Showing papers on "Seabed published in 2015"

Towards Quantitative Spatial Models of Seabed Sediment Composition.

Abstract: There is a need for fit-for-purpose maps for accurately depicting the types of seabed substrate and habitat and the properties of the seabed for the benefits of research, resource management, conservation and spatial planning. The aim of this study is to determine whether it is possible to predict substrate composition across a large area of seabed using legacy grain-size data and environmental predictors. The study area includes the North Sea up to approximately 58.44°N and the United Kingdom’s parts of the English Channel and the Celtic Seas. The analysis combines outputs from hydrodynamic models as well as optical remote sensing data from satellite platforms and bathymetric variables, which are mainly derived from acoustic remote sensing. We build a statistical regression model to make quantitative predictions of sediment composition (fractions of mud, sand and gravel) using the random forest algorithm. The compositional data is analysed on the additive log-ratio scale. An independent test set indicates that approximately 66% and 71% of the variability of the two log-ratio variables are explained by the predictive models. A EUNIS substrate model, derived from the predicted sediment composition, achieved an overall accuracy of 83% and a kappa coefficient of 0.60. We demonstrate that it is feasible to spatially predict the seabed sediment composition across a large area of continental shelf in a repeatable and validated way. We also highlight the potential for further improvements to the method.

Influence of Enhanced Abyssal Diapycnal Mixing on Stratification and the Ocean Overturning Circulation

Abstract: The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is composed of interconnected overturning cells that transport cold dense abyssal waters formed at high latitudes back to the surface. Turbulent diapycnal mixing plays a primary role in setting the rate and patterns of the various overturning cells that constitute the MOC. The focus of the analyses in this paper will be on the influence of sharp vertical variations in mixing on the MOC and ocean stratification. Mixing is enhanced close to the ocean bottom topography where internal waves generated by the interaction of tides and geostrophic motions with topography break. It is shown that the sharp vertical variations in mixing lead to the formation of three layers with different dynamical balances governing meridional flow. Specifically, an abyssal bottom boundary layer forms above the ocean floor where mixing is largest and hosts the northward transport of the heaviest waters from the southern channel to the closed basins. A deep layer forms above the b...

Role of tides on the formation of the Antarctic Slope Front at the Weddell‐Scotia Confluence

Abstract: The structure of the Antarctic Slope Front (ASF) and the associated Antarctic Slope Current (ASC) on the Scotia Sea side of the Weddell-Scotia Confluence (WSC) is described using data from a hydrographic survey and three 1 year long moorings across the continental slope. The ASC in this region flows westward along isobaths with an annual mean speed of ∼0.2 m s−1, with time variability dominated by the K1 and O1 tidal diurnal constituents, a narrowband oscillation with ∼2-week period attributable to the spring/neap tidal cycle, and seasonal variability. Realistic and idealized high-resolution numerical simulations are used to determine the contribution of tides to the structure of the ASF and the speed of the ASC. Two simulations forced by realistic atmospheric forcing and boundary conditions integrated with and without tidal forcing show that tidal forcing is essential to reproduce the measured ASF/ASC cross-slope structure, the time variability at our moorings, and the reduced stratification within the WSC. Two idealized simulations run with tide-only forcing, one with a homogeneous ocean and the other with initial vertical stratification that is laterally homogeneous, show that tides can generate the ASC and ASF through volume flux convergence along the slope initiated by effects including the Lagrangian component of tidal rectification and mixing at the seabed and in the stratified ocean interior. Climate models that exclude the effects of tides will not correctly represent the ASF and ASC or their influence on the injection of intermediate and dense waters from the WSC to the deep ocean.

Rhythmic behaviour of marine benthopelagic species and the synchronous dynamics of benthic communities

