Dynamics and molecular composition of dissolved organic material during experimental phytoplankton blooms

This study examined the formation and degradation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), combined neutral sugars (DCNS) and amino acids (DCAA) during phytoplankton blooms in two mesocosms differing in nutrient levels and phytoplankton species composition. Concentrations of DOC increased by 16% and 50% in unenriched and nutrient-enriched mesocosms, respectively. The accumulated DOC was eventually degraded in the unenriched mesocosm. In contrast, 32% of the bloom-derived DOC in the nutrient-enriched mesocosm was still present after 7 weeks. Concentrations of DCNS in the mesocosms increased by 127% and 203% in the unenriched and enriched mesocosm, respectively. The increase in DCNS was caused by the enhanced release of fucose-, galactose-, and glucose-rich polymers by the bloom-forming diatom species. The introduced sugar polymers appeared to be labile since concentrations and the molecular composition of the DCNS pool quickly returned to the initial conditions after the bloom ended. Concentrations of DCAA in the nutrient-enriched mesocosm increased by 81%, but DCAA did not change in the unenriched mesocosm. Our observations suggest that phytoplankton blooms differing in biomass levels, phytoplankton species composition and nutrient availability can lead to different short- and long-term variations in the concentrations of DOC, DCNS and DCAA. However, the blooms had little long-term impact on DCAA and DCNS composition, suggesting that degradation pathways rather than production processes were more important in determining the molecular composition of these compound classes and perhaps of the entire DOC pool.     

Bacterial communities fluctuate in abundance and diversity under simulated oil-contaminated seawater conditions

Marine bacteria have recently been identified as a potent solution for petroleum hydrocarbon degradation in response to hazardous oceanic oil spills. In this study, a mesocosm experiment simulating a petroleum spill event was performed to investigate changes in the abundance, structure, and productivity of bacterial communities in response to oil pollution. Cultured heterotrophic bacteria and total bacteria showed a consistent trend involving an immediate decrease in abundance, followed by a slight increase, and a steady low-level thereafter. However, the changing trend of bacterial productivity based on bacterial biomass and bacterial volume showed the opposite trend. In addition, the density of oil-degrading bacteria increased initially, then subsequently declined. The change in the bacterial community structure at day 0 and day 28 were also analyzed by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), which indicated that the species diversity of the bacterial community changed greatly after oil pollution. Alphaproteobacteria (40.98%) replaced Epsilonproteobacteria (51.10%) as the most abundant class, and Gammaproteobacteria (38.80%) became the second most dominant class in the whole bacterial community. The bacterial communities in oil-contaminated seawater (32 genera) became much more complex than those found in the natural seawater sample (16 genera). The proportion of petroleum-degrading bacteria in the oil-contaminated seawater also increased. In this study, culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches were combined to elucidate changes in both bacterial productivity and community structure. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of the role that bacteria play in material cycling and degradation in response to oil pollution.     

A common garden experiment with larval Northeast Arctic and Norwegian coastal cod cohorts in replicated mesocosms

A replicated mesocosm experiment was carried out to evaluate differential effects of feeding conditions for larval Northeast Arctic (NA) cod and Norwegian coastal (NC) cod. The two populations were (1) reared together with a 6-day older NA cohort (mixed) in high (HC) and low prey concentration (LC; 2000 and 200 prey/L initially), and (2) reared separately in HC treatments (non-mixed) to be able to evaluate both the effect of feeding conditions and possible effects of size interaction within mesocosms. The larvae were fed natural zooplankton, and the two stocks were identified in the mixed mesocosms by otolith marking. NA larvae hatched at a larger size, had higher growth rates, and survived better than NC larvae in both mixed and non-mixed mesocosms in the HC treatment. The second cohort clearly survived better in the non-mixed than in the mixed mesocosms, indicating the presence of an interaction effect before cannibalism could occur. We found a significant higher weight-at-length between NC and NA larvae (<12 mm), which was bigger than the effect difference due to feeding conditions. Furthermore, a positive relation between survival and initial growth within mesocosms was found. We suggest that lower growth at early larval stages was accompanied by lower survival, and suggest that this was further enhanced when larvae interacted with older and larger larvae.     

