Composite analyses were performed in this study to reveal the difference in spring precipitation over southern China during multiyear La Niña events during 1901 to 2015. It was found that there is significantly below-normal precipitation during the first boreal spring, but above-normal precipitation during the second year. The difference in spring precipitation over southern China is correlative to the variation in western North Pacific anomalous cyclone (WNPC), which can in turn be attributed to the different sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) over the Tropical Pacific. The remote forcing of negative SSTA in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific and the local air-sea interaction in the western North Pacific are the usual causes of WNPC formation and maintenance. SSTA in the first spring is stronger than those in the second spring. As a result, the intensity of WNPC in the first year is stronger, which is more likely to reduce the moisture in southern China by changing the moisture transport, leading to prolonged precipitation deficits over southern China. However, the tropical SSTA signals in the second year are too weak to induce the formation and maintenance of WNPC and the below-normal precipitation over southern China. Thus, the variation in tropical SSTA signals between two consecutive springs during multiyear La Niña events leads to obvious differences in the spatial pattern of precipitation anomaly in southern China by causing the different WNPC response.

The resource of Fenneropenaeus chinensis has declined sharply due to excessive fishing intensity, ecological changes and diseases. In order to supplement the fishing yield and restore resources of F. chinensis, the relevant authorities have carried out the activities of stock enhancement and releasing. It can increase biomass and recover resources. However, compared with increasing biomass, there were still few reports on its effect on the recovery of resources. Resource recovery is a process related to whether the released individuals can form a reproductive population. Up to now, there has been a lack of evidence whether the released F. chinensis can complete the entire life history, and form reproduction population. In this study, gravid female shrimp after spawning migration were captured from coastal waters of Haiyang, Qingdao, and Yellow Sea. After identifying parentage relationships using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and mtDNA haplotype, it was finally confirmed that there were eight released individuals in the recapture samples. It was confirmed for the first time that at least part of the released F. chinensis can complete overwintering and reproductive migration, and maintain the migration habits as their wild counterparts. Therefore, we infered that the released shrimp can reproduce under natural conditions, these F. chinensis can form reproductive populations theoretically if without human intervention. These results indicated that enhancenment and release activities have a positive effect on resource recovery.

Based on high-tide shoreline data extracted from 87 Landsat satellite images from 1986 to 2019 as well as using the linear regression rate and performing a Mann-Kendall (M–K) trend test, this study analyzes the linear characteristics and nonlinear behavior of the medium- to long-term shoreline evolution of Jinghai Bay, eastern Guangdong Province. In particular, shoreline rotation caused by a shore-normal coastal structure is emphasized. The results show that the overall shoreline evolution over the past 30 years is characterized by erosion on the southwest beach, with an average erosion rate of 3.1 m/a, and significant accretion on the northeast beach, with an average accretion rate of 5.6 m/a. Results of the M–K trend test indicate that significant shoreline changes occurred in early 2006, which can be attributed to shore-normal engineering. Prior to that engineering construction, the shorelines are slightly eroded, where the average erosion rate is 0.7 m/a. However, after shore-normal engineering is performed, the shoreline is characterized by significant erosion (3.2 m/a) on the southwest beach and significant accretion (8.5 m/a) on the northeast beach, thus indicating that the shore-normal engineering at the updrift headland contributes to clockwise shoreline rotation. Further analysis shows that the clockwise shoreline rotation is promoted not only by longshore sediment transport processes from southwest to northeast, but also by cross-shore sediment transport processes. These findings are crucial for beach erosion risk management, coastal disaster zoning, regional sediment budget assessments, and further observations and predictions of beach morphodynamics.

The flexed frustules in pennate diatoms are usually associated with monoraphid diatoms. Interestingly, we found a biraphid diatom species with flexed frustules in an offshore intertidal beach environment on Weizhou Island, Beihai City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Therefore, based on morphological characteristics, we described a new genus of diatoms Yuzaoea sinensis gen. et sp. nov. CH Li, HH Liu, YH Gao & CP Chen. The frustule of this genus is characterized by heterogeneous frustule with one concave valve and one convex valve, complete raphe on both valves, straight and moderately eccentric raphe, uniseriate striae and girdle bands with a single row of areolae. The most identifying feature of this genus was the flexed frustule, which is rare in biraphid diatoms and common in monoraphid diatoms. We compared the morphometric characteristics of genus Yuzaoea with genus Rhoikoneis and several genera within the family Rhoicospheniaceae, including Rhoicosphenia, Campylopyxis, and Cuneolus. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rRNA and rbcL showed that the genus Yuzaoea was the sister group to the clade of Rhoicosphenia with a high support value (bootstrap values = 100%), and the clade “Yuzaoea+Rhoicosphenia” was sister to the clade of monoraphid diatoms, in which the genera Achnanthidium, Planothidium and some Cocconeis with high support values (bootstrap = 100%). Morphologically, the genus Yuzaoea shares many morphological features with monoraphid diatoms like genera Achnanthidium and Planothidium and the members within the Rhoicospheniaceae. Therefore, based on a combined morphological studies and phylogenetic results we suggested that this branch may represented the evolution of one kind monoraphid diatoms, from biraphid diatoms (e.g. genus Yuzaoea), to incompleted biraphid diatoms (e.g. genera Rhoicosphenia, Campylopyxis), to monoraphid diatoms (e.g. genera Achnanthidium and Planothidium).

