Web-based spatiotemporal visualization of marine environment data

With long-term marine surveys and research, and especially with the development of new marine environment monitoring technologies, prodigious amounts of complex marine environmental data are generated, and continuously increase rapidly. Features of these data include massive volume, widespread distribution, multiple-sources, heterogeneous, multi-dimensional and dynamic in structure and time. The present study recommends an integrative visualization solution for these data, to enhance the visual display of data and data archives, and to develop a joint use of these data distributed among different organizations or communities. This study also analyses the web services technologies and defines the concept of the marine information gird, then focuses on the spatiotemporal visualization method and proposes a process-oriented spatiotemporal visualization method. We discuss how marine environmental data can be organized based on the spatiotemporal visualization method, and how organized data are represented for use with web services and stored in a reusable fashion. In addition, we provide an original visualization architecture that is integrative and based on the explored technologies. In the end, we propose a prototype system of marine environmental data of the South China Sea for visualizations of Argo floats, sea surface temperature fields, sea current fields, salinity, in-situ investigation data, and ocean stations. An integration visualization architecture is illustrated on the prototype system, which highlights the process-oriented temporal visualization method and demonstrates the benefit of the architecture and the methods described in this study.

One-pot, high-yield synthesis of size-controlled gold particles with narrow size distribution

Here, we first report a facile one-step one-phase synthetic route to achieve size-controlled gold micro/nanoparticles with narrow size distribution by using o-diaminobenzene as a reducing agent in the presence of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) via a simple wet-chemical approach. All experimental data including that from scanning-electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques indicates that the gold micro/nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution were produced in high yield (similar to 100%).

Probability distribution of the four-phase structure invariants of isomorphously related structure factors and its applications

The probability distribution of the four-phase structure invariants (4PSIs) involving four pairs of structure factors is derived by integrating the direct methods with isomorphous replacement (IR). A simple expression of the reliability parameter for 16 types of invariant is given in the case of a native protein and a heavy-atom derivative. Test calculations on a protein and its heavy-atom derivative using experimental diffraction data show that the reliability for 4PSI estimates is comparable with that for the three-phase structure invariants (3PSIs), and that a large-modulus invariants method can be used to improve the accuracy.

ESTIMATION OF THE ONE-PHASE STRUCTURE SEMINVARIANTS IN THE SINGLE ISOMORPHOUS REPLACEMENT CASE - AN APPLICATION OF HAUPTMANS DISTRIBUTION

A method for estimating the one-phase structure seminvariants (OPSSs) having values of 0 or pi has been proposed on the basis of the probabilistic theory of the three-phase structure invariants for a pair of isomorphous structures [Hauptman (1982). Acta Cryst. A38, 289-294]. The test calculations using error-free diffraction data of protein cytochrome c(550) and its PtCl42- derivative show that reliable estimates of a number of the OPSSs can be obtained. The reliability of the estimation increases with the increase of the differences between diffraction intensities of the native protein and its heavy-atom derivative. A means to estimate the parameters of the distribution from the diffraction ratio is suggested.

Distribution of uranium isotopes in the main channel of Yellow river (Huanghe), China

Uranium isotopes were measured in waters and suspended particulate matters (SPM) of the main channel of Yellow River, China that were sampled during four field trips between August 2005 and July 2006. The results show that the concentration of dissolved U (2.04-7.83 mu g/l) and the activity ratio of U-234/U-238 (1.36-1.67) are much higher than the average U concentrations and activity ratios of global major rivers. Mass balance calculations using the results of simulated experiments and measurement data show that the section of the Yellow River between Lanzhou and Sanmenxia has its dissolved U derived from two sources: suspended sediments (68%) and groundwater/runoff from loess deposits (32%). Both sources are related to the heavy erosion of the Chinese Loess Plateau. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Excitation energy distribution between two photosystems in Porphyra yezoensis and its significance in photosynthesis evolution

Comparative investigation on energy distribution between two photosystems were carried out in the sporophytes and gametophytes of Porphyra yezoensis. By performing 77 K fluorescence spectra, we suggested that there probably existed a pathway for energy transfer from PS II to PS I to redistribute the absorbed energy in gametophytes, while no such a way or at minor level in sporophytes. Electron transfer inhibitor DCMU blocked the energy transfer from PS II to PS I in gametophytes, but no obvious effects on sporophytes. These indicated that excitation energy distribution between two photosystems in gametophytes was more cooperative than that in sporophytes. These data in ontogenesis reflected the evolution process of photosynthetic organisms and supported the hypothesis of independent evolution of each photosystem.

