Fate of excess phosphorus in the Baltic Sea: A real driving force for cyanobacterial blooms?

The wintertime ratio of inorganic dissolved nitrogen to phosphorus (DIN/DIP) in the surface waters of the Baltic Sea is typically below the molar Redfield ratio of 16, which expresses the presence of an excess inorganic dissolved phosphorus (eDIP) reserve compared to DIN. We assessed the role of the vernal phytoplankton bloom period (VPBP) in the consumption of the potential wintertime eDIP reserve, and the role of eDIP after the VPBP as a nutritional agent for the summertime growth of the cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea. We employed a high-frequency dataset collected by the unattended monitoring systems on board merchant ships. The dataset encompasses the Baltic basins from the Arkona Basin to the Western Gulf of Finland and the time period from 1993 to 2009. All the observed values of the wintertime DIN/DIP ratio were below the molar Redfield ratio; the ratio showed a declining trend during the study, suggesting that there is a pronounced wintertime stock of the potential eDIP in the waters of the Baltic Sea, and that this stock has lately increased in magnitude. The VPBP took up excessively DIP to DIN than calculated according to the uptake in the molar Redfield ratio, thus reducing the potential eDIP reserve. On average, 59% of the potential eDIP reserve was left in the water after the VPBP as eDIP. eDIP was typically exhausted in the time frame early June–early July, matching well the timing of the appearance of cyanobacteria in substantial numbers in the water-column. eDIP clearly fueled the cyanobacterial growth in every instance in which it was possible to clarify their relationship. The cyanobacteria must still have another DIP source than eDIP to form extensive late-summer blooms, except in the western Gulf of Finland, where eDIP remained detectable up to early August. The annual role of eDIP for cyanobacterial growth depends greatly on the weather of late spring and early summer: this may sometimes launch the cyanobacterial growth much earlier than is usually expected.     

Development of an adaptive disturbance rejection system for the rapidly deployable stable platform–part 1: Mathematical modeling and open loop response

A Rapidly Deployable Stable Platform (RDSP) concept was investigated at Florida Atlantic University in response to military and civilian needs for ocean platforms with improved sea-keeping characteristics. The RDSP is designed to have enhanced sea-keeping abilities through the combination of a novel hull and thruster design coupled with active control. The RDSP is comprised of a catamaran that attaches via a hinge to a spar, enabling it to transit like a trimaran and then reconfigure so that the spar lifts the catamaran out of the water, creating a stable spar platform. The focus of this research is the mathematical modeling, simulation, and response characterization of the RDSP to provide a foundation for controller design, testing, and tuning. The mathematical model includes a detailed representation of residual drag, friction drag, added mass, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure, and control actuator dynamics. Validation has been performed by comparing the simulation predicted motions of the RDSP operating in waves to the measured motions of the 1/10th scale prototype measured at sea. Resulting from this paper is an empirical assessment of the response characteristics of the RDSP that quantifies the performance under extreme conditions and provides a solid basis for controller development and testing.     

The ‘suitcase hypothesis’: Can entrainment of meroplankton by eddies provide a pathway for gene flow between Madagascar and KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa?

Similarities in the marine fauna found off the coasts of southern Madagascar and KwaZulu-Natal Province (KZN), South Africa, led to the development of the ‘suitcase project,’ with the aim of establishing whether eddies that form off southern Madagascar may package and transport biological material across the Mozambique Channel, facilitating connectivity and gene flow. Meroplankton (larval stages of fishes and benthic invertebrates) were collected on the Madagascan shelf and along a transect through a cyclonic eddy in the Mozambique Channel. The samples were analysed using microscopy and DNA barcoding, seeking to identify species known to be common to both the southeast coast of Madagascar and the east coast of South Africa and thereby to reveal potential indicators of connectivity between these regions. The greatest zooplankton biovolume in the upper 200 m occurred on the shelf, followed by in the western part of the eddy and in the region outside the eddy to the west, and was lowest in the region outside the eddy to the east. The meroplankton were dominated by taxa of coastal origin and these were also most abundant on the shelf and in the western part of the eddy, with the lowest abundances in the region outside the eddy to the east. The findings show greater zooplankton biovolumes and larval abundances and the presence of reef-associated larval assemblages on the Madagascan shelf and along the transect through the cyclonic eddy, providing support for the suitcase hypothesis that planktonic organisms are entrained within eddies as they propagate south-westwards of the Madagascan shelf.     

Trawl fisheries,catch shares and the protection of benthic marine ecosystems: Has ownership generated incentives for seafloor stewardship?

Proponents of catch share-based fisheries have claimed ecological stewardship can result from the assignment of individual catch quotas. This claim is examined by analyzing the distribution of benthic habitat protection measures adopted by quota-owning industry sectors within the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the U.S. (Alaska), New Zealand, and high seas seamounts within the Southern Indian Ocean Deepsea Fishers Association (SIODFA) competence area. Results suggest the protection of both benthic ecosystems and essential fish habitat (EFH) are marginal at best when quota owners have primacy in determining the boundaries of bottom trawl closures. The majority of the areas in these three regions that are closed to trawling are too deep to fish, may not contain vulnerable marine ecosystems, and do not have high abundances of commercially important species. “Freezing the footprint” of bottom trawling is not the best method for benthic habitat protection in areas where the fishing industry is actively fishing vulnerable habitats. Analytical methods should be applied to help determine boundaries of future bottom trawl closures rather than allowing the fishing industry to place benthic protection areas (BPAs) in areas where they are not interested in fishing.     

Institutions as facilities for change?: A study of the coherence between political regulations and innovations within the pelagic fisheries sector in Norway

Political regulation has traditionally been regarded as antagonistic to innovation, whereas the removal of regulations has been perceived as a precondition for innovations. This paper proposes an alternative position and claim that regulations can have various connections with the innovation process. Regulations can obviously restrict innovations, but they can also facilitate such processes. Systematic empirical research on the relation between political-administrative regulation and innovation has been moderate, and the debate has been highly anecdotal. This article presents an empirical study on how political-administrative regulation within the pelagic fisheries sector in Norway affects innovation. The study confirms that regulations had varied influences on the innovation process, and documents that actor's appraisals of regulations were affected by whether a given regulation is beneficial for the firms and their competitive position or not. Finally, the paper corroborate that the implementation of regulations can promote innovation in firms by providing them with deeper insights into their production processes and to encourage a more intense focus on development and improvement. Implementation of regulations also implies learning, which can increase the firms’ abilities to innovate as well as their insight into the necessity of such practices. The analysis is based on survey data from processors and vessels in the pelagic sector.