Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1982. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science / Bibliography: leaves 33-38. / by Marie Diane Schneider. / M.S.

The Pliocene world c.5.3 Ma to c.2.58 Ma exhibited a relatively stable climate with a warmer global mean surface temperature than present-day by ~2 °C to 3 °C, and palaeoclimate analysis from this interval is used to understand climate drivers in ‘warmer world’. Previous oxygen isotope thermometry investigations of Pliocene southern North Sea Basin (SNSB) Aequipecten opercularis from the Coralline Crag Formation in Suffolk, UK repeatedly reveal evidence of a cold-temperate climate regime. Contrastingly, other biological proxies record a warm-temperate/sub-tropical regime. This investigation concentrated on oxygen, carbon and microgrowth increment widths (MIWS) of fossil shell material from Pliocene SNSB spanning an interval of~4.4 Ma to ~2.5 Ma. The study sites included shallow marine Pliocene formations from the western and eastern SNSB, the Ramsholt Member of the Coralline Crag Formation, Suffolk UK, and the Luchtbal Sands and Oorderen Sands Members of the Lillo Formation, Belgium, and the Oosterhout Formation in the Netherlands. Oxygen isotopic palaeotemperature results showed cooler summer temperatures than presently in the SNSB, which were reflective of a cool-temperate regime. There was no evidence of warm-temperate or sub-tropical summer palaeotemperatures in the Pliocene SNSB as suggested by other planktonic proxies. This investigation discussed the possible causal factors for the cooler – than- expected winter and summer palaeotemperatures in the ‘warmer’ Pliocene world as recorded by this proxy. Discrepancies between the cool summer benthic palaeotemperatures from the bivalves and the warmer sub-tropical or warm-temperate summer palaeotemperature estimations from planktonic biological proxies was rectified by the application of a theoretical summer stratification factor (SSF). However, rectifying the discrepancies between cooler (cold-temperate) benthic winter palaeotemperatures and the warmer winter palaeotemperatures from other proxies was difficult because stratification does not occur during the winter. Dormancy behaviours in the warm- temperate –sub-tropical organisms was proposed as a suitable mechanism to allow their coexistence with the cool-tolerant bivalves, which were able to grow and feed underneath the thermocline during the summer months. Therefore, the investigation showed how the Pliocene SNSB exhibited a greater seasonality than occurs presently in the SNSB. The driver for the cooler winter temperatures in the Pliocene SNSB was not identified. Localised explanations including continental wind effects, interannual variations in MOC strength, and increased storm activity in the winter bringing cooler water into the SNSB were all suggested as potential drivers. Global features of climate including interglacial/glacial cycles and orbital forcing effects were factors also proposed for the overall mixed palaeotemperature signal in the Pliocene SNSB.

PCBs are among the most problematic marine contaminants. Converging towards the oceans via the rivers and the atmosphere, they concentrate in sediments where they become a permanent threat to organisms living at their contact. PCBs are extremely resistant, bioaccumulated and some congeners are considered as highly toxic. The North Sea is considered as a highly contaminated area ; however little information is available regarding the impact of PCBs on key benthic organisms of this region. Ubiquist, abundant and generally recognized as a good bioindicator species, the common NE Atlantic sea star Asterias rubens (L.) is an ecosystem-structuring species in the North Sea and was chosen as an experimental model. The present study focused on the characterization of PCB bioaccumulation in A. rubens exposed through different routes (seawater, food, sediments) and on subsequent biological responses, at immune and sucellular levels. The considered responses were respectively (i) the production of reactive oxyggen species (ROS) by sea stars amoebocytes, which constitutes the main line of defence of echinoderms against pathogenic challenges and (ii) the induction of a cytochrome P450 immunopositive protein (CYP1A IPP) which, in vertebrates, is involved in PCB detoxification. Experimental exposures carried out have shown that A. rubens efficiently accumulates PCBs. Exposure concentrations were always adjusted to match those encountered in the field. PCB concentrations reached in sea stars during the experiments matched the values reported in field studies ; therefore our experimental protocol was found to accurately simulate actual field situations. Uptake kinetics were related to the planar conformation of the considered congeners : non-coplanar PCB uptake was described using saturation models, whereas coplanar PCBs (c-PCBs) were bioaccumulated according to bell-shaped