Simulation of pebble abrasion on coastal benches by transgressive waves

Tumbler simulations of abrasion processes affecting rocks on basaltic marine benches have clarified the effects of mass and volume of rock fragments on their rate of wear. Several experiments indicate that rate of basalt wear increases with mass in the interval 1 g to 8 g, but is not related to volume of fragments abraded in seawater. Relatively small quantities of rock flour suspended in the immersant seawater substantially reduced the rate of basalt wear. Basalt and calcareous beachrock responded differently in systems with both rock types tumbling together. Examination of the cuttings from these low-energy encounters suggests that abrasion on elevated benches along exposed seacoasts reduces virtually all clastic material to particles of silt size or smaller, producing essentially no sand.     

Physical,radiative, and dynamical processes within a nighttime marine stratus cloud

Observations taken by aircraft and conventional platforms are used to investigate dynamical, physical, and radiative processes within a marine stratus cloud during the Canadian Atlantic Storms Program (CASP) II field project which took place over the east coast of Canada. Stratus which formed over the ocean on February 6, 1992 during the nighttime, is studied to analyze cloud top and base processes. The cloud was supercooled during the study period. Fluctuations and fluxes are calculated along constant flight altitude legs approximately 100 km long in space. The scales of structures larger than 5 km are removed from the analysis using a running average technique. Droplet spectra obtained by a forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) were used in a 1-D radiative transfer model to calculate infrared (IR) fluxes and radiative heating rates. A heat conservation equation was used to estimate vertical air velocity (w _a ) within the cloud. The results showed that, because of a warmer ocean surface, significant moisture and heat were transferred from the ocean surface to the boundary layer. The cloud base was at about 400 m height and the top was at about 1.4 km.w _a at the cloud base was estimated about 5 cm s^–1. Strong IR cooling rate at the cloud top was calculated to be 75°C day^–1 for a 100 m thick layer. Negative skewness inw _a , suggesting narrow downdrafts, was likely due to radiative cooling at the cloud top. The entrainment velocity was found to be about 1.5 cm s^–1 at cloud top. Mean moisture and heat fluxes within the cloud were estimated to be comparable to those from the ocean surface. Vertical air velocity at the cloud top due to radiative cooling was found to be about –40 cm s^–1.     

Downscaling a twentieth century global climate simulation to the North Sea

The regional ocean model system (ROMS) is used to downscale a 26-year period of the twentieth century 20C3M experiment from the global coupled Bergen climate model (BCM) for the North Sea. Compared to an observational-based climatology, BCM have good results on the mean temperature, except for too low winter temperature. This is connected to a too weak inflow of Atlantic water. The downscaling gives added value to the BCM results by providing regional details, doubling the Atlantic inflow, and improving the mean winter temperature. For mean salinity, BCM has values very close to the climatology, whereas the downscaling becomes too fresh. The downscaling, however, improves the sea surface salinity, the vertical structure, and the Norwegian Coastal Current. It is concluded that the downscaling procedure as presented here is a suitable tool for assessing the future Atlantic inflow and sea temperature in the North Sea based on a global climate projection.     

从已发现的油气田看中国海相油气勘探

中国海相油气勘探的主要目标是古生界碳酸盐岩,在漫长的演化历程中它的主要成藏类型是准原生型。对形成保存至今的工业油气藏来说,碳酸盐岩中有效烃源岩的总有机碳含量下限应≥0.5%,滨海相或海陆交互相煤系可对生烃作出重大贡献。碳酸盐岩中的储集体受裂缝—岩溶发育程度的控制而分为三种基本类型:(1)以孤立的缝洞储集体为主者称纳溪型,各储集体内的流体性质、压力均可有不同;(2)各储集体间相互连通从而有统一的压力和气、油、水界面,若其似块状者称任丘型,若其似层状者则称威远型;(3)居于这两个端元间的过渡类型为塔河型,其各部分之间的流体性质和压力可有一定差别,无统一油水界面。应注意对似层状储集体的勘探研究,保存条件的好坏对海相油气田有决定性的意义。在分析复杂的多期成藏史中,要注意古隆起和晚期成藏的辩证关系。我国的海相油气勘探有难度,要重新评价有效和高效烃源岩,从较浅部和次生油气蒇入手逼近油气源,寻找主力油气藏,要重视岩性圈闭和各构造(形变)层间的不吻合性。中国的海相油气勘探方向可分为优先勘探、立争突破、劣中选优三个层次。     

