scholarly journals Position and structure of the Subtropical/Azores Front region from combined Lagrangian and remote sensing (IR/altimeter/SeaWiFS) measurements

Author(s):  
Robin D. Pingree ◽  
Carlos Garcia-Soto ◽  
Bablu Sinha

The position and structure of the North Atlantic Subtropical Front is studied using Lagrangian flow tracks and remote sensing (AVHRR imagery: TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry: SeaWiFS) in a broad region (∼31° to ∼36°N) of marked gradient of dynamic height (Azores Current) that extends from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), near ∼40°W, to the Eastern Boundary (∼10°W). Drogued Argos buoy and ALACE tracks are superposed on infrared satellite images in the Subtropical Front region. Cold (cyclonic) structures, called ‘Storms’, and warm (anticyclonic) structures of 100–300 km in size can be found on the south side of the Subtropical Front outcrop, which has a temperature contrast of about 1°C that can be followed for ∼2500 km near 35°N. Warmer water adjacent to the outcrop is flowing eastward (Azores Current) but some warm water is returned westward about 300 km to the south (southern Counterflow). Estimates of horizontal diffusion in a Storm (D=2.2×102 m2 s−1) and in the Subtropical Front region near 200 m depth (Dx=1.3×104 m2 s−1, Dy=2.6×103 m2 s−1) are made from the Lagrangian tracks. Altimeter and in situ measurements show that Storms track westwards. Storms are separated by about 510 km and move westward at 2.7 km d−1. Remote sensing reveals that some initial structures start evolving as far east as 23°W but are more organized near 29°W and therefore Storms are about 1 year old when they reach the MAR (having travelled a distance of 1000 km). Structure and seasonality in SeaWiFS data in the region is examined.

Author(s):  
E. Wyllys Andrews V ◽  
George J. Bey ◽  
Christopher M. Gunn
Keyword(s):  

This chapter examines the evidence for pre-Mamom pottery in the northern Maya lowlands. This pottery, recognized as the Ek complex, has been identified at Komchen and Kiuic as well as several other sites in the western part of northern Yucatan. The identification, description, and comparison of this pottery with contemporary complexes from the southern Maya lowlands establishes Ek pottery as the oldest ceramic complex (900-800 B.C.) recovered in the north. Northern Maya culture is thought to be the result of a process of in situ evolution which begins at roughly the same time it happened in the south.


2007 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.A. Slupik ◽  
F.P. Wesselingh ◽  
A.C. Janse ◽  
J.W.F. Reumer

AbstractWe investigate the stratigraphy of Neogene and Quaternary intervals of the Schelphoek borehole (Schouwen, Zeeland, the Netherlands). The Breda Formation (Miocene-Zanclean) contains three sequences separated by hiatuses. The Oosterhout Formation (Zanclean-Piacenzian) contains at least two sequences. This formation is overlain by seven sequences of the Gelasian Maassluis Formation that almost certainly represent glacial cycles. The three lowermost sequences are provisionally assigned to the Praetiglian (MIS 96, MIS 98 and MIS 100). A large hiatus exists between the top of the Maassluis Formation and the base of the late Middle to Late Quaternary succession. Due to extensivein situreworking of older strata (including fossils) at the base of several of the formations, their exact boundaries are difficult to establish. The Neogene succession in the Schelphoek borehole is compared to the stratigraphic successions in the Antwerp area to the south and the Dutch coastal area and continental platform to the north. Finally, the stratigraphic context of the Gelasian (‘Tiglian’) mammal fauna dredged from the bottom of a major tidal channel in the adjacent Oosterschelde is assessed by comparison with the Schelphoek borehole.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Peter D. Shaughnessy ◽  
Simon D. Goldsworthy

Long-nosed fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) were tagged as pups in colonies on Kangaroo Island, South Australia in eight consecutive pupping seasons from 1988–89 to 1995–96. Thirty-nine tagged animals were sighted on the southern Australian coast, being 0.89% of those tagged. They were aged from 9 months to 14 years 6 months, with half in their second and third years. Most records (88%) were of animals that moved eastwards. The most distant records were from Sydney in the east (1700 km), south of Tasmania in the south (1240 km) and Head of Bight in the west (700 km). One animal was seen twice, both times on the north coast of Kangaroo Island, once underwater and two years later ashore. Satellite telemetry studies of juvenile A. forsteri from Kangaroo Island showed that they typically forage in pelagic waters ~1000 km further south in association with the subtropical front. The study reported here shows that some animals tagged as pups disperse widely as juveniles around the southern Australian coast. The possibility of genetic interchange between breeding colonies is suggested by sightings of three tagged females aged 4 years and older at non-natal colonies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Moors ◽  
Miroslav Honty ◽  
Carla Smolders ◽  
Ann Provoost ◽  
Mieke De Craen ◽  
...  

