Sources and transport of dissolved and particulate organic carbon in the Mississippi River estuary and adjacent coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), stable carbon isotopic (delta(13)C) compositions of DOC and particulate organic carbon (POC), and elemental C/N ratios of POC were measured for samples collected from the lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers and adjacent coastal waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico during the low flow season in June 2000 and high flow season in April 2001. These isotopic and C/N results combined with DOC measurements were used to assess the sources and transport of terrestrial organic matter from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers to the coastal region in the northern Gulf of Mexico. delta(13)C values of both POC (-23.8parts per thousand to -26.8parts per thousand) and DOC (-25.0parts per thousand to -29.0parts per thousand) carried by the two rivers were more depleted than the values measured for the samples collected in the offshore waters. Strong seasonal variations in delta(13)C distributions were observed for both POC and DOC in the surface waters of the region. Fresh water discharge and horizontal mixing played important roles in the distribution and transport of terrestrial POC and DOC offshore. Our results indicate that both POC and DOC exhibited non-conservative behavior during the mixing especially in the mid-salinity range. Based on a simple two end-member mixing model, the comparison of the measured DOC-delta(13)C with the calculated conservative isotopic mixing curve indicated that there was a significant in situ production of marine-derived DOC in the mid- to high-salinity waters consistent with our in situ chlorophyll-a measurements. Our DOC-delta(13)C data suggest that a removal of terrestrial DOC mainly occurred in the high-salinity (>25) waters during the mixing. Our study indicates that the mid- to high- (10-30) salinity range was the most dynamic zone for organic carbon transport and cycling in the Mississippi River estuary. Variability in isotopic and elemental compositions along with variability in DOC and POC concentrations suggest that autochthonous production, bacterial utilization, and photo-oxidation could all play important roles in regulating and removing terrestrial DOC in the northern Gulf of Mexico and further study of these individual processes is warranted. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transfer and transport of phosphorus and silica in the turbidity maximum zone of the Changjiang estuary

The concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM), sedimentation flux, and various forms of phosphorus and silica in turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) in the Changjiang (Yangtze) estuary was studied. Based on the budget of P and Si, their mass balances in the TMZ were calculated. Results show that the variation in concentration of dissolved inorganic silicon (DISi) was mainly controlled by seawater dilution, while that of dissolved inorganic phosphor-us (DIP) was considerably affected by the buffering of suspended matter and sediment. Our experiments showed that the sedimentation fluxes of SPM and particulate inorganic phosphorus (PIP), total particulate phosphorus (TPP), particulate inorganic silicon (PISi), and biological silicon (BSi) in the TMZ were 238.4 g m(-2) d(-1) and 28.3, 43.1, 79.0, 63.0 mg m(-2) d(-1), respectively. In addition, a simple method to estimate the ratio of resuspension of sediment in the TMZ was established, with which the rate in surface and bottom waters of the TMZ accounted for 55.7 and 66.1% of the total SPM, respectively, indicating that the sediment resuspension in the TMZ influenced significantly the mass balances of P and Si. Particulate adsorbed P (60.8%) and 35.5% of total particulate P discharged from the river were filtered and then deposited in the TMZ. The input flux of PIP from the river mouth was 55.9% of that of DIP, being important as biologically available P, while that of PISi was only 3.5% of DISi, showing that particulate adsorbed Si was much less important than particulate adsorbed P. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Growth of ZnO single crystal by chemical vapor transport method

ZnO crystals were grown by CVT method in closed quartz tube under seeded condition. Carbon was used as a transport agent to enhance the chemical transport of ZnO in the growth process. ZnO single crystals were grown by using GaN/sapphire and GaN/Si wafer as seeds. The property and crystal quality of the ZnO single crystals was studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction technique.

Growth of ZnO single crystal by chemical vapor transport method

ZnO crystals were grown by CVT method in closed quartz tube under seeded condition. Carbon was used as a transport agent to enhance the chemical transport of ZnO in the growth process. ZnO single crystals were grown by using GaN/sapphire and GaN/Si wafer as seeds. The property and crystal quality of the ZnO single crystals was studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction technique.

Diagnostic experiments for transport mechanisms of suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River in the Bohai Sea

Five diagnostic experiments with a 3D baroclinic hydrodynamic and sediment transport model ECOMSED in couple with the third generation wave model SWAN and the Grant-Madsen bottom boundary layer model driven by the monthly sediment load of the Yellow River, were conducted to separately diagnose effects of different hydrodynamic factors on transport of suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River in the Bohai Sea. Both transport and spatio-temporal distribution of suspended sediment concentration in the Bohai Sea were numerially simulated. It could be concluded that suspended sediment discharged from the Yellow River cannot be delivered in long distance under the condition of tidal current. Almost all of sediments from the Yellow River are deposited outside the delta under the condition of wind-driven current, and only very small of them are transported faraway. On the basis of wind forcing, sediments from the Yellow River are mainly transported north-northwestward, and others which are first delivered to the Laizhou Bay are continuously moved northward. An obvious 3D structure characteristic of sediment transport is produced in the wind-driven and tide-induced residual circulation condition. Transport patterns at all layers are generally consistent with circulation structure, but there is apparent deviation between the depth-averaged sediment flux and the circulation structure. The phase of temporal variation of sediment concentration is consistent with that of the bottom shear stress, both of which are proved to have a ten-day cycle in wave and current condition.

