BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES OF PHOSPHORUS AND SILICON IN SOUTHERN BOHAI SEA SURFACE SEDIMENTS

Based on the author’s previously obtained results on P and Si forms in southern Bohai Sea surface sediments,this study mainly foucusing on the controlling factors, existence forms, and biogeochemical processes of P and Si showed that the transferable forms of phosphorus in sediments were mainly controlled by the mineralization of organic matters and the reduction of high valence iron; whereas the transferable forms of silicon were possibly controlled by the dissolution and precipitation as well as biochemical processes of living organisms.

Characteristics of nitrogen forms in the southern Huanghai Sea surface sediments

The distributions of different forms of nitrogen in the surface sediments of the southern Huanghai Sea are different and affected by various factors. The contents of IEF-N, SOEF-N and TN gradually decrease eastward, and those of SAEF-N northward, while those of WAEF-N westward. Around the seaport of the old Huanghe (Yellow) River, the contents of both SOEF-N and TN are the highest. Among all the factors, the content of fine sediment is the predominant factor to affect the distributions of different forms of nitrogen. The contents of IEF-N, SOEF-N, and TN have visibly positive correlation with the content of fine sediments, and the correlative coefficient is 0.68, 0.58 and 0.71 respectively, showing that the contents of the three forms of nitrogen increase with those of fine sediments. The content of WAEF-N is related to that of fine sediments to a certain extent, with a correlative coefficient of 0.35; while the content of SAEF-N is not related to that of fine sediments, showing that the content of SAEF-N is not controlled by fine grain-size fractions of sediments. In addition, the distributions of different forms of nitrogen are also interacted one another, and the contents of IEF-N and SOEF-N are obviously affected by TN, while those of inorganic nitrogen (WAEF-N, SAEF-N and IEF-N) are not affected by SOEF-N and TN obviously, although they are interacted each other.

Water purification with sintered porous materials fabricated at 400℃ from sea bottom sediments

A sintering technology for preparing porous materials from sea bottom sediments was developed for use in water purification. The purpose of the present study was to develop methods for converting the sea bottom sediments dredged from Ago Bay into value-added recycled products. The sintered products fabricated at 400℃ were found to be very effective adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals.

Liquid-plastic Limit of Surface Sediments in North Slope of South China Sea

1 Introduction China has a vast area of continental shelf and is very rich in marine resources,but because of the complex geological environment and frequent geological disasters,the utilization of marine resources and the construction of marine engineering are limited(Zhu et al.,2016).As the

The difference analysis of physical-mechanical properties of sediments in the central South Yellow Sea and Zhe-Min coastal area in China

The difference analysis of physical-mechanical properties of muddy sediments is made in the central South Yellow Sea and the Zhe-Min（Zhejiang Province to Fujian Province of China） coastal area. The results show that sediments in the two regions are both dominated by mud. There are perfect negative power function correlations between the water content and the density, the compression coefficient and the compression modulus; a good positive power function correlation between the liquid limit and the plastic limit, a perfect positive linear correlation between the water content and the void ratio, and a perfect polynomial function correlation between the miniature vane shear strength and the pocket penetration resistance. In general, compared with sediments in the Zhe-Min coastal area, sediments in the central South Yellow Sea possess high water content, high void ratio,low density, high plasticity, high compressibility, low shear strength. The causes of the differences between physical-mechanical properties of sediments are analyzed from the topographic features, material sources,hydrodynamic conditions, deposition rate, and material composition. Compared with the Zhe-Min coastal area,the central South Yellow Sea is far from the Mainland and low-lying; has poor hydrodynamic condition; the materials diffused to the area are less and dominated by fine clay, have the high content of smectite and organic matters. These factors lead to sediments of the central South Yellow Sea has the higher water content, the higher plasticity, the lower density, and the lower strength than sediments in the Zhe-Min coastal area.

Source identification of aluminum in surface sediments of the Yellow Sea off the Shandong Peninsula

Surface sediment samples in the near shore area of the north Shandong Peninsula are collected for grain size and element analyses. The results indicate that the surface sediments in the study area are primarily composed of the silt-sized components similar to the Huanghe River. The total concentration of aluminum varies from 5.57% to7.37%（average（6.33 ± 0.40）%）, and its spatial distribution is mainly controlled by the grain size. Correlations between the ratio of aluminum to titanium concentration and aluminum concentration, titanium concentration and the mean grain size indicate that aluminum in the near shore surface sediments is affected majorly by the terrigenous source, and partially by the anthropogenic source. The ratios of aluminum to titanium concentrations are larger than the background value of loess matter at some stations due to the existence of excess aluminum associated with human activities. Thus, the sources of aluminum should be identified firstly when aluminum is used as an index of terrigenous matter even in the near shore area dominated by terrigenous deposits.

