Habitat use by larval fishes in a temperate South African surf zone

Larval fishes were sampled in the Kwaaihoek surf zone on the south east coast of South Africa. On six occasions between February and May 2002, larval fishes were collected in two habitat types identified in the inner surf zone using a modified beach-seine net. The surf zone habitats were classified as either sheltered trough areas or adjacent exposed surf areas. Temperature, depth and current measurements were taken at all sites. Trough habitats consisted of a depression in surf topography characterised by reduced current velocities and greater average depth than adjacent surf areas. In total, 325 larval fishes were collected. Of these, 229 were collected in trough and 96 in surf habitats. At least 22 families and 37 species were represented in the catch. Dominant families were the Mugilidae, Sparidae, Atherinidae, and Engraulidae. Dominant species included Liza tricuspidens and Liza richardsonii (Mugilidae), Rhabdosargus holubi and Sarpa salpa (Sparidae), Atherina breviceps (Atherinidae) and Engraulis japonicus (Engraulide). Mean CPUE of postflexion larvae of estuary-dependent species was significantly greater in trough areas. The proportion of postflexion larval fishes in trough habitat was significantly greater than that of preflexion stages, a result that was not apparent in surf habitat sampled. CPUE of postflexion larvae of estuary-dependent fishes was negatively correlated with current magnitude and positively correlated with habitat depth. Mean body length of larval fishes was significantly greater in trough than in surf habitats. These results provide evidence that the CPUE of postflexion larvae of estuary-dependent fishes is higher in trough habitat in the surf zone and this may be indicative of active habitat selection for areas of reduced current velocity/wave action. The implications of this behaviour for estuarine recruitment processes are discussed.     

Laboratory observation of boundary layer flow under spilling breakers in surf zone using particle image velocimetry

A boundary layer flow under spilling breakers in a laboratory surf zone with a smooth bottom is investigated using a high resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. By cross-correlating the images, oscillatory velocity profiles within a viscous boundary layer of O(1) mm in thickness are resolved over ten points. Using PIV measurements taken for an earlier study and the present study, flow properties in the wave bottom boundary layer (WBBL) over the laboratory surf zone are obtained, including the mean velocities, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stresses, and intermittency of coherent events. The data are then used to estimate the boundary layer thickness, phase variation, and bottom shear stress. It is found that while the time averaged mass transport inside the WBBL is onshore in the outer surf zone, it changes to offshore in the inner surf zone. The zero Eulerian mass transport occurs at h/h_b ≈ 0.92 in the outer surf zone. The maximum overshoot of the streamwise velocity and boundary layer thickness are not constant across the surf zone. The bottom shear stress is mainly contributed by the viscous stress through mean velocity gradient while the Reynolds stress is small and negligible. The turbulence level is higher in the inner surf zone than that in the outer surf zone, although only a slight increase of turbulent intensity is observed inside the WBBL from the outer surf zone to the inner surf zone. The variation of phase inside and outside the WBBL was examined through the spatial velocity distribution. It is found the phase lead is not constant and its value is significantly smaller than previous thought. By analyzing instantaneous velocity and vorticity fields, a remarkable number of intermittent turbulent eddies are observed to penetrate into the WBBL in the inner surf zone. The size of the observed large eddies is about 0.11 to 0.16 times the local water depth. Its energy spectra follow the − 5/3 slope in the inertial subrange and decay exponentially in the dissipation subrange.     

