Upward Advection Research Articles

The Implications of Seeping Hydrocarbon Gases in the Gunsan Basin, Central Yellow Sea, off the Southwest of Korea

A detailed analysis of high-resolution (3.5 kHz) chirp seismic profiles acquired in the Gunsan Basin of the central Yellow Sea revealed that hydrocarbon gases are actively seeping via the formation of many plumes. The uppermost sedimentary layer was acoustically confirmed to be fully or partially charged with gases. Somewhat favored by the low-tide period, episodic gas seepage is mainly associated with the underlying fault systems of Cretaceous-Cenozoic sedimentary strata in the southwestern part of the basin. Catastrophic gas expulsion seems to have formed a crater at the sidewall of a sedimentary ridge and two diapirs. Here, methane is poorly concentrated but rich in the heavy carbon isotope (δ13C, −52.6‰ to −44.7‰ The Vienna Peedee Belemnite [VPDB]), indicating that methane formed mainly through biodegradation of heavy oils at depth remains in the shallow sediments following its expulsion. Episodic rapid upward advection of porewater is also manifest by unmixed heavy methane trapped in the upper part of the primary biogenic methane (δ13C, about −90‰ VPDB)-filled sediment core. These findings imply that the Gunsan Basin fulfills the requirements for possible generation and preservation of oil and gas, like the petroliferous basins of eastern China and the Yellow Sea.

Mylonite, cataclasite, and gouge: Reconstruction of mechanical heterogeneity along a low-angle normal fault: Death valley, USA

The spectrum of slip behavior in crustal faults generates various rock types that can inform the mechanics of earthquake genesis. However, a single fault exposure may contain evidence of slip at various depths and temperatures due to progressive fault rock formation and overprinting during exhumation. Here, we unravel the spatiotemporal evolution of mechanical transitions along the Boundary Canyon detachment, a low-angle normal fault northeast of Death Valley, USA. Field, microstructural, and geochemical characterizations of fault rocks are compared to existing laboratory experiments and combined with a thermo-kinematic model of fault evolution. Together, these constrain the depths of mechanical transitions along the fault and reveal the evolution of earthquake nucleation zone thickness. Fault exposures from different initial paleodepths passed through the mechanical transitions during footwall exhumation, resulting in overprinting of mylonite by cataclasite and ubiquitous late formation of foliated, illite-rich gouge within the uppermost crust. We present evidence of coseismic low-angle normal fault slip (e.g., injection veins of cataclasite, laminar and grain-inertial fluidization). Coseismic slip likely nucleated at strength contrasts within the fault zone (i.e., contacts between quartzite breccia and calc-mylonite; quartz ribbons and mylonite matrix; breccia and clay gouge) at ≈ 5–9.5 km depth. Observations including mutually overprinting cataclasite/ultramylonite and exposures of pulverized gouge support that dynamic rupture propagated down-dip through the brittle-ductile transition zone (≈10–11 km depth) and up-dip through velocity-strengthening fault patches (≈0–5 km depth). Rapid fault exhumation increased the geotherm, leading to upward advection of the brittle-ductile transition and shallowing/thinning of the earthquake nucleation zone. This process may explain the rarity of large magnitude earthquakes on low-angle normal faults.

Mechanisms of Non-Fresh Groundwater Presence at Water Tables in Highly Permeable Coastal Aquifers.

Coastal aquifers with high hydraulic conductivities on the order of 10-2 m s-1 have unconventional salinity distributions with the presence of non-fresh groundwater at the water table over a wide swath near the coast. This study aims to unravel the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon via numerical simulations for variably saturated, density-driven flow and solute transport in porous media. The simulation results indicate that the existence of non-fresh groundwater at the water table is attributed to the upward mass flux in the saturated zone near the coast, which transports solute from deeper groundwater toward the water table. With high hydraulic conductivity, the upward mass flux becomes prominent at shallower elevations because of the high Darcy flux and the shallow saline groundwater. The upward mass flux has two main drivers, upward advection by the upward flow component and transverse dispersion by the seaward flow component. The advective mass flux dominates over the transverse dispersion in the deep part of the saturated zone where only groundwater with sea water salinity exists. In contrast, the transverse dispersion becomes more pronounced than the upward advection in the shallow saturated zone just beneath the water table and in the unsaturated zone immediately above the water table. Our findings help interpret the unconventional salinity distributions observed and elucidate the unique dynamics of groundwater flow and solute transport in highly permeable coastal aquifers.

