Cenozoic evolution of sediment accumulation in deltaic and shore-zone depositional systems, Northern Gulf of Mexico Basin

Paleogeographic and volumetric lithofacies mapping of 18 Cenozoic genetic sequences within the Northern Gulf of Mexico Basin quantifies the proportional sequestering of sediment within wave-dominated shore-zone vs. deltaic systems through time. Three long-term depositional phases are revealed by plots, based on paleogeographic and sediment isochore maps, of total shore-zone system area and volume to total delta system area and volume (SZ/D). (1) SZ/D area and volume ratios are highly variable in Paleocene through Eocene sequences. However, typical volume ratios for major genetic sequences (Upper, Middle, and Lower Wilcox; Queen City (QC), and Yegua) range between 0.2 and 0.6. Minor sequences (Sparta (SP), Jackson (JS)), which record very low rates and volumes of sediment accumulation, have the greatest variability in their ratios. (2) Oligocene and Miocene sequences display consistently high proportions of shore-zone sediment. SZ/D area ratios range from 0.6 to 1.0, and volume ratios cluster between 0.4 and 0.8. (3) A substantial late Neogene decrease in SZ/D ratios is presaged in the late Miocene sequence. Pliocene and Pleistocene sequences are uniformly characterized by very low ratios of <0.2. Consistently high Oligocene–Miocene ratios reflect a post-Eocene period of strong E–W climate gradient across the Northern Gulf margin. Shore-zone volume displays no correlation to overall rate of sediment supply. The late Neogene decrease in proportional shore-zone system importance corresponds to development of the West Antarctic and Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and related increase in amplitude and frequency of glacioeustatic sea level cycling.     

Distinctiveness of the mesopelagic fish fauna in the Gulf of Mexico

We quantify the similarity of the Gulf of Mexico mesopelagic fish fauna to that in adjacent oceanic regions, the Venezuelan and Colombian Basins of the Caribbean Sea and the North and South Sargasso Seas. The South Sargasso and Colombian are the least similar of the areas in terms of their faunal composition, and the Venezuelan and Colombian Basins are the most similar. The Gulf fauna lies somewhere in between, and is a composite of that in the Sargasso and Caribbean Seas. The Gulf of Mexico displays the greatest abundance, biomass and richness (S=140 species), and is an intermediate in evenness (J=0.66) and percent endemism (7.1%). Our findings support the view that the centrally located Gulf is an oceanic ecotone between the Atlantic Tropical and Subtropical faunal regions.     

Sediment community oxygen consumption in the deep Gulf of Mexico

Sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC) has been measured from the continental shelf out to the Sigsbee Abyssal Plain in the NE Gulf of Mexico (GoM). SCOC rates on the continental shelf were an order of magnitude higher than those on the adjacent continental slope (450–2750 m depth) and two orders of magnitude higher than those on the abyssal plain at depths of 3.4–3.65 km. Oxygen penetration depth into the sediment was inversely correlated with SCOC measured within incubation chambers, but rates of SCOC calculated from either the gradient of the [O₂] profiles or the total oxygen penetration depth were generally lower than those derived from chamber incubations. SCOC rates seaward of the continental shelf were lower than at equivalent depths on most continental margins where similar studies have been conducted, and this is presumed to be related to the relatively low rates of pelagic production in the GoM. The SCOC, however, was considerably higher than the input of organic detritus from the surface-water plankton estimated from surface-water pigment concentrations, suggesting that a significant fraction of the organic matter nourishing the deep GoM biota is imported laterally down slope from the continental margin.     

Organic matter in deepwater sediments of the Northern Gulf of Mexico and its relationship to the distribution of benthic organisms

Sediment samples were selected from 28 sites across the deep (212–3527 m) northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) as part of the Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos (DGoMB) program, and analyzed for geochemical parameters related to organic carbon (OC) distribution and characteristics. The results of this study indicate that the OC content of sediments in the deep northern GOM is controlled by several factors; including water depth, overlying water productivity, sediment carbonate content, sediment oxygen exposure time, OC sources, and regional influences. The best correlation between sediment OC content, on a CaCO₃-free basis, and other parameters examined was an inverse correlation of OC with water depth. The OC/SA ratio had a wide range of values and, along with variable sources of sedimentary OC, indicated that the organism-available concentration of metabolizable organic matter may not be simply related to sedimentary OC content. This was perhaps reflected in the observation that benthic macrofaunal and meiofaunal biomass abundances were well correlated with sedimentary OC, but the abundance of bacteria in sediments was not.     