Seasonality of occurrence,foods and food preferences of ichthyoplankton in Biscayne Bay,Florida

Ichthyoplankton and microzooplankton were collected twice monthly for one year at a single station in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Based on approximate 10-m³, 333-μm mesh bongo net samples, the mean annual densities were 17·7 m^?3 and 1·8 m^?3 for fish eggs and larvae, respectively. Ichthyoplankton was most abundant in spring-summer. The most common fish larvae were bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), spotted dragonet (Callionymus pauciradiatus), thread herring (Opisthonema oglinum) and gobies (Gobiidae), which comprised 50% of all larvae collected. A comparison of 35-μm and 333-μm mesh, bongo net collections revealed that mean densities of fish larvae were 8·5 times higher in the smaller mesh. The most abundant microzooplankton, based on 35-μm bongo net collections, were copepod nauplii, <100 μm in width, which averaged 90·41^?1 and tintinnids which averaged 168·51^?1. The mean density of microzooplankton <100 μm wide, potentially suitable food for first-feeding fish larvae, was 104·91^?1, exclusive of tintinnids, and 273·41^?1 including tintinninds. Excepting tintinnids, seasonal variability in microzooplankton abundance was low relative to that for ichthyoplankton. High microzooplankton densities, combined with low seasonal variability, indicated that feeding conditions for fish larvae were usually good in Biscayne Bay. Copepods, especially nauplii, were the predominant food of fish larvae (71% of all food items). Only mollusc veliger larvae (18% of all food items) were highly preferred prey but they were a small component of most larval fish diets. Average width of prey eaten by first-feeding larvae was 74 μm. Prey size increased in relation to larval length.     

Seasonal and diel variation in the standing crop of fishes and macroinvertebrates from a Gulf of Mexico surf zone

To determine the relative importance of surf zones as habitats for fishes and macroinvertebrates, compared to other inshore marine environments, seasonal and diel abundance patterns were studied for one year. Both study sites were located on the south shore of Horn Island, a barrier in the northern Gulf of Mexico. At each site a 300 m² area was sampled, using a 50-m seine set around steel poles. Capture efficiency of the seine, determined from escapement tests, averaged 82%.While 59 species were captured during the study, only six species, Harengula jaguana, Anchoa hepsetus, A. mitchilli, Callinectes sapidus, A. lyolepis and Menticirrhus littoralis, comprised 90% of the total catch by number. Summer macrofaunal standing crop (mean = 9·8 gm⁻², wet weight) was significantly greater than other seasons. The lowest values for both density and standing crop were those obtained in the winter. Both standing crop and average weight of the fishes increased significantly in night samples; a similar pattern did not occur for blue carbs. This primarily reflects the movement of larger, but generally rarer, fish species into the shallow surf zone after dark.Principal components analysis indicated that the standing crop of fishes was lowest during periods of reduced water volume and wave activity. However, seasonal factors appear, overall, to be more important in influencing fish abundance. Compared to a wide range of inshore marine habitats, surf zones appear intermediate in standing crop. Thus, at least during the summer, such habitats are important contributors to inshore standing crops of fishes.     

Phytoplankton subsidies to the inter‐tidal zone are strongly affected by surf‐zone hydrodynamics

The size of bottom‐up subsidies, food and larvae, from the ocean has a profound impact on inter‐tidal communities and populations. Alongshore variations in subsidies are attributed to variation in coastal conditions, but also might be due to variations in surf‐zone hydrodynamics. We tested this hypothesis by comparing surf‐zone phytoplankton concentrations to surf‐zone hydrodynamics as indicated by the width of the surf zones. To minimize the potential effects of alongshore variation in phytoplankton abundance in the coastal ocean, we sampled closely spaced sites (median separation 1 km) over short periods (3 days). Surf‐zone concentrations of coastal phytoplankton taxa (e.g. Chaetoceros spp., Pseudo‐nitzschia spp. and dinoflagellates) varied with surf‐zone width; 65% to 94% of the variability in their concentration is explained by surf‐zone width. Where surf zones were narrow and more reflective, phytoplankton concentrations were one to several orders of magnitude lower than in wider, more dissipative surf zones. The most closely spaced stations were 30 m apart, but represented distinct habitats – a reflective and a more dissipative surf zone. Phytoplankton concentrations in the reflective surf zone were an order of magnitude or more lower than in the adjacent more dissipative surf zone. A reanalysis of a published study on phytoplankton subsidies found similar results. Alongshore variation in surf‐zone hydrodynamics appears to be an important driver of phytoplankton subsidies to the inter‐tidal zone.     