Origin and shallow-layer structure of the sediments in the Yellow Sea trough

On the basis of the analysis and study of the records of shallow-layer profiles and information from systematic analyses of some cores and their 14C datings, the sediments of Yellow Sea trough since the final slage the Late Pleistocene are found to have the following features. On the south slope of the trough, it is probably composed of island-shelf de posits. On the mouth of the trough, it is made up of eolian dunes and its deposits. In the centra! bottom region of the trough where intense desertization occurred in the early stage of the regression, there are parallel oblique beddings in the strata known as the 'angle of repose' texture, which demonstrates that the deposits there are composed of eolian sands. And in the late stage, thin derivative deposits developed in the northern part of the trough. On the north slope of the trough, thick-layer derivative deposits developed. This primary sedimentary pattern still remains unchanged since the occurrence of the Holocene transgression.

Study on the Thermal Insulation Performance of a New Seabed Sediment Fidelity Sampler Based on ANSYS

A new seabed sediment fidelity sampler was developed and its thermal insulation performance was studied and analyzed. The temperature distribution simulation indicated that the sample quality could be insured by using this new sampler. Based on ANSYS10, the temperature finite element model of the sample cylinder was established. According to the law of conservation of energy, the unsteady heat transmit equation of the sampler under solid-liquid coupling condition was derived, then the mathematical model calculation was carried out by using a mixed finite-element finite-difference method, and two thermal insulation methods were used. The simulation was carried out by using the thickness of the thermal insulation layer and heat conductivity as the variable parameters and the temperature distribution of the sampler and related influencing factors were obtained. Optimization analysis was conducted using the simulation data and related parameters and the magnitude ranges of the parameters were obtained that could meet the design temperature requirements. The experimental data and simulation results indicated that the results were in good agreement with the realities, and this sampler might be of value for seabed sediment sampler design and manufacture.

P-T stability conditions of methane hydrate in sediment from South China Sea

For reasonable assessment and safe exploitation of marine gas hydrate resource, it is important to determine the stability conditions of gas hydrates in marine sediment. In this paper, the seafloor water sample and sediment sample （saturated with pore water） from Shenhu Area of South China Sea were used to synthesize methane hydrates, and the stability conditions of methane hydrates were investigated by multi-step heating dissociation method. Preliminary experimental results show that the dissociation temperature of methane hydrate both in seafloor water and marine sediment, under any given pressure, is depressed by approximately -1.4 K relative to the pure water system. This phenomenon indicates that hydrate stability in marine sediment is mainly affected by pore water ions.

Ecological effects of co-culturing the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus with the Chinese white shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis in an earthen pond

Using net enclosures in an earthen pond, we established three culture treatments with the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus and the Chinese white shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis : monoculture of sea cucumbers(C), monoculture of shrimp(S), and co-culture of the two species(CS). We measured levels of suspended particulate matter in the water column; total organic matter, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and carbon/nitrogen ratios in both settling particles and the sediment; and chlorophyll a levels in the sediment. We then compared these variables between the three treatments. We also examined growth, survival, and yield of the two species in the different treatments. From June to September, the mean monthly suspended particulate matter sedimentation rates in the CS and S treatments were significantly( P <0.05) greater than those in the C treatment. From August to November, the mean monthly total organic matter, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and chlorophyll a contents in the sediment in the CS and S treatments were significantly( P <0.05) greater than those in the C treatment. Final wet weight, specific growth rate, survival rate, and total yield of sea cucumbers in co-culture were all significantly greater than those of sea cucumbers in monoculture. There were no significant differences among any of these variables for shrimp reared in the two systems. The bioturbation of the sediment and fecal production of the shrimp likely supplied natural food for the sea cucumbers. Co-culture of the two species is a viable option for increasing yield per unit area, maximizing use of the water body, and diversifying crop production.

The relationship between tidal current field and sediment transport in the Huanghai Sea and the Bohai Sea

-Based on a two-dimensional numerical M2 tidal model of the Huanghai and Bohai Seas, sediment transport of particles with different sizes in the computational area is given. It is concluded that tidal currents play an important role in sediment transport and deposition in the Huanghai and Bohai Seas.

