Seismic monitoring of sub-seafloor fluid processes in the Haima cold seep area using an Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS)

The use of ocean bottom seismometers provides an effective means of studying the process and the dynamic of cold seeps by continuously recording micro-events produced by sub-seafloor fluid migration.We deployed a four-component Ocean Bottom Seismometer(OBS)at an active site of the Haima cold seep from 6 November to 19 November in 2021.Here,we present the results of this short-term OBS monitoring.We first examine the OBS record manually to distinguish(by their distinctive seismographic signatures)four types of events:shipping noises,vibrations from our remotely operated vehicle(ROV)operations,local earthquakes,and short duration events(SDEs).Only the SDEs are further discussed in this work.Such SDEs are similar to those observed in other sea areas and are interpreted to be correlated with sub-seafloor fluid migration.In the OBS data collected during the 14-day monitoring period.We identify five SDEs.Compared to the SDE occurrence rate observed in other cold seep regions,five events is rather low,from which it could be inferred that fluid migration,and subsequent gas seepage,is not very active at the Haima site.This conclusion agrees with multi-beam and chemical observations at that site.Our observations thus provide further constraint on the seepage activity in this location.This is the first time that cold seep-related SDEs have been identified in the South China Sea,expanding the list of sea areas where SDEs are now linked to cold seep fluid migration.

A combination of tides and nontidal variations in ocean bottom pressure may generate interannual slip fluctuations in the transition zone along a subduction plate interface

The tidal triggering of earthquakes has been studied for many years.The discovery of slow earthquakes in the early 2000s,including slow slip,has urged scientists to investigate the tidal responses of these earthquakes due to their sensitivity to weak stress perturbations.Previous studies have shown that slow earthquakes correlate with diurnal and semidiurnal tides and seasonal variations in surface loads more clearly than ordinary earthquakes.However,little is known about long-term responses to external stresses.In this paper,based on a widely accepted frictional law for faults,a mechanism is proposed by which nontidal variations in ocean bottom pressure,when combined with tides,pro mote the occurrence of slow earthquakes.Because slow earthquakes accompany a slip on the plate interface,this mechanism allows one to estimate slip modulations.A one-degree-of-freedom slip model is constructed and applied to Ise Bay in the Tonankai region of southwestern Japan,where large-scale ocean mass redistributions have occurred.The model calculated with parameters determined from the observation of tectonic tremors is quantitatively consistent with the slip during 1997-2013 inferred from GNSS data,suggesting that the decrease in the sea-level change in approximately 2006 could cause the accele ration of a slip observed after that.This result implies that the decreases in sea level in approximately 1996 and 2014 could also cause subsequent slip accelerations.These three slip acceleration periods temporally coincide with the increases in background seismicity in a shallower portion of the plate interface.These changes in seismicity are common to shallow earthquakes in the Tokai area,and a similar model can reproduce them.Further studies are expected to reveal causality between shallow earthquakes and long-term slip fluctuations based on modeling that considers changes in the frictional property along the plate interface.

Dynamics of seasonal and interannual variability of the ocean bottom pressure in the Southern Ocean

Seasonal and interannual variability of ocean bottom pressure(OBP)in the Southern Ocean was investigated using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment(GRACE)data and a Pressure Coordinate Ocean Model(PCOM)based on mass conservation.By comparing OBP,steric sea level,and sea level,it is found that at high latitudes the OBP variability dominates the sea level variability at seasonal-to-decadal time scales.The diagnostic OBP based on barotropic vorticity equation has a good correlation with the observations,indicating that wind forcing plays an important role in the variability of the OBP in the Southern Ocean.The unique interannual patterns of OBP in the Southern Ocean are closely associated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)and Southern Annular Mode(SAM).Regression analysis indicates that ENSO and SAM influence the OBP through altering the Ekman transport driven by surface wind.The leading pattern of OBP from PCOM are very similar to observations.Sensitive experiments of PCOM show that surface wind forcing explains the observed OBP variability quite well,confirming the importance of wind forcing and related oceanic processes.In the eastern South Pacific,the averaged OBP shows a decrease(increase)trend before(after)2011,reflecting the reverse trend in westerly wind.In the South Indo-Atlantic Ocean,the averaged OBP has a weak increase trend during 2003–2016.

