Recent tectonic stress field and major earthquakes of the Bohai Sea basin

渤海位于北华北新生代裂陷盆地的东部，是一个晚第四纪形成的内陆海盆．渤海盆地活动断裂发育，地震活动强烈，交会于渤海中部的NE向营口潍坊断裂带北段、庙西北一黄河口一临邑断裂带及NW向北京一蓬莱断裂带是主要的活动构造带，将海区分成4个次级新构造区，成为现代应力场作用的构造基础．综合研究38个震源机制解和75个井区应力场等资料，以及构造应力场二维数值模拟计算结果表明，渤海及其邻区现代构造应力场的压应力方向为NE60°～90°，张应力为SN—NW30°；以水平和近水平应力作用为主；不同构造区主应力方向存在一定的差异．现今渤海地区地壳发育以NNE-NE和NW-WNW走向的共轭剪切破裂为特征，是控制地震活动的主要构造．

Stress field modeling of northwestern South China Sea since 5.3 Ma and its tectonic significance

Tectonically, the northwestern South China Sea （SCS） is located at the junction between three micro-plates, i.e., the Indochina, South China and Zhongsha-Xisha micro-plates, and involves three basins, i.e., the Yinggehai Basin, the Qiongdongnan Basin and Xisha Trough in the east, and the Zhongjiannan Basin in the south. Since the Pliocene （5.3 Ma）, the Yinggehai Basin has experienced repeated accelerating subsidence, high thermal fluid, and widely developing mud-rich overpressure chambers, abundant mud diapers and crust-mantle mixed CO2. While a large central canyon was developed in the Qiongdongnan Basin, new rift occurred in the Xisha ~rough. These characteristics demonstrate a single tectonic unit for the northwestern SCS, for which we have undertaken stress field modeling to understand its plate deformations and sedimen- tary responses. Our results demonstrate that an extension tectonic event occurred after 5.3 Ma in theYingge- hal-Qiongdongnan-Xisha trough area, which is characterized by thinner crust C〈16000 m）, half-graben or graben structural style and thicker sedimentary sequences （〉3 500 m）. A new rift system subsequently was developed in this area; this event was mainly driven by the combined effects of different movement veloc- ity and direction of the three micro-plates, and the far-field effect of the continental collision between the Indian Plate and the Tibetan Plateau, and subduction of the Pacific Plate underneath the Eurasian Plate.

Spatio-temporal variability in sea surface wind stress near and off the east coast of Korea

Sea surface wind stress variabilities near and off the east coast of Korea, are examined using 7 kinds of wind datasets from measurements at 2 coastal (land) stations and 2 ocean buoys,satellite scatterometer (QuikSCAT), and global reanalyzed products (ECMWF,NOGAPS,and NCEP/NCAR). Temporal variabilities are analyzed at 3 frequency bands; synoptic (2-20 d), intra-seasonal (20-90 d),and seasonal (>90 d).Synoptic and intra-seasonal variations are predominant near and off the Donghae City due to the passage of the mesoscale weather system. Seasonal variation is caused by southeastward wind stress during Asian winter monsoon. The sea surface wind stress from reanalyzed datasets.QuikSCAT and KMA-B measurements off the coast show good agreement in the magnitude and direction,which are strongly aligned with the alongshore direction.At the land-based sites,wind stresses are much weaker by factors of 3-10 due to the mountainous landmass on the east parts of Korea Peninsula.The first EOF modes(67%-70%) of wind stresses from reanalyzed and QuikSCAT data have similar structures of the strong southeastward wind stress in winter along the coast but show different curl structures at scales less than 200 km due to the orographic effects.The second EOF modes (23%-25%) show southwestward wind stress in every September along the east coast of the North Korea

Comparison among four kinds of data of sea surface wind stress in the South China Sea

By using remote sensing (ERS) data, FSU data, COADS data and Hellerman & Rosen-stein objective analysis data to analyze the sea surface wind stress in the South China Sea, it is found that the remote sensing data have higher resolution and more reasonable values. Therefore we suggest that remote sensing data be chosen in the study of climatological features of sea surface wind stress and its seasonal variability in the South China Sea, especially in the study of small and middle scale eddies.

