Connectivity and stock composition of loggerhead turtles foraging on the North African continental shelf (Central Mediterranean): implications for conservation and management

The loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, is a highly migratory species with a complex life cycle that involves a series of ontogenetic habitat shifts and migrations. Understanding the links amongst nesting populations and foraging habitats is essential for the effective management of the species. Here we used mixed stock analysis to examine the natal origin of loggerhead turtles foraging on the North African continental shelf off Tunisia, one of the most important Mediterranean neritic habitats. An 815‐bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA control region was sequenced from 107 individuals sampled from 2007 to 2009. No temporal variation in haplotype frequencies was detected. Juveniles (n = 87) and adults (n = 23) exhibited weak but significant genetic differentiation that resulted in different stock compositions. Libya was the main source population but the proportion of turtles from this rookery was higher in adults (median = 80%) than in juveniles (median = 35%). Western Greece was the second most important contributing population. Juvenile stock composition derived from mixed stock analysis and the estimates produced by numerical simulation of hatchling dispersion in the Mediterranean Sea were significantly correlated, supporting the recent theory that loggerheads imprint on possible future neritic habitats during the initial phase of their life. This association was not significant for adults, suggesting that other factors contribute to shaping their distribution. Overall, our results show that human activities on the South Tunisian continental shelf pose an immediate threat to the survival of the Libyan rookery.     

长江口与东海陆架泥质沉积动力过程与环境效应：长期数据采集需求

长江入海物质在东海内陆架水域形成了大规模泥质沉积区。内陆架泥区具有细颗粒沉积物和有机质的源/汇双重特征。长江口及邻近海域的泥质沉积过程 产物关系、泥质沉积在生态系统动力学中的作用、泥质沉积碳库增量潜力,是区域性沉积动力学的3个前沿问题,主要研究内容包括长江河口泥区未来演化趋势、泥区沉积物重力流形成条件和过程、泥区沉积物有机质含量与初级生产及低氧水层的关系、泥区消浪作用及其机制、颗粒态有机质衰减曲线(或曲线族)、颗粒态有机质碳库增量潜力等。其研究需要海洋观测站网在底部边界层、水层、新型数据上的支撑,以满足数据分辨率、连续性的要求。底部边界层连续观测将有助于重力流、泥区消浪作用、湍动影响下的沉积物起动曲线族等问题的解决。水层观测将有助于有机质衰减系数的研究,进而获得有机质埋藏率、浅层天然气、有机碳库增量等问题的答案。一些新型数据含有物源、沉积体特征和演化的大量信息,此类数据的获取将依赖于观测技术的突破。     

Demersal fish and megafaunal assemblages on the Cretan continental shelf and slope (NE Mediterranean): seasonal variation in species density, biomass and diversity

The demersal fish and megafaunal assemblages in the area of Heraklion Bay, Crete, were sampled during four research cruises from September 1994 to September 1995 within the framework of the CINCS project, using a stratified trawl survey at depths ranging from 50 to 1000 m. The sampling at 1000 m depth was the deepest ever made in Greek waters, using a bottom otter trawl. Species density and biomass were found to vary between depths and seasons, with higher values occurring at the shallow stations. Species distribution and communities are also reported. A total of 127 species of osteichthyes, chondrichthyes, crustaceans, and cephalopods were recorded, four of which were found for the first time in Greek waters. Percent similarity index (PSI) was used to assess the differences in the relative abundance of species pairs between depth zones and seasons. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to examine station variability statistically.     

