An unusual nursing interaction between two adult Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus

Given the high costs of lactation and the importance of milk for pup growth and survival in pinnipeds, nursing behaviour directed by a lactating female towards another adult is unexpected. Here, details were noted of a nursing interaction that occurred between two Cape fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus adults. After discussing the event in the light of various hypotheses that have been previously proposed to explain uncharacteristic nursing behaviour in pinnipeds, a mother–son relationship between the interacting pair was considered to be the most likely explanation.     

Mortality of newborn pups of the South African fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus in Namibia

Pup mortality in the South African (Cape) fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus was measured throughout the pupping seasons over consecutive years (1987–1991) at two large mainland colonies in Namibia. Cumulative rates of mortality were obtained by counting live and dead pups every second day. Most young pups die shortly after birth in November/December each year, following which there is a decline in the rate of mortality. The average rate of mortality from birth to age 30 days at the Atlas Bay colony was 20 per cent. There was little inter-colony variation in the mortality rates of pups over the four years of the study. Differential rates of mortality between the sexes were found, significantly more female pups dying. Environmental factors are influential in the deaths of newborn pups at these mainland colonies, a combination of changes in wind velocity and direction leading to heat stress in pups being the most important.     

Intraguild predation and partial consumption of blue sharks Prionace glauca by Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus

The top-down effects of predators on ecosystem structure and dynamics have been studied increasingly. However, the nature and consequence of trophic interactions between upper-trophic-level predators have received considerably less attention. This is especially the case in marine systems due to the inherent challenges of studying highly mobile marine species. Here we describe the first documentation of asymmetrical intraguild predation by a pinniped predator on a mid-sized predatory shark. The report is based on direct observations in South African waters, in which free-swimming blue sharks Prionace glauca were captured and partially consumed by Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus. These observations are important not just for understanding the interactions between these two species but more broadly for their implications in understanding the trophic ecology of pinnipeds, many populations of which have increased while numerous shark populations have declined.     

Seabirds in the diet of Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus at three mainland breeding colonies in Namibia

Predation by Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus on seabirds has previously been attributed to a few individuals, mainly males. Scat samples were collected at three mainland breeding colonies of seals in Namibia to determine the extent of seabird predation. Mainly females were sampled. No scats from the van Reenen Bay and Atlas-Wolf Bay colonies, and only two from Cape Cross, contained feather remains, giving an overall frequency of occurrence of feathers in scats of 0.1%. The feathers found were of African penguin Spheniscus demersus and a species of cormorant (Phalacrocorax sp.).     

Consumption of catch and interference with linefishing by South African (Cape) fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus

The controversy surrounding the consumption of catch and interference by seals within the handline industry has led to complaints and conflicting statements by fishermen. In an attempt to evaluate and quantify the effect of seals on the industry, questionnaires were distributed to skiboat clubs in and near Cape Town. Between February 1988 and May 1992, 193 returns were received from the Western and South-Western Cape. From the 167 returns analysed for this paper, it was clear that just two species (hottentot and snoek) were the main targets of the fishery. Losses to seals of these two species amounted to 1,5 and 3,0 per cent respectively. Losses were highest in November (8,4%) for hottentot and in August (11,4%) for snoek, whereas in January and April there were no losses of either species. Simplistic estimates for the whole of South Africa in 1989 indicate annual tackle losses of 0,035 per cent (R42 000 = US $16 000 in 1992) and fish losses of 0,2 per cent (R230 000) of the landed value of handline-caught fish.     

A note on the stomach contents of fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus beached on the south-east coast of South Africa

The stomach contents of 36 South African fur seals beached over a 20 year period along the south-east coast of South Africa were examined. In all, 15 fish and nine cephalopod prey types were identified. Five species of fish (Merluccius capensis, Trachurus trachurus capensis, Cynoglossus zanzibarensis, Pterogymnus laniarius, Austroglossus pectoralis) and two cephalopods (Loligo vulgaris reynaudii, Octopus sp.) were of major importance in the diet. The proportion of demersal species in the diet is higher than previously reported, suggesting that the seals forage extensively on the sea floor. The most important fish species in the diet was M. capensis, and the most important cephalopod was L. v. reynaudii. Male and female seals showed distinct prey selection, suggesting possible intraspecific resource partitioning. There is no evidence of competition between seals and other top predators.     

