Distinct activity phases during the recent geologic history of a Gulf of Mexico mud volcano

Laser line scan imaging and chirp sub-bottom profiling were used to detail the morphology of a submarine mud volcano and brine-filled crater at 652 m water depth in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The mud volcano has a relief of 6 m and a basal diameter of about 80 m. The feature comprises a central, brine-filled crater (253 m²) surrounded by a continuous bed of methanotrophic mussels (Bathymodiolus childressi) covering 434 m² and a patchy bed covering an additional 214 m² of the periphery. The brine pool was mostly <2 m deep, but there were two holes of >28 m and 12 m deep, respectively at the northern end of the pool which emitted continual streams of small clear bubbles. Sub-bottom profiles indicated three distinct strata beneath the present surface of the mud volcano. Integration of 17 profiles shows that the mud volcano has been built in at least three successive stages: the lowest stage deposited 35,400 m³, while the middle and upper stages deposited 7700 and 20,400 m³, respectively. Piston cores were taken at the northern edge of the mussel bed and a site ∼100 m southwest of the pool. Mussel and lucinid shells were recovered from the closer core, lucinid shells from the distant core. A mussel shell from 3.4 m sub-bottom had a Δ¹⁴C age of 16.2 ka. Mixture of modern carbon with “carbon dead” reservoir material would produce actual ages ∼2 ka less than the radiocarbon ages.     

Persistent volcanic signature observed around Barren Island, Andaman Sea, India

This study delineates the formation of a warm pool (>34°C) of air to the west (downwind) of the active volcano of the Barren Island during October–November 2005. Barren Island is located in the Sumatra–Andaman region, about 135 km east of Port Blair, and lies within the Burma microplate, the southern tip of which experienced a submarine earthquake (M _w 9.3) causing a tsunami in December 2004. Barren Island is the only volcano, which has shown sustained eruptive activity since shortly after the Great Sumatran Earthquake of December 2004. Our observations require further corroboration to relate how submarine earthquakes activate volcanoes and how far these thermal emissions influence climate changes. Because it links global warming and climate changes to the frequent emissions from a volcano activated by submarine earthquakes, this case study is of special interest to the earth-ocean-atmosphere sciences community.     

Reservoir origin and characterization of gas pools in intrusive rocks of the Yingcheng Formation,Songliao Basin,NE China

In 2013, the first discovery of gas pools in well LS 208 in intrusive rocks of the Songliao Basin (SB), NE China was made in the 2nd member of the Yingcheng Formation in the Yingtai rift depression, proving that intrusive rocks of the SB have the potential for gas exploration. However, the mechanisms behind the origin of reservoirs in intrusive rocks need to be identified for effective gas exploration. The gas pool in intrusive rocks can be characterized as a low-abundance, high-temperature, normal-pressure, methane-rich, and lithologic pool based on integrated coring, logging, seismic, and oil test methods. The intrusive rocks show primary and secondary porosities, such as shrinkage fractures (SF), spongy pores (SP), secondary sieve pores (SSP), and tectonic fractures (TF). The reservoir is of the fracture–pore type with low porosity and permeability. A capillary pressure curve for mercury intrusion indicates small pore-throat size, negative skewness, medium–high displacement pressure, and middle–low mercury saturation. The development of fractures was found to be related to the quenching effects of emplacement and tectonic inversion during the middle–late Campanian. SP and SSP formed during two phases. The first phase occurred during emplacement of the intrusive rock in the late Albian, when the intrusions underwent alteration by organic acids. The second phase occurred between the early Cenomanian and middle Campanian, when the intrusions underwent alteration by carbonic acid. The SF formed prior to oil charging, the SSP + SP formed during oil charging, and the TF formed during the middle–late Campanian and promoted the distribution of gas pools throughout the reservoir. The intrusive rocks in the SB and the adjacent basins were emplaced in the mudstone and coal units, and have great potential for gas exploration.     

