Observations and Measurements of Planktonic Bioluminescence off the South Coast and Puttalam Lagoon of Sri Lanka

Marine bioluminescence is a unique phenomenon and widely studied around the world. However, information on bioluminescence is scarce in the Indian ocean. This study was carried out to understand the spatial and temporal variations in planktonic bioluminescence off the south coast and the Puttalm Lagoon of Sri Lanka. Planktonic bioluminescence intensity, zooplankton samples, water samples and oceanographic data were collected from sampling sites from January to December 2016 in three month intervals. Time series data were collected at a fixed sampling station, off the south coast of Sri Lanka, in order to understand the variation of bioluminescence intensity throughout the night and with respect to monsoon winds. Bioluminescence intensity was measured using the recoverable bathyphotometer and zooplankton samples were collected using WP-2 net with a 180 μm mesh size plankton net. The results revealed that most of the bioluminescence intensity peaks in the ocean were concentrated in the mixed layer depth zone. Bioluminescence and Chlorophyll profiles indicate the presence of both heterotrophic and autotrophic planktonic bioluminescence. Fixed station analysis showed variations in planktonic bioluminescence throughout the night and with respect to monsoon winds. Twenty two surface bioluminescent zooplankton species belonging to 15 families and 4 phyla were identified during this study. Variations in planktonic bioluminescence with respect to time and sampling locations were evident. The current study yielded encouraging results that should lead to further identification of planktonic distribution near Sri Lanka and key bioluminescent zooplankton in the region.

     

Studies on the population dynamics and production of inshore marine copepods

It is indeed my great honor to receive the Okada Prize (1983) for my studies on the population dynamics and production of inshore marine copepods. This article summarizes the lecture I gave under the above title. It has long been postulated that there is some mechanism whereby a species can repopulate after its disappearance from the plankton, since the appearance of many temperature marine copepods clearly occurs on a seasonal basis. During the last decade, evidence of resting egg production has been found for more than 20 species belonging to Temoridae, Centropagidae, Pontellidae, Acartiidae and Tortanidae. In the Inland Sea of Japan, a summer-fall copepodTortanus forcipatus lays diapause (obligatory resting) eggs in the fall, which overwinter in the sediment on the sea floor until the following summer when water temperature reachesca. 15°C. On the other hand, in Onagawa Bay,Acartia clausi is perennial and produces only subitaneous eggs, many of which, however, sink to the bottom and undergo quiescence (facultative resting eggs) due to adverse environmental conditions (e.g. low temperature, deoxygenation, darkness). There are a large quantity (0.5–2.0×10⁶ eggs m⁻²) ofA. clausi resting eggs in the sediments of Onagawa Bay, which may play an important role in maintaining a more constant planktonic population. The parameters of population dynamics,i.e. the rates of egg production, recruitment and mortality, have been analyzed forA. clausi in Onagawa Bay, by an integration of field and laboratory studies. Recruitment into the planktonic population older than NIII only accounts for 10–20% of egg production. This apparent loss of eggs, which coincides with the benthic resting phase, may be a characteristic feature of the population dynamics of this species. Stage-specific mortality is generally similar in most of the stages, although CI and CVI suffer more severe mortality, possibly as a result of great morphological change in the former stage and heavy predations in the latter. The seasonal change in daily production byA. clausi has also been investigated, its annual production being 2.45 gC m⁻². Daily production and biomass (P:B) ratios increase linearly with temperature. Estimated values of production for other inshore marine copepods are reviewed in relation to P:B ratios and the ratio between secondary and primary production.     