The distribution of phenylalkanes in the modern sediment associated with gas hydrate from the Gulf of Mexico

Phenylalkanes with carbon numbers between 16 and 19, characterized by the main carbon-18, have been identified in the modern sediments collected from gas hydrate area from the Gulf of Mexico. The structure of phenylalkanes with four isomers for every carbon number was determined by means of their mass spectra and previous studies. The distribution of the series characterized by a low molecular mass was similar to the distribution of n-alkane, alkylcyclohexanes and alkylbenzenes in each sample. There were differences in the distribution of the phenylalkane series between the S - 1, S - 4, S - 7, S - 9 samples and the S - 8, S - 10 and S - 11 samples. The phenylalkanes might be derived from Archaea associated with anaerobic oxidation of methane （AOM） processes in S - 1, S -4, S -7 and S -9 samples according to their distribution resembled with the distribution of the extract from a type of Archaea. The distribution of alkylcyclohexanes and alkylbenzenes in S - 1, S - 4, S - 7 and S - 9 sample was found to be similar to each other. The odd-over-even predominance of alkylcyclohexanes was seen as the input of some bac- terial.     

墨西哥湾天然气水合物矿产资源预测模型及其应用

墨西哥湾是世界上研究天然气水合物较深入的海区,调查资料丰富,已在50多处采集到天然气水合物样品,具备建立天然气水合物矿产资源预测模型的条件。选择34处已知天然气水合物矿点和34处已知无矿点作为训练区,建立矿点存在与否的预测模型。模型的相关系数值表明墨西哥湾天然气水合物与盐底辟关系密切。将该模型应用于整个墨西哥湾北部,初步获得了天然气水合物存在可能性概率分布图;概率大于0.7的预测单元包含已知矿点中的30个,利用该阈值圈定了墨西哥湾天然气水合物潜在资源分布区。     

Seasonality and interannual variability of freshwater inflow to a large oligohaline estuary in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Quantity, timing, duration, and fluctuation of freshwater inflow are important factors affecting the development and health of aquatic and adjacent wetland ecosystems in coastal estuaries. This study assessed six decades of freshwater inflow from the Amite River, Tickfaw River, and Tangipahoa River watersheds to Lake Pontchartrain, a large oligohaline estuary in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, whose flood waters caused recent damage to the city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. By utilizing the long-term (1940–2002) river discharge and climatic data from the three major tributary watersheds, monthly and annual freshwater inflows have been quantified and their spatial and temporal variations have been analyzed. On average, the three rivers discharged (±standard error) 0.27 ± 0.04 km³ freshwater monthly and 3.29 ± 0.15 km³ freshwater annually into the lake estuarine system, with the highest inflow from the Amite River (0.16 ± 0.03 m³ mon⁻¹, and 1.91 ± 0.09 km³ yr⁻¹) and the lowest inflow from the Tickfaw River (0.03 ± 0.00 km³ mon⁻¹, and 0.34 ± 0.02 km³ yr⁻¹). A distinct seasonality was evident with over 69% of the total annual inflow occurring during December and May (wet months) and with a low flow period from August to November (dry months). The monthly inflow during the wet months was positively correlated with the monthly precipitation (r² = 0.64), while the monthly inflow during the dry months was subject to evapotranspiration. Furthermore, the study found a 20-year low flow period from 1954–1973 (2.76 ± 0.24 km³ yr⁻¹) and a 24-year high flow period from 1975–1998 (3.84 ± 0.24 km³ yr⁻¹), coinciding with both the climate variation and population growth in the watersheds.     