Spatial and long-term temporal variation of meiobenthic-hyperbenthic copepods in Lake Pontchartrain,Louisiana

The distribution and abundance of the meiobenthic-hyperbenthic copepods of Lake Pontchartrain (a large, 1630 km², shallow, mean depth of 3·7m, brackish, 0·3–5‰, lake in Southeastern Louisiana) were characterized monthly from August 1978 to August 1979. Ten stations, all with water depth > 2m, were established and sampled quantitatively by removing four benthic subsamples (containing as much as 25 cm overlying water) from replicated box cores. Averaged across stations over time, total copepod densities ranged from 31–89 × 10 cm^?2. A total of only 15 copepod species were identified from benthic samples; 8 harpacticoids, 4 cyclopoids and 3 calanoids. The copepod assemblage in Pontchartrain differs from all other known benthic assemblages in that the species composition is dominated by species which are often associated with the water column; true infaunal species are rare or found in reduced abundance. Four species comprised 90% of all individuals collected. All four are epibenthic or commonly collected as zooplankton and include Scottolana canadensis which comprised 47% of all individuals collected, Halicyclops fosteri which dominated fall collections, Acartia tonsa and Pseudobradya sp. Burrowing species were largely restricted to the more saline eastern stations. The rarity of burrowing species might be related to low salinity, however the highly unstable bottom in Pontchartrain with silty-clayey sediments commonly resuspended into the water column, may also influence burrowers. Cluster analysis reveals diffuse seasonal grouping of stations for all seasons except fall, with spatial groupings from the central and western sides. Physical processes appear to dictate the community structure of benthic-hyperbenthic copepods in Lake Pontchartrain.     

Larval fish distribution in shallow coastal waters off North Western Iberia (NE Atlantic)

Monthly sampling for ichthyoplankton was conducted at three stations very near to the coast (near to shore shallow stations before the surf zone in direction to the shoreline) of Atlantic northwestern Portugal within contrasting localities: rocky shore, in front of a sandy beach receiving an estuary and a fishing port with heavy anthropogenic impact. Sampling was conducted from August 2002 to October 2003, always at full moon, at low tide and high tide in daylight hours, at the water column using a 48 cm diameter plankton net with 335 μm mesh. Analysis of the physico-chemical parameters pointed out the spatial (horizontal) homogeneity of the sampling area. Fish larvae from 41 taxa belonging to 17 families were identified; Blenniidae, Labridae, Ammodytidae, Clupeidae, Gobiidae, Soleidae and Gobiesocidae were the most representative during the study period. Parablennius gattorugine, Ammodytes tobianus, Symphodus melops, Sardina pilchardus, Lipophrys pholis and Coryphoblennius galerita were the most representative species (percentage contribution to total abundance). Peak abundance of fish eggs occurred during May, June and August 2003 and fish larvae occurred during May and July 2003 and August 2002 and 2003; there was a pronounced winter/early spring (March 2003) peak in larval abundance dominated by the small sandeel A. tobianus. This study identifies the occurrence of a conspicuous assemblage of larval fishes at very nearshore shallow environments of a variety of species with different adult habitats: the fish larvae assemblage was dominated by intertidal species. The present study has shown that temporal and spatial variations in the larval fish assemblage are related to environmental conditions and biological dynamics: the results suggest that abiotic conditions mediate biotic parameters, and that both abiotic and biotic characteristics regulated the larval fishes at very nearshore shallow environments.     

