Simulation of global ocean acidification and chemical habitats of shallow-and cold-water coral reefs

Using the UVic Earth System Model,this study simulated the change of seawater chemistry and analyzed the chemical habitat surrounding shallow-and cold-water coral reefs from the year 1800 to 2300 employing RCP2.6,RCP4.5,RCP6.0,and RCP8.5 scenarios.The model results showed that the global ocean will continue to absorb atmospheric CO2.Global mean surface ocean temperature will rise 1.1e2.8 K at the end of the 21st century across RCP scenarios.Meanwhile,the global mean surface ocean p H will drop 0.14e0.42 and the ocean surface mean concentration of carbonate will decrease 20%e51%across the RCP scenarios.The saturated state of sea water with respect to calcite carbonate minerals(U)will decrease rapidly.During the pre-industrial period,99%of the shallow-water coral reefs were surrounded by seawater with U>3.5 and 87%of the deep-sea coral reefs were surrounded by seawater with aragonite supersaturation.Within the 21st century,except for the high mitigation scenario of RCP2.6,almost none shallow-water coral reefs will be surrounded by seawater with U>3.5.Under the intensive emission scenario of RCP8.5,by the year 2100,the aragonite saturation horizon will rise to 308 m under the sea surface from 1138 m at the preindustrial period,thus 73%of the cold-water coral reefs will be surrounded by seawater with aragonite undersaturation.By the year 2300,only5%of the cold-water coral reefs will be surrounded by seawater with aragonite supersaturation.

Liquefaction susceptibility and deformation characteristics of saturated coral sandy soils subjected to cyclic loadings-a critical review

Coral sandy soils widely exist in coral island reefs and seashores in tropical and subtropical regions.Due to the unique marine depositional environment of coral sandy soils,the engineering characteristics and responses of these soils subjected to monotonic and cyclic loadings have been a subject of intense interest among the geotechnical and earthquake engineering communities.This paper critically reviews the progress of experimental investigations on the undrained behavior of coral sandy soils under monotonic and cyclic loadings over the last three decades.The focus of coverage includes the contractive-dilative behavior,the pattern of excess pore-water pressure(EPWP)generation and the liquefaction mechanism and liquefaction resistance,the small-strain shear modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus and damping,the cyclic softening feature,and the anisotropic characteristics of undrained responses of saturated coral sandy soils.In particular,the advances made in the past decades are reviewed from the following aspects:(1)the characterization of factors that impact the mechanism and patterns of EPWP build-up;(2)the identification of liquefaction triggering in terms of the apparent viscosity and the average flow coefficient;(3)the establishment of the invariable form of strain-based,stress-based,or energy-based EPWP ratio formulas and the unique relationship between the new proxy of liquefaction resistance and the number of cycles required to reach liquefaction;(4)the establishment of the invariable form of the predictive formulas of small strain modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus;and(5)the investigation on the effects of stress-induced anisotropy on liquefaction susceptibility and dynamic deformation characteristics.Insights gained through the critical review of these advances in the past decades offer a perspective for future research to further resolve the fundamental issues concerning the liquefaction mechanism and responses of coral sandy sites subjected to cyclic loadings associated with seismic events in marine environments.

Coral records of Mid-Holocene sea-level highstands and climate responses in the northern South China Sea

