Metal flux as an alternative parameter in evaluating the resource potential for co-rich ferromanganese crusts

We propose a geochemical parameter, “metal flux” in evaluating hydrogenetic Co-rich ferromanganese crust deposits in the Pacific seamount area, that is based on physical, chemical, and geological characterization of the integrated growth piles of crusts. We calculated the metal flux for fifteen sites from different depths ranging between 900-6000m from different seamounts. The secular and areal variations of metal flux indicate a strong geological controls, and also can be a reliable tool for estimating an economic potential of the crusts. The Co flux decreases with increasing water depth, followed by almost constant flux of Ni and Mn. The Al and Fe fluxes vary with regions, indicating higher values in the western regions near the island arc probably related to a supply from the Asian continents. The results imply that Co, a redox sensitive metal element, is controlled by redox conditions of seawater, while Fe and Al are by terrigenous input. The metal flux reflects global and regional conditions and controls the compositional diversity of metals, thus consequently, the parameter can be a reliable powerful tool to estimate or single out more potential areas.     

Wintertime rates of net primary production and nitrate and ammonium uptake in the southern Benguela upwelling system

The elevated levels of primary productivity associated with eastern boundary currents are driven by nutrient- rich waters upwelled from depth, such that these regions are typically characterised by high rates of nitrate-fuelled phytoplankton growth. Production studies from the southern Benguela upwelling system (SBUS) tend to be biased towards the summer upwelling season, yet winter data are required to compute annual budgets and understand seasonal variability. Net primary production (NPP) and nitrate and ammonium uptake were measured concurrently at six stations in the SBUS in early winter. While euphotic zone NPP was highest at the stations nearest to the coast and declined with distance from the shore, a greater proportion was potentially exportable from open-ocean surface waters, as indicated by the higher specific nitrate uptake rates and f-ratios (ratio of nitrate uptake to total nitrogen consumption) at the stations located off the continental shelf. Near the coast, phytoplankton growth was predominantly supported by ammonium despite the high ambient nitrate concentrations. Along with ammonium concentrations as high as 3.6 µmol l^–1, this strongly suggests that nitrate uptake in the inshore SBUS, and by extension carbon drawdown, is inhibited by ammonium, at least in winter, although this has also been hypothesised for the summer.     

小振幅海洋内波的演变、破碎和所致混合

利用基于谱方法和MPI并行运算的数值模式SpectralModel,直接数值模拟了三维小振幅海洋内波的演变、破碎和所致湍流混合,指出导致其不稳定而破碎的为PSI(parametric subharmonic instability)机制;对于内波破碎所致的湍流混合过程,分析了跨等密度面扩散系数kρ、混合效率γ、浮力通量谱、动能谱以及势能谱等统计性质:内波破碎前,kρ和γ保持低值水平,浮力通量谱值为负,且集中在低波数段;内波破碎后,kρ和γ迅速增大,最大值分别约为0.9×103m2/s和0.18,浮力通量谱值在低波数段为负值,在高波数段为正值,这是因为层化湍流中势能向小尺度运动传递和动能向小尺度运动传递相比更为有效。在内波破碎、强湍流混合阶段,势能谱存在一谱段满足kz3律,P(kz)=0.2N2kz3。此外,与二维模拟结果相比较,导致内波不稳定而破碎的均为PSI机制,kρ、浮力通量谱、势能谱变化趋势大体一致;但三维数值实验中,内波破碎时间提前,湍流衰减加快;KE谱在高波数部分下降速度相对减小,更接近于kz3。     

东海陆扰海域铜、铅、锌、镉重金属排海通量及海洋环境容量估算

汇总并分析了20世纪80年代初以来东海陆扰海域重金属排海通量年变化规律及主要来源,应用多介质海洋环境中重金属迁移-转化模型,估算了东海陆扰海域重金属海洋环境容量。20世纪80年代初以来,东海陆扰海域铜、铅、锌、镉排海总量整体上呈不对称的倒"U"形变化趋势,基本符合"环境库兹涅茨曲线",20世纪90年代达到最大值,当前排海总量仍高于20世纪80年代初期的水平。东海陆扰海域铜、铅、锌、镉污染物主要来源于以河流为主的陆源排放,其中88.0%左右来源于河流排放,7.5%左右来源于排污口,只有4.5%左右来源于大气沉降。长江流域排海通量占东海陆扰海域排海总量的比例最大,平均为92.4%左右,钱塘江流域平均只有3.9%左右,闽江流域平均只有3.7%左右。东海陆扰海域铜、铅、锌、镉污染物海洋环境容量分别约为17.0,4.7,113.1,0.71 kt/a。当前铅、锌、镉污染物排海总量没有超过东海陆扰海域海洋环境容量,但铜的排海总量超过其海洋环境容量大约8%。     

Controlled decoherence of floating flux qubits

In Born--Markov approximation, this paper calculates the energy relaxation time T₁ and the decoherence time T₂ of a floating flux qubit by solving the set of Bloch--Redfield equations. It shows that there are two main factors influencing the floating flux qubits: coupling capacitor in the circuit and the environment resistor. It also discusses how to improve the quantum coherence time of a qubit. Through shunt connecting/ series connecting inductive elements, an inductive environment resistor is obtained and further the reactance component of the environment resistor is improved,which is beneficial to the enhancement of decoherence time of floating flux qubits.     