Distributions of carbohydrate species in the Gulf of Mexico

In order to study the role of polysaccharides in the cycling of marine organic matter and transparent exopolymeric particles (TEP), the concentrations of total carbohydrates (p-TCHO), total uronic acids (URA) and total acid polysaccharides (APS) in suspended and sinking particles, as well as carbohydrates in the filter-passing “dissolved” phase (d-TCHO), were measured in vertical profiles along a N–S transect in the Gulf of Mexico, across a cold core (CCR) and a warm core (WCR) ring (eddy) during both July 2000 and May 2001. The concentrations of d-TCHO in 2000 ranged from 4 to 22 μM C, with a subsurface maximum, which was located slightly above the depth of chl a maximum, amounting to, on average, 34% of DOC in the CCR, and 13% in the WCR. The concentration of particulate carbohydrates (p-TCHO) in different size fractions (0.7–10, 10–53, and >53 μm) ranged from 0.04 to 1.1, 0.005 to 0.40, and 0.006 to 0.26 μM C, respectively, indicating that carbohydrates are mostly concentrated in small particles (0.7–10 μm). URA and APS were similarly concentrated in small particles, in which, on average, URA accounted for 87% and 57% of total URA, and APS for 92% and 88% of total APS in 2000 and 2001, respectively. URA accounted for 3–9% of carbohydrates in suspended particles, suggesting that URA are a minor component of the p-TCHO pool. Due to its surface-reactive nature, URA could play a major role in the coagulation of particles and macromolecules despite its relatively low abundance. While, on average, p-TCHO and total APS were more enriched in suspended particles than in sinking particles in both 2000 and 2001, the opposite was true for URA in both years. The greater contents of URA that are present in settling particles compared to suspended particles could indicate a mass flow in the direction of sinking particles, either caused by coagulation, by bacterial reworking of particulate and colloidal organic matter, or by their more refractory nature.     

Allochthonous salt, structure and stratigraphy of the north-eastern Gulf of Mexico. Part I: Stratigraphy

Major sequence boundaries associated with eustatic sea level changes are correlated to the general stratigraphy of the north-eastern Gulf of Mexico. The details of a Middle Cretaceous Flooding Surface, marking a major break in sedimentation, are documented. The sequence stratigraphic work provides an example of the ‘stratigraphic signature of the Neogene’. Three major episodes of sediment accumulation are represented by: (1) Late Jurassic (150.5 Ma) to Middle Cretaceous (94 Ma) aggradation and progradation of sediments with significant sediment accumulation in the present shelf and slope areas; (2) an extended period of starved sedimentation during 94-30 Ma corresponding to Middle Cretaceous flooding events (93.5 and 91.5 Ma) and the lack of sediment supply; and (3) since Late Oligocene time, unusually rapid sedimentation rates that characterize the deep water study area. These patterns of sediment accumulation directly affect the formation of allochthonous salt in the study area.     

Time series video analysis of bubble release processes at natural hydrocarbon seeps in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

This research quantifies the rate and volume of oil and gas released from two natural seep sites in the Gulf of Mexico: lease blocks GC600 (1200 m depth) and MC118 (850 m depth). Our objectives were to determine variability in release rates and bubble size at five individual vents and to investigate the effects of tidal fluctuations on bubble release. Observations with autonomous video cameras captured the formation of individual bubbles as they were released through partially exposed deposits of gas hydrate. Image processing techniques determined bubble type (oily, gaseous, and mixed: oily and gaseous), size distribution, release rate, and temporal variations (observation intervals ranged from 3 h to 26 d). A semi-automatic bubble counting algorithm was developed to analyze bubble count and release rates from video data. This method is suitable for discrete vents with small bubble streams commonly seen at seeps and is adaptable to multiple in situ set-ups. Two vents at GC600 (Birthday Candles 1 and Birthday Candles 2) were analyzed. They released oily bubbles with an average diameter of 5.0 mm at a rate of 4.7 bubbles s⁻¹, and 1.3 bubbles s⁻¹, respectively. Approximately 1 km away, within the GC600 seep site, two more vents (Mega Plume 1 and Mega Plume 2) were analyzed. These vents released a mixture of oily and gaseous bubbles with an average diameter of 3.9 mm at a rate of 49 bubbles s⁻¹, and 81 bubbles s⁻¹, respectively. The fifth vent at MC118 (Rudyville) released gaseous bubbles with an average diameter of 3.0 mm at a rate of 127 bubbles s⁻¹. Pressure records at Mega Plume and Rudyville showed a diurnal tidal cycle (24.5 h). Rudyville was the only vent that demonstrated any positive correlation (ρ = 0.60) to the 24.5 h diurnal tidal cycle. However, these observations were not conclusive regarding tidal effects on bubble release.     

基于随机森林方法反演墨西哥湾海表盐度

盐度是表征物理和生物地球化学过程的重要参数之一,光学遥感可满足较高分辨率的监测需要并避免射频干扰问题,为沿海水域的海表盐度研究提供可行的途径。本文基于MODIS-Aqua的412 nm、443 nm、488 nm、555 nm和667 nm波段的遥感反射率(Rrs412、Rrs443、Rrs488、Rrs555、Rrs667)、海表温度以及实测的海表盐度数据构建随机森林模型,基于模型结果分析墨西哥湾海表盐度时空异质性及海表盐度与影响因子(海表温度和遥感反射率)之间的相关关系。研究结果表明：(1)随机森林模型能较准确地反演墨西哥湾海表盐度,其均方根误差为0.335,决定系数为0.931;(2)湾区海表盐度空间分布呈近岸−河口低、离岸高,环状向内增值的态势,其变化受河流流量、风力以及环流的影响;(3)海表温度与海表盐度存在较强的相关性,海表温度对海表盐度的反演影响显著;(4)海表温度、遥感反射率与海表盐度的相关性呈现空间异质性。     