Cross-Ocean distribution of Rhodobacterales bacteria as primary surface colonizers in temperate coastal marine waters

Bacterial surface colonization is a universal adaptation strategy in aquatic environments. However, neither the identities of early colonizers nor the temporal changes in surface assemblages are well understood. To determine the identities of the most common bacterial primary colonizers and to assess the succession process, if any, of the bacterial assemblages during early stages of surface colonization in coastal water of the West Pacific Ocean, nonnutritive inert materials (glass, Plexiglas, and polyvinyl chloride) were employed as test surfaces and incubated in seawater off the Qingdao coast in the spring of 2005 for 24 and 72 h. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences amplified from the recovered surface-colonizing microbiota indicated that diverse bacteria colonized the submerged surfaces. Multivariate statistical cluster analyses indicated that the succession of early surface-colonizing bacterial assemblages followed sequential steps on all types of test surfaces. The Rhodobacterales, especially the marine Roseobacter clade members, formed the most common and dominant primary surface-colonizing bacterial group. Our current data, along with previous studies of the Atlantic coast, indicate that the Rhodobacterales bacteria are the dominant and ubiquitous primary surface colonizers in temperate coastal waters of the world and that microbial surface colonization follows a succession sequence. A conceptual model is proposed based on these findings, which may have important implications for understanding the structure, dynamics, and function of marine biofilms and for developing strategies to harness or control surface-associated microbial communities.

Distribution of the nonlinear random ocean wave period

Because of the intrinsic difficulty in determining distributions for wave periods, previous studies on wave period distribution models have not taken nonlinearity into account and have not performed well in terms of describing and statistically analyzing the probability density distribution of ocean waves. In this study, a statistical model of random waves is developed using Stokes wave theory of water wave dynamics. In addition, a new nonlinear probability distribution function for the wave period is presented with the parameters of spectral density width and nonlinear wave steepness, which is more reasonable as a physical mechanism. The magnitude of wave steepness determines the intensity of the nonlinear effect, while the spectral width only changes the energy distribution. The wave steepness is found to be an important parameter in terms of not only dynamics but also statistics. The value of wave steepness reflects the degree that the wave period distribution skews from the Cauchy distribution, and it also describes the variation in the distribution function, which resembles that of the wave surface elevation distribution and wave height distribution. We found that the distribution curves skew leftward and upward as the wave steepness increases. The wave period observations for the SZFII-1 buoy, made off the coast of Weihai (37A degrees 27.6' N, 122A degrees 15.1' E), China, are used to verify the new distribution. The coefficient of the correlation between the new distribution and the buoy data at different spectral widths (nu=0.3-0.5) is within the range of 0.968 6 to 0.991 7. In addition, the Longuet-Higgins (1975) and Sun (1988) distributions and the new distribution presented in this work are compared. The validations and comparisons indicate that the new nonlinear probability density distribution fits the buoy measurements better than the Longuet-Higgins and Sun distributions do. We believe that adoption of the new wave period distribution would improve traditional statistical wave theory.

A quasi-synoptic interpretation of water mass distribution and circulation in the western North Pacific II: Circulation

Using the data of conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) intensive observations conducted during Oct.-Nov. 2005, this study provides the first three-dimension quasi-synoptic description of the circulation in the western North Pacific. Several novel phenomena are revealed, especially in the deep ocean where earlier observations were very sparse. During the observations, the North Equatorial Current (NEC) splits at about 12A degrees N near the sea surface. This bifurcation shifts northward with depth, reaching about 20A degrees N at 1 000 m, and then remains nearly unchanged to as deep as 2 000 m. The Luzon Undercurrent (LUC), emerging below the Kuroshio from about 21A degrees N, intensifies southward, with its upper boundary surfacing around 12A degrees N. From there, part of the LUC separates from the coast, while the rest continues southward to join the Mindanao Current (MC). The MC extends to 2 000 m near the coast, and appears to be closely related to the subsurface cyclonic eddies which overlap low-salinity water from the North Pacific. The Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC), carrying waters from the South Pacific, shifts eastward upon approaching the Mindanao coast and eventually becomes part of the eastward undercurrent between 10A degrees N and 12A degrees N at 130A degrees E. In the upper 2 000 dbar, the total westward transport across 130A degrees E between 7.5A degrees N and 18A degrees N reaches 65.4 Sv (1 Sv = 10(-6) m(3)s(-1)), the northward transport across 18A degrees N from Luzon coast to 130A degrees E is up to 35.0 Sv, and the southward transport across 7.5A degrees N from Mindanao coast to 130A degrees E is 27.9 Sv.

