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1.
Trapping of fine sediment in a semi-enclosed bay, Palau, Micronesia   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
Airai Bay, Palau, is a small (3 km2), semi-enclosed, mangrove-fringed, meso-tidal, coral lagoon on the southeast coast of Palau. It drains a small catchment area (26 km2) of highly erodible soils in an area with high annual rainfall (3.7 m). River floods are short-lived and the sediment load is very large, with suspended fine sediment concentration exceeding 1500 mg l−1. The resulting river plume is about 2 m thick. The brackish water residence time is about 7 days; during this period the plume remains a distinct surface feature even after river runoff has ceased. About 98% of the riverine fine sediment settles in Airai Bay, of which about 15–30% is deposited in the mangroves during river floods. This mud remains trapped in Airai Bay because the bay is protected from ocean swells and the tidal currents and locally generated wind waves are too small to resuspend the mud in quantity. The mud is smothering coral reefs, creating a phase shift from coral to fleshy algae dominance, and is even changing habitats by creating mud banks. The persistence of Airai Bay marine resources may not be possible without improved soil erosion control in the river catchment.  相似文献   

2.
Fouha Bay is a 400-m-long funnel-shaped, 10-m-deep, coral-fringed embayment on the southwest coast of Guam. It drains a small catchment area (5 km2) of steeply sloping, highly erodible lateritic soils. River floods are short-lived and the sediment load is very large, with suspended sediment concentration (SSC) exceeding 1000 mg l−1. The resulting river plume is about 1 m thick and is pulsing in a series of 1–2 h-long events, with outflow velocity peaking at 0.05 m s−1. Turbulent entrainment results in an oceanic inflow at depth into the bay. As soon as river flow stops, the plume floats passively and takes 5 days to be flushed out of Fouha Bay. The suspended fine sediment flocculates in 5 min and aggregates on ambient transparent exopolymer particles to form muddy marine snow flocs. In calm weather, about 75% of the riverine mud settles out of the river plume into the underlying oceanic water where it forms a transient nepheloid layer. This mud ultimately settles and is trapped in Fouha Bay. Under typhoon-driven, swell waves, the surface plume is at least 7 m thick and bottom entrainment of mud results in SSC exceeding 1000 mg l−1 for several days. It is suggested that successful management of fringing coral reefs adjacent to volcanic islands may not be possible without proper land use management in the surrounding catchment.  相似文献   

3.
Fine sediment dynamics were recorded in February 2007 in coastal waters of the Great Barrier Reef during a moderate flood of the Tully River. An estuarine circulation prevailed on the inner continental shelf with a surface seaward velocity peaking at 0.1 m s−1 and a near-bottom landward flow peaking at 0.05 m s−1. Much of the riverine mud originating from eroded soils was exported onto a 10 km wide coastal strip during the rising stage of the river flood in the first flush. In coastal waters, suspended sediment concentration peaked at 0.2 kg m−3 near the surface and 0.4 kg m−3 at 10 m depth during calm weather, and 0.5 kg m−3 near the surface and 2 kg m−3 at 10 m depth during strong winds when bottom sediment was resuspended. Diurnal irradiance at 4 m depth was almost zero for 10 days. The sedimentation rate averaged 254 (±33) g m−2 d−1 over the 28-day study period, and concentrations of dissolved and particulate nutrients originating from the river were high. The observed low irradiance would have prevented coral photosynthesis, while the sedimentation rate would have been lethal to some juvenile corals. The mud may ultimately be minnowed out over long periods, however, flushing of the mud occurs at time scales much longer than the flood event and the mud is likely to affect coral physiology for significant periods after the flood has subsided. The data show the need to better control erosion on farmed land for the conservation of coral reefs on the inner shelf of the Great Barrier Reef.  相似文献   