Clarification of generation mechanism of volatilization flux based on detailed analysis of transport phenomena near the ground surface and quantitative evaluation of influencing factors

Assessing human health risks associated with inhalation exposure of volatile chemical substances (VCSs) volatilized from contaminated soil requires quantitative evaluation of volatilization fluxes (VFs) and an understanding of how environmental factors impact VF generation. We developed a numerical model that considers advection-dispersion and VCSs volatilization in unsaturated soil, enabling VF prediction through parameter optimization using soil column tests. We conducted parametric analyses to assess how key parameters, such as soil particle size, contamination depth, temperature, and surface soil thickness affect VF generation. By analyzing VCS transport near the ground surface, we uncovered the mechanisms underlying VF generation. We also identified characteristic differences in VF generation behavior linked to soil particle size and gas saturation at the ground surface. Under specific soil particle size conditions, significant VF generation occurred even when contamination was deep underground. This was primarily observed when capillary effect was pronounced, and VCSs continued to be supplied to the ground surface through upward advection. Considering the significant impact of VF generation on human health, our parametric study provides valuable insights into relationships between different parameters and VF behavior, especially under varying ground surface temperatures and surface soil thicknesses. This study contributes to developing effective remediation and risk-reduction strategies. Environmental ImplicationThis research examines the environmental implications of volatile chemical substances (VCSs), including hazardous materials like benzene and trichloroethylene, in contaminated soil. VCSs pose health risks when they volatilize from soil. The study quantifies volatilization fluxes (VF) and elucidates the environmental factors affecting VF generation. These findings are vital for effective environmental management. By comprehending the mechanisms governing VF generation, particularly regarding soil properties like particle size, this research enhances the effectiveness of soil contamination remediation and risk reduction. It emphasizes the essential need for a comprehensive VCS assessment in contaminated soils to protect both human health and the environment.

Talus and its cooling effects on the thermal regime of permafrost: A review

AbstractTalus, as the product of movement and accumulation along the slope after the cracking of cliffs or steep rock walls, is a common landform in the mountain periglacial environment. Significant thermal anomalies within talus have been widely reported to be a result of cooling effects. During the cold season, the increased temperature difference between talus and the ambient environment strengthens the intensity of convection (vertical flows) and transforms into upward advection (lateral flows) and exhausts the internal warm current. During the warm season, heat is concentrated on the surface of the talus, and the internal dominant cold current moves downward along the slope by advection. The principle of the proactive cooling effects of talus has been widely utilized in railway construction within permafrost regions as embankments to alleviate degradation of the underlying permafrost. However, limited model studies have examined the cooling effects of blocky debris in nature, and in situ observations are rare. Therefore, it will be important to increase observations and develop process‐based models that couple heat conduction, convection/advection, water transfer processes, and even the latent heat of phase change. This will help to better understand the extent of the cooling effects and its impact on the thermal regime of permafrost.

Satellite-Based Evaluation of Submarine Permafrost Erosion at Shallow Offshore Areas in the Laptev Sea

Large areas of the seafloor in the Laptev Sea consist of submarine permafrost, which has experienced intense degradation over the last decades and centuries. Thermal abrasion of the submarine permafrost results in upward advection of suspended matter, which could reach the surface layer in shallow areas. This process is visually manifested through increased turbidity of the sea surface layer, which is regularly detected in optical satellite imagery of the study areas. In this study, satellite data, wind and wave reanalysis, as well as in situ measurements are analyzed in order to reveal the main mechanisms of seafloor erosion in shallow areas of the Laptev Sea. We describe the synoptic variability in erosion at the Vasilyevskaya and Semenovskaya shoals in response to wind and wave conditions. Finally, using reanalysis data, daily suspended matter flux from this area was evaluated during ice-free periods in 1979–2021, and its seasonal and inter-annual variabilities were described. The obtained results contribute to our understanding of subsea permafrost degradation, the sediment budget, and carbon and nutrient cycles in the Laptev Sea.