波浪作用下海上溢油潜浮于水的机理研究进展

从单油滴角度对波浪作用下漂浮溢油的入水过程(夹带、油滴的形成),演变过程(油滴的变形、破碎和聚并)和上浮过程的研究现状进行综述,介绍了溢油及相关领域的研究手段和实验方法,总结了海上溢油潜浮于水的行为机理及分布规律,并基于实验室和溢油现场的研究成果提出进一步需要探究的问题,为海上溢油污染的应急决策、追踪预测和损害评估等方面提供思路和借鉴。     

The influence of changes in nitrogen: silicon ratios on diatom growth dynamics

Nitrate loading to coastal waters has increased over recent decades while silicon loading has remained relatively constant or decreased. As the N:Si ratio in coastal waters shifts due to these anthropogenic influences, silicate limitation of diatom biomass may become a feature of the biogeochemistry in coastal waters especially in regions of reduced exchange. Two sets of nutrient enrichment mesocosm experiments were conducted in successive years using a natural planktonic assemblage obtained from the Trondheimsfjord, Norway. The inorganic nutrient concentrations at the start of the experiments were manipulated to give a variety of N:Si concentrations at ratios representative of current and possible future values, should N loading continue. In June 1999 experiments were conducted with a gradient of inorganic N:Si ratios (1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 4:1) to investigate the influence of low and high N:Si ratio conditions and to determine the conditions that would generate Si limitation of diatom growth. In June 2000, based on 1999 data, highly replicated experiments were conducted at N:Si ratios of 1:1 and 4:1 which were expected to result in N and Si limitation of diatom growth, respectively; statistical differences in cellular composition were recorded. N limitation of diatom biomass increase was observed under the three lowest N:Si ratios: particulate carbon (C) accumulation continued to occur following N exhaustion resulting in an increase in the organic C:N ratio. Silicate limitation of diatom biomass increase only occurred at the highest N:Si ratio of 4:1. Silicate exhaustion was followed by continued nitrate uptake for several days, at a slower rate than previously. The resulting increase in organic N was accompanied by an increase in organic C such that the C:N ratio of the organic material at the highest N:Si ratio failed to increase to the extent observed under the N limited conditions. Statistically significant differences in chlorophyll-a yield per unit nitrate, C:chlorophyll-a ratios, C:N ratio and diatom cell yield per unit nitrate or Si were observed in Si compared to N limited conditions. All mesocosms became dominated numerically and in terms of biomass by the diatom Skeletonema costatum. The potential implications of changing N and Si regimes in coastal waters are discussed.     

一种基于经验模态分解的SAR图像溢油识别算法

溢油事件的发生会给海洋环境的保护和经济发展带来巨大的影响。运用现代化的监测手段和技术进行监测,及时发现溢油现象和违规行为,保护海洋环境是非常重要的。合成孔径雷达（SAR）技术是溢油检测的有效工具,在SAR图像中溢油表现为黑色的区域,但是黑色区域也可能会由其他的因素引起。本文提出了一种基于二维经验模态分解（BEMD）的方法来识别溢油和疑似溢油。首先通过BEMD方法将感兴趣的区域分解为局部窄带的各分量—内蕴模函数（BIMF）之和,并对分解后得到的各分量IMF进行Hilbert变换,通过Hibert谱分析得到64维的特征空间,然后使用Relief方法得到5个特征向量,最后利用马氏距离分类器进行分类。通过实验结果表明,该方法能够有效、准确地检测出溢油,准确率超过90%。     

基于二维激光观测的溢油及其乳化过程散射模式研究进展

合成孔径雷达(SAR)以其高分辨率、能不受雨云影响实施全天时全天候全方位监测,在海面溢油灾害应急监测过程中发挥着越来越重要的作用。溢油是因为海面油膜抑制了毛细波和重力波,在SAR图像上呈暗斑而被识别。然而,海面溢油的乳化过程直接影响SAR对海面溢油后向散射截面的观测精度。本研究以物理海洋学和激光原理以及海面电磁散射理论为基础,通过实验利用激光扫描仪观测海面溢油粗糙度,分别与溢油特征参数、后向散射系数建立对应关系;耦合海面溢油参数与后向散射截面的关系,利用电磁散射数值建模方法,建立海面溢油散射模型,研究海面溢油乳化过程对微波后向散射截面的影响。本项目的研究将为SAR监测海面溢油量、溢油厚度及油品分布格局提供了可能;将进一步揭示海面溢油的散射机制,提高SAR海面监测溢油的精度和能力。     