Statistical distribution of wave-surface elevation for second-order random directional ocean waves in finite water depth

Based on the second-order random wave solutions of water wave equations in finite water depth, a statistical distribution of the wave-surface elevation is derived by using the characteristic function expansion method. It is found that the distribution, after normalization of the wave-surface elevation, depends only on two parameters. One parameter describes the small mean bias of the surface produced by the second-order wave-wave interactions. Another one is approximately proportional to the skewness of the distribution. Both of these two parameters can be determined by the water depth and the wave-number spectrum of ocean waves. As an illustrative example, we consider a fully developed wind-generated sea and the parameters are calculated for various wind speeds and water depths by using Donelan and Pierson spectrum. It is also found that, for deep water, the dimensionless distribution reduces to the third-order Gram-Charlier series obtained by Longuet-Higgins [J. Fluid Mech. 17 (1963) 459]. The newly proposed distribution is compared with the data of Bitner [Appl. Ocean Res. 2 (1980) 63], Gaussian distribution and the fourth-order Gram-Charlier series, and found our distribution gives a more reasonable fit to the data. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Statistical distribution of nonlinear random wave height

A statistical model of random wave is developed using Stokes wave theory of water wave dynamics. A new nonlinear probability distribution function of wave height is presented. The results indicate that wave steepness not only could be a parameter of the distribution function of wave height but also could reflect the degree of wave height distribution deviation from the Rayleigh distribution. The new wave height distribution overcomes the problem of Rayleigh distribution that the prediction of big wave is overestimated and the general wave is underestimated. The prediction of small probability wave height value of new distribution is also smaller than that of Rayleigh distribution. Wave height data taken from East China Normal University are used to verify the new distribution. The results indicate that the new distribution fits the measurements much better than the Rayleigh distribution.

Bioenergetic responses of sub-adult sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) to temperature with special discussion regarding its southernmost distribution limit in China

1. This paper investigated the bioenergetic responses of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (wet weights of 36.5 +/- 1.2 g) to different water temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees C) in the laboratory. 2. Results showed that theoretically the optimal temperatures for energy intake and scope for growth (SFG) of sub-adult A. japonicus was at 15.6 and 16.0 degrees C, respectively. The aestivation threshold temperature for this life-stage sea cucumber could be 29.0 degrees C by taking feeding cessation as the indication of aestivation. 3. Our data suggests that A. japonicus is thermo-sensitive to higher temperature, which prevents it from colonising sub-tropical coastal zones. Therefore, water temperature plays an important role in its southernmost distribution limit in China. 4. The potential impact of global ocean warming on A. japonicus might be a northward shift in the geographical distribution. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd, All rights reserved.

Distribution patterns of chlorophyll a in spring and autumn in association with hydrological features in the southern Yellow Sea and northern East China Sea

Two field studies were conducted to measure pigments in the Southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and the northern East China Sea (NECS) in April (spring) and September (autumn) to evaluate the distribution pattern of phytoplankton stock (Chl a concentration) and the impact of hydrological features such as water mass, mixing and tidal front on these patterns. The results indicated that the Chl a concentration was 2.43 +/- 2.64 (Mean +/- SD) mg m(-3) in April (range, 0.35 to 17.02 mg m(-3)) and 1.75 +/- 3.10 mg m(-3) in September (from 0.07 to 36.54 mg m(-3)) in 2003. Additionally, four areas with higher Chl a concentrations were observed in the surface water in April, while two were observed in September, and these areas were located within or near the point at which different water masses converged (temperature front area). The distribution pattern of Chl a was generally consistent between onshore and offshore stations at different depths in April and September. Specifically, higher Chl a concentrations were observed along the coastal line in September, which consisted of a mixing area and a tidal front area, although the distributional pattern of Chl a concentrations varied along transects in April. The maximum Chl a concentration at each station was observed in the surface and subsurface layer (0-10 m) for onshore stations and the thermocline layer (10-30 m) for offshore stations in September, while the greatest concentrations were generally observed in surface and subsurface water (0-10 m) in April. The formation of the Chl a distributional pattern in the SYS and NECS and its relationship with possible influencing factors is also discussed. Although physical forces had a close relationship with Chl a distribution, more data are required to clearly and comprehensively elucidate the spatial pattern dynamics of Chl a in the SYS and NECS.

