Paleoclimatic changes in southern Africa during the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation: evidence from ODP Leg 175 Site 1085

Pliocene age sediments from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 175, Site 1085-A and B in the Cape Basin were analyzed to investigate the impact of the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation (INHG) on the South Atlantic Benguela Current system from 4 to 2 Ma. Proxies for productivity (concentrations and mass accumulation rates of total organic carbon, carbon to nitrogen ratios, percent calcium carbonate, and percent biogenic silica) as well as weight percent sand (a proxy for preservation or winnowing) peak at 3.2, 3.0, 2.4, and 2.25 Ma. Normative calculations of allied trace and major elemental determinations indicate synchronous increases in productivity peaks, as well as high concentrations and accumulations of terrigenous sediments. Coeval increases in hemipelagic sedimentation and productivity indicators could be the result of enhanced eolian sedimentation resulting from strengthened winds, leading to elevated rates of upwelling and enhanced productivity. However, rapid burial, as indicated by high sedimentation rates, could also enhance preservation. The very high concentrations (>30%) and accumulations (up to 60 g/cm²/kyr) limit the likelihood that eolian sedimentation was the only transport mechanism, invoking an additional fluvial source. Rapid burial by either eolian or fluvial transport links these intervals of enhanced preservation and productivity with continental climate changes resulting from (1) increased winds and/or dust availability due to higher aridity in the Namibia/northern South Africa region; (2) lowered sea-level related to increased ice volume; (3) increased sediment load due to wetter conditions in the continental interior; or (4) some combination. Peaks at 3.2, 2.4 and 2.25 Ma are coincident with maximum precession, suggesting a link between hemipelagic sedimentation and enhanced monsoonal circulation over southern Africa. The Site 1085 sedimentary record during the INHG seems to be controlled by low-latitude processes linked to precession rather than hig-latitude processes.     

Pliocene export production and terrigenous provenance of the Southern Cape Basin, southwest African margin

We have analyzed 33 Pliocene bulk sediment samples from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1085 in the Cape Basin, located offshore of western Africa in the Angola–Benguela Current system, for 17 major and trace elements, and interpreted their associations and temporal variations in the context of an allied data set of CaCO₃, opal, and C_org. We base our interpretations on elemental ratios, accumulation rates, inter-element correlations, and several multi-element statistical techniques. On the basis of qualitative assessment of downhole changes in the distributions of P and Ba, utilized as proxies of export production, we conclude that highs in bulk and biogenic accumulation that occur at 3.2 Ma, 3.0 Ma, 2.4 Ma, and 2.25 Ma were caused by increases in export production as well as terrigenous flux, and record a greater sequestering of organic matter during these time periods. Studies of refractory elements and other indicator proxies (SiO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, MgO, V, Cr, Sr, and Zr) strongly suggest that the terrigenous component of the bulk sediment is composed of two compositional end-members, one being ‘basaltic’ in composition and the other similar to an ‘average shale’. The basaltic end-member comprises approximately 10–15% of the total bulk sediment and its presence is consistent with the local geology of source material in the drainage basin of the nearby Orange River. The increase in bulk accumulation at 2.4 Ma appears to reflect a greater relative increase in basaltic input than the relative increase in shale-type input. Although studies such as this cannot precisely identify the transport mechanisms of the different terrigenous components, these results are most consistent with variations in sea level (and associated changes in shelf geometry and fluvial input) being responsible for the changing depositional conditions along the Angolan Margin during this time period.     

Sedimentation rates off SW Africa since the late Miocene deciphered from spectral analyses of borehole and GRA bulk density profiles: ODP Sites 1081–1084