Spatiotemporal vertical velocity variation in the western tropical Pacific and its relation to decadal ocean variability

Prior to the cold phase of the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), sea surface water in the western tropical North Pacific is heated. To evaluate the impact of the subsurface water on the upper-ocean (<100 m depth) temperature variation, we examined the vertical velocity variation. We applied altimetry-based gravest empirical mode (AGEM) method to Argo hydrographic profile (2001–2017) and altimetric sea surface height (1993–2017) data in the western tropical Pacific and obtained a time-varying three-dimensional (3D) potential density field in the layer from 100 to 1000 m depth. From the AGEM-derived potential density, we derived a 3D field of vertical velocity below 100 m depth by the P-vector inverse method, which is based on potential density and vorticity conservations, and examined the spatiotemporal characteristics, focusing on the seasonal to quasi-decadal (QD) variations. In the mean state, substantial upward current (>10^{-6},{text {m,s}}^{-1}) is observed in the region of 10^{circ }–17^{circ }N, 140^{circ }E–180^{circ } in the North Equatorial Current, southern part of the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Possibly besides the Ekman upwelling, the upward current contributes to the cooling of the upper ocean in the western tropical North Pacific through the upward advection of the deep cold water. The upward current was found to be intensified (attenuated) by the strengthening (weakening) of the subtropical gyre interior southward flow on the QD timescale in association with frequent occurrences of La Niña (El Niño) events. The weakening of the upward current is responsible for the QD increase in upper-ocean temperature in the western tropical North Pacific, which is equivalent to or larger than 0.2~^{circ }C, several years after the warm phase of the PDO. The QD temperature variation may affect the phase reversal of the PDO through the heat transport of the western boundary current of the subtropical gyre, i.e., the Kuroshio.

Hot metamorphic complex in the Foreland Zone of the Variscan chain: insights from the Monte Filau orthogneiss (SW Sardinia), Italy

The Mt. Filau Orthogneiss belongs to the low-pressure (LP) - high-temperature (HT) Sulcis Metamorphic Complex located in the foreland zone of the Variscan belt (southern Sardinia). It consists of a core of orthogneiss and high metamorphic grade host rock tectonically juxtaposed below weakly- to non-metamorphic tectonic units, by the Tuerredda ductile shear zone. Our new petrographic and microstructural data on the fine–grained leucocratic facies of the Mt. Filau Orthogneiss are consistent with metamorphic peak under conditions of incipient partial melting in the sillimanite stability field at 680–700°C and 0.32–0.46 GPa. The retrograde P–T path occurred in the andalusite stability field, according to the growth of andalusite after sillimanite in leucocratic facies. The P-T conditions of metamorphic peak and incipient melting are both consistent with development, in the foreland zone, of a thermal anomaly accompanied by the upward rise of deep hot crust in the footwall of the Tueredda ductile shear zone. This transtensive shear zone acted as preferential channel for upward advection of deep hot melts during tectonically-driven isothermal decompression of middle crust. Therefore, we interpret the Sulcis Metamorphic Complex as the result of a tectonically controlled thermal perturbation, and underline the role of this late Variscan crustal scale tectonic structure in the development of hot metamorphic complex in an anomalous position within the foreland zone of the Variscan collisional belt.

Upper-Ocean Processes Controlling the Near-Surface Temperature in the Western Gulf of Mexico from a Multidecadal Numerical Simulation

The upper-ocean processes controlling the near-surface layer temperature in the western Gulf of Mexico (GOM) are examined by estimating the contributing terms in the heat equation based on a 54-year simulation of an eddy-resolving HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). An eddy-active region defined by large surface eddy kinetic energy, representing the Loop Current eddies (LCEs) primary trajectory region, is selected for analysis. Both observations and the simulation reveal that the mean net surface heat flux cools the northern GOM and warms the southern GOM. Mean horizontal heat advection contributes to an overall cooling in the eddy-active region. Mean vertical heat advection has a strong seasonal variability associated with the strong seasonal cycle of the mixed layer process: winters tend to have a strong downward heat advection in the eddy-active region and a strong upward heat advection in the rest of the western GOM, while summers tend to have a weak advective heat flux. The downwelling (upwelling) is primarily due to the dominant anticyclonic (cyclonic) wind stress curl. Mean eddy heat flux convergence contributes to the overall warming in the upper ocean of the western GOM. Diffusive flux is not small across the thermocline, and it is expected to have an insignificant influence on the near-surface temperature.