Particulate manganese and iron in recent sediments of the Gulf of Lions continental margin (north-western Mediterranean Sea): deposition and diagenetic process

This study aims at apprehending the major forcing factors which govern the spatial and vertical Mn and Fe distributions in ten cores from the Gulf of Lions. Speciation by chemical leaching experiments helps understanding their chemical behaviour during the early diagenetic processes in a marine environment under strong continental influence.The distribution and chemical behaviour of Mn and Fe differ drastically. The strong dependence of Mn distribution on chemical conditions is expressed by a marked solid phase Mn enrichment in the oxic layers of sediment deposits. This enrichment increases with decreasing sedimentation rate (increasing water depth). It is illustrated by an enhanced portion of total Mn in the reducible phase and the precipitation of todorokite on calcareous supports in the upper part of the deepest cores. As a result, 65% of the margin total particulate Mn is thought to be stored in slope deposits in a relatively strongly held association. Conversely, the low chemical mobility of iron in the sedimentary column is indicated by uniform depth profiles and an exclusive location in the residual chemical phase in all the studied sites. The Fe distribution is largely controlled by the dispersion of particulate material on the margin from the Rhône River main source.A budget of Mn and Fe accumulation based on the average amount of total Mn and Fe content of sediments deposited during the last 100 yr, has been made taking into account diagenetic readjustments. The total Mn and Fe amount stored on the margin during the last century is estimated to be 1.5×10⁶ and 54×10⁶ t, respectively. These values are seven times higher than the total secular external inputs calculated on the basis of present day riverine and atmospheric fluxes. This large discrepancy is mainly explained by the sharp decrease of the Rhone River discharge after dam buildings between 1950 and 1958. A residual discrepancy dating before 1950, is likely to be due to seafloor erosion and gravity induced mechanisms.     

Modern to Late Holocene deposition in an anoxic fjord on the west coast of Canada: Implications for regional oceanography,climate and paleoseismic history

Laminated sediments preserved in the anoxic inner basin of Effingham Inlet on the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, yield a high-resolution sediment deposition record spanning about 6000 yr. The varying thickness of diatom/terrigenous mud varves in sediment cores from the basin can be interpreted in terms of annual changes in surface productivity and freshwater input within the inlet. Similarly, the occurrence of unlaminated mud units (homogenites) intercalated amongst the laminated sediments can be interpreted in terms of oceanic and climatic changes. These units appear to be associated with coastal upwelling events that result infrequently in highly oxygenated oceanic water penetrating to the bottom of the inner and outer basins of the inlet. The sedimentary record also contains massive and graded mud units considered to arise from debris flows and turbidity currents, some of which were probably initiated by seismic events, including a major event about 4500 ¹⁴C yr BP which may be earthquake related. A total of seventeen oceanographic surveys of the inlet beginning in 1995 characterize the modern seasonal coastal upwelling regime and a unique bottom water oxygenation event which was recorded in January 1999, following a rapid transition from the strong El Niño event of 1997–98 to the moderate La Niña event of 1998–99. Circum-Pacific evidence suggests that a “regime shift” from warm to cold conditions occurred in the central northeast Pacific in the late 1990s, indicating that the coastal ocean processes influencing Effingham Inlet sedimentation are likely modified by climate-scale ocean variability.     

Abrupt axial variations along the slow to ultra-slow spreading centers of the northern North Fiji Basin (SW Pacific): Evidence for short wave heterogeneities in a back-arc mantle

This study presents results of surveys conducted along the slow to ultra-slow spreading axis of the Northern North Fiji Basin (NNFB), including the Hazel Holmes, Tripartite and South Pandora Ridges, and the newly discovered Futuna and North Cikobia spreading centers. Spreading segments along these axes display highly contrasted axial morphologies, ranging from a rift valley to a prominent axial high. In some places, abrupt inversions of topography are observed between neighboring segments. Detailed analyses of bathymetry and backscatter maps reveal that axial highs are spotted with numerous coalescent volcanoes forming features ranging from irregular terrains to well-organized ridges. The volcanic edifices are distributed over a wide neovolcanic zone, which corresponds to the axial relief, suggesting on important contribution of volcanism to the relief construction. Comparisons between various ridge-shaped segments reveal that axial volcano-tectonic patterns are directly related to the local magma production and delivery, in a context of tectonic extension related to plate divergence, and suggest that coalescent volcanoes are fed from multiples short-lived and unconnected magma lenses. In the competition between horizontal and vertical accretion of oceanic crust, the spreading centers of the NNFB represent a special case where lava production is locally high enough and spreading rate is low enough to allow prominent axial highs to develop. The along axis morphologic variability is related to intermittent volcanic activity that may result from rapid temporal and spatial variations in the distribution of upper mantle convection cells below accretion centers, superimposed on the regional thermal anomaly located under the whole basin.     

