Impact of dynamic sedimentation on facies heterogeneities in Lower Cretaceous peritidal deposits of central east Oman

This study, based in the Haushi‐Huqf area of central east Oman, aims to characterize the controls on facies distribution and geometries of some of the best preserved examples of Lower Cretaceous tidal flat facies within the Tethyan epeiric platform. Field, petrographic and geochemical data were acquired from the Barremian–Aptian Jurf and Qishn formations that crop out in a 500 × 1000 m² butte, thus allowing for pseudo three‐dimensional quantitative data acquisition of the dimensions and spatial distributions of discontinuity surfaces and sedimentary bodies. The interpretation presented here suggests that the main processes impacting sedimentation in the Lower Cretaceous peritidal environment of the Haushi‐Huqf were transport and erosion processes related to storm waves and currents. The vertical evolution of the carbonate system is organized into six types of metre‐scale depositional sequences, from subtidal dominated sequences to supratidal‐capped sequences, which are bounded by regional discontinuity surfaces. At subaerial exposure and submarine erosion surfaces associated with a base level shift, sedimentary horizons along the entire depositional profile are cut by scours possibly created by storm events. Chemostratigraphy allows correlation between the Haushi‐Huqf and the age‐equivalent sections logged in the interior of the platform in Oman. The correlation suggests that the change from subtidal to intertidal depositional sequences during the late highstand is coeval with the development of rudist dominated shoals on the shelf. This study is the first to discuss the controls on Lower Cretaceous peritidal carbonate cyclicity of the Arabian epeiric platform. The results presented here also offer a unique quantitative dataset of the distribution and dimensions of peritidal carbonate shoals and storm scours in a regional sequence stratigraphic context.     

Tidal effect on dynamics of pore water nitrate in intertidal sediment of a eutrophic Estuary

To evaluate the effect of the tidal cycle on the pore water nitrate dynamics in intertidal sediment, concentrations of inorganic nitrogen in water and sediment were monitored during tidal cycles in the mud flat of Tama Estuary, Japan. During submergence, nitrate concentration was highest in the overlying water and decreased monotonically with increasing depth in the sediment, suggesting that the primary source of nitrate in the sediment was nitrate transported from the overlying water. Pore water nitrate decreased remarkably during the initial 3–4 hours after the onset of exposure. Thereafter, it was constant or slightly increased until tidal flooding.In situ accumulation of nitrate at the end of exposure, however, did not exceed the nitrate concentrations in the overlying water. The inhibition of nitrate reduction and the stimulation of nitrification would explain the change of nitrate concentration, both consistent with the input of oxygen into the sediment following a 10 mm drop of the water table. In Tama Estuary sediments, the effect of the tidal cycle on the removal of combined nitrogen is rather negative, because high nitrate concentrations in the overlying water canceled the positive effect of nitrate accumulation by nitrification during exposure, while tidal oxygen intrusion have an inhibitory effection sedimentary denitrification.     

Effects of suction-dredging for cockles on non-target fauna in the Wadden Sea

Suction dredging for cockles removes large cockles from tidal flats and may also cause mortality of non-target fauna and make the habitat less suitable for some species. This study examines whether suction dredging for cockles on tidal flats of the Dutch Wadden Sea had affected densities of non-target fauna, directly after fishing and one year later. Densities of non-target fauna in two randomly chosen undredged locations were compared to densities at the surrounding heavily commercially dredged area. A significant negative effect of cockle dredging on densities of 0-group Macoma balthica was observed and this effect persisted one year after dredging. The dredged area appeared to be less suitable for settlement of mussels Mytilus edulis. No significant effects of dredging on the mudsnail Hydrobia ulvae and on 0 and 1-group C. edule were found. For the mobile young Macoma balthica it seems unlikely that the effect found after one year was still due to the mortality caused by dredging and this suggests that the habitat was less suitable as a consequence of dredging. Thus, even in the highly dynamic ecosystem of the Wadden Sea, effects of bottom disturbance by cockle dredging may persist after one year.     

