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.     

国外海岸沙丘形成与演化的研究

自20世纪80年代以来，国外对海岸沙丘的研究已从主要对其地貌形态的研究转向海岸海丘与海岸变迁尤其是全球变化关系的研究上，海岸沙丘形成与演化的研究倍受关注，进行了大量研究并取得了一定的研究成果。这里介绍了国外在海岸沙丘形成与演化研究方面的主要进展及其成果，并以此探讨了国内今后开展海岸沙丘形成与演化研究的主要方向与问题。     

Seagrass landscape-scale changes in response to disturbance created by the dynamics of barrier-islands: A case study from Ria Formosa (Southern Portugal)

This study documents long-term changes of a Zostera noltii landscape induced by a natural cyclic event in a coastal lagoon. The barrier-islands forming this system are very dynamic with drifting movements controlling ecological patterns and processes occurring in this area. Changes in the areal extent of the Z. noltii meadows were assessed using historical aerial photographs from 1940, 1980, 1989, 1996 and 1998. Landscape indices such as total patch area (TA), mean patch size (MPS), number of patches (NP), mean shape coefficient of variation (CV) and landscape fractal dimension (D) were calculated for each year and related to an index of disturbance intensity. The spatial distribution of the Z. noltii meadows varied greatly during the studied period and changes observed were related to the disturbance created by the barrier-islands' spatial dynamics. After an artificial inlet relocation the Z. noltii area, number of patches, patch mean size and coefficient of variation decreased. The fractal dimension of the Z. noltii landscape increased by 50% showing that besides a decrease in total area, number of patches, and patch mean area, patch fragmentation was an important consequence of this anthropogenic disturbance.Seagrass natural distribution patterns changed in response to natural and human-induced activities. This study emphasizes the importance of the landscape approach and the historical perspective when studying seagrass changes and the importance of taking into consideration long-term changes in seagrass landscapes to avoid confusion between man-induced effects with natural cyclic events.     

福建闽江口外海岸植物生态

记录了福建闽江口266种海岸高等植物,其中草本占70.2%、灌木占21.4%、藤本和乔木占8.4%.喜盐种在河口的内侧、中区和外侧占总数的百分比分别为5.7%,6.8%和11.8%.二叶红薯、南方碱蓬和番杏是盐碱土的指示种.在内侧近淡水区有繁茂的咸水草、芦苇和芦竹     

风力对内陆浅水水域磷水平的影响

本文通过对平度市大泽山水库(面积约0.5平方公里,平均水深约1.5米)的实地观测,研究了风力对内陆浅水水域磷水平的影响。结果表明,影响程度取决于风速、风力作用时间、水深以及风力作用前磷水平的高低等因素。就大泽山水库而言,风速大于2.5米/秒的风力可引起各种形态磷的明显增加。不过对磷酸盐磷来说,如果浓度本来就较高,风力作用下当有大量沉积物颗粒泛起时,会对PO_4~≡产生吸附,因而可能导致水中游离磷酸盐磷含量下降。鉴于此,作者建议对内陆浅水水域进行磷水平调查时应考虑风力的作用。     

油田水动力系统与油气藏的形成

油田水中存在“沉积承压水”和“地表渗入水”两个相对独立而又相互作用的水动力系统,前者由上覆地层重量所引起的地静压力以及地静压力等引起的异常孔隙流体压力所形成,具有内循环承压式水交替特征,后者为大气降水和地表水向储集层的渗入而形成,以外循环渗入或水交替为特征。这两大系统（尤其是前者）的作用在很大程度上控制了含油气盆地中油气的运移、聚集和保存,油气聚集区主要位于水文地质带中的交管阻滞一停滞带内,沉积交替强度的低值区是油气富集区,沉积水的离心流使凹陷中的油气围绕凹陷中心呈带状分布。     

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.