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.     

A seismic refraction study of cretaceous oceanic lithosphere in the Northwest Pacific Basin

A seismic refraction study on old (110 Myr) lithosphere in the northwest Pacific Basin has placed constraints on crustal and uppermantle seismic structure of old oceanic lithosphere, and lithospheric aging processes. No significant lateral variation in structure other than azimuthally anisotropic mantle velocities was found, allowing the application of powerful amplitude modeling techniques. The anisotropy observed is in an opposite sense to that expected, suggesting the tectonic setting of the area may be more complex than originally thought. Upper crustal velocities are generally larger than for younger crust, supporting current theories of decreased porosity with crustal aging. However, there is no evidence for significant thickening of the oceanic crust with age, nor is there any evidence of a lower crustal layer of high or low velocity relative to the velocity of the rest of Layer 3. The compressional and shear wave velocities rule out a large component of serpentinization of mantle materials. The only evidence for a basal crustal layer of olivine gabbro cumulates is a 1.5 km thick Moho transition zone. In the slow direction of anisotropy, upper mantle velocities increase from 8.0 km s^-1 to 8.35 km s^-1 in the upper 15 km below the Moho. This increase is inconsistent with an homogeneous upper mantle and suggests that compositinal or phase changes occur near the Moho.     

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.     

Simulations of Annual Cycle of Phytoplankton Production and the Utilization of Nitrogen in the Yellow Sea

A nutrient dynamic model coupled with a 3D physical model has been developed to study the annual cycle of phytoplankton production in the Yellow Sea. The biological model involves interactions between inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium), phosphate and phytoplankton biomass. The model successfully reproduces the main features of phytoplankton-nutrient variation and dynamics of production. 1. The well-mixed coastal water is characterized by high primary production, as well as high new production. 2. In summer, the convergence of tidal front is an important hydrodynamic process, which contributes to high biomass at frontal areas. 3. The evolution of phytoplankton blooms and thermocline in the central region demonstrate that mixing is a dominant factor to the production in the Yellow Sea. In this simulation, nitrate- and ammonium-based productions are estimated regionally and temporally. The northern Yellow Sea is one of the highly ranked regions in the Yellow Sea for the capability of fixing carbon and nitrogen. The annual averaged f-ratio of 0.37 indicates that regenerated production prevails over the Yellow Sea. The result also shows that phosphate is the major nutrient, limiting phytoplankton growth throughout the year and it can be an indicator to predict the bloom magnitude. Finally, the relative roles of external nutrient sources have been evaluated, and benthic fluxes might play a significant role in compensating 54.6% of new nitrogen for new production consumption.     

热带气旋对黄、渤海影响的统计特征分析

本文统计分析了1949—2000年共52年影响黄、渤海的热带气旋时空分布特点及ENS0、西太平洋副热带高压与影响黄、渤海的热带气旋关系。结果表明，西太平洋热带气放以四种主要路径影响黄、渤海，其影响时间、频数及强度均有不同。ENSO和西太平洋副热带高压的强度、位置将影响热带气旋对黄、渤海影响的路径和频数。     

Reanalysis of the Atmospheric Flux of Nutrient Elements to the Southern Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

Based on the recent research results on dry and wet deposition of nutrient elements and sulphate,we estimate the atmospheric flux of nutrient elements and sulphate to the southern Yellow Sea and the East China Sea in each season.The results suggest that the concentrations of nutrient elements and sulphate in aerosol and precipitation show an apparent seasonal cycle with the maximum values in winter and the minimum values in summer.Depositions of nitrate and sulphate are dominated by wet deposition,while the deposition for phosphate is mainly dry deposition.Moreover,compared with the riverine inputs,the atmospheric deposition may be the main source of dissolved inorganic nutrients in the southern Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.