Diet of the Cape fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus at the Robberg Peninsula,Plettenberg Bay,and implications for local fisheries

Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus were harvested to extirpation on the Robberg Peninsula, Plettenberg Bay, on the south-east coast of South Africa, between the 17th and early 20th centuries. Seals returned to Robberg in small numbers during the early 1990s and their numbers subsequently increased. We studied the diet of this increasing population using faecal (scat) sampling to determine: the species composition and size of prey in the diet of Cape fur seals at Robberg; to explore temporal variation in the diet; and to investigate the potential for competition between seals and the fisheries around Plettenberg Bay. Of the 445 scats collected, 90% contained hard prey remains and 15 teleost prey species were represented in the 3 127 otoliths that could be identified. The seals’ most important prey species in terms of numerical abundance, frequency of occurrence and mass in the diet, were anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, sardine Sardinops sagax, horse mackerel Trachurus capensis, sand tongue-fish Cynoglossus capensis and shallow-water hake Merluccius capensis (in decreasing order of importance for numerical abundance). The proportion of anchovy in the diet increased during the study period (2003–2008), whereas the proportion of sardine decreased. The estimated average annual consumption of sardine by seals was higher than the average annual catch made by purse-seine fisheries in this area, suggesting resource competition between seals and purse-seiners, especially in the light of continuing growth of seal numbers in the area. However, direct competition between seals and linefisheries appeared to be minimal. Scat sampling of Cape fur seals holds potential to serve a useful and cost effective indicator of temporal changes in sardine abundance.     

Dusky dolphins Lagenorhynchus obscurus and Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus: fatty acid composition of their blubber and prey species

The fatty acid composition of the blubber of five dusky dolphins Lagenorhynchus obscurus and five Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus from the northern Benguela ecosystem (South-East Atlantic) and their main prey was determined. Differences in fatty acid composition of the inner and outer blubber layer of the dolphins were substantial, with higher relative amounts of monoenic fatty acids with 14, 16 and 18 carbons in the outer layer and higher relative amounts of saturated, long-chain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the inner layer. This stratification is similar to the general pattern that has been observed in a variety of marine mammals, but the degree of stratification is the highest yet observed, with the long-chained (n3) fatty acids being more than 20 times more abundant in the inner than in the outer layer. On the other hand, the seals’ blubber consisted of only one uniform layer, densely supported by connective tissue. The whole-body fatty acid composition of the prey was species specific. The dolphins and seals had significantly different fatty acid composition of their blubber. In both species, the blubber fatty acid composition was different from the composition of the prey, indicating that a phylogenetic component is involved in the determination of the fatty acid composition of the blubber.     

Impact of predation by Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus on Cape gannets Morus capensis at Malgas Island,Western Cape,South Africa

Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus were estimated to kill some 6 000 Cape gannet Morus capensis fledglings around Malgas Island in the 2000/01 breeding season, 11 000 in 2003/04 and 10 000 in 2005/06. This amounted to about 29%, 83% and 57% of the overall production of fledglings at the island in these breeding seasons respectively. Preliminary modelling suggests this predation is not sustainable. There was a 25% reduction in the size of the colony, the second largest of only six extant Cape gannet colonies, between 2001/02 and 2005/06. There has been a large increase in predation by Cape fur seals on seabirds around southern African islands since the mid-1980s, coincidental with both an increase in the seal population, altered management of the islands and an altered distribution of prey for gannets and seals. At Malgas Island, most gannet fledglings were killed between 10:00 and 18:00, the period when most are in the water around the island, from mid-January to mid-March, the main fledging period. The Cape gannet is classified as Vulnerable.     

渤海海峡水交换多时间尺度变化特征研究

基于长时间的FRA-JCOPE数据,本文着重对渤海海峡水交换的多时间尺度变化特征进行了分析。通过分析认为,渤海海峡水交换具有明显的季节(360天和180天周期)、季节内(120天周期)和年际变化特征,且空间分布呈现较为明显的“南出北进”特点。360天季节变化特征表现为夏强冬弱,局地风场、海峡两侧海表高度梯度、陆地径流的季节变化对其具有重要影响;180天周期的季节变化和120天周期季节内变化信号与局地风场关系不大,主要受到海峡两侧海表高度梯度的调制。同时,渤海海峡水交换受1997—1998年ENSO影响较为显著:正常年份时,渤海海峡水交换流入、流出量基本相当,但当1997—1998年ENSO显著年份时,流出量略大于流入量,这是由于黄渤海环流增强,进而导致渤海海峡水交换增强造成的。     

Spatial and diurnal distribution of invertebrate and fish fauna of a Zostera marina bed and nearby unvegetated sediments in Damariscotta River, Maine (USA)

