Hydrodynamic Performance of A Floating Breakwater System Under the Terrain of Islands and Reefs: A 3D Experimental Study

With the acceleration of marine construction in China,the exploitation and utilization of resources from islands and reefs are necessary.To prevent and dissipate waves in the process of resource exploitation and utilization,a more effective method is to install floating breakwaters near the terrain of islands and reefs.The terrain around islands and reefs is complex,and waves undergo a series of changes due to the impact of the complex terrain in transmission.It is important to find a suitable location for floating breakwater systems on islands and reefs and investigate how the terrain affects the system’s hydrodynamic performance.This paper introduces a three-cylinder floating breakwater design.The breakwater system consists of 8 units connected by elastic structures and secured by a slack mooring system.To evaluate its effectiveness,a 3D model experiment was conducted in a wave basin.During the experiment,a model resembling the islands and reefs terrain was created on the basis of the water depth map of a specific region in the East China Sea.The transmission coefficients and motion responses of the three-cylinder floating breakwater system were then measured.This was done both in the middle of and behind the islands and reefs terrain.According to the experimental results,the three-cylinder floating breakwater system performs better in terms of hydrodynamics when it is placed behind the terrain of islands and reefs than in the middle of the same terrain.

PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE PELAGIC POLYCHAETES FROM THE SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS,BISCOE ISLANDS AND THEIR VICINITIES

This report provides a result obtained by the First Chinese Antarctic and Southern Ocean Expedition. Specimens were collected by investigators of the Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, with plankton nets in February and March of 1985 from the South Shetland Islands, the Biscoe Islands and their vicinities, between 61°15'20S-65°30'16S, 56°18'72W-67°59'45W. Eight species belonging to 5 genera in 4 families have been identified, of which 4 species, namely Maupasia coeca Viguier, Rhyn-chonerella petersii (Langerhans), Rhynchonerella bongraini (Gravier), and Tomopteris planktonis Aps-tein are recorded for the first time from the South Shetland Islands and 2 species, namely Rhynchonerella bongraini (Gravier), and Tomopteris carpenteri Quatrefages are endemic species of Antarctica.

Survey of reefs based on Landsat 8 operational land imager(OLI)images in the Nansha Islands, South China Sea

A detailed survey of the reefs in the Nansha Islands＇ sea that are of strategic importance is conducive to their future development. In this study, a total of 50 Landsat 8 operational land imager（OLI） images were used to analyze the geological features and spectral characteristics of the Nansha reefs. The exposed islands/sandbanks,reef flats and sub-tidal reefs were identified with the near-infrared band, the red and green bands, and the blue band, respectively. Based on the relationships among various characteristics and bands illustrated in the OLI images, the maximum between-cluster variance threshold algorithm（OTSU method） and the mathematical morphology were employed to extract characteristic parameters of the spatial geometry of the reefs from top to bottom, which were subsequently operated by a series of post-processing methods such as vectorization,simplification and topological analysis. Among the 132 standalone reefs and 16 atolls that are identified in the study, four reefs have yet to be named in the Standard Names of Various Islands in the South China Sea and the website Nansha Islands Online（http：//www.nansha.org/）. Another 24 ones are exposed to the atmosphere even during high tides. Taiping Island with an area of 0.57 km^2 represents the largest exposed geological feature. This study demonstrated the applicability of medium-resolution satellite images to derive the coral reef information effectively and thus provided information for the related departments that are responsible to manage the coast.An improved resolution of multispectral bands with the panchromatic band in higher spatial resolution（15 m for OLI image） is expected to provide an optimum satellite based approach to map marine habitats.