4.
Sedimentation is an important stressor on coral reefs subjected to run-off, dredging and resuspension events. Reefs with a history of high-sediment loads tend to be dominated by a few tolerant coral species. A key question is whether such species live close to their tolerance thresholds or near their niche optima. Here, we analyse experimentally the sediment tolerance of a spatially dominant coral, Turbinaria mesenterina (Dendrophylliidae), at nearshore reefs in the central Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Testing was conducted in a 5-week tank experiment under manipulated sediment loading and flow conditions. Physiological stress was assessed based on the behaviour of three key response variables: skeletal growth rate, energy reserves (lipid content) and photosynthetic performance. Because sediment effects are likely to vary between flow regimes, sediment and flow responses were tested using a full factorial design. Sediment loads greater than 110 mg cm−2 had no effect on any of the physiological variables, regardless of flow (0.7–24 cm s−1). Turbinaria mesenterina is thus tolerant to sediment loads an order of magnitude higher than most severe sediment conditions in situ. Likely mechanisms for such tolerance are that: (1) colonies covered in sediment (60–120 μm) in low-flow were able to clear themselves rapidly (within 4–5 h); and (2) sediment provides a source of food. These results suggest that intensified sediment regimes on coastal reefs may shift coral communities towards dominance by a few well-adapted species.  相似文献   

5.
Dissolved Al carried in river water apparently undergoes a fractional removal at the early stages of mixing in the Conway estuary. On the other hand, dissolved Al behaves almost conservatively in high salinity (>13) estuarine waters. In order to understand the geochemistry of Al in these estuarine waters, simple empirical sorption models have been used. Partitioning of Al occurs between solid and solution phases with a distribution coefficient, Kd, which varies from 0.67 × 105 to 3.38 × 106 ml g−1 for suspended particle concentrations of 2–64 mg l−1. The Kd values in general decrease with increasing suspended particulate matter and this tendency termed the “particle concentration effect” is quite pronounced in these waters. The sorption model derived by previous workers for predicting concentrations of dissolved Al with changing suspended sediment loads has been applied to these data. Reasonable fits are obtained for Kd values of 105, 106 and 107 ml g−1 with various values of α. Further, a sorption model is proposed for particulate Al concentrations in these waters that fits the data extremely well defined by a zone with Kd value 107 ml g−1 and C0 values 16 × 10−6 mg ml−1 and 92 × 10−6 mg ml−1. These observations provide strong evidence of sorption processes as key mechanisms influencing the distribution of dissolved and particulate Al in the Conway estuary and present new insight into Al geochemistry in estuaries.  相似文献   

6.
To understand the role that physical processes play on the biogeochemical cycles of estuaries, we conducted intense field studies of the turbidity maximum region within a partially mixed estuary (Winyah Bay, SC, USA) under contrasting conditions of river discharge, tides and wind. Water samples and hydrographic data were collected at different depths and locations along the main channel over several tidal cycles during several cruises to Winyah Bay. Tidal variations in current speed, salinity, total suspended solid concentrations were measured within each cruise and were consistent with estuarine circulation processes. Salinity and total suspended solid concentrations ranged from 0 to 32 and from 20 to over 500 mg L−1, respectively, with the highest salinity and total suspended solid values measured during periods of low river discharge. In fact, comparison of tidally averaged salinity and total suspended solid concentrations revealed marked differences among cruises that were negatively correlated to river discharge and SW wind speed. Moreover, significant contrasts in the chemical compositions of suspended particles were evident among periods of contrasting river discharge and wind regime. For example, the weight percent organic carbon content of suspended particles ranged from 1 to over 6% and displayed a positive correlation with river discharge. Similarly, both the molar carbon to nitrogen ratios (10 to 20 mol:mol) and stable carbon isotopic compositions (−25 to −29%) of the suspended organic matter varied significantly as a function of discharge and wind. Such trends indicate that in Winyah Bay low river discharge and steady SW winds promote resuspension of bed sediments from shallow regions of the estuary. These materials contain highly altered organic matter and their incorporation into the water column leads to the observed trends in suspended particle concentrations and compositions. Furthermore, these conditions result in net landward fluxes of salt, sediment and particulate organic matter throughout most of the water column, promoting efficient trapping of materials within the estuary. Our results illustrate the fundamental connection between physical forcings, such as discharge and wind, sediment transport processes and the cycling of biogeochemical materials in estuarine environments.  相似文献   