kinetics. Non-coplanar congeners generally reached saturation concentrations whithin a few days or a few weeks, which means that sea stars can be used to pinpoint PCB contamination shortly after occurrence. On the other hand, c-PCB concentrations reached a peak followed by a sudden drop, indicating the probable occurrence of c-PCB-targeted metabolization processes in sea stars. Our experimental studies also demonstrated that seawater was by far the most efficient route for PCB uptake in sea stars and that even if PCB levels in seawater are extremely low compared to sediment-associated concentrations, seawater constitutes a non-negligible route for PCB uptake in marine invertebrates. Among the different body compartments, bodywall displayed the highest bioaccumulative potency and can therefore be considered as particularly interesting for field biomonitoring applications. Rectal caeca, which play a central role in digestion and excretion processes in sea stars, have also rised particular interest as results suggest these organs could be involved in the elimination of PCB 77 degradation products. The field work carried out during the present study showed that PCB concentrations measured in A. rubens tissues reflect environmental levels of certain congeners. As it was the case in experimental conditions, A. rubens differentially accumulated PCB congeners according to their planarity. Strong relationships were found between concentrations measured in sediments and those determined in sea stars body wall for certain non-coplanar congeners (e.g. 118 and 138), thus allowing to consider A. rubens as a suitable bioindicator species for medium-chlorinated PCB congeners. On the other hand, sea stars appeared to be able to regulate -to a certain extent- their content in coplanar PCBs. This implies that (i) A. rubens cannot be strictly considered as an indicator organism for c-PCBs and (ii) c-PCBs probably affect essential aspects of sea star biology, potentially leading to deleterious effects. The present study addressed effects of PCB exposure on A. rubens biology, in both experimental and field conditions. In experimental conditions, PCBs were found to significantly alter ROS production by sea stars amoebocytes. This alteration also occurred in a congener-specific way : c-PCBs were found to significantly affect, and probably impair sea stars immune system, whereas non-coplanar congeners had no effect. In the field, the PCB contribution to immunotoxicity could not be determined because none of our studies considered ROS production along with c-PCB concentration measurements. However, the levels of ROS production by sea stars amoebocytes measured in field and experimental conditions were found to potentially lead to altered immunity, and therefore to impair sea stars defence against pathogenic agents. A specially designed ELISA was used to measure CYP1A IPP in experimental and field conditions. Experimental work has shown that the induction of this protein was related to PCB exposure in a congener-specific fashion : c-PCBs alone were found to strongly induce the production of CYP1A IPP according to a dose-dependent relationship. These results have highlighted many similarities between the dioxin-like responsiveness of CYP1A IPP induction in sea stars and that occurring in vertebrates. This strongly suggests similarities in the toxicity-triggering mechanism of dioxins and c-PCBs. In the field, CYP1A IPP induction was found to be significantly related to PCB levels determined in bottom sediments. It can thus be considered as a valuable biomarker. Further research is however needed to better characterize the influence of physico-chemical and physiological parameters on CYP1A induction to refine the interpretation of the information gathered via this biomarker. Results obtained in our study have lead to questionning international regulations applying to PCB biomonitoring in the marine environment. For instance, we strongly suggest that the selection of congeners to be systematically considered should be revised to include c-PCBs. Indeed, in our experiments PCB toxicity was almost always attributable to the sole c-congeners. Historically, determination of c-PCB concentrations was extremely difficult due to analytical limitations ; however, nowadays, these problems have been overcome and do no more justify their exclusion from monitoring studies. Although A. rubens appeared to be quite resistant to PCB contamination, levels measured in sea stars from the southern North Sea can possibly affect their immune and endocrine systems in a subtle way, but with relatively low risk for this species at the short-term. However, this does not mean that other species in this region undergo similarly low risks, or that sea star-structured ecosystems may not become affected in the long-term

