The Panama Canal:: operations and traffic

In a previous paper on Canal management we examined the treaties and regulations underpinning firstly American and later Panamanian administration of the Canal. We also looked at the transfer of the Canal into Panamanian hands, including the management models used, ending with a review of toll structures and results. The subject of this paper is the operation of the Canal and the heated debate surrounding its modernisation, with a view to determining the adequacy of projected plans, as well as any future requirements, for maintaining its capacity in the 21 century. This paper seeks to analyse the Canal's operation, modernisation programmes and traffic systems as well as its key element: human resources.     

Habitat and Microhabitat of Mediterranean Clingfishes (Teleostei: Gobiesociformes: Gobiesocidae)

Abstract. This study addresses the habitat and microhabitat of the seven species of gobiesocid fish in the Mediterranean Sea. It is shown that Lepadogaster lepadogaster is closely adapted to large pebbles and boulder fields of rounded stones with a smooth surface. L. candollei is more euryecious and, in addition to inhabiting boulder fields also, occurs close to seagrass meadows, in small cavities and in association with sea urchins. Diplecogaster bimaculata is also euryecious and extends to greater depths. It lives on sand and muddy bottoms as well as on coralline grounds. At some locations this species is found in high abundance during the spawning season under empty bivalve shells or flat stones. Apletodon dentatus is the rarest species of Gobiesocidae in the Mediterranean Sea. It has a close association with seagrass or large brown algae ( Cystoseira ). Juveniles of A. incognitus are either associated with sea urchins or inhabit Posidonia meadows. Adults prefer the vicinity of seagrass meadows under empty bivalve shells and stones overgrown with red algae. Gouania wildenowi is stenoecious and is restricted to the interstices of roundish coarse gravel near the waterline. Opeatogenys gracilis is also stenoecious and lives only on the leaves of Posidonia and Cymodocea seagrass. The colourations of the different species and their variations are described and discussed.     

Regional co-development and security:: a comprehensive approach

Concepts of security are no longer limited to the military form, but other potential, economic, ecological, social aspects are becoming included.Emphasis needs to be put on integration of all dimensions of security. Many environmental problems present threats to human health and welfare and hence to the well-being of nations. The environmental issues cannot be ignored in context of any comprehensive security concept, but environmental security should not be treated in isolation.Integration of sustainable development and regional security may address many of the current maritime issues. Such integration may best be handled jointly and at regional levels.With this in mind and the realization that there is now a clear awareness and understanding that issues such as poverty, underdevelopment, population growth, environmental quality and sustainable resource use, are interrelated and interdependent and must be dealt with as such, the paper aims to highlight some aspects of regional security and sustainable development issues with reference to the Mediterranean basin. The aim is to initiate a process to pursue integration of sustainable development and comprehensive regional security with focus on the Mediterranean.The approach is based on the concept of the Common Heritage of Mankind as proposed by Arvid Pardo in 1967. It has 4 dimensions: economic; ethical; environmental; peace and security. In dealing with the proposal of Arvid Pardo the United Nations General Assembly decided to split up the concept: the Conference on the Law of the Sea was to deal with the peaceful uses of oceans and sea-beds; the Conference on Disarmament with the security aspects, then considered as military. UNCED 92 maintained the separation in addressing only environment and development, with management also included. However, peace and security were not included. It is time now to include these elements, and also consider the enforcement issue. The paper aims at illustrating this need through some examples from the Mediterranean basin.     

Mechanics and control of swimming: a review

The bodies and brains of fish have evolved to achieve control objectives beyond the capabilities of current underwater vehicles. One route toward designing underwater vehicles with similar capabilities is to better understand fish physiological design and control strategies. This paper has two objectives: 1) to review clues to artificial swimmer design taken from fish physiology and 2) to formalize and review the control problems that must be solved by a robot fish. The goal is to exploit fish locomotion principles to address the truly difficult control challenges of station keeping under large perturbations, rapid maneuvering, power-efficient endurance swimming, and trajectory planning and tracking. The design and control of biomimetic swimming machines meeting these challenges will require state-of-the-art engineering and biology.     

Trade secrets: Renaming and mislabeling of seafood

As the global trade and market for seafood has grown, so have the twin problems of renaming and mislabeling. Resource scarcity, the potential for greater profits, and weak legislation have all encouraged incorrect labeling, the results of which include consumer losses, the subversion of eco-marketing, further degradation of fisheries resources, and even adverse effects on human health. This paper examines the extent and consequences of renaming and mislabeling seafood, the state of current legislation, and the importance of future policies, with particular attention to the US, where 80% of the seafood is imported and more than one-third of all fish are mislabeled. Policy recommendations include governments’ support for a global mandate to label species, country of origin, and catching or production method on all seafood with high penalties for infractions. Chain of custody standards, such as those recently implemented by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), should also be considered for adoption worldwide. To garner support for this legislation, consumers must become better acquainted and concerned with their seafood and its origins.     