Continental shelf benthos off Otago Peninsula,New Zealand

Benthic macrofauna of the continental shelf off Otago Peninsula, south-eastern New Zealand (45°51′S, 170°52′E) was surveyed by dredge sampling during 1973–1975. Numerical classification (Canberra metric coefficient and flexible sorting) was used to produce site groups and species groups, and three major benthic communities were recognised: a shallow-water (14–25 m) fauna inhabiting well-sorted fine sand, a mid-shelf fauna (concentrated in the depth range 50–76 m) associated with sediments containing the greatest proportions of gravel and siltclay, and a predominantly sand-bottom fauna occurring mainly on the outer shelf (87–150 m). All station groups were dominated numerically by polychaetes (mean of 36·6–56% of individuals) with Mollusca (13·8–25%) or Crustacea (12·1–19·4%) the next most abundant group.The inshore sand fauna was the most distinct, characteristic elements being the trochid gastropod Antisolarium egenum, an amphipod of the genus Hippomedon and dense patches of the spionid polychaete Spiophanes bombyx. Diagnostic species of the mid-shelf mixed sediments were Lepidonotus jacksoni, Psammolyce antipoda, Lumbrineris brevicirra and Phyllamphicteis foliata (Polychaeta), Terenochiton otagoensis, Micrelenchus caelatus caelatus, Maoricolpus roseus roseus and Zegalerus tenuis (Mollusca), Ampelisca chiltoni (Amphipoda) and Amphipholis squamata (Ophiuroidea). Outer shelf sand stations were faunally less distinct, but among the more characteristic species were Euthalenessa fimbriata, Sigalion sp. and Euchone sp. (Polychaeta) and Gari stangeri (Bivalvia). Several abundant species were widely distributed among station groups, notably Nephtys macroura, Lumbrineris magalhaensis, Phyllochaetopterus socialis and Owenia fusiformis (Polychaeta) and Nucula nitidula and Tawera spissa (Bivalvia).Free-living lunulitiform Bryozoa of the genus Otionella were a characteristic component of inner and outer shelf sand faunas, and their inshore penetration probably marks the outer limit of a turbulent zone.Species diversity (Margalef's d) varied markedly across the shelf and appeared to be related primarily to the degree of sediment heterogeneity. Mixed sediments of the middle shelf were particularly rich in species.     

Benthic fauna of Blagopoluchiya Bay (Novaya Zemlya Archipelago,Kara Sea)

The benthic fauna was studied in the Blagopoluchiya Bay (Kara Sea, Novaya Zemlya Archipelago) during an expedition of the R/V Professor Shtokman in autumn 2013. The inner basin of the bay, with depths of around 150 m, is separated from the outer slope of Novaya Zemlya by a shoal 30 m in depth. Six macrobenthic communities were described at nine stations (25 bottom grab samples) taken along a transect from the inner part of the bay to the outer part of the slope. The depths, position on the transect axis and sediment types were the major factors influencing the distribution of the communities. The benthic abundance and biomass in the inner and outer parts of the bay did not differ significantly. The diversity of macrobenthic organisms (α-diversity as the number of species in the sample and β-diversity as the rate of increase in species number in the area) was lower in the inner part of the bay. The intertidal zone (littoral) has been described. The littoral fauna was very poor; it comprised only the amphipods Gammarus setosus inhabiting the near-surface area.     

Seasonal occurrence of larval fishes in the nearshore Southern California Bight off San Onofre,California

Larval fishes were sampled from the nearshore region of the Southern California Bight off San Onofre for 29 months and analyzed with a Curtis-Bray Cluster Analysis to determine temporal assemblages and species associations. Two major assemblages of larvae were found: members of the winter-spring (December-May) assemblage were most abundant from January to May; members of the summer-fall (June-November) assemblage were most abundant from July to September. The winter-spring assemblage was composed primarily of Engraulis mordax, Genyonemus lineatus, Sebastes spp. and Paralichthys californicus; some abundant taxa in the summer-fall assemblage were Seriphus politus, Paralabrax spp., and Hypsoblennius spp., although E. mordax again predominated. Demersal spawners tended to have spawning seasons of longer duration than pelagic spawners; winter-spring spawners generally had longer spawning seasons than summer-fall spawners.We suggest that temperature is an important determinant in the seasonal pattern of larval fish occurrence. The annual ocean temperature cycle near San Onofre was a good indicator of the seasonal occurrence of fish larvae in this area. Larvae found in the cooler months were generally offspring of adults whose northern ranges extend to Canada. Warm-water larvae were offspring of adults whose northern ranges extend to Point Conception or northern California.     

