南沙群岛工程地质环境分区与珊瑚礁工程地质特性研究

Nansha Islands as sacred territory of China, containing abundant natural resources is the important area of sustaining development of Chinese people. Safeguarding and developing Nansha Islands has become one important part to develop ocean resource of China in 21 century. Engineering geological problems will be faced inevitably in the processes of engineering construction. Coral reef is a new kind of soil and rock and has special engineering characteristics. This doctoral dissertation researches deeply and systematically the regional engineering geology environmental properties and quality, engineering geological characteristics of coral reefs sand on the basis of synthetic analysis of hydrology, climate, geology, geomorphology and engineering field exploration information and combining the experimental data. 1. Put forward the division program of engineering geological environment of Nansha Islands according to the data of hydrology, geology and sediments, and also deeply study the properties of each division. Evaluate the quality of engineering geological environment by fuzzy mathematics and draw the evaluation map of quality of engineering geological environment. The research work provides background support of engineering geological environment to program of resource development in Nansha Islands. 2. Structures of coral reefs have been analyzed. The model of engineering geological zone has been proposed on the basis of geomorphologic zone and combining the strata and ocean dynamic environment. The engineering construction appropriation of each zone is praised. 3. The physical and mechanical properties of coral sands are researched. The results show that coral sands have high void ratio, non-regular shape, easy grain crushing and large compressibility. Shear-expansion takes place only at very low confining pressure and shear-contraction of volumetric strain occurs at higher confining pressure. Internal friction angle decreases with the increasing of confining pressure. The grain crushing property is the main factor influencing the mechanical characteristics. 4. A revised E-ν constitutive model is proposed which considers the change of internal friction angle with confining pressure, and parameter values are also determined. 5. The stability of Yongshu Reef by is analysed for the purpose of serving engineering struction. The process and mechanism of deformation and failure of foundation and slope is analyzed by finite-element method.

A novel hydroperoxyl substituted cembranolide diterpene from marine soft coral Lobophytum crassum

A new cembranolide diterpene with a hydroperoxyl substitution was isolated from the marine soft coral Lobophytum crassum. The structure was elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectral methods.

Effects of temperature, hypoxia, ammonia and nitrate on the bleaching among three coral species

Coral bleaching, which is defined as the loss of colour in corals due to the loss of their symbiotic algae (commonly called zooxanthellae) or pigments or both, is occurring globally at increasing rates, and its harm becomes more and more serious during these two decades. The significance of these bleaching events to the health of coral reef ecosystems is extreme, as bleached corals exhibited high mortality, reduced fecundity and productivity and increased susceptibility to diseases. This decreased coral fitness is easily to lead to reef degradation and ultimately to the breakdown of the coral reef ecosystems. Recently, the reasons leading to coral bleaching are thought to be as follows: too high or too low temperature, excess ultraviolet exposure, heavy metal pollution, cyanide poison and seasonal cycle. To date there has been little knowledge of whether mariculture can result in coral bleaching and which substance has the worst effect on corals. And no research was conducted on the effect of hypoxia on corals. To address these questions, effects of temperature, hypoxia, ammonia and nitrate on bleaching of three coral species were studied through examination of morphology and the measurement of the number of symbiotic algae of three coral species Acropora nobilis, Palythoa sp. and Alveopora verrilliana. Results showed that increase in temperature and decrease in dissolved oxygen could lead to increasing number of symbiotic algae and more serious bleaching. In addition, the concentration of 0.001 mmol/L ammonia or nitrate could increase significantly the expulsion of the symbiotic algae of the three coral species. Except for Acropora nobilis, the numbers of symbiotic algae of other two corals did not significantly increase with the increasing concentration of ammonia and nitrate. Furthermore, different hosts have different stress susceptibilities on coral bleaching.

Underwater topography detection of Shuangzi Reefs with SAR images acquired in different time

Imaging mechanism of underwater topography by SAR and a underwater topography SAR detection model built on the theory of underwater topography detection with SAR image presented by Yuan Yeli are used to detect the underwater topography of Shuangzi Reefs in the Nansha Islands with three scenes of SAR images acquired in different time. Detection results of three SAR images are compared with the chart topography and the detection errors are analyzed. Underwater topography detection experiments of Shuangzi Reefs show that the detection model is practicable. The detection results indicate that SAR images acquired in different time also can be used to detect the underwater topography, and the detection results are affected by the ocean conditions in the SAR acquiring time.

Vertical transferring process of rare elements in coral reef lagoons of Nansha Islands, South China Sea

The vertical fluxes and vertical transferring forms of 18 rare elements were studied for the first time in the coral reef ecosystem of Nansha Islands, South China Sea, by deploying sediment traps, The results showed that the vertical transferring flux of most of the measured rare elements in Yongshu lagoon were higher than that in Zhubi lagoon. The vertical transferring forms of rare elements were mainly in the carbonate form, but Ta, As, Th mainly in the ion-exchange form, Ag in iron-manganese oxide form and Sb in the organic matter + sulphide form. None of the 18 rare elements was transferred mainly in the form of detritus silicate to sea floor. This proved that rare elements originating from the earth's crust were redistributed in sinking particulates after they were brought into ocean. The relation between the fluxes and surface seawater temperature (STT) was also studied. The sensitivity of rare elements to SST was in order: Rb>V>As>Ti>U>Zn>Sb>Hf>Ag>Cs.