A case study of mollusc and polychaete soft-bottom assemblages submitted to sedimentary instability in the Mediterranean Sea     

Andrea Cosentino  & Salvatore Giacobbe 《Marine Ecology》2006,27(2):170-183

In the Strait of Messina (Sicily, Central Mediterranean Sea) strong tidal currents, very irregular hydrological regime and related solid load, and local seismic activity cause sediment instability; this area represents therefore a case‐study of a naturally disturbed soft‐bottom environment. In this paper, mollusc and polychaete assemblages of the northern part of the Strait were described. Composition, community structure, eco‐ethological features, trophic guilds and sediment‐type relationships were studied in 64 stations sampled located between 3.5 and 50 m depth in October 1992 by means of a Van Veen grab. A total of 131 species (65 molluscs and 66 polychaetes) were identified. A dense population of the tubicolous polychaete Ditrupa arietina was recognized, together with the occurrence of other species tied to a high sedimentation rate, such as Corbula gibba and Tellina distorta, as well as widespread, mud‐tolerant species (e.g.Chone spp., Hyalinoecia tubicola). Diversity (H′) showed a peak at intermediate depths (10/20 m) and a clear decrease beyond this depth, corresponding to the Ditrupa core population. Multivariate comparison between sediment features and community composition throughout the bathymetric gradient showed a narrow ecocline between two environments subjected to opposite hydrodynamic constraints. In the shallower zone, a wide typology of trophic‐ethological guilds was related to community patchiness, in contrast to a greater functional uniformity of the deeper assemblage, dominated by sessile, semi‐infaunal suspension feeders. A possible role played by a phase of increased rainfall to increase bottom instability, locally emphasized by a previous human activity, is also discussed.  相似文献   

南极布兰斯菲尔德海峡表层沉积物的酸解烃   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

卢冰  唐运千 《海洋学研究》1996,14(3):51-59

本文研究了南极布兰斯菲尔德海峡表层沉积物的酸解烃分布特征，并佐以热释汞和蚀变碳酸盐的分析。从酸解烃中甲烷含量的低值和Ｃ１／（Ｃ２＋Ｃ３）比值，以及乙烯的存在等判断，布兰斯菲尔德海峡沉积物的烃类气体来自于生物成因。  相似文献   

Undular tidal bore dynamics in the Daly Estuary, Northern Australia   总被引：7，自引：0，他引：7  

Eric Wolanski  David Williams  Simon Spagnol  Hubert Chanson 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2004,60(4):629-636

Measurements in the macro-tidal Daly Estuary show that the presence of an undular tidal bore contributed negligibly to the dissipation of tidal energy. No recirculation bubble was observed between a trough and the following wave crest in the lee waves following the undular bore. This differs to stationary undular bores in laboratory experiments at larger Froude numbers where a recirculation bubble exists. Secondary motions and the turbulence generated by the undular bore had no measurable influence on the sediment transport. This situation contrasts with the intense sediment resuspension observed in breaking tidal bores. The tidally averaged sediment budget in the Daly Estuary was controlled by the asymmetry of tidal currents. The undular bore may widen the river by breaking along the banks that it undercuts, leading to bank slippage. A patch of river-wide macro-turbulence of 3-min duration occurred about 20 min after the passage of the bore during accelerating tidal currents.  相似文献   

Abundance of the introduced seastar, Asterias amurensis, and spatial variability in soft sediment assemblages in SE Tasmania: Clear correlations but complex interpretation     

D. Jeff Ross  Craig R. Johnson  Chad L. Hewitt   《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2006,67(4):695-707