The generation and preservation of multiple hurricane beds in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Cores collected from Mississippi Sound and the inner shelf of the northeast Gulf of Mexico have been examined using ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs geochronology, X-radiography, granulometry, and a multi-sensor core logger. The results indicate that widespread event layers were probably produced by an unnamed hurricane in 1947 and by Hurricane Camille in 1969. Physical and biological post-depositional processes have reworked the event layers, producing regional discontinuities and localized truncation, and resulting in an imperfect and biased record of sedimentary processes during the storms. The oceanographic and sedimentological processes that produced these event beds have been simulated using a suite of numerical models: (1) a parametric cyclone wind model; (2) the SWAN third-generation wave model; (3) the ADCIRC 2D finite-element hydrodynamic model; (4) the Princeton Ocean Model; (5) a coupled wave–current bottom boundary layer-sedimentation model; and (6) a model for bed preservation potential as a function of burial rate and bioturbation rate. Simulated cores from the Mississippi Sound region are consistent with the observed stratigraphy and geochronology on both the landward and seaward sides of the barrier islands.     

墨西哥湾陆坡区冷泉碳酸盐岩的烷烃分布特征

对墨西哥湾北部水深2200m的Alaminos Canyon645区块（AC645区）和水深540m的Green Canyon185区块（GC185区）冷泉碳酸盐岩的有机质进行了研究,结果显示深水和浅水区冷泉碳酸盐岩的有机质丰度和烷烃组成差别较大,下陆坡深水AC区样品有机质含量低,正构烷烃、萜烷、甾烷各组分的含量相对较高,正构烷烃以低碳数占绝对优势,并含有种类丰富的三环萜烷和五环三萜烷,且以17a（H）,21B（H）-藿烷为主峰碳,反映了深水区冷泉碳酸盐岩的有机质来源于细菌和低等藻类,有少量的深部油气藏有机质的渗漏输入,并受微弱的微生物作用改造。上陆坡浅水GC区样品有机质含量较高,其中正构烷烃含量较低,并且以难以分开的复杂混合物（UCM）为主,同样含有种类丰富的以17α（H）,21β（H）-降藿烷为主峰碳的三环萜烷和五环三萜烷,表明有机质主要来源于深部油气藏渗漏的有机质,并遭受了强烈的微生物降解。本文系统地研究了冷泉碳酸盐岩中正构烷烃、萜烷、甾烷的组成和分布特征,并探讨了有机质来源和冷泉渗漏的关系。     

Sequence stratigraphy of the Miocene section,southern Gulf of Mexico

This study focuses on the interpretation of stratigraphic sequences through the integration of biostratigraphic, well log and 3D seismic data. Sequence analysis is used to identify significant surfaces, systems tracts, and sequences for the Miocene succession.The depositional systems in this area are dominantly represented by submarine fans deposited on the slope and the basin floor. The main depositional elements that characterize these depositional settings are channel systems (channel-fills, channel-levee systems), frontal splays, frontal splay complexes, lobes of debrites and mass-transport complexes.Five genetic sequences were identified and eleven stratigraphic surfaces interpreted and correlated through the study area. The Oligocene-lower Miocene, lower Miocene and middle Miocene sequences were deposited in bathyal water depths, whereas the upper Miocene sequences (Tortonian and Messinian) were deposited in bathyal and outer neritic water depths. The bulk of the Miocene succession, from the older to younger deposits consists of mass-transport deposits (Oligocene-lower Miocene); mass transport deposits and turbidite deposits (lower Miocene); debrite deposits and turbidite deposits (middle Miocene); and debrite deposits, turbidite deposits and pelagic and hemipelagic sediments (upper Miocene). Cycles of sedimentation are delineated by regionally extensive maximum flooding surfaces within condensed sections of hemipelagic mudstone which represent starved basin floors. These condensed sections are markers for regional correlation, and the maximum flooding surfaces, which they include, are the key surfaces for the construction of the Miocene stratigraphic framework. The falling-stage system tract forms the bulk of the Miocene sequences. Individual sequence geometry and thickness were controlled largely by salt evacuation and large-scale sedimentation patterns. For the upper Miocene, the older sequence (Tortonian) includes sandy deposits, whereas the overlying younger sequence (Messinian) includes sandy facies at the base and muddy facies at the top; this trend reflects the change from slope to shelf settings.     