mFAST:A MATLAB toolbox for ocean bottom seismometer refraction first-arrival traveltime tomography

First-arrival seismic traveltime tomography(FAST)is a well-established technique to estimate subsurface velocity structures.Although several existing open-source packages are available for first-arrival traveltime tomography,most were written in compiled languages and lack sufficient extendibility for new algorithms and functionalities.In this work,we develop an open-source,selfcontained FAST package based on MATLAB,one of the most popular interpreted scientific programming languages,with a focus on ocean bottom seismometer refraction traveltime tomography.Our package contains a complete traveltime tomography workflow,including ray-tracing-based first-arrival traveltime computation,linearized inversion,quality control,and high-quality visualization.We design the package as a modular toolbox,making it convenient to integrate new algorithms and functionalities as needed.At the current stage,our package is most efficient for performing FAST for two-dimensional ocean bottom seismometer surveys.We demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of our package by using a synthetic data example based on a modified Marmousi model.

OCEAN BOTTOM SEISMOMETER AND ONSHOREOFFSHORE SEISMIC EXPERIMENT IN NORTHEASTERN SOUTH CHINA SEA

Three-component Ocean Bottom Seismometers, portable land stations and marine air gun seismic sources were used to carry out an onshore-offshore deep seismic profile in northeastern South China Sea. This profile, orientated in NNW-SSE, was as long as 500 km and perpendicular to the strike of regional tectonics. The offshore data were processed in Taiwan Ocean University using a number of available software and the onshore data were analyzed in South China Sea Institute of Oceanology by new-written programs and public software. Preliminary results show that the seismic data are in good quality and contain rich information of deep structure. Seismic phases, e.g. Pg, PmP and Pn, are identified in the offset range 5～220 kin, which will provide an important dataset for the deep crustal structure and oil-gas basin evolution studies of this region.

A Processing Workflow for Ocean Bottom Cable Dual-Sensor Acquisition Data: A Case of 3D Seismic Data in Bohai Bay

The technique of ocean bottom cable (OBC) dual-sensor acquisition is an effective method to suppress the ghost wave and the reverberation at the receiver. With the advent of this technique, the processing method has become the key to the effective use of the OBC dual-sensor data. This paper has developed a new set of processing workflow based on the principle of combining the hydrophone and geophone data. This new process was applied to the OBC data acquired in Bohai area. The actual processing results show that the ghost and the reverberation are attenuated effectively. The frequency energy of the first notch point of the hydrophone data increased from −22 dB to −13 dB, and the frequency energy of the first notch point of the geophone data increased from −18 dB to −10 dB. The spectral characteristics of the dual-sensor data are more reasonable. The frequency spectrum is broadened and richer, and the resolution of the stack profile is improved greatly.

Co-seismic change in ocean bottom topography:Implication to absolute global mean sea level change

Earthquakes perturb both the ocean bottom topography due to displacements of sea floor and the geoid due to mass redistribution, which induces the relative sea level(RSL) change. However, the relative global mean sea level(GMSL) change is zero in that sea water mass is conserved. But the absolute GMSL change is not zero because earthquakes displace total ocean mass with respect to the Earth’s center of mass(CM) which remains unchanged after an earthquake. This displacement, i.e. the absolute GMSL change, may be detectable by altimetry since the satellites are orbiting around CM. In this paper, we proposed a method to estimate co-seismic absolute GMSL change caused by earthquakes based on the point dislocation theory for a spherically symmetric, non-rotating, elastic and isotropic(SNREI) Earth.This change can be directly connected to the perturbation of ocean bottom topography. We first computed co-seismic displacements as well as the change in geo-potential and solved the sea level equation to validate the insignificance of the oceans’ feedback, i.e. the loading effect due to RSL change, to co-seismic displacements. The results imply that the loading effect due to RSL change is negligible on displacements while is considerable on geoid. We then computed the absolute GMSL change caused by co-seismic vertical and horizontal displacements by making use of the integrated Green’s function method. The numerical results show that a large earthquake may raise the absolute GMSL by magnitude of sub-millimeter and the recent three large events cause GMSL to rise about one millimeter, in which the contribution from horizontal displacement is non-negligible.