The northern Pacific seastar, Asterias amurensis, was first collected in southeast Tasmania in 1986. Mistaken for the endemic asteroid Uniophora granifera, its true identity was not realised until 1992. It is now a conspicuous predator in soft sediment habitats in this region, and is considered a major threat to native assemblages and commercial species. We examined the structure of soft sediment assemblages at different spatial scales in southeast Tasmania, and correlated spatial variation in community composition with seastar abundances. We found that the structure of soft sediment assemblages is highly variable at a range of spatial scales from metres to tens of kilometres. Clear differences in the composition of assemblages and abundances of major taxa were detected between areas with and without seastars and between areas with low and high seastar densities. However, the nature of these patterns suggests that they are more likely due to differences in sediment characteristics than due to impacts of the seastar. Thus, spatial differences in soft sediment assemblages might have been erroneously attributed to seastars without detailed information on important physical factors such as sediment characteristics. A second survey, using larger sampling units (1 m²) but across a more limited spatial extent, targeted bivalves and heart urchins that were identified as important prey of the seastar in observations of feeding and in experimental studies. Large-scale patterns of abundance and size structure were consistent with seastar effects anticipated from small-scale experimental and feeding studies for some, but not all, species. While the field survey ultimately provided evidence about the presence or absence of seastar impacts at large-scales, the identification of key ecological variables in experimental and feeding studies proved crucial to both the design and interpretation of patterns observed in the large-scale surveys. Overall, this work highlighted the necessity to consider multiple lines of evidence rather than relying on a single ‘inferential’ test, in the absence of pre-impact data.  相似文献   

夏、冬两季长江口及邻近海域悬浮物的分布特征及其沉积量   总被引：11，自引：0，他引：11  

庞重光  王凡  白学志  张明翰 《海洋科学》2003,27(12):31-35

利用2001年7～8月 ,2002年1月两个航次的悬浮物浓度资料 ,并参考其它水文参数 ,简要分析长江口及邻近海域悬浮物的分布特征 :无论夏季还是冬季 ,长江入海悬浮物总是向东南方输运 ;冬季由于再悬浮作用显著 ,悬浮物浓度明显高于夏季 ,且南北分布范围也明显增大 ,垂向分布均匀。同时采用数值模拟的海流流速值和观测的悬浮物浓度值计算悬浮物的断面通量 ,并最终得计算区悬浮物夏、冬两季的沉积量 ,夏、冬季长江口及邻近海域悬浮物的沉积量分别为0.79×108t,1.44×108t。  相似文献   

The intertidal erosion rate of cohesive sediment: a case study from Long Island Sound   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Y. H. Wang   《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2003,56(5-6):891-896

Over the past decades, many attempts have been made to generate useful bottom erosion models for the study of cohesive sediment movement. This study addresses some of the key questions involved in determining the functional relationship between erosion rate and bottom shear stress. Current, wave, and turbidity data were collected from a bottom mounted instrument array in a moderately energetic estuarine environment. The bottom shear stress was calculated from a wave–current interaction model. The erosion rate was derived from the observed sediment concentration using a vertical mixing model. Examination of the relationship between erosion rate and bottom stress showed that the erosion rate varied at intertidal frequency. When averaged over the tidal fluctuation, the erosion rate remained approximately constant at low stress, but increased sharply when the shear stress rose above a critical value. This suggests two-stage erosion. The bed has a layered structure, in which a thin layer of loose, high water content material overlies a more consolidated bed. The top layer of high water content material (fluff) was easily disturbed and re-suspended by tidal currents, but the consolidated bottom layer was eroded only under conditions of high shear stress.  相似文献   

The importance of extratropical and tropical cyclones on the short-term evolution of barrier islands along the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA     

Gregory W. Stone  Baozhu Liu  David A. Pepper  Ping Wang 《Marine Geology》2004,210(1-4):63-78

Data are presented indicating the complexity and highly variable response of beaches to cold front passages along the northern Gulf of Mexico, in addition to the impacts of tropical cyclones and winter storms. Within the past decade, an increase in the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes impacting the northern Gulf has dramatically altered the long-term equilibrium of a large portion of this coast. A time series of net sediment flux for subaerial and nearshore environments has been established for a section of this coast in Florida, and to a lesser extent, Mississippi. The data incorporate the morphological signature of six tropical storms/hurricanes and more than 200 frontal passages.