Damage assessment of the target area of the island/reef under the attack of missile warhead

Under the background of vigorously developing facilities of island/reef in the world,the economic value and strategic significance of the island/reef have become increasingly important.Unfortunately,they may easily become the attacking target of missiles in the war time.Therefore,aiming at the damage quantification of the targets in the island/reef under the missile attacking,a macroscopic damage assessment model for the target area is proposed in this paper.The model focuses on the construction of the assessment model framework.Firstly,the analytic hierarchy process and the grey relational analysis are applied to measure the importance of each target in the region through four indicators of the target hazard,striking urgency,damage advantage and mission relevance,respectively.Secondly,based on the damage mechanism of shock wave and fragments to target,the corresponding damage model is established,and the damage grade of each target in the evaluated area is obtained according to the damage criteria and grading standard.Finally,the model obtains the overall damage grade of the target area by employing the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method,with synthesizing the importance and the damage grade of each target.Through the verification of an example,it demonstrates the certain feasibility of the model and provides a certain basis and reference for the subsequent research.

Regional hard coral distribution within geomorphic and reef flat ecological zones determined by satellite imagery of the Xisha Islands,South China Sea

Coral reefs in the Xisha Islands （also known as the Paracel Islands in English）, South China Sea, have experienced dramatic declines in coral cover. However, the current regional scale hard coral distribution of geomorphic and ecological zones, essential for reefs management in the context of global warming and ocean acidification, is not well documented. We analyzed data from field surveys, Landsat-8 and GF-1 images to map the distribution of hard coral within geomorphic zones and reef fiat ecological zones. In situ surveys conducted in June 2014 on nine reefs provided a complete picture of reef status with regard to live coral diversity, evenness of coral cover and reef health （live versus dead cover） for the Xisha Islands. Mean coral cover was 12.5% in 2014 and damaged reefs seemed to show signs of recovery. Coral cover in sheltered habitats such as lagoon patch reefs and biotic dense zones of reef flats was higher, but there were large regional differences and low diversity. In contrast, the more exposed reef slopes had high coral diversity, along with high and more equal distributions of coral cover. Mean hard coral cover of other zones was 〈10%. The total Xisha reef system was estimated to cover 1 060 km2, and the emergent reefs covered -787 km2. Hard corals of emergent reefs were considered to cover 97 km2. The biotic dense zone of the reef flat was a very common zone on all simple atolls, especially the broader northern reef flats. The total cover of live and dead coral can reach above 70% in this zone, showing an equilibrium between live and dead coral as opposed to coral and algae. This information regarding the spatial distribution of hard coral can support and inform the management of Xisha reef ecosystems.

Remote sensing composite information's trend surface analysis of Nansha Islands coral islets and reefs' top

Based on the remote sensing information feature of Nansha coral islets and reefs that controlled by the Nansha Islands local area's goological structure and growth law, by means of mathematical model and PC, the Nansha Islands coral islets and reefs' top geological data' spatial distribution and local change trend are simulated by using the trend surface system on the remote sensing composite information, and an scientific interpretation and local comparison of Nansha coral islands and islets' spatial distribution feature are made.

The influence of earthquakes on Zhubi Reef in the Nansha Islands of the South China Sea

It is exceedingly important to estimate the stability of coral reefs. In recent years, growing construction projects have been carried out on the reef flat in the South China Sea. As a special marine geotechnical medium, it is made of the reef debris underwent overwhelmingly long geological age. Reefs grow thickly on the carbonate platform after the Late Oligocene and have five to six main sedimentary facies. It can be used as a recorder to measure the occurrence time of recent earthquake. A model of reef body is presented to study the influence of earthquakes according to the geological structure characteristic of reefs in the Nansha Islands. Furthermore, Geo Studio is used to simulate stress and deformation situations within it under various earthquake intensities. A safety factor is calculated by the limit equilibrium method, and the possible scenarios of earthquake-induced landslides and sliding scale are defined with a Newmark sliding block method, as well as stress distribution and deformation behaviors. Therefore, the numerical results suggest that the connections between the coral reef and the earthquake are as follows：（1） the reef body has a good stability under self-gravity state;（2） after the earthquake, it may cause slope＇s instability and bring out slumping when the safety factor is smaller than 1（FS〈1）;（3） the safety factor decreases with the increasing earthquake intensity, and fluctuates around a particular value after a while;and（4） as a new developed part of the reef, the smaller shallow landslide will be easily subject to collapse caused by the earthquake. It is concluded that it is feasible to provide a reference for evaluating the stability of coral reef using a geotechnical engineering simulation method. This can help the engineering constructions in the South China Sea.

