Occurrence and exploration of gas hydrate in the marginal seas and continental margin of the Asia and Oceania region

Supplies of conventional natural gas and oil are declining fast worldwide, and therefore new, unconventional forms of energy resources are needed to meet the ever-increasing demand. Amongst the many different unconventional natural resources are gas hydrates, a solid, ice-like crystalline compound of methane and water formed under specific low temperature and high pressure conditions. Gas hydrates are believed to exist in large quantities worldwide in oceanic regions of continental margins, as well as associated with permafrost regions in the Arctic. Some studies to estimate the global abundance of gas hydrate suggest that the total volume of natural gas locked up in form of gas hydrates may exceed all known conventional natural gas reserves, although large uncertainties exist in these assessments. Gas hydrates have been intensively studied in the last two decades also due to connections between climate forcing (natural and/or anthropogenic) and the potential large volumes of methane trapped in gas hydrate accumulations. The presence of gas hydrate within unconsolidated sediments of the upper few hundred meters below seafloor may also pose a geo-hazard to conventional oil and gas production. Additionally, climate variability and associated changes in pressure-temperature regimes and thus shifts in the gas hydrate stability zone may cause the occurrence of submarine slope failures.Several large-scale national gas hydrate programs exist especially in countries such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, India, and New Zealand, where large demands of energy cannot be met by domestic supplies from natural resources. The past five years have seen several dedicated deep drilling expeditions and other scientific studies conducted throughout Asia and Oceania to understand gas hydrates off India, China, and Korea. This thematic set of publications is dedicated to summarize the most recent findings and results of geo-scientific studies of gas hydrates in the marginal seas and continental margin of the Asia, and Oceania region.     

Removing derelict fishing gear from the deep seabed of the East Sea

The East Sea, with an average depth of 1700 m, has long been subject to heavy fishing pressure, resulting in derelict fishing gear. Most derelict fishing gears, such as fishing nets, fishing ropes, and crab pots, sink to the seabed and do not degrade. This gear results in “ghost fishing,” which has adverse impacts on deep benthic habitats. Recently, the Korean government has started to remove derelict fishing gears from the deep seabed of the East Sea by bottom trawling with heavy hooks (50–80 kg) and ropes. A total of 207.8 and 252.2 tons of marine debris in 2009 and 2010, respectively, were removed from the seabed, most of which were derelict fishing gears. Contrary to monitoring surveys and clean-up in shallow waters, removal of marine debris from remote deep habitats is much more difficult and dangerous for removal crews.     

Marine management for human development: A review of two decades of scholarly evidence

This paper reviews the evidence of the impacts of marine management interventions on human development and well-being reported in marine management literature in the past two decades. Documents dealing with fisheries, aquaculture, marine conservation and coastal zone management are assessed in terms of the methodologies used, the human development dimensions considered, and the results reported. The choice of dimensions for defining human development in this literature is contrasted with proposals from the literature on the capability and human development approaches. Possible areas for future research are discussed.     

Sedimentological criteria to differentiate submarine channel levee subenvironments: Exhumed examples from the Rosario Fm. (Upper Cretaceous) of Baja California, Mexico, and the Fort Brown Fm. (Permian), Karoo Basin, S. Africa

Two scales of levee confinement are commonly recognised from submarine channel-levee systems on the seafloor and in the subsurface. Large-scale external levees bound the entire system whilst smaller-scale internal levees bound individual thalweg channels within the channel-belt. Although thin beds are commonly identified in core and well logs, their origin, and consequently their stratigraphic significance is currently poorly understood. This knowledge gap stems, in part, from the lack of unambiguously identified outcrop analogues of channel-levees, and in particular the lack of identifiable internal and external levees. Here we report from two exhumed channel-levee systems where both scales of confinement can be recognised: the Rosario Fm. of Baja California, and the Fort Brown Fm. of South Africa. A suite of characteristic sedimentary features are recognised from internal and external levees respectively: internal levees are characterised by structures indicative of complexity in the waxing-waning style of overspill, interactions with topography and flow magnitude variability; in contrast, external levees are characterised by structures indicative of simple surge-like waning flows, relatively uniform flow directions, laterally extensive beds, and a lack of erosive events. Using these observations, together with published literature, we propose a simple nomenclatural scheme for levee sub-environments, and criteria to differentiate between levee sub-environments in core or outcrop.     