Sedimentation rates (SRs) off SW Africa were calculated by performing spectral analyses in the depth domain on borehole and gamma-ray attenuation (GRA) bulk density data from ODP Sites 1081–1084. Inversion and integration of SRs versus depth from spectral analysis yielded detailed SR profiles in the time domain. Our technique allowed the detection of excursions in calculated SRs that not only often differed from those established through coarse-scaled biostratigraphic data, but also revealed a greater regional variability in the sediment accumulation over time. High-resolution bulk density data exhibited distinct periodicity in the waveband of Milankovitch cycles (precession at 19–23 kyr; obliquity at 41 kyr; eccentricity at 100 kyr). The pronounced Milankovitch cyclicity suggests that climate variability and trends in SRs along the Benguela Current System (BCS) were responding to insolation patterns during the past 6 Myr. We find relatively low SRs when evolutive amplitude spectra are dominated by obliquity and eccentricity periods. In contrast, significant SR peaks at all sites often occur when strong precessional amplitudes coexist with obliquity and eccentricity cycles. Episodes of high SRs often coincide with peaks in organic carbon mass accumulation rates (MAR C_org) and reduced sea surface temperature (SST) in the southern Walvis Basin, which have been associated with increased regional upwelling. This suggests that the high SRs reflect high productivity (high MAR C_org) attributed to strong wind and upwelling intensity during cool climate periods (low SSTs) in accordance with orbital forcing patterns observed in our spectra.     

The late Miocene onset of high productivity in the Benguela Current upwelling system as part of a global pattern

We have examined the history of the elevated primary productivity associated with the Benguela Current upwelling system off southwest Africa using sediments from 7.5 to 4.8 Ma at Ocean Drilling Program Site 1085 in the middle Cape Basin. Sedimentation rates are low until 6.9 Ma. Low accumulation rates of benthic foraminifers and organic carbon indicate that biological productivity was also low. Paleoproductivity dramatically increased at 6.7–6.5 Ma and was highly variable until 4.8 Ma with productivity maxima during cooler periods. The presence of radiolarian opal only between 5.8 and 5.2 Ma suggests an interlude of silica-rich intermediate water in the Cape Basin. The onset of heightened productivity under the Benguela Current is mirrored by similar increases reported between 6.9 and 6.7 Ma in the tropical eastern Pacific, the western and northern Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. The similarity between the patterns at Site 1085 and in the Pacific and Indian Oceans suggests that the dramatic productivity increase off southwest Africa is part of a global response to paleoceanographic changes.     

The early Matuyama Diatom Maximum off SW Africa: a conceptual model

An important discovery during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 175, when investigating the record of upwelling off Namibia, was the finding of a distinct Late Pliocene diatom maximum spanning the lower half of the Matuyama reversed polarity chron (MDM, Matuyama Diatom Maximum) and centered around 2.6–2.0 Ma. This maximum was observed at all sites off southwestern Africa between 20°S and 30°S, and is most strongly represented in sediments of Site 1084, off Lüderitz, Namibia. The MDM is characterized by high biogenic opal content, high numbers of diatom valves, and a diatom flora rich in Southern Ocean representatives (with Thalassiothrix antarctica forming diatom mats) as well as coastal upwelling components. Before MDM time, diatoms are rare until ca. 3.6 Ma. After the MDM, in the Pleistocene, the composition of the diatom flora points to increased importance of coastal upwelling toward the present, but is accompanied by a general decrease in opal and diatom deposition. Here we present a simple conceptual model as a first step in formalizing a possible forcing mechanism responsible for the record of opal deposition in the upwelling system off Namibia. The model takes into account Southern Ocean oceanography, and a link with deepwater circulation and deepwater nutrient chemistry which, in turn, are coupled to the evolution of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). The model proposes that between the MDM and the Mid-Pleistocene climate revolution, opal deposition off Namibia is not directly tied to glacial–interglacial fluctuations (as seen in the global δ¹⁸O record), but that, instead, a strong deepwater link exists with increased NADW production (as seen in the deepwater δ¹³C record) accounting for higher supply of silicate to the thermocline waters that feed the upwelling process. The opal record of Site 1084 shows affinity to eccentricity on the 400-kyr scale but not for the 100-kyr scale. This points toward long-term geologic processes for delivery of silica to the ocean.     

Clay mineral assemblages,siliciclastic input and paleoproductivity at ODP Site 1085 off Southwest Africa: A late Miocene–early Pliocene history of Orange river discharges and Benguela current activity,and their relation to global sea level change

