Contourite systems in the region of the southern São Paulo Plateau escarpment, South Atlantic

Seismoacoustic investigations with a high-resolution parametric echo-sounder “SES 2000 deep” carried out on cruises 33, 35, and 37 of the R/V Akademik Ioffe revealed several erosional-depositional contourite systems on the São Paulo Plateau escarpment and its toe in the South Atlantic. Two contourite terraces related to interfaces between different water masses are observable on the escarpment. These terraces presumably reflect the activity of internal waves and turbulent eddies. The São Paulo contourite channel and genetically related drift are traceable along the escarpment toe. Changes in planktonic foraminiferal assemblages in Core AI-2563 retrieved from the summit of the São Paulo contourite drift suggest a shallowing of the Weddell Sea Deep Water mass during glacial times. It is established that the contour current of the Weddell Sea Deep Water and Lower Circumpolar Water considerably affect the formation of contourite depositional systems on the escarpment and its toe.     

The Cabo Frio upwelling overrides geographical patterns in the population dynamics of the shrimp Artemesia longinaris Spence Bate, 1888 (Decapoda: Penaeidae)

Upwelling areas are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet, influencing the biology of marine organisms. This study investigated the population dynamics of the shrimp Artemesia longinaris in two regions in southeastern Brazil, one inside (Macaé—Rio de Janeiro State) and one outside (Ubatuba—State of São Paulo) the Cabo Frio upwelling area. The aim was to verify the influence of the upwelling phenomenon on the abundance, growth, longevity, size of sexual maturity, and reproductive period of the species. In total, 188,902 individuals were captured at Macaé and 3,461 at Ubatuba. Individuals captured at Macaé showed larger maximum size, higher longevity, and slower growth rate, besides reaching sexual maturity at larger sizes than at Ubatuba. Continuous reproduction was observed in both regions, with juvenile recruitment peaks in spring and summer. Local conditions observed at Macaé were influenced by the Cabo Frio upwelling zone, characterized by productive and cooler waters that are around 20°C during most of the year. The upwelling phenomenon is probably the main factor influencing the population parameters studied here, changing the geographic patterns previously observed for the variation of these parameters in A. longinaris.     

Can the pattern of juvenile recruitment and population structure of the speckled swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius (Decapoda: Brachyura) be determined by geographical variations?

This study evaluated the effect of environmental stimuli and selective pressures in different geographical areas along a latitudinal gradient, on the juvenile recruitment, population structure, and sex ratio of the speckled swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius. Samples were collected monthly during 1 year in three locations along the Brazilian coast: Macaé, state of Rio de Janeiro (MAC, 22°47′ S, 41°45′ W); Ubatuba, São Paulo (UBA, 23°27′ S, 44°58′ W); and São Francisco do Sul, Santa Catarina (SFS, 26°08′ S, 48°34′ W). The specimens of A. cribrarius were identified, counted, sexed, and measured for maximum carapace width (CW). The largest juvenile found was in UBA (47.7 ± 1.36 mm); and the largest adult females and males in MAC (74.26 ± 0.93 and 77.04 ± 0.79 mm, respectively). Recruitment in MAC was continuous, whereas in UBA and SFS, recruitment showed seasonal characteristics. The sex ratio was skewed toward females only in UBA; in MAC and SFS, males and females were present in equal proportions. These results indicate that geographical variations can cause differences in the recruitment and population structure of A. cribrarius. These regional differences call attention to the necessity for improved management plans and control of shrimp fishing, which can affect population patterns such as juvenile recruitment, population structure and life history of the target species and species that are caught in bycatch from shrimping, such as the swimming crab A. cribrarius.     