北部湾金线鱼、深水金线鱼与日本金线鱼矢耳石形态识别的初步研究

采用2010年1～9月采自北部湾及邻近海域流刺网渔获的54尾金线鱼(Nemipterus virgatus( Houttuyn,1782))、71尾深水金线鱼(Nemi pterus bath ybius Snyder,1911)和65尾日本金线鱼(Nemi pterus ja ponicus (Bloch,1791))耳石样本,进行了椭圆傅立叶分析.耳石轮廓经图像处理后进行灰阶转换和二值化处理,消除噪点,然后解析为椭圆傅立叶标码( EFDs).采用77个EFD系数进行主成分分析和判别分析来区分3种金线鱼的耳石.结果表明,日本金线鱼幼鱼和成鱼耳石在性成熟前后存在显著的体长效应(P＜0.05),金线鱼和深水金线鱼则体长效应不显著(P＞0.05).因此在耳石椭圆傅立叶分析中,日本金线鱼采用性成熟个体样本,金线鱼和深水金线鱼采用全部样本.主成分分析中,第1、第2和第3主成分,分别解释了总变异的65.1％,15.3％和5.3％,可以将3种金线鱼耳石区分开来.EFD系数的逐步判别分析中,3种鱼的平均正判率达98.6％;交互验证结果显示,3种鱼的平均正判率达97.9％,这表明耳石椭圆傅立叶分析可以作为鱼种识别的有效工具.     

海底管道管跨段在内外流体作用下的竖向动力特性研究

根据在复杂的海洋环境条件下,管道的动力特性受到内外流体的综合作用影响,呈现与陆地管道不同的特点。研究了结构受到外界流体所产生的涡激作用,同时考虑管内恒定流的影响,利用有限元方法对海底管道管跨段竖向振动的微分方程进行求解。在此基础上得出了管跨段在不同外流流速情况下,内流流速与结构动力响应幅值的关系及其对管跨段振动频率的影响,并进一步探讨了管跨失稳时的极限管内流速与跨长的关系,这些结论对于海底管道设计具有一定实际指导意义。     

赤道暖池区漂流浮标运动轨迹分析

TOGA—COARE强化观测期间,对赤道暖池区海流作了多种方法、多层次的观测;根据美国释放的漂流浮标不同时刻位置的资料,分别对赤道及其南、北海域的表层漂流状况作了计算分析,指出:从1°N向北存在单一的北向流;从1°N～1°S这个近赤道区域内为东向流;1°N～2°S区域为过渡区,以东向流为主,个别浮标出现涡旋状运动。2°S以南为一反时针运动的大涡旋。     

Effects of pulsed nutrient inputs on phytoplankton assemblage structure and blooms in an enclosed coastal area

The response of phytoplankton assemblage structure to terrestrial nutrient inputs was examined for the Gulf of Kalloni in the Northern Aegean Sea, a productive semi-enclosed coastal marine ecosystem. The study was focused on a typical annual cycle, and emphasis was placed on the comparative analysis between blooms developing after significant nutrient inputs from the watershed, and naturally occurring blooms. Baseline information was collected on a monthly basis from a network of stations located in the oligotrophic open sea and the interior and more productive part of the embayment. Intensive sampling was also carried out along a gradient in the vicinity of a river which was the most important source of freshwater and nutrient input for the Gulf. Phytoplankton assemblage structure was analyzed from 188 samples using diversity indices (Shannon and Average Taxonomic Distinctness), multivariate plotting methods (NMDS), multivariate statistics (PERMANOVA), and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Three characteristic assemblages were recognized: (1) an autumn assemblage developed under nutrient depleted conditions, having low diversity due to the dominance of two small diatoms, (2) a winter bloom of the potentially toxic species Pseudo-nitzschia calliantha occurring immediately after a nutrient peak and characterized by very low diversity, and (3) a naturally occurring early summer bloom of centric diatoms with relatively high diversity. The results of the study support the view that moderate nutrient inputs may have a beneficial effect on the functioning of coastal ecosystems, stimulating the taxonomic diversity through the growth of different taxonomic groups and taxa. On the other hand, a sudden pulse of high nutrient concentrations may greatly affect the natural succession of organisms, have a negative effect on the diversity through the dominance of a single species, and can increase the possibility of a harmful algal bloom development.     