A late Miocene to early Pliocene sequence drilled on the continental slope of southwest Africa off the Orange river mouth (ODP Site 1085) has been investigated. Clay mineral assemblages, coarse siliciclastics and benthic foraminifer accumulation rates (BFAR) unravel a step by step evolution of marine and continental environments closely related to sea level variations, ocean circulation and global climate: (1) smectite is a typical tracer of the Orange river load, whereas illite is mostly transported by the Benguela current (like chlorite) and winds, and kaolinite is derived from low latitudes by the poleward undercurrent and the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW); (2) increased erosion and influence of the Orange river after 9.6 Ma is linked to a sea level drop at a time of Antarctic ice-growth. This has been followed by an increased seasonality of precipitation and high productivity, but low oxygen content and associated dissolution of carbonates; (3) increased productivity and dissolution of carbonates, and coeval increase of continental aridity after 8.9 Ma express a further development of the Benguela current and upwelling; (4) better preservation of carbonates and increased contribution of terrigenous material from northern sources at 6.9 Ma are related to increased circulation of NADW after an early stage of northern hemisphere glaciation; (5) increased erosion and contribution from the Orange river and westward shift of the area of higher productivity from 5.9–5.8 Ma to 5.3–5.2 Ma are related to a significant fall of sea level, and encompass the time of the entire Mediterranean salinity crisis; (6) short-term variations of the smectite/illite ratio (S/I) and BFAR suggest a major control of productivity by wind and current activities (and related upwelling), but may express brief variations of sea level in specific intervals before 8.9 Ma and during the late Messinian especially.     

Neogene oceanographic variations recorded in manganese nodules from the Somali Basin

A detailed study of a nodule from the Somali Basin dated by ²³⁰Th_excess was correlated with the paleoceanographic events recorded in Site 236 (Leg 24) Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) cores. Tentative indications are that the phase of nodule accretion starting with the development of pillar structure at a depth of 20 mm in the nodule around 13 Ma coincides with increased Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) flow and an elevated calciumcarbonate compensation depth (CCD).

The Late Miocene lowering of the CCD is represented by the mottled zones between 8 and 18 mm in the nodule is characterised by an abundant silicate component (>20%) of aeolian origin. The Miocene/Pliocene boundary (5 Ma) occurs at a depth of about 8 mm and is represented by the development of pillar structure and a minimum of aeolian dust (10.3%).

The increased biological productivity of the Somali surface water since the Middle Miocene is demonstrated by the increasing C_org content of the nodule (from 0.11 to 0.19%) towards its surface.     

Determination of sediment volumes, accumulation rates and turbidite emplacement frequencies on the Madeira Abyssal Plain (NE Atlantic): a correlation between seismic and borehole data

The sedimentary infill history of the Madeira Abyssal Plain (MAP) is established from correlation of ODP Leg 157 drillsites (Sites 950–952) with an almost regular grid of 7000 km of intermediate-resolution seismic reflection profiles covering the central part of the abyssal plain. The most conspicuous seismic reflectors bounding the seismostratigraphic units have been identified and mapped. Correlation between seismic and borehole data using synthetic seismograms allows the lithological attribution and dating of the reflectors and seismostratigraphic units. Lateral mapping and correlation of seismic units also allows both the volumes and rates of accumulation of sediments within each seismostratigraphic unit and equivalent time periods of deposition to be determined. These calculations have been corrected for the effect of compaction, calculated at around 40% at the base of the drillholes. Three main turbidite types have been identified at the drillsites and their emplacement frequency has been calculated for each site and time period. Our results show that Cretaceous oceanic crust was draped with red pelagic clays, and the fracture-zone valleys were completely infilled and levelled in a geologically rather short time, probably during the latest Oligocene and Early Miocene, by organic-rich turbidites derived from the NW African continental margin. At 16 Ma, the topography was levelled enough to allow large turbidity current flows to cover the entire plain. During the Middle and Late Miocene (16–5.9 Ma), organic-rich turbidites were emplaced on the abyssal plain at a low rate of accumulation (12 m/my). In the uppermost Miocene–Early Pliocene (5.9–3.6 Ma), turbidite emplacement increased markedly in both frequency and accumulation rate (e.g., 26 m/my for organic-rich turbidites). During this time, period emplacement of volcanic-rich turbidites also increased in volume and frequency, a trend that continued into the Pliocene. Increased volcanic-rich turbidite emplacement correlates well with increased volcanic activity on the Canary Islands, and increased organic-rich turbidite emplacement may correlate with periods of erosion on the NW African continental margin. These erosional periods may be related to global cooling and falling sea level, intensification of bottom-water currents, and enhanced upwelling on the margin.     

