Transport of radionuclides by sea-ice and dense-water formed in western Kara Sea flaw leads

A transport assessment of particle-bound and dissolved artificial radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu) by sea-ice and dense-water formed in western Kara Sea flaw leads close to the Novaya Zemlya dumping sites is presented in this study. We both performed a “best estimate” based on available data, and a “maximum assessment” relying on simulated constant releases of 1 TBq ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu from individual dumping bays. The estimates are based on a combination of (i) the content of particulate matter in sea-ice; (ii) analytical data and numerical simulations of radionuclide concentrations in shelf surface deposits, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and the dissolved phase; and (iii) estimates of lead-ice and dense-water formation rates as well as modeling results of local ice drift pathways. In the “best estimate” case, 2.90 GBq ¹³⁷Cs and 0.51 GBq ^239,240Pu attached to sea-ice sediments can be exported from the lead areas toward the central Arctic basin. The radionuclide burden of the annually formed dense lead water in the “best estimate” amounts to 4.68 TBq ¹³⁷Cs and 0.014 TBq ^239,240Pu. In the “maximum assessment”, potential export-rates of ice-particle bound ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu toward the central Arctic would amount to 0.64 and 0.16 TBq, respectively. As much as ≈900 TBq ¹³⁷Cs and ≈6.75 TBq ^239,240Pu could be annually taken up by 34.75 dense-water rejected in the lead area. Assuming the (unlikely) instantaneous release of the total ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu inventories (≈1 PBq and 10 TBq, respectively) from the Novaya Zemlya dumping sites into the dissolved phase, the dense lead water locally formed during one winter season could take up ≈90% of the Cs and ≈68% of the Pu released.     

Pb and Pu in the Northeast Water Polynya, Greenland: particle dynamics and sediment mixing rates

Distributions of the radionuclides ²¹⁰Pb and ^239,240Pu in sediment cores from the Northeast Water Polynya, Greenland, showed that these nuclides reached depths of 5–15 cm by particle mixing and sediment accumulation. End-member average values of the particle mixing coefficient and sediment accumulation rate were 0.13 cm² y⁻¹ and 0.06 cm y⁻¹, obtained from the ²¹⁰Pb profiles by assuming that each process is dominant relative to the other. Both ²¹⁰Pb and ^239,240Pu were measured on four cores; using the Pu data to constrain mixing rates produced corrected sediment accumulation rates that were 20–80% of the values calculated by neglecting mixing. Organic carbon burial in the polynya sediments was ≤0.4 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, based on measured POC values at depth in the sediments and sediment accumulation rates corrected for mixing. This value is about 1% of the independently measured POC flux leaving the euphotic zone and compares with benthic carbon remineralization rates of 7% calculated by others from O₂ uptake in the sediments.The inventories of excess ²¹⁰Pb in the sediments ranged from 6 to 28 dpm cm⁻². Relative to the atmospheric input of ²¹⁰Pb and in situ production from decay of ²²⁶Ra, approximately 5 dpm cm⁻² of ²¹⁰Pb was being removed from the water column. The difference between the removal from the water column and sediment inventories suggests a net import of ²¹⁰Pb to the polynya. This may occur by input of dissolved ²¹⁰Pb from offshore waters or by input of ²¹⁰Pb carried by sea ice. Particulate matter in land-derived fast ice adjacent to the polynya contained 330 ± 14 dpm of excess ²¹⁰Pb g⁻¹. If particles transported in sea ice are comparable to those extracted from fast ice, then sea ice transport into the polynya followed by melting may be an important source of excess ²¹⁰Pb to the area. Fast ice also may contribute ²¹⁰Pb if portions break off and melt within the polynya, as occurred in 1993.     