Reconstructing Environmental Changes of a Coastal Lagoon with Coral Reefs in Southeastern Hainan Island

Coastal lagoons with small catchment basins are highly sensitive to natural processes and anthropogenic activities. To figure out the environmental changes of a coastal lagoon and its contribution to carbon burial, two sediment cores were collected in Xincun Lagoon, southeastern Hainan Island and (210) ~Pb activities, grain size parameters, total organic carbon(TOC), total nitrogen(TN), total inorganic carbon(TIC) and stable carbon isotopes(δ^(13)C) were measured. The results show that in 1770–1815, the decreasing water exchange capacity with outer open water, probably caused by the shifting and narrowing of the tidal inlet, not only diminished the currents and fined the sediments in the lagoon, but also reduced the organic matter of marine sources. From 1815 to 1950, the sedimentary environment of Xincun Lagoon was frequently influenced by storm events. These extreme events resulted in the high fluctuation of sediment grain size and sorting, as well as the great variation in contributions of terrestrial(higher plants, soils) and marine sources(phytoplankton, algae, seagrass). The extremely high content of TIC, compared to TOC before 1950 could be attributed to the large-scale coverage of coral reefs. However, with the boost of seawater aquaculture activities after 1970, the health growth of coral species was severely threatened, and corresponding production and inorganic carbon burial flux reduced. The apparent enhanced inorganic carbon burial rate after 1990 might result from the concomitant carbonate debris produced by seawater aquaculture. This result is important for local government long-term coastal management and environmental planning.

The Effect of Climate on the Chemical Composition of the Coral Reefs around Kubbar Island—Kuwait

Thick recent carbonate sediments cover all the intertidal and subtidal zones consist of mainly different shell and coral reef debris. The chemical investigations of the coral fragments were done on controlled bases, which depend on the coral size and seasons, in order to elucidate the effect of weather parameters on the coral reefs. Geochemical investigation indicated that corals gathered from high-tide mark are mainly contaminated by copper, cobalt, and chromium and the corals gathered from low-tide mark are contaminated by lead and zinc. All the analyzed coral samples are contaminated by copper. The major contamination sights by heavy metals are related to the weather pattern around the islands. Calcium concentration in all the corals indicates a low-Magnesium calcite or aragonite composition, except for some coral samples which were gathered during October from the high-tide mark. Trace element concentration levels show high concentrations at sights of low-wave action around the island during the various seasons. Chemical analysis on the coral derbies indicates compositional variations regarding calcium and magnesium mole% between the seasons and at different locations and it is dependant on wind direction and water salinity. Some localities are iron rich others are aluminum and potassium rich. Generally, aluminum, iron, and potassium occur in lower quantities than the other elements. Therefore, all the chemical data regarding trace elements indicate relationship to weather and environmental parameters.

The role of biocrusts in nitrogen cycling on the tropical reef islands,South China Sea

Harboring polyextremotolerant microbial topsoil communities,biological soil crusts(biocrusts)occur across various climatic zones,and have been well studied in the terrestrial drylands.However,little is known about the functional metabolic potential of microbial communities involved in the biogeochemical processes during the early succession of biocrusts on the tropical reef islands.We collected 26 biocrusts and bare soil samples from the Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands,and applied a functional gene array(GeoChip 5.0)to reveal nitrogen(N)cycling processes involved in these samples.Both physicochemical measurement and enzyme activity assay were utilized to characterize the soil properties.Results revealed the composition of N-cycling functional genes in biocrusts was distinct from that in bare soil.Additionally,microorganisms in biocrusts showed lower functional potential related to ammonification,denitrification,N assimilation,nitrification,N fixation,and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium compared to bare soils.Although the abundance of nifH gene was lower in biocrusts,nitrogenase activity was significantly higher compared to that in bare soils.Precipitation,soil physicochemical properties(i.e.,soil available copper,soil ammonia N and pH)and soil biological properties(i.e.,β-glucosidase,fluorescein diacetate hydrolase,alkaline protease,urease,alkaline phosphatase,catalase and chlorophyll a)correlated to the N-cycling functional genes structure.Nitrate N and ammonia N were more abundant in biocrusts than bare soil,while pH value was higher in bare soil.Our results suggested biocrusts play an important role in N-cycling in coral sand soil,and will be helpful in understanding the development and ecological functions of biocrusts on tropical reef islands.

