Natural and human-induced changes may exert considerable impacts on the seasonal and nodal dynamics of M₂ and K₁ tidal constituents. Therefore, quantifying the influences of these factors on tidal regime changes is essential for sustainable water resources management in coastal environments. In this study, the enhanced harmonic analysis was applied to extract the seasonal variability of the M₂ and K₁ tidal amplitudes and phases at three gauging stations along Lingdingyang Bay of the Zhujiang River Delta. The seasonal dynamics in terms of tidal wave celerity and amplification/damping rate were used to quantify the impacts of human-induced estuarine morphological alterations on M₂ and K₁ tidal hydrodynamics in inner and outer Lingdingyang Bay. The results show that both tidal amplification/damping rate and wave celerity were considerably increased from the pre-anthropogenic activity period (Pre-AAP) to the post-anthropogenic activity period (Post-AAP) excepting the tidal amplification/damping rate in outer Lingdingyang Bay, and the variations in outer Lingdingyang Bay was larger than those in inner Lingdingyang Bay. The alterations in these two parameters were more significant in flood season than in dry season in both inner and outer Lingdingyang Bay. The seasonal variability of M₂ and K₁ tidal amplitudes were further quantified using a regression model accounting for the 18.61-year lunar nodal modulation, where this study observes a considerable alteration in M₂ constituent owing to human interventions. During the Post-AAP, the M₂ amplitudes at the downstream station were larger than those that would have occurred in the absence of strong human interventions, whereas the opposite was true for the upstream station, leading to a substantial decrease in tidal amplification in outer Lingdingyang Bay. However, it is opposite in inner Lingdingyang Bay. The underlying mechanism can be primarily attributed to channel deepening and narrowing caused by human interventions, that resulted in substantial enlargement of the bay volume and reduced the effective bottom friction, leading to faster wave celerity and stronger amplified waves.

Arctic sea ice area and thickness have declined dramatically during the recent decades. Sea ice physical and mechanical properties become increasingly important. Traditional methods of studying ice mechanical parameters such as ice-coring cannot realize field test and long-term observation. A new principle of measuring mechanical properties of ice using ultrasonic was studied and an ultrasonic system was proposed to achieve automatic observation of ice mechanical parameters (Young’s modulus, shear modulus and bulk modulus). The ultrasonic system can measure the ultrasonic velocity through ice at different temperature, salinity and density of ice. When ambient temperature decreased from 0°C to −30°C, ultrasonic velocity and mechanical properties of ice increased, and vice versa. The shear modulus of the freshwater ice and sea ice varied from 2.098 GPa to 2.48 GPa and 2.927 GPa to 4.374 GPa, respectively. The bulk modulus of freshwater ice remained between 3.074 GPa and 4.566 GPa and the sea ice bulk modulus varied from 1.211 GPa to 3.089 GPa. The freshwater ice Young’s modulus kept between 5.156 GPa and 6.264 GPa and sea ice Young’s modulus varied from 3.793 GPa to 7.492 GPa. The results of ultrasonic measurement are consistent with previous studies and there is a consistent trend of mechanical modulus of ice between the process of ice temperature rising and falling. Finally, this ultrasonic method and the ultrasonic system will help to achieve the long-term observation of ice mechanical properties of ice and improve accuracy of sea ice models.

The spatial distribution of eddy diffusivity, basic characteristics of coherent mesoscale eddies and their relationship are analyzed from numerical model outputs in the Southern Ocean. Mesoscale fluctuation information is obtained by a temporal-spatial filtering method, and the eddy diffusivity is calculated using a linear regression analysis between isoneutral thickness flux and large-scale isoneutral thickness gradient. The eddy diffusivity is on the order of O (10³ m²/s) with a significant spatial variation, and it is larger in the area with strong coherent mesoscale eddy activity. The mesoscale eddies are mainly located in the upper ocean layer, with the average intensity no larger than 0.2. The mean radius of the coherent mesoscale cyclonic (anticyclonic) eddy gradually decays from (121.2±10.4) km ((117.8±9.6) km) at 30°S to (43.9±5.3) km ((44.7±4.9) km) at 65°S. Their vertical penetration depths (lifespans) are deeper (longer) between the northern side of the Subpolar Antarctic Front and 48°S. The normalized eddy diffusivity and coherent mesoscale eddy activity show a significant positive correlation, indicating that coherent mesoscale eddy plays an important role in eddy diffusivity.