Abstract: Light-intensity cycles drive the relentless motion of species in the oceans, and water column migrants may cyclically make contact with the seabed, hence influencing the temporal dynamism of benthic ecosystems. The influence of light on this process remains largely unknown to date. In this study, we focus on the occurrence of day–night changes in benthic communities on the western Mediterranean continental shelf (100 m depth) and slope (400 m depth) as a potential result of a behaviourally sustained benthopelagic coupling. We analysed fluctuations in species abundance based on trawling at hourly intervals over a 4-day period as a proxy of activity rhythms at the seabed. We also measured light in situ to assess how the depth-related decrease of its intensity influences species rhythms and the occurrence of the putative benthopelagic synchronisation. Temporal similarities in the catch patterns for different species were screened by dendrogram analysis. On the continental shelf, species performing diel migrations (i.e., over a 24 h period) that were either vertical (i.e., benthopelagic) or horizontal across depths (i.e., nektobenthic) clustered together separately from the more sedentary endobenthic and epibenthic species. At the same depth, waveform analysis showed a significant diurnal increase in the catch of water column species and benthic species at night. Such coupling was absent on the continental slope, where light intensity was several orders of magnitude lower than that on the shelf. Our data indicate that diel activity rhythms, which are well known for vertical pelagic migrators, are also evident in the benthos. We discuss the role of light as a major evolutionary driver shaping the composition and biodiversity of benthic communities via visual predation.

Assessment of the physical disturbance of the northern European Continental shelf seabed by waves and currents

Abstract: Natural seabed disturbance was quantified by estimating the number of days in a year that movement of the seabed occurred due to waves and currents Disturbance over gravel substrates was based on the concept of a critical threshold for bed movement For mud substrates disturbance was assessed on the basis of bed failure under extreme hydrodynamic stress For sand beds the disturbance frequency was calculated by reference to the predicted occurrence of small scale bedforms using established relationships for estimating ripple and megaripple height The method was applied to the northern European Continental Shelf (48°N to 585°N and 10°W to 10°E) using modelled annual wave and current forcing with a temporal resolution of one hour and spatial resolution of approximately 11 km Highest levels of disturbance occurred in areas of high tidal stress where dune/megaripple type bedforms were predicted and in shallow regions exposed to waves with large fetch However, the detailed distribution of disturbance showed a complex relationship between water depth, tidal stress, wave fetch and grain size An assessment of the uncertainty in the results was made by use of a simple Monte Carlo approach In most locations this indicated a large uncertainty in disturbance frequency values suggesting that present predictive relationships need improvement if assessments of natural disturbance are to be made with confidence Nevertheless the results give a broad understanding of the location and intensity of natural physical bed disturbance and the ability to compare the relative intensity between different regions This has applications to management of the seabed where human impacts have to be assessed in the context of the underlying natural disturbance Recommendations are given for further research that might help decrease the uncertainty in natural disturbance prediction

Modeling wave-induced pore pressure and effective stress in a granular seabed

Abstract: The response of a sandy seabed under wave loading is investigated on the basis of numerical modeling using a multi-scale approach. To that aim, the discrete element method is coupled to a finite volume method specially enhanced to describe compressible fluid flow. Both solid and fluid phase mechanics are upscaled from considerations established at the pore level. Model’s predictions are validated against poroelasticity theory and discussed in comparison with experiments where a sediment analog is subjected to wave action in a flume. Special emphasis is put on the mechanisms leading the seabed to liquefy under wave-induced pressure variation on its surface. Liquefaction is observed in both dilative and compactive regimes. It is shown that the instability can be triggered for a well-identified range of hydraulic conditions. Particularly, the results confirm that the gas content, together with the permeability of the medium are key parameters affecting the transmission of pressure inside the soil.

Analysis of the mechanism of seabed liquefaction induced by waves and related seabed protection

Abstract: As one of the most serious offshore hazards, wave-induced seabed liquefaction can trigger massive landslides on the ocean floor and pose a great threat to submarine structures (e.g., coastal levees, oil platforms, drilling platforms and seabed pipelines). In view of the complexity and practicability of the problem, this study systematically analyzes the mechanism, factors and remedial measures of liquefaction. Compared with seismic liquefaction, waved-induced liquefaction varies in many respects, such as the load pattern, loading position, drainage condition and characteristics of pore water pressure, resulting in different mechanisms of seabed liquefaction under the action of waves. Both wave characteristics and soil characteristics, including the wave period, water depth, wave height, degree of saturation, seabed thickness, permeability and stress history, affect the degree of seabed liquefaction. Moreover, to ensure the sustainable development of the ocean, a series of remedial measures against liquefaction, including evaluation of the liquefaction potential, management of disaster prevention, ocean monitoring and forecasting, are proposed.

