Sea surface temperature evolution in the Yellow Sea Warm Current pathway and its teleconnection with high and low latitude forcing during the mid-late Holocene

Sea surface temperature(SST)in the Yellow Sea Warm Current(YSWC)pathway is sensitive to the East Asian Winter Monsoon(EAWM)and YSWC.However,the role of the YSWC in the evolution of regional SST remains unclear.Here,we present new U 37 k′based SST and grain size sequences spanning the last 6092 years in the sediment core Z1,which was retrieved from the central Yellow Sea muddy area.Overall,U 37 k′-SST gradually increased since 6.1 ka BP,with a series of centennial-scale fl uctuations.Its variation was mainly caused by EAWM when YSWC was weak between 6.1 and~3.9 ka BP,as shown by the end-member content of grain size.However,after YSWC was fully developed,i.e.,since~3.9 ka BP,it exerted critical eff ects on SST evolution in its pathway.The 1010-and 538-year cycles of the SST sequence indicated a basic control of solar activity on the oceanic conditions in the Yellow Sea.It is suggested that the variation of total solar irradiance was amplifi ed by thermohaline circulation and then transmitted to the Yellow Sea through the EAWM.Meanwhile,the tropical Pacifi c signal of El Niño was transmitted to the YSWC through the Kuroshio Current.The dual properties of warm water transported by YSWC to compensate the EAWM and driving by Kuroshio Current closely linked the variation of SST in the YSWC pathway to the Northern Hemisphere high latitude climate and the tropical Pacifi c.These fi ndings highlight the signifi cance of YSWC on regional SST evolution and its teleconnection to high and low latitude forcing,which grains a better understanding of the long-term evolution of SST in the middle latitude Yellow Sea.

Revisiting the dependence of thermocline-dwelling foraminiferal B/Ca on temperature and [CO32-], and its application in reconstruction of the subsurface carbonate system in the tropical western Pacific since 24 ka

The B/Ca ratio of planktonic foraminifer shells has been used as a proxy for reconstructing past ocean carbonate chemistry. However, recent studies have revealed significant uncertainties associated with this proxy, such as whether seawater temperature or [CO^2-3 ] is the dominant control on the partition coefficient (KD) of planktonic foraminiferal B/Ca. To address these uncertainties and thus improve our understanding of the planktonic foraminiferal B/Ca proxy, we analysed B/Ca ratios in the tests of Neogloboquadrina dutertrei (300- 355 μm) and Pulleniatina obliquiloculata (355- 400 μm) in surface sediment samples from the tropical western Pacific and South China Sea. The relationship between these B/Ca ratios and bottom water calcite saturation states (Δ[CO^2-3 ]) is weak, thus suggesting only a small dissolution effect on the B/Ca of the two species. The correlation coefficients (R2) between the B/Ca ratios of N. dutertrei and P. obliquiloculata and environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, salinity, phosphate, DIC and ALK) in the tropical western Pacific and South China Sea are not high enough to justify using B/Ca ratios as a palaeoenvironmental proxy in the study areas. The significant correlation between KD values of N. dutertrei and P. obliquiloculata and carbonate system parameters (e.g.,[CO^2-3 ], DIC, ALK, pH and [HCO^-3 ]) in the study area reflect chemical links between the KD denominator and these variables. Based on our surface sediment calibration, an empirical relationship between the KD of N. dutertrei and temperature is proposed in the tropical western Pacific. We also generated a record of B/Ca ratios in N. dutertrei (300 -355 μm) from Core MD06-3052 in the tropical western Pacific over the past 24 ka to evaluate the application of the revised B/Ca proxy method. Based on the reconstructed empirical relationship for B/Ca and subsurface seawater ALK, we estimated subsurface seawater carbonate system parameters in the tropical western Pacific since 24 ka. In general, the estimated subsurface seawater pH and [CO^2-3 ] show an increase with time, and the record of subsurface seawater pCO2 shows a decrease with time, in the tropical western Pacific over the past 24 ka. The consistent trends in subsurface seawater pCO2 and opal flux during deglaciation may imply that the reported increase in subsurface water pCO2 in the study area was promoted by enhanced upwelling in the Southern Ocean.