Nucleic acid concentrations (DNA,RNA) in the continental and deep-sea sediments of the eastern Mediterranean: relationships with seasonally varying organic inputs and bacterial dynamics

In order to study temporal variations of the genetic material in the continental shelf and deep-sea sediments of the extremely oligotrophic Cretan Sea, samples were collected on seasonal basis from August 1994 to September 1995, with a multiple corer, at seven stations (from 40 to 1540 m depth). Surface sediments (0–1 cm) were sub-sampled and analyzed for nucleic acid content (DNA, RNA) and bacterial density. DNA concentrations in the sediments were high (on annual average, 25.0 μg g^-1) and declined with increasing water depth, ranging from 3.5 to 55.2 μg g^-1. DNA concentrations displayed wide temporal changes also at bathyal depths confirming the recent view of the large variability of the deep-sea environments. Also RNA concentrations decreased with increasing water depth (range: 0.4–29.9 μg g^-1). The ratio of RNA to DNA did not show a clear spatial pattern but was characterized by significant changes between sampling periods. DNA concentrations were significantly correlated with protein and phytopigment concentrations in the sediment, indicating a possible relationship with the inputs of primary organic matter from the photic layer. Bacterial densities were generally high (range: 0.9–4.6×10⁸ cells g^-1) compared to other deep-sea environments and decreased with increasing water depth. Estimates of the bacterial contribution to the sedimentary genetic material indicated that bacterial-DNA accounted, on annual average, for a small fraction of the total DNA pool (4.3%) but that bacterial-RNA represented a significant fraction of the total sedimentary RNA (26%). Bacterial contribution to nucleic acids increased, even though irregularly, with increasing depth. In deep-sea sediments, changes in RNA concentrations appear to be largely dependent upon bacterial dynamics. Estimates of the overall living contribution to the DNA pools (i.e. microbial plus meiofaunal DNA) indicated that the large majority (about 90%) of the DNA in continental and deep-sea sediments of the eastern Mediterranean was detrital. The non-living DNA pools reach extremely high concentrations up to 0.41 g DNA m^-2 cm^-1. Thus, especially in deep benthic habitats, characterized by low inputs of labile organic compounds, detrital DNA could represent a suitable and high quality food source or a significant reservoir of nucleic acid precursors for benthic metabolism.     

Viscous model of plate tectonics for the Black Sea region (in relation to the problem of the late Cenozoic evolution of the Black Sea basins)

A numerical model of the Black Sea region (Northeastern Mediterranean) is presented in which it is regarded as a part of the mosaic plate ensemble consisting of the fixed East European platform; the active Arabian, Adriatic, and Pannonian plates; and passive East and West Black Sea and Mysian microplates, which are embedded in a plastically deformable regional orogenic matrix. The fields of displacements, stresses, and deformations in the region are calculated by means of the finite element method within the framework of a linear-viscous rheology approach to a system with nonhomogeneous viscosities. The velocity field obtained is in good agreement with published data of direct observations of plate displacements in the region. In the pressure field, areas of low pressure and decompression are established in the western part of Black Sea and in the south of the Mysian microplate. The poles of rotation of the East and West Black Sea microplates and of the Mysian microplate are computed. For the latter two microplates, significant rotational components are suggested. The East Black Sea microplate acts mostly as indenter, which transmits the collisional motion from the Arabian plate to the southern edge of the East European platform including the Crimea. According to the geodynamical model, the rates of the Cenozoic sedimentation in the Black Sea depression at the collision stage (Oligocene-Pliocene) result from the greater compression of the East Black Sea microplate as compared to the West Black Sea microplate, which, probably, experienced a kind of extension.     

