Lateral downslope transport and tentative sedimentary organic carbon box model in the southern Yap Trench,western Pacific Ocean

Sediment collapse and subsequent lateral downslope migration play important roles in shaping the habitats and regulating sedimentary organic carbon(SOC)cycling in hadal trenches.In this study,three sediment cores were collected using a human-occupied vehicle across the axis of the southern Yap Trench(SYT).The total organic carbon(TOC)and total nitrogen(TN)contents,δ13C,radiocarbon ages,specific surface areas,and grain size compositions of sediments from three cores were measured.We explored the influence of the lateral downslope transport on the dispersal of the sediments and established a tentative box model for the SOC balance.In the SYT,the surface TOC content decreased with water depth and was decoupled by the funneling effect of the V-shaped hadal trench.However,the sedimentation(0.0025 cm/a)and SOC accumulation rates(∼0.038 g/(m^(2)·a)(in terms of OC))were approximately 50%higher in the deeper hadal region than in the abyssal region(0.0016 cm/a and∼0.026 g/(m^(2)·a)(in terms of OC),respectively),indicating the occurrence of lateral downslope transport.The fluctuating variations in the prokaryotic abundances and the SOC accumulation rate suggest the periodic input of surficial sediments from the shallow region.The similar average TOC(0.31%–0.38%),TN(0.06%–0.07%)contents,and SOC compositions(terrestrial OC(11%–18%),marine phytoplanktonic OC(45%–53%),and microbial OC(32%–44%))of the three sites indicate that the lateral downslope transport has a significant mixing effect on the SOC composition.The output fluxes of the laterally transported SOC(0.44–0.56 g/(m^(2)·a)(in terms of OC))contributed approximately(47%–73%)of the total SOC input,and this proportion increased with water depth.The results of this study demonstrate the importance of lateral downslope transport in the spatial distribution and development of biomes.

Interaction between Downslope and Alongslope Processes on the Margins of Daihai Lake,North China:Implication for Deltaic Sedimentation Models of Lacustrine Rift Basin

Daihai Lake, a modern lacustrine rift basin, located in Inner Mongolia, North China, serves as an important modern analog for understanding deltaic depositional processes in an active rift setting. Two of the deltas （Yuanzigou delta and Bulianghe delta） on the margins of Daihai Lake were surveyed to compare and contrast stacking patterns using aerial photographs, field trenching and sediment sampling. Shallow cores and trench data collected from the margins of Daihai Lake indicate that a variety of depositional processes have been active since Daihai Lake formed. Two 3-D sedimentation models which employ chronostratigraphic correlation technique were generated. The chronostratigraphic sedimentation models predict and represent the architectures and sand-body continuity of sediments. Stratigraphical coincidence of the broad sheeted drifts and channel erosion suggests a coupling between downslope and alongslope processes. Distributary mouth bars are prevalent in the front of deltas on steeper slopes due to the dominance of down-slope flows. On the contrary, the along-slope currents favor the development of distal bar deposits with sheeted sandbodies on gentle depositional slopes. This study provides an insight into the architecture of complex sedimentary facies associated with highlighting key differences between downslope flows and alongslope currents. The distribution of sand within these deltas is of particular interests, with applications in understanding the architecture of hydrocarbon reservoirs formed in lacustrine rift basin.

Effects of islands and downslope seafloors on underwater noise in the northern South China Sea during a typhoon

The correlation of ambient noise with wind speed,and the depth dependence of ambient noise are both investigated,where the ocean noise data were recorded by a vertical line array in the northern South China Sea.It is shown that the correlation coefficients increase with increasing hydrophone depth during typhoon periods when the frequency≥250 Hz,which opposes the generally accepted knowledge that the correlation coefficients of noise level and wind speed decrease with increasing depth during non-typhoon periods.Particularly at frequencies of 250 Hz,315 Hz and 400 Hz,the correlation coefficients increase by more than 0.05 at depths ranging from 155 m to 875 m.At the three frequencies,the average noise levels also increase with increasing depth during typhoon periods.It is suggested that these differences are attributed to the wind-generated noise in shallow waters and the effect of"downslope enhancement"to sound propagation.During typhoon periods,the surf breaking and surf beat upon the shores and reefs are strengthened,and the source levels are increased.The wind-generated noise in shallow waters interacts with the downslope sea floor,with the noise-depth distribution changed by a"downslope enhancement"effect promoting noise propagation.

ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS OF DOWNSLOPE MOTIONS

The solutions of downslope motions over a sloping terrain are solved analytically in terms of the atmos- pheric wave equations with a two-layer model.The physical meanings of the solutions are discussed.As the lower layer of the atmosphere is stable and deep with strong wind the solution represents strong downslope wind,while as the lower layer is strong stable with light wind the drainage flow is obtained.The dependence of the strength of downslope motion on the atmospheric stratification,wind field structure as well as Scorer parameter is also examined.