Fish, epibenthos and macroinfauna were collected in a Zostera marina bed and nearby unvegetated sediments in the estuary of the Damariscotta River, on the mid-coast of Maine. Samples of epibenthic fauna and fish were collected at low tides both during day and night, and samples of infauna at low tides during the day. The mean density of Zostera shoots in the study area was 335 m⁻². Abundance and species number of fish were greater at night than during the day and greater in eelgrass beds (Z. marina) than in unvegetated habitats. Daytime fish collections were dominated by Atlantic silversides (Medinia medinia), while juvenile winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) dominated night collections. Also Zostera-associated epifaunal abundances and number of species were significantly higher at night than during the day. Mysis stenolepis, Idotea balthica and Littorina obtusata were dominant species in the epifauna samples. Of the total of 37 invertebrate species encountered, only five occurred both in the infaunal and epifaunal samples. Nineteen different taxa were collected from the benthic core samples. The most abundant invertebrate infaunal taxa were sipunculids, the polychaete Nereis virens, and oligochaetes. Infaunal invertebrate abundances and species diversity were significantly higher in eelgrass beds than in unvegetated sediments. The abundance and number of species of benthic invertebrates were also positively correlated to seagrass biomass. Community diversity values (H′) were relatively low but fit well in the general pattern of decreasing diversity towards northern latitudes.     

南极海冰和陆架冰的变化特征

利用美国冰中心和雪冰中心提供的海冰资料和我国南极考察现场的海冰观测资料,对南极海冰的长期变化进行了研究.研究表明20世纪70年代后期是多冰期;80年代是少冰期;90年代南极海冰属于上升趋势,后期偏多,区域性变化差别大,东南极海冰偏多,西南极海冰即南极半岛两侧尤其是威德尔海区和别林斯高晋海的冰明显偏少.东南极和西南极海冰的变化趋势总是反相的.90年代后期普里兹湾的海冰明显偏多,南极大陆陆架冰外缘线总体没有明显的收缩,有崩解也有再生的自然变化现象.西南极威德尔海的龙尼冰架和罗斯海冰架东部崩解和收缩趋势明显,东南极的冰架也有崩解和收缩,但没有西南极明显.陆架冰崩解向海洋输送的冰山对全球海平面升高有一定的影响.目前南极冰盖断裂崩解形成的冰山,向海洋输入的水量可使全球海平面上升约14mm.南极海冰没有随着全球气候温暖化而明显减少,而是按照东南极和西南极反相的变化规律进行周期性的变化、调整和制约.     

黑潮流轴在吕宋海峡的变化分析

黑潮在流经吕宋海峡时呈现各种时间尺度的流态变化。本文基于高分辨率的区域海洋环流模式(ROMS)输出数据,分析了黑潮主流轴在吕宋海峡附近的变化特征和可能原因。研究结果表明,黑潮流轴在该区域具有明显的年际、季节和季节内变化,其中季节内变化最为强烈;在年际和季节时间尺度上,黑潮流轴在表层主要受局地风驱动的艾克曼漂流的影响,而在次表层则主要由黑潮本身的惯性决定;在季节内时间尺度上,黑潮流轴的变化主要受制于涡旋与黑潮的相互作用。     

Environmental factors associated with a distinct decline in pelagic fish abundance as detected by aerial fish spotting in February and March 1982 off northern South West Africa

Aerial fish-spotting flights were carried out between Cape Frio and Palgrave Point, off the northern coast of South West Africa, during February and March 1982. Results showed a pronounced drop in the number of shoals of pelagic fish (anchovy Engraulis capensis and pilchard Sardinops ocellata) within the area from one month to the next. Consideration of available hydro-acoustic survey data, environmental data and egg counts led to the conclusion that the decline in shoal abundance was brought about by a southward migration of shoals, and that the migration was possibly triggered by environmental changes between January and February 1982. The implied time lag of 14—32 days is difficult to explain, but it could have been a consequence of favourable spawning conditions which still prevailed during February, coupled with the development of dense phytoplankton to the south of the survey area during March.     

太平洋海域海平面变化的灰色系统分析

应用灰色系统理论，对太平洋海域４８个长期验潮站的月均海平面分别建立了ＧＭ（１，１）模型。ＧＭ（１，１）模型能较好地反映太平洋海域的海平面变化的趋势，它除了能给出连续的海平面变化速率外，同时能方便地给出海平面变化的加速率。模拟结果表明，在太平洋地壳均衡假设下，太平洋海域的月均海平面以平均速率０．１７ｃｍ／ａ上升。在太平洋海域所取的４８个长期验潮站中，有４０个站在加速上升，全部站的平均加速度为０．０００２９ｃｍ／ａ２。且加速率逐渐增大。当然这些加速率都很小，但作为一种普遍性的趋势，这已足以说明：太平洋海域的海平面在加速上升     

黑潮水对台湾海峡东南部源水的影响：数值结果

Model output from a Pacific basin-wide three-dimensional physical-biogeochemical model during the period of 1991 to 2008 was used to investigate the impact of Kuroshio water on the source water of the southeastern Taiwan Strait. Based on the characteristic salinities of both Kuroshio water and the South China Sea water, a Kuroshio impact index (KII) was designed to measure the degree of impact. The KII correlates significantly with the northeast-southwest component of wind stress, but the former lags the latter by approximately two months. The correlation coefficient between them increases from 0.267 4 to 0.852 9, with a lag time increasing from 0 to 63 days. The impact of Kuroshio Water is greater in winter and spring than in summer and autumn. At the interannual time scale, El Niño and La Niña events play an important role in impacting the KII. During El Niño events, more Kuroshio water contributes to the source water of the southeastern Taiwan Strait. Conversely, during La Niña events, less Kuroshio water contributes to the source water.     