Population biology of Excirolana armata (Dana, 1853) (Isopoda,Cirolanidae) on an exposed sandy beach in Southeastern Brazil

The reproductive biology and population dynamics of the cirolanid isopod Excirolana armata (Dana, 1853) were analysed through monthly samples from December 2003 to November 2005 on Una beach, São Paulo state (24° S), in Southeastern Brazil. Sampling was performed along three transects established from the base of foredunes to the waterline. On Una beach, E. armata showed continuous reproduction with higher abundances of ovigerous females in winter and spring (July–November) with a higher peak of juveniles in spring (November 2004). The fecundity ranged from 2 to 18 eggs/embryos per female, depending on the female length. The incubation period was estimated as 2 months. The life span of males and females was nearly 1 year. The short life span and the high energetic expenditure inherent to reproduction with maternal care, probably kept females from producing more than one brood in their lifetime. When comparing the population of E. armata on Una beach (24° S) with populations in Southern Brazil (32° S), Uruguay (34° S) and Argentina (36° S), it was verified that several biological population traits (length of the smallest juvenile, length of the largest individual, length of the smallest and largest ovigerous females, range of fecundity and life span) tended to increase at higher latitudes, whereas other traits (instantaneous rate of mortality and the curvature parameter of von Bertalanffy growth function) tended to decrease. However, comparing E. armata on Una beach (24° S) with a population situated at a close latitude (25° S), unexpected differences in relation to population structure and to growth demonstrated and reinforced the importance of density‐dependent factors over life history traits of E. armata on dissipative beaches.     

Proterozoic first-order sedimentary sequences of the São Francisco craton,eastern Brazil

The São Francisco craton in eastern Brazil hosts sedimentary sequences deposited between the Paleoarchean (∼3300 Ma) and Late Neoproterozoic (∼580 Ma). Proterozoic successions occurring in this region comprise five 1st-order sedimentary sequences, which besides episodes of global significance record major basin-forming events. The ca. 8000 m-thick Minas-Itacolomi 1st-order sequence, exposed in the Brazilian mining district of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero and containing as marker bed the Lake Superior-type Cauê Banded Iron Formation, tracks the operation of a Wilson cycle in the Paleoproterozoic Era. The quartz-arenite dominated Espinhaço I and II sequences record at least two major rift-sag basin-forming events, which affected the host continent of the São Francisco craton at around 1.75 Ga and 1.57 Ga. The Macaúbas sequence and its correlatives in the extracratonic domains witness the individualization of a São Francisco-Congo plate in synchronicity with the break-up of Rodinia in the Cryogenian period. The São Francisco-Congo plate together with various fragments derived from Rodinia reassembled to form Gondwana in the Ediacaran period. In the course of the Gondwana amalgamation, orogenic belts developed along the margins of the craton; its interior, converted into foreland basins, received the shallow water carbonates and pelites of the Bambuí 1st-order sequence and its correlatives.     

Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus at São Tomé Island (São Tomé and Príncipe) — relative abundance,site fidelity and social structure

Although the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus is one of the most common cetacean species around São Tomé Island, Gulf of Guinea, little research has focused on this species in this region. This study investigated the population of bottlenose dolphins around São Tomé Island by estimating the minimum population size, site fidelity and social structure. During a total of 226 surveys between 2002 and 2006, and in 2012, 51 sightings were recorded but only 33 had photographic data suitable for rigorous analysis. The minimum annual total population size, based on permanently marked dolphins, was 37 individuals, and the discovery curve indicated that a large part of the population remained undiscovered. The annual sighting rate for 76 highly distinctive adult animals ranged from 0.20 (seen in one year only) to 1.0 (seen every year of the study period). Resighted individuals demonstrated low association values; the dolphins seemed to form a single group with a fluid structure.     

The SW African volcanic rifted margin and the initiation of the Walvis Ridge,South Atlantic

The continental margin of SW Africa is typical of a volcanic rifted margin associated with a hotspot trail characterized by a large volcanic ridge, the Walvis Ridge, defining the hotspot migration, and extensive extrusive volcanism that produced seaward-dipping reflectors (SDR). Previously unpublished seismic data show two significant anomalies of the SW African Margin when compared to other typical volcanic rifted margins: (1) Hyaloclastitic outer highs are rare, and (2) the SDR in the North dip towards the Walvis Ridge. We explain these anomalies by a major transform segment close to the centre of volcanism combined with pulsed volcanism. The Walvis Ridge represents an east-west striking extrusive centre which produced a SDR sequence. Following break-up the northern boundary of the Walvis Ridge became a left lateral transform fault. Our data support the idea that a transform fault system interacting with a ridge jump were responsible for the accretion of the São Paulo Plateau to the American plate.     

