Geochemistry on sediments in Lake Biwa

Thirty sediment cores (30-40 cm in length), 47 Ekman dredge sediments, and Mn concretions were collected from Lake Biwa. The concentrations of 36 elements in the samples were determined by instrumental neutron activation, X-ray fluorescence, atomic absorption, and colorimetric analyses. The elements determined included Mn, P, As, Sb, Fe, Ni, Co, Zn, Cu, Pb, Hg, Cr, Ti, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Sc, Hf, La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Yb, Lu, U, Th, Au, Ta, Nd, Br and N. Based on statistical considerations and calculation of the concentration factors of the elements, the features of the elemental distribution in Lake Biwa sediment were determined. The main results are summarized as follows : (1) Concentrations of Mn and As were very high in the uppermost oxidized layer of the offshore sediment and Mn concretions. This resulted from the dissolution-deposition cycles of these elements within the sedimentary column and the bottom water. The fixation of As at the sediment surface is mainly attributed to the adsorption of arsenate onto Mn (II) -rich hydrous Mn (IV) oxide. (2) There were high concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb and Hg in the recent sediments. Although the source of these elements is attributed to human activities, the individual distributions of Zn and Cu in the sediment may result from the deposition of metal-rich planktonic debris and subsequent degradation of the debris. (3) The orders of increasing concentrations of alkali metals and lanthanides in the sediment from the central region compared with the nearshore pediment were identical to the orders of increasing atomic numbers from Na to Cs and from La to Lu, respectively.

(Table 1) Sea ice and snow characteristics and heat fluxes observed during R/V Aurora Australis cruise to East Antarctica in September/October 2007

The properties of snow on East Antarctic sea ice off Wilkes Land were examined during the Sea Ice Physics and Ecosystem Experiment (SIPEX) in late winter of 2007, focusing on the interaction with sea ice. This observation includes 11 transect lines for the measurement of ice thickness, freeboard, and snow depth, 50 snow pits on 13 ice floes, and diurnal variation of surface heat flux on three ice floes. The detailed profiling of topography along the transects and the d18O, salinity, and density datasets of snow made it possible to examine the snow-sea-ice interaction quantitatively for the first time in this area. In general, the snow displayed significant heterogeneity in types, thickness (mean: 0.14 +- 0.13 m), and density (325 +- 38 kg/m**3), as reported in other East Antarctic regions. High salinity was confined to the lowest 0.1 m. Salinity and d18O data within this layer revealed that saline water originated from the surface brine of sea ice in 20% of the total sites and from seawater in 80%. From the vertical profiles of snow density, bulk thermal conductivity of snow was estimated as 0.15 W/K/m on average, only half of the value used for numerical sea-ice models. Although the upward heat flux within snow estimated with this value was significantly lower than that within ice, it turned out that a higher value of thermal conductivity (0.3 to 0.4 W/K/m) is preferable for estimating ice growth amount in current numerical models. Diurnal measurements showed that upward conductive heat flux within the snow and net long-wave radiation at the surface seem to play important roles in the formation of snow ice from slush. The detailed surface topography allowed us to compare the air-ice drag coefficients of ice and snow surfaces under neutral conditions, and to examine the possibility of the retrieval of ice thickness distribution from satellite remote sensing. It was found that overall snow cover works to enhance the surface roughness of sea ice rather than moderate it, and increases the drag coefficient by about 10%. As for thickness retrieval, mean ice thickness had a higher correlation with ice surface roughness than mean freeboard or surface elevation, which indicates the potential usefulness of satellite L-band SAR in estimating the ice thickness distribution in the seasonal sea-ice zone.

Susceptibility, conductivity and porosity along a GEM-SHARK profile

The coastal systems, are often subjected to high anthropogenic pressure, which makes it necessary to develop new techniques to assess the environmental impacts caused by such human activity. This paper presents the first results obtained during the development and implementation of a new equipment of submarine geophysics survey oriented to integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). It is based on the drag of a submarine in contact with the sea-bottom. The submarine is equipped with an electromagnetic sensor which allows the measurement of the magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity of the surface sediments continuously and to a depth of sediment of 40 cm. This system, once improved, will allow us to obtain valuable information for monitoring the environmental quality of coastal areas.

Planktic foraminifera from ODP Hole 117-723B

Upwelling occurs during the summer off the coast of Oman when the Asian monsoon produces strong southwest winds in the northern Arabian Sea. Ekman transport driven by the southwest monsoon winds upwells cool nutrient-rich waters along the coast which contrast with the warmer, less productive waters offshore. The spatial pattern of foraminifers in the sediments corresponds with the coastal environmental gradient. The upwelling species Globigerina bulloides dominates the sediment assemblage on the continental margin, while Globigerinita glutinata is more abundant offshore, creating a coastal gradient in fauna. We reconstructed the upwelling faunal gradient using high resolution oxygen isotope stratigraphy to correlate between Hole 723B on the Oman Margin, and a core from the Owen Ridge (RC2761), adjacent Site 722. A gradient similar in magnitude to the present, implying upwelling conditions similar to today existed during each interglacial time during the late Pleistocene interval from 0 to 300 k.y. The gradient was reduced or absent during glacial times implying diminshed southwest winds along the coast of Oman, not strong enough to produce an environmental gradient between the coast and offshore sites.