High-resolution sea-level data and high-precision dating of corals in the northern South China Sea(SCS)during the Holocene provide a reference and historical background for current and future sea-level changes and a basis for scientific assessment of the evolutionary trend of coral reefs in the SCS.Although sporadic studies have been performed around Hainan Island in the northern SCS,the reconstructed sea level presents different values or is controversial because the indicative meaning of the sea-level indicators were neither quantified nor uniform criteria.Here,we determined the quantitative relationship between modern living coral and sea level by measuring the top surfaces of 27 live Porites corals from the inner reef flat along the east coast of Hainan Island and assessed the accuracy of results obtained using coral as sea-level indicators.Additionally,three in situ fossil Porites corals were analyzed based on elevation measurements,digital X-ray radiography,and U-Th dating.The survey results showed that the indicative meanings for the modern live Porites corals is(146.09±8.35)cm below the mean tide level(MTL).It suggested that their upward growth limit is constrained by the sea level,and the lowest low water is the highest level of survival for the modern live Porites corals.Based on the newly defined indicative meanings,6 new sea-level index points(SLIPs)were obtained and 19 published SLIPs were recalculated.Those SLIPs indicated a relative sea level fluctuation between(227.7±9.8)cm to(154.88±9.8)cm MTL between(5393±25)cal a BP and(3390±12)cal a BP,providing evidences of the Mid-Holocene sea-level highstand in the northern SCS.Besides that,our analysis demonstrated that different sea-level histories may be produced based on different indicative meanings or criteria.The dataset of 276 coral U-Th ages indicates that coral reef development in the northern SCS comprised the initial development,boom growth,decline,and flourishing development again.A comparison with regional records indicated that synergistic effects of climatic and environmental factors were involved in the development of coral reefs in the northern SCS.Thus,the cessation of coral reef development during the Holocene in the northern SCS was probably associated with the dry and cold climate in South China,as reflected in the synchronous weakening of the ENSO and East Asian summer monsoon induced by the reduction of the 65°N summer insolation,which forced the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

A novel relationship between elastic modulus and void ratio associated with principal stress for coral calcareous sand

Elastic moduli,e.g.shear modulus G and bulk modulus K,are important parameters of geotechnical materials,which are not only the indices for the evaluation of the deformation ability of soils but also the important basic parameters for the development of the constitutive models of geotechnical materials.In this study,a series of triaxial loading-unloading-reloading shear tests and isotropic loading-unloadingreloading tests are conducted to study several typical mechanical properties of coral calcareous sand(CCS),and the void ratio evolution during loading,unloading and reloading.The test results show that the stress-strain curves during multiple unloading processes are almost parallel,and their slopes are much greater than the deformation modulus at the initial stage of loading.The relationship between the confining pressure and the volumetric strain can be defined approximately by a hyperbolic equation under the condition of monotonic loading of confining pressure.Under the condition of confining pressure unloading,the evolution of void ratio is linear in the e-lnp0 plane,and these lines are a series of almost parallel lines if there are multiple processes of unloading.Based on the experimental results,it is found that the modified Hardin formulae for the elastic modulus estimation have a significant deviation from the tested values for CCS.Based on the experimental results,it is proposed that the elastic modulus of soils should be determined by the intersection line of two spatial surfaces in the G/K-e-p’/pa space(pa:atmosphere pressure).“Ye formulation”is further proposed for the estimation of the elastic modulus of CCS.This new estimation formulation for soil elastic modulus would provide a new method to accurately describe the mechanical behavior of granular soils.

Effects of wave-current interaction on the waves, cold-water mass and transport of diluted water in the Beibu Gulf

Wave-current interaction and its effects on the hydrodynamic environment in the Beibu Gulf(BG) have been investigated via employing the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport(COAWST) modeling system. The model could simulate reasonable hydrodynamics in the BG when validated by various observations.Vigorous tidal currents refract the waves efficiently and make the seas off the west coast of Hainan Island be the hot spot where currents modulate the significant wave height dramatically. During summer, wave-enhanced bottom stress could weaken the near-shore component of the gulf-scale cyclonic-circulation in the BG remarkably, inducing two major corresponding adjustments: Model results reveal that the deep-layer cold water from the southern BG makes critical contribution to maintaining the cold-water mass in the northern BG Basin.However, the weakened background circulation leads to less cold water transported from the southern gulf to the northern gulf, which finally triggers a 0.2℃ warming in the cold-water mass area;In the top areas of the BG, the suppressed background circulation reduces the transport of the diluted water to the central gulf. Therefore, more freshwater could be trapped locally, which then triggers lower sea surface salinity(SSS) in the near-field and higher SSS in the far-field.