A rigorous real-time acoustic positioning method for ocean bottom seismic exploration

The conventional technique for positioning seafloor geophones in ocean bottom seismic exploration encounters several challenges,including the significant impact of outliers on positioning results,underutilization of high-precision observations,and low efficiency in real-time data processing.These issues inevitably affect the quality of seismic exploration outcomes.To address these challenges and enhance the accuracy of geophone positioning,this paper proposes a rigorous real-time acoustic positioning method for geophones based on sequential adjustment and Baarda's outlier detection approach.The proposed method comprises three key steps:grouping the original acoustic observations,constructing the intra-group acoustic positioning model,and synthesizing the positioning results across the different groups.The validity and practicality of this approach are confirmed through a simulation experiment as well as the field experiment conducted in the Bohai Sea,China.The results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively eliminates outliers in the original observations and maximizes the utilization of high-quality observations.Compared to traditional acoustic positioning methods,it significantly reduces positioning errors from meters to decimeters,and in some cases can achieve centimeter-level precision.When the sound velocity profile in the operating sea area is measured,the method can attain the posterior standard deviation at the millimeter level and positioning errors within 10 cm.When the sound velocity profile is unknown,the method can achieve the posterior standard deviation at centimeter-level and positioning errors of approximately 20 cm.

New Record Ocean Temperatures and Related Climate Indicators in 2023

The global physical and biogeochemical environment has been substantially altered in response to increased atmospheric greenhouse gases from human activities.In 2023,the sea surface temperature(SST)and upper 2000 m ocean heat content(OHC)reached record highs.The 0–2000 m OHC in 2023 exceeded that of 2022 by 15±10 ZJ(1 Zetta Joules=1021 Joules)(updated IAP/CAS data);9±5 ZJ(NCEI/NOAA data).The Tropical Atlantic Ocean,the Mediterranean Sea,and southern oceans recorded their highest OHC observed since the 1950s.Associated with the onset of a strong El Niño,the global SST reached its record high in 2023 with an annual mean of~0.23℃ higher than 2022 and an astounding>0.3℃ above 2022 values for the second half of 2023.The density stratification and spatial temperature inhomogeneity indexes reached their highest values in 2023.

Microearthquake reveals the lithospheric structure at midocean ridges and oceanic transform faults

Mid-ocean ridge and oceanic transforms are among the most prominent features on the seafloor surface and are crucial for understanding seafloor spreading and plate tectonic dynamics,but the deep structure of the oceanic lithosphere remains poorly understood.The large number of microearthquakes occurring along ridges and transforms provide valuable information for gaining an indepth view of the underlying detailed seismic structures,contributing to understanding geodynamic processes within the oceanic lithosphere.Previous studies have indicated that the maximum depth of microseismicity is controlled by the 600-℃isotherm.However,this perspective is being challenged due to increasing observations of deep earthquakes that far exceed this suggested isotherm along mid-ocean ridges and oceanic transform faults.Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain these deep events,and we suggest that local geodynamic processes(e.g.,magma supply,mylonite shear zone,longlived faults,hydrothermal vents,etc.)likely play a more important role than previously thought.

Impacts of Ice-Ocean Stress on the Subpolar Southern Ocean:Role of the Ocean Surface Current