中国古生界海相地层油气勘探

影响中国古生界海相油气勘探并且需要加强研究的主要问题是:保存条件的认识与有利区预测;有效烃源岩与资源潜力;储层的复杂性及其对非构造圈闭的影响。保存条件分为三个层次:含油气盆地的保存、含油气系统的保存、油气藏的保存。塔里木、四川、鄂尔多斯三大克拉通盆地是中国古生界保存较好的盆地,是海相油气勘探的战略目标区,另外还有准噶尔、楚雄等盆地。盆地斜坡相泥岩及泥状灰岩是海相油气勘探的主要烃源;海陆过渡相烃源岩发育区是重要战略方向;陆表海碳酸盐岩烃源岩区是中小油气田勘探领域。从储层条件来说,下古生界应以非砂岩岩溶储层为主要勘探对象,溶蚀不整合面广泛发育,已发现的下古生界大中型油气田仅见于碳酸盐岩溶储层;上古生界以孔隙性碎屑岩及碳酸盐岩储层为主要勘探对象,晚古生代的构造一古地理演化为这两类储层的广泛发育提供了条件。     

海洋风暴形成的一种动力学机制

文中从观测统计学、瞬变涡动能量学和 MM5中尺度数值模拟角度 ,研究了海洋风暴 (爆发性气旋 )形成的气候特征及其可能的动力学机制 ,揭示了一幅爆发性发展的物理图像。结果表明 ,在冷季大气特别是日本以东洋面上大气特有的热力气候背景下 ,通过同海洋风暴过程相联系的涡动热通量 vθ的向极地输送 (- vθ· θm>0 ) ,将季节尺度的时间平均有效位能向瞬变涡旋时间尺度的涡动有效位能转换 ,是海洋风暴形成的主要动力机制。在该过程中转换来的具有最大贡献的涡动有效位能 ,连同具有次大贡献的积云加热制造的涡动有效位能(q3 )一起 ,通过暖异常区 (α >0 )暖湿空气上升运动 (-ω >0 )的斜压转换 (-ωα) ,促使涡动动能增长。同时 ,补充的涡动有效位能又加强了暖异常区的暖湿空气上升运动 ,进而产生积云对流活动及其潜热释放的正反馈过程 ,最终导致涡动动能急剧增长和海洋风暴的形成。海-气潜热输送的作用是在风暴形成初期提供后来积云尺度对流活动及潜热释放的水汽潜力。研究还表明 ,海洋风暴主要发生在冷季月份 1 3 0°E以东的中高纬洋面上 ,这种对特定季节和特定海域的依赖性是大气和海洋气候背景的动力 /热力共同作用的结果     

论海洋界面测量学的建立

论述了建立海洋界面测量学这一新学科支的背景，对海洋界面测量学的定义及其研究内容进行了探讨，同时论述了它与相关学科的联系，并由此对海洋测量学乃至整个测量学做了进一步思考，提出了一些新的看法。     

Vertical Structure in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer and its Implication for the Inertial Dissipation Method