In the next 20 years, the global demand for oil is forecast to grow by 0.7% every year, and the demand for natural gas will increase by 1.6% annually. But as we continue to produce oil and gas, the resources of our current oilfields are depleting. To meet the rising global energy demand, it is essential that we can keep discovering more petroleum resources in the future. The primary aim of this PhD project is to deepen our understanding of hydrocarbon reservoirs and enhance our ability to explore. The first project looked at the geological risks in hydrocarbon exploration. It reviewed and statistically analysed the data of 382 unsuccessful boreholes in the UK offshore area. The results suggest that the most significant risk for an exploration well is encountering a thin or absent target reservoir. This risk happened to 27 ± 4% of the past unsuccessful wells. The following most common risks are low-porosity reservoirs (22 ± 4% of all cases) and the lack of a closed trap (23 ± 4%). The probability of a target reservoir having a leaky caprock is 5 ± 2%. The study has calculated the probability of occurrence of all the geological risks in exploration, and this risk data can be applied to predict the potential geological risks in future exploration. One challenge in developing saline aquifers as CO2 storage reservoirs is the lack of subsurface data, unless a well has been drilled. Drawing on the experience of hydrocarbon exploration, a potential CO2 storage site identified on seismic profiles will be subject to many uncertainties, such as thin or low-porosity reservoirs, leaky seals, which are analogue to the geological risks of an undrilled hydrocarbon prospect. Since the workflow of locating CO2 storage reservoirs is similar to the exploration for hydrocarbon reservoirs, the risk data of hydrocarbon exploration wells can be applied to infer the geological risks of the exploration wells for CO2 storage reservoirs. Based on this assumption, the study of Chapter 3 estimated that the probability of a borehole encountering a reservoir suitable for CO2 storage is c. 41-57% (90% confidence interval). For reservoirs with stratigraphic traps within the UKCS, the probability of success is slightly lower, at 39 ± 10% (90% confidence). Chapter 4 studies the porosity and diagenetic process of the Middle Jurassic Pentland Formation in the North Sea. The analysis data come from 21 wells that drilled and cored the Pentland Formation. Petrographic data suggest the content of detrital illite is the most important factor affecting the porosity of the Pentland Sandstone - the porosities of the sandstones with more than 15% of illite (determined by point-count) are invariably low (< 10%). Quartz cement grows at an average rate of 2.3 %/km below the depth of 2km, and it is the main porosity occluding phase in the deep Pentland Sandstone. Petrographic data shows the clean, fine-grained sandstones contain the highest amount of quartz cement. Only 1-2 % of K-feldspar seems to have dissolved in the deep Pentland Sandstone (> 2 km), and petrographic data suggest that K-feldspar dissolution does not have any substantial influence on the sandstone porosity. There is no geochemical evidence for mass transfer between the sandstones and shales of the Pentland Formation. Chapter 5 investigates the high porosity of the Pentland Sandstone in the Kessog Field, Central North Sea. The upper part of the Kessog reservoir displays an anomalously high porosity (c. 25 %, helium porosity) that is 10 % higher than the porosity of other Pentland sandstones at the same depth (c. 15 %, 4.1 - 4.4 km). Petrographic data show these high porosities are predominantly primary porosity. The effects of sedimentary facies, grain coats, secondary porosity and overpressure on the formation of the high porosity are considered to be negligible in this case. Early hydrocarbon emplacement is the only explanation for the high porosity. In addition to less quartz cement, the high-porosity sandstones also contain more K-feldspar and less kaolin than the medium-porosity sandstones of the same field. This indicates that early hydrocarbon emplacement has also inhibited the replacement of K-feldspar. The last chapter studies the potential mass transfer of silica, aluminium, potassium, iron, magenesium and calcium at sandstone-shale contacts. The study samples include 18 groups of sandstones and shales that were collected from five oilfields in the North Sea. The interval space between the samples of each group varies from centimetres to meters. The research aim is to find evidence of mass transfer by studying the samples' variation of mineralogy and chemistry as a function of the distance to the nearest sandstone-shale contact. The sandstones are mostly turbidite sandstones, and the shales are Kimmeridge Clay shales. Petrographic, mineralogical and chemical data do not provide firm evidence for mass transfer within any group of the samples. The result indicates that the scale of mobility of silica, aluminium, potassium, iron, magenesium and calcium in the subsurface may be below the scale of detection of the study method, i.e. < 5 cm.