Ichthyoplankton in a southern african surf zone: Nursery area for the postlarvae of estuarine associated fish species?

The surf zone ichthyoplankton of Swartvlei Bay was studied between February 1986 and June 1987, with particular emphasis on its potential role as a nursery area for estuarine associated marine fish species. Larvae and/or postlarvae of 16 families were identified from the surf zone, with the Gobiidae, Soleidae, Sparidae and Mugilidae comprising 85·7% of all teleosts sampled. The postlarvae of several taxa (including the six most common species), which utilize the Swartvlei estuary as a juvenile nursery area, were abundant in the surf zone. Conversely, species which are common in nearshore marine waters as juveniles and adults, but seldom enter estuaries, totalled less than 8% of the surf zone ichthyoplankton assemblage.Larval and postlarval densities peaked during summer when water temperatures exceeded 19°C and the estuary mouth was open. Concentrations of ichthyoplankton were highest at those sampling stations closest to the estuary mouth during the summer period. Diel changes in total catches revealed no significant difference between day and night densities; but of the four major taxa, the Mugilidae and Sparidae tended to be more abundant during the day, the Gobiidae at night and the Soleidae showed no distinct pattern. Results from a 24 h sampling session indicated that tidal phase may also be important in governing ichthyoplankton abundance in the surf zone.     

Physiological and behavioral responses of Bathynerita naticoidea (Gastropoda: Neritidae) and Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata (Polychaeta: Orbiniidae) to hypersaline conditions at a brine pool cold seep

Bathynerita naticoidea (Gastropoda: Neritidae) and Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata (Polychaeta: Orbiniidae) are two of the most abundant invertebrates associated with cold‐seep mussel beds in the Gulf of Mexico. At the methane seep known as Brine Pool NR‐1 (27 °43.415 N, 91 °16.756 W; 650 m depth), which is surrounded by a broad band of mussels (Bathymodiolus childressi), these species have distinctly different patterns of abundance, with the gastropod being found mostly at the outer edge of the mussel bed (average density in November 2003: 817 individuals·m⁻² in outer zone, 20·m⁻² in inner zone) and the polychaete being found almost exclusively near the inner edge (average density in November 2003: 3155 individuals·m⁻² in inner zone, 0·m⁻² in outer zone), adjacent to the brine pool itself. The salinity of the brine pool exceeds 120, so we hypothesized that M. dendrobranchiata should be more tolerant of high salinities than B. naticoidea. The opposite proved to be true. The gastropods were capable of withstanding salinities at least as high as 85, whereas the polychaetes died at salinities higher than 75. Both species were osmoconformers over the range of salinities (35–75) tested. Behavioral responses of B. naticoidea to salinities of 50, 60, and 70 were investigated in inverted vertical haloclines. Gastropods generally did not enter water of salinity greater than 60, but tolerated short periods at 60. Behavioral avoidance of brine should limit the vertical distribution of B. naticoidea in the inner zone to the top 2.5–5 cm of the mussel bed. Behavior is also a likely (though unproven) mechanism for controlling horizontal distribution of this species across the mussel bed. Methanoaricia dendrobranchiata can tolerate short excursions into the brine, but probably avoids hypersaline conditions by aggregating on the tops of the mussels.     

