Carbon dioxide partial pressures in North Pacific surface waters — Time variations

Observations were made of time variations of the carbon dioxide partial pressures (Pco₂) of the atmosphere and surface sea waters in the Pacific subarctic region. Data were obtained on a cruise of the USC & GSSSURVEYOR in October, 1968 and on the TRANSPAC expedition of the CNAVENDEAVOUR in March–April, 1969. A rise in surface water Pco₂ of 18×10^–6 atm occurred in a period of 30–45 days in March–April due principally to spring warming of surface waters. An average increase of 60×10^–6 atm occurred between October, 1968 and March, 1969 as a result mainly of cessation of summer phytoplankton production and the onset of winter-storm-driven vertical mixing. Because the air-sea Pco₂ gradient not only changed appreciably in magnitude but also changed sign, there are important implications for calculations of air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide on the ocean wide scale.Data contained in this paper comprise part of a dissertation to be submitted by Louis I. Gordon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph. D. at Oregon State University.     

Some stability properties of large-scale baroclinic flows with nonlinear zonal current profile

The stability properties of a baroclinic zonal current with nonlinear velocity profile are investigated. The integral method is applied to the governing eigenvalue equation having the vertical velocity as the dependent variable. Expressed in terms of the Rossby number and the Richardson number, stability criteria, unstable regions in the complexc plane, and the upper bound of the unstable wave growth rate are found. Some differences in the results are noted between the present model and the quasi-geostrophic streamfunction model, particularly in connection with the effect of the velocity profile curvature termU _zz . It is conjectured in the present model that, depending on extreme behaviors ofU _zz , the propagation speed of unstable waves can be greater thanU _max or smaller thanU _min .     

Glaciomarine sedimentation and palaeo-glacial setting of Maxwell Bay and its tributary embayment, Marian Cove, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica

High-resolution (3.5 kHz and multi-channel) seismic profiles and piston cores were collected from Maxwell Bay and its tributary embayment, Marian Cove, in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, during the Korea Antarctic Research Program (1992/93 and 1995/96) to elucidate the glaciomarine sedimentation processes and recent glacial history of the area. Seismic data from Maxwell Bay reveal a rugged bay margin and flattened basin floor covered with well-stratified hemipelagic muds. On the base-of-slope, acoustically transparent debris flows occur, indicating downslope resedimentation of glaciomarine sediments. Despite the subpolar and ice-proximal settings of Marian Cove, the seafloor is highly rugged with a thin sediment drape, suggesting that much of the area has been recently eroded by glaciers. Sediment cores from the cove penetrated three distinct fining-upward lithofacies: (1) basal till in the lower part of the core, accumulated just seaward of the grounding line of the tidewater glacier; (2) interlaminated sand and mud in the middle part, deposited in ice-proximal zone by a combination of episodic subglacial meltwater inflow and iceberg dumping; and (3) pebbly mud in the upper part, deposited in ice-distal zone by both surface meltwater plume and ice-rafting from the glacier front. A reconstruction of the glacial history of these areas since the late glacial maximum shows an ice sheet filling Maxwell Bay in late Wisconsin time and grounding of the tidewater glacier in Marian Cove until about 1300 yr BP.     

Sedimentology of a subtidal,tide-dominated sand body in the Yellow Sea,southwest Korea

Odanam Satoe, a subtidal, tide-dominated sand body in the Yellow Sea, Korea, is linear in plan and asymmetrical in cross-section. It consists of fine- to medium-grained, well-sorted subangular sand. Bedforms consist of high-amplitude (1–2 m) sandwaves on the lower flanks of the gentler-sloping bar surface, and medium-amplitude (0.5-1 m) sandwaves on the sand body trough adjoining the steeper face, the bar crest and shallower parts of the gently sloping bar surface. Bedforms are absent on the relatively steeper bar surface, which is characterized by 2° slopes. Bedform orientation on the gentler slope is oblique by 30° to the bar crest, parallel to the sand-body crest on the crest itself, and opposite to the steeper sand-body face in the trough below the steeper slope of the bar.Bottom current velocity data show that tidal currents are semi-rotary with a flood time—velocity asymmetry over the gentler slope, and ebb time—velocity asymmetry over the steeper slope during most of the tidal cycle. Tidal-current flow parallels bar elongation over the steeper slope, whereas over the gentler slope, tidal-current flow is directed at 30° to the bar crest and changes to normal to the crest one hour prior to low tide. Bedform orientation mapped with side-scan sonar shows agreement with these flow directions.Sand dispersal around the sand body is controlled by time—velocity asymmetry and partial rotary flow directions of tidal currents. This circulation causes not only a trapezoidal mode of grain dispersal, but also westerly migration of the sand body documented from comparative bathymetric surveys in 1964 and 1980.     