Observations of resuspended diatoms in the turbid tidal edge

Observations of resuspended diatoms in the shallow waters (<60 cm) of the turbid tidal edge are described for single sites on two tidal flats–the Molenplaat in the Westerschelde estuary, and the Hond in the Ems-Dollard estuary, The Netherlands. High concentrations of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) were observed in the trailing edge of the ebbing tide in water depths of <20 cm, after which concentrations decreased markedly. Peak mean values were 19 μg chl-a l⁻¹ in 10 cm of water at the Molenplaat, and 45 μg chl-a l⁻¹ in 5 cm of water at the Hond. Similar trends were observed on the flooding tide, although peak values were far less pronounced (6 and 30 μg chl-a l⁻¹ respectively). Microscopic examination of the diatom community within the turbid tidal edge at the Molenplaat revealed that peaks in biomass were caused by suspended benthic diatoms, as well as the large centric diatom Coscinodiscus sp., particularly on the ebb tide. Planktonic diatoms other than Coscinodiscus sp. were more randomly distributed and did not appear to follow any particular trend. It would seem that as the tide recedes, resuspended benthic diatoms and large Coscinodiscus sp. cells become concentrated in the shallow water. However, the virtual absence of Coscinodiscus sp. from the leading edge of the flooding tide suggests that most of the resuspended cells do not settle to the seabed, but are washed away into the channels. The small peak of benthic diatoms at the leading edge of the flood tide is most likely resuspended locally from the sediment, along with large numbers of diatom frustules.     

基于潮汐动态淹没过程的长江口潮滩地形信息反演研究

潮滩是陆地与海洋之间重要的生态过渡地带,具有复杂的生态过程和重要的服务功能。受陆海交互作用及人类活动的影响,潮滩处于高度动态变化过程中,而传统测绘技术受到潮滩可达性影响无法快速获取潮滩地形信息。为解决潮滩高程数据获取困难的问题,本文提出一种基于潮汐动态淹没过程和时序遥感影像的潮滩地形信息提取算法,利用K-means++聚类方法实现水域提取,并通过时序淹没特征计算潮滩淹没频率提取潮滩范围信息,最终综合区域潮汐特征反演潮滩地形。研究以崇明东滩为例,利用2016—2020年所有可用Sentinel-2和Landsat-8时序遥感影像,实现潮滩范围提取与高程反演,并通过实测高程数据进行精度验证。研究结果表明,潮滩范围提取总体精度为97.73%,F1_score为0.98;高程反演平均绝对误差为0.15 m,潮滩高程的反演精度与可用影像的数量呈正相关。研究利用该算法进一步反演长江口地区主要潮滩地形特征,结果表明区域内潮滩面积为346.93 km²,高程范围为1.00~3.84 m,且与现有潮滩范围数据集相比,本研究提取的长江口潮滩范围更为完整。该算法为潮滩地形的快速反演提供了可能,对潮滩资源动态监测和管理具有重要意义。     

江苏大丰潮滩潮流边界层特征研究

2003年7月中小潮期间使用MIDAS-400用户化数据采集系统在江苏大丰潮滩上进行了垂向多层位同步的流速和悬沙浓度观测。根据观测资料研究了潮流作用下的潮滩底部边界层过程,结果表明,观测地点的潮汐不对称现象十分明显,落潮流速、历时和输水输沙量皆明显大于涨潮;在潮周期内的多数时间里流速剖面符合对数分布,但在风力较强、水流快速增加和流速缓慢的情况下,流速剖面常偏离对数分布;悬沙颗粒垂向混合均匀,悬沙浓度剖面符合Rouse公式;落潮时的底部切应力和摩阻流速明显大于涨潮,摩阻流速与各水层流速通常有较好的线性关系;滩面糙度主要与沙纹形态和推移质运动强度有关,它与摩阻流速存在密切关系;悬沙浓度具有明显的减阻效应,受其影响,摩阻流速和底部切应力分别减小了28%~41%和40%~62%。     

