A technique for conducting seismic refraction experiments on the ocean bed using bottom shots

A technique has been devised for firing arrays of bottom shots on the ocean bed in depths upto 4000 m or more. Ten kilogram explosive charges are dropped from the surface while the shooting ship is navigated acoustically. They are detonated at preset times by an electronic timer which initiates an electrical detonator, detonating cord and cast PETN/TNT explosive. Ranges to ocean bottom seismographs, and the shot instants, can be calculated from the arrival-time differences of the direct and surface-reflected water waves. The accuracy, which is dependent on water-depth and range, was better than 22 m in range and 14 msec in shot instant for our experiments.     

Predicting average annual groundwater levels from climatic variables: an empirical model

On the basis of one-dimensional theoretical water flow model, we demonstrate that the groundwater level variation follows a pattern similar to recharge fluctuation, with a time delay that depends on the characteristics of aquifer, recharge pattern as well as the distance between the recharge and observation locations. On the basis of a water budget model and the groundwater flow model, we propose an empirical model that links climatic variables to groundwater level. The empirical model is tested using a partial data set from historical records of water levels from more than 80 wells in a monitoring network for the carbonate rock aquifer, southern Manitoba, Canada. The testing results show that the predicted groundwater levels are very close to the observed ones in most cases. The overall average correlation coefficient between the predicted and observed water levels is 0.92. This proposed empirical statistical model could be used to predict variations in groundwater level in response to different climate scenarios in a climate change impact assessment.     

赣南营前岩体的年代学、地球化学、Sr-Nd-Hf同位素组成及其地质意义

赣南营前岩体由早期似斑状花岗闪长岩和晚期细粒黑云母花岗岩组成,在前者中普遍发育暗色基性包体。SHRIMP锆石U-Pb测年显示似斑状花岗闪长岩为172.2±3.1Ma,细粒黑云母花岗岩为168±3Ma,包体为167.6±3.3Ma。所有的岩石均为钙碱性系列,稀土元素显示LREE富集,HREE亏损,Eu负异常并不明显的特征,Nb-Ta负异常显示壳源物质的特征。晚期细粒黑云母花岗岩、早期似斑状花岗闪长岩、暗色包体的(87Sr/86Sr)i和εNd(t)值分别为0.70885～0.70965、0.71058～1.46393、0.70788～0.70923和-6.38～-5.31、-6.51～-5.17、-5.47～-4.31;锆石εHf(t)值分别为-12.4～-5.7、-9.2～-4.2、-9.4～+0.1。结合岩相学、地球化学研究,初步认为营前岩体的两期花岗质岩石源于地壳重熔,地幔底侵导致地壳熔融形成营前岩体,基性岩浆加入到未冷却的酸性岩浆中形成了目前所见到的暗色包体。结合区域上的研究资料,认为中侏罗世期间,沿"十杭"断裂带及与其相平行的一些深断裂发生了板块的撕裂,这些缝合带是岩石圈相对薄弱的地带,有利于幔源物质底侵上升以及壳幔相互作用。     

Impacts of alien ‘ecosystem engineers’ overwhelm interannual and seasonal shifts in rocky-shore community composition on Marcus Island,South Africa

The South African coastline has been invaded by numerous alien species. Rare pre-invasion (1980) and post-invasion datasets (2001 and 2012) exist for Marcus Island, a small land-tied island in Saldanha Bay, South Africa. These snapshot datasets of the island’s intertidal invertebrate community were complemented with monitoring across seasons, from 2014 to 2016. Invertebrate communities were compared among the summers of 1980, 2001, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 to assess interannual differences, while invertebrates and algae were monitored quarter-annually to assess seasonal changes. In addition, the population dynamics of the alien mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis were monitored. Differences in invertebrate communities between consecutive summers were significant but much smaller than changes induced by the arrival of alien species. Invertebrate and seaweed communities differed among years and shore zones but not among seasons, whereas species diversity differed among years, seasons and shore zones, with zones having the strongest influence. The invasion by M. galloprovincialis, and ensuing spatial and temporal variability in its recruitment, emerged as the most important factor influencing community composition, overshadowing interannual and seasonal changes. This work highlights that the impacts of alien species can be distinguished from natural variability by combining long-term monitoring with surveys at finer temporal scales. This is an important step in extending our understanding of the impacts of marine alien species.     

