Crustal Structures of the Northernmost South China Sea: Seismic Reflection and Gravity Modeling

The South China Sea (SCS) is a marginal sea off shore Southeast Asia. Based on magnetic study, oceanic crust has been suggested in the northernmost SCS. However, the crustal structure of the northernmost SCS was poorly known. To elaborate the crustal structures in the northernmost SCS and off southwest Taiwan, we have analyzed 20 multi-channel seismic profiles of the region. We have also performed gravity modeling to understand the Moho depth variation. The volcanic basement deepens southeastwards while the Moho depth shoals southeastwards. Except for the continental margin, the northernmost SCS can be divided into three tectonic regions: the disturbed and undisturbed oceanic crust (8–12 km thick) in the southwest, a trapped oceanic crust (8 km thick) between the Luzon-Ryukyu Transform Plate Boundary (LRTPB) and Formosa Canyon, and the area to the north of the Formosa Canyon which has the thickest sediments. Instead of faulting, the sediments across the LRTPB have only displayed differential subsidence offset of about 0.5–1 s in the northeast side, indicating that the LRTPB is no longer active. The gravity modeling has shown a relatively thin crust beneath the LRTPB, demonstrating the sheared zone character along the LRTPB. However, probably because of post-spreading volcanism, only the transtension-shearing phenomenon of volcanic basement in the northwest and southeast ends of the LRTPB can be observed. These two basement-fractured sites coincide with low gravity anomalies. Intensive erosion has prevailed over the whole channel of the Formosa Canyon.     

SII型海洋重力仪稳定平台颤动故障与排除方法

S型海洋重力仪是目前海洋重力测量中较为常用的一种仪器，其产品性能也逐步得到提高。介绍了进行全自动化控制升级后，最新引进的SⅡ型海洋重力仪使用中出现的稳定平台颤动故障现象及排除办法。     

利用GRACE时变重力场监测中国及周边地区的水储量变化

利用GRACE时变重力场反演了2005年1～11月的中国及周边地区的水储量月变化,并对结果进行了分析。研究表明,利用GRACE时变重力场可以很好的对水储量进行监测,其监测能力足以揭示几个厘米的等效水高,为全球水循环及其气候变化提供了可靠的资料。     

Aspects of Deep Ocean Mixing

The turbulent motions responsible for ocean mixing occur on scales much smaller than those resolved in numerical simulations of oceanic flows. Great progress has been made in understanding the sources of energy for mixing, the mechanisms, and the rates. On the other hand, we still do not have adequate answers to first order questions such as the extent to which the thermohaline circulation of the ocean, and hence the earth's climate, is sensitive to the present mixing rates in the ocean interior. Internal waves, generated by either wind or flow over topography, appear to be the principle cause of mixing. Mean and eddy flows over topography generate internal lee waves, while tidal flows over topography generate internal tides. The relative importance of these different internal wave sources is unknown. There are also great uncertainties about the spatial and temporal variation of mixing. Calculations of internal tide generation are becoming increasingly robust, but we do not know enough about the subsequent behavior of internal tides and their eventual breakdown into turbulence. It does seem, however, that most internal tide energy flux is radiated away from generation sites as low modes that propagate over basin scales. The mechanisms of wave-wave interaction and topographic scattering both act to transfer wave energy from low modes to smaller dissipative scales. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

3D gravity modelling for Anyongbok Seamount in the East Sea

A seamount chain with an approximately WNW trend is observed in the northeastern Ulleung Basin. It has been argued that these seamounts, including two islands called Ulleung and Dok islands, were formed by a hotspot process or by ridge related volcanism. Many geological and geophysical studies have been done for all the seamounts and islands in the chain except Anyongbok Seamount, which is close to the proposed spreading ridge. We first report morphological characteristics, sediment distribution patterns, and the crustal thickness of Anyongbok Seamount using multibeam bathymetry data, seismic reflection profiles, and 3D gravity modeling. The morphology of Anyongbok Seamount shows a cone shaped feature and is characterized by the development of many flank cones and flank rift zones. The estimated surface volume is about 60 km³, and implies that the seamount is smaller than the other seamounts in the chain. No sediments have been observed on the seamount except the lower slope, which is covered by more than 1,000 m of strata. The crustal structure obtained from a 3D gravity modeling (GFR = 3.11, SD 3.82 = mGal) suggests that the seamount was formed around the boundary of the Ulleung Plateau and the Ulleung Basin, and the estimated crustal thickness is about 20 km, which is a little thicker than other nearby seamounts distributed along the northeastern boundary of the Ulleung Basin. This significant crustal thickness also implies that Anyongbok Seamount might not be related to ridge volcanism.     