This thesis investigates the utility of sequence stratigraphy on a regional scale and the control of eustacy on basin infill in unprecedented detail. To achieve this, the thesis utilises a wealth of data, including a continuous 3D seismic MegaSurvey dataset covering 55,000 sq. km, combined with state of the art seismic interpretation software to interpret the basin infill of the Late Cenozoic southern North Sea. The prograding shelf-prism clinoforms of the Late Cenozoic are calibrated to high density borehole penetrations, high resolution chronostratigraphy and climate proxies. The chronostratigraphic control enables a correlation of geomorphology, seismic architectures and seismic facies with full 3D control to the global sea level curve, which enables an evaluation of the impact of eustatic change on sequence development. The control of eustacy and the limitations of sequence stratigraphy are highlighted by: 1) Investigating the regional expression of chronostratigraphically calibrated seismic units, which are linked to the global sea level curve. This was carried out by mapping across the region, the dominance of oblique or sigmoidal clinoform types and seismic features such as iceberg scours, terrestrial channels and submarine fans in order to evaluate the lateral variation of depositional systems and accommodation. 2) Investigating sediment partitioning basinwards of the shelf edge and how deposition basinwards can be predicted via observations of seismic facies and architecture. This was achieved by focusing on specific seismic architectures of forced regressive slope clinoforms and deep water sedimentary systems and the link updip to the shelf within the highly constrained chronostratigraphic framework. The thesis results suggest that sequence stratigraphic models do not represent lateral variation well or integrate other allocyclic forcings on sequence development. A holistic and observation based approach to understanding basin infill and recognising the importance of sediment supply, pre-existing geomorphology, process type of the feeder system, differential subsidence, as well as eustacy, is imperative.

Le modèle biogéochimique de résolution complexe MIRO a été développé pour étudier la dynamique des efflorescences de Phaeocystis en zone côtière belge (BCZ) en réponse aux apports de nutriments anthropiques délivrés directement par l’Escaut et indirectement par la Seine via les eaux atlantiques entrantes. Le modèle MIRO décrit les cycles du carbone (C), de l’azote (N), du phosphore (P) et de la silice (Si) au travers de 38 compartiments chimiques, planctoniques et benthiques clés de l’écosystème côtier dominé par Phaeocystis. Il a été validé dans une configuration multi boite simple en utilisant des forçages climatologiques pour la période 1989-1999 et sur base d’une comparaison visuelle des simulations de nutriments et des variables planctoniques avec les données récoltées durant cette même période.<p>Le modèle validé a ensuite été utilisé pour étudier le fonctionnement de l’écosystème et les cycles biogéochimiques associés. Plus précisément, les bilans de carbone et de nutriments réalisés sur base des flux biologiques modélisés ont montré que l’écosystème de la BCZ, dominé par les efflorescences de Phaeocystis, se caractérise par une faible efficience trophique, une faible capacité de rétention/élimination des apports de nutriments d’origine anthropique et une faible capacité d’absorption du CO2 atmosphérique. Des scénarios annulant tour à tour l’activité biologique et les apports de carbone par les rivières ont permis de déterminer les rôles respectifs de la température, des processus biologiques et des apports de nutriments et de carbone par les rivières dans l’évolution saisonnière de la pCO2 des eaux de surface.<p>L’effet combiné des apports anthropiques de nutriments et des conditions météorologiques locales (débit, vent, température) a été étudié sur base d’une simulation effectuée pour la période contemporaine (1989-2003) en utilisant les forçages réels mesurés. La comparaison visuelle des simulations et des observations montre que, si le modèle est parfaitement capable de reproduire les successions phytoplanctoniques, il est par contre moins performant en ce qui concerne la reproduction des signaux extrêmes. Il apparaît donc que l’échelle de temps (mensuelle) utilisée pour décrire la variabilité des forçages est trop longue et ne permet pas de capter les variations hydrologiques à court terme résultant du vent et de la marée. <p>De manière à mieux comprendre