How tides and river flows determine estuarine bathymetries

For strongly tidal, funnel-shaped estuaries, we examine how tides and river flows determine size and shape. We also consider how long it takes for bathymetric adjustment, both to determine whether present-day bathymetry reflects prevailing forcing and how rapidly changes might occur under future forcing scenarios.Starting with the assumption of a 'synchronous' estuary (i.e., where the sea surface slope resulting from the axial gradient in phase of tidal elevation significantly exceeds the gradient in tidal amplitude ), an expression is derived for the slope of the sea bed. Thence, by integration we derive expressions for the axial depth profile and estuarine length, L, as a function of and D, the prescribed depth at the mouth. Calculated values of L are broadly consistent with observations. The synchronous estuary approach enables a number of dynamical parameters to be directly calculated and conveniently illustrated as functions of and D, namely: current amplitude Û, ratio of friction to inertia terms, estuarine length, stratification, saline intrusion length, flushing time, mean suspended sediment concentration and sediment in-fill times.Four separate derivations for the length of saline intrusion, L_I, all indicate a dependency on (U_o is the residual river flow velocity and f is the bed friction coefficient). Likely bathymetries for `mixed' estuaries can be delineated by mapping, against and D, the conditions L<sub>I</sub>/L<1,E<sub>X</sub>/L<1 (E<sub>X</sub> is the tidal excursion) alongside the Simpson-Hunter criteria D/U<sup>3</sup><50 m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>3</sup>. This zone encompasses 24 out of 25 `randomly' selected UK estuaries.However, the length of saline intrusion in a funnel-shaped estuary is also sensitive to axial location. Observations suggest that this location corresponds to a minimum in landward intrusion of salt. By combining the derived expressions for L and L_I with this latter criterion, an expression is derived relating D_i, the depth at the centre of the intrusion, to the corresponding value of U_o. This expression indicates U_o is always close to 1 cm s⁻¹, as commonly observed. Converting from U_o to river flow, Q, provides a morphological expression linking estuarine depth to Q (with a small dependence on side slope gradients).These dynamical solutions are coupled with further generalised theory related to depth and time-mean, suspended sediment concentrations (as functions of and D). Then, by assuming the transport of fine marine sediments approximates that of a dissolved tracer, the rate of estuarine supply can be determined by combining these derived mean concentrations with estimates of flushing time, F_T, based on L_I. By further assuming that all such sediments are deposited, minimum times for these deposition rates to in-fill estuaries are determined. These times range from a decade for the shortest, shallowest estuaries to upwards of millennia in longer, deeper estuaries with smaller tidal ranges.     

黄河三角洲造陆速率对夏季风强度变化和人类活动的响应

以夏季风强度指数和年均气温作为反映气候变化的指数,以人类净引水量和流域水土保持面积作为反映人类活动变化的指标,并以黄河流域为例,研究了三角洲造陆对气候变化和人类活动的响应.研究表明,夏季风强度指数的变化可分为三个阶段:(1)在1951~1963年夏季风强度指数呈持续增强的变化趋势;(2)在1963~1965年夏季风强度指数呈突变式减弱;(3)在1966~2000年夏季风强度指数保持在较低的水平上,且呈缓慢减弱的趋势.年降水量变化与夏季风强度指数有同步关系.从1950到1970年的年均温度在波动中略呈降低趋势,然而从1970年开始年均温度在波动中具有持续上升的趋势.气候变化会导致入海泥沙通量的变化,并可能进一步导致三角洲造陆速率的变化.黄河三角洲造陆速率、入海泥沙通量在1952~1964年均呈增大的趋势,1964年后则呈减小的趋势,在总体上与夏季风强度指数的变化趋势相同.除了气候变化以外,流域水土保持和引水对三角洲造陆也有影响.多元回归分析表明,三角洲造陆速率随夏季风强度指数的减弱而减小,随年气温的升高而减小,随梯田林草面积的增加而减小,随年净引水量的增加而减小,同时还表明,夏季风强度指数、年均气温、水土保持措施面积和人类净引水量对三角洲造陆速率变化的贡献率分别为34.94%,3.80%,53.82%和7.44%.表示气候变化的两个变量的贡献率之和为38.7%,说明气候变化对黄河三角洲造陆过程的影响是不容忽视的.     