共反射面元叠加技术在南海北部莺—琼盆地中的应用

随着莺—琼盆地油气勘探开发的不断深入,2 700 m以下的中深层地震资料品质迫切需要提高,而改善信噪比提高成像质量则是需要深入研究的重点内容之一。基于共反射面元(CRS)叠加在改善中深层地震资料信噪比方面具有理论和技术应用优势,由于考虑了反射层的局部特征和第一菲涅耳带内的全部反射,对复杂地质问题的适应性得以增强,真正实现了高信噪比叠加,从而改善中深层低信噪比区的成像质量。通过理论研究分析、模型试处理及莺—琼盆地实际地震资料处理中具体的应用与试验,取得了明显的效果,即该区中深层地震资料信噪比显著增强,大大提高了解释的可靠程度。总之,共反射面元叠加技术在莺—琼盆地具有较高的推广应用价值。     

太平洋东边界波浪输运

通过计算2000年涌浪指标(swell index)的全球分布,发现太平洋东边界赤道附近区域存在涌浪池.利用ECMWF再分析波浪资料,计算出2000年全球月平均波浪体积输运.比较2000年全球月平均波浪体积输运和2000年QUICKSCAT月平均风场,发现在赤道太平洋东边界涌浪池区域内的波浪输运方向和风向存在很大的差别,两者方向相差大约90°.这进一步验证了该地区涌浪池存在的真实性.研究发现,赤道太平洋东边界涌浪主要来源于北太平洋和南太平洋的西风带对应的海区.在涌浪池区域内分别在2.5°S和2.5°N取两条边界(边界起点为125°W,终点为美洲大陆西边界),计算通过这两条边界进入赤道区域涌浪的Stokes体积净输运量.结果表明,不同月份通过南、北两条边界波浪的净输运量与当月南、北太平洋西风带的风浪强度密切相关.同时指出了,涌浪的体积输运将会对大洋环流系统产生潜在的重要影响.     

Physiological and behavioral responses of Bathynerita naticoidea (Gastropoda: Neritidae) and Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata (Polychaeta: Orbiniidae) to hypersaline conditions at a brine pool cold seep

Bathynerita naticoidea (Gastropoda: Neritidae) and Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata (Polychaeta: Orbiniidae) are two of the most abundant invertebrates associated with cold‐seep mussel beds in the Gulf of Mexico. At the methane seep known as Brine Pool NR‐1 (27 °43.415 N, 91 °16.756 W; 650 m depth), which is surrounded by a broad band of mussels (Bathymodiolus childressi), these species have distinctly different patterns of abundance, with the gastropod being found mostly at the outer edge of the mussel bed (average density in November 2003: 817 individuals·m⁻² in outer zone, 20·m⁻² in inner zone) and the polychaete being found almost exclusively near the inner edge (average density in November 2003: 3155 individuals·m⁻² in inner zone, 0·m⁻² in outer zone), adjacent to the brine pool itself. The salinity of the brine pool exceeds 120, so we hypothesized that M. dendrobranchiata should be more tolerant of high salinities than B. naticoidea. The opposite proved to be true. The gastropods were capable of withstanding salinities at least as high as 85, whereas the polychaetes died at salinities higher than 75. Both species were osmoconformers over the range of salinities (35–75) tested. Behavioral responses of B. naticoidea to salinities of 50, 60, and 70 were investigated in inverted vertical haloclines. Gastropods generally did not enter water of salinity greater than 60, but tolerated short periods at 60. Behavioral avoidance of brine should limit the vertical distribution of B. naticoidea in the inner zone to the top 2.5–5 cm of the mussel bed. Behavior is also a likely (though unproven) mechanism for controlling horizontal distribution of this species across the mussel bed. Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata can tolerate short excursions into the brine, but probably avoids hypersaline conditions by aggregating on the tops of the mussels.