7.
Coral reefs which are an important resource to coastal communities and nation at large are adversely affected by rate of sediment flux to the reefs. However, there is little information on seasonal trend in sediment flux and its impact at the reefs off Zanzibar. Two years’ monthly data on sedimentation at Chumbe and Bawe reefs were used to assess seasonal variability in sediment flux and its implication on the coral status. Sediment flux to the Bawe reefs for the duration of the study ranged from 0.2 to 41.5 mg cm−2 d−1, while it ranged from 0.8 to 65.8 mg cm−2 d−1 at the Chumbe reefs. Sediment fluxes at Bawe reefs were highest between November and March, while they were highest between April and September at Chumbe reefs. Generally, sediment fluxes at Bawe reefs were low compared to those at Chumbe. The total sediment input to the reefs ranged from 4615 to 123,403 kg d−1 for Bawe reefs and 2750 to 79,636 kg d−1 for Chumbe reefs. High sediment fluxes at Bawe reefs between November and March; and the Chumbe reefs between April and September can be attributed to water currents and wind pattern in the east African region which are under the influence of the monsoons. The observed trend suggests that the period for coral transplant as a management option for the two sites should be different. Coral transplant can be undertaken in such a way that stress of the corals due to sedimentation can be felt after they have overcome stress from transplant process and temperature. The results from this study contribute to the much needed information for coral transplant, restoration, and management.  相似文献   

8.
In order to understand the hydrodynamic parameters that control the fluvial sediment dynamics on an intertidal mudflat located in a sheltered zone in the upper part (fluvial part) of the macrotidal Seine estuary (France), a two-year field study of high-frequency field measurements was carried out. The bed-level evolution of the mudflat surface was measured from the semi-diurnal period to annual time scales using a high-resolution altimeter. The data showed that the sedimentary patterns on the mudflat were mainly controlled by river flows and tides. During high river flows in winter, sedimentation dominated; suspended particulate matter concentrations were higher, submersion was constant and at semi-diurnal scale, sedimentation duration was more important than erosion due to an asymmetrical tide. By contrast during low river flows in summer, erosion dominated mainly as a result of immersion/emersion of tidal flats during semi-diurnal cycle. From this annual sedimentation–erosion cycle we identify a temporary storage of 10–30% of the fine-grained (<63 μm) river-borne particles on mudflats in the upper section of the fluvial Seine estuary during high river flows.River-related sediment fluxes were estimated from the measurement of fine-grained sedimentation zones in the fluvial part of the estuary. The erosion/sedimentation processes were perennial, and the amounts of contributing sediments were directly related to the solid river load. Our results indicate that mudflats in the fluvial part of the Seine estuary play an important role in the downstream transfer of fine-grained suspended particulate matter (SPM) towards the turbidity maximum and the Rouen docks particularly during low river flows, when roughly 30–50% of the SPM originates from the eroded intertidal flats.  相似文献   