Three-dimensional seismic analysis of sediment waves and related geomorphological features on a carbonate shelf exposed to large amplitude internal waves, Browse Basin region, Australia

Abstract: This study analyses the three-dimensional geometry of sedimentary features recorded on the modern sea floor and in the shallow subsurface of a shelf to upper slope region offshore Australia that is characterized by a pronounced internal wave regime. The data interpreted comprise an extensive, >12 500 km2 industrial three-dimensional seismic-reflection survey that images the northern part of the Browse Basin, Australian North West Shelf. The most prominent seismic–morphological features on the modern sea floor are submarine terrace escarpments, fault-scarps and incised channels, as well as restricted areas of seismic distortion interpreted as mass wasting deposits. Besides these kilometre-scale sea floor irregularities, smaller bedforms were discovered also, including a multitude of sediment waves with a lateral extent of several kilometres and heights up to 10 m. These sedimentological features generally occur in extensive fields in water depths below 250 m mostly at the foot of submerged terraces, along the scarps of modern faults and along the shelf break between the outer shelf and the upper continental rise. Additional bedforms that characterize the more planar regions of the outer shelf are elongate, north-west/south-east oriented furrows and ridges. The formation of both sediment waves and furrow-ridge systems requires flow velocities between 0·3 m sec−1 and 1·5 m sec−1, which could be generated by oceanic currents, gravity currents or internal waves. In the studied setting, these velocities can be best explained as being generated by bottom currents induced by internal waves, an interpretation that is discussed against oceanographic background data and modelling results. In addition to the documentation of three-dimensional seismic–geomorphological features of the modern sea floor, it was also possible to map kilometre-scale buried sediment wave fields in the seismic volume down to ca 500 ms two-way-time below the present sea floor, indicating the general potential for the preservation of such bedforms in the sedimentary record.

Submarine permafrost depth from ambient seismic noise

Abstract: Permafrost inundated since the last glacial maximum is degrading, potentially releasing trapped or stabilized greenhouse gases, but few observations of the depth of ice-bonded permafrost (IBP) below the seafloor exist for most of the arctic continental shelf. We use spectral ratios of the ambient vibration seismic wavefield, together with estimated shear wave velocity from the dispersion curves of surface waves, for estimating the thickness of the sediment overlying the IBP. Peaks in spectral ratios modeled for three-layered 1-D systems correspond with varying thickness of the unfrozen sediment. Seismic receivers were deployed on the seabed around Muostakh Island in the central Laptev Sea, Siberia. We derive depths of the IBP between 3.7 and 20.7 m ± 15%, increasing with distance from the shoreline. Correspondence between expected permafrost distribution, modeled response, and observational data suggests that the method is promising for the determination of the thickness of unfrozen sediment.

On the wave and current interaction with a rippled seabed in the coastal ocean bottom boundary layer

Abstract: Interactions of currents and waves with a rippled seabed in the inner part of the coastal ocean bottom boundary layer are studied using particle image velocimetry, ADV, and bottom roughness measurements. Mean velocity profiles collapse with appropriate scaling in the log layer, but vary substantially in the roughness sublayer. When wave-induced motions are similar or greater than the mean current, the hydrodynamic roughness ( z0) determined from velocity profiles is substantially larger than directly measured values. The roughness signature in turbulent energy spectra persists with elevation when its scale falls in the dissipation range, but decays in the log layer for larger roughness elements. Reynolds shear stress profiles peak in the lower parts of the log layer, diminishing below it, and gradually decaying at higher elevations. In contrast, wave shear stresses are negligible within the log layer, but become significant within the roughness sublayer. This phenomenon is caused by an increase in the magnitude and phase lag of the vertical component of wave-induced motion. No single boundary layer length scale collapses the Reynolds stresses, but both the Prandtl mixing length and eddy viscosity profiles agree well with the classical model of linear increase with elevation, especially near the seabed. Within the log region, profiles of shear production and dissipation rates of turbulence converge. Below it, dissipation rapidly increases, peaking near the seabed. Conversely, the shear production decays near the seabed, in agreement with the eddy viscosity model, but in contrast to both laboratory and computational rough wall studies.