Charge Transport Processes of Immobilized Heteropolyanions at Self-assembled Monolayer Modified Gold Electrode by Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance Measurement

The in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance(EQCM) technique was used to investigate the ion transport of immobilized heteropolyanions at a self-assembled monolayer(SAM) modified gold electrode during electrochemical redox process. A mixed transfer method was presented to analyse the abnormal change of resonant frequency based on the simultaneous insertion/extraction of different ions. The results indicate that the migration of HSO4- anions was indispensable in the redox process of the heteropolyan ions in a I mol/L H2SO4 solution and played a key role in the abnormal change of the resonant frequency. Such a change was attributed to different packing densities derived by means of differently immobilized methods.

Gas transport properties of a series of cardo polyarylethers

Gas transport of H-2, CO2, O-2, N-2, and CH4 in a series of cardo polyarylethers were examined over a temperature range of 30 similar to 100 degreesC. These polymers include three poly(aryletherketone)s, two poly(arylethersulfone)s, and one poly(aryletherketoneketone). It was found that the large length/diameter ratio of the polymer repeat unit for cardo polyaryletherketoneketone (PEKK-C) and strong intermolecular interaction in hydrogen-bonded polyarylethersulfone (PES-H) and hydrogen-bonded polyaryletherketone (PEK-H) resulted in a considerable increase in gas permselectivity. Alkyl-substituted polyaryletherketone (PEK-A), bearing a pendant bulky propyl group on the cardo ring, simultaneously exhibited 62.5% higher H-2 permeability and 59.8% higher H-2/N-2 permselectivity than unmodified poly(aryletherketone) (PEK-C). The causes of the trend were interpreted in terms of chain packing density, segmental motion ability, steric factor, and intermolecular interaction of polymers, together with gas kinetic diameter and critical temperature data.

Gas transport properties of novel cardo poly(aryl ether ketone)s with pendant alkyl groups

Gas transport of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane in four cardo poly(aryl ether ketone)s containing different alkyl substituents on the phenyl ring has been examined from 30 to 100 degrees C. The permeability, diffusivity, solubility, and their temperature dependency were studied by correlations with gas shape, size, and critical temperature as well as polymeric structural factors including glass transition, secondary transition, cohesive energy density, and free volume. The bulky, stiff cardo and alkyl groups in tetramethyl-substituted TMPEK-C resulted in increased H-2 permeability (by 55%) and H-2/N-2 permselectivity (by 106%) relative to bisphenol A polysulfone (PSF). Moreover, the weak dependence of gas transport on temperature in TMPEK-C made it maintain high permselectivities (alpha(H2/N2) in 68.3 and alpha(O2/N2) in 5.71) up to 100 degrees C, exhibiting potential for high-temperature gas separation applications.

Interbasin freshwater, heat and salt transport through the boundaries of the East and South China Seas from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model

The monthly and annual mean freshwater, heat and salt transport through the open boundaries of the South and East China Seas derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model is reported. The model has 1/6degrees resolution for the seas adjacent to China and 30 resolution for the global ocean. The model results are in fairly good agreement with the existing estimates based on measurements. The computation shows that the flows passing through the South China Sea contribute volume, heat and salt transport of 5.3 Sv, 0.57 PW and 184 Ggs(-1), respectively (about 1/4) to the Indonesian Throughflow, indicating that the South China Sea is an important pathway of the Pacific to Indian Ocean throughflow. The volume, heat and salt transport of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea is 25.6 Sv, 2.32 PW and 894 Ggs(-1), respectively. Less than 1/4 of this transport passes through the passage between Iriomote and Okinawa. The calculation of heat balance indicates that the South China Sea absorbs net heat flux from the sun and atmosphere with a rate of 0.08 PW, while the atmosphere gains net heat flux from the Baohai, Yellow and East China Seas with a rate of 0.05 PW.

Perturbational Finite Volume Method For The Solution of 2-D Navier-Stokes Equations on Unstructured and Structured Colocated Meshes

Based on the first-order upwind and second-order central type of finite volume( UFV and CFV) scheme, upwind and central type of perturbation finite volume ( UPFV and CPFV) schemes of the Navier-Stokes equations were developed. In PFV method, the mass fluxes of across the cell faces of the control volume (CV) were expanded into power series of the grid spacing and the coefficients of the power series were determined by means of the conservation equation itself. The UPFV and CPFV scheme respectively uses the same nodes and expressions as those of the normal first-order upwind and second-order central scheme, which is apt to programming. The results of numerical experiments about the flow in a lid-driven cavity and the problem of transport of a scalar quantity in a known velocity field show that compared to the first-order UFV and second-order CFV schemes, upwind PFV scheme is higher accuracy and resolution, especially better robustness. The numerical computation to flow in a lid-driven cavity shows that the under-relaxation factor can be arbitrarily selected ranging from 0.3 to 0. 8 and convergence perform excellent with Reynolds number variation from 102 to 104.

On the mechanism of the formation of horizontal cracks in a vertical column of saturated sand

Extended horizontal cracks have! been observed experimentally in a vertical column of saturated sand when a flow of water is forced to percolate upward through it. This paper provides a theory for this phenomenon. It will be shown that the presence of inhomogeneity in permeability along the length of the column is essential for such cracks to develop. It will also be shown that small initial inhomogeneity may be magnified through the transport of the finer component of the sand by percolation. Under certain conditions liquefaction takes place at a section of the sand column causing a crack to initiate and grow there. This theory is found to be in good qualitative agreement with the experimental findings.