Mangrove forest degradation indicated by mangrove-derived organic matter in the Qinzhou Bay,Guangxi,China,and its response to the Asian monsoon during the Holocene climatic optimum

The response of mangrove ecosystems to the Asian monsoon in the future global warming can be understood by reconstructing the development of mangrove forests during the Holocene climatic optimum（HCO）, using proxies preserved in coastal sediments. The total organic matter in sediments of a segmented core, with calibrated age ranges between 5.6 and 7.7 cal. ka BP and corresponding to the HCO, from the Qinzhou Bay in Guangxi, China, is quantitatively partitioned into three end-members according to their sources： mangrove-derived, terrigenous,and marine phytoplanktonic, using a three-end-member model depicted by organic carbon isotope（δ13Corg） and the molar ratio of total organic carbon to total nitrogen（C/N）. The percentage of mangrove-derived organic matter（MOM） contribution is used as a proxy for mangrove development. Three visible drops in MOM contribution occurred at ca. 7.3, ca. 6.9, and ca. 6.2 cal. ka BP, respectively, are recognized against a relatively stable and higher MOM contribution level, indicating that three distinct mangrove forest degradations occurred in the Qinzhou Bay during the HCO. The three mangrove forest degradations approximately correspond to the time of the strengthened/weakened Asian winter/summer monsoon. This indicates that even during a period favorable for the mangrove development, such as the HCO, climatic extremes, such as cold and dry events driven by the strengthened/weakened Asian winter/summer monsoon, can trigger the degradation of mangrove forests.

A Method for Calculating Bottom Backscattering Strength Using Omnidirectional Projector and Omnidirectional Hydrophone

A method of obtaining bottom backscattering strength by employing an omnidirectional projector and omnidirectional hydrophone is proposed. The backscattering strength is extracted from monostatic backscattering data. The method was adopted in an experiment conducted in the South Yellow Sea of China. The seafloor surface was relatively smooth and covered by a small quantity of shell fragments, as observed through a digital camera system. Sampling data showed that the main component of the sediment at this experimental site was fine sand. In this paper, we detail the calculation method. Preliminary results of backscattering strength as a function of grazing angle(20?–70?) in the frequency range of 6–24 kHz are presented. The measured backscattering strength increased with the grazing angle and changed more rapidly at large grazing angles(60?–70?). A comparison of the data at different frequencies reveals that the measured backscattering strength substantially rises with the increase of acoustic frequency. A fitting curve of Lambert's law against the measured data shows that the backscattering strength deviates from Lambert's law at large grazing angles.

Grain size characteristics of the carbonate-free fraction of surface sediments from the Southwest Indian Ridge area and its geological significance

The carbonate-free fraction of 20 surface sediments collected from the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge(SWIR) was studied by grain size analysis and mineralogical analysis with X-ray powder diffraction(XRD),stereo microscopy and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The characteristics of the carbonate-free fraction of the sediments were obtained, and related influential factors were discussed. The results show that the mean grain size of this fraction is in 1.96Φ–8.19Φ, with poorly sorting and unimodal, bimodal or irregular bimodal distribution patterns. Four grain size end members of the fraction are derived with the End Member Model method. The finest end member EM1 shows a significant contribution of terrigenous materials of the aeolian input and sediment carried by the bottom current. End member EM2 with medium size mainly reflects sediment of a siliceous bioclast origin. EM3 and EM4 are interpreted as representing the coarser volcanic materials related to bedrock weathering or volcanic activities. Multi-provenance is the dominant factor controlling the grain size pattern of the carbonate-free fraction of the sediments in that area. In addition, sediment transport processes such as the bottom current and wind are the minor factors that influence the grain size distribution of the carbonate-free fraction sediments.