Effects of biochar-amended alkali-activated slag on the stabilization of coral sand in coastal areas

Coral sand is widely encountered in coastal areas of tropical and subtropical regions.Compared with silica sand,it usually exhibits weaker performance from the perspective of engineering geology.To improve the geomechanical performance of coral sand and meet the requirement of foundation construction in coastal areas,a novel alkali activation-based sustainable binder was developed.The alkaliactivated slag(AAS)binder material was composed of ground granulated blast-furnace slag(GGBS)and hydrated lime with the amendment of biochar,an agricultural waste-derived material.The biocharamended AAS stabilized coral sand was subjected to a series of laboratory tests to determine its mechanical,physicochemical,and microstructural characteristics.Results show that adding a moderate amount of biochar in AAS could improve soil strength,elastic modulus,and water holding capacity by up to 20%,70%,and 30%,respectively.Moreover,the addition of biochar in AAS had a marginal effect on the sulfate resistance of the stabilized sand,especially at high biochar content.However,the resistance of the AAS stabilized sand to wet-dry cycles slightly deteriorated with the addition of biochar.Based on these observations,a conceptual model showing biochar-AAS-sand interactions was proposed,in which biochar served as an internal curing agent,micro-reinforcer,and mechanically weak point.

Microbiome Engineering:A Promising Approach to Improve Coral Health

The world’s coral reefs are threatened by the cumulative impacts of global climate change and local stressors.Driven largely by a desire to understand the interactions between corals and their symbiotic microorganisms,and to use this knowledge to eventually improve coral health,interest in coral microbiology and the coral microbiome has increased in recent years.In this review,we summarize the role of the coral microbiome in maintaining a healthy metaorganism by providing nutrients,support for growth and development,protection against pathogens,and mitigation of environmental stressors.We explore the concept of coral microbiome engineering,that is,precise and controlled manipulation of the coral microbiome to aid and enhance coral resilience and tolerance in the changing oceans.Although coral microbiome engineering is clearly in its infancy,several recent breakthroughs indicate that such engineering is an effective tool for restoration and preservation of these valuable ecosystems.To assist with identifying future research targets,we have reviewed the common principles of microbiome engineering and its applications in improving human health and agricultural productivity,drawing parallels to where coral microbiome engineering can advance in the not-too-distant future.Finally,we end by discussing the challenges faced by researchers and practitioners in the application of microbiome engineering in coral reefs and provide recommendations for future work.

Coral reef ecological pump for gathering and retaining nutrients and exporting carbon:a review and perspectives

How coral reefs with high productivity and biodiversity can flourish in oligotrophic tropical oceans has inspired substantial research on coral reef ecosystems.Increasing evidence shows that similar to water in an oasis in the desert,there are stable nutrient supplies to coral reefs in oligotrophic oceans.Here,with emphasis on the fluxes of organic matter,we summarize at the ecosystem level(1)the multiple input pathways of external nutrients,(2)the storage of nutrients in reef organisms,(3)the efficient retaining and recycling of dissolved and particulate organic matter within coral reef ecosystems,(4)the distinctly high phytoplankton productivity and biomass inside and near oceanic coral reefs,and(5)the export of reef-related organic carbon to adjacent open oceans.These properties enable coral reefs to function as ecological“pumps”for gathering nutrients across ecosystems and space,retaining and recycling nutrients within the ecosystem,supporting high phytoplankton productivity,and exporting organic carbon to adjacent open oceans.Particularly,the high phytoplankton productivity and biomass make waters around coral reefs potential hotspots of carbon export to ocean depths via the biological pump.We demonstrate that organic carbon influx is vital for coral reef ecosystems’carbon budget and carbon export.The concept of the coral reef ecological pump provides a framework to improve the understanding of the functioning of the coral reef ecosystem and its responses to disturbance.Prospects of the coral reef ecological pump in coral reef studies are discussed in changing oceans driven by human activities and global change in the Anthropocene.