Late Cenozoic prograding wedges on the NW European continental margin: their formation and relationship to tectonics and climate

During late Pliocene to Pleistocene times, prominent prograding wedges were deposited along the continental margin of NW Europe, resulting in seaward shelf break migration of up to 150 km. Much of the sediment accumulation occurred marginal to the former mid- to high-latitude ice sheets. The geographical distribution, and stratigraphical and chronological data may suggest that the instigation of the wedges was variously related to tectonic uplift as well as a response to the late Pliocene to Pleistocene climate deterioration and onset of major northern hemisphere glaciations. The onset of wedge growth on the NW UK and Irish margins was initiated at about 4 Ma in response to tectonic tilting of the margin in that region. However, glacially derived sediments here comprise a significant proportion of the wedges, especially since 0.44 Ma. For the Faroe margin, no detailed chronology is available; however, it may be inferred that onset of glacigenic wedge growth here did not post-date that observed on the NW UK and Irish margins. Offshore Norway, wedge growth has largely occurred since ca. 2.7 Ma in response to northern hemisphere glaciations, also recording a major change in sediments transport routes at 0.8–1.1 Ma (reflecting larger Fennoscandian Ice Sheets). Presently, it is uncertain whether the glacigenic wedge growth was preceded by a fluvial phase (in response to uplift) in this area. In the western Barents Sea, an early phase of wedge growth was (glacio) fluvial in character. Off western Spitsbergen, the development was similar to that of the Barents Sea although the glacigenic wedge-growth phase may have started somewhat earlier.The wedges commonly display gently inclined seaward prograding clinoforms, and transparent to chaotic internal acoustic facies. Sampling of their sediments reveals that they are mainly composed of glacigenic diamicton interbedded with marine and glaciomarine sediments that, to various extents, have been affected by bottom-current action. The clinoforms of these wedges vary in geometry from oblique to sigmoidal, and they also show varying degrees of aggradation throughout their development. The resulting stratal stacking pattern can be attributed to a combination of variations in sediment supply, sedimentary processes, and accommodation space, the latter being a function of tectonic movements and/or loading induced subsidence as well as eustatic sea-level fluctuations.     

上新世——早更新世青藏高原北缘隆升的磁性地层学证据

对新疆叶城剖面西域砾岩及下伏第三纪地层的磁性地层学研究表明 ,西域砾岩的沉积时代为晚上新世至早更新世 ,磁性地层年龄为 3.5至 <1.8Ma。阿图什组沉积于早上新世 ,古地磁年龄为 4 .6～ 3.5 Ma。阿图什组以砂岩和粉砂岩为主夹薄层砾岩 ,为河流相及冲积扇前缘相。西域砾岩以厚层砾岩为主夹风成粉砂岩 ,为典型洪积—冲积扇堆积。西域砾岩的沉积反映了青藏高原北缘晚上新世至早更新世强烈的隆起和剥蚀     

A comparison of condition factor and gonadosomatic index of sardine Sardinops sagax stocks in the northern and southern Benguela upwelling ecosystems, 1984–1999

Time-series of condition factor (CF) and gonadosomatic index (GSI) were generated using general linear models (GLM) for sardine Sardinops sagax stocks in the northern and southern Benguela ecosystems over the period 1984–1999. During this period the biomass of sardine in the northern Benguela remained at relatively low levels of <500 000 tons, whereas that of southern Benguela sardine increased 40-fold to 1.3 million tons. The GLMs explained 27 and 45% of the observed variation in CF, and 32 and 28% of the observed variation in GSI, for sardine in the northern and southern Benguela subsystems respectively. Whereas the sardine CF in the northern Benguela remained stable over time, that for the southern Benguela stock declined steadily during the study period. Sardine CF showed a seasonal cycle in the southern but not in the northern Benguela. Time-series of GSI showed high interannual variability but no trends in either subsystem, and the seasonal pattern was similar for both stocks. The lack of coherence between the CF time-series for sardine in the two subsystems further suggests that sardine stocks in the northern and southern Benguela subsystems are independent.     