北黄海沉积物中重金属分布及环境背景值

本文讨论了北黄海１１个柱状岩芯样的颗粒物（＜０．０６３ｍｍ）中重金属的分布，采用统计学方法对Ｃｕ，Ｐｈ，Ｚｎ和Ｃｄ进行态性检验，用柱样稳定段（拐点以下）作为背景段，获得重金属环境背景值．     

太湖表面定振波的数值计算和最大熵谱分析

利用水动力学方程对太湖表面的定振波进行计算，算得定振波周期约为４５２ｍｉｎ，另外，利用１９９２年８月２９－３１日在太湖西山观测到的水位资料，采用最大熵谱法，分析太湖表面的定振波，得周期值约为４５０ｍｉｎ。计算和分析的周期值基本吻合，取熵谱分析结果得太湖表面的单节点定振波周期值为４５０ｍｉｎ。     

长江三角洲晚更新世末期古土壤与古环境

长江三角洲地区第一暗绿色硬粘土层是上海地区主要建筑持力层之一，也是划分全新统与更新统的标志层，前人已做过大量研究，但尚缺乏古土壤方面的系统研究工作。本文首次从古土壤学的角度系统研究了该层的古土壤特征，通过粒度分析发现有粘粒的生成，微形态研究发现有粘粒及铁锰、碳酸盐等化学组分的迁移与淀积，化学全量分析得出该层的硅铝率为２．８０～３．３７，说明该层已发生较强的成土作用，可以确认该层为古土壤层，并进一步把该层划分为４个Ｂ层、３个Ａ层，亦即该层为复合古土壤层。根据该层的成土特征，将其命名为古潮土     

THE CLIMATIC CHANGES AND THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT

Although the Yellow River Delta and Bohai Sea coastal zone are long distance and different environment with Po River Delta and Adriatic Sea coastal zone, the comparison of data of two different areas and the evolution trend of two areas are quite similar. The influence of natural climatic changes on the evolution of the deltas and coastal zones exists both in ancient and modern times. The cold/wet period occurred in 1300—1400A. D. and 1550 —1850 A.D. within this"large scale" climatie cycle, and shorter periods (10— 35 years) of cold rainy weather alternated with warm/dry period are known as "Bruckner cycles" which have influence on the evolution of the deltas and coastal zones.     

珠江口现代沉积速率及其反映的沉积特征

文章分析了珠江河口海区泥沙来源及淤积动态,采用以历史海图分析对比为主,~(210)Pb测年数据校核等方法,参考有关沉积速率定性方面的标志,推算出珠江口不同地段的现代沉积速率,并相应划分出高速率沉积、快速率沉积、中速率沉积和慢速率沉积或稍有侵蚀等4个分区.进而,还论述了沉积作用的特征.     

海沧邻近海域表层沉积物中重矿物研究

对厦门海沧邻近海域表层沉积物中的重矿物(0．063～0．125mm粒级)进行了分析和研究，结果表明该粒级的重矿物共计49种，其优势和特征矿物为磁铁矿、赤铁矿、褐铁矿、绿帘石、铁铁矿、角闪石、锆石、红柱石等；重矿物的平均质量分数为9．56％；根据重矿物的分布和含量，并结合主要标志矿物的颗粒百分含量和分布特征，将该海域划分为5个矿物组合区，根据各区的矿物组合类型分析了该海域的物质来源及影响重矿物分布和组合的因素，进而探讨了九龙江河口湾和厦门西港海湾的沉积环境。     

Distribution of dissolved organic carbon in and near the Prydz Bay, Antarctica

INTRODUCTIONDissolvedorganiccarbon (DOC)makesupthesecondlargestofthebioactivepoolsofcar bonintheocean ,secondtothelargestpoolofdissolvedinorganiccarbon .Theglobaldissolvedorganiccarbonpoolisestimatedtobe 6 85Gt,avaluecomparabletothemassofCO2 intheat mosphere (Hedges,1 992 ) .Thesizeofthereservoir,aswellasitsdynamics ,indicatesthatDOCplaysacentralroleintheoceancarboncycle .AsitrelatestogreenhousegasessuchasCO2 andassociatesclimatecycle ,oceanicDOCbiogeochemicalcycleshavebeenoneoftheh…     

Variation of reactivity of particulate and sedimentary organic matter along the Zhujiang River Estuary

To investigate organic matter source and reactivity in the Zhujiang River (Pearl River)Estuary and its adjacent areas, particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate hydrolysable amino acids (PHAA), and Chl a during two cruises in July 1999 and July 2000 were measured. The highest POC and PHAA concentration was observed in the waters with maximum Chl a. The spectra distribution,relative content (dry weight in milligram per gram), PHAA-C% POC and other indicators such as the ratios of amino acids vs. amino sugars (AA/AS) and glucosamine vs. galactosamine (Glum/Gal) suggested that particulate amino acids in the water column and sediments in the Zhujiang River Estuary were mainly derived from biogenic processes rather than transported from terrestrial erosion. In inner estuary where high turbidity was often observable, organic matter was mainly contributed by re-suspension of bottom sediments with revealed zooplankton, microbial reworked characteristics, which suggest that these organic matters were relatively “old“. In the estuarine brackish region, organic matter in water column is mainly contributed by relatively fresh, easily degradable phytoplankton derived organic matter.During physical - biological processes within the eastuary, organic matter derived from phytoplankton was subjected to alteration by zooplankton grazing and bacterial reworking.