Chemical diversity of scleractinian corals revealed by untargeted metabolomics and molecular networking

The chemical diversity of scleractinian corals is closely related to their physiological,ecological,and evolutionary status,and can be influenced by both genetic background and environmental variables.To investigate intraspecific variation in the metabolites of these corals,the metabolomes of four species(Pocillopora meandrina,Seriatopora hystrix,Acropora formosa,and Fungia fungites)from the South China Sea were analyzed using untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.The results showed that a variety of metabolites,including amino acids,peptides,lipids,and other small molecules,were differentially distributed among the four species,leading to their significant separation in principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering plots.The higher content of storage lipids in branching corals(P.meandrina,S.hystrix,and A.formosa)compared to the solitary coral(F.fungites)may be due to the high densities of zooxanthellae in their tissues.The high content of aromatic amino acids in P.meandrina may help the coral protect against ultraviolet damage and promote growth in shallow seawater,while nitrogen-rich compounds may enable S.hystrix to survive in various challenging environments.The metabolites enriched in F.fungites,including amino acids,dipeptides,phospholipids,and other small molecules,may be related to the composition of the coral's mucus and its life-history,such as its ability to move freely and live solitarily.Studying the chemical diversity of scleractinian corals not only provides insight into their environmental adaptation,but also holds potential for the chemotaxonomy of corals and the discovery of novel bioactive natural products.

Dynamic Impact Compressive Behavior Investigation of Sisal Fiber-reinforced Coral Seawater Concrete

Split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)was used to investigate the dynamic compressive properties of sisal fiber reinforced coral aggregate concrete(SFCAC).The results showed that,with the increase of strain rate,the dynamic compressive strength,peak strain and toughness index of SFCAC are all greater than its static properties,indicating that SFCAC is a kind of rate-sensitive material.When the sisal fiber was blended,the failure mode showed obvious ductility.At high strain rates,the SFCAC without sisal fiber specimen was comminuted,and the SFCAC showed a"cracked without breaking"state.The results indicated that the sisal fiber played a significant role in reinforcing and strengthening the properties of concrete.The finite element software LS-DYNA was used to simulate two working conditions with strain rates of 78 and 101 s-1.The stressstrain curves and failure patterns obtained were in good agreement with the experimental results.

Compressive Strength of Basic Magnesium Sulfate Cement Coral Aggregate Concrete(MCAC)on Non-Destructive Testing

Basic magnesium sulfate cement coral aggregate concrete(MCAC)is a new type of concrete consisting of basic magnesium sulfate cement,coarse coral aggregate,coral reef sand and seawater.The rebound hammer(RH),the ultrasonic pulse velocity(UPV)and the compressive strength(fcu)tests of 14 sets of cube specimens of the MCAC after 28 d of aging were conducted.The impact of the content and length of sisal fiber on the relationship between the fcu-RH and the fcu-UPV was determined.A mathematical model was established to predict the strength of the MCAC using the UPV,RH,and comprehensive UPV/RH methods and to obtain the curves of test strength.The applicability of the test strength curves of ordinary portland concrete(OPC),light-weight aggregate concrete(LAC),and coral aggregate concrete(CAC)to MCAC was assessed.The results showed that the test strength curves of OPC,LAC and CAC were inappropriate to determine the strength of MCAC using non-destructive method.The relative standard error of the curves of test strength of the RH method and the comprehensive method met the specifications,whereas that of the UPV method did not.