9.
The biogeochemistry of particulate organic matter was studied in the Great Ouse estuary draining to the North Sea embayement known as the Wash from March 1990 to January 1991. Eleven locations were sampled monthly on a 50 km transect across the shallow estuary from the tidal weir to the middle of the Wash. Particulate organic carbon (POC) and total carbohydrate, protein and lipid analyses were combined with the determination of stable carbon isotopes. δ13C often increased from −30‰ in the river to −22‰ in the tidal freshwater reach. The mixing zone between fresh and marine tidal waters displayed only a slight increase in δ13C to −19‰. The change in δ13C values in the freshwater tidal reach demonstrated that mixing of riverborne and marine suspended POC was not the only process affecting the carbon stable isotope composition. Complementary sources, interfering considerably with the two end-member sources, may be identified as autocthonous primary production and resuspension of sediment that may be transported upstream. The respective importance of these sources is subject to seasonal variation. From March to August, high concentrations in carbohydrate and protein through the whole estuary indicate that despite turbidity significant primary production occurred. The proportional importance of the uncharacterized fraction of POC, which is considered as complex organic matter, was high from September to January and low from March to August. During most of the year, the biochemical compositions of particulate organic matter in the turbidity maximum and the rest of the estuary were similar. This contradicted the principle that owing to the long residence times of particles degradation processes largely dominate the production processes within the turbidity maximum. The occurence of significant in situ production in such shallow water estuaries may partially compensate for the degradation of suspended particulate organics, resulting in a complex relationship between the biogeochemical cycling and the fate of nutrients.  相似文献   

10.
Research has been conducted in Nha Trang Bay (Southern Vietnam, the South China Sea) at the section from the estuary of the Cai River to the marine part of the bay, as well as in the area of coral reefs. The objects of the studies are the river and sea waters, the suspended matter, and the bottom sediments. Data on the dissolved organic carbon and the total nitrogen in the water are obtained. The organic carbon content is estimated in the suspended matter; the organic carbon and the molecular and group composition of the n-alkanes are determined in the bottom sediments. The molecular and group composition of the n-alkanes in the bottom sediments of the landfill have made it possible to identify three types of organic matter (OM): marine, mixed, and of mainly terrigenous origin. All the types of OM are closely related to the specificity of the sedimentation and the hydrodynamics of the waters in this water area.  相似文献   

11.
The use of dissolved organic matter fluorescence as a tracer of river-sea mixing was examined in two South Carolina estuaries. Fluorescence declined linearly with seawater dilution in laboratory mixing studies, and also behaved conservatively in an estuary where a single river emptied into a bay. Fluorescence-salinity relationships were also studied in another estuary where a piedmont river (high suspended sediment, low fluorescence) and a coastal plains river (low sediment, high fluorescence) mixed with ocean water. The factor of 2 or greater difference in fluorescence between the two rivers allowed their relative contribution to the estuarine water mass to be distinguished. Petroleum hydrocarbons, measured in estuarine water at 0·7-1·8 μg l−1 concentrations, contributed negligibly to water fluorescence.  相似文献   

12.
Mindhola River estuary, which receives industrial waste containing high concentrations of fluoride, and Purna River estuary, which is free from fluoride contamination, have been investigated. While fluoride behaved conservatively in Purna River estuary, significant deviation from the theoretical dilution line (TDL) in the chlorinity range 0·5–8‰ was observed in Mindhola River estuary due to the externally added fluoride which largely remained in solution. The excess of fluroide over the theoretically calculated value was at a maximum around a chlorinity of 3‰. High natural fluoride content of the river waters resulted in F/Cl ratios exceeding 300 × 10−5 at low chlorinities. The ratio decreased rapidly with increasing chlorinity and the value near to that of seawater was observed at chlorinities above 14‰.  相似文献   

