Classifying the sedimentary environments of the Xincun Lagoon,Hainan Island,by system cluster and principal component analyses

An understanding of the sedimentary environment in relation to its controlling factors is of great importance in coastal geomorphology,ecology,tourism and aquaculture studies.We attempt to deal with this issue,using a case study from the Xincun Lagoon,Hainan Island in southern China.For the study,surficial sediment samples were collected,together with hydrodynamic and bathymetric surveys,during August 2013.Numerical simulation was carried out to obtain high-spatial resolution tidal current data.The sediment samples were analyzed to derive mean grain size,sorting coefficient,skewness and kurtosis,together with the sand,silt and clay contents.The modern sedimentary environments were classified using system cluster and principal component analyses.Grain size analysis reveals that the sediments are characterized by extremely slightly sandy silty mud（ESSSM） and slightly silty sand（SSS）,which are distributed in the central lagoon and near-shore shallow water areas,respectively.Mean grain size varies from 0 to 8.0Ф,with an average of 4.6Ф.The silt content is the highest,i.e.,52% on average,with the average contents of sand and clay being 43% and 5%,respectively.There exists a significant correlation between mean size and water depth,suggesting that the surficial sediments become finer with increasing water depth.Cluster analyses reveals two groups of samples.The first group is characterized by mean grain size of more than 5.5Ф,whilst the second group has mean grain size of below 3.5Ф.Further,these groups also have different correlations between mean grain size and the other grain size parameters.In terms of the tidal current,the average values of the root mean square velocity（RMSV） are 7.5 cm/s and 6.9 cm/s on springs and neaps,respectively.For the RMSVs that are higher than 4 cm/s,a significant positive correlation is found between the content of the 63–125 μm fraction and the RMSV,suggesting that the RMSV determines the variability of the very fine sand fraction.Based on system cluster and principal component analyses（PCA）,the modern sedimentary environments are classified into three types according to the grain size parameters,RMSVs and water depth data.The results suggest the importance of grain size parameters and high-spatial resolution hydrodynamic data in differentiating the coastal sedimentary environments.

Seabed deposition and erosion change and influence factors in the Yangshan Deepwater Port over the years

The seabed scouring and silting are very important to the construction of port and waterway engineering. Seabed deposition and erosion change is complicated due to the influence of sediment supply, human activities and other factors. The Yangshan Deepwater Port is the new deep water harbor, which is an important part of the Shanghai International Shipping Service Center. Its construction has received much attention. At present, the water depth from the 1 st to the 3 rd harbor district is currently suitable under regular dredging and tidal current action. The fourth harbor district will be built in the world’s largest fully-automated deep water wharf. In the study, bathymetry change of the entire sea area of the Yangshan Deepwater Port and the 4 th harbor district(i.e.,Phase IV project) waters were analyzed quantitatively using multiyear bathymetric, hydrological and sediment data. The results show that from 1998 to 2010, seabed changes are characterized by large volumes of erosion and sedimentation, which the southern part was deposited and the northern part was eroded in the inner harbor waters, but the seabed of the Kezhushan inlet was eroded. Seabed changes of Phase IV project waters generally show a scour tendency in recent few years with the annual scour rate about 0.7 m. Among the many factors, the existence of Kezhushan inlet and its influence of the western water flow play an important positive role in water depth changes under the ebb tide action.

Historical record of effects of human activities on absolute and relative concentrations of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in Lake Chao,China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons（PAHs）are attracting concern because of their potential toxicity,posing serious threats to health of humans and ecosystems（Kim et al.,2013;Zhao et al.,2016）.Generally,similar to other contaminants＇behaviors（Wu et al.,2001;Zhang et al.,2007,2008;Lu et al.,2009）,PAHs result from natural organic matter and activities of humans,the latter＇s contribution usually outweighing the inputs from other sources（Fernández et al.,2000;Srogi,2007）.

Sequence stratigraphy and depositional sequence interpretation:A case study of“George”Field,offshore Niger Delta,Nigeria

The seismic sequence stratigraphic analysis revealed four depositional sequences(DS-1,DS-2,DS-3 and DS-4).The accompanying systems tracts were interpreted and mapped in the study area based on the log motifs of the reference well and the spatial distribution of the recognized constrained surfaces:maximum flooding surfaces(MFSs),sequence boundaries(SBs)and transgressive surfaces(TSs)on the seismic data.Depositional systems in the study area comprise lowstand systems tracts(LSTs),transgressive systems tracts(TSTs)and highstand systems tracts(HSTs).The LSTs are represented by coeval facies dominated by deposition basinward of the shelf-edge during maximum regression and are characterized by shallow-water deposition from gravity flows and/or traction processes within the shelf-edge or canyon-head delta.The sediments associated with lowstand systems tracts recognized in the study area are the fluvial channel sands and slope fans(SF).The transgressive sand units were interpreted as shoreface sands deposited in the shelf region during rising sea levels.Highstand systems tracts are characterized by intervals of coarsening and shallowing upwards,with both fluvial and deltaic sands prograding laterally into neritic shales.In the study area,the units are very thick.The highstand and lowstand system tracts exhibit blocky log patterns and are associated with the reservoirs while the transgressive system tracts serve as seals to the reservoirs.The environment of sediments deposition in this area is delta plain,shelf,slope to toe of slope.

Sediment flux from the Zhoushan Archipelago, eastern China

Knowledge of the sediment flux derived from different sources is critical for interpreting the sedimentary records associated with large river sedimentary systems. For the Changjiang River system, previous studies hardly focused on the sediment load from the adjacent Zhoushan Archipelago(ZA). Based on four prediction models, aiming to improve the understanding of the sediment load from the ZA during the Holocene, we show that the predicted sediment flux of the ZA ranges from ~0.7 to 26.5 Mt·yr^(-1), with an average value of 10.7 Mt·yr^(-1), and the islands with a relatively large area or high relief contribute greatly to the total flux. This sediment load is an order of magnitude lower than that of the Changjiang River, but it is similar to those of the local small rivers. Located in the core area of the southward dispersal path of the Changjiang River plume, the ZA also influences the sediment transport into Hangzhou Bay and over the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal seas. On the Holocene temporal scale, e.g., for the period from 6 ka BP to 2 ka BP, the sediments discharged from the ZA had a considerable effect on the shelf sedimentary system. This study provides evidence for an important role an archipelago can play in terms of sediment supply and transport in coastal and inner continental shelf regions.