南海表层沉积物的沉降法和激光法粒度分析结果对比和校正

沉降法与激光法粒度分析的主要差异是黏土粒径,这个差异将直接影响到黏土、粉砂含量和沉积物类型。本文对激光法黏土粒径和含量及沉积物类型进行系统校正。南海东部水深>2 000 m海域沉降法得出的砂、粉砂、黏土含量分别为3.66%、42.43%、53.91%,激光法砂、粉砂、黏土含量分别为9.26%、61.11%、29.64%,粉砂、黏土含量相差达约20%。沉降法得出沉积物类型主要是粉砂质黏土(69.81%),其次是黏土质粉砂(19.81%),其他类型只占11.38%。激光法主要是黏土质粉砂(89.62%),其次是砂质粉砂(10.38%),没有其他类型。两种方法得出的相同沉积物类型占21.69%,不相同占78.31%,主要差别是黏土含量。如果不校正激光法结果,粒级含量和沉积物类型没有可比性。激光法黏土粒径校正为<0.01 mm(粉砂粒径校正为0.063～0.01 mm),黏土、粉砂的平均含量为54.16%、36.17%,接近沉降法的黏土(52.07%)和粉砂(42.28%)含量;校正后激光法与沉降法的相同沉积物类型占91.51%,不相同占8.49%,大部分黏土质粉砂已校正为粉砂质黏土;这些说明对黏土粒级的粒径和含量以及沉积物类型的三种校正已基本达到目的。相反,激光法按回归方程校正后的黏土、粉砂平均含量仍相差约20%,相同沉积物类型只占21.69%,不相同占78.31%,表明按回归方程对粒级含量和沉积物类型的校正没有实际意义。研究表明把激光法黏土粒径校正为<0.01 mm(粉砂粒径0.063～0.01 mm),就能使黏土、粉砂含量和沉积物类型与沉降法基本相符合,达到校正基本目的。

Distribution of Biogenic Silica Content in Surface Sediments from the Southern South China Sea and Its Environmental Dignificance

Biogenic silica content was determined in 25 surface sediment samples from the southern South China Sea to study its distribution and its modern oceanic environmental significance, which may provide further scientific evidence for paleoceanography explaination. This study showed that biogenic silica content in surface sediments and its water depth have evidently positive correlation, and the correlation coefficient was up to 0.782. Biogenic silica content was very low in continental shelf shallows and could not reflect the productivity of siliceous micropaleontology in surface waters, which may be affected by sedimentary types and terrigenous matter dilution. Distribution of biogenic silica content in surface sediments from deep water areas showed that it could not only reflect the paleoproductivity of siliceous micropaleontology in surface waters, but also indicate the strong or feeble upwelling. Thus, it was further confirmed that using biogenic silica content in sediments to trace upwelling and its change was effective and reliable. The analyzed result showed that radiolariia and poriferous specula have more contribution for biogenic opal, comparing with diatom in surface sediments from the northern studied area, probably owing to the diatom dissolved easily away and eaten by other organisms with little effort. In the upwelling areas, radiolarian, diatom and poriferous specula all approximately showed high abundance, which was consistent with high biogenic silica content.

Mineral distributions in surface sediments of the western South Yellow Sea:implications for sediment provenance and transportation

The South Yellow Sea(SYS) is strongly influenced by the substantial sediment loads of the Huanghe(Yellow)(including the modern Huanghe and abandoned old Huanghe subaqueous delta) and Changjiang(Yangtze) Rivers. However,the dispersal patterns of these sediments,especially in the western SYS,have not been clearly illustrated. In this study,we have analyzed clay minerals,detrital minerals,and grain sizes for 245 surface sediment samples(0–5 cm) collected from the western SYS. The clay minerals,on average,consist of 67% illite,14% smectite,11% chlorite,and 8% kaolinite. Clay minerals,detrital minerals,and grain size analyses of surface sediments,combined with water mass hydrology analysis,reveal that sediments in the western SYS are mainly derived from the modern Huanghe River,the abandoned subaqueous delta of the old Huanghe River,some material from the Changjiang,and coastal erosion. The clay minerals(especially illite and smectite) and quartz/feldspar ratio distribution patterns,reveal that the influence of modern Huanghe sediments can reach 35°N in the northwestern part of the study area,an influence that can be enhanced especially in winter owing to northerly winds. Conversely,sediments along the Jiangsu coast are mixed,in summer,with material from the Changjiang arriving via northward flow of Changjiang Diluted Water. The Subei Coastal Current carries the refreshed sediments northward into the western SYS. Sediment distribution and transport in the western SYS are mainly controlled by the oceanic circulation system that is primarily related to the monsoon.

Diatom assemblages in surface sediments from the South China Sea as environmental indicators

We studied diatom distribution from 62 samples from the uppermost 1 cm of sedimem in the South China Sea （SCS）, using grabs or box corers in three cruises between 2001-2007. Fifty six genera, 256 species and their varieties were identified. Dominating species included Coscinodiscus africanus, Coscinodiscus nodulifer, Cyclotella stylorum, Hemidiscus cuneiformis, Melosira sulcata, Nitzschia marina, Roperia tesselata, Thalassionema nitzschioides, Thalassiosira excentrica, and Thalassiothrix longissima. Most surface sediments in the SCS were rich ill diatoms, except for a few coarse samples. Average diatom abundance in the study area was 104 607 valve/g. In terms of the abundance, ecology, and spatial distribution, seven diatom zones （Zones 1-7） were recognized. Zone 1 （northern continental shelf） is affected by warm currents, SCS northern branch of the Kuroshio, and northern coastal currents; Zone 2 （northwestern continental shelf） is affected by intense coastal currents; Zone 3 （Xisha Islands sea area） is a bathyal environment with transitional water masses; Zone 4 （sea basin） is a bathyal-to-deep sea with stable and uniform central water masses in a semi-enclosed marginal sea; Zone 5 （Nansba Islands marine area） is a pelagic environment with relatively high surface temperature; Zone 6 （northern Sunda Shelf） is a tropical shelf environment; and Zone 7 （northern Kalimantan Island shelf area） is affected by warm waters from the Indian Ocean and coastal waters. The data indicate that these diatom zones are closely related to topography, hydrodynamics, temperature, nutrients and especially the salinity. Better understanding of the relationship between diatom distribution and the oceanographic factors would help in the reconstruction of the SCS in the past.

Bacterial and archaeal communities in the surface sediment from the northern slope of the South China Sea

Microbial diversity of sediments from the northern slope of the South China Sea was studied by constructing bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Fourteen bacterial phylogenetic groups were detected, including Gammaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Alphaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Nitrospirae, candidate divisions OP8 and OP 11, and an unknown group. Gammaproteobacteria was the predominant group in bacterial libraries with the percentage ranging from 31.8% to 63.2%. However, archaeal libraries had relatively lower diversity, with most clones belonging to marine archaeal group I uncultured Crenarehaeota. In addition, two novel euryarchaeal clones were detected not to match any culture-dependent or -independent isolates. Compared with other gas hydrate-rich ecosystems and different areas of the South China Sea, a distinct microbial community was revealed in this study.