Caenogastropoda is a highly diverse group, containing ~60% of all existing gastropods. Species in this subclass predominantly inhabit marine environments and have a high ecological and economic value. Owing to the increase in relevant phylogenetic studies, our understanding of between species relatedness in Caenogastropoda has improved. However, the biodiversity, taxonomic status, and phylogenetic relationships of this group remain unclear. In the present study, we performed next-generation sequencing of four complete mitochondrial genomes from three families (Buccinidae, Columbellidae, and Cypraeidae) and the four mitogenomes were classical circular structures, with a length of 16 177 bp in Volutharpa ampullacea, 16 244 bp in Mitrella albuginosa, 16 926 bp in Mauritia arabica asiatica and 15 422 bp in Erronea errones. Base composition analysis indicated that whole sequences were biased toward A and T. Then compared them with 171 complete mitochondrial genomes of Caenogastropoda. The phylogenetic relationship of Caenogastropoda derived from Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian Inference (BI) trees constructed based on CDS sequences was consistent with the results of traditional morphological analysis, with all three families showing close relationships. This study supported Caenogastropoda at the molecular level as a separate clade of Mollusca. According to our divergence time estimations, Caenogastropoda was formed during the middle Triassic period (~247.2–237 Ma). Our novel mitochondrial genomes provide evidence for the speciation of Caenogastropoda in addition to elucidating the mitochondrial genomic evolution of this subclass.

High-resolution sea-level data and high-precision dating of corals in the northern South China Sea (SCS) during the Holocene provide a reference and historical background for current and future sea-level changes and a basis for scientific assessment of the evolutionary trend of coral reefs in the SCS. Although sporadic studies have been performed around Hainan Island in the northern SCS, the reconstructed sea level presents different values or is controversial because the indicative meaning of the sea-level indicators were neither quantified nor uniform criteria. Here, we determined the quantitative relationship between modern living coral and sea level by measuring the top surfaces of 27 live Porites corals from the inner reef flat along the east coast of Hainan Island and assessed the accuracy of results obtained using coral as sea-level indicators. Additionally, three in situ fossil Porites corals were analyzed based on elevation measurements, digital X-ray radiography, and U-Th dating. The survey results showed that the indicative meanings for the modern live Porites corals is (146.09 ± 8.35) cm below the mean tide level (MTL). It suggested that their upward growth limit is constrained by the sea level, and the lowest low water is the highest level of survival for the modern live Porites corals. Based on the newly defined indicative meanings, 6 new sea-level index points (SLIPs) were obtained and 19 published SLIPs were recalculated. Those SLIPs indicated a relative sea level fluctuation between (227.7 ± 9.8) cm to (154.88 ± 9.8) cm MTL between (5 393 ± 25) cal a BP and (3 390 ± 12) cal a BP, providing evidences of the Mid-Holocene sea-level highstand in the northern SCS. Besides that, our analysis demonstrated that different sea-level histories may be produced based on different indicative meanings or criteria. The dataset of 276 coral U-Th ages indicates that coral reef development in the northern SCS comprised the initial development, boom growth, decline, and flourishing development again. A comparison with regional records indicated that synergistic effects of climatic and environmental factors were involved in the development of coral reefs in the northern SCS. Thus, the cessation of coral reef development during the Holocene in the northern SCS was probably associated with the dry and cold climate in South China, as reflected in the synchronous weakening of the ENSO and East Asian summer monsoon induced by the reduction of the 65°N summer insolation, which forced the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