Geometry and migration characteristics of bedforms under waves and currents: Part 2: Ripples superimposed on sandwaves

This paper presents results of a series of detailed measurements of geometric and migrating characteristics of ripples superimposed upon sandwaves under the action of combined waves and currents. Velocity measurements within the fluid, surface wave characteristics and 3D mapping of the bottom were recorded with an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV), an acoustic water level sensor and a 32 composite element array of sub-aquatic acoustic sensors, respectively. Bottom records were statistically analyzed to obtain height, length and migration rates of ripples. Experiments examined ripple heights and wavelengths for the mobility factors (as defined in Eq. (4)) and the Reynolds wave number within the ranges 10 < ψ < 88 and 16 × 10³ < Re_w < 5 × 10⁵, respectively. Measured values were compared with laboratory and field data together with semi-empirical and analytical formulae from the literature. Good correlation was obtained when plotting measured ripple length and length in dimensionless form as a function of the Reynolds wave number Re_w. Under a given hydraulic condition, it was observed that ripples with different geometric characteristics may coexist at different locations over the sandwave. Ripple steepness is presented as a function of the Shields parameter although characterized with rather large scatter. Finally, average ripple migration speed is presented as a function of the Shields parameter and the mobility number.     

培育海洋经济新增长点的运作规律、机理与途径研究

以“解剖态势、研究机理、寻找对策”为旨意,对我国海洋新兴产业增长点进行走势分析与规律研究,探讨发展的机理,分析障碍因素,提出产业政策和发展途径。作者认为,我国海洋新兴产业的增长点,已经进入成长期,具备了规模化、社会化发展的条件。要使其健康、持续发展,必须深入研究其演进中独具特点的众多因素、条件的运作机理。从海洋资源、环境、技术、产业所形成的供求约束综合分析,应认识和掌握三方面的运作机理：(1)资源不确定性、环境外部性对海洋新兴产业发展的影响及其校正;(2)海洋高新技术商品化、产业化、社会化的依次递进与协调运作机理;(3)市场机制与政府行为引导海洋新兴产业健康发展的协调机理。促进海洋新兴产业增长点的规模化、社会化发展,必须制定科学的扶持政策体系,寻求新的发展途径。     

Modeling and simulation of autonomous underwater vehicles: design and implementation

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have many scientific, military, and commercial applications because of their potential capabilities and significant cost-performance improvements over traditional means for performing search and survey. The development of a reliable sampling platform requires a thorough system design and many costly at-sea trials during which systems specifications can be validated. Modeling and simulation provides a cost-effective measure to carry out preliminary component, system (hardware and software), and mission testing and verification, thereby reducing the number of potential failures in at-sea trials. An accurate simulation can help engineers to find hidden errors in the AUV embedded software and gain insights into the AUV operations and dynamics. This paper reviews our research work on real-time physics-based modeling and simulation for our AUVs. The modeling component includes vehicle dynamics, environment and sensor characteristics. The simulation component consists of stand-alone versus hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) implementation, for both single as well as multiple vehicles. In particular, implementation issues with regard to multitasking system resources will be addressed. The main contribution of this paper is to present the rationale for our simulation architecture and the lessons learned.     

Deposit Feeding and Sediment:

Abstract. The feeding of the epibenthic deposit-feeder Holothuria tubulosa GMELIN and its influence on sediment metabolism was investigated from February 1988 to February 1989. Water samples, specimens of H. tubulosa , and samples of freshly egested feces were taken by SCUBA diving in a 5 m deep seagrass bed at the Island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples (Italy). Particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate organic nitrogen (PON), total particulate carbohydrates (PCHO), and bacterial biomass exhibited higher values in the foregut than in the surrounding sediment. Even the freshly egested feces were richer in the organic components than the sediment. The percentage of growing bacterial cells increased from 4.1 % in the sediment to 12.2 % in the foregut and declined to 11.6 % in the hindgut and 6.2 % in freshly egested feces.
On an annual average, absorption efficiency was highest for bacteria (x = 71%); for PON we calculated a mean absorption efficiency of 20.9%, for PCHO 19.5%. It was estimated that bacterial biomass supplied between 4 and 25 % of the respiratory carbon demand of H. tubulosa. We present evidence that the feeding activity of H. tubulosa stabilizes the bacterial community in the sediment. Furthermore, our data indicate that H. tubulosa reacts quickly to changing conditions, such as sedimented phytoplankton blooms.     

