This review article commences with a comprehensive historical review of the evolution and application of various density surfaces in atmospheric and oceanic studies. The background provides a basis for the birth of th...This review article commences with a comprehensive historical review of the evolution and application of various density surfaces in atmospheric and oceanic studies. The background provides a basis for the birth of the neutral density idea. Attention is paid to the development of the neutral density surface concept from the nonlinearity of the equation of state of seawater. The definition and properties of neutral density surface are described in detail as developed from the equations of state of seawater and the buoyancy frequency when the squared buoyancy frequency N2 is zero, a neutral state of stability. In order to apply the neutral density surface to intermediate water-mass analysis, this review also describes in detail its practical oceanographic application. The mapping technique is focused for the first time on applying regularly gridded data in this review. It is reviewed how a backbone and ribs framework was designed to flesh out from a reference cast and first mapped the global neutral surfaces in the world’s oceans. Several mapped neutral density surfaces are presented as examples for each world ocean. The water-mass property is analyzed in each ocean at mid-depth. The characteristics of neutral density surfaces are compared with those of potential density surfaces.展开更多
Despite intensive study of the early Cambrian Nanhua Basin(ECNB)in South China,its degree of connectedness to the open ocean remains uncertain,impeding analysis of contemporaneous oceanic redox evolution and its role ...Despite intensive study of the early Cambrian Nanhua Basin(ECNB)in South China,its degree of connectedness to the open ocean remains uncertain,impeding analysis of contemporaneous oceanic redox evolution and its role in the Cambrian Explosion.We analyzed bulk-shale B/Ga,a newly proposed proxy for watermass salinity in ancient depositional systems,for three sections(Daotuo,Yuanjia,and Zhalagou)representing a range of water depths in the ECNB and spanning early Cambrian Stages 2 and 3.The B/Ga proxy records a salinity gradient in the basin,with increasing salinity from shallow-to deep-water areas,particularly during the deposition of black shales of the lower Jiumenchong/Niutitang/Zhalagou Formation.The gradient was probably due to the mixing of freshwater from adjacent landmasses with marine waters within a moderately restricted basin.All three study sections exhibit a monotonic rise in salinity over the~9-Myr study interval,reflecting increased watermass exchange with the open ocean due to regional tectonic and/or global sea-level changes.The improved watermass exchange may have weakened water-column stratification and reduced deep-water anoxia in the ECNB,contributing the enhanced oceanic oxygenation along with global environmental controls and further modulating the expression of the Cambrian Explosion recorded in Lower Cambrian sections of South China.Our study thus highlights the need for comprehensive analyses of hydrographic dynamics in marginal-marine settings that are used to explore co-evolutionary relationships between early animals and environmental oxygen levels.展开更多
文摘This review article commences with a comprehensive historical review of the evolution and application of various density surfaces in atmospheric and oceanic studies. The background provides a basis for the birth of the neutral density idea. Attention is paid to the development of the neutral density surface concept from the nonlinearity of the equation of state of seawater. The definition and properties of neutral density surface are described in detail as developed from the equations of state of seawater and the buoyancy frequency when the squared buoyancy frequency N2 is zero, a neutral state of stability. In order to apply the neutral density surface to intermediate water-mass analysis, this review also describes in detail its practical oceanographic application. The mapping technique is focused for the first time on applying regularly gridded data in this review. It is reviewed how a backbone and ribs framework was designed to flesh out from a reference cast and first mapped the global neutral surfaces in the world’s oceans. Several mapped neutral density surfaces are presented as examples for each world ocean. The water-mass property is analyzed in each ocean at mid-depth. The characteristics of neutral density surfaces are compared with those of potential density surfaces.
基金supported by the Key R&D Project of Ministry of Science and Technology(Grant No.2022YFF0800100)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42072335,42002027,41825019,41821001,42130208)the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDB26000000).
文摘Despite intensive study of the early Cambrian Nanhua Basin(ECNB)in South China,its degree of connectedness to the open ocean remains uncertain,impeding analysis of contemporaneous oceanic redox evolution and its role in the Cambrian Explosion.We analyzed bulk-shale B/Ga,a newly proposed proxy for watermass salinity in ancient depositional systems,for three sections(Daotuo,Yuanjia,and Zhalagou)representing a range of water depths in the ECNB and spanning early Cambrian Stages 2 and 3.The B/Ga proxy records a salinity gradient in the basin,with increasing salinity from shallow-to deep-water areas,particularly during the deposition of black shales of the lower Jiumenchong/Niutitang/Zhalagou Formation.The gradient was probably due to the mixing of freshwater from adjacent landmasses with marine waters within a moderately restricted basin.All three study sections exhibit a monotonic rise in salinity over the~9-Myr study interval,reflecting increased watermass exchange with the open ocean due to regional tectonic and/or global sea-level changes.The improved watermass exchange may have weakened water-column stratification and reduced deep-water anoxia in the ECNB,contributing the enhanced oceanic oxygenation along with global environmental controls and further modulating the expression of the Cambrian Explosion recorded in Lower Cambrian sections of South China.Our study thus highlights the need for comprehensive analyses of hydrographic dynamics in marginal-marine settings that are used to explore co-evolutionary relationships between early animals and environmental oxygen levels.
