux and numbers of clasts >2 mm ka⁻¹, follow a power law distribution when graphed against distance from the present East Greenland coast, a measure of the position of the glacier margins. The form of the relationship indicates that there is a dramatic decrease in the supply of sediment from the fjords to the shelf. These relationships are used to estimate changes in the location of the ice margin during the late Quaternary based on a site on the East Greenland slope, Denmark Strait, and to discuss factors that can negate such a simple transfer function. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Morphological and sedimentary features of sandy-muddy transitional beaches in estuaries and bays along mesotidal to macrotidal coasts

Sandy-muddy transitional beaches (SMT-Beaches), representing the transition from sandy beaches to tidal mudflats, should theoretically develop very different morphological and sedimentological characteristics in river estuaries and in semi-enclosed bays due to their contrasting dynamic sedimentary environments. Evidence, however, is rare in the scientific literature. To reveal these morphological and sedimentary differences, the sand–mud transition (SMT) boundary distribution, beach profiles, and surface and downcore sediment grain-size compositions of 27 SMT-Beaches located along mesotidal to macrotidal coasts of the western Taiwan Strait, southeastern China, were investigated. The results show that typical estuarine SMT-Beaches are mainly characterized by an ambiguous SMT, a long distance between the SMT and the coastline (31–302 m), lower SMT and inflection point altitudes (average –0.76 m and –0.04 m), and lower upper beach gradients (~0.068) with fine sand. Estuarine SMT-Beach sediments display clear interbedded mud and sand layers, implying potential SMT migrations over various timescales. By contrast, typical bay SMT-Beaches are characterized by distinct SMT, a short distance between the SMT and the coastline (11–52 m), higher SMT and inflection point altitudes (~0.24 m and ~0.35 m), and narrower upper beaches with higher gradients (~0.095) and coarse sand. Bay SMT-Beaches present relatively stable sedimentary sequences and a narrow gravel belt surrounding the inflection point and/or SMT. These morphological and sedimentary differences between the two SMT-Beach types are initially constrained by sediment supply and transport and are further affected by tide conditions and wave climate. Sediment supply and transport predominately control the sediment structures, while the tidal range strongly influences spatial variations in SMT distances. Wave climate normally drives SMT altitude variations. This study highlights the morphological and sedimentary differences in SMT-Beaches in estuaries and bays, providing important knowledge for further revealing their morphodynamic processes and potential future nourishment. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

侧扫声纳在琼州海峡跨海通道地壳稳定性调查中的应用

为开展琼州海峡跨海通道地壳稳定性评价,利用Sonar Beam S-150D侧扫声纳系统在琼州海峡海底开展了地形地貌调查,获得了琼州海峡跨海通道工程区的侧扫声纳影像。通过数据分析、图像判读,分析了地质灾害类型及其可能的危害。在琼州海峡海底发现软土、活动沙波、岸坡及活动构造等微地貌单元,跨海通道工程施工、运行阶段都将遭受相关地质灾害的危害。这些资料和分析为跨海通道工程地壳稳定性评价提供了基础资料,为工程规划线路优选、建设实施提供了技术支撑。研究表明侧扫声纳技术可应用于海底地壳稳定性调查与评价工作中。      

新元古代沂沭海峡地震引发的软沉积物变形及其微量元素信息*

新元古代沂沭海峡位于郯庐断裂带昌邑—大店断层西侧宽60~90,km、长300,km的区域内,其分布范围基本与郯庐断裂带中段一致。新元古代,该海峡盆地先后沉积了青白口系、南华系及震旦系的滨—浅海相陆源碎屑、泥质及碳酸盐沉积物,其岩石地层称之为土门群。本次研究从该海峡盆地土门群佟家庄组(由石英砂岩、泥灰岩和页岩组成,属南华系)、浮来山组(由细—粉砂岩夹页岩组成,属震旦系)及石旺庄组(主要由碳酸盐岩组成,下部夹页岩,属震旦系)中鉴别出了一系列地震触动软沉积物形成的变形构造,包括液化砂墙和砂脉、负载构造、火焰构造、球枕构造、软布丁构造、底辟构造、滑塌褶曲和同沉积断层等。它们是地震事件的记录——震积岩。新元古代中晚期(约800—600,Ma)沂沭海峡盆地拉张裂陷是它们形成的动力机制。根据石旺庄组中的微亮晶方解石脉与地震成因的变形构造(如负载、火焰、软布丁及同沉积断层等)共(伴)生的事实,并结合模拟地震试验结果分析,认为微亮晶方解石脉很可能是地震引发的饱和灰泥(方解石微粒)液化脉。微量化学元素分析结果表明,这些震积岩中的w(La)/w(Sc)和 w(La)/w(Th)值高于上地壳平均值和正常沉积层,而w(Th)/w(Sc)值则较低,深源微量元素Ni和Cr的含量也高于上地壳平均值及正常沉积层。这些微量元素特征是当时的盆地基底不稳定、快速沉积且伴有深部物质元素混入的反映,强地震很可能是快速沉积和促进深源物质混入的主要动力。土门群中发育的一系列地震引起的软沉积物变形(震积岩),再次证明了古郯庐断裂带的存在,由它们记录的地震事件也是晋宁运动乃至Rodinia超大陆的裂解的响应。     