Gas-bearing sediments are widely distributed in five continents all over the world. Most of the gases exist in the soil skeleton in the form of discrete large bubbles. The existence of gas-phase may increase or decrease the strength of the soil skeleton. So far, bubbles’ structural morphology and evolution characteristics in soil skeleton lack research, and the influence of different gas reservoir pressures on bubbles are still unclear. The micro characteristics of bubbles in the same sediment sample were studied using an industrial CT scanning test system to solve these problems. Using the image processing software, the micro variation characteristics of gas-bearing sediments in gas reservoir pressure change are obtained. The results show that the number and volume of bubbles in different equivalent radius ranges will change regularly under different gas reservoir pressure. With the increase of gas reservoir pressure, the number and volume of tiny bubbles decrease. In contrast, the number and volume of large bubbles increase, and the gas content in different positions increases and occupies a dominant position, driving the reduction of pore water and soil skeleton movement.

Cold seeps are pervasive along the continental margin worldwide, and are recognized as hotspots for elemental cycling pathway on Earth. In this study, analyses of pore water geochemical compositions of one ~400 cm piston core (S3) and the application of a mass balance model are conducted to assess methane-associated biogeochemical reactions and uncover the relationship of methane in shallow sediment with gas hydrate reservoir at the Makran accretionary wedge off Pakistan. The results revealed that approximately 77% of sulfate is consumed by the predominant biogeochemical process of anaerobic oxidation of methane. However, the estimated sulfate-methane interface depth is ~400 cm below sea floor with the methane diffusive flux of 0.039 mol/(m²·a), suggesting the activity of methane seepage. Based on the δ¹³C_DIC mass balance model combined with the contribution proportion of different dissolved inorganic carbon sources, this study calculated the δ¹³C of the exogenous methane to be −57.9‰, indicating that the exogenous methane may be a mixture source, including thermogenic and biogenic methane. The study of pore water geochemistry at Makran accretionary wedge off Pakistan may have considerable implications for understanding the specific details on the dynamics of methane in cold seeps and provide important evidence for the potential occurrence of subsurface gas hydrate in this area.

Permeable coastal sediments act as a reactive node in the littoral zone, transforming nutrients via a wide range of biogeochemical reactions. Reaction rates are controlled by abiotic factors, e.g., salinity, temperature or solute concentration. Here, a series of incubation experiments, using flow-through reactors, were conducted to simulate the biogeochemical cycling of nitrate (${\rm {NO}}_3^- $) and phosphorus (P) in permeable sediments under different ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ availability conditions (factor I) along a salinity gradient (admixture of river and seawater, factor II). In an oligotrophic scenario, i.e., unamended ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ concentrations in both river and seawater, sediments acted as a permanent net source of ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ to the water column. The peak production rate occurred at an intermediate salinity (20). Increasing ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ availability in river water significantly enhanced net ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ removal rates within the salinity range of 0 to 30, likely via the denitrification pathway based on the sediment microbiota composition. In this scenario, the most active removal was obtained at salinity of 10. When both river and seawater were spiked with ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $, the highest removal rate switched to the highest salinity (36). It suggests the salinity preference of the ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ removal pathway by local denitrifiers (e.g., Bacillus and Paracoccus) and that ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ removal in coastal sediments can be significantly constrained by the dilution related $ {\rm {NO}}_3^-$ availability. Compared with the obtained variation for ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ reactions, permeable sediments acted as a sink of soluble reactive P in all treatments, regardless of salinity and ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ input concentrations, indicating a possibility of P-deficiency for coastal water from the intensive cycling in permeable sediments. Furthermore, the net production of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in all treatments was positively correlated with the measured ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ reaction rates, indicating that the DOC supply may not be the key factor for ${\rm {NO}}_3^- $ removal rates due to the consumption by intensive aerobic respiration. Considering the intensive production of recalcitrant carbon solutes, the active denitrification was assumed to be supported by sedimentary organic matter.