Acoustic backscattering measurement from sandy seafloor at 6–24 kHz in the South Yellow Sea

The acoustic bottom backscattering strength was measured at the frequency range of 6–24 kHz on a typical sandy bottom in the South Yellow Sea by using omnidirectional sources and omnidirectional receiving hydrophones. In the experiment, by avoiding disturbances due to scattering off the sea surface and satisfying the far-field condition, we obtained values of acoustic bottom backscattering strength ranging from –41.1 to –24.4 dB within a grazing angle range of 18°–80°. In the effective range of grazing angles, the acoustic scattering strength generally increases with an increase in the grazing angles, but trends of the variation were distinct in different ranges of frequency, which reflect different scattering mechanisms. The frequency dependence of bottom backscattering strength is generally characterized by a positive correlation in the entire frequency range of 6–24 kHz at the grazing angles of 20°, 40° and 60° with the linear regression slopes of 0.222 9 dB/kHz, 0.513 0 dB/kHz and 0.174 6 dB/kHz, respectively. At the largest grazing angle of 80°, the acoustic backscattering strength exhibits no evident frequency dependence.

Geological Guided Tomography Inversion Based on Fault Constraint and Its Application

Fault block reservoirs are one of the main types of hydrocarbon reservoirs found in offshore basins,and they are widely distributed within the Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins of the northern South China Sea.Conventional seismic profiles of complex fault areas often contain obvious fragmentation and distortion of seismic events that is corresponding to geological structure under the fault.This phenomenon is known as a fault shadow;it occurs in relation to rapid changes in velocity near the fault that deviate the ray path of waves,and it seriously affects the ability to determine the geological structure and subsequently evaluate the reserves of fault reservoirs.In the current conventional tomography inversion method,the velocity model is over-smoothed,which results in distortion of the reflection layer under the fault.Based on the velocity tomography inversion of imaging gathers method and the concept of regularization,this paper first introduces the anisotropy Gauss regularization operator.A high-resolution tomography inversion method is then developed,and the fault-controlled geological guidance is constrained.This technology is then applied to a complex fault block reservoir basin in the South China Sea,and the results show that it can significantly solve the problem of fault shadow imaging and determine the geological structures in the target area.The newly developed method thus has very good application prospects.

Wave flume experiments on the contribution of seabed fluidization to sediment resuspension

Sediment resuspension is commonly assumed to be eroded from the seabed surface by an excess bottom shear stress and evolves in layers from the top down. Although considerable investigations have argued the importance of wave-induced seabed fluidization in affecting the sediment resuspension, few studies have been able to reliably evaluate its quantitative contribution till now. Attempt is made to preliminarily quantify the contribution of fluidization to resuspension using a series of large-scale wave flume experiments. The experimental results indicated that fluidization of the sandy silts of the Huanghe Delta account for 52.5% and 66.8% of the total resuspension under model scales of 4/20 and 6/20（i.e., relative water depth： the ratio of wave height to water depth）, respectively. Some previously reported results obtained using the same flume and sediments are also summarized for a contrastive analysis, through which not only the positive correlation is confirmed, but also a parametric equation for depicting the relationship between the contribution of fluidization and the model scale is established. Finally, the contribution of fluidization is attributed to two physical mechanisms：（1） an attenuation of the erosion resistance of fluidized sediments in surface layers due to the disappearing of original cohesion and the uplifting effect resulting from upward seepage flows, and（2） seepage pumping of fines from the interior to the surface of fluidized seabed.

The sub-fossils of leaf fragments in sediments as an indicator of mangrove development in the Yingluo Bay, Guangxi, Southwest China over the last 130 years