Radiocarbon-derived sedimentation rates in the Gulf of Mexico

Sedimentation rates were determined for the northern Gulf of Mexico margin sediments at water depths ranging from 770 to 3560 m, using radiocarbon determinations of organic matter. Resulting sedimentation rates ranged from 3 to 15 cm/kyr, decreasing with increasing water depth. These rates agree with long-term sedimentation rates estimated previously using stratigraphic methods, and with estimates of sediment delivery rates by the Mississippi River to the northern Gulf of Mexico, but are generally higher by 1–2 orders of magnitude than those estimated by ²¹⁰Pb_xs methods. Near-surface slope sediments from 2737 m water depth in the Mississippi River fan were much older than the rest. They had minimum ¹⁴C ages of 16–27 kyr and δ¹³C values ranging from −24‰ to −26.5‰, indicating a terrestrial origin of organic matter. The sediments from this site were thus likely deposited by episodic mass wasting of slope sediment through the canyon, delineating the previously suggested main pathway of sediment and clay movement to abyssal Gulf sediments.     

Physical oceanographic conditions in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico in summer 2000–2002

The circulation and distribution of water properties in the water column of the Gulf of Mexico influence the flux of carbon to the benthic environment. The eddy field of the upper 1000 m creates environmental conditions that are favorable for biological productivity in an otherwise oligotrophic subtropical ocean. This eddy field results in the transport of nutrients and organic matter into the photic zone through cross-margin flow of shelf waters, upwelling in cyclones, and uplift from the interaction of anticyclones with bathymetry. These conditions then allow the productivity that becomes a possible source of carbon to the benthos.Data from four cruises during summers of 2000–2002 are used to describe the currents and water property distributions in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, which consists of water depths greater than 400 m. Comparisons are made to historical data sets to provide an understanding of the persistence of the characteristics of the Gulf and the processes that occur there.The currents in the Gulf are surface intensified, have minimum in 800–1000 m depths, and also exhibit bottom intensification, especially near sloping topography. Historical time series records show current speeds near-bottom reach 50–100 cm s⁻¹. At basin scales, these currents tend to flow cyclonically (counter-clockwise) along the bathymetry. These near-bottom, episodic, high-speed currents provide a mechanism for the transport of organic material, in both large and small particle sizes, from one benthic area to another.The distributions of temperature, salinity, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen during the study appear to be unchanged from historical findings. The source waters for the deep Gulf are the water masses brought into the Gulf by the Loop Current system. The properties in the upper 100–200 m are the most variable of the water column, consistent with their proximity to wind mixing, river discharge mixing, and atmospheric influences. Below 1500 m, there are no major horizontal variations in these water properties.     

Evaluation of two WAM white capping parameterizations using parallel unstructured SWAN with application to the Northern Gulf of Mexico, USA

The performance of two well accepted formulations for white capping and wind input of third generation wave models, viz., WAM-3 and WAM-4, were investigated using parallel unstructured SWAN (PunSWAN). Several alternative formulations were also considered to evaluate the effects of higher order steepness and wave number terms in white capping formulations. Distinct model configurations were calibrated and validated against available in situ measurements from the Gulf of Mexico. The results showed that some of the in situ calibrated models outperform the saturation level calibrated models in reproducing the idealized wave growth curves. The simulation results also revealed that increasing the power of the steepness term can enhance the accuracy of significant wave height (H_s), at the expense of a higher bias for large waves. It also has negative effects on mean wave period (T_a) and peak wave period (T_p). It is also demonstrated that the use of the quadratic wave number term in the WAM-3 formulation, instead of the existing linear term, ameliorates the T_a underestimation; however, it results in the model being unable to reach any saturation level. In addition, unlike H_s and T_p, it has been shown that T_a is sensitive to the use of the higher order WAM-4 formulation, and the bias is decreased over a wide range of wave periods. However, it also increases the scatter index (SI) of simulated T_a. It is concluded that the use of the WAM-4 wind input formulation in conjunction with the WAM-3 dissipation form, is the most successful case in reproducing idealized wave growth curves while avoiding T_a underestimation of WAM-3 and a potential spurious bimodal spectrum of WAM-4; consequently, this designates another perspective to improve the overall performance of third generation wave models.