Late Pliocene Mega Debris Flow Deposit and Related Fluid Escapes Identified on the Antarctic Peninsula Continental Margin by Seismic Reflection Data Analysis

We have obtained improved images of a debris flow deposit through the reprocessing of multichannel seismic reflection data between Drifts 6 and 7 of the continental rise of the Pacific margin of the Antarctic Peninsula. The reprocessing, primarily aimed at the reduction of noise, relative to amplitude preservation, deconvolution, also included accurate velocity analyses. The deposit is dated as upper Pliocene (nearly 3.0 Ma) via correlation to Sites 1095 and 1096 of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 178. The estimated volume is about 1800 km³ and the inferred provenance from the continental slope implies a run out distance exceeding 250 km. The dramatic mass-wasting event that produced this deposit, unique in the sedimentary history of this margin, is related to widespread late Pliocene margin erosion. This was associated with a catastrophic continental margin collapse, following the Antarctic ice sheet expansion in response to global cooling. The seismic data analysis also allowed us to identify diffractions and amplitude anomalies interpreted as expressions of sedimentary mounds at the seafloor overlying narrow high-velocity zones that we interpret as conduits of fluid expulsion hosting either methane hydrates or authigenic carbonates. Fluid expulsion was triggered by loading of underlying sediments by the debris flow deposits and may have continued until today by input of fluids from sediment compaction following the deep diagenesis of biogenic silica.     

Segmentation and differential post-rift uplift at the Angola margin as recorded by the transform-rifted Benguela and oblique-to-orthogonal-rifted Kwanza basins

We analyse tectonic and sedimentary field and subsurface data for the Angola onshore margin together with free-air gravity anomaly data for the offshore margin. This enables us to characterize the mode of syn-rift tectonism inherited from the Precambrian and its impact on the segmentation of the Angola margin. We illustrate that segmentation by the progressive transition from the Benguela transform-rifted margin segment to the oblique-rifted South Kwanza and orthogonal-rifted North Kwanza margin segments. The spatial variation in the intensity of post-rift uplift is demonstrated by the study of a set of geomorphic markers detected in the post-rift succession of the coastal Benguela and Kwanza Basins: Upper Cretaceous to Cenozoic uplifted palaeodeltas, erosional unconformities, palaeovalleys, Quaternary marine terraces and perched Gilbert deltas. The onshore Benguela transform margin has a distinctive, mainly progradational stratigraphic architecture with long-term sedimentary gaps and high-elevation marine terraces resulting from moderate Upper Cretaceous–Cenozoic to major Quaternary uplifting (i.e. 775–1775 mm/ky or m/Ma). By contrast, repeated synchronous episodes of minor Cenozoic to Quaternary uplift occurred along the orthogonal-rifted North Kwanza segment with its Cenozoic aggradational architecture, short-term sedimentary gaps and low-elevation Pleistocene terraces. Margin style likewise governs spatial variations in the volume of offshore sediment dispersed in the associated deep-sea fans. Along the low-lying North Kwanza margin, sedimentation of the broad Cenozoic to Pleistocene Kwanza submarine fan was probably governed by the width of the Kwanza interior palaeodrainage basin combined with the wet tropical Neogene climate. Along the high-rising Benguela margin, the small size of the Benguela deep-sea fan is related to the interplay between moderate continental sediment dispersal from long-lived small catchments and a warm, very arid Neogene climate. However, the driving forces behind the epeirogenic post-rift uplift of the Angola coastal bulge remain a matter of speculation.     

Pliocene calcium carbonate sedimentation patterns of the Ontong Java Plateau: ODP Sites 804 and 806

Two deep-sea cores from the northeastern slope of the Ontong Java Plateau, Ocean Drilling Program Site 806 (2520 mbsl) and Site 804 (3861 mbsl), has been studied with the purpose of investigating Pliocene (Site 806, 2.4–3.8 Ma; Site 804, 1.8–4.4 Ma) sub- and supralysoclinal changes in calcium carbonate accumulation, based on CaCO₃, coarse-fraction and faunal data. At the shallower site, Site 806, there is a slight decrease in carbonate content and a distinct long-term trend in decreasing accumulation rate throughout the studied interval. Small-scale changes in density, hence accumulation rate, are related to grain-size changes due to winnowing at this site, but the overall pattern of decreasing carbonate accumulation seems to be the result of both winnowing and a decrease in productivity. The deeper site, Site 804, exhibits a general increase in carbonate content after about 3.15 Ma as well as a long-term increase in mass accumulation rate throughout the Pliocene interval studied. Detailed comparison of the records of density and carbonate content emphasizes the strong relationship between carbonate content and accumulation rate at this site. The observed pattern of decreasing accumulation rate at shallow depth parallel to enhanced preservation at greater depths may be explained by a decrease in the production of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). A reduction of the volume of NADW pumped into the Pacific would reduce the supply of nutrients and deep-water CO₂. This could account for both the decrease in accumulation rate at the shallower site, due to decreased productivity, and the enhanced preservation at the deeper site, due to a decrease in the corrosiveness of deep waters.     