<p>The geological extreme Dallol region, located around the Dallol volcano in the north-east of Danakil depression (Ethiopia), is considered as one of the harshest and hottest places on Earth. The geology is made up of years and years of evaporates accumulation. Volcanic activity generates ascending brines that may cross and mix with aquifers from inflowing meteoric water originating from the Ethiopian highlands on the east of the Danakil depression. When these mixtures reach the surface they can generate hydrothermal springs giving rise to waterbodies in the form of small ponds or lakes. During the Europlanet 2018 Danakil field expedition, ten of these saline waterbodies were extensively studied by <em>in situ</em> measurements and <em>ex situ</em> geo–physico-chemical and –microbiological analyses of collected samples, liquids as well as sediments.</p><p>The <em>in situ</em> physico-chemical measurements clearly indicated the extreme nature of all ten investigated lakes. Laboratory analyses of the collected batch samples of liquids and sediments confirmed the extreme character of the waterbodies and complements our geological survey of the region with valuable geo–chemical and –microbiological data.</p><p>Based on our analytical results, the relative small Dallol region can still be subdivided into three geological smaller areas: the outcrop zone, the volcanic base region and the distant south area. The outcrop zone is dominated by sodium, iron and potassium. Oxidation processes in the outflowing superheated ferrous and sulfidic rich brine give rise to some of the most acidic ponds on our planet. In the ponds and lakes of the volcanic base region, incredible high amounts of calcium and/or magnesium can remain in their dissolved form as the most dominant and quasi only available anion is chloride. This region is host for the most saline water body on Earth. Chemical analysis of the lakes of the distant south area show that sodium is by far the most dominant cation. It is therefore no surprise that the large Karum Lake in the south region is economically exploited for the mining of sodium chloride.</p><p>Our mineralogy analyses render results that are completely in line with the observed geochemistry of the waterbodies. Halite and sylvite are the most present minerals in the Dallol outcrop zone associated with some gypsum and in one case with anhydrite. The geology around the waterbodies of volcanic base zone are a little bit more divers. On the shores of the Gaet’ale Pond tachyhydrite, chloromagnesite, halite and sylvite is determined, while the Black Lake is surrounded by bischofite and carnalite. Logically, the mineralogy of the south area, the salt mining area, is dominated by halite and sylvite.</p><p>Apparently, the geochemistry of the outcrop zone and volcanic base region is so harsh that no extremophilic organism is able to survive in these areas. Only in the distant south area did we find indications of the presence of halophiles. Besides the bacterial genus <em>Salinibacter</em>, our 16S rDNA microbiological fingerprinting indicates the presence of halophilic archaea like:  <em>Halobaculum sp., Halobellus sp., Halomicroarcula sp., Halorientalis sp.</em> with the majority of the population being <em>Candidatus Nanosalina sp</em>.</p>


2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Stemmann ◽  
Marsh Youngbluth ◽  
Kevin Robert ◽  
Aino Hosia ◽  
Marc Picheral ◽  
...  

Abstract Stemmann, L., Youngbluth, M., Robert, K., Hosia, A., Picheral, M., Paterson, H., Ibanez, F., Guidi, L., Lombard, F., and Gorsky, G. 2008. Global zoogeography of fragile macrozooplankton in the upper 100–1000 m inferred from the underwater video profiler. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 433–442. Mesopelagic gelatinous zooplankton fauna are insufficiently known because of inappropriate and infrequent sampling, but may have important trophic roles. In situ imaging systems and undersea vehicles have been used to investigate their diversity, distribution, and abundance. The use of different platforms, however, restricts the comparison of data from different regions. Starting in 2001, the underwater video profiler (UVP) was deployed during 12 cruises in six oceanic regimes (Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic shelves, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, tropical Pacific Ocean, eastern Indian Ocean, and Subantarctic Ocean) to determine the vertical distribution of organisms in the upper 1000 m. Nine oceanic regions were identified based on the hydrological properties of the water column. They correspond to nine of the biogeochemical provinces defined by Longhurst. In all, 21 morphotypes were recognized: sarcodines (eight groups), ctenophores (two groups), siphonophores, medusae (five groups), crustaceans (one group), chaetognaths, appendicularians, salps, and fish. The similarity in the community assemblages of zooplankton in the 100–1000 m layer was significantly greater within regions than between regions, in most cases. The regions with comparable composition were located in the North Atlantic with adjacent water masses, suggesting that the assemblages were either mixed by advective transport or that environmental conditions were similar in mesopelagic layers. The data suggest that the spatial structuring of mesopelagic macrozooplankton occurs on large scales (e.g. basin scales) but not necessarily on smaller scales (e.g. oceanic front).