Single Buoyancy Load to Trigger Lateral Buckles in Pipelines on a Soft Seabed

Abstract: For exposed subsea pipelines, lateral buckles are usually artificially triggered as an accommodation technique to release thermal expansion by providing temporary flotation with controlled spacing. With the given buoyancy load, the pipeline will be uplifted initially and will then buckle laterally under a certain thermally induced axial load, which is called the bifurcation load. Previous studies have analyzed this problem and modeled the uplifted pipeline as a fixed-fixed end beam, assuming the lateral seabed stiffness is infinite. However, the lateral seabed stiffness is usually low because the seabed is formed from soft soils. Using analytical methods, this paper investigates the buoyancy load required to trigger lateral buckles along a pipeline, considering a seabed with finite elastic stiffness, and provides suggestions for the buoyancy design with an elastic-plastic seabed model using an example of finite-element analysis. It was found that the seabed condition significantly influenced the f...

In situ observations of wave‐supported fluid‐mud generation and deposition on an active continental margin

Abstract: Wave-supported fluid muds (WSFM) are a type of gravity flow that can rapidly transport sediment across continental margins. They occur when wave-induced bed stress maintains suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) >10 g l−1, and sediment-induced stratification near the top of the wave boundary layer limits upward diffusion of sediment. Observations from near-bed instrumentation are used to evaluate the conditions under which WSFMs form on the continental shelf offshore of the Waipaoa River, NZ. An event in July 2010 featured >130 hours river of energetic ocean conditions, and water discharge >1900 m3 s−1. A calibrated acoustic backscatter sensor at the mid-shelf measured near-bed SSC >50 g l−1, with a strong lutocline occurring >15 cm above the predicted wave-current boundary layer, resulting in ~5-cm deposition. A velocity anomaly occurred during this time, with offshore-directed currents faster at 1 meter above bed (mab) than at 3.5 mab. Using these observations, we empirically solve a simple buoyancy-drag force balance to estimate the gravity-driven velocity of the WSFM, which is always <0.03 m s−1. Extending the force balance across a shelf transect suggests that WSFM-carried sediment can reach the shelf edge in 50–240 hours. Spatial and temporal patterns of deposition predicted by the gradient of modeled sediment flux correlate well with seabed observations on the Waipaoa shelf reported in Walsh et al. (2014). This study highlights the importance of WSFMs for cross-shelf sediment transport, despite relatively slow gravity-driven velocities and the infrequency with which they occur.

Hydro-acoustic and tsunami waves generated by the 2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake: Modeling and in situ measurements

Abstract: Detection of low-frequency hydro-acoustic waves as precursor components of destructive tsunamis can enhance the promptness and the accuracy of Tsunami Early Warning Systems (TEWS). We reconstruct the hydro-acoustic wave field generated by the 2012 Haida Gwaii tsunamigenic earthquake using a 2-D horizontal numerical model based on the integration over the depth of the compressible fluid wave equation and considering a mild sloped rigid seabed. Spectral analysis of the wave field obtained at different water depths and distances from the source revealed the frequency range of low-frequency elastic oscillations of sea water. The resulting 2-D numerical model gave us the opportunity to study the hydro-acoustic wave propagation in a large-scale domain with available computers and to support the idea of deep-sea observatory and data interpretation. The model provides satisfactory results, compared with in situ measurements, in the reproduction of the long-gravitational waves. Differences between numerical results and field data are probably due to the lack of exact knowledge of sea bottom motion and to the rigid seabed approximation, indicating the need for further study of poro-elastic bottom effects.

Insights on the design of free-spanning pipelines.

Abstract: The design of free-spanning pipelines is performed with the aim of ensuring their integrity against permanent loads generated by seabed roughness, functional loads induced by internal pressure and temperature, and dynamic loads induced by marine currents and direct wave action. In particular, a load and resistance factored design is applied that focuses on extreme environmental loads, and a fatigue limit state approach is applied as a consequence of free-span dynamics due to vortex shedding-induced vibration and direct wave action. The pipeline free-span scenario can be permanent, when generated by seabed roughness, or characterized by short- to long-term evolution, when generated by seabed mobility and scouring in shallow waters. Free-span analysis is generally a task involving a number of disciplines and should be carried out using a multidisciplinary approach. The paper illustrates various themes related to free-span analysis: (i) free-span scenarios, (ii) characterization of the environment from deep to shallow water related to proper seabed properties, (iii) hydrodynamic load regimes, (iv) pipeline free-span design assessment aiming to reduce overstress and fatigue damage, (v) erodible seabed mobility and local scour, and (vi) some experiences of inspection surveys chosen as representative of a free-spanning pipeline in sandy soils.