On the geologic structure of the Explora Escarpment (Weddell Sea,Antarctica) revealed by satellite and Shipboard data evaluation

Bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic data from Antarctic expeditions with RV POLARSTERN and satellite altimeter data from the Geosat Geodetic Mission are analysed using methods from geostatistics and geophysical inverse theory.The Explora Escarpment represents the edge between the Antarctic Continental Shelf and the Weddell Abyssal Plain. It is an important link in the reconstruction of Gondwana breakup, but a feature as large as the 2000 m deep Wegener Canyon was only discovered in 1984, when extensive bathymetric, gravimetric, and magnetic surveys with RV POLARSTERN began.Geostatistics, the theory of regionalized variables, is applied to integrate dense surveys of Wegener Canyon and sparse observations in adjacent areas into maps with full coverage of the 230 km by 330 km area at 10°–20° W/70°–72° S. The resultant highresolution bathymetric and gravity maps reveal detailed structures of the Explora Escarpment. Using geophysical inversion, the gravity terrain effect is calculated. Satellite data are used for their better coverage, but have much lower resolution. Nevertheless, the structures of Wegener Canyon and other more prominent features appear with surprisingly good correlation also in the Geosat altimeter data. While it was initially supposed that Wegener Canyon is purely an erosional structure, the magnetic map now provides evidence of the canyon's tectonic origin.     

礁膜配子放散条件的研究

本文报道了礁膜配子的放散与温度、光照、比重的关系。结果表明，自然海区的礁膜在白天大量放散配子。配子放散的适宜温度为１９－２１℃；光照为２０００－５０００ｌｘ时能促进配子大量放散出来；配子放散的适宜比重为１．０５－１．０２５；这些研究结果将为礁膜人工育苗提供一些科学依据。     

任意曲线曲面上重磁位场转换的B样条函数法

提出用B样条函数求解曲线、曲面上重磁位场的向上延拓,水平、垂向导数计算,磁异常分量互换的方法。该方法的特点是:原理简明,程序通用性强,计算精度高。     

白云凹陷地球物理场及深部结构特征

珠江口盆地白云凹陷是南海最具代表性的第三系深水陆坡沉积区。以穿过白云凹陷中部的一条深反射地震剖面(14s)为研究基础，采用综合地球物理研究方法分析了该区地球物理场特征，根据重力异常平面等值线勾画了白云凹陷的形态，并提取该测线相对应的重磁剖面数据，利用重磁资料和地震剖面进行了综合反演。以深剖面地震资料建立了地质模型，利用所得的重力数据进行了研究深部结构的正演拟合，实测与计算值拟合较好，支持中生代俯冲洋壳存在的观点；同时结合地震资料对深部结构进行了分析，该区莫霍面由陆向海抬升，呈阶梯状变化，地壳厚度逐渐减薄，具有大陆边缘陆壳向洋壳过渡的特征。根据地质模型还进行了变密度综合反演拟合来分析基底岩性特征，该区基底主要为中酸性岩浆岩，部分为变质岩和基性火山岩，岩石密度由陆向洋逐渐减小，磁性体分布不均。     

Ocean Waves: Half-a-Century of Discovery

While the nature of most ocean waves has long been known and their basic physics understood since the nineteenth century, intense study of ocean waves during the second half of the twentieth century has taken the subject from the realm of mathematical exercises to that of practical engineering. Modern understanding of the generation, propagation and interactions of ocean waves with each other and with oceanic features has advanced to a quantitative level offering predictive capacity. This paper presents a brief qualitative review of advances in knowledge of sound waves, wind waves, tsunamis, tides, internal waves and long-period vorticity waves. The review is aimed at non-specialists who may benefit from an overview of the current state of the subject and access to a bibliography of general-interest references. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.