13.
In this study, the contents, sources and accumulation rate of sedimentary organic matter (OM) in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and adjacent coastal area were investigated. The stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) is a reliable geochemical proxy and was used to indicate the OM origin here. Nevertheless, the organic carbon and nitrogen molar ratios (TOC/TN) and the stable nitrogen isotopic composition (δ15N) were affected by diagenesis and could be the supplementary indicators. The sources of OM were estimated based on the two end-member model. The results showed that in the estuary, sedimentary OM originated from terrestrial and aquatic mixing origins, whereas, OM in coastal sediments was dominantly algae-derived. The accumulation rate of sedimentary OM was analyzed based on 210Pb dating. Due to the sampling sites and the distinct hydraulic environments, the accumulation rates of TOC, aquatic and terrestrial OC were obviously higher in the estuary than in coastal area. TOC accumulation rates were 18–27 mg cm−2 y−1 in the estuary, and 0.84–3.6 mg cm−2 y−1 in coastal area. Aquatic OC accumulation rates were 7.9–11.3, 0.8–1.3, and 2.6–3.1 mg cm−2 y−1, and terrestrial OC accumulation rates were 9.7–16.3, 0.02–0.14, 0.16–0.42 mg cm−2 y−1 in cores 2, 5, 6, respectively. It could be seen from the high accumulation rate of organic matter in the estuary that, when nutrients increased in the river, phytoplankton biomass and productivity would also have increased. As a result, phytoplankton sinking and organic matter sedimentation usually increased with primary productivity, resulting in the observed accumulation rate of aquatic OC in the estuary. Furthermore, terrestrial OC accumulation rates in the estuary and coastal area showed an increasing trend with the age.  相似文献   

14.
Total mass flux, size distribution of sediment particles and some chemical components such as total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) were monitored monthly using a multi-cup sediment traps at seven coral reef sites (6 reef flat and 1 reef slope) of the Marine Protected Areas around Ishigaki, Kohama, Kuroshima and Iriomote Islands in the southern Ryukyus, Japan from September 2000 to September 2001. The size distribution of trapped sediments revealed mostly uni-modal fine sand to mud in the reef flat and gravelly to coarse sand in the reef slope. The total mass flux ranged between 0.54 to 872 gm−2d−1, and showed a pronounced seasonality (high in summer-autumn and low in spring) at each site, which was consistent with the rainfall and typhoon regime. Exceptionally high values were observed on the reef slope (Iriomote) in February–March 2001 (1533 gm−2d−1) owing to a large amount of bottom sediment re-suspension. On the reef flat (Todoroki South and North; Ishigaki), values obtained in July–August 2001 (872 gm−2d−1) and August–September 2001 (800 gm− 2d−1) indicate the high terrestrial discharge from Todoroki River. Trapped sediment particles consist of CaCO3 (1.2–27.1%) and a non-carbonate fraction (98.8–72.9%), which contains total carbon (4.9–26%), carbonate carbon (CO2-C) (0.2–3.1%) and non-carbonate carbon (NC-C) (7.9–25.6%). Total nitrogen content was in the range 0.02–0.48%. TN is contained mainly in the carbonate fraction and NC-C may be contained in the non-carbonate fraction. The low TN/OC ratio of the trapped sediments suggests that they were mostly of terrestrial origin and that both fractions migrated. The high total mass flux derived from Todoroki River exceeded the threshold at which a lethal effect on coral community is caused. The results stress the importance of conducting seasonal studies of sedimentation over more than one year and at more than one location in south Japan coral reef ecosystems to gain an understanding of the processes controlling the total mass fluxes and their nutrients content, also to develop an awareness of how to prevent the damage of coral reef ecosystems and, if it does occur, to allow mitigation measures to be undertaken.  相似文献   