A Numerical Model for Determining Deep Methane Flux Linked to the Free Gas Zone: Application to the Ocean Drilling Program Site 995 and Implications for Regional Deep Methane Flux at the Blake Ridge

The lack of the quantification of deep dissolved methane flux prevents us from accurately understanding hydrate accumulation and distribution at a given geologic setting where vertically upward methane advection dominates the hydrate system. The upward deep methane flux was usually applied as an assumed value in many previous studies. Considering the deep methane flux changes the methane concentration in the pore water and further affects the phase transfer between the gas and aqueous phases depending on the in situ methane concentration, we link gas bubbles distribution to deep dissolved methane flux. Here, we constructed a numerical model to quantify the dissolved methane flux from depth based on the parameters related to gas bubble distribution, including the residual gas saturation in sediments and the free gas zone (FGZ) thickness. We then applied our model to ODP Site 995 at the Blake Ridge where methane was sourced from deep layers. Our model results predict an upward deep methane flux of 0.0231 mol/m2/a and the occurrence of another gas interval in deeper sediments, which are consistent with seismic data. We further explored the influence of upward methane flux on hydrate accumulation and found that the thin hydrate occurrence zone at nearby Site 994 likely resulted from a small deep methane flux. Combined with the previous conclusion of high deep methane flux at Site 997, we showed that along the Blake Ridge drilling transect the estimated deep methane fluxes decrease with increasing distance from the crest of the ridge. This approach for quantifying deep methane flux is complementary to the current hydrate accumulation model and provides new insights into the regional methane flux estimation at the Blake Ridge.

Kinetic factors control trace element and isotope zoning in Archean pyrite corona nodules

Pyrite corona nodules from the ∼2.7 Ga Kapai Slate, a thin, sulfidic carbonaceous shale horizon interbedded with basaltic lava flows in the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, have concentric compositional and isotopic zoning with distinctive textural differences between cores and mantles. The sieved-textured cores are enriched in highly compatible trace elements, incl. Ni, As, Ag, Te, Sb, Bi and Pb, and depleted in incompatible Mo and Tl, whereas the radiating-textured mantles are strongly depleted in compatible elements and enriched in incompatible elements, relative to the cores. A striking feature of the data is that both the compatible and incompatible elements are linearly correlated, with correlation coefficients as high as 0.99. A marked drop in the concentration of compatible elements and an increase in incompatible elements at the core-mantle boundary is attributed to a sudden change in the rate of growth of the nodules produced by eruption of the voluminous overlying Paringa Basalt. The weight of the basalt produced sudden compaction of the unconsolidated clays below resulting in upward advection of pore fluid, which thinned the boundary layer around the growing nodules, leading to a marked increase in the rate of pyrite growth. Rapid pyrite growth led to a dramatic depletion in highly compatible elements, and to a build-up in incompatible elements, in the boundary layers around the growing nodule mantles, which resulted in extreme depletion of compatible elements, and enrichment in incompatible elements in the nodule mantles, relative to the cores. The corona nodules are also isotopically zoned with cores that have higher δ34S, with small positive Δ33S values, and mantles that have lower δ34S and higher Δ33S. The increase in Δ33S towards the rims is attributed to S8 being advected to the growing mantles by upward fluid movement during sudden compaction, and the decrease in δ34S to the lighter S isotope, with its higher reactivity and diffusivity, being preferentially incorporated into the fast growing pyrite mantle.The extreme changes in the growth rates of the Kapai Slate corona pyrite nodules provide a new constraint on the partition coefficients of the trace elements between Archean ocean water and sedimentary pyrite. The compatibility of the analysed trace elements decreases in the order Bi > Te > Sb > Ag > Cu > Pb > Ni ≈ As > (Co, Zn, Se, Cd, Mn, W) > Tl > Mo, which is consistent with the order obtained from modern sedimentary pyrites by Large et al. (2014), except for the redox-sensitive elements Mn, Tl and Mo. These differences are attributed to the lower oxygen content of the Archean atmosphere and oceans.