Th sorption and export models in the water column: A review

Over the past few decades, the radioisotope pair of ²³⁸U / ²³⁴Th has been widely and increasingly used to describe particle dynamics and particle export fluxes in a variety of aquatic systems. The present paper is one of five review articles dedicated to ²³⁴Th. It is focused on the models associated with ²³⁴Th whereas the companion papers (same issue) are focused on present and future methodologies and techniques (Rutgers van der Loeff et al.), C / ²³⁴Th ratios (Buesseler et al.), ²³⁴Th speciation (Santschi et al.) and present and future applications of ²³⁴Th [Waples, J.T., Benitez-Nelson, C.R., Savoye, N., Rutgers van der Loeff, M., Baskaran, M., Gustafsson, Ö., this issue. An Introduction to the application and future use of ²³⁴Th in aquatic systems. Marine Chemistry, FATE special issue]. In this paper, we review current ²³⁴Th scavenging models and discuss the relative importance of the non-steady state and physical terms associated with the most commonly used model to estimate ²³⁴Th flux. Based on this discussion we recommend that for future work the use of models should be accompanied by a discussion of the effect that model and data uncertainty have on the model results. We also suggest that future field work incorporate repeat occupations of sample sites on time scales of 1–4 weeks in order to evaluate steady state versus non-steady state estimates of ²³⁴Th export, especially during high flux events (> ca. 800 dpm m^− 2 d^− 1). Finally, knowledge of the physical oceanography of the study area is essential, particularly in ocean margins and in areas of established upwelling (e.g., Equatorial Pacific). These suggestions will greatly enhance the application of ²³⁴Th as a tracer of particle dynamics and flux in more complicated regimes.     

Titan's surface at 2.2-cm wavelength imaged by the Cassini RADAR radiometer: Calibration and first results

The first comprehensive calibration and mapping of the thermal microwave emission from Titan's surface is reported based on radiometric data obtained at 2.2-cm wavelength by the passive radiometer included in the Cassini Radar instrument. The data reported were accumulated from 69 separate observational segments in Titan passes from Ta (October 2004) through T30 (May 2007) and include emission from 94% of Titan's surface. They are diverse in the key observing parameters of emission angle, polarization, and spatial resolution, and their reduction into calibrated global mosaic maps involved several steps. Analysis of the polarimetry obtained at low to moderate resolution (50+ km) enabled integration of the radiometry into a single mosaic of the equivalent brightness temperature at normal incidence with a relative precision of about 1 K. The Huygens probe measurement of Titan's surface temperature and radiometry obtained on Titan's dune fields allowed us to infer an absolute calibration estimated to be accurate to a level approaching 1 K. The results provide evidence for a surface that is complex and varied on large scales. The radiometry primarily constrains physical properties of the surface, where we see strong evidence for subsurface (volume) scattering as a dominant mechanism that determines the emissivity, with the possibility of a fluffy or graded-density surface layer in many regions. The results are consistent with, but not necessarily definitive of a surface composition resulting from the slow deposition and processing of organic compounds from the atmosphere.     

西加拿大盆地彩虹地区中泥盆统生物礁油藏的地球化学特征及其石油地质意义

彩虹地区存在两类烃源岩，一类形成于深水高盐蒸发环境，另一类形成于较浅水碳酸盐环境。采用多元统计方法对本区来自不同油蘸的26个油样的地球化学特征进行分析，并研究其空间变化规律及其与地质控制因素的关系。研究结果表明该地区油样成分特征和空间展布的两分性明显。油样成分两分主要是由于母源的差别所致。而油气特征在空间上的两分则可能反映盆地演化过程中构造作用对沉积环境和礁体空间展布的控制。礁间盐层的存在限制礁体间的横向连通性。石油就近聚集的结果导致在空间上原油特征沿袭了母岩的分布特点。