An investigation of the morphodynamic change of reef islands under monochromatic waves

The persistence and habitability of coral reef islands in future extreme oceanographic conditions has received increasing attention in the recent decade,concerning that the sea level rise(SLR)and more frequent and intense storms in the context of global climate change are expected to destabilize those islands.Here,we conduct a set of wave-flume laboratory experiments focusing on the morphodynamic change of reef islands to varying ocean forcing conditions(wave height and SLR).Subsequently,a phase-resolving XBeach numerical model is adopted to simulate the monochromatic wave process and its associated sediment dynamics.The adopted model is also firstly validated by laboratory experimental results as reported in this study.It is then used to examine the impacts of island morphological factors(island width,island height,island location and island side slope)on the island migration.The combined laboratory/physical and numerical experiment outputs suggest that reef islands can accrete vertically in response to the sea level rise and the increased storminess.

Construction and analysis of a coral reef trophic network for Qilianyu Islands,Xisha Islands

Qilianyu Islands coral reefs(QICR),located in the northeastern part of the South China Sea,has been affected by human activities and natural disturbance.To characterize the trophic structure,ecosystem properties and keystone species of this region,a food-web model for the QICR is developed using methods involving a mass-balance approach with Ecopath with Ecosim software.Trophic levels range from 1.00 for detritus and primary producers to 3.80 for chondrichthyes.The mean trophic transfer efficiency for the entire ecosystem is 13.15%,with 55%of total energy flow originating from primary producers.A mixed trophic impact analysis indicates that coral strongly impacts most components of this ecosystem.A comparison of our QICR model with that for other coral reef ecosystems suggests that the QICR ecosystem is immature and/or is degraded.

Submerged Geosynthetic Reef as Shore Protection Measure for Islands

The Sagar Island,located north of the Bay of Bengal,intercepts the flow in the Hoogly estuary that comprises a network of several estuarine distributaries and creeks,which is considered to be one of the largest estuarine systems in the world.The Hooghly River experiences a tidal range in the order of about 4 m,due to which the tide-generated currents drive the sediments which are continuously set in motion.The temple,Kapil Muni(21°38'15.35"N,88°4'30.56"E)is located on the south-western side of Sagar Island,where an annual religious festival and rituals with about a million pilgrims is conducted.The pertinent erosion problem at a rate of about 5 m/year is prevalent at the site has considerably reduced the beach width,thereby,resulting in reduced space for religious as well as recreational activities along the coast.A novel cross-section for the proposed submerged reef using geosynthetic materials is designed considering the different sitespecific,environmental,and socio-economic conditions.The submerged reef can effectively be devised to redistribute the current circulation pattern and trap the sediment for beach restoration.The performance of such a structure depends on its geometrical and structural characteristics,the location of the reef(i.e.)the water depth at the toe,distance from the coastline,wave-structure interaction,sediment transport and local morpho dynamics.The aforesaid criteria were optimized using a numerical model which predicted the average residual velocity in the site to be in the order of about 1 m/s.Owing to logistical constraints geosynthetic materials had to be employed.The detailed design of such a system arrived through numerical modelling and field measurements are presented and discussed in this paper.