Two species of Nassarius Duméril, 1805 from the South China Sea are described and illustrated. The specimens are in the Nassariidae collection of the Marine Biological Museum of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao. Nassarius concavus sp. nov., from the sandy bottom at a depth of 180 m, resembles Nassarius glabrus Zhang and Zhang, 2014 in general shell morphology, but differs from the latter in having a smaller, more slender adult shell without axial ribs on the upper teleoconch whorls. Nassarius nanshaensis sp. nov., from the Nansha Islands at a depth of 56–147 m, is similar to Nassarius maxiutongi Zhang, Zhang and Li, 2019 in the shell sculpture, but differs in having a more slender shell with a higher spire, and fewer cusps on the rachidian tooth (9–11 vs. 13–17).

Chaeturichthys stigmatias and Amblychaeturichthys hexanema belong to the family Gobiidae, which are offshore warm fish species and widely distribute in the western Pacific Ocean. In this study, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences and 12S ribosomal RNA (12S rRNA) sequences were used to analyze the interspecific differences between the two species. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the interspecific distance was significantly higher than the intraspecific genetic distance. The Neighbor-Joining tree showed two separate clusters, without sharing haplotype. The mitochondrial genome sequence of C. stigmatias was also reported. This genome was 17 134 bp in size, with a high A+T content of 55.9%. The phylogenetic analysis based on the tandem 13 coding protein genes nucleotide sequences indicated that C. stigmatias showed a close relationship with A. hexanema. This study can provide the basic genetic data for two species and will help for constructing the phylogeny of the Gobiiade.

In recent years, the small pelagic fishery on the Pacific northwest coast of Mexico has significantly increased fishing pressure on thread herring Opisthonema spp. This fishery is regulated using a precautionary approach (acceptable biological catch (ABC) and minimum catch size). However, due to fishing dynamics, fish aggregation habits and increased fishing mortality, periodic biomass assessments are necessary to estimate ABC and assess the resource status. The Catch-MSY approach was used to analyze historical series of thread herring catches off the western Baja California Sur (BCS, 1981–2018) and the Gulf of California (GC, 1972–2018) to estimate exploitable biomass and target reference points in order to obtain catch quotas. According to the results, in GC, the maximum biomass reached in 1972 (at the beginning of fishery) and minimum biomass reached in 2015; the estimated exploitable biomass for 2019 was 42.2×10⁴ t; and the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) was 15.4×10⁴ t. In the western BCS coast, the maximum biomass was reached in 1981 (at the beginning of fishery) and minimum biomass was reached in 2017; the estimated exploitable biomass for 2019 was 3.2×10⁴ t; and the MSY was 1.2×10⁴ t. Both stocks showed a decrease in biomass over the past years and were currently near to point of full exploitation. The results suggest that the use of the Catch-MSY method is suitable to obtain annual biomass estimates, in order to establish an ABC, to know the current state of the resource, and to avoid overcoming the potential recovery of the stocks.

In consideration of the rapid degradation of coral reef ecosystems, the establishment of models is helpful to comprehend the degradation mechanism of coral reef ecosystems and predict the development process of coral reef communities. According to the characteristics of complex ecosystem of tropical coral reefs in China, the coral reef functional group is the core level variable; combined with the multiple feedback effects of coral reef functional groups and environmental changes, the study presents a coral reef ecosystem dynamics model with hermatypic corals as the core. Based on the simulation of the assumed initial value and the internal feedback of the system, the results show that in the basic simulation (relative health conditions), the coverage area of live corals and coral reefs generally decreased first and then increased, and increased by 4.67% and 6.38% between 2010 and 2050, respectively. Based on the calibration model and the current situation of the studied area, the multi-factor disturbance effects of coral reef communities were simulated and explored by setting up three scenarios involving fishing policy, terrestrial deposition, and inorganic nitrogen emissions. Among them, in the single factor disturbance, the fishing policy exerts the most direct impact on the community decline; and the succession phenomenon is obvious; the terrestrial sedimentation has a faster and more integrated effect on the community decline; the effect of inorganic nitrogen emission on the community decline is relatively slow. In the double/multi-factor disturbance, the superimposed disturbance will aggravate the multi-source feedback effect of the coral reef communities development, accelerate the community decay rate, and make its development trajectory more complicated and diverse. This method provides a scientific and feasible method for simulating the damage of long-term coral reef community and exploring the development law and adaptive management of coral reef ecosystems. In the future, it can be further studied in the ecological restoration process and decision-making direction of coral reefs.