Present-day tectonic stress in the East China Sea region and its possible origin

This paper analyzes bore-hole wall breakouts of the 5 wells located in southern part of the East China Sea regionwith logging sections deeper than 3 000 m and logging intervals longer than 1 000 m or even near 2 000 m. Bymaking a combined study of the breakout characteristics of these 5 wells and 11 other wells analyzed in Xu andWu (1997). it is inferred that the maximum horizontal principal compressive stress in the East China Sea 'region isgenerally in NE-SW direction, and the horizontal differential stress there is possibly weak. P- and T-axisorientations of focal mechanism of earthquakes occurred from 1977 to 1998 in the region of O kinawa trough andRyukyu Islands are investigated. p-axes of earthquakes in Okinawa trough are generally oriented NE-SW,coinciding with the trough stretching trend. while T-axes are nearly perpendicular to the trend. This indicates thatthe horizontal action of the Philippine Sea Plate to the East China Sea region is not pushing but pulling. A two dimensional finite element simulation is conducted to study the origin of the present-day tectonic stress in the EastChina Sea region. The result shows that the stress there is possibly attributable to both the strong northwestwardcompression in Taiwan region and the back-arc extension of the Ryukyu island arc. Less strong ear thquakes in theEast China Sea region is possibly related to the weak horizontal shear stress there.

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Thermal Stress to China's Coral Reefs in South China Sea

Coral bleaching, caused by elevated sea surface temperature(SST), is occurring more frequently and seriously worldwide. Due to the lack of field observations, we understand little about the large-scale variability of thermal stress in the South China Sea(SCS) and its effect on China's coral reefs. This paper used 4-km high resolution gap-filled SST(Filled SST) data and thermal stress data related to coral bleaching derived from Coral Reef Temperature Anomaly Database(Co RTAD) to quantify the spatial and temporal characteristics of chronic thermal stress and acute thermal stress to China's coral reefs in SCS from 1982 to 2009. We analyzed the trend of SST in summer and the thermal stress frequency, intensity and duration during this period. The results indicate that, as a chronic thermal stress, summer mean SST in SCS shows an average upward trend of 0.2℃/decade and the spatial pattern is heterogeneous. Waters of Xisha Islands and Dongsha Islands of the northern SCS are warming faster through time compared to Zhongsha Islands and Nansha Islands sea areas of the southern SCS. High frequency bleaching related thermal stress events for these reefs are seen in the area to the northwest of Luzon Island. Severe anomaly thermal stress events are more likely to occur during the subsequent year of the El Nino year for these coral reefs. Besides, the duration of thermal stress varies considerably by anomaly year and by region.

Seasonal variations of phytoplankton phosphorus stress in the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass

The Yellow Sea is located between the China Mainland and the Korean Peninsula, representing a typical shallow epicontinental sea. The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass（YSCWM） is one of the most important physical features in the Yellow Sea. The characteristics of vertical profiles and seasonal variations of biogenic elements in the YSCWM may lead the variations of nutrient availability（e.g., phosphorus） and phosphorus stress of phytoplankton. In this study, the authors surveyed the seasonal variations of phytoplankton phosphorus stress with emphasis on the effect of the YSCWM during the four cruises in April and October 2006, March and August 2007. Using both bulk and single-cell alkaline phosphatase activity（APA） assays, this study evaluated phosphorus status of phytoplankton community, succession of phytoplankton community and ecophysiological responses of phytoplankton to phosphorus in the typical region of the YSCWM. With the occurrence of the YSCWM, especially the variations of concentration of dissolved inorganic phosphorus（DIP）, the results of bulk APA appeared corresponding seasonal variations. Along Transects A and B, the mean APA in August was the highest, and that in March was the lowest. According to the ELF-labeled assay＇s results, seasonal variations of the ELF-labeled percentages within dominant species indicated that diatoms were dominant in March, April and October, while dinoflagellates were dominant in August. During the four cruises, the ELF-labeled percentages of diatoms except Paralia sulcata showed that diatoms were not phosphorus deficient in April 2006 at all, but suffered from severe phosphorus stress in August 2007. In comparison, the ELF-labeled percentages of dinoflagellates were all above 50% during the four time series, which meant dinoflagellates such as Alexandrium and Scrippsiella, sustained perennial phosphorus stress.