The coastal edge of the Northeast Water polynya in spring 1993

Multidisciplinary, marine ecological observations were conducted at the shallow water edge of the Northeast Water in June, 1993. Although variable in size and shape, a small polynya was constantly present at Eskimonaes, at the fast-ice edge of Ingolfsfjord. A shallow stratified layer developed at the water sufface at negative water and air temperatures—an effect of sea ice melting in cold water early in the season. Nutrients were recorded in considerable quantities, although by mid July NO₃ had become depleted. The chlorophyll and phytoplankton maxima at 8–12 m depth had peak values of 2 mg chl a m⁻³, typical for Arctic algal blooms. The phytoplankton included over 90 species and was dominated by the Fragillariopsis group. Zooplankton was poor in biomass and density, but over 23 taxa were found, with the copepods Oithona similis and Pseudocalanus acuspes being numerically dominant. Sedimentation was approximately 0.2 g dry weight m⁻² d⁻¹ and suspended matter concentrations ranged from 4 to 19 mg l⁻¹. The benthos was represented by hard bottom forms only, with a surprisingly dense cover of macrophytes. Juvenile sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis), brittle stars (Ophiocten sericeum) and amphipods were dominant. Higher trophic levels were represented by benthic feeders, such as eiders and walruses. The area observed was more similar to high Arctic fjord ecosystems than to the offshore central Northeast Water polynya.     

The importance of Öresund and the Drogden Sill for Baltic inflow

Based on high resolution current and salinity measurements from the Flinten and Drogden Channels, this paper assesses the relative importance of major Baltic inflows on ‘everyday' flow conditions of highly saline water (S>17 PSU) through the Öresund for a period of 43 months. During years with no major Baltic inflows, 1994–1996, it is found that the Öresund on average supplies 1.2 Peta-grams (Pg) of salt net/year to the Baltic, while inflow above 17 PSU is in the order of 2.3 to 4.0 Pg/year. Sixty percent of this inflow is in the salinity range 17–23 PSU; the remainder has a higher salinity. It is, thus, concluded that normal and regularly occurring flow in the Öresund plays a much larger role in supplying salt to the Baltic than is usually assumed.     

Inorganic carbon fluxes through the boundaries of the Greenland Sea Basin based on in situ observations and water transport estimates

A carbon budget for the exchange of total dissolved inorganic carbon C_T between the Greenland Sea and the surrounding seas has been constructed for winter and summer situations. An extensive data set of C_T collected over the years 1994–1997 within the European Sub-polar Ocean Programmes (ESOP1 and ESOP2) are used for the budget calculation. Based on these data, mean values of C_T in eight different boxes representing the inflow and outflow of water through the boundaries of the Greenland Sea Basin are estimated. The obtained values are then combined with simulated water transports taken from the ESOP2 version of the Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model (MICOM). The fluxes of inorganic carbon are presented for three layers; a surface mixed layer, an intermediate layer and a deep layer, and the imbalance in the fluxes are attributed to air–sea exchange, biological fixation of inorganic carbon, and sedimentation. The main influx of carbon is found in the surface and the deep layers in the Fram Strait, and in the surface waters of direct Atlantic origin, whereas the main outflux is found in the surface layer over the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone and the Knipovich Ridge, transporting carbon into the Atlantic Ocean via the Denmark Strait and towards the Arctic Ocean via the Norwegian Sea, respectively. The flux calculation indicates that there is a net transport of carbon out of the Greenland Sea during wintertime. In the absence of biological activity, this imbalance is attributed to air sea exchange, and requires an oceanic uptake of CO₂ of 0.024±0.006 Gt C yr⁻¹. The flux calculations from the summer period are complicated by biological fixation of inorganic carbon, and show that data on organic carbon is required in order to estimate the air–sea exchange in the area.     

Unsteady finite-depth effects during resistance tests on a ship model in a towing tank

This paper covers an extension of the study of Doctors et al. (J Ship Res 52(4):263–273, 2008) on oscillations in wave resistance during the constant-velocity phase of a towing-tank resistance test on a ship model to the case of relatively shallow water. We demonstrate here that the unsteady effects are very prominent and that it is essentially impossible to achieve a steady-state resistance curve in a towing tank of typical proportions for a water-depth-to-model-length ratio of 0.25. This statement is particularly true in the speed region near a depth Froude number of unity. However, on the positive side, we show here that an application of unsteady linearized wave-resistance theory provides an excellent prediction of the measured total resistance, when one accounts for the form factor in the usual manner. Finally, a simple application of the results to the planning and analysis of towing-tank tests is presented.     