Distribution and burial of organic carbon in sediments from the Indian Ocean upwelling region off Java and Sumatra,Indonesia

Sediments were sampled and oxygen profiles of the water column were determined in the Indian Ocean off west and south Indonesia in order to obtain information on the production, transformation, and accumulation of organic matter (OM). The stable carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C_org) in combination with C/N ratios depicts the almost exclusively marine origin of sedimentary organic matter in the entire study area. Maximum concentrations of organic carbon (C_org) and nitrogen (N) of 3.0% and 0.31%, respectively, were observed in the northern Mentawai Basin and in the Savu and Lombok basins. Minimum δ¹⁵N values of 3.7‰ were measured in the northern Mentawai Basin, whereas they varied around 5.4‰ at stations outside this region. Minimum bottom water oxygen concentrations of 1.1 mL L^?1, corresponding to an oxygen saturation of 16.1%, indicate reduced ventilation of bottom water in the northern Mentawai Basin. This low bottom water oxygen reduces organic matter decomposition, which is demonstrated by the almost unaltered isotopic composition of nitrogen during early diagenesis. Maximum C_org accumulation rates (CARs) were measured in the Lombok (10.4 g C m^?2 yr^?1) and northern Mentawai basins (5.2 g C m^?2 yr^?1). Upwelling-induced high productivity is responsible for the high CAR off East Java, Lombok, and Savu Basins, while a better OM preservation caused by reduced ventilation contributes to the high CAR observed in the northern Mentawai Basin. The interplay between primary production, remineralisation, and organic carbon burial determines the regional heterogeneity. CAR in the Indian Ocean upwelling region off Indonesia is lower than in the Peru and Chile upwellings, but in the same order of magnitude as in the Arabian Sea, the Benguela, and Gulf of California upwellings, and corresponds to 0.1–7.1% of the global ocean carbon burial. This demonstrates the relevance of the Indian Ocean margin off Indonesia for the global OM burial.     

Mesozooplankton dynamics in the Benguela ecosystem,with emphasis on the herbivorous copepods

Recent research developments on the ecology, dynamics and trophic position of copepods in the Benguela ecosystem are synthesized. Attention is focused on herbivorous species of the southern Benguela and how they cope with the physical and biological variability characteristic of this upwelling region. Copepods constitute on average approximately half of the total zooplankton carbon and. are most abundant during the upwelling season. They are able to maintain large population densities within local coastal upwelling areas by combining ontogenetically based vertical migration behaviour with features of the current system. Some species have developed finely tuned strategies to overcome periods of starvation between upwelling bouts by storing lipid reserves or by entering temporary developmental arrest. In situ measurements of production rates of local species are among the highest recorded for copepods. Despite an apparent excess of food, copepods exert only limited impact on the phytoplankton, removing on average <25 per cent of that available daily. Indirect estimates of carbon flux indicate that 11–25 per cent of copepod daily ration is used for egestion of faecal pellets. Copepods are the preferred prey of a wide variety of invertebrate and vertebrate predators. Large copepods in particular are important in the diet of commercially exploited pelagic fish. Localized areas of low abundance of copepods have been found in association with high densities of anchovy during peak spawning and recruitment periods. Copepods may therefore constitute a central limiting factor for pelagic fish production in the southern Benguela.     