Dead Sea Minerals-Induced Positive Stress as an Innovative Resource for Skincare Actives

Objective: Exposure to certain stresses in small doses might lead to a protective effect by improving resistance to other stressors. Dead Sea (DS) minerals can be a relevant source to induce positive stress due to their high salinity and unique mineral combination. This concept could be further optimized using advanced unique cell biotechnology. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the innovative concept of DS minerals (water extract and black mud) supplementation in small amount to Pichia pastoris yeast growth media as a positive stress by testing the capability of accepted fermentation compounds to affect the appearance of skin. Methods: Skin equivalents were topically applied with different Pichia pastoris fermentations (Metabiotics?). Skin elasticity biomarkers were tested, since loss of elasticity and suppleness is a natural skin aging process leading to deeper wrinkles and loss of firmness. A preliminary screening at the gene level using DNA microarray was performed and subsequently, the following proteins were detected using ELISA or immunoblotting assays: elastin, fibulin-1, lysyl oxidase (LOX), metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3), E-cadherin, claudin 4, tight junction protein (TJP)-1 and TJP-2. UVB irradiation was selected as a stressor. Results: Fermentation compounds generated in the presence of small doses of DS minerals affected the expression of various elasticity-related genes in skin. Moreover, they significantly attenuated the abnormal UVB-induced alterations, the proteins elastin, fibulin-1, LOX, MMP-3, E-cadherin and TJP-2. Conclusions: The observations clearly demonstrate that when DS Metabiotics? compounds are topically applied, significant alterations in several biomarkers that contribute to skin elasticity occur. Thus, these novel compounds have the potential to serve as skincare actives.

Recent tectonic stress field and major earthquakes of the Bohai Sea basin

The Bohai Sea basin is located in the east to the Cenozoic rift basin of North China. It is a inner-land sea basin formed during Late Quaternary time. In this basin there are numerous active faults and many major earthquakes have occurred. Its major active tectonic zones are the northern section of the NE trending Yingkou-Weifang fault zone, Miaoxibei-Huanghekou-Linyi fault zone, and NW striking Beijing-Penglai fault zone, which intersect at the center of the Bohai Sea basin. These tectonic zones subdivide the sea area into four secondary neotectonic areas, which are subject to the recent tectonic stress field. Using the data of 38 focal plane solutions and 75 drill stress measurements, and the result of numerical modeling, we analyze the recent tectonic stress field of this region. Our result shows that this stress field is characterized by dominant horizontal or nearly horizontal stress. Its compres-sive stress is in the direction NE60~90, and the tensional stress is in NS-NW30. There are some differences of principal stress between secondary tectonic areas. A remarkable feature of the Bohai Sea basin is a conjugate shear rupture zone, which develops in the crust and is the major seismogenic structure.

THE DEPENDENCE OF WIND STRESS ON SEA STATE

Based on up to date literature, this paper details the evolution of wave dependence of wind stress.Some typical models of the dependence of wind stress on waves are described in detail. Although there isno universally accepted theory and model, recent studies indicate that the wind strees strongly dependson the development state of sea waves, i. e., young seas are rougher than mature seas, in other words, thewind stress decreases with increasing wave age.

Impacts of a wind stress and a buoyancy flux on the seasonal variation of mixing layer depth in the South China Sea

The seasonal variation of mixing layer depth （MLD） in the ocean is determined by a wind stress and a buoy- ance flux. A South China Sea （SCS） ocean data assimilation system is used to analyze the seasonal cycle of its MLD. It is found that the variability of MLD in the SCS is shallow in summer and deep in winter, as is the case in general. Owing to local atmosphere forcing and ocean dynamics, the seasonal variability shows a regional characteristic in the SCS. In the northern SCS, the MLD is shallow in summer and deep in winter, affected coherently by the wind stress and the buoyance flux. The variation of MLD in the west is close to that in the central SCS, influenced by the advection of strong western boundary currents. The eastern SCS presents an annual cycle, which is deep in summer and shallow in winter, primarily impacted by a heat flux on the air-sea interface. So regional characteristic needs to be cared in the analysis about the MLD of SCS.

A Preliminary Study on the Present Crustal Stress of Northern South China Sea

The South China Sea （SCS） is the largest marginal sea in West Pacific formed by a combined effect of the Eurasian plate, Pacific plate and India-Australian plate, and is thus considered to be a unique natural laboratory to study oceanic dynamics and tectonic evolutions （Xie et al., 2006; Luan and Zhang, 2009）. Besides, the SCS contains enormous petroleum resources for its favorable conditions of oil-gas generation, accumulation and preservation. It is therefore imperative to intensively study the marine in-situ stress and its controlling factors of the SCS.