南中国海北部大亚湾水温和赤潮的变化

近年来,大亚湾周边的经济和人口快速发展;自1994年大亚湾核电站运转以来,大亚湾的海洋环境和生态状况尤其受到关注。本研究利用实测和卫星遥感数据比较和分析了大亚湾水温和藻华在1983—1993和1994—2004两个时期的变化情况。结果表明:大亚湾核电站运转后(1994—2004)比运转前(1983—1993),年平均表层水温和表层叶绿素 a 含量分别升高1.1oC 和1.9 mg/m3;月平均有害赤潮(HAB)的发生次数也有增加;有害赤潮在 1994 年以前只出现在春季和秋季,而在1994年以后则全年都有发生;表层水温、叶绿素和有害赤潮发生次数都在5月份增加最明显。这些水环境和生态变化与来自大亚湾核电站的热排放以及由于人类活动增加导致的水体富营养化有关。     

Common bivalve larvae from New Zealand: Leptonacea

The late stage larvae of three erycinid bivalves (Mollusca: Pelecypoda: Leptonacea) taken from the brood chamber of the adult are described (Kellia cycladiformis, Lasaea rubra hinemoa, and L. maoria), and the provisionally identified late stage larva of the erycinid Arthritica bijurca taken from the plankton is described. Also, the D‐shaped larvae of the erycinid bivalves Kellia cycladiformis, Borniola reniformis, Arlhritica crassijormis, and A. bifurca taken from the parent brood chamber are described. The seasonal occurrence of each late stage larva in the plankton at the Bay of Islands (35° 15'S, 174° 10'E), Wellington Harbour (41° 16'S, 174° 51'E), and Raumati Beach (40° 56'S, 174° 58'E), New Zealand is described. Aspects of the reproductive cycles of Lasaea rubra hinemoa and Arthritica bifurca are presented.     

Holocene and Pleistocene dissolution cycles in deep-sea cores of Baffin Bay and Davis Strait: Palaeoceano-graphic implications

Calcium-carbonate dissolution has been studied in several grab samples and piston cores from Baffin Bay and Davis Strait ranging in water depth from 200 to 2300 m. The intensity of dissolution was determined from examining: (1) the ratio of arenaceous to calcareous benthonic foraminifera; (2) the ratio of benthonic to planktonic foraminifera; (3) the relationships between the dissolution-susceptible and dissolution-resistant foraminifera; (4) the degree of foraminiferal test fragmentation; and (5) the relationships between plankton tows and the fauna in the surface sediments. All core tops and grab samples from Baffin Bay surface sediments below 600–900 m water depth demonstrated intense dissolution of calcium carbonate. Sediments below 900 m were biogenic carbonate free, indicating 100% foraminiferal loss due to dissolution. Possible causes of substantial undersaturation in calcium carbonate of Baffin Bay Bottom Water are very low temperatures, and higher concentrations of carbon dioxide. All cores also demonstrated intense dissolution during interglacial or interstadial isotope stages 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Similarities in planktonic foraminiferal assemblages suggested the presence of similar bottom-water masses during these periods. The preservation state of biogenic carbonate debris in glacial isotope stages 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 is similar to the assemblage found in the water at present.     

Rare earth elements and Opal/CaCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ratio of sinking particles observed with a time-series sediment trap at the mouth of Tokyo Bay

A time-series sediment trap was deployed from December 1994 to February 2002 at the mouth of Tokyo Bay (35°03′ N, 139°40′ E; water depth, 850 m). Sinking particles were obtained with a time interval of one week at a depth of approximately 100 m above the sea floor. Observed total mass fluxes varied from 3.3 to 226.7 g/m²/day with an average of 28.0 g/m²/day. Concentrations of rare earth elements, Al, Ca and Si in particulate materials were measured. The combustible fraction at 450°C is assumed to be equivalent to the organic matter content. Contents of biogenic materials, namely organic matter, opal and calcium carbonate, were about 30% and the content of lithogenic material was about 70%. Using La/Yb ratios of particles from the sediment trap and Tama-gawa River and surface sediment of Tokyo Bay, it was estimated that about 50% of the lithogenic particles collected in the sediment trap at the mouth of Tokyo Bay originated from resuspended surface sediment in Tokyo Bay. An increasing trend of Opal/CaCO₃ ratio in the sinking particles was found in the spring season. It is suggested that the relative increase of diatoms is due to the decreasing dissolved inorganic nitrogen input into Tokyo Bay.     