吕宋海峡西侧海域混合层盐度低频变化特征分析

利用WOD09和Argo剖面资料,结合SODA、OFES、GPCP和WHOI等资料分析了吕宋海峡西侧海域混合层盐度1984—2010年间的长期变化趋势和年代际变化特征,并利用混合层盐度平衡方程探讨了其变化机理。研究结果表明:(1)吕宋海峡西侧海域的盐度整体上呈现下降趋势,线性趋势为-0.020/a;(2)以1999年为界,吕宋海峡西侧海域的盐度在1999年之前为正距平,最大正距平值可达0.14,平均值为0.05,在1999年之后为负距平,最大负距平值为-0.22,平均值为-0.06;(3)影响该海域混合层盐度的长期变化趋势和年代际变化的主要因素为平流作用,特别是黑潮入侵的变化。     

An unexploited population of oysters,Ostrea lutaria Hutton,from foveaux strait

Settlement of Ostrea lutaria on sand‐cement‐plastered asbestos plates held in steel frames on the bottom of Foveaux Strait was studied from March 1965 to April 1967. Spat mortality over the period of plate exposure (about one month) was very low (maximum of 3 percent) and was greatest shortly after settlement. There was no evidence that mortality was due to predation. Essentially the same seasonal pattern of settlement was observed each year. Eighty to 90 percent of spat settled between mid December and mid February in both summers; settlement occurred as early as October; some was observed as late as July.

Results of field experiments suggest some very tentative conclusions on the settlement behaviour of O. lutaria: (1) The larvae are benthopelagic and remain on the bottom in strong current conditions. (2) Light stimulates swimming of larvae in still water. (3) In still water and low light intensities of the area larvae tend to swim upward toward the light. (4) In still water and dim light of the area larvae settle predominantly on under surfaces. (5) In still water in the absence of light larvae settle predominantly on upper surfaces. (6) Under the conditions of current and light in the multiplate frames used to sample spatfall here, larvae settle mainly on upper surfaces. (7) Larvae tend to crawl up inclined surfaces before settling.

The results indicate that larval behaviour may be changed by small alterations of light intensity and current. The contradictory nature of surface angle preferences found by other workers for various species of Ostrea and Crassostrea may have been due to such small variations caused by the experimental techniques. It is possible that the settlement behaviour of all species of these genera is similar.     

Observations of the Karimata Strait througflow from December 2007 to November 2008

In order to quantitatively estimate the volume and property transports between the South China Sea and Indonesian Seas via the Karimata Strait, two trawl-resistant bottom mounts, with ADCPs embedded, were deployed in the strait to measure the velocity profile as part of the South China Sea-Indonesian Seas transport/exchange (SITE) program. A pair of surface and bottom acoustic modems was employed to transfer the measured velocity without recovering the mooring. The advantage and problems of the instruments in this field work are reported and discussed. The field observations confirm the existence of the South China Sea branch of Indonesian throughflow via the Karimata Strait with a stronger southward flow in boreal winter and weaker southward bottom flow in boreal summer, beneath the upper layer northward (reversal) flow. The estimate of the averaged volume, heat and freshwater transports from December 2007 to March 2008 (winter) is (-2.7 ± 1.1) × 10 6 m3/s, (-0.30 ± 0.11) PW, (-0.18 ± 0.07) × 106m3/s and from May to September 2008 (summer) is (1.2 ± 0.6) × 106m3/s, (0.14 ± 0.03) PW, (0.12 ± 0.04) × 106m3/s and for the entire record from December 2007 to October 2008 is (-0.5 ± 1.9) × 10 6 m3/s, (-0.05 ± 0.22) PW, (-0.01 ± 0.15) × 106m3/s (negative/positive represents southward/northward transport), respectively. The existence of southward bottom flow in boreal summer implies that the downward sea surface slope from north to south as found by Fang et al. (2010) for winter is a year-round phenomenon.     

Variations in silicate concentration affecting photosynthetic carbon fixation by spring phytoplankton assemblages in surface water of the Strait of Malacca

The Strait of Malacca (SoM), the world’s busiest sea-route, is increasingly polluted as the rapid development of world trades, affecting phytoplankton primary productivity therein. The variations of surface phytoplankton biomass, size-structure and carbon fixation were investigated across the SoM during the spring period (May 4 to 9, 2011). Chlorophyll a concentration increased from 0.12 μg/L at the northwest entrance of the SoM to a maximal 0.63 μg/L at narrowest section, and decreased to 0.10 μg/L at the southeast entrance. Photosynthetic carbon fixation by phytoplankton coincided well with Chl a biomass, and increased from 10.8 to 22.3 μg C/(L d), then decreased to 9.21 μg C/(L d); while the carbon fixation rate showed an inverse pattern to the changes of Chl a, and decreased from 87.1 to 35.5 μg C/(μg Chl a d) and increased thereafter to 95.3 μg C/(μg Chla·d). Picophytoplankton cells (<3 μm) contributed to more than 60% and 50% of the total Chl a and carbon fixation at both the entry waters; while the contributions of pico-cells decreased sharply to the minimum of 18.3% and 27.5% at the narrowest part of the SoM. In particular, our results showed that the silicate concentration positively regulated Chl a biomass and carbon fixation, reflecting that the higher silicate favoured the growth of phytoplankton and thus led to higher primary production in this strait.     

Major Features of Topography,Geology, and Crustal Stability in the Taiwan Strait: A Scientific Approach to the Problem of the Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project

This article discusses briefly the major features of topography, geology, and crustal stability of the possible Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project (TST Project) area. Any one route of the conceived TST Project is larger than either of the English Channel Tunnel or the Seikan submarine Tunnel (Japan) by at least three times in length, and the topographic and geologic conditions are rather more complex and complicated than those of the former two projects. Moreover, the Taiwan Strait is a seismic risk area. Hence, the selection of the route of the submarine tunnel should take advantage of the favorable conditions in the topographic, geologic, seismologic, and other fields to avoid the unfavorable circumstances. At the end of the article, two supposed by comparable routes, especially the south one of TST Project are discussed.