巽他海峡的水交换过程研究

巽他海峡是爪哇海与东印度洋进行水交换的重要西部通道,其水交换过程与两侧水团性质和环流有密切关系。本研究基于巽他海峡及其附近海域的观测和遥感再分析数据,分析了爪哇海与印度洋通过巽他海峡进行水交换的多时间尺度变化规律,并探讨了局地和大尺度过程对水体输运的影响。研究表明,巽他海峡贯穿流主要由流出爪哇海的年均南向流与随季风南北转向的季节反向流组成,并存在显著的季节内变化。2008—2016年期间,巽他海峡贯穿流3次观测的年均流量分别为(-0.31±0.34),(-0.27±0.43)和(-0.49±0.31)Sv(负号代表流出爪哇海)。巽他海峡贯穿流与局地风和海峡两侧海表面高度梯度密切相关,因此采用多元回归重构了1993—2017年水体输运时间序列,并计算出25 a的平均流量为(-0.37±0.43)Sv。研究也表明,巽他海峡水体输运的年际变化异常与ENSO,IOD相关。     

Spatial/temporal variations in zooplankton biomass and ecological characteristics of major species in the southern part of the Japan Sea: a review

During the 1990s many studies on zooplankton in the Japan Sea have been carried out. In this review, I have synthesized the study of horizontal distribution, seasonal and annual variations of zooplankton biomass, and ecological characteristics of major component species in the southern Japan Sea, which area is influenced by the warm Tsushima Current. The zooplankton biomass (annual mean) in the southern Japan Sea was lower than in the subarctic Pacific, including the northern Japan Sea, and similar to biomass levels in Kuroshio waters. Temporal variations in zooplankton biomass showed both seasonal and year-to-year components. Seasonal biomass increases to a maximum in spring with a weak secondary peak in autumn. As for long-term changes, 3–6 year cycles were identified, with the dynamics of the surface warm Tsushima Current and the subsurface cold water playing important roles in determining the yearly zooplankton community structure and biomass. Cold water species in the southern Japan Sea had extensive diel vertical migrations whose range is restricted in summer by the development of a thermocline. Among these species, the herbivores Euphausia pacifica and Metridia pacifica encounter a lower food supply, resulting in lower growth rates. The vertical dispersal of epipelagic carnivorous zooplankton such as Sagitta elegans and Themisto japonica to the deep-sea is probably facilitated by reduced interspecific competition. Their interaction with Japan Sea Proper Water, characterized by near-zero temperatures in the meso- and bathypelagic zones suppresses growth rates of the mesopelagic zooplankton. The lack of micronektonic predators in the mesopelagic zone may allow the persistence of slow growing populations.     

Seasonal and interannual variations in the velocity field of the South China Sea

A three-dimensional numerical model is used to simulate sea level and velocity variations in the South China Sea for 1992–1995. The model is driven by daily wind and daily sea surface temperature fields derived from the NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. The four-year model outputs are analyzed using time-domain Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF). Spatial and temporal variations of the first two modes from the simulation compare favorably with those derived from satellite altimetry. Mode 1, which is associated with a southern gyre, shows symmetric seasonal reversal. Mode 2, which contributes to a northern gyre, is responsible for the asymmetric seasonal and interannual variations. In winter, the southern and northern cyclonic gyres combine into a strong basin-wide cyclonic gyre. In summer, a cyclonic northern gyre and an anticyclonic southern gyre form a dipole with a jet leaving the coast of Vietnam. Interannual variations are particularly noticeable during El Niño. The winter gyre is generally weakened and confined to the southern basin, and the summer dipole structure does not form. Vertical motions weaken accordingly with the basin-wide circulation. Variations of the wind stress curl in the first two EOF modes coincide with those of the model-derived sea level and horizontal velocities. The mode 1 wind stress curl, significant in the southern basin, coincides with the reversal of the southern gyre. The mode 2 curl, large in the central basin, is responsible for the asymmetry in the winter and summer gyres. Lack of the mode 2 contribution during El Niño events weakens the circulation. The agreement indicates that changes in the wind stress curl contribute to the seasonal and interannual variations in the South China Sea.