The mechanical influences involved in the interaction between the Antarctic sea ice and ocean surface current(OSC)on the subpolar Southern Ocean have been systematically investigated for the first time by conducting two simulations that include and exclude the OSC in the calculation of the ice-ocean stress(IOS), using an eddy-permitting coupled ocean-sea ice global model. By comparing the results of these two experiments, significant increases of 5%, 27%, and 24%, were found in the subpolar Southern Ocean when excluding the OSC in the IOS calculation for the ocean surface stress,upwelling, and downwelling, respectively. Excluding the OSC in the IOS calculation also visibly strengthens the total mechanical energy input to the OSC by about 16%, and increases the eddy kinetic energy and mean kinetic energy by about38% and 12%, respectively. Moreover, the response of the meridional overturning circulation in the Southern Ocean yields respective increases of about 16% and 15% for the upper and lower branches;and the subpolar gyres are also found to considerably intensify, by about 12%, 11%, and 11% in the Weddell Gyre, the Ross Gyre, and the Australian-Antarctic Gyre, respectively. The strengthened ocean circulations and Ekman pumping result in a warmer sea surface temperature(SST), and hence an incremental surface heat loss. The increased sea ice drift and warm SST lead to an expansion of the sea ice area and a reduction of sea ice volume. These results emphasize the importance of OSCs in the air-sea-ice interactions on the global ocean circulations and the mass balance of Antarctic ice shelves, and this component may become more significant as the rapid change of Antarctic sea ice.

Hydrographic Characteristics and Oceanic Heat Flux in the Upper Arctic Ocean over the Alpha Ridge Observed by the DTOP Platform in 2018 and 2021

In 2018 and 2021,the Drift-Towing Ocean Profilers(DTOP)provided extensive temperature and salinity data on the upper 120m ocean through their drifts over the Alpha Ridge north of the Canada Basin.The thickness and temperature maximum of Alaska Coastal Water(ACW)ranged from 20m to 40m and-1.5℃to-0.8℃,respectively,and the salinity generally maintained from 30.2 to 32.5.Comparison with World Ocean Atlas 2018’s climatology manifested a 40m-thick and warm ACW roughly ex-ceeding the temperature maximum by 0.4–0.5℃in June–August 2021.This anomalously warm ACW was highly related to the ex-pansion of the Beaufort Gyre in the negative Arctic Oscillation phase.During summer,the under-ice oceanic heat flux F_(w)^(OHF)was elevated,with a maximum value of above 25Wm^(-2).F_(w)^(OHF)was typically low in the freezing season,with an average value of 1.2Wm^(-2).The estimates of upward heat flux contributed by ACW to the sea ice bottom F_(w)^(OHF)were in the range of 3–4Wm^(-2)in June–August 2021,when ACW contained a heat content of more than 80MJm^(-2).The heat loss over this period was driven by a weak stratification upon the ACW layer associated with a surface mixed layer(SML)approaching the ACW core.After autumn,F_(w)^(OHF)was reduced(<2 Wm^(-2))except during rare events when it elevated F_(w)^(OHF)slightly.In addition,the intensive and widespread Ekman suction,which created a violent upwelling north of the Canada Basin,was largely responsible for the substantial cooling and thinning of the ACW layer in the summer of 2021.

Contrasting physical mechanisms of yellowfin tuna fluctuations between the western and eastern Indian Ocean

As an economically critical pelagic migratory species,yellowfin tuna(Thunnus albacores,YFT)is very sensible to physical and environmental conditions,such as sea surface temperature(SST),ocean heat content(OHC),and the mixed layer depth(MLD).We investigated the impact of SST,OHC,and MLD on fluctuations of YFT catch in the western/eastern Indian Ocean using the long time series of 63-year environmental and YFT datasets.We found that the impact of SST on YFT was heavily overestimated in the past,and MLD plays a more critical role in the YFT catch fluctuation.When the MLD deepens(>34.8 m),SST was more influential in predicting the catches of YFT than OHC in the western Indian Ocean,and OHC was more critical to YFT than SST in the eastern Indian Ocean.However,when the MLD shallows(<34.8 m),MLD was more vital to predict the catch per unit effort(CPUE)of YFT than SST/OHC in the western.After 2000,there was an asynchronous pattern of YFT CPUE induced by higher frequency variations and ocean hiatus of SST/OHC signals in the western and eastern Indian Oceans basins.The impact of the subsurface hiatus may induce the decrease of YFT in the eastern Indian Ocean.The above findings clarified a non-stationary relationship between the environmental factors and catches of YFT and provided new insights into variations in YFT abundance.