Assessing the ecosystem health status of Korea Gwangyang and Jinhae bays based on a planktonic index of biotic integrity (P-IBI)

To assess the responses of planktonic organisms to pollutants in the coastal ecosystems of Gwangyang and Jinhae bays in Korea, we investigated seasonal changes in various biological factors during the period from 2010 to 2012. Based on the characteristics of nutrient uptake by planktonic organisms under the coastal pollution conditions, we focused on four major parameters: total phytoplankton, harmful algal bloom (HAB) species, heterotrophic bacteria (HB) and Escherichia coli to develop a planktonic index of biotic integrity (P-IBI). The threshold values for abundances of total phytoplankton, HAB species and HB were based on the zero Z-score following normal distribution of the data for each parameter during the three years. Based on this approach, the threshold values were: 1.2 × 10⁶ cells L^?1 for total phytoplankton; 3.3 × 10⁴ cells L^?1 for HAB species; and 1.7 × 10⁶ cells mL^?1for HB. Five grade levels for the P-IBI were established, based on the zero Z-scores. The threshold value for E. coli not to be normalized was based on the USEPA and the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries guidelines. Validity of the grades and threshold values for each parameter established using the field data were tested by algal bioassays in a mesocosm enclosure, which supported the threshold values obtained in the field. In Gwangyang Bay, the annual integrated score for the P-IBI in 2010 was better than in the other years of the study. In Jinhae Bay, the P-IBI for the inner area of Masan Bay was Grade IV–V, indicating unhealthy conditions relative to the central and western outer areas, where the P-IBI varied from Grade II to III. The P-IBI values for Gwangyang and Jinhae bays were mostly rated as “Good (Grade II) or Fair (Grade III)”, except for a few stations in the semi-enclosed areas of the inner part of Jinhae Bay. From an overall view based on the P-IBI developed in this study, the coastal ecosystem health status in Gwangyang Bay was in a better condition than Jinhae Bay. The P-IBI indicated also a change to an unhealthy status during the rainy periods of spring and summer, whereas during winter and autumn the index indicated healthy conditions.     

Temporary ice microalgae community in Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea

The temporary ice algae community in the mixing zone of brackish and fresh waters of the Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea is described. A high abundance and biomass of planktonic algae and a high chlorophyll a concentration have been registered in samples of under-ice water taken on February 2013. The mass development of the diatom Stephanodiscus hantzschii Grunow blooming on the ice in the eastern part of Taganrog Bay is described for the first time. The quantitative data on the under-ice microalgae community and the related hydrochemistry are published. The obtained results could be used in total productivity estimates in the Azov Sea.     

Studies on twelve common bivalve larvae,with notes on bivalve spawning seasons in New Zealand

Twelve common bivalve larvae occurring in the plankton from the Bay of Islands (35°15'S, 174°10'E), Wellington Harbour (41°16'S, 174°51'E), and off Raumati Beach (40°56'S, 174°58'E), New Zealand, during 1970–72 are described and, wherever possible, provisionally identified. The seasonal occurrences of these larvae in the plankton are also described. Information on the spawning cycles of some New Zealand adult bivalves is reviewed; although some species have a short (4 months or less) spawning season, for most it is much longer, possibly with ‘trickle’ spawning through several months of the year.     

Population parameters of Pleopis polyphemoides (Crustacea, Cladocera) in a tropical bay

Populations of Pleopis polyphemoides were studied in Guanabara Bay, southeastern Brazil, to assess temporal variations in density and population parameters. The abundance of P. polyphemoides varied widely during summer, and collapsed in fall–winter. These variations probably resulted from the combined effects of water temperature and predation pressure. It is assumed that the planktonic population began by hatching from resting eggs, while the collapse of the planktonic population in April seemed to be related to lower temperatures and high densities of predatory chaetognaths.     