It starts at home? Climate policies targeting household consumption and behavioral decisions are key to low-carbon futures

Through their consumption behavior, households are responsible for 72% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, they are key actors in reaching the 1.5 °C goal under the Paris Agreement. However, the possible contribution and position of households in climate policies is neither well understood, nor do households receive sufficiently high priority in current climate policy strategies. This paper investigates how behavioral change can achieve a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in European high-income countries. It uses theoretical thinking and some core results from the HOPE research project, which investigated household preferences for reducing emissions in four European cities in France, Germany, Norway and Sweden. The paper makes five major points: First, car and plane mobility, meat and dairy consumption, as well as heating are the most dominant components of household footprints. Second, household living situations (demographics, size of home) greatly influence the household potential to reduce their footprint, even more than country or city location. Third, household decisions can be sequential and temporally dynamic, shifting through different phases such as childhood, adulthood, and illness. Fourth, short term voluntary efforts will not be sufficient by themselves to reach the drastic reductions needed to achieve the 1.5 °C goal; instead, households need a regulatory framework supporting their behavioral changes. Fifth, there is a mismatch between the roles and responsibilities conveyed by current climate policies and household perceptions of responsibility. We then conclude with further recommendations for research and policy.     

喜马拉雅中东部镜像均衡重力异常的形成研究

青藏高原南缘处于重力不均衡状态,由北向南可依次分为高原近重力均衡区、喜马拉雅山正均衡异常区和山前盆地负均衡异常区,正、负异常呈现壮观的镜像分布。本文选取喜马拉雅中东部的均衡重力异常数据,结合地貌高程、地壳厚度、降雨量、冰川及山前沉积等的分布状况,探讨地貌分异与均衡重力异常分布的相互关系。由上述资料获得3条跨越喜马拉雅山的综合剖面,结果显示喜马拉雅中东部正均衡重力异常的分布与冰川、河流等代表的地表剥蚀作用存在明显的空间耦合关系,而与降雨量无直接联系,山前盆地负均衡重力异常与沉积厚度的分布也存在很好的耦合。利用数值模型计算得到了喜马拉雅地区的均衡调整时间域在1 Ma左右的时间尺度内。通过与地貌响应时间域相对比,以及对地表剥蚀厚度的估计,认为山脉地区的正均衡异常主要由地壳厚度补偿不足引起(侧重Airy假说),而山前盆地的负均衡异常主要由低密度沉积层的分布引起(侧重Pratt假说),由于地貌响应时间快于均衡调整时间,在大约5～2 Ma以来,地壳的均衡调整始终延迟于山脉的持续剥蚀和山前的持续沉积,使得岩石圈朝着"反均衡"方向演变,最终形成了喜马拉雅现今壮观的镜像均衡重力异常分布。     

The origin of the Maozu carbonate-hosted Pb–Zn deposit,southwest China: Constrained by C–O–S–Pb isotopic compositions and Sm–Nd isotopic age