Bedding dip data from core site CRP-3 in Victoria Land, Antarctica

Bedding dips in the CRP-3 drillhole were determined in three ways: (1) analysis of a dipmeter log, (2) identification of bed boundaries on borehole televiewer log images, and (3) identification of bed boundaries on digital images of the outer surfaces of oriented cores. All three methods determine both dip magnitude and downdip azimuth of bedding. Dipmeter results document variations in bedding dip throughout the logged interval (20-902 mbsf), whereas core and televiewer results are available at present only for selected depth intervals. Dipmeter data indicate that structural dip is remarkably constant, at 21° dip to azimuth 65°, throughout the Tertiary shelf section, except for the top 100 m where dips appear to be 5-10° shallower. This pattern, in conjunction with the systematically increasing dips throughout CRP-2A, suggests that the growth faulting active during CRP-2A deposition began during the final period of deposition at CRP-3. Normal faults at 260 and 539 mbsf in CRP-3 exhibit neither drag (localized dip steepening) nor significant changes in structural dip across them. Oriented core and televiewer analyses, covering a total of 200 m in the interval 400-900 mbsf, indicate bedding patterns that confirm the dipmeter results. The doleritic breccia at the base of the Tertiary section has steeper dips than overlying structural dips, possibly indicating a sedimentary dip to ENE in these fan sediments. Dip directions in the underlying Devonian Beacon sandstone are surprisingly similar to those in the overlying Tertiary section. Superimposed on the average Beacon dip of 22° to the ENE are localized tilts of up to 20°, probably caused by Tertiary fracturing and brecciation rather than original sedimentary dip variations.

Estimatin of roughness lengths with a ship-mounted ADCP from Knudedyb, Denmark in October 2009

The hydraulic effect of asymmetric compound bedforms on tidal currents was assessed from field measurements of flow velocity in the Knudedyb tidal inlet, Denmark. Large asymmetric bedforms with smaller superimposed ones are a common feature of sandy shallow water environments and are known to act as hydraulic roughness elements in dependence with flow direction. The presence of a flow separation zone on the bedform lee was estimated through analysis of the measured velocity directions and the calculation of the flow separation line. The Law of the Wall was used to calculate roughness lengths and shear velocities from log-linear segments sought on transect-averaged and single-location velocity profiles. During the ebb tide a permanent flow separation zone was established over the steep (10-20°) lee sides of the ebb-oriented primary bedforms, which generated a consequent drag on the flow. During the flood, no flow separation was induced by the gentle (2°) lee side of the primary bedforms except over the steepest (10°) part of the lee side where a small separation zone was sometimes observed. As a result, hydraulic roughness was only due to the superimposed bedforms. The parameterized flow separation line was found to underestimate the length of the flow separation zone of the primary bedforms. A better estimation of the presence and shape of the flow separation zone over complex bedforms in a tidal environment still needs to be determined; in particular the relationship between flow separation zone and bedform geometry (asymmetry, relative height or slope of the lee side) is unclear. This would improve the prediction of complex bedform roughness in tidal flows.

Part of the global DOC versus AOU (dissolved organic carbon/apparent oxygen utilization) data compilation, Azores-I

Temperate, transitional and subtropical waters of the remote Azores Front region east of Azores (24-40°N, 22-32°W) were sampled during three cruises conducted under increasing stratification conditions (April 1999, May 1997 and August 1998). Despite the temporal increase of surface temperature (by 5 °C) and stratification (by 2.1 1/min**2), as well as the thermocline shoaling (by ~15 m), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in the surface layer were not significantly different for the early spring, late spring and summer periods, with average concentrations of 69±2 µM-C and 5.2±0.4 µM-N, respectively. The surface excess of semi-labile DOC, compared with the baseline DOC concentration in the deep ocean (47±2 µM-C), represents 33% of the bulk DOC concentration and as much as 85% of the TOC (=POC+DOC) excess. When compared with the winter baseline (56±2 µM-C), the seasonal surface DOC excess is 20% of the bulk DOC concentration and 87% of the seasonal TOC excess. These results confirm the major role played by DOC in the carbon cycle of surface waters of the Azores Front region. The total amount of bioreactive DOC transported from the temperate to the subtropical North Atlantic by the Ekman flux between March and December represents only ~15% of the average annual primary production, and ~15% and ~30% of the measured sinking POC flux+vertical DOC eddy diffusion during early spring and summer, respectively. Vertical eddy diffusion is 35% and 2% of the spring and summer sinking POC flux, respectively. On the other hand, DOC only contributes 13% to the local oxidation of organic matter in subsurface waters (between the pycnocline and 500 m) of the study region.