Environmental control on early life stages of flatfishes in the Lima Estuary (NW Portugal)

Several flatfishes spawn in oceanic waters and pelagic larvae are transported inshore to settle in the nursery areas, usually estuaries, where they remain during their juvenile life. Nursery areas appear as extremely important habitats, not only for juveniles but also for the earlier planktonic larval fish. Yet, the majority of nursery studies tend to focus only on one development stage, missing an integrative approach of the entire early life that fishes spent within a nursery ground. Thus, the present study assessed the influence of environmental parameters on the dynamics of the larval and juvenile flatfishes, throughout their nursery life in the Lima Estuary. Between April 2002 and April 2004, fortnightly subsurface ichthyoplankton samples were collected and juveniles were collected from October 2003 until September 2005. Larval assemblages comprised nine flatfish species, while only six were observed among the juvenile assemblages. Solea senegalensis and Platichthys flesus were the most abundant species of both fractions of the Lima Estuary flatfishes. Larval flatfish assemblages varied seasonally, without relevant differences between lower and middle estuary. Platichthys flesus dominated the spring samples and summer and autumn periods were characterized by an increase of overall abundance and diversity of larval flatfishes, mainly S. senegalensis, associated with temperature increase and reduced river flow. On the contrary, during the winter abundance sharply decreased, as a consequence of higher river run-off that might compromised the immigration of incompetent marine larvae. Juvenile flatfishes were more abundant in the middle and upper areas of the estuary, but the species richness was higher near the river mouth. Sediment type, distance from the river mouth, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen were identified as the main environmental factors structuring the juvenile flatfish assemblages. Juveniles were spatially discrete, with the most abundant species S. senegalensis and P. flesus associated with the middle and upper estuary, while the remaining species were associated with the lower estuarine areas. The larval fraction exhibited distinct dynamics from the juvenile estuarine flatfish community. Larval flatfishes showed a strong seasonal structure mainly regulated by biological features as the spawning season and also by seasonal variations of water characteristics. On the other hand, juvenile flatfishes were markedly controlled by site specific characteristics such as sediments structure, distance from the river mouth and salinity regime. The present study emphasized the idea that the environmental control varies throughout the ontogenetic development, stressing the importance of integrating all the early life of a species in flatfish nursery studies.     

海滩碎波带波能振荡的多尺度分析

对不同波况条件下实测的一岬间海滩碎波带两个测站的波面数据 ,通过小波变换方法计算了小波能谱 ,并作了显著性检验。结果表明 :( 1 )碎波带波能存在典型的多尺度振荡特性 ;( 2 )在正常波况下 ,波能主要分布于风浪频域 ,入射波自外测站向内测站传播过程中 ,能量具有向低频方向转移的趋势 ;( 3)在高能波况下 ,能量均向长重力波频带增加 ,在长重力波显著尺度 ,二测站之间存在良好的位相一致关系     

Larval development of Boccardia knoxi,a shell‐infesting spionid polychaete

Larvae of Boccardia knoxi (Rainer) were reared in the laboratory after dissection from brood capsules extracted from the outer shell and perio‐stracum of Cookia sulcata and Haliotis iris collected from Tasman Bay, New Zealand. All the eggs within each brood capsule developed into embryos. The dissected larvae had provisional setae and fed on phytoplankton. Larval development is described through to metamorphosis.     

The partial pressure of carbon dioxide and air-sea fluxes in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent Hangzhou Bay

The distributions of partial pressure of carbon dioxide (p CO2 ) in the surface waters of the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent Hangzhou Bay were examined in the summer of 2010. Surface water p CO2 ranged from 751-2 095 μatm (1 atm=101 325 Pa) in the inner estuary, 177-1 036 μatm in the outer estuary, and 498-1 166 μatm in Hangzhou Bay. Overall, surface p CO2 behaved conservatively during the estuary mixing. In the inner estuary, surface p CO2 was relatively high due to urbanized pollution and a high respiration rate. The lowest p CO2 was observed in the outer estuary, which was apparently induced by a phytoplankton bloom because the dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll a were very high. The Changjiang River Estuary was a significant source of atmospheric CO2 and the degassing fluxes were estimated as 0-230 mmol/(m2 d) [61 mmol/(m2 d) on average] in the inner estuary. In contrast, the outer estuary acted as a CO2 sink.     