Biomarker responses to pollution in two invertebrate species: Scrobicularia plana and Nereis diversicolor from the Cádiz bay (SW Spain)

The clam Scrobicularia plana and the polychaete worm Nereis diversicolor were collected in several sites from a littoral enclosure in SW Spain. The aim of our study was to relate various biomarker responses in these species to a pollution gradient caused by untreated domestic discharges and to verify the adequacy of the selected species as sentinels in this habitat. The biomarkers selected were the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and DT-diaphorase (DT-D). In addition, the activities of cytochrome P450-dependent ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity, the phase II detoxifying enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the neurotoxicity marker acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were measured. Metallothionein levels were selected as biomarkers of heavy metals exposure in both species. The results suggest a different response in the water filtering organism (clam) and the sediment eater (polychaete), probably as a consequent of different pollution exposure and that samples from the “Caño Sancti-Petri” were exposed to biologically active compounds that altered some of their biochemical responses. AChE was the most sensitive biomarker in both species and N. diversicolor proved to be a more robust sentinel in this ecosystem.     

Gas accumulations and their association with particle size distribution patterns in the Ría de Arousa seabed (Galicia, NW Spain): an application of discriminant analysis

Gassy sediments in the Ría de Arousa are preferentially distributed in areas of muddy seabed sediments. The close relationship between seabed sediment parameters and gas distribution is here studied in detail to establish better constraints on the presence of gas. Discriminant analysis was applied to the textural and compositional characteristics of 303 seabed sediment samples to classify gas-related and gas-free areas in the Ría de Arousa. The parameters considered in the classification were: particle size data (percentages of clay, silt, sand and gravel), the total inorganic carbon and the total organic carbon contents of the samples. The samples were initially classified in two groups according to the presence or absence of acoustic turbidity in the seismic profiles, shallower than 150 cm below seabed. Of the total known cases, 85.5% were correctly classified using these variables. Applying the Wilks’ lambda criterion, the most influential textural discriminating variables were the percentage of clay and the percentage of coarse fraction (gravel and sand) in the sediment sample. Discriminant analysis has achieved good differentiation between gas-related and gas-free sediments using near-seabed sediment information. The application of the discriminant method has enabled the estimation of the total area covered by gassy sediments in the Ría de Arousa. The area calculated based on the seismic data (30 km²) is a minimum estimate that is constrained by the limits of the existing seismic data. Based on the sediment information obtained from seabed samples, the statistical method estimates a total area of gassy sediments of 39 km². The new gassy areas recognized are located around the gas field at the inner ría, and the gas field west of Arousa Island, which increase in area by 8.3 and 0.4 km² respectively.     

Contingent valuation analysis of willingness to pay for beach erosion control through the stabiplage technique: A study in Djerba (Tunisia)

Beach erosion can have major economic implications because of the potential impact on coastal recreation demand – particularly for countries where coastal tourism is one of the main sources of external revenue. Djerba Island (Tunisia) falls in that category. With about 125 km of coastline, Djerba Island is one of the most important Tunisian destinations. However, the island is experiencing coastal erosion problems. The Tunisia government launched a project to fight costal erosion through the Stabiplage technique. This study provides the first economic valuation of beach erosion control in Tunisia and is the first one that focuses on the Stabiplage technique. Specifically, a contingent valuation survey is carried out to elicit the public willingness to pay (WTP) for the project. An interval payment card question format is used to obtain information about WTP from representative samples of residents and tourists in Djerba. The results reveal a positive WTP for the project. Aggregate WTP estimates range from €133,459 (median value) to €5,180,269 (mean value). These values can help inform decisions about whether to undertake the project based on either the benefit-cost ratio rule or majority voting rule.     

