Vol 57, No 4 (2017)

Long series data of a thermistor chain in the Black Sea coastal zone near Gelendzhik were analyzed. A thermistor chain installed 1 km offshore and at a depth of 22 m. There are full and incomplete upwelling events observed. The study of upwelling genesis based on: wind speed data from the NCEP/CFSR reanalysis and Gelendzhik weather station, velocity and direction of coastal currents measured by ADCP profiler moored on the bottom near the thermistor chain. Over the whole observation period (warm seasons of 2013–2015), more than 40 events of upwelling were registered four of them were full upwellings, when presence of under-thermocline water was observed near the sea surface. For every upwelling event, conditions prior to the changes in thermic structure, were analyzed. It is found that full upwelling generally occur under synergistic wind and current forcing. Fairly strong forcing of one of these factors is sufficient for partial upwelling to occur.

Distribution of Sea of Azov water on the Crimean shelf and its penetration into the Gulf of Feodosia result in significant changes in the hydrophysical and hydrochemical structure of the water area. This inflow is also estimated as a major source of anthropogenic pollution in the region. At the same time, the Gulf of Feodosia is one of the least investigated areas of Russian Black Sea coast. The paper focuses on the hydrophysical structure of the Gulf of Feodosia and southeastern part of the Crimean shelf. The results of a field survey in May 2015 made it possible to reveal the presence of Sea of Azov water in the gulf and describe its thermohaline properties, along with the character of distribution. It is shown that contamination of Sea of Azov water in the gulf could mostly be determined by the synoptic dynamic processes in the area rather than by the seasonal variability of discharge in the Kerch Strait. The possible influence of the distribution of Sea of Azov water on the formation of cyclonic gyres in the coastal area of the region is indirectly confirmed by in situ measurements.

The paper discusses spectra of the radiance coefficient of the sea surface measured in the open ocean and in coastal waters, and different kinds of these spectra corresponding to the water types are revealed. The focus is the method of measuring the radiance coefficient from a moving ship with a hyperspectral spectrophotometer. The results of studying a water area of Russia’s Black Sea coast at river mouths are presented. A new calibration method that can process measurement results taking into account the impact of cloudiness and wind has been proposed and tested. The concentrations of the main admixtures in natural seawater in the studied water area are estimated according to the obtained spectra; these estimates are compared to the results of direct analysis of water samples. It has been shown that the method of remote measurement of the sea radiance coefficient from on board a ship makes it possible to obtain operative maps of the spatial distribution of the main seawater admixtures.

A procedure for separating the colloid component of natural waters is proposed. It was shown that this component is the main form of matter transfer in Ob River runoff, because the mass of colloid substance is two orders of magnitude higher than that of particulate matter in the outer part of the estuary. Simulation and field experiments revealed the influence of nature and concentration of organic matter on their ability to stabilize or flocculate clay particles with an increase in salinity, thus affecting the range of transfer of riverine runoff matter. It was shown that the interaction of humic acids and clay particles, as well as the increase in hydrophobic properties of a flocculant, improve flocculation efficiency. Criteria are proposed to recognize in the estuarine region areas of pronounced contribution of flocculation processes to sedimentation of fine particles. It is shown that the newly formed organic matter produced by biota under saline stress might be flocculants of fine particulate matter.

New data on the abiotic conditions; species composition; abundance, distribution, and migrations of fauna; and feeding interactions in an estuary ecosystem were obtained during expeditions in the mouths of Penzhina and Talovka rivers (northwest Kamchatka). It is revealed that in the ice-free season, the hydrological regime of the estuary is determined by seasonal fluctuations of river runoff, as well as fortnightly and daily variation of tides. The estuary is characterized by hypertidal fluctuations (up to 10–12 m); strong reverse flows (up to 1.0–1.5 m/s), considerable tidal variations in salinity (from 0 to 6–9‰ at the river boundary and from 6–8 to 14–16‰ at the offshore boundary), and high water turbidity (up to 1 000 NTU or more). Based on the spatial structure of the community, three ecological zones with mobile boundaries are distinguished: freshwater (salinity 0–0.1‰), estuarine (0–12.3‰), and neritic (11.2–18.9‰). High turbidity prevents the development of phytoplankton in the estuarine zone (EZ), and the local benthic community is significantly depleted due to the desalination and wide spread of aleuritic silts. Neritic copepods and nektobenthic brackish- water crustaceans generate the maximum abundance and biomass here. The species that have adapted to the local extreme hydrologic conditions dominate and form the basis of the estuarine food chain. Dominant among the EZ vertebrates are such groups as anadromous fishes (smelts, pacific salmons, charrs, and sticklebacks); waterfowl (terns, kittiwakes, cormorants, fulmars, puffins, guillemots, auklets, and wadepipers); and predatory marine mammals (larga, ringed seal, bearded seal, and white whale). The total abundance and biomass of these animals are much higher in the pelagic EZ in comparison to neighboring zones.

Based on data on the concentration of noble metals (Au, Ag, Pt, Os, Ir, and Ru) in bulk samples of ferromanganese crusts, the presence of inclusions of micro- and nanosized grains of Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt, often with impurities of other elements, as well as their chaotic distribution, three sources of incorporation of these metals into ore crusts of Far Eastern seas are suggested: seawater, postvolcanic gas–hydrothermal fluids, and hydrothermal plumes. The presence of grains of platinoids and gold in ferromanganese crusts on only some mounts may result from peculiarities in the formation of volcanic rocks on the ancient continental basement.

The paper describes the conditions of formation of large accumulative forms on the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea and presents the results of a comparative analysis of these structures. It has been established that Baltic barrier–lagoon systems have a complex geological and geomorphologic structure. Sandy barriers, which are, in general, marine accumulative formations, often comprise various fragments of different genesis (moraine remnants, glaciolacustrine and deltaic plains, etc.). The formation and development of large accumulative forms in the southeastern Baltic occurred against the background of sea level fluctuations in the Littorina time following a unified scenario for the entire coast.

On cruises 25 (2007) and 28 (2011) of the R/V Akademik Nikolai Strakhov in the northern part of the Barents Sea, the Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, conducted comprehensive research on the bottom relief and upper part of the sedimentary cover profile under the auspices of the International Polar Year program. One of the instrument components was the SeaBat 8111 shallow-water multibeam echo sounder, which can map the acoustic field similarly to a side scan sonar, which records the response both from the bottom and from the water column. In the operations area, intense sound scattering objects produced by the discharge of deep fluid flows are detected in the water column. The sound scattering objects and pockmarks in the bottom relief are related to anomalies in hydrocarbon gas concentrations in bottom sediments. The sound scattering objects are localized over Triassic sequences outcropping from the bottom. The most intense degassing processes manifest themselves near the contact of the Triassic sequences and Jurassic clay deposits, as well as over deep depressions in a field of Bouguer anomalies related to the basement of the Jurassic–Cretaceous rift system

The article describes the results of developing a wave buoy to measure the statistical characteristics of waves and the characteristics of directional spectra of three-dimensional waves. The device is designed for long-term measurements lasting up to a season, which can help solve problems in forecasting waves and preventing emergencies from wave impact on offshore platforms, hydraulic structures, and other marine facilities. The measuring unit involves triads of micromechanical gyroscopes, accelerometers, and a three-component magnetometer. A description of the device, results of laboratory research of its characteristics, and bench and full-scale tests are offered. It is noted that to assess the performance characteristics, comparative tests of the Storm wave buoy were conducted with a standard string wave probe installed on an offshore platform. It is shown that the characteristics and capabilities of the wave buoy make it possible to oust foreign devices from the domestic market.