Production of chromophoric dissolved organic matter by Sargasso Sea microbes

Time series of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) light absorption coefficients indicate a local origin for a large fraction of the CDOM in the upper water column of the Sargasso Sea. In the present study, we demonstrate that CDOM is produced in bacterial culture experiments using Sargasso Sea water and naturally occurring microbial assemblages. Seawater cultures were prepared and grown at in situ temperatures in the dark for periods of weeks. Selected cultures were treated with amendments including inorganic nutrients, glucose, phytoplankton exudates, and zooplankton excretia. In all experiments, when bacterial biomass increased, CDOM increased during the first week of the experiment, followed by a decrease over a longer period of time. Cultures amended with both glucose and inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus produced more CDOM than controls or cultures amended with glucose or inorganic nutrients alone. However, when complex DOM substrates (derived from phytoplankton or zooplankton cultures) were added to seawater cultures, there was a net accumulation of CDOM over the course of the experiments. These data suggest that, in addition to microbial growth, the quality of the substrate plays an important role in net CDOM production. ‘New’ CDOM produced in culture was spectroscopically similar to CDOM appearing below the surface during summer stratification. The results of the present study support a new paradigm for CDOM in the open ocean, which allows for local origin and significant dynamics. Appreciation of CDOM dynamics will, in turn, add to our understanding of microbial productivity, photochemical rate processes, and ultraviolet radiation availability in the global ocean.     

A nitrogen and phosphorus dynamic model of mesocosm pelagic ecosystem in the Jiaozhou Bay in China

A nitrogen and phosphorus dynamic model of mesocosm pelagic ecosystem was established according to the summary and synthesis of the models available, in which seven state variables （DIN, PO4-P, DON, DOP, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus） were included. Logically it had five modules--phytoplankton, zooplankton, dissolved inorganic nutrients, dissolved organic nutrients and detritus. The results showed that this model could simulate the variations of DIN, PO4-P, DON, DOP, POC and phytoplankton biomass in pelagic ecosystem in mesocosm properly, based on the site experiment data in the Jiaozhou Bay in the autumn of 1999 and the summer of 2000. Not only the logical structure but also the model parameters were feasible, and about 20 parameters were made to fit for the Jiaozhou Bay during the simulation. All of these are necessary to study the control mechanism of nutrients biogeochemical cycling in the Jiaozhou Bay and other China＇ s coastal waters.     

Ten years after the enactment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990: a success or a failure

In response to the Exxon Valdez incident, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was enacted as allegedly comprehensive oil pollution legislation. There have been changes in the patterns of oil spills and the strategic response to the Act. The number and volume of oil spills from tank vessels in US waters have fallen considerably without an obvious increase in oil prices since the enactment of the Act. This implies that the Act has successfully served its purpose. The Act may also facilitate the development of other oil pollution regimes including the international regime beyond the US. However, it remains to be seen whether the reduction of oil spills in US waters will be sustained in the future. There is an irreducible risk irrespective of any policy controlling oil pollution risks. The assertion that the Act has been effective in deterring oil spills may be counteracted by statistics demonstrating that the number and quantity of oil spills have also declined worldwide since 1990. It is premature to evaluate the performance of the Act because it has not so far been tested by a major oil spill since its enactment. A major oil spill in US waters in the future would illuminate limitation of the Act and lead to a fundamental reconsideration of the structure of the Act.     

Late Holocene marine productivity changes in Northern Patagonia-Chile inferred from a multi-proxy analysis of Jacaf channel sediments

A multi-proxy approach based on organic (organic carbon, alkenones, and C/N) and inorganic geochemical proxies (biogenic opal, inorganic carbon, Fe, Ti, and Ca) preserved in the sediments of the Jacaf channel (CF7-PC33; 44°21′S, 72°58′W, 510 m water depth), Chilean fjords, yields evidence of major past productivity fluctuations in accordance with climatic changes over the last ∼1800 years. The downcore record clearly shows two productivity/climate modes. The first period, prior to 900 cal yr BP, is characterized by decreased marine productivity and a reduced continental signal, pointing to diminished precipitation and runoff. In contrast, the second period between ∼750 cal yr BP and the late 1800s (top of core) is illustrated by elevated productivity and an increased continental signal, suggesting higher precipitation and runoff. Both time intervals are separated by a relatively abrupt transition of ∼150 years which roughly coincides with the beginning of the Little Ice Age. The increased content of freshwater diatoms and Chrysophyte cysts that characterize the last 200 years of the latter mode coincides with a significant decrease in the carbonate content of the sediment; together they further indicate increased terrigenous contributions and decreased marine carbonate productivity at the end of the Little Ice Age. The correspondence between our record and other paleoclimate studies carried out in South America and Antarctica demonstrates that the Chilean fjord area of Northern Patagonia is not just sensitive to local climatic variability but also to regional and possibly global variability.     