A Long-Term Geothermal Observatory Across Subseafloor Gas Hydrates, IODP Hole U1364A, Cascadia Accretionary Prism

We report 4 years of temperature profiles collected from May 2014 to May 2018 in Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Hole U1364A in the frontal accretionary prism of the Cascadia subduction zone. The temperature data extend to depths of nearly 300 m below seafloor (mbsf), spanning the gas hydrate stability zone at the location and a clear bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) at ∼230 mbsf. When the hole was drilled in 2010, a pressure-monitoring Advanced CORK (ACORK) observatory was installed, sealed at the bottom by a bridge plug and cement below 302 mbsf. In May 2014, a temperature profile was collected by lowering a probe down the hole from the ROV ROPOS. From July 2016 through May 2018, temperature data were collected during a nearly two-year deployment of a 24-thermistor cable installed to 268 m below seafloor (mbsf). The cable and a seismic-tilt instrument package also deployed in 2016 were connected to the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) NEPTUNE cabled observatory in June of 2017, after which the thermistor temperatures were logged by Ocean Networks Canada at one-minute intervals until failure of the main ethernet switch in the integrated seafloor control unit in May 2018. The thermistor array had been designed with concentrated vertical spacing around the bottom-simulating reflector and two pressure-monitoring screens at 203 and 244 mbsf, with wider thermistor spacing elsewhere to document the geothermal state up to seafloor. The 4 years of data show a generally linear temperature gradient of 0.055°C/m consistent with a heat flux of 61–64 mW/m2. The data show no indications of thermal transients. A slight departure from a linear gradient provides an approximate limit of ∼10−10 m/s for any possible slow upward advection of pore fluids. In-situ temperatures are ∼15.8°C at the BSR position, consistent with methane hydrate stability at that depth and pressure.

Simulation of the QBO in IAP-AGCM: Analysis of momentum budget: IAP-AGCM对QBO模拟的动量收支分析

The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), a dominant mode of the equatorial stratospheric (~100–1 hPa) variability, is known to impact tropospheric circulation in the middle and high latitudes. Yet, its realistic simulation in general circulation models remains a challenge. The authors examine the simulated QBO in the 69-layer version of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics Atmospheric General Circulation Model (IAP-AGCML69) and analyze its momentum budget. The authors find that the QBO is primarily caused by parameterized gravity-wave forcing due to tropospheric convection, but the downward propagation of the momentum source is significantly offset by the upward advection of zonal wind by the equatorial upwelling in the stratosphere. Resolved-scale waves act as a positive contribution to the total zonal wind tendency of the QBO over the equator with comparable magnitude to the gravity-wave forcing in the upper stratosphere. Results provide insights into the mechanism of the QBO and possible causes of differences in models.摘要平流层准两年振荡 (QBO) 是赤道平流层 (~100–1 hPa) 变率的主要模态, 可对中高纬地区的环流产生重要影响, 但目前利用通用大气环流模式 (GCM) 对其进行准确模拟仍然是一个挑战.本文利用IAP大气环流模式 (IAP-AGCM) 的中高层大气模式版本 (IAP-AGCML69) 对QBO进行模拟, 并对其动量收支情况进行分析.研究发现, QBO主要是由对流活动引起的重力波强迫 (参数化) 引起的, 但该动量强迫被平流层赤道上升流所引起的平流过程显著削弱.模式可分辨尺度的波动强迫对赤道上空的QBO的总纬向风倾向有正贡献, 在上平流层, 其量值大小与参数化的重力波强迫相当.以上结果提供了对QBO形成机制以及模式模拟差异可能原因的认识.