Numerical solutions for point masses sliding over analytical surfaces: Part 2

This paper is the second of two companion papers addressing the dynamics of two coupled masses sliding on analytical surfaces and interacting with one another. The motion occurs under the effect of gravity, the reaction force of the surface and basal friction. The interaction force maintains the masses at a fixed distance and lies on the line connecting them. The equations of motion form a system of ordinary differential equations that are solved through a fourth-order Runge–Kutta numerical scheme. In the first paper we considered an approximate method holding when the line joining the masses is almost tangent to the surface at the instant mass positions. In this second paper we provide a general solution. Firstly, we present special cases in which the system has exact solutions. Second, we consider a series of numerical examples where the interest is focused on the trajectories of the masses and on the intensity and changes of the interaction force.

Forecasting Zonda Wind Occurrence with Vertical Sounding Data

Zonda wind is a typical downslope windstorm over the eastern slopes of the Central Andes in Argentina,which produces extremely warm and dry conditions and creates substantial socioeconomic impacts.The aim of this work is to obtain an index for predicting the probability of Zonda wind occurrence.The Principal Component Analysis(PCA)is applied to the vertical sounding data on both sides of the Andes.Through the use of a binary logistic regression,the PCA is applied to discriminate those soundings associated with Zonda wind events from those that are not,and a probabilistic forecasting tool for Zonda occurrence is obtained.This index is able to discriminate between Zonda and non-Zonda events with an effectiveness close to 91%.The best model consists of four variables from each side of the Andes.From an eventbased statistical perspective,the probability of detection of the mixed model is above 97%with a probability of false detection lower than 7%and a missing ratio below 1%.From an alarm-based perspective,models exhibit false alarm rate below 7%,a missing alarm ratio lower than 1.5%and higher than 93%for the correct alarm ratio.The zonal component of the wind on both sides of the Andes and the windward temperature are the key variables in class discrimination.The vertical structure of Zonda wind includes two wind maximums and an unstable lapse rate at midlevels on the lee side and a wind maximum at 700 h Pa accompanied by a relatively stable layer near the mountain top.

Effect of the fluctuant acoustic channel on the gain of a linear array in the ocean waveguide

The inhomogenous ocean waveguide,which leads the amplitude and phase of the signal arriving at a hydrophone array to fluctuate,is one of the causes that make the array gain deviate from its ideal value.The relationship between the array gain and the fluctuant acoustic channel is studied theoretically.The analytical expression of the array gain is derived via an acoustic channel transfer function on the assumption that the ambient noise field is isotropic.The expression is expanded via the Euler formula to give an insight into the effect of the fluctuant acoustic channel on the array gain.The result demonstrates that the amplitude fluctuation of the acoustic channel transfer functions has a slight effect on the array gain;however,the uniformity of the phase difference between the weighting coefficient and the channel transfer function on all the hydrophones in the array is a major factor that leads the array gain to further deviate from its ideal value.The numerical verification is conducted in the downslope waveguide,in which the gain of a horizontal uniform linear array(HLA)with a wide-aperture operating in the continental slope area is considered.Numerical result is consistent with the theoretical analysis.

The Cyclic Behavior of Mountain Gravity Waves Generated by Flow over Topography

The cyclic behavior of lee wave systems, generated by stratified flow over mountains is investigated by the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) model. The results show that, surface friction has a direct impact upon the number and timing of mountain gravity waves cycle generation. Cyclic generation of mountain lee waves and down-slope winds was found to be extremely sensitive to the magnitude of the surface drag coefficient, where mountain waves amplitude and intensity varies with the magnitude of the drag coefficient, and the interaction of mountain waves and boundary layer process determinates the wave characteristics. For the typical drag Cd = 10–3, surface friction promotes the formation of the stationary mountain lee waves and hydraulic jump, especially, promotes boundary layer separation, the generation of low-level turbulent zones and rotor circulation or reversal flow within boundary layer. When drag coefficient becomes Cd = 10–4, lee waves remain steady states and the first evolution cycle maintains much longer than that of Cd = 10–3. In the case of the highest drag coefficient Cd = 10–2, surface friction suppresses wave breaking and the onset of hydraulic jump, and reduces greatly the amplitude and intensity of lee waves and down slope wind.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE MESOSCALE WIND STRUCTURE OVER SHANDONG PENINSULA

General features of 3-dimensional mesoscale wind and temperature structure over Shandong Peninsula are described in this paper.Results are achieved by numerical simulation with the 3- dimensional non-hydrostatic mesoscale model METRAS.For the onset and cessation time of sea- land breezes,the simulation results agree well with the statistical analyses of observational data available for the studied area.One interesting result is the 3 hour response time of wind field to the thermal change.Further statistic analysis based on the observational data is needed to make sure of this correlation.Important effects of coastal mountains on the wind structure are also exposed in detail by the model.Convergence and divergence centers resulting from the conjunction of sea-land breezes and complex terrain are clearly shown,which are not noticed before by conventional synoptic observation and theoretical analysis.