Modelling seabed shear stress, sediment mobility, and sediment transport in the Bay of Fundy

Abstract: Information about seabed stability and sediment dynamics is part of the fundamental geoscience knowledge required for the extraction of tidal energy in the Bay of Fundy and for the integrated manag...

Ocean dynamic processes causing spatially heterogeneous distribution of sedimentary caesium-137 massively released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract: . Massive amounts of anthropogenic radiocaesium 137Cs that were released into the environment by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011 are widely known to have extensively migrated to Pacific Ocean sediment off of eastern Japan. Several recent reports have stated that the sedimentary 137Cs is now stable with a remarkably heterogeneous distribution. The present study elucidates ocean dynamic processes causing this heterogeneous sedimentary 137Cs distribution in and around the shelf off Fukushima and adjacent prefectures. We performed a numerical simulation of oceanic 137Cs behaviour for about 10 months after the accident, using a comprehensive dynamic model involving advection–diffusion transport in seawater, adsorption and desorption to and from particulate matter, sedimentation and suspension on and from the bottom, and vertical diffusion transport in the sediment. A notable simulated result was that the sedimentary 137Cs significantly accumulated in a swath just offshore of the shelf break (along the 50–100 m isobath) as in recent observations, although the seabed in the entire simulation domain was assumed to have ideal properties such as identical bulk density, uniform porosity, and aggregation of particles with a single grain diameter. This result indicated that the heterogeneous sedimentary 137Cs distribution was not necessarily a result of the spatial distribution of 137Cs sediment adsorptivity. The present simulation suggests that the shape of the swath is mainly associated with spatiotemporal variation between bottom shear stress in the shallow shelf (

Distribution of natural disturbance due to wave and tidal bed currents around the UK

Abstract: The UK continental shelf experiences large tidal ranges and winter storm events, which can both generate strong near-bed currents. The regular tidal bottom currents from tides plus wind driven ‘benthic storms’ (dominated by wave-driven oscillatory currents in shallow water) are a major source of disturbance to benthic communities, particularly in shallow waters. We aim to identify and map the relative impact of the tides and storm events on the shallower parts of the North West European continental shelf. A 10-year simulation of waves, tides and surges on the continental shelf was performed. The shelf model was validated against current meter observations and the Centre for Environmental, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) network of SmartBuoys. Next, the model performance was assessed against seabed lander data from two sites in the Southern North Sea; one in deep water and another shallow water site at Sea Palling, and a third in Liverpool Bay. Both waves and currents are well simulated at the offshore Southern North Sea site. A large storm event was also well captured, though the model tends to underpredict bottom orbital velocity. Poorer results were achieved at the Sea Palling site, thought to be due to an overly deep model water depth, and missing wave–current interactions. In Liverpool Bay tides were well modelled and good correlations (average R2=0.89) are observed for significant wave height, with acceptable values (average R2=0.79) for bottom orbital velocity. Using the full 10-year dataset, return periods can be calculated for extreme waves and currents. Mapping these return periods presents a spatial picture of extreme bed disturbance, highlighting the importance of rare wave disturbances (e.g. with a return period of 1 in 10 years). Annual maximum currents change little in their magnitude and distribution from year to year, with mean speeds around 0.04 m s−1, and maximums exceeding 3 m s−1. Wave conditions however are widely variable throughout the year, depending largely on storm events. Typical significant wave heights (Hs) lie between 0.5 and 2 m, but storm events in shallow water can bring with them large waves of 5 m and above and up to 18 m in North West Approaches/North West Scotland ( Sterl and Caires, 2005 ). The benthic disturbance generated by waves and currents is then estimated by calculating the combined force on an idealised object at the bed. The patterns of this disturbance reflect both regular tidal disturbance and rare wave events. Mean forces are typically 0.05–0.1 N, and are seen largely in areas of fast currents ( > 1 m s − 1 ). The pattern of maximum force however is more dependent on water depth and exposure to long-fetches ( > 1000 km ) suggesting that it is dominated by wave events.