Horizontal distribution of Changjiang Diluted Water in summer inferred from total suspended sediment in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

During the summer in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, the resuspension of the bottom sediment is obstructed by strong stratification and, as a result, the concentration of total suspended sediment（TSS） can be used as an excellent tracer for Changjiang Diluted Water（CDW）. To analyze the spatial and temporal variations of the CDW distribution, the monthly mean TSS from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer（MODIS） ocean color data are constructed and are converted to salinity using the relationship between salinity observed from AQUARIUS and TSS. The process produces the detailed horizontal distribution of salinity with very high resolution（1 km）. From monthly mean salinity map from 2002 to 2012 in July and August, the expansion patterns of CDW are analyzed. The southerly wind in July and southeasterly wind in August transport the CDW eastward and northeastward, respectively. It is found that the yearly variation of the expansion of CDW toward the southern sea area of Korea is mostly due to the variation of southerly wind and the fluctuations of fresh water discharge into the Changjiang estuary show relatively little impact on the eastward extend of CDW. When 11-year mean（from2002 to 2012） salinity map in August is compared with World Ocean Atlas 2013, it is revealed that wind in August strengthened six times from 1994 and it causes the expansion of CDW extended 150 km further eastward.

Distribution and contamination of metals and biogenic elements in sediments from Zhifu Bay of the Yellow Sea,China

Metals and biogenic elements were analyzed from surface sediments of sixteen stations and a 32 cm core collected from Zhifu Bay in July 2009.High concentrations of biogenic silica（BSi）reflected the high diatom productivity in the Bay.Meanwhile,total organic carbon（TOC）in Zhifu Bay was mainly from terrestrial sources.All metals were lower than the marine sediment quality guidelines.Based on the vertical profiles of biogenic elements,there was a clear increase of TOC,total nitrogen（TN）,and total phosphate（TP）between1985 and 2000.TN concentrations decreased after the start of the operation of the sewage treatment plant in 1998;however TOC and BSi remained at high levels.Metal concentrations showed a general increase from the bottom to the top of the core.Most anthropogenic metals reached a maximum during 1996 and 2000,and decreased after the startup of the sewage plant;however,they have increased again recently.The results from correlation analysis and principal component analysis show that industrial pollution is the main source of Cd,Cr,Cu,Ni,Pb and Zn contamination in Zhifu Bay,and Yantai Port and ship transportation also contribute a lot to Cd,Cu,Hg,and Pb pollution.

Dynamics simulation of bottom high-sediment sea water movement under waves

The movement of bottom high-sediment sea water under water waves,especially that of the high-sediment water layer close to the sea bottom,is important to the resuspension and settlement of sediment.Supposing that the high-sediment sea water is a Newtonian fluid,based on Navier-Stokes(N-S)theory,the movement of the interfaces of air-water and water-sediment water was tracked by the volume of fluid(VOF)method.The velocity field of sediment water was simulated by considering the effect of water waves.The results show that the movement of sediment water is very different from that of sea water,which provides a solid basis for understanding the resuspension and settlement of sediment and the formation of bottom stripe,and the VOF method can trace the movement of the two interfaces simultaneously;the movement of the air-water interface has a strong effect on that of the water-sediment water interface,while the effect of the water-sediment water interface movement on the air-water interface is not obvious.

Experimental studies on the P-T stability conditions and influencing factors of gas hydrate in different systems

The P-T stability conditions of gas hydrate in different systems （i.e., solution, silica sand, and marine sediment） were studied using multi-step decomposition method with our experimental equipment. The effects of different ions with various concentra- tions and sediment grains on the P-T stability conditions of gas hydrate were investigated. The results show that different ions have different influences on the phase equilibrium of gas hydrate. However, the influence of ions is in a similar trend： the larg- er the concentration, the bigger the P-T curve shifts to the left. For the silica sand, the influence of pore capillarity of coarse particles （〉 460 ~tm） can be negligible. The P-T curve measured in coarse silica is in agreement with that in pure water. How- ever, the influence of pore capillarity of fine particles （〈 35 μm） is significant. The maximum reduction value of temperature is 1.5 K for methane hydrate under stable state. The sediment from the South China Sea significantly affects the P-T stability conditions of methane hydrate, with an average reduction value of 1.9 K within the experimental conditions. This is mainly the result of both the pore water salinity and the pore capillarity of sediment. Because the pore water salinity is keeping diluted by the fresh water released from hydrate dissociation, the measured P-T stability points fall on different P-T curves with the de- creasing salinity.