Environmental control of mesozooplankton community structure in the Seine estuary (English Channel)

This paper is the first to describe the spatio-temporal changes of mesozooplankton in the Seine estuary. Monthly samples were collected along the estuary in 1996 in order to analyse the seasonal changes of the mesozooplankton community and to identify the major environmental parameters that may influence the spatial distribution of zooplankton in this megatidal estuary. Statistical analysis (canonical correspondence analysis) showed that salinity was the main factor correlated with the longitudinal distribution of zooplankton. Marine species (Temora longicornis, barnacle larvae…) were located in the outer part of the estuary, while more oligohaline species (Eurytemora affinis) were recorded in the inner part of the estuary. A mixed zone was characterised by the presence of the neritic copepods Acartia spp. and Eurytemora affinis. The marine species (e.g. T. longicornis, Oikopleura dioica, Barnacle larvae) showed maximum abundance at the end of spring (June) while the most abundant estuarine species, E. affinis, peaked in late winter-spring and declined with the onset of summer. This copepod dominated the estuarine zooplankton throughout the year, and found in the Seine estuary very high favourable conditions to exhibit ultimate abundances (> 190 000 ind m^–3) which is one order of magnitude higher than those found in other European estuaries. It represented the main prey for major planktonivorous species such as suprabenthic and fish species located living in the upstream zone of the Seine estuary.     

Generation mechanism of an alongshore bar on a sandy beach slope

A model explaining the mechanism of alongshore bar formation from the point of view of the sediment balance in the surf zone is considered. A cloud of suspended matter that appears during wave breaking is transported shoreward and simultaneously sediments forming a vertical material flux directed to the bottom (S). Simultaneously, an undertow generates a horizontal offshore flux of suspended matter q _x . Under these conditions, the sediment balance is determined by the equality of the flux -S and the gradient dq _x /dx. The bottom profile satisfying the balance equation is a bar profile with the crest at the point of the flux maximum -S. The model predicts a concave profile of the seaside slope and a concave-convex profile of the slope in the trough. A conclusion is reached on the basis of the calibration and verification of the model based on the field data that the suggested mechanism manifests itself differently in the outer and inner zones of the coastal zone. In the inner zone, the horizontal size of the bar is determined by the length of short wind waves, while, in the outer one, it is determined by the length of the infragravity waves related to the groups of short waves. It is shown that the model can be applied to estimate the parameters of the largest bar in the inner part of the coastal zone.     

Teneurs en benzo 3,4 pyrène chez Mytilus edulis L. de l'estuaire et du golfe du Saint-Laurent

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) taken from 27 stations along the estuary and gulf of St. Lawrence were analyzed for their content in 3,4-benzopyrene. Most of the concentrations are below the detection limit for the analytical method, i.e. 0·15 μg kg^?1 (dry weight) and probably reflect the natural baseline level. However, mussels from two stations located at the mouth of Saguenay Fjord exhibit very high contents: 24 and 28·5μg kg^?1 (dry weight). A mussel transplantation experiment has shown that the entire Fjord is contaminated by anthropogenic 3,4-benzopyrene.     

Mesopelagic fishes of the Bering Sea and adjacent northern North Pacific Ocean

Fourteen midwater trawl collections to depths of 450 m to 1,400 m were taken at eleven stations in the Bering Sea and adjoining regions of the northern North Pacific by the R/V Hakuho Maru during the summer of 1975. A total of 29 kinds of fishes were identified. Mesopelagic fishes of the families Myctophidae, Gonostomatidae and Bathylagidae predominated in the catches, contributing 14 species (94%) of the fishes caught.Seventeen species of fishes were caught in the Bering Sea, and all of these are known from nearby areas. The mesopelagic fish fauna of the Bering Sea is similar to that in adjoining regions of the northern North Pacific Ocean: endemic species are rare or absent. Stenobrachius nannochir was usually the most common mesopelagic fish in our catches.Stenobrachius leucopsarus is a diel vertical migrant that is usually the dominant mesopelagic fish in modified Subarctic waters of the northeastern Pacific. The change in dominance fromS. nannochir in the western Bering Sea toS. leucopsarus in the eastern Bering Sea is related to differences in oceanographic conditions.