Reply to “Comments on ‘How Much Does the Upward Advection of the Supergradient Component of Boundary Layer Wind Contribute to Tropical Cyclone Intensification and Maximum Intensity?’”

AbstractThis is a reply to the comments by Smith et al. (2020, hereafter SGM20) on the work of Li et al. (2020, hereafter LWL20) recently published in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. All the comments and concerns by SGM20 have been well addressed or clarified. We think that most of the comments by SGM20 are not in line with the intention of LWL20 and provide one-sided and thus little scientifically meaningful arguments. Regarding the comment on the adequacy of the methodology adopted in LWL20, we believe that the design of the thought (sensitivity) experiment is adequate to address the scientific issue under debate and helps quantify the contribution by the upward advection of the supergradient component of boundary layer wind to tropical cyclone intensification, which is shown to be very marginal. Note that we are open to accept any alternative, better methods to be used to further address this scientific issue.

Comments on “How Much Does the Upward Advection of the Supergradient Component of Boundary Layer Wind Contribute to Tropical Cyclone Intensification and Maximum Intensity?”

Comments on “How Much Does the Upward Advection of the Supergradient Component of Boundary Layer Wind Contribute to Tropical Cyclone Intensification and Maximum Intensity?”

How Much Does the Upward Advection of the Supergradient Component of Boundary Layer Wind Contribute to Tropical Cyclone Intensification and Maximum Intensity?

Abstract Although the development of supergradient winds is well understood, the importance of supergradient winds in tropical cyclone (TC) intensification is still under debate. One view is that the spinup of the eyewall occurs by the upward advection of high tangential momentum associated with supergradient winds from the boundary layer. The other view argues that the upward advection of supergradient winds by eyewall updrafts results in an outward agradient force, leading to the formation of a shallow outflow layer immediately above the inflow boundary layer. As a result, the spinup of tangential wind in the eyewall by the upward advection of supergradient wind from the boundary layer is largely offset by the spindown of tangential wind due to the outflow resulting from the agradient force. In this study, the net contribution by the upward advection of the supergradient wind component from the boundary layer to the intensification rate and final intensity of a TC are quantified through ensemble sensitivity numerical experiments using an axisymmetric TC model. Results show that consistent with the second view above, the positive upward advection of the supergradient wind component from the boundary layer by eyewall updrafts is largely offset by the negative radial advection due to the outflow resulting from the outward agradient force. As a result, the upward advection of the supergradient wind component contributes little (often less than 4%) to the intensification rate and but it contributes about 10%–15% to the final intensity of the simulated TC due to the enhanced inner-core air–sea thermodynamic disequilibrium.

Analysis of Iron Sources in Antarctic Continental Shelf Waters

AbstractPrevious studies showed that satellite‐derived estimates of chlorophyll a in coastal polynyas over the Antarctic continental shelf are correlated with the basal melt rate of adjacent ice shelves. A 5‐km resolution ocean/sea ice/ice shelf model of the Southern Ocean is used to examine mechanisms that supply the limiting micronutrient iron to Antarctic continental shelf surface waters. Four sources of dissolved iron are simulated with independent tracers, assumptions about the source iron concentration for each tracer, and an idealized summer biological uptake. Iron from ice shelf melt provides about 6% of the total dissolved iron in surface waters. The contribution from deep sources of iron on the shelf (sediments and Circumpolar Deep Water) is much larger at 71%. The relative contribution of dissolved iron supply from basal melt driven overturning circulation within ice shelf cavities is heterogeneous around Antarctica, but at some locations, such as the Amundsen Sea, it is the primary mechanism for transporting deep dissolved iron to the surface. Correlations between satellite chlorophyll a in coastal polynyas around Antarctica and simulated dissolved iron confirm the previous suggestion that productivity of the polynyas is linked to the basal melt of adjacent ice shelves. This correlation is the result of upward advection or mixing of iron‐rich deep waters due to circulation changes driven by ice shelf melt, rather than a direct influence of iron released from melting ice shelves. This dependence highlights the potential vulnerability of coastal Antarctic ecosystems to changes in ice shelf basal melt rates.