Evidence for the grazing hypothesis: Grazing reduces phytoplankton responses of the HNLC ecosystem to iron enrichment in the western subarctic pacific (SEEDS II)

A mesoscale iron-enrichment study (SEEDS II) was carried out in the western subarctic Pacific in the summer of 2004. The iron patch was traced for 26 days, which included observations of the development and the decline of the bloom by mapping with sulfur hexafluoride. The experiment was conducted at almost the same location and the same season as SEEDS (previous iron-enrichment experiment). However, the results were very different between SEEDS and SEEDS II. A high accumulation of phytoplankton biomass (∼18 mg chl m⁻³) was characteristic of SEEDS. In contrast, in SEEDS II, the surface chlorophyll-a accumulation was lower, 0.8 to 2.48 mg m⁻³, with no prominent diatom bloom. Photosynthetic competence in terms of F _v/F _m for the total phytoplankton community in the surface waters increased after the iron enrichments and returned to the ambient level by day 20. These results suggest that the photosynthetic physiology of the phytoplankton assemblage was improved by the iron enrichments and returned to an iron-stressed condition during the declining phase of the bloom. Pico-phytoplankton (<2 μm) became dominant in the chlorophyll-a size distribution after the bloom. We observed a nitrate drawdown of 3.8 μM in the patch (day 21), but there was no difference in silicic acid concentration between inside and outside the patch. Mesozooplankton (copepod) biomass was three to five times higher during the bloom-development phase in SEEDS II than in SEEDS. The copepod biomass increased exponentially. The grazing rate estimation indicates that the copepod grazing prevented the formation of an extensive diatom bloom, which was observed in SEEDS, and led to the change to a pico-phytoplankton dominated community towards the end of the experiment.     

Response of intertidal macrobenthic communities to long term human induced changes in the Eo estuary (Asturias, Spain): implications for environmental management

Long term macrobenthos data together with physical habitat parameters were analysed to investigate spatial and temporal changes at an estuary under different anthropogenic pressures, mainly increasing shellfish farming. The aim was to assess the possible impacts of these pressures on the macrobenthic communities by comparing a period before and after changes in these pressures. Benthic samples were seasonally collected in 1990 (before major anthropogenic changes), 2000 and 2005 at the same sampling stations located on three different habitats in the Eo estuary (Northern Spanish coast). Multivariate and univariate methods were used to assess spatial variability of benthic assemblages and to compare community changes over time. Data from 1990 was assumed as the reference situation to appraise the subsequent impacts. We observed a significant spatial variability of the benthic assemblages in the system as a function of habitat heterogeneity in relation to sediment composition, presence/absence and density of seagrasses, and hydrodynamic regime. Changes were detected in the community composition at all sites during this 15 year period. The extent of changes was related to initial community conditions, rather than the intensity of the pressure. The results suggest that the responses of the benthic communities to human induced perturbations occurring in the system are largely dependent on its intrinsic buffer capacity, and that these communities have been able to cope with an increasing environmental stress (organic enrichment). In conclusion, to keep shellfish farming at a sustainable level without undesirable impacts, the disturbance intensity must be kept below the system carrying capacity. This will allow natural communities to cope with pressures and thus avoid further deterioration in ecological quality.     

Role of riverine mangrove forests in organic carbon export to the tropical coastal ocean: A preliminary mass balance for the Fly Delta (Papua New Guinea)

A preliminary mass balance for organic carbon in the Fly Delta was constructed to determine the quantity and source of organic matter exported to the adjacent Gulf of Papua and Coral Sea. Total organic carbon input from the river to the delta is 1.7 × 10¹² g C yr^–1, composed almost equally of DOC and POC. Benthic and pelagic respiration in the delta accounts for 1.0 × 10¹² g C yr^–1, being a major sink for riverine organic carbon. Benthic flux measurements indicate that one third of all DOC entering the delta is taken up by sediments there. Mangrove forests export >3.0 × 10¹¹ g C yr^–1 POC to delta waters, and it appears that this mangrove carbon is exported to the adjacent shelf and deep sea. These results imply that little of the riverine supply of organic carbon reaches the Gulf of Papua, but that mangrove forests in the Fly and other rivers lining the gulf play a major role in river-shelf carbon exchange.     