长江口滨岸潮滩柱样沉积物与孔隙水中氮的垂直分布特征

对长江口滨岸潮滩柱样沉积物及孔隙水中NH4^ -N、NO3^--N和NO2^--N的剖面进行了分析。结果表明,沉积物和孔隙水中NH4^ -N,NO3^--N和NO2^--N剖面分布基本一致,其中NH4^ -N含量最高,这说明有机质的降解反应主要是在缺氧或无氧环境中进行的;沉积物中有机质含量与NH4^ -N含量线性相关;NO3^--N和NO2^--N在剖面中以0～20cm变化剧烈,说明表层和深层有机质的降解程度发生改变。     

富营养化滩涂生物修复研究进展

近年来,随着海水富营养化加剧,滩涂沉积物多项重要理化参数也随之恶化,进而导致滩涂底质生境退化,表现出较为明显的富营养化趋势。为改善和恢复滩涂沉积物的生态环境,国内外学者进行了较多的生物境修复探索研究工作。作者概述了滩涂富营养化的现状及原因,各种滩涂生物修复技术的原理、特点及其修复效果,分析了各类生境修复技术的优缺点。同时,就滩涂生境修复技术在滩涂修复和海洋环境保护领域今后的研究重点进行了展望。     

Bio‐geomorphic effects on tidal channel evolution: impact of vegetation establishment and tidal prism change

The long‐term (10–100 years) evolution of tidal channels is generally considered to interact with the bio‐geomorphic evolution of the surrounding intertidal platform. Here we studied how the geometric properties of tidal channels (channel drainage density and channel width) change as (1) vegetation establishes on an initially bare intertidal platform and (2) sediment accretion on the intertidal platform leads to a reduction in the tidal prism (i.e. water volume that during a tidal cycle floods to and drains back from the intertidal platform). Based on a time series of aerial photographs and digital elevation models, we derived the channel geometric properties at different time steps during the evolution from an initially low‐elevated bare tidal flat towards a high‐elevated vegetated marsh. We found that vegetation establishment causes a marked increase in channel drainage density. This is explained as the friction exerted by patches of pioneer vegetation concentrates the flow in between the vegetation patches and promotes there the erosion of channels. Once vegetation has established, continued sediment accretion and tidal prism reduction do not result in significant further changes in channel drainage density and in channel widths. We hypothesize that this is explained by a partitioning of the tidal flow between concentrated channel flow, as long as the vegetation is not submerged, and more homogeneous sheet flow as the vegetation is deeply submerged. Hence, a reduction of the tidal prism due to sediment accretion on the intertidal platform, reduces especially the volume of sheet flow (which does not affect channel geometry), while the concentrated channel flow (i.e. the landscape forming volume of water) is not much affected by the tidal prism reduction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Functioning of intertidal flats inferred from temporal and spatial dynamics of O<Subscript>2</Subscript>, H<Subscript>2</Subscript>S and pH in their surface sediment

In this article, we describe the dynamics of pH, O₂ and H₂S in the top 5–10 cm of an intertidal flat consisting of permeable sand. These dynamics were measured at the low water line and higher up the flat and during several seasons. Together with pore water nutrient data, the dynamics confirm that two types of transport act as driving forces for the cycling of elements (Billerbeck et al. 2006b): Fast surface dynamics of pore water chemistry occur only during inundation. Thus, they must be driven by hydraulics (tidal and wave action) and are highly dependent on weather conditions. This was demonstrated clearly by quick variation in oxygen penetration depth: Seeps are active at low tide only, indicating that the pore water flow in them is driven by a pressure head developing at low tide. The seeps are fed by slow transport of pore water over long distances in the deeper sediment. In the seeps, high concentrations of degradation products such as nutrients and sulphide were found, showing them to be the outlets of deep-seated degradation processes. The degradation products appear toxic for bioturbating/bioirrigating organisms, as a consequence of which, these were absent in the wider seep areas. These two mechanisms driving advection determine oxygen dynamics in these flats, whereas bioirrigation plays a minor role. The deep circulation causes a characteristic distribution of strongly reduced pore water near the low water line and rather more oxidised sediments in the centre of the flats. The two combined transport phenomena determine the fluxes of solutes and gases from the sediment to the surface water and in this way create specific niches for various types of microorganisms.