NERC-NSTC: Erosion in the deep ocean - the impact of the Kuroshio Current on the continental shelf and slope of Taiwan

NERC-NSTC：深海侵蚀——黑潮对台湾大陆架和斜坡的影响

• 批准号: NE/X003019/1
• 负责人: Uisdean Nicholson
• 金额: $ 10.32万
• 依托单位: Heriot-Watt University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FX003019%2F1
• 关键词: NERC; NSTC; Erosion; deep; ocean

The global 'conveyor belt' of ocean currents are an important part of Earth's climate system, transporting heat and nutrients around the global oceans. They also transport large volumes of sediments and re-deposit these in large drifts in the deep oceans. These sediments then provide an important archive of the current systems that produced them, as well as changing temperatures and environmental conditions. In recent years, we have increasingly recognized that the large-scale eddies in the Earth's large surface currents, such as the Gulf Stream, also play an important role in the deep ocean. These eddies, which are equivalent to cyclones in the atmosphere, are concentrated at ocean fronts, and can cause deep erosion of the seabed - many hundreds of metres deep in some cases.The Kuroshio Current is one of these important surface current systems (associated with a front), that is a fundamental part of the ocean circulation system of the Pacific. Our recent work to the south of Taiwan, and offshore Japan, shows that this is a highly dynamic system which interacts with the complex seabed at an active margin (where two tectonic plates are colliding), deeply eroding and re-distributing sediment.In this project, we aim to understand the effect of the Kuroshio Current offshore Taiwan. We will use seismic reflection data, multibeam bathymetry data (proving high-resolution seabed maps) and core samples, to understand the impact of the current in a number of areas. We will specifically test how the current interacts with elevated tectonic ridges and whether it is capable of eroding deep channels across the continental shelf and slope. We will then investigate hazards associated with this deep erosion, including whether the removal of sediment from the plate boundary changes the stress state in the area, potentially with implications for earthquake magnitude and frequency - something that has never previously been tested - and whether the current destabilizes the continental slope, leading to underwater landslides and tsunamis. This project will also allow us to develop a new, long-term partnerships between our institutions in the UK, Germany and Taiwan, to expand this work in the future. The Kuroshio Current is relatively understudied but it is the ideal natural laboratory to understand the impact of ocean currents on continental margins, and address fundamental new questions about the links between the oceans and deep earth processes that have a major impact on human populations.

洋流的全球“传送带”是地球气候系统的重要组成部分，在全球海洋周围运输热量和养分。他们还运输了大量的沉积物，并将其重新置于深海中的大量漂移中。然后，这些沉积物为产生它们的当前系统以及改变温度和环境条件提供了重要的档案。近年来，我们越来越认识到地球大型表面电流（例如墨西哥湾流）在深海中也起着重要作用。这些涡流等同于大气中的气旋，集中在海洋阵线上，并可能导致海床的深处侵蚀 - 在某些情况下，数百米深。黑杂电流是这些重要的表面电流系统之一（与前沿相关）之一，是太平洋海洋循环系统的基本部分。我们最近在台湾南部和日本海上的工作表明，这是一个高度动态的系统，它在积极的边缘（两个构造板碰撞）与复杂的海床相互作用，深深地侵蚀并重新分发了沉积物，我们的目标是在此项目中，旨在了解Kuroshio Curresh current Current Current Taiwan的效果。我们将使用地震反射数据，多光束测深数据（证明高分辨率海床图）和核心样品，以了解当前在许多区域中的影响。我们将专门测试电流如何与升高的构造脊相互作用，以及它是否能够侵蚀大陆架和斜坡上的深层通道。然后，我们将研究与这种深层侵蚀相关的危害，包括从板边界中去除沉积物是否会改变该区域的应力状态，这可能对地震幅度和频率产生影响 - 这是以前从未被测试过的，以及当前的大陆斜率是否能够稳定，导致水下水流和Tsunamis。该项目还将使我们能够在英国，德国和台湾的机构之间建立新的长期合作伙伴关系，以在将来扩大这项工作。黑发相对研究了，但是了解洋流对大陆边缘的影响是理想的天然实验室，并解决有关海洋与深层地球过程之间的联系的基本问题，这些问题对人类人口产生了重大影响。