近50 a来杭州湾冲淤变化规律与机制研究

使用杭州湾1959-2010年的水下地形图, 结合过去数十年来长江入海水沙量和钱塘江河口段冲淤变化状况, 分析了近50 a来杭州湾在长江入海泥沙量锐减和治江围涂等人类活动作用下的冲淤变化规律及其物理机理。结果表明, 乍浦以上区域近50 a来处于较显著的淤积状态, 且有自上向下发展的趋势, 这种淤积主要是由于钱塘江河口治江缩窄工程所引起的;湾内地形发生了局部调整, 部分小型潮流槽脊系统趋于消亡, 地形趋于平坦化, 湾口北部2003年以后有转淤为冲的趋势, 这与长江入海泥沙量锐减和该区域围垦工程等因素有关;1959-2003和2003-2010年两个时段, 湾内泥沙淤积的年平均值分别为0.91×108和1.66×108 m3。对于整个钱塘江河口系统而言, 即自杭州湾湾口至钱塘江河口段的闸口断面, 长江入海泥沙量减少所产生的影响尚不明显, 2003年以后泥沙淤积速率甚至有所上升。杭州湾近50 a的冲淤变化是人为强烈干预下的大流域-河口系统响应与中小流域-河口系统响应的调整结果。     

Seiches in bays forming a coupled system

The seiches occurring in two adjacent bays, Koaziro Bay and Moroiso Bay, situated in Miura Peninsula at the mouth of Tokyo Bay, are very regular, and the phenomenon of beat appears in their amplitudes of oscillation. Nakano once presented a theoretical explanation of this phenomenon, considering two rectangular bays of the same size and form as well as of uniform depth, by assuming that a kind of coupling takes place between the two bays through a portion of water flowing across the mouth of each bay. In the present paper, the validity of the theory has been proved in a series of hydraulic model experiments. The experiments have shown that, in the case of the two adjacent rectangular bays mentioned above, there are two distinct modes of oscillation viz. (i) the co-phasic oscillation and (ii) the contra-phasic oscillation, and since the frequencies of these oscillations are close to each other, when they come to interfere, the beat phenomenon occurs.It has also been found that, when a tsunami wave enters the two bays, the mode of oscillation of the seiches occurring in them changes in the following manner: the co-phasic oscillation the oscillation accompanied with the beat phenomenon the contra-phasic oscillation. As regards this phenomenon, the authors have presented a possible explanation by considering the dissipation of energy due to wave scattering.     

Recent (post-1930) changes in the extent of subtidal seagrass (Zostera muelleri) beds of the eastern Bay of Islands,New Zealand

The surface areas of 12 subtidal seagrass Zostera muelleri beds at the islands and adjacent mainland shores of the eastern Bay of Islands (35° 12′ S, 174° 10′ E), New Zealand were estimated from aerial images. It appears that little subtidal seagrass existed until after the early-1950s, so significant beds here may be a relatively recent biome. Possible explanations for recent emergence of subtidal seagrass include that debilitating periods of turbid water and pulses of sedimentation associated with the land clearances of the late 1800s had worked through the marine ecosystem. An overall peak in seagrass-cover in the 1960s to 1980s was followed by declines in several beds in the 1990s to 2000s, with recovery since. The temporal presence of seagrass was well-correlated among the three mainland beds, and moderately well among the south-facing beds on the islands, consistent with mechanisms driving seagrass establishment and persistence operating at reasonably broad scales.     

Genetic diversity and population connectivity of the sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla along the South African coast

The collector sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla has been identified as a species with potential for aquaculture production in South Africa. The species’ roe is considered a culinary delicacy in Asia and Europe. However, T. gratilla remains genetically uncharacterised in South Africa. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide baseline genetic information consisting of estimates of genetic diversity and population stratification, which may aid in future sustainable use of this urchin resource. A total of 22 species-specific microsatellite markers were used for the genetic characterisation of T. gratilla samples from along the South African coast, at Haga Haga, Coffee Bay, Hibberdene, Ballito Bay and Sodwana Bay. A moderate level of genetic diversity was observed, with an average number of alleles of 7.89 and an average effective number of alleles of 6.57, as well as an average observed heterozygosity of 0.55. Population differentiation tests suggest that the geographically representative samples form part of a single, large interbreeding population, with a global F_st estimate of 0.02 (p > 0.05). This finding is likely explained by high levels of gene flow between these locations caused by extensive larval dispersal during the planktonic larval stage. The panmixia observed within these natural populations of T. gratilla indicate that they could be managed as a single genetic stock.     