le lien entre les activités humaines sur le bassin versant et l’eutrophisation des zones côtières, le modèle MIRO a été couplé aux sorties du modèle de rivière RIVERSTRAHLER appliqué à la Seine et à l’Escaut sur une période de 50 ans (1950-1998). Les résultats obtenus montrent que l’importance des efflorescences de diatomées est conditionnée par les apports de PO4, alors que l’importance des Phaeocystis est directement liée à l’importance des apports de NO3. Un bilan établi pour la BCZ montre que plus de 50% des apports annuels de N et 60% des apports annuels de P proviennent des eaux Atlantiques et pointe l‘importance des apports de la Seine pour l’enrichissement de la BCZ. <p>Différents scénarios de réduction des apports de nutriments provenant des rivières ont été réalisés afin de cibler le ou les nutriments à diminuer prioritairement pour réduire les efflorescences de Phaeocystis. Les résultats montrent que, dans les conditions actuelles, seule une réduction des apports de NO3 prédit une diminution des efflorescences de Phaeocystis. De plus, pour avoir un abattement significatif de ces efflorescences, il est nécessaire d’agir de manière conjointe sur les apports de la Seine et de l’Escaut.<p>En vue de l’implémentation du code MIRO dans un modèle 3D hydrodynamique et pour tenir compte de la variabilité spatiale des sédiments dans la zone étudiée, une paramétrisation des flux de nutriments à l’interface eau-sédiment a été recherchée sur base des résultats obtenus avec un modèle diagénétique analytique décrivant la dégradation de la matière organique et les cycles de l’azote et du phosphore dans les sédiments. <p> / Doctorat en sciences, Spécialisation biologie animale / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

PCBs are among the most problematic marine contaminants. Converging towards the oceans via the rivers and the atmosphere, they concentrate in sediments where they become a permanent threat to organisms living at their contact. PCBs are extremely resistant, bioaccumulated and some congeners are considered as highly toxic. The North Sea is considered as a highly contaminated area ;however little information is available regarding the impact of PCBs on key benthic organisms of this region.<p>Ubiquist, abundant and generally recognized as a good bioindicator species, the common NE Atlantic sea star Asterias rubens (L.) is an ecosystem-structuring species in the North Sea and was chosen as an experimental model. The present study focused on the characterization of PCB bioaccumulation in A. rubens exposed through different routes (seawater, food, sediments) and on subsequent biological responses, at immune and sucellular levels. The considered responses were respectively (i) the production of reactive oxyggen species (ROS) by sea stars amoebocytes, which constitutes the main line of defence of echinoderms against pathogenic challenges and (ii) the induction of a cytochrome P450 immunopositive protein (CYP1A IPP) which, in vertebrates, is involved in PCB detoxification.<p>Experimental exposures carried out have shown that A. rubens efficiently accumulates PCBs. Exposure concentrations were always adjusted to match those encountered in the field. PCB concentrations reached in sea stars during the experiments matched the values reported in field studies ;therefore our experimental protocol was found to accurately simulate actual field situations. Uptake kinetics were related to the planar conformation of the considered congeners :non-coplanar PCB uptake was described using saturation models, whereas coplanar PCBs (c-PCBs) were bioaccumulated according to bell-shaped kinetics. Non-coplanar congeners generally reached saturation concentrations whithin a few days or a few weeks, which means that sea stars can be used to pinpoint PCB contamination shortly after occurrence. On the other hand, c-PCB concentrations reached a peak followed by a sudden drop, indicating the probable occurrence of c-PCB-targeted metabolization processes in sea stars. Our experimental studies also demonstrated that seawater was by far the most efficient route for PCB uptake in sea stars and that even if PCB levels in seawater are extremely low compared to sediment-associated concentrations, seawater constitutes a non-negligible route for PCB uptake in marine invertebrates. Among the different body compartments, bodywall displayed the highest bioaccumulative potency and can therefore be considered as particularly interesting for field biomonitoring applications. Rectal caeca, which play a central