三亚凤凰岛造礁石珊瑚迁移效果研究

造礁石珊瑚既是构成珊瑚礁生态系统中的关键功能生物,也是国家二级保护野生动物,其数量的快速衰退已引起了广泛关注,因此近年来我国对造礁石珊瑚以及珊瑚礁生态系统的保护正在逐步加强。海岸工程易对周边的珊瑚礁造成严重影响,实施保护性迁移是降低工程对造礁石珊瑚影响的重要手段。为研究海南热带海域造礁石珊瑚迁移方法以及迁移保护的效果,我们对三亚凤凰岛二期项目拆除工程影响海域内的造礁石珊瑚实施了保护性迁移及监测。迁移造礁石珊瑚个体共计16634株,包括鹿角珊瑚属、牡丹珊瑚属、滨珊瑚属等18属造礁石珊瑚种类。迁移个体分别迁移至鹿回头海域6210株与西岛海域10424株。迁移珊瑚采用了三种移植方法,分别为铆钉移植、小型移植礁体移植与直接摆放。在迁移至鹿回头和西岛两地8个月后,迁移珊瑚平均存活率均在80%以上,两地迁移珊瑚的总存活率为86.24%。调查的结果显示,铆钉移植的方法存活率最高,小型移植礁体和直接摆放的两种移植方法存活率稍低。迁移至西岛的珊瑚8个月平均生长了3.03cm,的增长率为23.31%,而鹿回头迁入的珊瑚平均生长了6.15cm,增长率为58.74%,高于迁移至西岛的珊瑚。迁移采用的三种移植方法的8个月的存活率均高于75%,并且珊瑚的生长速率较好,说明珊瑚适应迁入区环境。由以上结果来看,此次保护性迁移珊瑚数量多,涉及的珊瑚种类广,在迁移后经受过两次台风的影响,迁移结果具有一定的代表性。本研究中,珊瑚迁移的效果达到了保护受拆除工程影响的造礁石珊瑚的目的,可为未来的珊瑚迁移性保护提供重要经验。

Stressed Coral Reef Identification Using Deep Learning CNN Techniques

Deep learning is a machine learning technique that allows the computer to process things that occur naturally to humans.Today,deep learning techniques are commonly used in computer vision to classify images and videos.As a result,for challenging computer vision problems,deep learning provides state of the art solutions to it.Coral reefs are an essential resource of the earth.A new study finds the planet has lost half of its coral reefs since 1950.It is necessary to restore and prevent damage to coral reefs as they play an important role in maintaining a balance in the marine ecosystem.This proposed work helps to prevent the corals from bleaching and restore them to a healthy condition by identifying the root cause of the threats.In the proposed work,using deep learning CNN techniques,the images are classified into Healthy and Stressed coral reefs.Stressed coral reefs are an intermediate state of coral reef between healthy and bleached coral reefs.The pre-trained models Resnet50 and Inception V3 are used in this study to classify the images.Also,a proposed CNN model is built and tested for the same.The results of Inception V3 and Resnet50 are improved to 70%and 55%by tuning the hypermeters such as dropouts and batch normalisation.Similarly,the proposed model is tuned as required and obtains a maximum of up to 90%accuracy.With large datasets,the optimum amount of neural networks and tuning it as required brings higher accuracy than other methods.

《西沙群岛珊瑚岛(礁)地区岩土工程勘察标准》研究与编制

为适应和满足西沙群岛珊瑚岛(礁)工程建设的需要,使珊瑚岛(礁)岩土工程勘察有据可依,总结了西沙群岛岩土工程勘察项目实践经验和研究成果,通过资料收集、分析与研究,编制了《西沙群岛珊瑚岛(礁)地区岩土工程勘察标准》(DBJ46—060—2022)。介绍标准的编制背景、编制的工作流程、标准的主要内容和重点研究内容,探讨需要进一步研究的内容。