Applicability of ultra-high-resolution 3D seismic data for geohazard identification at mid-slope depths in the Gulf of Mexico: Initial results

Abstract: Preliminary results from data collected along mid-slope depths in the northern Gulf of Mexico are very promising in regard to the applicability of short offset, ultra-high-resolution, three-dimensional (UHR3D) seismic methods in the detection and delineation of geohazards. Penetration of greater than 2s two-way travel time (TWT) below seabed was achieved with a P-Cable™ system comprising 18 streamers that were 100m in length and a 210in 3 Generator-Injector (GI) air gun fired in harmonic mode. Dips in excess of 17° were imaged at greater than 1s TWT below the sea floor. Between the sea floor and 1s TWT below the sea floor, the dominant frequency recovered is between about 78Hz and 100Hz. Apparent subsurface horizontal resolution is in the order of 16m, and subsurface vertical resolution is as high as 1.6m. Seafloor resolution is consistent with the natural bin size of 3.125 × 6.25m.

RV SONNE Fahrtbericht / Cruise Report SO242-2 [SO242/2]: JPI OCEANS Ecological Aspects of Deep-Sea Mining, DISCOL Revisited, Guayaquil - Guayaquil (Equador), 28.08.-01.10.2015

Abstract: The scientific work during SO242/2 (28. August - 01. October 2015) was part of the JPIO Pilot Action ‘Ecological Aspects of Deep-Sea Mining‘. The main goal was to study the potential long-term ecological impact of anthropogenic disturbances on the deep-sea floor from mining polymetallic Mn-nodules. The expedition SO242 built on studies of the former German TUSCH projects (1989-1996) with four RV SONNE cruises to the DISCOL Experimental Area in the Peru Basin, South Pacific (7°S, 88.5° W; 4150 m water depth) between 1989 and 1996 (DISCOL and ATESEPP projects). The integrated ecological studies were carried out within and next to plough tracks of the original DISCOL experiment 1989, which mimicked seafloor disturbances similar to those occurring during nodule mining. Leg 242/2 extended the investigations started during leg 242/1 with a focus on biogeochemical and biological sampling and observations, including comparative studies of the composition of benthic communities (all size classes) as well as of ecosystem functions (remineralization rates, transfer of matter and energy in food webs, ecotoxicology). In addition, observations were continued of the physicochemical characteristics of the DEA, including the overlying benthic boundary layer. The nodule fields surrounding the DEA were used as references for undisturbed areas. A large proportion of the work was based on autonomous instruments and sensor modules that were deployed by means of ROV and lander systems. In addition, ROV-manipulated and telemetryguided instruments such as the Ocean Floor Observatory System were used for targeted sampling and surveys. Food-web experiments including some small-scale disturbances were carried out and sampled directly at the seafloor by the ROV.

Seabed Mixed Sediment Classification with Multi-beam Echo Sounder Backscatter Data in Jiaozhou Bay

Abstract: The multi-beam echo sounder system can not only obtain high-precision seabed bathymetry data, but also obtain high-resolution seabed backscatter strength data. A number of studies have applied acoustic remote sensing method to classify seabed sediment type with multi-beam backscatter strength data, and obtained better classification results than the traditional sediment sampling method. However, these studies mainly focus on the single type sediment classification or seabed mixed sediment classification using single beam data, not multi-beam echo sounder data. Based on backscatter strength data by a high-frequency (300 kHz) Simrad EM3000 multi-beam echo sounder and seabed sediment sampling data of Jiaozhou Bay in Qingdao, China, we establish the relation model between seabed backscatter strength and sediment type characteristics after data processing and corrections. The purpose of data processing is to diminish or weaken the influence of local bottom slope and near nadir reflection on backscatter strengt...

An abyssal hill fractionates organic and inorganic matter in deep-sea surface sediments

Abstract: Current estimates suggest that more than 60% of the global seafloor are covered by millions of abyssal hills and mountains. These features introduce spatial fluid-dynamic granularity whose influence on deep-ocean sediment biogeochemistry is unknown. Here we compare biogeochemical surface-sediment properties from a fluid-dynamically well-characterized abyssal hill and upstream plain: (1) In hill sediments, organic-carbon and -nitrogen contents are only about half as high as on the plain while proteinaceous material displays less degradation; (2) on the hill, more coarse-grained sediments (reducing particle surface area) and very variable calcite contents (influencing particle surface charge) are proposed to reduce the extent, and influence compound-specificity, of sorptive organic-matter preservation. Further studies are needed to estimate the representativeness of the results in a global context. Given millions of abyssal hills and mountains, their integrative influence on formation and composition of deep-sea sediments warrants more attention.