role in digestion and excretion processes in sea stars, have also rised particular interest as results suggest these organs could be involved in the elimination of PCB 77 degradation products. <p>The field work carried out during the present study showed that PCB concentrations measured in A. rubens tissues reflect environmental levels of certain congeners. As it was the case in experimental conditions, A. rubens differentially accumulated PCB congeners according to their planarity. Strong relationships were found between concentrations measured in sediments and those determined in sea stars body wall for certain non-coplanar congeners (e.g. 118 and 138), thus allowing to consider A. rubens as a suitable bioindicator species for medium-chlorinated PCB congeners. On the other hand, sea stars appeared to be able to regulate -to a certain extent- their content in coplanar PCBs. This implies that (i) A. rubens cannot be strictly considered as an indicator organism for c-PCBs and (ii) c-PCBs probably affect essential aspects of sea star biology, potentially leading to deleterious effects.<p>The present study addressed effects of PCB exposure on A. rubens biology, in both experimental and field conditions. In experimental conditions, PCBs were found to significantly alter ROS production by sea stars amoebocytes. This alteration also occurred in a congener-specific way :c-PCBs were found to significantly affect, and probably impair sea stars immune system, whereas non-coplanar congeners had no effect. In the field, the PCB contribution to immunotoxicity could not be determined because none of our studies considered ROS production along with c-PCB concentration measurements. However, the levels of ROS production by sea stars amoebocytes measured in field and experimental conditions were found to potentially lead to altered immunity, and therefore to impair sea stars defence against pathogenic agents. <p>A specially designed ELISA was used to measure CYP1A IPP in experimental and field conditions. Experimental work has shown that the induction of this protein was related to PCB exposure in a congener-specific fashion :c-PCBs alone were found to strongly induce the production of CYP1A IPP according to a dose-dependent relationship. These results have highlighted many similarities between the dioxin-like responsiveness of CYP1A IPP induction in sea stars and that occurring in vertebrates. This strongly suggests similarities in the toxicity-triggering mechanism of dioxins and c-PCBs. In the field, CYP1A IPP induction was found to be significantly related to PCB levels determined in bottom sediments. It can thus be considered as a valuable biomarker. Further research is however needed to better characterize the influence of physico-chemical and physiological parameters on CYP1A induction to refine the interpretation of the information gathered via this biomarker. <p>Results obtained in our study have lead to questionning international regulations applying to PCB biomonitoring in the marine environment. For instance, we strongly suggest that the selection of congeners to be systematically considered should be revised to include c-PCBs. Indeed, in our experiments PCB toxicity was almost always attributable to the sole c-congeners. Historically, determination of c-PCB concentrations was extremely difficult due to analytical limitations ;however, nowadays, these problems have been overcome and do no more justify their exclusion from monitoring studies. <p>Although A. rubens appeared to be quite resistant to PCB contamination, levels measured in sea stars from the southern North Sea can possibly affect their immune and endocrine systems in a subtle way, but with relatively low risk for this species at the short-term. However, this does not mean that other species in this region undergo similarly low risks, or that sea star-structured ecosystems may not become affected in the long-term<p> / Doctorat en sciences, Spécialisation biologie animale / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Soft-sediment remobilization and fluid flow processes and their products such as sand injectites, mud volcanoes, pipes, pockmarks and authigenic carbonates constitute a key, but under-appreciated component of sedimentary basins. The structures are evidence of and provide focused fluid pathways bypassing the stratigraphic and structural framework and thus have numerous implications for hydrocarbon exploration and production by influencing sediment and fluid distributions. Recent advances in subsurface imaging