Identification of important marine areas using ecologically or biologically significant areas (EBSAs) criteria in the East to Southeast Asia region and comparison with existing registered areas for the purpose of conservation

The biodiversity of East to Southeast (E–SE) Asian waters is rapidly declining because of anthropogenic effects ranging from local environmental pressures to global warming. To improve marine biodiversity, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets were adopted in 2010. The recommendation of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), encourages application of the ecologically or biologically significant area (EBSA) process to identify areas for conservation. However, there are few examples of the use of EBSA criteria to evaluate entire oceans. In this article, seven criteria are numerically evaluated to identify important marine areas (EBSA candidates) in the E–SE Asia region. The discussion includes 1) the possibility of EBSA criteria quantification throughout the E–SE Asia oceans and the suitability of the indices selected; 2) optimal integration methods for criteria, and the relationships between the criteria and data robustness and completeness; and; 3) a comparison of the EBSA candidates identified and existing registered areas for the purpose of conservation, such as marine protected areas (MPAs). Most of the EBSA criteria could be quantitatively evaluated throughout the Asia-Pacific region. However, three criteria in particular showed a substantial lack of data. Our methodological comparison showed that complementarity analysis performed better than summation because it considered criteria that were evaluated only in limited areas. Most of the difference between present-day registered areas and our results for EBSAs resulted from a lack of data and differences in philosophy for the selection of indices.     

Trends in the spatial and temporal distribution of metals (Cd,Cu, Zn and Pb) and organic compounds (PCBs and PAHs) in Dutch coastal zone sediments from 1981 to 1996: a model case study for Cd and PCBs

The spatial and temporal distribution of trace metals (Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was studied to assess trends in the sediment of the Dutch coastal zone (<63-μm fraction) from 1981 to 1996. In general, the distributions showed a distinct zonation, with highest concentrations close to the coast near freshwater outlets and where dredged material had been dumped. Over time, the zone with high concentrations narrowed and moved towards the coast. The median of the percentage of the <63-μm fraction in the surface sediments did not change significantly in the Dutch coastal zone between 1981 and 1996. In that period, the median concentrations of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb fell by 71, 38, 49 and 53%, respectively, in the area close to the coast (<20 km) north of the outlet of the Rhine. South of this outlet the median Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations fell by 45, 29 and 17%, respectively, and in the open sea area (>20 km offshore) the median concentrations for Cu and Zn fell by 35 and 18%, respectively. The largest reduction (80%) of the median concentration of PCBs occurred in the surface sediment in the open sea area (>20 km offshore) between 1986 and 1996. During this period the median PCBs concentration fell by nearly 70% close to the coast. The median PAH concentration fell by only 26% north of the outlet of the Rhine (<20 km from the coast) between 1986 and 1996. In the other areas there was no significant change. Possible reasons are that the main sources of PAHs are in the North Sea itself and that the load of PAHs from dredged material dumped in the Dutch coastal zone increased during the period studied. The reduction of the concentrations of metals and organic micropollutants in the surface sediments of the Dutch coastal zone is explained by a conservative physical mixing model, in which the previously polluted silt fraction in the surface sediments is replaced by less polluted suspended matter. There is a time lag of several years between the trend in the load of Cd and PCBs and the observed field concentration. The half life of the silt fraction and associated substances in the surface sediments is 1.9. Taking the uncertainties in the loads into account, the calculated surface sediment concentrations for Cd and PCBs agree fairly well with the field measurements. It is concluded that there are three main reasons for the decline in the metal, PCB and PAH concentrations in the highly dynamic surface sediments of the Dutch coastal zone: (1) the decrease in the load from various sources; (2) the sedimentation and mixing of less polluted suspended matter into the active sediment layer; and (3) the washing out of previously deposited more heavily polluted particles.