Contrasting food-web support bases for adjoining river-influenced and non-river influenced continental shelf ecosystems

Nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations and distributions in two adjoining regions of the South Atlantic Bight (SAB), Onslow Bay and nearshore Long Bay, were investigated over a 3-year period. Onslow Bay represents the northernmost region of the SAB, and receives very limited riverine influx. In contrast, Long Bay, just to the south, receives discharge from the Cape Fear River, draining the largest watershed within the State of North Carolina, USA. Northern Long Bay is a continental shelf ecosystem that has a nearshore area dominated by nutrient, turbidity and water-color loading from inputs from the river's plume. Average planktonic chlorophyll a concentrations ranged from 4.2 μg l⁻¹ near the estuary mouth, to 3.1 μg l⁻¹ 7 km offshore in the plume's influence, to 1.9 μg l⁻¹ at a non-plume station 7 km offshore to the northeast. Average areal planktonic chlorophyll a was approximately 3X that of benthic chlorophyll a at plume-influenced stations in Long Bay. In contrast, planktonic chlorophyll a concentrations in Onslow Bay were normally <0.50 μg l⁻¹ at a nearshore (8 km) site, and <0.15 μg l⁻¹ at sites located 45 and 100 km offshore. However, high water clarity (K_PAR 0.10–0.25 m⁻¹) provides a favorable environment for benthic microalgae, which were abundant both nearshore (average 58.3 mg m⁻²) and to at least 45 km offshore in Onslow Bay (average 70.0 mg m⁻²) versus average concentrations of 10–12 mg m⁻² for river-influenced areas of Long Bay. This provides evidence that much of the inner shelf food web in Onslow Bay is based on benthic microalgal production, in contrast to a plankton-based food web in northern Long Bay and more southerly areas of the SAB.     

Appearance of Chelophyes appendiculata and Abylopsis tetragona (Cnidaria, Siphonophora) in the Bay of Villefranche, northwestern Mediterranean

The vertical and temporal distribution of two calycophoran siphonophores, Chelophyes appendiculata (Eschscholtz, 1829) and Abylopsis tetragona (Otto, 1823) in the Bay of Villefranche (northwestern Mediterranean) was investigated by an analysis of three different planktonic time series. A daily series (1993–1995) showed seasonal peaks of the nectophores of C. appendiculata during spring and particularly in late summer, while the abundance of A. tetragona remained similar throughout the year. A weekly series (1994–1995) showed that C. appendiculata (nectophores and eudoxids) became concentrated above the thermal discontinuity, in the most stratified and warm waters, whereas A. tetragona was collected in large numbers below this discontinuity. A 27-year survey (1966–1993) showed long-term fluctuations of these siphonophore populations, which became abundant in the Bay starting from 1980 and especially after 1984, when the water column grew warm and hypersaline, corresponding to a less rainy period. Temporal (seasonal and long-term) and bathymetric (between 10 and 60 m depth) successions of these two siphonophores were noted in this shallow coastal bay.     