2018 ◽  
Vol 851 ◽  
pp. 268-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Davidson ◽  
A. Ranjan

The distribution of kinetic helicity in a dipolar planetary dynamo is central to the success of that dynamo. Motivated by the helicity distributions observed in numerical simulations of the Earth’s dynamo, we consider the relationship between the kinetic helicity, $h=\boldsymbol{u}\boldsymbol{\cdot }\unicode[STIX]{x1D735}\times \boldsymbol{u}$, and the buoyancy field that acts as a source of helicity, where $\boldsymbol{u}$ is velocity. We show that, in the absence of a magnetic field, helicity evolves in accordance with the equation $\unicode[STIX]{x2202}h/\unicode[STIX]{x2202}t=-\unicode[STIX]{x1D735}\boldsymbol{\cdot }\boldsymbol{F}+S_{h}$, where the flux, $\boldsymbol{F}$, represents the transport of helicity by inertial waves, and the helicity source, $S_{h}$, involves the product of the buoyancy and the velocity fields. In the numerical simulations it is observed that the helicity outside the tangent cylinder is predominantly negative in the north and positive in the south, a feature which the authors had previously attributed to the transport of helicity by waves (Davidson & Ranjan, Geophys. J. Intl, vol. 202, 2015, pp. 1646–1662). It is also observed that there is a strong spatial correlation between the distribution of $h$ and of $S_{h}$, with $S_{h}$ also predominantly negative in the north and positive in the south. This correlation tentatively suggests that it is the in situ generation of helicity by buoyancy that establishes the distribution of $h$ outside the tangent cylinder, rather than the dispersal of helicity by waves, as had been previously argued by the authors. However, although $h$ and $S_{h}$ are strongly correlated, there is no such correlation between $\unicode[STIX]{x2202}h/\unicode[STIX]{x2202}t$ and $S_{h}$, as might be expected if the distribution of $h$ were established by an in situ generation mechanism. We explain these various observations by showing that inertial waves interact with the buoyancy field in such a way as to induce a source $S_{h}$ which has the same sign as the helicity in the local wave flux, and that the sign of $h$ is simply determined by the direction of that flux. We conclude that the observed distributions of $h$ and $S_{h}$ outside the tangent cylinder are consistent with the transport of helicity by waves.


Author(s):  
Valentina Bobykina ◽  
Valentina Bobykina ◽  
Boris Chubarenko ◽  
Boris Chubarenko ◽  
Konstantin Karmanov ◽  
...  

For the first time, the quantitative characteristics of the Vistula Spit shore dynamics based on the ground-based monitoring data for 2002-2015 were presented. On the sea shore, 3 sections can be distinguished by the direction of coastal processes, i.e. the stable section to the north of the Strait of Baltiysk, the eroded 4-km section to the south of the Strait of Baltiysk, with maximum erosion rate up to 2 m/year; in the remaining area of the Spit (21 km) to the Polish border there is an alternation of stable, eroded and accumulative areas. Since 2011, a steady erosion (in the stable segments of the third section) and general weakening of the erosion rate (in the second section) have been recorded. 50% of the length of the lagoon shore was the subject to annual active erosion (0.2 - 1.4 m/year). The beaches of the sea and lagoon shores of the Vistula Spit were mainly composed of medium sands. The alongshore variability in particle size distribution on the sea and lagoon shores (according to the 2015 survey data) actually fail to correlate with long-term dynamic processes, with the exception of the steadily eroded 4-kilometer area on the sea coast to the south of the Strait of Baltiysk. Variations in the composition of sediment along the shore on the shoreline are most likely associated with the results of the latest wave processing (or storm processing and eolian transport in the case of an average beach sample).


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 954
Author(s):  
Malgorzata Stramska ◽  
Paulina Aniskiewicz

Variability of sea level in the North and Baltic Seas, enforced by weather patterns, affects the intensity of water exchange between these seas. Transfer of salty water from the North Sea is very important for the hydrography of the Baltic Sea. The volume of inflowing salty water can occasionally increase remarkably. Such incidents, called the Major Baltic Inflows (MBIs), are unpredictable, of relatively short duration, and difficult to observe using in situ data. We have shown that remote sensing altimetry can be used as a complementary source of information about the MBI events. The advantage of using such data is that large-scale spatial information about SLA is available with daily resolution. We have described changes in SLA during several MBI events observed in 1993–2017. The net volume of water transported into the Baltic Sea varied between the events due to differences in atmospheric forcing. Based on SLA data, the largest inflow of water happened during the 2014 MBI. This is in agreement with previously published results, based on in situ data.


2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 1083-1088 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.A. Cardoso ◽  
C.H.J.M. Fransen

The hippolytid genusLeontocarisincludes eight species, all restricted to the deep sea (240–2182 m). Associations with deep sea coralline habitats were reported and are herein confirmed. Three Australian species were recorded at seamounts as were the specimens herein identified asL. smarensissp. nov. These specimens were sampled at the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMAR) by the Mar Eco project during 12 bottom trawls using a Sigsbee trawl. The SMAR is a seamount chain that rises from 4000 m depth, with mountains of 100–200 km wide and 14,000 km length.Leontocaris smarensissp. nov. shows closest affinity toL. larfrom the north-western Atlantic andL. yarramundi, from Australia and New Zealand. It differs fromL. larmainly in: (1) the scaphocerite distolateral tooth reaching the distal margin of the blade while clearly falling short in the latter species; and (2) the mandibular palp possessing three distal setae while setae are absent inL. lar. The new species differs fromL. yarramundiin the number and disposition of dorsal teeth on rostrum and in the absence of an acute posterolateral spine on abdominal somites 4 and 5.


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