Brittlestar Color-Change and Phototaxis (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea: Ophiocomidae).

Abstract. In the first decisive study of color-change in brittlestars, four Caribbean species, Ophiocoma echinata, 0. paucigranulata, O. pumila, and O. wendti are reported to change color from day to night. Color-change is most striking in O. wendti, which is dark brown during the day, and is banded gray and black from dusk to dawn. The transformation occurs over a 3 to 4 hour period and is effected by chromatorphores which appear to respond to illumination, independently of the central nervous system. Color-change may also be mediated by an endogenous rhythm. Ophiocoma wendti is more responsive to light than the other 3 species tested. It reacts to lower levels of illumination at night than during the day, exhibiting negative phototaxis in moonlight as well as in sunlight. I suggest that color-change may expose (or shield) photosensitive tissues that control the brittlestar's detection of shaded fissures in the reef. Thereby, chromatophore activity may be connected with the brittlestar's chief defense from predators, the ability to detect shadow and escape into darkened crevices. Although experiments to date with predacious fish are equivocal. the color patterns of Ophiocoma species mav provide protective camouflage.     

Human and climate forcing of zooplankton populations: Introduction

Zooplankton play a key role in the pelagic foodweb by controllingphytoplankton production and shaping pelagic ecosystems. Inaddition, because of their critical role as a food source forlarval and juvenile fish, the dynamics of zooplankton populationshave a significant influence on recruitment to fish stocks.In 1961, ICES convened the First Zooplankton Production Symposiumin Charlottenlund, Denmark. ICES also played a leading rolein the Second Zooplankton Production Symposium on "ZooplanktonProduction: measurement and role in global     

Nourishment design and evaluation: applicability of model concepts

Models can play a fundamental role while moving from nourishment projects to nourishment plans, i.e., when nourishment becomes an integral component of a coastal management strategy. Planning nourishment in the context of a multi-years management strategy requires more significant prediction skills than available in the past and an awareness of dealing with uncertainty. The present paper introduces model classes and modelling situations and describes those elements that are the main sources of such uncertainty. Equilibrium Profile (EP) and Depth of Closure (DoC) are discussed with their time-scale related aspects; granulometry changes are discussed with their effects on the dynamics of a nourished coast; estimation of erosion rate is introduced with its implications on the definition of the “basic state” or the “basic trend” of the coastal system; lateral spreading and beach fill transition are discussed with their economic implications; and calibration and verification are introduced with the additional degrees of freedom that might be added to model development and with reference to risk issues in decision-making. These sources of uncertainty are examined in relation with implications for nourishment and modelling. The main conclusion is that, while there have been significant advances in modelling morphodynamics and morphodynamics applied to nourishment design, advances in defining procedures for quality control of the modelling activity are now required.     

Safety at sea and fisheries management:: fishermen's attitudes and the need for co-management

Safety at sea is a serious issue for the commercial fishing industry; it ranks highly in all assessments of occupational dangers including risk-taking, injuries, and fatalities. This paper examines the impact of fisheries management on safety at sea and the use of fishermen's input in the safety regulatory and management process. Using case study techniques of analysis, 22 boatowners, captains and crew all with a minimum of 10 years experience in the commercial fishing industry and from a common New England port (New Bedford) are interviewed. Findings strongly suggest that regulations that have been primarily designed to reduce pressure on fish stocks may also result in increased pressure on fishermen and decreased safety at sea. Attitudes about the role of the New England Fisheries Management Council and improvements to the safety regulatory and management process particularly with regard to the increased participation by fishermen are also examined.     

Status of Kuwait's fishery resources: Assessment and perspective

For the first time, the production of fisheries in Kuwait was assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively by comparing the production of the late 1980s and the mid-2000s using official data. The results indicate that total fisheries production has declined over time, with local production (artisanal and industrial) having decreased by approximately 25%, while imports increased by 25%, representing 62% of the total fisheries production over time. Current consumer preferences have led to increased demand of fish species formerly having inferior commercial importance. The verified per capita fish consumption in 2010 was 22.32 kg yr⁻¹ suggesting the existence of an unrecorded supplementary supply of fish. Predictions show a dramatic decrease in fishery production by 2025, with a low supply of only 0.5 kg per individual per annum. The results have practical implications for legislators’ management strategies for the sustainability of local fishery stocks.     