AIR-SEA COUPLING MODES OF TROPICAL PACIFIC SSTA AND WIND STRESS FIELDS

The EOF thechnique is employed to investigate the characteristic modes of spatial distribution and features of temporal variation in the context of 1970-1989 wind stress and SSTA datasets over the tropical Pacific. Results show similar variation in the time coefficients of the first eigenvectors for the wind stress and SSTA fields, revealing air-sea interaction and coupling at the multiple space/time scales,which are in fairly good correspondence to the E1 Nino cycle.

A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF TECTONIC STRESS AT VARIOUS DEPTHS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA CRUSTOBODY

Tectonic stress at various depths has been computed by means of the finite element method inthe South China Sea crustobody. The conclusion is that the distribution of the stress is: - 5. 1～3. 25 MPa (130 km), -5～2. 9 MPa (8O km), -5. 5～2- 15 MPa (3o km), -3. 6～0. 67 MPa (10km). and -2. 5～0. 11 MPa in the surface of crust. The interaction between tectonic stress andcrustobody movement in the South China Sea is preliminarily discussed.

Nrf2 Pathway Involvement in the Beneficial Skin Effects of Moderate Ionic Osmotic Stress—The Case of The Dead Sea Water

Objectives: Exposing skin to moderate ionic osmotic stress (MIOS) triggers several biochemical responses. The objective of this work is to reveal the mechanism triggered by MIOS on the skin surface. Furthermore, this work aims to study the involvement of the Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2) pathway, activated by MIOS, and its beneficial effect in protecting skin against stress via the stimulation of phase II enzymes. Methods: HaCaT cells and human skin organ culture were exposed to Dead Sea Water (DSW) as MIOS inducers and the induction of internal ROS elevation, Nrf2 translocation, mRNA gene expressions of the phase II enzymes, heme-oxygenase 1 (HO1), and Catalase (CAT) were determined. Results: Skin exposure to MIOS increases Nrf2 translocation to the nucleus, leading to increased levels of ROS, HO1, and CAT. Furthermore, exposing skin to MIOS promotes protection against UVB-related risks. This is demonstrated by attenuation of the expression of biomarkers, related to UVB-induced damage, Caspase-3, IL-8, and IL-1β. Conclusions: Skin exposure to MIOS leads to the activation of Nrf2 skin defense pathway and, therefore, could present beneficial advantages to human skin health, as demonstrated on human skin models. The beneficial effects of MIOS, induced by DSW are significantly superior to eq. NaCl brine, suggests that MIOS protection of skin against stress is partially related to specific mineral combinations.

The estimation of a critical shear stress based on a bottom tripod observation in the southwest off Jeju Island,the East China Sea

The resuspension and deposition of sediment within a bottom boundary layer（BBL） is the main dynamic processes that control the fate of the suspended sediment in shelf seas.The numerical study of sediment transport patterns relies on the knowledge of some critical parameters that describe sediment erosion and deposition.A critical shear stress is estimated based on field observations at the edge of a mud area southwest off Jeju Island,the East China Sea.On the basis of the simultaneous observation of velocity and suspended sediment concentrations within the BBL by means of acoustic instruments including an acoustic Doppler velocimeter and an acoustic Doppler current profiler,the settling velocity is estimated by turbulent oscillations of the SSC under the assumption of inertial-dissipation balance.This method gives a mean value of 0.91 mm/s and standard deviation of 0.20 mm/s,which is an order of magnitude larger than the value obtained by an empirical method of Soulsby and by an in situ submersible particle size analyzer.The difference is possibly due to the distinct natures of two methodologies,the inertial-dissipation method is more indicative of the BBL dynamics and is thus believed to provide reasonable in situ estimates of the settling velocity,whereas Soulsby＇s method is usually suitable for still water.A novel method for estimating the critical stresses of erosion and deposition based on statistical analyses of the temporal variability of the SSC（which is defined as a derivative of the depth-averaged SSC with respect to time） and the corresponding bottom shear stress is proposed.Both critical stresses of erosion and deposition vary between 0.11 Pa and 0.25 Pa with corresponding median values of 0.20 Pa and 0.16 Pa,respectively,which confirms that the critical stresses of erosion is somewhat higher than the critical stresses of deposition.Another method of estimating the critical shear stress by means of the settling velocity is also employed,which yields reasonable critical shear stress values of 0.06-0.17 Pa.