High-frequency fluctuations of indoor pressure: A potential driving force for vapor intrusion in urban areas

In this study, we examine the impact of a building's indoor pressure fluctuations in drawing subsurface volatile contaminants into the building, and how the presence of an impervious pavement surrounding the building influences this. Even in the absence of communication between the subsurface soil gas and ambient air fluctuations of building indoor pressure can cause upward advection of contaminated soil gas from the subfoundation zone into a building. For cases with the paved ground surface, the simulated volumetric soil gas entry rates are lower than steady-state cases with constant −5 indoor-outdoor pressure difference, by at least half an order of magnitude. When the indoor pressure fluctuation rate exceeds about 5 Pa/h (which corresponds a sinusoidal fluctuation with a period of 2 h), the predicted indoor air concentration of paved scenarios will be higher than the conventional case. When both the building foundation and surrounding pavement block diffusional escape of the volatile soil gas contaminants to the atmosphere, high subfoundation soil gas contaminant concentrations can exist, and contaminant entry into the building through foundation breaches is enhanced beyond what would be expected from diffusion as the building undergoes normal pressure cycling. Upward advection into the building may be induced even when the indoor pressure appears, based on limited measurements, to be higher than that in the subslab, particularly when the indoor pressure in the building quickly fluctuates. This represents a limitation on VI mitigation approaches that rely on indoor pressurization, if those approaches cannot at the same time control significant fluctuation of indoor pressure.

The Mechanism of Methane Gas Migration Through the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone: Insights From Numerical Simulations

AbstractFree gas migration through the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) and subsequent gas seepage at the seabed are characteristic features in marine gas hydrate provinces worldwide. The biogenic or thermogenic gas is typically transported along faults from deeper sediment strata to the GHSZ. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain free gas transport through the GHSZ. While inhibition of hydrate formation by elevated salinities and temperatures have been addressed previously in studies simulating unfocused, area‐wide upward advection of gas, which is not adequately supported by field observations, the role of focused gas flow through chimney‐like structures has been underappreciated in this context. Our simulations suggest that gas migration through the GHSZ is, fundamentally, a result of methane gas supply in excess of its consumption by hydrate formation. The required high gas flux is driven by local overpressure, built up from gas accumulating below the base of the GHSZ that fractures the overburden when exceeding a critical pressure, thereby creating the chimney‐like migration pathway. Initially rapid hydrate formation raises the temperature in the chimney structure, thereby facilitating further gas transport through the GHSZ. As a consequence, high hydrate saturations form preferentially close to the seafloor, where temperatures drop to bottom water values, producing a prominent subsurface salinity peak. Over time, hydrates form at a lower rate throughout the chimney structure, while initial temperature elevation and salinity peak dissipate. Thus, our simulations suggest that the near‐surface salinity peak and elevated temperatures are a result of transient high‐flux gas migration through the GHSZ.

Positive and negative feedbacks related to the Arctic Oscillation revealed by air-sea heat fluxes

The NCEP reanalysis data of surface heat fluxes and other related data are used to study their relationship with the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Positive and negative high correlation regions (HCR) between heat fluxes and the AO within the northern North Atlantic are identified. The main factor influencing heat fluxes is the atmospheric circulation over the Nordic Seas, which produces meridional heat transports and generates ocean circulation variability. Our hypothesis is that there are positive feedbacks that enhance the AO and negative feedbacks that weaken it. Among the three main factors related to the atmospheric circulation in Nordic Seas, meridional wind and ocean circulation result in negative feedbacks. Upward airflow produces three effects: upward advection of warm air, latent heat release by condensation and increased short-wave radiation absorption, which all result in positive feedback to the AO. The region dominated by positive feedback is referred to as Arctic Oscillation Positive Feedback Region (AOPFR). Its area is relative small, but it may have hemispheric effects through the divergence of the airflow. Regarding the driving factor of AO, we find that the upwelled airflow produces the only positive feedback, while oceanic circulation acts as a negative feedback contributor. Both atmospheric and oceanic processes are all important factors governing the evolution of the AO.