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
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
本文记述了南海晚第四纪沉积物中发现的两个新种[线形辐环藻(Actinocyclus lineatus Liu,Cheng et Lan sp.nov.)、星圆筛藻(Coscinodiscus aster-aeus Cheng,Liu et Lan sp.nov.)]以及在我国首次记录的圆筛藻的7个种。 相似文献
The aim of the Japanese-French Kaiyo 87 cruise was the study of the spreading axis in the North Fiji Basin (SW Pacific). A
Seabeam and geophysical survey allowed us to define the detailed structure of the active NS spreading axis between 16° and
22° S and its relationships with the left lateral motion of the North Fiji Fracture Zone. Between 21° S and 18°10′ S, the
spreading axis trends NS. From 18°10 S to 16°40 S the orientation of the spreading axis changes from NS to 015°. North of
16°40′ S the spreading axis trends 160°. These two 015° and 160° branches converge with the left lateral North Fiji fracture
zone around 16°40′ S to define an RRFZ triple junction. Water sampling, dredging and photo TV deep towing give new information
concerning the hydrothermal activity along the spreading axis. The discovery of hydrothermal deposits associated with living
communities confirms this activity. 相似文献