Fully nonlinear numerical wave tank (NWT) simulations and wave run-up prediction around 3-D structures

A finite-difference scheme and a modified marker-and-cell (MAC) algorithm have been developed to investigate the interactions of fully nonlinear waves with two- or three-dimensional structures of arbitrary shape. The Navier–Stokes (NS) and continuity equations are solved in the computational domain and the boundary values are updated at each time step by the finite-difference time-marching scheme in the framework of a rectangular coordinate system. The fully nonlinear kinematic free-surface condition is implemented by the marker-density function (MDF) technique developed for two fluid layers.To demonstrate the capability and accuracy of the present method, the numerical simulation of backstep flows with free-surface, and the numerical tests of the MDF technique with limit functions are conducted. The 3D program was then applied to nonlinear wave interactions with conical gravity platforms of circular and octagonal cross-sections. The numerical prediction of maximum wave run-up on arctic structures is compared with the prediction of the Shore Protection Manual (SPM) method and those of linear and second-order diffraction analyses based on potential theory and boundary element method (BEM). Through this comparison, the effects of non-linearity and viscosity on wave loading and run-up are discussed.     

Fine resolution 3D temperature fields off Kerguelen from instrumented penguins

The use of diving animals as autonomous vectors of oceanographic instruments is rapidly increasing, because this approach yields cost-efficient new information and can be used in previously poorly sampled areas. However, methods for analyzing the collected data are still under development. In particular, difficulties may arise from the heterogeneous data distribution linked to animals’ behavior. Here we show how raw temperature data collected by penguin-borne loggers were transformed to a regular gridded dataset that provided new information on the local circulation off Kerguelen. A total of 16 king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) were equipped with satellite-positioning transmitters and with temperature–time–depth recorders (TTDRs) to record dive depth and sea temperature. The penguins’ foraging trips recorded during five summers ranged from 140 to 600 km from the colony and 11,000 dives >100 m were recorded. Temperature measurements recorded during diving were used to produce detailed 3D temperature fields of the area (0–200 m). The data treatment included dive location, determination of the vertical profile for each dive, averaging and gridding of those profiles onto 0.1°×0.1° cells, and optimal interpolation in both the horizontal and vertical using an objective analysis. Horizontal fields of temperature at the surface and 100 m are presented, as well as a vertical section along the main foraging direction of the penguins. Compared to conventional temperature databases (Levitus World Ocean Atlas and historical stations available in the area), the 3D temperature fields collected from penguins are extremely finely resolved, by one order finer. Although TTDRs were less accurate than conventional instruments, such a high spatial resolution of penguin-derived data provided unprecedented detailed information on the upper level circulation pattern east of Kerguelen, as well as the iron-enrichment mechanism leading to a high primary production over the Kerguelen Plateau.     

Effect of the Twin Jetties as A Regulating Structure at the Tao-er Estuary

The phase one project of the twin jetties at the Tao-er Estuary yields no effect on the flow, and there is a large area of deposition. A numerical model is employed to simulate the flow field, and the scouring and silting in the channel be-tween the two jetties are analyzed. The results show that the effective tidal flux between the two jetties is reduced due to the notch located at the heel of the east jetty, and the effect of contraction-flush is not obvious. As for the regulation of this kind of estuary under the tide action, the capability of tidal flux should be fully used.     

江西省永平铜矿西部排土场极限堆载高度确定

国内外对排土场极限堆载高度的理论计算缺乏研究,目前尚无成熟的统一理论计算方法。文章结合永平铜矿西部排土场的工程实例,在进行边坡工程地质条件勘察与排土场岩土物理力学性质试验研究的基础上,采用数值计算方法对排土场进行了分层堆载数值模拟计算。通过对计算结果的分析,得到位移、塑性区与安全系数随堆载高度的变化规律,并确定了该排土场的极限堆载高度。