15.
A program of long-term observation of suspended solids (TSS), particulate organic carbon (POC) and cadmium transported into the Gironde estuary (France) by its major tributaries has been carried out between 1990 and 1999. This decade included contrasting hydrologic cycles and appears representative of a much longer period (1959–1999). The Garonne and the Dordogne river systems are the main tributaries of the Gironde estuary and derive their waters from drainage basins with different geological, industrial and agricultural features. To better understand their respective contributions, they have been observed separately and compared. Water and TSS fluxes of the Garonne River show greater temporal variations and discharge is more related to the hydrology of the drainage basin (e.g. wet/dry years, local flood events etc.). As POC and particulate Cd concentrations in suspended matter are much less variable than turbidity, their fluxes are mainly controlled by the TSS transport. A major part of annual fluxes of TSS and associated pollutants may occur within few flood days (depending on various parameters, e.g. intensity, duration, season, etc.), and also the succession of dry and wet years has an important influence on annual fluxes. The presented data allow calculating fluvial inputs into the Gironde as the sum of fluxes transported by its major tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne river systems. Mean annual fluxes into the Gironde observed in 1990–1999 are about 34×109 m3 year−1 for river water, 3.24×106 t year−1 for suspended solids (TSS) and 9.88×109 mol year−1 for particulate organic carbon (POC). Generally, these fluxes are dominated by the contributions of the Garonne River. However, in dry years, the mean contribution of the Dordogne river system (including Dronne and Isle rivers) to the POC input into the estuary exceeded that of the Garonne. This reflects significant differences in vegetation and soil due to natural properties and land management of the basins. Mean Cd fluxes into the estuary are about 110×103 mol year−1 of which 19.6×103 mol year−1 are transported in the dissolved and 90.8×103 mol year−1 in the particulate phases, respectively. In 1991 (dry year), the net (dissolved) Cd flux towards the ocean exceeded the gross fluvial input of total Cd, suggesting the release of Cd from an important stock in the maximum turbidity zone (MTZ) or the fluid mud of the Gironde estuary.  相似文献   

16.
This study analyzed how coral communities change along a gradient of increasing exposure to a mud-discharging river in the Enipein Catchment, Pohnpei, Micronesia. Using video transects, we quantified benthic communities at five sites along a gradient moving away from the river mouth towards the barrier reef. The most river-impacted site was characterized by a high accumulation of mud, low coral cover and low coral diversity. Although coral cover leveled off at ∼400 m from the river mouth to values found at the outer-most sites, coral diversity continued to increase with increasing distance, suggesting that the most distant site was still impacted by the river discharges. Fungiidae, Pavona, Acropora, Pachyseris and Porites rus all significantly increased in cover with distance from the river, while Turbinaria decreased. The combined presence and abundance of these six species groups, together with coral species richness, may help to indicate the effects of terrestrial runoff in similar runoff-exposed settings around Micronesia, whereas coral cover is not a sensitive indicator for river impact. Coral reefs are important resources for the people of Pohnpei. To prevent further degradation of this important resource, an integrated watershed approach is needed to control terrestrial activities.  相似文献   

17.
Light attenuation (Kd) of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) by chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), total suspended solids (TSS) and chlorophyll a (Chl a) were measured at nine stations along an estuarine gradient in the Swan River, Western Australia, over 15 months. There were strong spatial gradients associated with the marine-freshwater transition along the 32 km of estuary sampled, as well as seasonal gradients mainly associated with rainfall, 80% of which occurs between May and September. CDOM absorbances at 440 nm reached a maximum of 10.9 m−1 with the freshwater inflow but concentrations of suspended matter remained low throughout the sampling period (1.0–21.0 mg l−1) under the diurnal tides of the estuary. CDOM was the dominant constituent of Kd and a stepwise multiple regression showed that 66% (p < 0.0001) of the variation in Kd can be explained by CDOM and an additional 8% (p < 0.0001) by TSS. As a consequence of this result, analysis into the influence of river discharge rates on CDOM absorbance levels was examined for 2002 using data collected during this study, and for 2000 and 2001 using historical dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and river discharge data. The outcome of this analysis infers that greater river discharge rates result in increased CDOM absorbances in the Swan River estuary.  相似文献   