Deep learning to estimate ocean subsurface salinity structure in the Indian Ocean using satellite observations

Accurately estimating the ocean subsurface salinity structure(OSSS)is crucial for understanding ocean dynamics and predicting climate variations.We present a convolutional neural network(CNN)model to estimate the OSSS in the Indian Ocean using satellite data and Argo observations.We evaluated the performance of the CNN model in terms of its vertical and spatial distribution,as well as seasonal variation of OSSS estimation.Results demonstrate that the CNN model accurately estimates the most significant salinity features in the Indian Ocean using sea surface data with no significant differences from Argo-derived OSSS.However,the estimation accuracy of the CNN model varies with depth,with the most challenging depth being approximately 70 m,corresponding to the halocline layer.Validations of the CNN model’s accuracy in estimating OSSS in the Indian Ocean are also conducted by comparing Argo observations and CNN model estimations along two selected sections and four selected boxes.The results show that the CNN model effectively captures the seasonal variability of salinity,demonstrating its high performance in salinity estimation using sea surface data.Our analysis reveals that sea surface salinity has the strongest correlation with OSSS in shallow layers,while sea surface height anomaly plays a more significant role in deeper layers.These preliminary results provide valuable insights into the feasibility of estimating OSSS using satellite observations and have implications for studying upper ocean dynamics using machine learning techniques.

The sudden ocean warming and its potential influences on earlyfrozen landfast ice in the Prydz Bay, East Antarctica

The ocean conditions beneath the ice cover play a key role in understanding the sea ice mass balance in the polar regions.An integrated high-frequency ice-ocean observation system,including Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter,Conductivity-Temperature-Depth Sensor,and Sea Ice Mass Balance Array(SIMBA),was deployed in the landfast ice region close to the Chinese Zhongshan Station in Antarctica.A sudden ocean warming of 0.14℃(p<0.01)was observed beneath early-frozen landfast ice,from(−1.60±0.03)℃during April 16-19 to(−1.46±0.07)℃during April 20-23,2021,which is the only significant warming event in the nearly 8-month records.The sudden ocean warming brought a double rise in oceanic heat flux,from(21.7±11.1)W/m^(2) during April 16-19 to(44.8±21.3)W/m^(2) during April 20-23,2021,which shifted the original growth phase at the ice bottom,leading to a 2 cm melting,as shown from SIMBA and borehole observations.Simultaneously,the slowdown of ice bottom freezing decreased salt rejection,and the daily trend of observed ocean salinity changed from+0.02 d^(-1) during April 16-19,2021 to+0.003 d^(-1) during April 20-23,2021.The potential reasons are increased air temperature due to the transit cyclones and the weakened vertical ocean mixing due to the tide phase transformation from semi-diurnal to diurnal.The high-frequency observations within the ice-ocean boundary layer enhance the comprehensive investigation of the ocean’s influence on ice evolution at a daily scale.

Early Triassic Silicic Volcanics of South China:Petrogenesis and Constraints on the Geodynamic Evolution of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean Region

The only occurrence of Lower Triassic silicic volcanic rocks within the South China Block is in the Qinzhou Bay area of Guangxi Province.LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating reveals that volcanic rocks of the Beisi and Banba formations formed between 248.8±1.6 and 246.5±1.3 Ma,coeval with peraluminous granites of the Qinzhou Bay Granitic Complex.The studied rhyolites and dacites are characterized by high SiO_(2),K_(2)O,and Al_(2)O_(3),and low MgO,CaO,and P_(2)O_(5) contents and are classified as high-K calc-alkaline S-type rocks,with A/CNK=0.98-1.19.The volcanic rocks are depleted in high field strength elements,e.g.,Nb,Ta,Ti,and P,and enriched in large ion lithophile elements,e.g.,Rb,K,Sr,and Ba.Although the analyzed volcanic rocks have extremely enriched zircon Hf isotopic compositions(ε_(Hf)(t)=-29.1 to-6.9),source discrimination indicators and high calculated Ti-in-zircon temperatures(798-835℃)reveal that magma derived from enriched lithospheric mantle not only provided a heat source for anatectic melting of the metasedimentary protoliths but was also an endmember component of the S-type silicic magma.The studied early Triassic volcanics are inferred to have formed immediately before closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in this region,as the associated subduction would have generated an extensional setting in which the mantle-derived upwelling and volcanic activity occurred.