The Maozu Pb–Zn deposit, located on the western margin of the Yangtze Block, southwest China, is a typical carbonate-hosted deposit in the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou Pb–Zn metallogenic province with Pb + Zn reserves of about 2.0 million tonnes grading 4.15 wt.% Pb and 7.25 wt.% Zn. Its ore bodies are hosted in Sinian (635–541 Ma) Dengying Formation dolostone and show stratiform, vein and irregular textures. Ores are composed of sphalerite, galena, pyrite, calcite, dolomite, quartz and fluorite with massive, banded, disseminated and veined structures. The C–O–Sm–Nd isotopic compositions of hydrothermal calcites and S–Pb isotopic compositions of sulfides were analyzed to constrain the origin of the Maozu deposit. δ¹³C_PDB and δ¹⁸O_SMOW values of hydrothermal calcites range from −3.7‰ to −2.0‰ and +13.8‰ to +17.5‰, respectively, and plot near the marine carbonate rocks field in a plot of δ¹³C_PDB vs. δ¹⁸O_SMOW, with a negative correlation. It suggests that CO₂ in the hydrothermal fluids was mainly originated from marine carbonate rocks, with limited influence from sedimentary organic matter. δ³⁴S_CDT values of sulfides range from +9.9‰ to +19.2‰, similar to that of Cambrian to Triassic seawater sulfate (+15‰ to +35‰) and evaporate (+15‰ to +30‰) in the Cambrian to Triassic sedimentary strata. It suggests that reduced sulfur was derived from evaporate in sedimentary strata by thermo chemical sulfate reduction. Sulfides have low radiogenic Pb isotope compositions (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.129–18.375, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.640–15.686 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.220–38.577) that plot in the field between upper crust and the orogenic belt evolution curve in the plot of ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and similar to that of age corrected Proterozoic basement rocks (Dongchuan and Kunyang Groups). This indicates that ore-forming metals were mainly derived from basement rocks. Hydrothermal calcite yields a Sm–Nd isotopic age of 196 ± 13 Ma, possibly reflecting the timing of Pb–Zn mineralization in the SYG province, younger than the Permian Emeishan mantle plume (∼260 Ma). All data combined suggests that hydrothermal fluids circulated through basement rocks where they picked up metals and migrated to surface, mixed with reduced sulfur-bearing fluids and precipitated metals. Ore genesis of the Maozu deposit is different from known magmatic–hydrothermal, Sedimentary Exhalative or Mississippi Valley-types, which maybe represent a unique ore deposit type, named as the SYG-type.     

Kappa (k) derived from accelerograms recorded in the 2008 Wenchuan mainshock,Sichuan, China

High-frequency spectral decay factor, kappa (k), in the accelerograms of the Wenchuan mainshock was measured using strong motion data from 52 stations within 311 km of the epicenter. The derived k range from 0.0034 s to 0.0468 s. The correlation of k versus fault distance was given, which is k = 0.01288 + 5.9068 × 10^–5 R for the N-S component, k = 0.01881 + 1.4219 × 10^–5 R for the E-W component, and k = 0.00855 + 5.6086 × 10^–5 R for the U-D component. The analysis on the spatial variation of k demonstrates that k relates to source effect and propagation effect besides local site effect. Ground motions for the 52 stations were simulated using derived k and compared to actual recordings in terms of waveforms, amplitude spectra and response spectra. The results show agreement at shorter periods (<1 s), but a slight overestimation at longer periods (1–7 s).     

大别-苏鲁高压、超高压变质带榴辉岩和脉体中磷灰石氯含量和流体盐度关系的研究

流体的盐度对含羟基变质矿物组合的稳定温压条件和岩石-流体的相互作用有重要影响.流体的盐度可从矿物中氯含量的角度加以研究.磷灰石是一个含氯矿物,作为副矿物广泛分布在各种岩石中,且能在较宽的温压范围内稳定存在.本文选择大别-苏鲁造山带中典型的高压、超高压岩石开展了磷灰石成分的研究,结合前人流体包裹体的研究结果,探讨了榴辉岩相条件下流体盐度和磷灰石中的氯含量之间的关系.榴辉岩和脉体中磷灰石的XClAp/XOHAp比值与已有的流体包裹体盐度呈很好的线性正相关.榴辉岩和脉体中磷灰石的XClAp/XoHAp比值范围为0.00～0.35时,对应的流体包裹体盐度约为0～40％ NaCleqv.     

重庆市巫山县环湖路建设对淀粉厂滑坡影响的研究

重庆市巫山县环湖路地质条件十分复杂,沿线经过十几个地质灾害单元体。环湖路经过淀粉厂滑坡区时,以半挖半填的方式经过。环湖路建设对原滑坡体的稳定性影响进行重新评价计算,认为原设计方案不能满足要求,对原方案进行修改设计,完成淀粉厂滑坡的施工治理的环湖路的建设,实现了淀粉厂滑坡和环湖路工程建设的安全稳定。