Durability of Concrete with Different Improvement Measures and Its Ser-vice Life Prediction in Island and Reef Environment

To solve the durability of island and reef concrete engineering in the harsh environment of high temperature,high salt,high humidity and windy,the strength grade of concrete and the type of corrosion inhibitor were used as the influence factors,while the relative dynamic elastic modulus was used as the evaluation index.In addition,the law and time variability of the deterioration of concrete,the size effect,environmental similarity and the service life model were studied.The results showed that improving the strength grade of concrete could improve the durability of concrete,and corrosion inhibitor could slightly improve the durability of concrete.Time-varying law of the deterioration of concrete conformed to the univariate quadratic polynomial.Combined with the concrete damage equivalent theory,a size effect model based on the relative dynamic elastic modulus was proposed and verified,and the size effect coefficient was also given.An environmental similarity model between simulated and practical island and reef environment was proposed.Combined with the reliability theory and the first order second moment method,a new service life model of concrete structure was proposed.The authors were convinced that the research will be advantageous to researchers.

Sedimentology of the Redang Island Coral Reefs Environment

A study on the sedimentology of the Redang Island coral reefs environment was conducted. Sediments were collected on board UNIPERTAMA VII during the pre and post monsoon seasons. Twenty and seven sediments samples were collected using a Smith McIntyre grab on board UNI PERTAMA VII and put in labelled plastic bags then brought back to the laboratory for analysis. The sediments were analyzed for their sedimentological characteristics （mean size, skewness, standard deviation and kurtosis） using dry sieving method. Results showed that the highest mean size value of the sediments during the pre and post monsoons seasons are 2.14 ~ and 2.37 O. respectively and the lowest are -0.40 q~ and -0.10 ~, respectively. Based on the results, sediments can be classified as medium sand （34%）, poorly sorted （67%）, strongly negative skewed （36%） and extremely leptokurtic （56%） during the pre monsoon season, while during the post monsoon season sediments can be classified as medium sand （38%）, poorly sorted （73%）, strongly negative skewed （41%） and very leptokurtic （62%）. Results revealed that the sediments in the whole study area are relatively coarse. No relationship was observed between mean size and other sedimentological characteristics （R2= 0.05 pre-monsoon. R2 =0.0017 post monsoon） with seasons.

Distribution of Rare Earth Elements in Early Permian Reef-Island Ocean Sediments in Eastern Kunlun

Abstract: Based on the study of stratigraphy and fossils, the Early Permian ocean in eastern Kunlun is recognized as a kind of reef-island ocean, in which there exist many different kinds of sediment, including patch carbonate platform, reef facies, transitional facies and deep basin sediments. It has been found that the total contents of REEs increase gradually from carbonate platform facies to deep basin facies. Meanwhile, sediments of different facies have different REE distribution patterns and different Ce anomalies. Most of the sediments of patch carbonate platform facies or reef facies are characterized by extremely negative Ce anomalies or moderately negative Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce*=0.33 to 0.55), and medium or thin-bedded limestones of transitional facies by moderately negative Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce*=0.49 to 0.60). However, sediments of deep basin facies show weak or no negative Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce*=0.69 to 1.47), among which the value of Ce/Ce* in the radiolarian chert is 1.47.

Drivers,Trends,and Patterns of Changing Vegetation-greenness in Nansha Islands,China from 2016 to 2022

Changes in vegetation status generally also represents changes in the ecological health of islands and reefs(IRs).However,studies are limited of drivers and trends of vegetation change of Nansha Islands,China and how they relate to climate change and human activities.To resolve this limitation,we studied changes to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)vegetation-greenness index for 22 IRs of Nansha Islands during normal and extreme conditions.Trends of vegetation greenness were analyzed using Sen's slope and Mann-Kendall test at two spatial scales(pixel and island),and driving factor analyses were performed by time-lagged partial correlation analyses.These were related to impacts from human activities and climatic factors under normal(temperature,precipitation,radiation,and Normalized Difference Built-up Index(NDBI))and extreme conditions(wind speed and latitude of IRs)from 2016 to 2022.Results showed:1)among the 22 IRs,NDVI increased/decreased significantly in 15/4 IRs,respectively.Huayang Reef had the highest NDVI change-rate(0.48%/mon),and Zhongye Island had the lowest(–0.29%/mon).Local spatial patterns were in one of two forms:dotted-form,and degradation in banded-form.2)Under normal conditions,human activities(characterized by NDBI)had higher impacts on vegetation-greenness than other factors.3)Under extreme conditions,wind speed(R^(2)=0.2337,P<0.05)and latitude(R^(2)=0.2769,P<0.05)provided limited explanation for changes from typhoon events.Our results provide scientific support for the sustainable development of Nansha Islands and the United Nations‘Ocean Decade’initiative.