全球变暖背景下三亚湾上升流的冷水有利于珊瑚的生存

It has been reported that global warming has negative effects on coral ecosystems in the past 50 years and the effects vary in different ocean environment. In order to make clear the coral reef status in the background of global warming along the south coast of Hainan Island of China, satellite and in situ data are used to retrieve the information of the coral reef status and surrounding environmental factors. The results show that cool water induced by upwelling along the south coast of Hainan Island is found in the area every summer month, especially in the relatively strong El Ni?o years(2002–2003 and 2005). From the NOAA satellite data, degree heating week(DHW) index does not exceed 3 in Sanya Bay even in the relatively strong El Ni?o years. By comparison of a coral reef growth rate in the Sanya Bay with respect to El Ni?o events from 1957 to 2000, coral's growth rate is relatively greater during 1972, 1991–1994 and 1998 El Ni?o event. By analyzing the environmental factors, it is found that the cool water induced by upwelling may be the main reason for protecting corals from global warming effects.     

Common bivalve larvae from New Zealand: Mytilacea

The late stage larvae of five common mytilid bivalves (Mollusca: Pelecypoda: Mytilacea) are described and provisionally identified as Mytilus edulis aoteanus, Modiolus areolatus, Perna canaliculus, Xenostrobus pulex, and Modiolarca impacta. All are readily distinguishable on the basis of larval shell features, including hinge structure. However, one common species, Aulacomya maoriana, was not discerned, and thus the identifications must remain tentative.

The larvae were recovered from plankton samples from Bay of Islands (35° 15’ S, 174° 10’ E), Wellington Harbour (41° 16’ S, 174° 51’ E), and Raumati Beach (40° 56’ S, 174° 58’ E), New Zealand, during 1970–72. Their seasonal occurrences in the plankton are described and related to the condition index of the adults as far as possible.     

The coast between Cabo de Santa Maria (Portugal) and Rabat (Morocco): a mega-size headland-bay shoreline under control of the North Atlantic swell?

Equilibrium headland-bay beach systems have been mathematically described by logarithmic, parabolic and hyperbolic curve functions. The largest system of this type reported to date has a shoreline length of about 62 km. In the present study, an apparent headland-bay system is presented which has a shoreline length of about 500 km. It was discovered on satellite images, and is located between Cabo de Santa Maria in Portugal and the coastal city of Rabat in Morocco. It appears to be controlled by long-period North Atlantic swells diffracting around Cabo São Vicente at the south-western tip of Portugal, in combination with SW–SE wind wave climates impinging on the northern shoreline of Cádiz Bay. The coast shows two marked departures from the equilibrium shoreline along its central section north and south of the Strait of Gibraltar, which are easily explained. Thus, the promontories to the north of the strait still exist because there has not been sufficient time to erode these back to the equilibrium shoreline since postglacial sea-level recovery. The coastal indentation to the south is explained by an insufficient sediment supply from terrestrial sources to facilitate the required beach accretion. Perfectly adjusted planimetric headland-bay shoreline shapes represent situations where wave orthogonals approach the coast at right angles everywhere, i.e. there is no longer any alongshore sediment transport. Equilibrium shorelines form independently of the grain size of the beach sediment, whereas morphodynamic beach states are indirectly affected by the shoreline shapes because the latter are modulated by wave period and breaker height which also control the morphodynamic response of the beach in combination with the local grain size.     

Numerical Simulation of Extreme Sea Levels for the Tamil Nadu (India) and Sri Lankan Coasts

Numerical modeling of extreme sea levels associated with tropical cyclones in the Indian seas has been confined to the northern part of the Bay of Bengal (north of Tamil Nadu). However, limited attempts have been made for modeling of surges along the Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan coasts. Although, very rarely, cyclones form south of 10°N, there are some instances of severe cyclonic storms hitting these areas and causing widespread destruction to life and property. Keeping this in view, a suitable location-specific, high-resolution, numerical model has been developed for the prediction of storm surges in these regions with a grid resolution of 3 km. Using the model, numerical experiments are performed to simulate the storm surge associated with the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone, the 1978 Batticaloa cyclone, the 1992 Tuticorin cyclone, the 1993 Karaikal cyclone, and the 1994 Madras cyclone. During the years 1964, 1978, and 1992, the cyclones struck both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu coasts, while in 1993 and 1994, the cyclones struck only the Tamil Nadu coast. It is found that the computed sea surface elevations are in close agreement with the available observations/estimates.