Sidescan sonar survey of a dumping site in the Mecklenburg Bight (south-western Baltic Sea)

Two dumping test sites of dredged sediment (glacial till, mixed sediment with sand) in the south-western Baltic Sea were repeatedly investigated with sidescan sonar. The first survey was conducted before dumping, the second survey 1 week after dumping, and eight more surveys were run during the following three and a half years. Sidescan mosaics were calculated from raw data. Comparing the mosaics, it becomes obvious that the initial strong microrelief of the dumping sites vanishes with time. The heaps of dumped material were eroded. Coarse material remains at the surface, fine material fills in the gaps between the heaps. Fine sediment structures (filaments and aureoles) created by the dumping process, and elongated traces of dumped material outside the dumping places disappeared with time.     

The use of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as a particulate tracer in the water column of Gaoping (Kaoping) Submarine Canyon

Time-series samples of settling particles were collected in the water column of Gaoping (formerly spelled Kaoping) Submarine Canyon (KPSC) with two sediment traps on taut-line moorings deployed at two different depths (60 and 280 m) between May 26 and June 27, 2004. Average total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations of upper and lower trap array samples were 310 ± 61 ng g^− 1 dw (range: 200–440) and 240 ± 36 ng g^− 1 dw (range: 180–290), respectively. Principal component analysis results suggest that PAH sources in the trap-collected particles included diesel vehicle/coal burning, diagenetic sources, and petroleum release. PAH downward fluxes based on settling particles were estimated to be 12–44 μg m^− 2 d^− 1. These values are higher than those reported in the literature for most coastal areas. During the sampling period, both traps were significantly tilted by tidal current and fluctuated vertically. The upper traps experienced greater vertical movements, thus their particle characteristics (e.g., POC, particle mass, and fine particle fraction) varied more than those of the lower traps. Hourly depth variations of the tilted sediment trap array were echoed by the corresponding total PAH concentrations. Moreover, the PAH composition of the collected particles was related to the flow direction and speed. These observations suggest that PAHs can be used as an effective chemical tracer for the transport of terrestrial and marine particulates in a complex aquatic environment like Gaoping (Kaoping) Submarine Canyon.     

Lagrangian flow in the California Undercurrent, an observation and model comparison

During the period 1992–1998, 38 isobaric RAFOS floats were deployed to sample the subsurface flow of the California Undercurrent. The deployments, released over the California continental slope west of San Francisco, have sampled robust year-round poleward subsurface flow associated with the Undercurrent most seasons and the combined inshore current and Undercurrent in winter. Two other types of flow have been seen: a region of weak flow with little net displacement just west of the California Undercurrent, and an active westward propagating eddy field. This eddy field appears to be the primary mechanism for moving floats from the Undercurrent into the ocean interior. The observations and statistics from the RAFOS floats are compared with Lagrangian estimates of particles tracked in a global high resolution ocean simulation in order to evaluate the fidelity of the model along an eastern boundary. The results show that the model reproduces the general character of the flow reasonably well, but underestimates both the mean and eddy energies by a substantial amount.     

Longhaul feeder services in an era of changing technology: an Asia-Pacific perspective

Traditional liner carriers, operating in the highly competitive commercial environment of the last few years, have attempted to lower the marginal cost of each box carried. Technological improvements in both construction and propulsion systems have led to a steady growth in carrying capacity. Ships of 600+ TEUs are now in service and, as a result of this trend, have displaced 'smaller' ships from the major east-west trades. The more competitive environment of these trades has in turn led to a redeployment of ships in the 2500+ TEU range to the north-south trades. The result has been a rapid increase in north-south capacity, including feeder services and falling freight rates. Despite the current excess supply in shipping and historically low freight rates, significant developments in technology have created opportunities for new fast containerships. The paper analyses the key economic factors in the differentiation of the new fast ship technology from the traditionally designed containerships and demonstrates the potential financial viability to owners of these new 'greyhounds'.