Data indicate that (1) barrier islands can conserve mass during catastrophic hurricanes (e.g., Hurricane Opal, a strong category 4 hurricane near landfall); (2) less severe hurricanes and tropical storms can promote rapid dune aggradation and can contribute sediment to the entire barrier system; (3) cold fronts play a critical role in the poststorm adjustment of the barrier by deflating the subaerial portion of the overwash terrace and eroding its marginal lobe along the bayside beach through locally generated, high frequency, steep waves; and (4) barrier systems along the northern Gulf do not necessarily enter an immediate poststorm recovery phase, although nested in sediment-rich nearshore environments. While high wave energy conditions associated with cold fronts play an integral role in the evolution and maintenance of barriers along the northern Gulf, these events are more effective in reworking sediment after the occurrence of extreme events such as hurricanes. This relationship is even more apparent during the clustering of tropical cyclones.

It is anticipated that these findings will have important implications for the longer term evolution of barrier systems in midlatitude, microtidal settings where the clustering of storms is apparent, and winter storms are significant in intensity and frequency along the coast.  相似文献   

悬对沙Mellor-Yamada海洋边界层模型计算结果的影响     

李华军  梁丙臣  李东永  李磊岩 《海洋科学》2004,28(1):27-32

为了分析海洋水体垂向水流紊动及紊动交换情况而采用了一维的海洋边界层模型(Mellor-Yamada)并利用数值实验的方法对悬沙、盐度、温度等数据进行分析。原模型未将悬沙考虑在内，本文试将它引入进去探讨由于它的存在对紊动混合特性的影响。2000年4月，Mellor将最初的模型引入了依赖于Richardson数的紊动动能耗散率。本文通过比较具有悬沙和不具有悬沙两种情况下的速度、温度和盐度垂向分布随时间的变化，分析讨论由于悬沙的存在所引发的密度层化对紊动混合作用的影响，并发现悬浮泥沙抑制了部分模拟时间的紊动混合作用。  相似文献   

Carbon stable isotopes in estuarine sediments and their utility as migration markers for nursery studies in the Firth of Forth and Forth Estuary, Scotland   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Julian Augley  Mark Huxham  Teresa F. Fernandes  Alastair R. Lyndon  Sarah Bury 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2007,72(4):648-656

The stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) of the organic fraction of intertidal sediments in the Forth Estuary and the Firth of Forth, Scotland, were measured to determine if terrestrially derived carbon was present in the estuarine sediments. It was hypothesised that differences in the inputs from marine vs. terrestrial sources to the organic carbon of estuarine and marine sediments, as well as differences in ambient seawater stable oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) ratios between the estuary and the Outer Firth, would allow the use of these two stable isotopes as habitat markers for juvenile plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), to allow determination of nursery habitats. Muddy and sandy sediments from the estuary and sandy sediments from the Outer Firth were sampled and δ¹³C measured. Juvenile plaice were caught at two estuarine sites and at two Outer Firth sites and otoliths were removed for δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O analysis. The sandy sediments in the estuary showed a strong gradient of δ¹³C enrichment with distance down the estuary, while the muddy sediments showed a much shallower gradient. δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O measured in the carbonate of juvenile plaice otoliths showed no clear difference between otoliths of fish caught at one of the estuarine sites and at the two Outer Firth sites. However, the isotope ratios of both carbon and oxygen in plaice otoliths from the other estuarine site showed the expected trend of depletion in the heavier isotopes. While the measurements recorded here did not conclusively distinguish between otoliths from juveniles caught in the estuarine site and those caught in the other three sites, they show that stable isotopes have potential to distinguish between estuarine habitats with terrestrial carbon inputs, and coastal marine habitats with predominantly marine carbon inputs.  相似文献   

流动注射-氢化物发生原子荧光法测定海洋沉积物样品中痕量铅   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

程祥圣  秦晓光  刘富平  卜建平 《海洋学报》2005,27(6):177-179

铅是一种具有累积性的有害元素,是海洋监测调查中沉积物介质的必测元素之一,常用测定方法有双硫腙分光光度法、火焰原子吸收光谱法、无火焰原子吸收光谱法等[1],前两种方法灵敏度较低,测定时一般需要预富集,操作较繁琐;后一种方法虽然灵敏度高,但仪器昂贵,对操作人员要求高.氢化物发生原子荧光法由于灵敏度高、检出限低且线性范围宽,在铅的分析中日益被重视.  相似文献