Preliminary study of the dynamic origin of the distribution pattern of bottom sediments on the continental shelves of the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea

The bottom sediment types in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea (BYECS) are diversified, and their distribution pattern is very complicated. However, the bottom sediment types can be simplified to be sandy sediment, clayey sediment and mixed sediment, which comprise the complicated distribution pattern of bottom sediment in the BYECS. The continental shelves of the BYECS are broad, with shallow water depths and tidal currents which are permanent and dominate the marine dynamics in the BYECS. Based on numerical simulation of tidal elevations and currents in the BYECS, the rates of suspended load transport and bed load transport during a single tidal cycle for sediments of eight different grain size ranges are calculated. The results show that any sediment, whose threshold velocity is less than that of tidal current, has the same transport trend. Suspended load transport rare, bed load transport rate, and the ratio of the former to the latter decrease with grain size becoming coarser and coarser. The erosion/accretion patterns of sediments with different grain sizes are determined by the sediment transport rate divergences, and the results show that the patterns are the same for sediments with different grain sizes. Three main bottom sediment types, i.e. sandy sediment mainly composed of fine sand, clayey sediment mainly composed of silty clay, and mixed sediment mainly composed of fine sand, silt, and clay, are obtained by computation. The three bottom sediment types and their distribution pattern are consistent not only with sediment transport field and the sea bed erosion/accretion pattern obtained by simulation, but also with field data of bottom sediment types and divisions. In the BYECS, sand ridges form mainly in the areas with strong rectilinear tidal currents, sand sheets form mainly in the areas dominated by strong rotatory tidal currents, and clayey sediments, i.e. mud patches, form mainly in the areas with weak tidal currents. Hence, not only the sandy sediments but also the clayey sediments in the BYECS are formed under the control of the whole tidal current field of the BYECS. The three main bottom sediment types are not isolated respectively-in fact, they constitute a whole tidal depositional system. Under the condition with no cyclonic cold eddy, the clayey sediments in the BYECS can form in weak tidal current environments. Therefore, a cold eddy is not necessary for the deposition of clayey sediments in the BYECS. (C) 2000 Academic Press.

Distribution and species diversity of plant communities along transect on the Northeastern Tibetan plateau

The distribution and species diversity of plant communities along a 600 km transect through the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (32 degrees 42'-35 degrees 07' N, 101 degrees 02'-97 degrees 38' E) with altitudes from 3255 to 4460 m are described. The transect started from the Youyi Bridge of Banma through Dari, Maqin and Maduo to Zaling Lake. The data from 47 plots along the transect are summarized and analyzed. The mean annual temperature, the mean annual rainfall and the length of growing season decreases from 2.6 to -4.5 degrees C, from 767.2 to 240.1 mm, from 210 to 140 days, respectively, along the transect from the southeastern Banma to northwestern Zaling Lake. The number of vascular plant species recorded in 47 plots is 242 including 2 tree, 34 shrub, 206 herb species. Main vegetation types on the transect from southeast to northwest are: Sabina convallium forest, Picea likiangensis forest, Pyracantha fortuneana + Spiraea alpina shrub, Hippophae neurocarpu shrub, Sibiraea angustata + Polygonum viviparum shrub, Stellera chamaejasme herb meadow, Potentilla fruticosa + Salix obscura + Carex sp. Shrub, Kobresia capillifolia meadow, P. froticosa + Kobresia humilis shrub, Caragana jubata + S. obscura shrub, Kobresia tibetica meadow, Kobresia pygmaea meadow, K. pygmaea + Stipa purpurea steppe meadow, Stipa purpurea steppe. Plant richness and diversity index all showed a decreasing trend with increasing of elevation along transect from southeast to northwest. Detailed information on altitudinal ranges and distribution of the alpine vegetation, vascular flora and environments over the alpine zone at northeastern Tibetan Plateau provides baseline records relevant to future assessment of probable effects of global climate changes.