The structure of the marine atmospheric boundarylayer and the validity ofMonin–Obukhov similarity theory over the seahave been investigated using longterm measurements. Three levels of turbulencemeasurements (at 10 m, 18 mand 26 m) at Östergarnsholm in themiddle of the Baltic Sea have beenanalysed. The results show that turbulentparameters have a strong dependenceon the actual height due to wave influence.The wind profile and thus thenormalised wind gradient are very sensitiveto wave state. The lower part of theboundary layer can be divided into three heightlayers, a wave influenced layerclose to the surface, a transition layer andan undisturbed ordinary surfacelayer; the depth of the layers is determinedby the wave state. This heightstructure can, however, not be found for thenormalised dissipation, which is onlya function of the stability, except duringpronounced swell where the actualheight also has to be accounted for. Theresults have implications for the heightvariation of the turbulent kinetic energy(TKE) budget. Thus, the imbalancebetween production and dissipation willalso vary with height according to thevariation of wave state. This, in turn,will of course have strong implicationsfor the inertial dissipation method, inwhich a parameterisation of the TKEbudget is used.     

The inhibition of marine nitrification by ocean disposal of carbon dioxide

In an attempt to reduce the threat of global warming, it has been proposed that the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations be reduced by the ocean disposal of CO2 from the flue gases of fossil fuel-fired power plants. The release of large amounts of CO2 into mid or deep ocean waters will result in large plumes of acidified seawater with pH values ranging from 6 to 8. In an effort to determine whether these CO2-induced pH changes have any effect on marine nitrification processes, surficial (euphotic zone) and deep (aphotic zone) seawater samples were sparged with CO2 for varying time durations to achieve a specified pH reduction, and the rate of microbial ammonia oxidation was measured spectrophotometrically as a function of pH using an inhibitor technique. For both seawater samples taken from either the euphotic or aphotic zone, the nitrification rates dropped drastically with decreasing pH. Relative to nitrification rates in the original seawater at pH 8, nitrification rates were reduced by ca. 50% at pH 7 and more than 90% at pH 6.5. Nitrification was essentially completely inhibited at pH 6. These findings suggest that the disposal of CO2 into mid or deep oceans will most likely result in a drastic reduction of ammonia oxidation rates within the pH plume and the concomitant accumulation of ammonia instead of nitrate. It is unlikely that ammonia will reach the high concentration levels at which marine aquatic organisms are known to be negatively affected. However, if the ammonia-rich seawater from inside the pH plume is upwelled into the euphotic zone, it is likely that changes in phytoplankton abundance and community structure will occur. Finally, the large-scale inhibition of nitrification and the subsequent reduction of nitrite and nitrate concentrations could also result in a decrease of denitrification rates which, in turn, could lead to the buildup of nitrogen and unpredictable eutrophication phenomena. Clearly, more research on the environmental effects of ocean disposal of CO2 is needed to determine whether the potential costs related to marine ecosystem disturbance and disruption can be justified in terms of the perceived benefits that may be achieved by temporarily delaying global warming.     

Organochlorine pesticide residues in sediments and biota from the coastal area of Dar es Salaam city,Tanzania

Sediment and biota samples were collected from Msimbazi and Kizinga rivers and from the coastal marine environment of Dar es Salaam during both dry and wet seasons. The samples were analyzed for various organochlorine pesticide residues using GC-ECD and GC-MS. Dieldrin, p,p^′-DDT, p,p^′-DDE, p,p^′-DDD, o,p^′-DDT and γ-HCH were detected at significantly greater concentrations above the method detection limits. Recoveries of pesticide residues ranged 86.5–120% in sediments and 62–102% in biota. The average concentrations of total DDT in sediments for the two seasons were almost the same. Biota samples showed significant difference in levels of residues depending on mode of feeding and age of analyzed biota. p,p^′-DDT to total DDT ratios in all matrices indicated recent use of DDT. The levels of residues in sediments suggest possible adverse effects to humans consuming biota that are directly exposed to the sediments. This effect, which is associated with bio-concentration of residues in the tissues of edible aquatic biota, should not affect wildlife. In spite of concern on the adverse effect to humans posed by pesticide residues in sediments, edible biota from the examined water bodies were found to be safe for human consumption.