Located in the intertidal zone of the tropical and subtropical coasts, mangrove forests are an important ecosystem in the global carbon cycle and serve as a protector of local seashores. Under the double impacts of climate change,especially sea-level rise, and human activity, mangrove forests around the world have faced degradation, against which the reconstruction of the historical development of mangrove forests using an effective indicator has been regarded as a necessary strategy for designing a predictable model. As the primary product of mangrove forest, it is reasonable that the content of leaf fragments of mangrove(CLFM) buried in sediments in the form of sub-fossils potentially has the same indicative function for the development of mangrove forests as that of widely-used mangrove pollen. In this study, the leaf fragments of mangrove in two sediment cores(YLW02 and YLW03) drilled in the Yingluo Bay in Guangxi, Southwest China were picked out and weighted for calculation of CLFM, which was used as an indicator of mangrove development after examination of parallelism and a statistical correlation of the CLFM with the concentration of mangrove pollen. The results clearly show that the vertical distribution of the CLFM for the core taken from the landward margin of mangrove forests(YLW03) only parallels that of the local mangrove species(Rhizophora. stylosa) with a significantly positive correlation(R=0.56, P=0.05), while the vertical distribution of the CLFM for the core taken from the interface between seaward margin of mangrove forest and the trunk of tidal creeks of the bay(YLW02) parallels the summed concentration of mangrove pollen(SCMP) with a more positive correlation than that of YLW03(R=0.85, P=0.01), indicating that the trunk outlet of tidal creeks must have been the site where mangrove production gathered from the overall forest rather than from local production. The variations in the CLFM of both cores indicate that overall the mangrove forests in the Yingluo Bay have increasingly flourished over the last 130 years except for the interval of 1940–1950 AD in response to an increase in air temperature and decrease in rainfall, which would have resulted in an increase in seawater salinity;while the coupled extreme increases in air temperature and in rainfall in summer, which would have resulted in extreme decreases in seawater salinity, would be responsible for the relative degradation of mangrove forests in the interval of 1940–1950 AD.

Spatiotemporal variations in the organic carbon accumulation rate in mangrove sediments from the Yingluo Bay,China,since 1900

Mangroves can not only provide multiple ecosystem service functions,but are also efficient carbon producers,capturers,and sinks.The estimation of the organic carbon accumulation rate(OCAR)in mangrove sediments is fundamental for elucidating the role of mangroves in the global carbon budget.In particular,understanding the past changes in the OCAR in mangrove sediments is vital for predicting the future role of mangroves in the rapidly changing environment.In this study,three dated sediment cores from interior and fringe of mangroves in the Yingluo Bay,China,were used to reconstruct the spatiotemporal variations of the calculated OCAR since 1900 in this area.The increasing OCAR in the mangrove interior was attributed to mangrove flourishment induced by climate change characterized by the rising temperature.However,in the mangrove fringe,the strengthening hydrodynamic conditions under the sea level rise were responsible for the decreasing OCAR,particularly after the1940 s.Furthermore,the duration of inundation by seawater was the primary factors controlling the spatial variability of the OCAR from the mangrove fringe to interior,while the strengthened hydrodynamic conditions after the 1940 s broke this original pattern.

Mixed Carbonate-Siliciclastic Deposits in a Channel Complex in the Northern South China Sea

New high-resolution 3D seismic data image a submarine channel complex in the northern slope of the South China Sea. The channel complex stretches hundreds of kilometers across the slope and flows into the deepsea from the siliciclastic shelf margin, linking neritic environment to the pelagic plain. The evolution of the channel complex developed two sedimentary stages, stage Ⅰ （19.1-18.5 Ma） and stage Ⅱ （18.5-17.5 Ma）, separated by erosional surfaces. In the first stage, the complex was rifled with pure siliciclastic sediments, forming thick-massive sandstone intercalated by thin layers of mudstone. During the stage Ⅱ, the channel complex was deposited five carbonate-siliciclastic cycles. The unexpected channel-fifl carbonate deposits present allochthonous characteristics, suggesting the siliciclastic channel was surprisingly used to transport carbonate sediment from the adjacent neritic carbonate platform. By analyzing the periodical carbonate sedimentary process in the siliciclastic channel complex, we infer that it was related to the in situ carbonate production of the neritic carbonate platform and was most likely to be controlled by the relative sea-level changes. Unlike line-source carbonate slope aprons or smafl-sized carbonate channels, the large-sized siliciclastic channel complex links directly neritic carbonate platform to deepwater basin and can transport large volumes of neritic carbonates to the pelagic environment in a short period. The new findings help to estimate the contributions of neritie siliciclastic shelf and carbonate platform to deepwater slope more accurately. This study suggests that channel systems are more complex than expected and have significant implications on the conceptual models describing the deepwater sedimentary theory.