Structural analysis of the segmentation of the Central Indian Ridge between 20°30′S and 25°30′S (Rodriguez Triple Junction)

The morphological characteristics of the segmentation of the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) from the Indian Ocean Triple Junction (25°30S) to the Egeria Transform Fault system (20°30S) are analyzed. The compilation of Sea Beam data from R/VSonne cruises SO43 and SO52, and R/VCharcot cruises Rodriguez 1 and 2 provides an almost continuous bathymetric coverage of a 450-km-long section of the ridge axis. The bathymetric data are combined with a GLORIA side-scan sonar swath to visualize the fabric of the ridge and complement the coverage in some areas. This section of the CIR has a full spreading rate of about 50 mm yr^–1, increasing slightly from north to south. The morphology of the CIR is generally similar to that of a slow-spreading center, despite an intermediate spreading rate at these latitudes. The axis is marked by an axial valley 5–35 km wide and 500–1800 m deep, sometimes exhibiting a 100–600 m-high neovolcanic ridge. It is offset by only one 40km offset transform fault (at 22°40S), and by nine second-order discontinuities, with offsets varying from 4 to 21 km, separating segments 28 to 85 km long. The bathymetry analysis and an empirical orthogonal function analysis performed on across-axis profiles reveal morphologic variations in the axis and the second-order discontinuities. The ridge axis deepens and the relief across the axial valley increases from north to south. The discontinuities observed south of 22°S all have morphologies similar to those of the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge. North of 22°S, two discontinuities have map geometries that have not been observed previously on slow-spreading ridges. The axial valleys overlap, and their tips curve toward the adjacent segment. The overlap distance is 2 to 4 times greater than the offset. Based on these characteristics, these discontinuities resemble overlapping spreading centers (OSCs) described on the fast-spreading EPR. The evolution of one such discontinuity appears to decapitate a nearby segment, as observed for the evolution of some OSCs on the EPR. These morphological variations of the CIR axis may be explained by an increase in the crustal thickness in the north of the study area relative to the Triple Junction area. Variations in crustal thickness could be related to a broad bathymetric anomaly centered at 19°S, 65°E, which probably reflects the effect of the nearby Réunion hotspot, or an anomaly in the composition of the mantle beneath the ridge near 19°S. Other explanations for the morphological variations include the termination of the CIR at the Rodriguez Triple Junction or the kinematic evolution of the triple junction and its resultant lengthening of the CIR. These latter effects are more likely to account for the axial morphology near the Triple Junction than for the long-wavelength morphological variation.     

Abundance and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Trichodesmium spp. Along the Atlantic Barrier Reef at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize

Abstract. Trichodesmium abundance and photosynthetic rates were determined across a transect of the Atlantic Barrier Reef at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize in May 1993 and May-June 1994. A fore reef station receiving oceanic water had a Trichodesmium abundance characteristic of the open Caribbean Sea (≤ 10² colonies m^-3 and 10⁴-^-10⁵ trichomes m^-3). Several species were present; however, in all cases a sharp decrease in abundance occurred across the reef to the coastal lagoon. At this latter site, virtually no Trichodesmium was present, although a substantial bloom of the diatom Proboscia alata occurred in 1994.
Maximum photosynthetic rates and the initial light-limited slope a were significantly lower in offshore stations than in reef top populations. The increased photosynthetic rates and light-harvesting ability in reef-top populations, as well as the lack of significant photoinhibition, indicated that the Trichodesmium abundance decrease was probably not due to a decline in photosynthetic capacity. Grazing and physical removal rather than a physiological decline were likely mechanisms operating to reduce Trichodesmium abundance in these regions. These data suggest that the Belizean barrier reef is a sink for Trichodesmium transported in from offshore regions.     