18.
Coastal wetlands provide important ecological services to the coastal zone, one of which is sediment retention. In this study we investigated sediment retention across a range of geomorphological settings and across vegetation zones comprising coastal wetlands. We selected six coastal wetlands dominated by mangroves over a gradient from riverine to tidal settings in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Each site was comprised of three distinct vegetation communities distributed as parallel zones to the coast line: seaward fringe mangroves, landward scrub mangroves and saltmarsh/ cyanobacteria mat of the high intertidal zone. We measured suspended sediment retention and sedimentation rates. Additionally, in order to assess the origin of sediment transported and deposited in the mangroves, glomalin, a novel terrestrial soil carbon tracer, was used. Our results show a mean average sedimentation of 0.64 ± 0.01 mg cm−2 spring tide−1, which was variable within sites, regardless of geomorphological setting. However, geomorphological setting influenced spatial patterns of sediment deposition. Riverine mangroves had a more homogeneous distribution of sediments across the intertidal zone than tidal mangroves, where most sedimentation occurred in the fringe zone. Overall, the fringe zone retained the majority of sediment entering the coastal wetland during a tidal cycle with 0.90 ± 0.22 mg cm−2 spring tide−1, accounting for 52.5 ± 12.5% of the total sedimentation. The presence of glomalin in suspended sediments, and thus the relative importance of terrigenous sediment, was strongly influenced by geomorphological setting, with riverine mangroves receiving more glomalin in suspended solids than tidal mangroves. Glomalin was also differentially deposited within the vegetation zones at different geomorphological settings: primarily at the fringe zone of tidal mangroves and within the scrub zone of riverine mangroves. The differences we observed in the spatial distribution of sedimentation and the difference in the origin of the sediment deposited in riverine and tidal mangroves are likely to have an impact on ecological processes.  相似文献   

19.
U–Th decay series isotopes, δ18O and Si measurements in the river estuarine waters and sediments of the polluted Hooghly estuary as well as the surface waters of the Bay of Bengal, its high salinity end member, are reported. Dissolved Si indicates that there are probably two mixing regimes, dissolved U behaviour is nonconservative and δ18O behaves conservatively in the overall estuarine region. Isotopes of reactive elements, viz. 234Th and 210Po, are removed from the estuarine waters in <2 days and <1 month, respectively, which is due to high suspended matter (30–301 mg l−1). 228Ra and 226Ra are profusely released into the estuarine waters in the low to mid-salinity regions.As expected, the opposite trend is observed in the case of estuarine sediments and suspended matter. Reactive isotopes of Th, 210Pb and 210Po are enriched, whereas Ra isotopes are depleted with respect to their parent nuclides in the estuarine sediments and suspended matter. 232Th/Al ratio appears well suited to study the distribution and mixing of the bed load sediments of the Ganga–Brahmaputra (G–B) and the Hooghly rivers with those from other rivers on the Bay of Bengal floor.  相似文献   

20.
During the summer of 2001, several short cores (<50 cm) were collected in the Albemarle Estuarine System (AES). Down-core measurements for radiochemical tracers (210Pb, 137Cs) and organic matter signatures (δ13C, δ15N, C:N ratio, and LOI) have been used to elucidate potential temporal changes in fluxes and cycles of organic matter in the AES. Pb-210 geochronology indicates temporal and spatial variations in sediment deposition rates (0.08–0.57 cm y−1) with highest rates near the AES western limit relative to the rest of the estuary. Low accumulation rates, deficient excess 210Pb inventories, and near linear 137Cs profiles throughout the AES suggest that sediments are resuspended by wind-generated waves and currents and flushed from the system by river discharge and wind-tides, probably to Pamlico Sound to the south. Sediments in the AES are accumulating at rates less than the current rate of relative sea-level rise for this region except in protected portions of the estuary. Thus sediment accumulation in the AES is controlled in the short term by storm wave-base and in the long term by the creation of accommodation space by basin subsidence and sea-level rise. The geochemical and sedimentological data characterize the evolution of the Albemarle Sound and associated tributaries over the past 200–300 years. The majority of cores collected throughout the system show a significant decrease in 13C and increase in 15N isotopic signatures up-core. Thus, the estuarine system of eastern North Carolina has changed from a marine-influenced, high brackish environment to the modern-day system, which is a highly variable, terrestrially influenced, low brackish environment.  相似文献   

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