Changes of nutrient concentrations and N: P: Si ratios and their possible impacts on the Huanghai Sea ecosystem

To investigate the impacts of nutrient concentrations and N:P:Si ratios on the ecosystem of the Huanghai Sea (Yellow Sea), the current status and long-term variation of nutrients concentrations and ratios as well as phytoplankton community structure in the Huanghai Sea were collected and analyzed. The results reveal great annual and seasonal fluctuations in the nutrient concentrations and N:P:Si ratios during 1998-2008 with no clear pattern observed in the whole region. Yet on a seasonal scale of spring and in the coastal regions such as the Jiaozhou Bay and Sanggou Bay, the increase of DIN concentration and N:P ratio as well as the decrease of phosphate and silicate concentrations and Si:N ratios were relatively significant. Many pelagic ecosystem changes have occurred concurrent with these changes of the nutrient regime, such as the recent increase of primary production, changes of phytoplankton chlorophyll a biomass and abundance, an increase of eutrophication, and occurrence of HABs. In addition, new trends in the variation of nutrients seem to be developing in some particular transect such as 36°N, which suggests that long-term and systematic ecosystem monitoring in the Huanghai Sea is necessary.     

Tasmante cruise: Swath-mapping and underway geophysics south and west of Tasmania

The 1994 Tasmante swath-mapping and reflection seismic cruise covered 200 000 km² of sea floor south and west of Tasmania. The survey provided a wealth of morphological, structural and sedimentological information, in an area of critical importance in reconstructing the break-up of East Gondwana.The west Tasmanian margin consists of a non-depositional continental shelf less than 50 km wide and a sedimented continental slope about 100 km wide. The adjacent 20 km of abyssal plain to the west is heavily sedimented, and beyond that is lightly sedimented Eocene oceanic crust formed as Australia and Antarctica separated. The swath data revealed systems of 100 m-deep downslope canyons and large lower-slope fault-blocks, striking 320° and dipping landward. These continental blocks lie adjacent to the continent ocean boundary (COB) and are up to 2500 m high and have 15°–20° scarps.The South Tasman Rise (STR) is bounded to the west by the Tasman Fracture Zone extending south to Antarctica. Adjacent to the STR, the fracture zone is represented by a scarp up to 2000 m high with slopes of 15–20°. The scarp consists of continental faultblocks dipping landward. Beyond the scarp to the west is a string of sheared parallel highs, and beyond that is lightly sedimented Oligocene oceanic crust 4200–4600 m deep with distinct E-W spreading fabric. The eastern margin of the bathymetric STR trends about 320° and is structurally controlled. The depression between it and the continental East Tasman Plateau (ETP) is heavily sedimented; its western part is underlain by thinned continental crust and its central part by oceanic crust of Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary age. The southern margin of the STR is formed by N-S transform faults and south-dipping normal faults.The STR is cut into two major terrains by a N-S fracture zone at 146°15E. The western terrain is characterised by rotated basement blocks and intervening basins mostly trending 270°–290°. The eastern terrain is characterised by basement blocks and intervening strike-slip basins trending 300°–340°. Recent dredging of basement rocks suggests that the western terrain has Antarctic affinities, whereas the eastern terrain has Tasmanian affinities.Stretching and slow spreading between Australia and Antarctica was in a NW direction from 130–45 Ma, and fast spreading was in a N-S direction thereafter. The western STR terrain was attached to Antarctica during the early movement, and moved down the west coast of Tasmania along a 320° shear zone, forming the landward-dipping continental blocks along the present COB. The eastern terrain either moved with the western terrain, or was welded to it along the 146°15 E fracture zone in the Early Tertiary. At 45 Ma, fast spreading started in a N-S direction, and after some probable movement along the 146°15E fracture zone, the west and east STR terrains were welded together and became part of Australia.     

Ocean-dumping research and monitoring: Strategies and tools

Ocean-dumping studies are designed to establish critical indexes of environmental quality to assess the impacts of ocean dumping. Strategies emphasized are: 1) source function characterization including determinations of toxicities of original wastes, 2) environmental characterization, 3) waste dispersion studies in the laboratory and at sea, and 4) waste biota interaction studies, both in the short term, within a life cycle of organisms affected, and in the long term, over many life cycles. Present tools include: 1) quantitative mapping of pollutant distribution by aerial remote sensing and moored and drifting arrays, 2) realtime tracking of waste dispersion in the ocean by 20- and 200-kHz acoustic records, 3) continuous multidepth water sampling to obtain sea truth, 4) in situ bioassay devices, and 5) mathematical dispersion models, some of which are similar to atmospheric chimney plume dispersion models.