秋季东海和南黄海表层海水CO_2体系各参数分布及海-气界面通量

根据2007年11月在东海和南黄海海域表层海水测得的TCO2和TA数据,计算了表层海水pCO2,结合现场环境对表层海水CO2体系各参数的分布进行了讨论,探讨了pCO2与海水温度及叶绿素的相关性,利用Wanninkhof(1992)提出的通量模式并采用加权平均法估算了整个调查海域的海-气CO2的净通量。结果表明:观测海域表层海水CO2系统各参量的分布呈明显的不均匀性,在水团的混合处往往是各参量的高值或低值中心。由相关性分析可知,pCO2的分布主要受海水温度的影响,生物活动的影响较弱。受秋季较大风速的影响,调查海域表现为强的CO2源,秋季可向大气释放CO2约为556×104tC。     

Comparisons of several evaporation/precipitation datasets for the Bohai Sea based on salinity simulation

Evaporation (E) rate and precipitation (P) rate are two significant meteorological elements required in the ocean baroclinic modeling as external forcings. However, there are some uncertainties in the currently used E/P rates datasets, especially in terms of the data quality. In this study, we collected E/P rates data from ERA-40, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, HOAPS for the Bohai Sea and nine routine stations around Laizhou Bay, and made comparisons among them. It was found that the differences in E/P rates between land and sea are remarkable, which was due to the difference in underlying surfaces. Therefore, the traditional way of using E/P rates acquired on land directly at sea is not correct. Since no final conclusion has been reached concerning the net water transport between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, it is unfeasible to judge the adequacy of the four kinds of data by using the water budget equation. However, the E/P rates at ERA-40 sea points were considered to be the optimal in terms of temporal/spatial coverage and resolution for the hindcast of salinity variation in the Bohai Sea. Besides, using the 3-D hydrodynamic model HAMSOM (HAMburg Shelf Ocean Model), we performed numerical experiments with different E/P datasets and found that the E/P rates at sea points from ERA-40 dataset are better than those from NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis dataset. If NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis E/P rates are to be used, they need to be adjusted and tested prior to simulation so that more close-to-reality salinity values can be reproduced.     

Denitrification in Qi'ao Island coastal zone, the Zhujiang Estuary in China

Samples of sediments and the overlying water were collected in the Qi'ao Island coastal zone, the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Estuary (ZE). Denitrification rates, sediment oxygen demand (SOD) , and fluxes of inorganic nitrogen compounds were investigated with N2 flux method, using a self-designed continuous flow through and auto-sampling system. The results indicate that the denitrification rates varied between 222 and 908 μmol/(m2·h) with an average of 499 μmol/(m2·h). During incubation, the sediments absorbed dissolved oxygen in the overlying water with SOD ranging from 300 to 2 363 μmol/(m2·h). The denitrification rates were highly correlated with the SOD (r2 =0.77) regardless of the NO3- + NO2- concentrations in the overlying water, organ- ic carbon contents in sediments and water temperature, suggesting that the SOD was probably the main environ-mental factor controlling the denitrification in the Qi'ao Island coastal zone. There was a net flux of NO3- + NO2-into the sediments from the overlying water. The NH4+ flux from sediments into water as the result of mineraliza-tion was between 12. 3 and 210. 3 μmol/(m2·h) ,which seems limited by both organic carbon content in sedi-ment and dissolved oxygen concentration in the overlying water.     

MedFlux: Investigations of particle flux in the Twilight Zone

The MedFlux project was devised to determine and model relationships between organic matter and mineral ballasts of sinking particulate matter in the ocean. Specifically we investigated the ballast ratio hypothesis, tested various commonly used sampling and modeling techniques, and developed new technologies that would allow better characterization of particle biogeochemistry. Here we describe the rationale for the project, the biogeochemical provenance of the DYFAMED site, the international support structure, and highlights from the papers published here. Additional MedFlux papers can be accessed at the MedFlux web site (http://msrc.sunysb.edu/MedFlux/).     

Estimates of global M_2 internal tide energy fluxes using TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data

TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data from October 1992 to June 2002 are used to calculate the global barotropic M2 tidal currents using long-term tidal harmonic analysis. The tides calculated agree well with ADCP data obtained from the South China Sea (SCS). The maximum tide velocities along the semi-major axis and semi-minor axis can be computed from the tidal ellipse. The global distribution of M2 internal tide vertical energy flux from the sea bottom is calculated based on a linear internal wave generation model. The global vertical energy flux of M2 internal tide is 0.96 TW, with 0.36 TW in the Pacific, 0.31 TW in the Atlantic and 0.29 TW in the Indian Ocean, obtained in this study. The total horizontal energy flux of M2 internal tide radiating into the open ocean from the lateral boundaries is 0.13 TW, with 0.06 TW in the Pacific, 0.04TW in the Atlantic, and 0.03 TW in the Indian Ocean. The result shows that the principal lunar semi-diurnal tide M2 provides enough energy to maintain the large-scale thermohaline circulation of the ocean.