Comparing trophic flows in the southern Benguela to those in other upwelling ecosystems

A balanced trophic flow model of the southern Benguela ecosystem is presented, averaging the period 1980–1989 and emphasizing upper trophic levels. The model is based largely on studies conducted within the framework of the Benguela Ecology Programme and updates the results of an expert workshop held in Cape Town in September 1989. Small pelagic fish other than anchovy Engraulis capensis and sardine Sardinops sagax, mainly round herring Etrumeus whiteheadi and mesopelagic fish, were important components of the food web in the southern Benguela. Severe balancing difficulties were encountered with respect to the semi-pelagic resources (hake Merluccius spp.) and demersal top predators (sharks), indicating the need for further research on the interaction of these groups with their ecosystem. The model is compared to other existing trophic flow models of ecosystems in major upwelling areas, i.e. the northern Humboldt Current (4–14°S), the California Current (28–42°N) and the southern Canary Current (l2–25°N), and to two independently constructed models of the northern Benguela ecosystem. These models are compared using network analysis routines of the ECOPATH software, focusing on the interactions between the five dominant fish species (anchovy, sardine, horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus capensis, chub mackerel Scomber japonicus and hake) that support important fisheries in all systems. The upwelling systems rank by size rather than species dominance. The ratio of catches and primary production differs between systems, partly because of differences in fishing regimes. Predation on the five dominant fish groups by other fish in the system was the most important cause of fish mortality in all models. Fishery catches are generally a larger cause of mortality for these groups than predation by mammals. The ecological cost of fishing appears to be comparatively low in the southern Benguela, because catches are low compared with the primary production, but also because the fishery is relatively low in the foodweb. However, in view of the very tight foodweb demonstrated in the model. it is likely that an increase in fishing pressure would cause severe trade-offs with respect to other components of the southern Benguela ecosystem.     

Influence of oceanographic fronts and low oxygen on the distribution of ichthyoplankton in the Benguela and southern Angola currents

The study focuses on ichthyoplankton populations in the southern Angola Current, the Angola-Benguela Front and the coastal upwelling area of the northern and central Benguela Current. The horizontal and vertical distributions of eggs and larvae of sardine Sardinops sagax, anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus capensis were examined in relation to distribution patterns of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen. Samples were collected during February–March 2002 using a Bongo net and a multiple opening/closing net in five depth layers (0–30m, 30–60m, 60–100m, 100–140m and 140–220m). Eggs and larvae were restricted mainly to the shelf areas in the Angola-Benguela Font and southern Angola Current waters. Their vertical distributions in the Angola-Benguela Front and northern Benguela upwelling region showed a sharp decline in abundance at about 60m depth. This decline appeared to be correlated to the distribution of dissolved oxygen in the water column It is hypothesised that low oxygen concentrations have a strong impact on the development and survival of the early life-cycle stages of fish, and that recruitment of sardine and other pelagic species relies more on the upward extension of the oxygen minimum layer than was previously thought.     

Regime shifts in upwelling ecosystems: observed changes and possible mechanisms in the northern and southern Benguela

A regime shift is considered to be a sudden shift in structure and functioning of a marine ecosystem, affecting several living components and resulting in an alternate state. According to this definition, regime shifts differ from species replacement or alternation of species at similar trophic levels, whereby the ecosystem is not necessarily significantly altered in terms of its structure and function; only its species composition changes. This paper provides an overview of regime shifts, species replacements and alternations that have been observed in the northern and southern Benguela ecosystems over the past few decades. Bottom-up control, initiating and sustaining regime shifts or species replacements via environmental forcing, is documented for both the southern and the northern Benguela ecosystems. Fishing (a case of top-down control) appears to have played an important role in regime shift processes in the Namibian ecosystem. Very low biomass levels of exploited fish stocks associated with less efficient energy transfer in the northern Benguela are indicative of a regime shift. Very high biomass levels have been reached in the southern Benguela in the 2000s. However the alternation between sardine and anchovy that has been observed in the southern Benguela over the last two decades appears not to have had major effects on the overall functioning of the ecosystem. The consequences of regime shifts for exploitation are highlighted, suggesting that fisheries managers should move towards a more effective ecosystem approach to fisheries.     

Organic geochemistry of late Cenozoic sediments from the subtropical South Atlantic Ocean

Organic matter has been characterized in samples of Pleistocene, Pliocene, and Miocene sediments from seven Deep Sea Drilling Project sites in the subtropical South Atlantic Ocean. Organic carbon concentrations average 0.3% for most samples, and n-alkanoic acid, n-alkanol, and alkane biomarkers indicate extensive microbial reworking of organic matter in these organic-carbon-lean sediments. Samples from the easternmost parts of the South Atlantic contain an average of 4.1% organic carbon and reflect the high productivity associated with the Benguela Current. Lipid biomarkers show less microbial reworking in these sediments. Eolian transport of land-derived hydrocarbons is evident at most of these oceanic locations.