Seasonal variation of mesoscale eddy intensity in the global ocean

Mesoscale eddies are a prominent oceanic phenomenon that plays an important role in oceanic mass transport and energy conversion.Characterizing by rotational speed,the eddy intensity is one of the most fundamental properties of an eddy.However,the seasonal spatiotemporal variation in eddy intensity has not been examined from a global ocean perspective.In this study,we unveil the seasonal spatiotemporal characteristics of eddy intensity in the global ocean by using the latest satellite-altimetry-derived eddy trajectory data set.The results suggest that the eddy intensity has a distinct seasonal variation,reaching a peak in spring while attaining a minimum in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere.The seasonal variation of eddy intensity is more intense in the tropical-subtropical transition zones within latitudinal bands between 15°and 30°in the western Pacific Ocean,the northwestern Atlantic Ocean,and the eastern Indian Ocean because baroclinic instability in these areas changes sharply.Further analysis found that the seasonal variation of baroclinic instability precedes the eddy intensity by a phase of 2–3 months due to the initial perturbations needing time to grow into mesoscale eddies.

An Overview on the Composition and Age of Upper Crust of Proto-Tethyan Lajishan Intra-oceanic Arc,NE Tibet Plateau

Identification and anatomy of oceanic arcs within ancient orogenic belt are significant for better understanding the tectonic framework and closure process of paleo-ocean basin.This article summarizes the geological,geochemical,and geochronological characteristics of upper crust of Proto-Tethyan Lajishan intra-oceanic arc and provides new data to constrain the subduction evolution of the South Qilian Ocean.The intra-oceanic arc volcanic rocks,including intermediate-mafic lava,breccia,tuff,and minor felsic rocks,are distributed along southern part of the Lajishan ophiolite belt.Geochemical and isotopic compositions indicate that the intermediate-mafic lava were originated from depleted mantle contaminated by sediment melts or hydrous fluids,whereas the felsic rocks were likely generated by partial melting of juvenile mafic crust in intra-oceanic arc setting.Zircons from felsic rocks yield consistent and concordant ages ranging from 506 to 523 Ma,suggesting these volcanic rocks represent the relicts of upper crust of the Cambrian intra-oceanic arc.Combined with the Cambrian forearc ophiolite and accretionary complex,we suggest that the Cambrian intra-oceanic arc in the Lajishan ophiolite belt is belonging to the intra-oceanic arc system which was generated by south-directed subduction in the South Qilian Ocean at a relatively short interval between approximately 530 and 480 Ma.

Evaluation of Nonbreaking Wave-Induced Mixing Parameterization Schemes Based on a One-Dimensional Ocean Model

Surface waves have a considerable effect on vertical mixing in the upper ocean.In the past two decades,the vertical mixing induced through nonbreaking surface waves has been used in ocean and climate models to improve the simulation of the upper ocean.Thus far,several nonbreaking wave-induced mixing parameterization schemes have been proposed;however,no quantitative comparison has been performed among them.In this paper,a one-dimensional ocean model was used to compare the performances of five schemes,including those of Qiao et al.(Q),Hu and Wang(HW),Huang and Qiao(HQ),Pleskachevsky et al.(P),and Ghantous and Babanin(GB).Similar to previous studies,all of these schemes can decrease the simulated sea surface temperature(SST),increase the subsurface temperature,and deepen the mixed layer,thereby alleviating the common thermal deviation problem of the ocean model for upper ocean simulation.Among these schemes,the HQ scheme exhibited the weakest wave-induced mixing effect,and the HW scheme exhibited the strongest effect;the other three schemes exhibited roughly the same effect.In particular,the Q and P schemes exhibited nearly the same effect.In the simulation based on observations from the Ocean Weather Station Papa,the HQ scheme exhibited the best performance,followed by the Q scheme.In the experiment with the HQ scheme,the root-mean-square deviation of the simulated SST from the observations was 0.43℃,and the mixed layer depth(MLD)was 2.0 m.As a contrast,the deviations of the SST and MLD reached 1.25℃ and 8.4 m,respectively,in the experiment without wave-induced mixing.