At present, the main controlling factors of helium accumulation is one of the key scientific problems restricting the exploration and development of helium reservoir. In this paper, based on the calculation results of He generation rate and the geochemical characteristics of the produced gas, both the similarities and differences between natural gas and He resources in the Bohai Bay, Ordos and the surrounding Songliao Basin are compared and analyzed, discussing the main controlling factors of helium resources in the three main petroliferous basins of the North China Craton. It is found that the three basins of Bohai Bay, Ordos and Songliao have similar characteristics of source rocks, reservoirs and cap rocks, that’s why their methane resource characteristics are essentially the same. The calculated ⁴He generation per cubic metamorphic crystalline basement in the three basins is roughly equivalent, which is consistent with the measured He resources, and it is believed that the ⁴He of radiogenic from the crust is the main factor controlling the overall He accumulation in the three basins; there is almost no contribution of the mantle-derived CH₄, which suggests that the transport and uplift of mantle-derived ³He carried by the present-day magmatic activities along the deep-large faults is not the main reason for the mantle-derived ³He mixing in the basins. Combined with the results of regional volcanic and geophysical studies, it is concluded that under the background of the destruction of North China Craton, magma intrusion carried a large amount of mantle-derived material and formed basic volcanic rocks in the Bohai Bay Basin and Songliao Basin, which replenished mantle-derived ³He for the interior of the basins, and that strong seismic activities in and around the basins also promoted the upward migration of mantle source ³He. This study suggests that the tectonic zone with dense volcanic rocks in the Cenozoic era and a high incidence of historical strong earthquakes history may be a potential area for helium resource exploration.

With the development of ultra-wide coverage technology, multibeam echo-sounder (MBES) system has put forward higher requirements for localization accuracy and computational efficiency of ray tracing method. The classical equivalent sound speed profile (ESSP) method replaces the measured sound velocity profile (SVP) with a simple constant gradient SVP, reducing the computational workload of beam positioning. However, in deep-sea environment, the depth measurement error of this method rapidly increases from the central beam to the edge beam. By analyzing the positioning error of the ESSP method at edge beam, it is discovered that the positioning error increases monotonically with the incident angle, and the relationship between them could be expressed by polynomial function. Therefore, an error correction algorithm based on polynomial fitting is obtained. The simulation experiment conducted on an inclined seafloor shows that the proposed algorithm exhibits comparable efficiency to the original ESSP method, while significantly improving bathymetry accuracy by nearly eight times in the edge beam.

The wave-induced liquefaction of seabed is responsible for causing damage to marine structures. Particle composition and consolidation degree are the key factors affecting the pore water pressure response and liquefaction behavior of the seabed under wave action. The present study conducted wave flume experiments on silt and silty fine sand beds with varying particle compositions. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of the differences and underlying reasons for liquefaction behavior in two different types of soil was conducted from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. The experimental results indicate that the silt bed necessitates a lower wave load intensity to attain the liquefaction state in comparison to the silty fine sand bed. Additionally, the duration and development depth of liquefaction are greater in the silt bed. The dissimilarity in liquefaction behavior between the two types of soil can be attributed to the variation in their permeability and plastic deformation capacity. The permeability coefficient and compression modulus of silt are lower than those of silty fine sand. Consequently, silt is more prone to the accumulation of pore pressure and subsequent liquefaction under external loading. Prior research has demonstrated that silt beds with varying consolidation degrees exhibit distinct initial failure modes. Specifically, a dense bed undergoes shear failure, whereas a loose bed experiences initial liquefaction failure. This study utilized discrete element simulation to examine the microscopic mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon.

The southwest Lahad Datu felsic rocks were previously thought to have formed in the late Triassic as part of the microcontinental crystalline basement. Based on U-Pb ages, geochemistry, and the Hf isotopes of zircon from the southeastern Sabah gabbro and granite, in this study, the tectonic properties of the Sabah area during the Triassic were investigated. The weighted average U-Pb zircon ages of the gabbro and granite samples were determined to be (230.9 ± 2.5)Ma and (207.1 ± 3.3)Ma, respectively. The granite had SiO₂ contents of 66.54%–79.47%, low TiO₂ contents of 0.08%–0.3%, Al₂O₃ contents of 10.97%–16.22%, Na₂O contents of 5.91%–6.39%, and low K₂O contents of 0.15%–0.65%. The chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns exhibit light REE enrichment, with right-sloping curves. The primitive mantle-normalized trace element spider diagrams exhibit Th, U, La, Sr, and Zr enrichment and Nb, Ta, P and Ti depletions, i.e., the geochemical characteristics of typical island arc igneous rocks. The tectonic discriminant diagram indicates that the granite is a volcanic arc granite. The Hf isotopic analysis of gabbro zircon revealed that the zircons have ε _Hf(t) values of 12.08–16.24 (mean of 14.32) and two-stage model ages (t _DM2) of 223–491 Ma (mean of 347 Ma). This indicates that the diagenetic magma of the gabbro was mainly derived from melting of newly formed crustal materials. The ophiolite in southeast Sabah has existed since the early Late Triassic. The crystalline basement granite in southeastern Sabah was emplaced lasted from late Triassic to early Cretaceous. Based on previous studies and global plate reconstruction models, it is speculated that the southeastern Sabah granite may have been formed in an island arc setting, i.e., where the oceanic crust of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean collided with the oceanic crust of the Panthalassa Ocean.