Trends of sea surface temperature and sea surface temperature fronts in the South China Sea during 2003–2017

The trends of the sea surface temperature(SST) and SST fronts in the South China Sea(SCS) are analyzed during2003–2017 using high-resolution satellite data. The linear trend of the basin averaged SST is 0.31°C per decade,with the strongest warming identified in southeastern Vietnam. Although the rate of warming is comparable in summer and winter for the entire basin, the corresponding spatial patterns of the linear trend are substantially different between them. The SST trend to the west of the Luzon Strait is characterized by rapid warming in summer, exceeding approximately 0.6°C per decade, but the trend is insignificant in winter. The strongest warming trend occurs in the southeast of Vietnam in winter, with much less pronounced warming in summer. A positive trend of SST fronts is identified for the coast of China and is associated with increasing wind stress. The increasing trend of SST fronts is also found in the east of Vietnam. Large-scale circulation, such as El Ni?o, can influence the trends of the SST and SST fronts. A significant correlation is found between the SST anomaly and Ni?o3.4 index, and the ENSO signal leads by eight months. The basin averaged SST linear trends increase after the El Ni?o event(2009–2010), which is, at least, due to the rapid warming rate causing by the enhanced northeasterly wind. Peaks of positive anomalous SST and negatively anomalous SST fronts are found to co-occur with the strong El Ni?o events.

TYPICAL ANOMALOUS WIND STRESS PATTERNS IN TROPICAL PACIFIC ASSOCIATED WITH EL NINO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION

Based on years of month-to-month observations of sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) and wind stress anomaly, typical wind stress patterns in the tropical Pacific associated with ENSO are Studied with the techniques of linear regression and EOF analysis. The anomalous field, which is linearly correlated with ENSO, is found to be varying at low frequencies on the temporal scale and to be in four typical patterns of distribution horizontally.Pattern 1 is of the easterly anomaly and wind stress divergence in the equatorial region east of the date line. Pattern 2 is of the westerly anomaly and wind sttess convergence in the equatorial region east of the date line. Pattern 3 is of the westerly anomaly and wind stress convergence south of the Equator but east of the data line, with the easterly anomaly west of it. Pattern 4 is of the weak easerly anomaly east 160°W and the westerly anomaly west of 160°W. Wind stress fields linearly independent of ENSO are of a high-frequency process with a typical pattern off the Equator that has a large horizontal amplitude. Using an ocean anomaly-forcing model with the regressed wind stress anomaly field that is associated with ENSO, principal signals of ENSO are reproduced. It indicates the fundamental nature of the typical wind field anomaly patterns revealed for the genesis of El Nino.

Mesozoic-Cenozoic Tectonics of the Yellow Sea and Oil-Gas Exploration

The purpose of the present study was to study the tectonics of the Yellow Sea. Although oilgas exploration has been undertaken for more than 30 years in the southern Yellow Sea, the exploration progress has achieved little. There are three tectonic periods with near N-S trending shortening and compression （260-200 Ma, 135-52 Ma and 23-0.78 Ma） and three tectonic periods with near E-W trending shortening and compression （200-135 Ma, 52--23 Ma and 0.78 Ma） at the Yellow Sea and adjacent areas during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The lndosinian tectonic period is the collision period between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze Plates, which formed the basic tectonic framework for the Yellow Sea area. There were strong intraplate deformations during the Yanshanian （200-135 Ma） and Sichuanian （135-52 Ma） periods with different tectonic models, which are also the main formation periods for endogenic metallic mineral deposits around the Yellow Sea. The three tectonic periods during the Cenozoic affect important influences for forming oil-gas reservoirs. The Eocene-Oligocene （52-23 Ma） is the main forming period for oil-gas sources. The Miocene-Early Pleistocene （23-0.78 Ma） was a period of favorable passage for oil-gas migration along NNE trending faults. Since the Middle Pleistocene （0.78 Ma） the NNE trending faults are closed and make good conditions for the reservation of oil-gas. The authors suggest that we pay more attention to the oil-gas exploration at the intersections between the NNE trending existing faults and Paleogene- Neogene systems in the southern Yellow Sea area.