基于Reef Check调查的涠洲岛珊瑚礁生态状况评价

采用Reef Check(珊瑚礁健康调查法)和珊瑚礁生态系统健康指标因素分析法,对广西北海涠洲岛珊瑚礁健康状况进行评价。Reef Check调查从2001―2012年共进行了11 a,调查区为涠洲岛的竹蔗簝、公山、牛背坑3个地点,调查项目包括鱼类、无脊椎动物、珊瑚礁底质。调查结果表明:涠洲岛周边不同区域的珊瑚礁生态状况有较大差异,在竹蔗簝和牛背坑调查区的珊瑚礁覆盖率较为稳定;而在公山调查区,则发现珊瑚在2002年间出现了大面积死亡的情况,至今尚未恢复。利用珊瑚礁生态系统健康指标因素分析法对涠洲岛珊瑚礁健康状况进行评价,结果表明:竹蔗簝和牛背坑的珊瑚礁健康状态相似,都属于一般,其中牛背坑略好,而公山的珊瑚礁健康状态较差。

我国海岛礁综合地质调查工作回顾与展望

我国约有11000个海岛礁,是开发海洋经济的纽带,是维护国家海洋权益的桥头堡。本文详细介绍了海岛礁的地质调查的历史与现状,系统总结了岛礁基础地质、矿产资源、地下水资源、地质灾害、地质遗迹、遥感地质等调查成果,结合国家、社会、经济发展与资源、环境并重的宏观背景,建议开展一轮全国海岛礁综合地质调查;扩大调查范围与精度;推进以岛礁为中心的重大工程项目;实施区域矿产资源、水资源、地质灾害等调查与评价;设置典型岛礁专项地质调查;强化海岛礁地球系统科学理论研究;以项目带动科研的方式,促进岛礁地质学的发展,提升地质科技创新能力;制定岛礁地质调查技术规程指导项目开展;建立岛礁综合地质信息档案服务社会,发挥地质工作的基础性、公益性、战略性作用,为国家资源安全保障和社会经济发展提供可靠的地质支撑。

TYPE AND EVOLUTION OF LANDSCAPES OF NANSHA ISLANDS

Landscapes of the Nansha Islands may be divided into five types: tropical marine organismbreeding landscape of reef knoll like Zengmu Shoal, Wan'an Bank and so on; tropical marine organismbreeding landscape of atoll including all emerged reefs and most submerged reefs; tropical evergreen arborbush forest and phosphorous lime soil landscape of limesand Islets like Taiping Islet, Nanwei islet and so on; tropical shallow sea marine organismbreeding landscape of southern continental shelf; tropical oceanic and deepsea marine organism landscape in middle and north parts of the Nansha Islands area. These five landscape types may be also summed up as two categories, one is tropical sea landscape including those in shallow and deep sea, the other is tropical coral reef landscape including those of reef knoll, atoll and limesand islet. This paper outlines the evolutional model of landscapes of the Nansha Islands. The distribution and evolution of landscape types are related with palaeogeography and modern environmental conditions. The former shallow sea of the Nansha islands was coastal zone in the Late Pleistocene epoch. Deep sea is evolved from shallow sea due to long and slow subsidence of crust. Modern coral reefs develop on old reef top of the Late pleistocene epoch or on baserock of continental shelf in the Holocene due to the rise of sea level in postglacial. Limesand islet is in the peak of developmental stage.