Wave characteristics past a flexible fishnet

The scattering of surface waves by a flexible fishnet is studied analytically. The fishnet is modelled as a porous flexible barrier displaced solely by hydrodynamic force like a catenary. The objective is to investigate how a flexible permeable barrier affects the passing waves in the way they are transmitted and reflected, as observed by the fact that the water inside a fishfarm surrounded by fishnets is significantly calmer than that outside. The boundary value problems are solved by defining the reflection coefficient in terms of velocity potential and then the full solutions are obtained by suitable application of the eigenfunction expansion method and the least squares approximation method. The variations of the reflection coefficient, hydrodynamic pressure, barrier deformation and surface wave elevation are determined with respect to the barrier length, porosity and stiffness. It is observed that as the fishnet gets more flexible, its deformation increases and the reflection coefficient decreases, whereas as the fishnet gets more porous, more water can pass through it and thus the reflection coefficient, barrier deformation and the hydrodynamic force are reduced. The flexibility of the barrier behaves like its porosity by allowing more wave energy to act on it through its deformation and hence reduce the reflection and hydrodynamic force of the incident waves acting on the barrier.     

Benthic foraminifera of the Holocene transgressive west-central Florida inner shelf: paleoenvironmental implications

The sedimentology, stratigraphic position, and benthic foraminiferal biostratigraphy of early- to mid-Holocene deposits from the west-central Florida shelf suggest that barrier islands developed along this coast as early as 8.3 ka, in an environment that was more arid than today. Predominant foraminifera of three paralic sedimentary facies deposited between 5.3 and 8.3 ka include miliolids, Elphidium spp., and Ammonia spp., all of which are common in back-barrier environments. Foraminiferal assemblages also suggest that early back-barrier sediments were deposited in a hypersaline environment, similar to that of the arid Laguna Madre of the western Gulf of Mexico. Modern back-barrier foraminifera in the Tampa Bay region are indicative of the humid subtropical climate of today. Thus, the climate of west-central Florida at approximately 8 ka was more arid than today, which is consistent with recent studies showing that climate in the Gulf of Mexico was dryer and cooler during this time period.     

Experimental Study of Factors Controlling Sorption of Heavy Metals on Ariake Clay and Implication for Practice

A series of batch tests have been presented to investigate the effects of solid-solution contact time, solid:solution ratio, and pH of solution on sorption of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ on Ariake clay from Kyushu region of Japan. The results show that, among the three investigated factors, solid:solution ratio (SD/SN) seems to be the crucial controlling factor. The Freundlich sorption parameters determined from the batch tests were applied to a typical field landfill in which the Ariake clay was used as soil barrier. The impacts of the landfill were assessed by numerical analysis. Based on the analysis result, the significance of selecting proper solid:solution ratio for determining sorption parameters from batch test has been discussed.     

Wave interaction with partially immersed twin vertical barriers

The wave transmission, reflection and energy dissipation characteristics of partially immersed twin vertical barriers and the water surface fluctuations in between the barriers were studied using physical models. Regular and random waves of wide ranges of wave heights and periods, nine different immersions of the barriers and a constant water depth were used for the investigation. The coefficient of transmission, and the coefficient of reflection were obtained from the measurements and coefficient of energy dissipation is estimated using the law of conservation of energy. It is found in general that the twin barrier is better in reducing the coefficient of transmission and increasing the coefficient of dissipation in random waves than with the regular waves, especially for increasing incident wave energy levels. The coefficient of transmission reduces significantly with the increased relative water depth. Increase of relative water depth from 0.09 to 0.45 resulted in reduction of transmission coefficient from 0.65 to 0.05. It is possible to achieve a transmission coefficient less than 0.20 for six immersion configurations with relative depth of immersions of the barrier less than (0.28, 0.43), especially in the region closer to deep water conditions. Coefficient of dissipation ranging from 0.65 to 0.85 can be obtained due to random wave interaction.     

Wave interaction with ‘’-type breakwaters

The wave transmission, reflection and energy dissipation characteristics of ‘’-type breakwaters were studied using physical models. Regular and random waves in a wide range of wave heights and periods and a constant water depth were used. Five different depths of immersion (two emerged, one surface flushing and two submerged conditions) of this breakwater were selected. The coefficient of transmission, K_t, and coefficient of reflection, K_r, were obtained from the measurements, and the coefficient of energy loss, K_l was calculated using the law of balance of energy. It was found that the wave transmission is significantly reduced with increased relative water depth, d/L, whether the vertical barrier of the breakwater is surface piercing or submerged, where ‘d’ is the water depth and ‘L’ is the wave length. The wave reflection decreases and energy loss increases with increased wave steepness, especially when the top tip of the vertical barrier of this breakwater is kept at still water level (SWL). For any incident wave climate (moderate or storm waves), the wave transmission consistently decreases and the reflection increases with increased relative depth of immersion, Δ/d from −0.142 to 0.142. K_t values less than 0.3 can be easily obtained for the case of Δ/d=+0.071 and 0.142, where Δ is the height of exposure (+ve) or depth of immersion (−ve) of the top tip of the vertical barrier. This breakwater is capable of dissipating wave energy to an extent of 50–80%. The overall performance of this breakwater was found to be better in the random wave fields than in the regular waves. A comparison of the hydrodynamic performance of ‘’-type and ‘T’-type shows that ‘T’-type breakwater is better than ‘’-type by about 20–30% under identical conditions.     