珊瑚礁生态学研究现状和展望

珊瑚礁生态系统是海洋生态系统的重要组成部分,在维持海洋生态平衡和生物多样性上扮演着重要角色。本文通过文献检索手段,归纳了当前国际和国内珊瑚礁生态学领域的发展现状。国际上关注的主要方面包括全球变化与珊瑚礁生态系统、珊瑚共生关系的建立与维持、珊瑚礁生物系统发育与进化、珊瑚礁生物多样性及其物种分布格局、珊瑚礁生态系统保护与管理等;国内关注的主要方面包括全球变化与珊瑚礁生态系统、全球变化背景下的珊瑚–虫黄藻共生体、珊瑚共生关系多样性、人类活动与南海珊瑚礁生态系统、珊瑚礁生物多样性及其群落格局等。珊瑚礁生态学研究的未来发展趋势将更加注重全球变化背景下的珊瑚与珊瑚礁生态系统、珊瑚共生机制、边缘珊瑚礁以及珊瑚礁保护与修复。未来我国珊瑚礁生态学研究需提升全球视野,加强国内与国际合作,深入机制挖掘,完善系统研究,增强珊瑚礁保护与修复研究。

珊瑚礁生态系统固碳过程及储碳机制研究进展

珊瑚礁生态系统在全球碳循环和气候变化中发挥着重要作用。珊瑚礁生态系统是潜在的蓝色碳汇,我国珊瑚礁总面积约占全球的11%,每年的固碳量大约在3.5×10^(6)~4.5×10^(6)t之间。珊瑚礁生态系统的总储碳量非常巨大,同时珊瑚礁生态系统作为碳库在碳交易中具有非常大的潜在应用价值。文章综述了珊瑚礁生态系统中的固碳过程及储碳机制,包括碳酸盐泵、生物泵和微型生物碳泵,阐述了三种碳泵的研究进展。同时,针对目前研究存在的不足和问题,提出未来研究方向,以期为南海岛礁珊瑚礁生态系统的保护和管理提供科学依据。

不同形状的珊瑚砂颗粒沉降试验研究

珊瑚砂在液体中的沉速是反映泥沙运动特性的一个重要物理量。由于珊瑚砂形状多样,套用现有的珊瑚砂沉速公式进行计算并不合适。针对珊瑚砂颗粒开展形状分析,将珊瑚砂颗粒分成枝棒状、片状和块状3种形状,然后开展单颗粒沉降试验。基于试验数据,分析不同形状珊瑚砂颗粒的沉降特性,与各家理论公式计算结果进行比较分析,选取经典的珊瑚砂颗粒沉速公式,引入颗粒形状系数进行公式修正,从而推求了枝棒状、片状和块状珊瑚砂颗粒的阻力系数和沉降速度公式。该公式充分考虑不规则珊瑚砂颗粒形状的影响,具有更高的计算精度和适用性。

珊瑚礁海岸沉积物输运及珊瑚砂岛演变研究综述

珊瑚礁海岸沉积物的输运及珊瑚砂岛的演变研究在我国起步较晚,同时南中国海的珊瑚砂岛是我国重要的海洋空间资源,涉及国家领土主权的核心利益,开展这方面研究具有重要的学术价值和现实意义。综合分析了推移质和悬移质碳酸盐沉积物输运过程及其影响因素,重点介绍了短波、低频长波和海流对沉积物输运的驱动机制,以及粗糙珊瑚对沉积物的遮蔽效应。总结分析了珊瑚砂岛的动态演变规律及其影响因素,并重点介绍了珊瑚砂岛在长期海平面上升和短期风暴潮增强时的演变规律,并提出了今后研究需要关注的方向。

珊瑚礁冠层水动力学问题研究综述

珊瑚礁冠层水动力学的研究不仅对维护珊瑚礁生态系统的健康以及生态修复具有指导意义,还能为在台风浪等极端波浪影响下的海岸带防灾减灾提供决策依据,也对预测珊瑚礁上的泥沙输运和珊瑚礁海岸线演变具有重要的参考价值。本文回顾了珊瑚礁冠层水动力学的研究现状,从冠层内外流动特性、冠层阻力特性及冠层阻力的模拟方法3个方面对当前该领域的研究进展进行了系统的综述,并提出未来冠层内外流动特性的研究可关注更复杂的波浪或波流共同作用下的水动力特性,冠层阻力特性应充分考虑冠层骨架结构的各向异性,冠层阻力的模拟可采用直接求解基于Navier-Stokes方程来复现冠层尺度下的精细化流场。