The effects of the M/V Sea Prince accident on maritime safety management in Korea

The Sea Prince accident was the first VLCC accident in Korea and a shock to the general public and government. Before the accident, any oil-spill management plan, such as National contingency plan (NCP) and regional contingency plans (RCPs), was not available and the resources for oil spills were lacking for the Sea Prince accident. About 5000 tons of oil spilled, polluting large areas of southern coastal waters, damaging the fisheries, including aquaculture. After the Sea Prince accident, Korea's government established various alternatives for dealing with oil spills, such as the NCP, RCPs, Typhoon Refuge Management Plan, and resources for oil-spill response. However, port safety management in emergency situations such as typhoons has not been solved.     

基于多核SVM决策融合模型的海面原油多光谱遥感检测研究

海面溢油事故发生后需要进行精准的溢油检测,从而为溢油事故现场应急响应与海面污染的快速有效处理提供支持。利用哨兵二号(Sentinel-2)多光谱遥感影像,基于最佳指数因子(OIF)构建光谱特征指数提取海面溢油光谱特征,基于灰度共生矩阵(GLCM)提取海面溢油纹理特征,利用巴氏距离法进行特征选择,构建海面溢油空谱特征数据集。提出了多核决策融合支持向量机(SVM)海面原油检测模型,对黄海4.27“交响乐号”油轮溢油事故开展检测研究。实验结果表明,在复杂水色背景下,经过筛选的最佳空谱特征数据集检测结果的总体精度可以达到89.25%,Kappa系数为0.854,F₁分数可达0.889;多核SVM决策融合后的总体精度可以达到90.26%,Kappa系数为0.866,F₁可达0.898,总体精度较单核提高了1.0%~8.2%,Kappa系数提高了0.013~0.122,F₁分数提高了0.009~0.097。实验结果表明,海面溢油检测模型具有较高的溢油检测精度和模型鲁棒性,适用于海面溢油检测研究。     

海上溢油极化特征及其探测研究

The SAR(Synthetic Aperture Radar) has the capabilities for all-weather day and night use. In the case of determining the effects of oil spill dumping, the oil spills areas are shown as dark spots in the SAR images.Therefore, using SAR data to detect oil spills is becoming progressively popular in operational monitoring, which is useful for oceanic environmental protection and hazard reduction. Research has been conducted on the polarization decomposition and scattering characteristics of oil spills from a scattering matrix using allpolarization of the SAR data, calculation of the polarization parameters, and utilization of the CPD(Co-polarized Phase Difference) of the oil and the sea, in order to extract the oil spill information. This method proves to be effective by combining polarization parameters with the characteristics of oil spill. The results show that when using Bragg, the oil spill backscattering machine with Enopy and a mean scatter α parameter. The oil spill can be successfully identified. However, the parameter mechanism of the oil spill remains unclear. The use of CPD can easily extract oil spill information from the ocean, and the polarization research provides a base for oil spill remote sensing detection.     

无人机海上溢油跟踪监测系统设计及仿真

海上环境变化多端,造成溢油的漂移和扩散会出现不可预测的情况,精确、实时地监测海上溢油是现今亟待解决的问题.无人机以其部署快、成本低、环境适应性强的优势在海上溢油监测领域得到重视,但单架无人机监测能力弱,而多架无人机监测的准确性仍需提高.为此,本文提出一种无人机群海面溢油自动导航跟踪监测的架构和方法,根据海上溢油浓度的变化进行路径规划.该方法包括建立溢油模型和设计无人机跟踪控制系统.溢油模型主要描述海上溢油时空变化的形态复杂性;控制器可控制无人机追踪和监测溢油漂移及扩散的情况.同时,将无人机跟踪控制系统与人工势场法相结合,避免无人机相撞.最后,进行数值仿真,结果表明该跟踪系统与溢油的重合率达到70％～80％,验证了该方法的可行性.未来,该系统可广泛应用于无人机群对不同环境现象和灾害的跟踪监测.     