using high-resolution 3D seismic data, integrated with well data, geochemical data and outcrop data have greatly improved the understanding of subsurface sediment remobilization and fluid flow processes in sedimentary basins. This study presents substantial new results from the description, analysis and interpretation of products of subsurface remobilization processes and fluid flow based on all available data from the Northern North Sea and the Nigeria Transform Margin. The studied intervals, which encompass the entire Cenozoic and Cretaceous succession, have undergone repeated, large-scale remobilization and deformation of sediments through time. The North Sea is the archetype Giant Injected Sand Province (GISP) with kilometre-scale sandstone intrusions observed within multiple stratigraphic intervals, but this is the first time the northern North Sea has been systematically studied on a regional scale. Seismic-scale sandstone intrusions are well documented along the Atlantic Margin from the South Viking Graben, Outer Moray Firth, Norwegian-Danish Basin, Faroe-Shetland Basin and Barent Sea but primarily emplaced during one or two episodes. Results from the NNS show evidence for five major episodes of emplacement. These sandstones, believed to be sourced from different stratigraphic levels, have intruded thick polygonally-faulted, diatomaceous and smectite-rich mudstones; probably facilitated by hydrocarbons and diagenetically-released water in spatio-temporally varying proportions. The Cenozoic section of the Nigeria Transform Margin comprises up to 2 km of sediments, including recurrent mass transport deposits ranging between a few to tens of kilometres in length and constituting up to 25 % of the stratigraphic section. A series of fluid flow features such as pockmarks, pipes, bottom simulating reflections, polygonal faults and mound have been interpreted on the seabed and in the overburden; all of which provide evidence of focused fluid movement in the subsurface becoming more abundant towards the Niger Delta. Our study provides details on the geometries, scale, spatial distribution, potential causative mechanisms and implications of these soft-sediment remobilized and fluid flow products; as well as their relationships with other depositional and structural elements within the basin. It also reveals the extent by which sedimentary basins can be affected by these processes and therefore be incorporated into present stratigraphic frameworks and improve reservoir models.

No description available.

Incidental catch, or bycatch, of harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in fishing operations is an international conservation issue. The main objective of this thesis was to develop methods for determining the impact of bycatch on the state and dynamics of porpoise populations and for calculating bycatch limits that will achieve conservation objectives in the future. I applied these methods to the North Sea as a case study. First, I analysed sighting rates of harbour porpoise on seabird surveys in the North Sea during 1980-2003 to determine whether these data could provide informative time-series of relative abundance. Some general patterns and trends in sighting rates were consistent with previous studies. However, the standardised indices of abundance were relatively imprecise and thus have limited value for a monitoring framework that relies on statistical detection of trends. Second, I used a population model to integrate available data on harbour porpoise in the North Sea and to assess the dynamics of the population during 1987-2005. There was a high probability that bycatch resulted in a decrease in abundance. The estimated life history parameters suggested a limited scope for population growth even in the absence of bycatch. The model and data were not informative about maximum population growth rate or carrying capacity. The model suggested that dispersal was the most plausible explanation for observed changes in distribution within the North Sea. Third, I considered management procedures for calculating bycatch limits. I performed simulations to compare the behaviour of the procedures, to tune the procedures to specific conservation objectives and to test the robustness of the procedures to a range of uncertainties regarding population dynamics and structure, the environment, observation and implementation. Preliminary annual bycatch limits for harbour porpoise in the North Sea ranged from 187-1685 depending on the procedure, tuning and management areas used.