沙坝—泻湖海岸动力地貌学研究进展

国内外对沙坝－泻湖海岸的研究主要采取动力地貌学的方法，本文评述了近一个半世纪以来在这一领域所取得的重要成果。波浪、潮汐、径流等特殊的动力场决定了泥沙输运的方式和路径，从而形成了与其相应的沙坝、泻湖、潮汐通道三大地貌体系。     

A survey of the Indian ocean triple junction trace within the Antarctic plate. Implications for the junction evolution since 15 Ma.

The junction between oceanic crust generated, within the Antarctic plate, at the Southeast Indian Ridge and the Southwest Indian Ridge has been studied using a SEABEAM swathe bathymetry mapping system and other geophysical techniques between the Indian Ocean Triple Junction (approximately 25°S, 70° E), and a point some 500 km to the southwest (at 28°25 S, 66°35 E). The morphotectonic boundary which marks this trace of the ridge-ridge-ridge triple junction is complex and varies with age. Recent theories proposing a cyclicity of volcanic and tectonic processes at this mode of triple junctions appear to be supported by a series of regularly spaced, en echelon escarpments facing the slowly spreading (0.6 to 0.8 cm a^-1, half rate) Southwest Indian Ridge axis. The en echelon escarpments intersect at approximately right angles with the regularly spaced oceanic spreading fabric formed on the Antarctic plate at the Southeast Indian Ridge and together locally flank uplifted northward-pointing corner sections of ocean floor. The origins for the localised elevations are unclear, but may relate to intermittent and/or alternating rifting and volcanic episodes. Variations of degree of asymmetry and/or obliquity in spreading on the Central Indian Ridge and the Southwest Indian Ridge are suggested to explain detailed structural changes along the triple junction trace. It is suggested that discontinuities of the trace may be related to an intermittent development of new spreading centres beneath the most easterly part of the Southwest Indian Ridge, coupled with a more continuous process beneath the faster spreading Central Indian Ridge (2 to 2.5 cm a^-1) and the Southeast Indian Ridge (2.5 to 3 cm a^-1). A detailed history of triple junction evolution may be thus inferred from basic morphological and structural mapping along the three triple junction traces.     

THM analysis of a large‐scale heating test incorporating material fabric changes

Engineered barriers are basic elements in the design of repositories for the isolation of high‐level radioactive waste. This paper presents the thermo‐hydro‐mechanical (THM) analysis of a clay barrier subjected to heating and hydration. The study focuses on an ongoing large‐scale heating test, at almost full scale, which is being carried out at the CIEMAT laboratory under well‐controlled boundary conditions. The test is intensely instrumented and it has provided the opportunity to study in detail the evolution of the main THM variables over a long period of time. Comprehensive laboratory tests carried out in the context of the FEBEX and NF‐PRO projects have allowed the identification of the model parameters to describe the THM behaviour of the compacted expansive clay. A conventional THM approach that assumes the swelling clay as a single porosity medium has been initially adopted to analyse the evolution of the test. The model was able to predict correctly the global THM behaviour of the clay barrier in the short term (i.e. for times shorter than three years), but some model limitations were detected concerning the prediction of the long‐term hydration rate. An additional analysis of the test has been carried out using a double structure model to describe the actual behaviour of expansive clays. The double structure model explicitly considers the two dominant pore levels that actually exist in the FEBEX bentonite and it is able to account for the evolution of the material fabric. The simulation of the experiment using this enhanced model provides a more satisfactory reproduction of the long‐term experimental results. It also contributes to a better understanding of the observed test behaviour and it provides a physically based explanation for the very slow hydration of the barrier. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.