Acceptance of the international compensation regime for tanker oil pollution – And its implications for China

The international compensation regime for tanker oil pollution has been successful in providing adequate and prompt compensation to pollution victims in its member states. Nevertheless, the attitudes of different countries toward acceptance of this regime have varied considerably. This paper aims to explain three main factors in the acceptance of the regime, including: (1) The level of economic development; (2) the risk of exposure to tanker oil spills; and (3) the financial burden associated with adherence to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC). Using both fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis and an Ordered Probit model, this study found two patterns causing upper-middle and high income countries to have a high acceptance level: (a) Those facing a medium risk of oil spills and having a low financial burden; and (b) those facing a high risk of oil spills. The study reveals that, for a country with a high risk of exposure to tanker oil spills, such as China, with its improvement in economic status it is far better for it to join the IOPC Fund, so as to provide better protection both for potential pollution victims and for the marine environment. The results of this study can also be applied to other countries that are considering whether or not to accept the international compensation regime for tanker oil pollution.     

基于指标体系法的海湾生态系统健康评价方法——以莱州湾为例

海湾生态系统在维持能量流动、物质循环、生物群落稳定和生态系统平衡等方面发挥重要作用。文章基于2011-2020年夏季监测数据,选取水环境、沉积环境、生物群落、初级生产力和生态灾害5类指标,通过层次分析法与专家咨询法相结合的方式确定指标权重,基于指标体系法构建莱州湾生态系统健康评价指标体系。评价结果表明：莱州湾近岸海域生态系统长期处于亚健康状态,主要影响指标为水环境和生物群落;生态系统健康评价结果与现行《近岸海洋生态健康评价指南》基本一致,但本方法能够识别溢油和台风等极端事件对生态系统造成的不利影响,较传统方法更为灵敏;区间型指标和环境容许值的引入可避免监测数据“劣势掩盖”“信息漏缺”以及极限监测值对评价结果的放大问题。     

Long-term recovery of a Louisiana brackish marsh plant community from oil-spill impact: vegetation response and mitigating effects of marsh surface elevation

Oil spills can have significant, short-term, negative impacts on coastal marshes, but the long-term effects and eventual recovery are not well documented, particularly in brackish marshes. The goals of this investigation were to: (1) document the long-term recovery of a Louisiana brackish marsh plant community impacted by a 1985 oil spill; (2) separate the effect of the oil spill on marsh deterioration from ambient rates of marsh deterioration; and (3) assess the relative importance of residual oil in the sediment and decreased marsh surface elevation in the failure of certain areas to recover. A total of 68 permanent plots previously established in 1985 were re-surveyed for plant and soil recovery in the fall of 1989. Although substantial (and near total) vegetative recovery was evident by significant increases in live and total vegetative cover, many of the plots that were initially heavily impacted by oil still displayed elevated levels of total saturated hydrocarbons in the soil. August 1990 measurements of plant photosynthetic response and edaphic variables revealed no significant differences between control plots and plots heavily impacted by oil that displayed vegetative regrowth. Rates of wetland land loss in the oiled marsh during an 8-year period that bracketed the time of the spill were within the historical range measured for this site and similar to the land loss rates of adjacent reference marshes. Results from a manipulative field transplant experiment indicated that the long-term failure of certain small areas to revegetate was primarily due to a decrease of marsh surface elevation (increased flooding stress), not a residual oil effect.     

基于MODIS与HJ-1多源卫星的上海海域溢油事故诊断

随着上海港海上运输业和石油产业链的日趋发达,海上溢油事故风险也随之加剧。本文就2012年发生在上海海域吴淞口和九段沙附近的2起重大溢油事故,基于美国NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)中等分辨率MODIS(Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)与国产"环境一号"卫星HJ-1的多源卫星数据,对溢油信息进行对比,通过对油水敏感通道进行波段比值运算,突出油膜与背景海水的光谱反射率差异,再结合重柴油光谱特征,利用图像分割的阈值确定法,从疑似溢油区域中有效提取溢油信息,实现溢油区域定位、溢油面积和溢油量的诊断,为事发后海域应急响应工作提供基础性分析依据。