Carapidae larvae (Acanthomorpha,Paracanthopterygii, Ophidiiformes) from the oceanic region of the southwest Atlantic Ocean off Brazil (12–22°S)

We report the occurrence and distribution of Carapidae larvae in the southwest Atlantic Ocean, between Real River (12°S) and São Tomé Cape (22°S), off Brazil. Carapidae larvae were collected during three oceanographic cruises: spring 1998, winter 1999 and autumn 2000. The hauls were conducted obliquely from a maximum depth of 200 m, during day and night, with bongo nets 330- and 500-μm mesh size. Three species were recorded in this study: Carapus bermudensis, Echiodon dawsoni and Snyderidia canina. Only one C. bermudensis was collected during the winter cruise off the Salvador coast (13°S). Twenty-one larvae of E. dawsoni were collected during the three cruises between 14.5° and 22°S, including some at the banks of Vitória–Trindade Ridge. One S. canina larva occurred, during the spring in the north coast of Rio de Janeiro (22°S).     

Assessing the factors driving the changes in the spatio-temporal distribution of Hepatus pudibundus (Decapoda,Brachyura) over a 20-year interval in a region under the influence of El Niño (ENSO)

This study aimed to compare the spatio-temporal distribution of demographic groups of Hepatus pudibundus in the Ubatuba Bay, São Paulo, Brazil, over a 20-year interval. Two 1-year samplings were conducted: the 1st period (P1) ran from September 1995 to August 1996 and the 2nd period (P2) ran from September 2016 to August 2017. Samples were taken from five stations that differed in depth (5, 10, and 15 m) and location (exposed area and sheltered area), aboard a shrimp fishing boat. Over the 20-year period, the percentage of fine sediment increased in all stations. In total, we captured 865 H. pudibundus individuals in the P1 and 4,222 in the P2. The higher abundance seen in the P2 may have been caused by the effects of an intense ENSO event in Ubatuba, as well as co-occurring protective actions against fisheries activities in the region. The spatial distribution also changed after 20 years: In the P1, H. pudibundus were more concentrated in the 15 m station and exposed area, but they shifted to the sheltered area in the P2. This change may be related to the increase of fine sediments in this area, and to the fact that it is naturally protected from fisheries. According to the correspondence analysis, the abundance of males and juveniles was correlated with spring and winter, respectively. In the P1, females were more abundant in spring, whereas in the P2 they were more abundant in summer, which may be explained by a higher nutrient availability to the larvae in the summer of the P2. Our comparisons over the 20-year interval revealed that the spatio-temporal distribution of H. pudibundus has changed and that the population is well established in Ubatuba Bay.     

Polychaete Associations in a Subtropical Environment (São Sebastião Channel, Brazil): A Structural Analysis

Abstract. Analysis of polychaetes from 60 quantitative soft bottom samples (November 1993 – August 1994) from the São Sebastião Channel at 10 to 45 m yielded 126 species from a total of 12,003 individuals. The distribution of both the bottom sediment type and species was patchy. Abundance data were analysed with multivariate techniques and revealed a strong correlation between species and sediment variables. Polychaetes were more diverse, abundant and richer in species number in those sites with higher sandy fractions. On the other hand, sites where silt, clay and organic carbon predominated showed a poor annelid fauna. Here, pollution by the sewage discharge of a submarine pipe, the oil terminal activities and the clandestine oil tank washing have an important impact on the bottom fauna. Only little temporal variation in the composition of the polychaete associations was found during the study period.     

Development and persistence of patches of Thaliacea

The distribution and abundance of Thaliacea on the south-eastern continental shelf of the U.S.A. (29°30′–31°N) was studied at 4- to 10-day intervals. During July, Thalia democratica and doliolids covered the same geographic area of the outer middle shelf (～2 800 km² on 27–29 July). By 8–12 August, these organisms occupied the entire middle shelf from 29°30′ to 30°50′N (～9 300 km²). The increase in area covered was due to the shoreward advection of water. Over a period of 10 days, concentrations of salps increased by as much as 25-fold in the thermocline, which amounted to a daily increase of zooids of 50 per cent. Doliolids increased five-fold during the same period. Both increases resulted from asexual reproduction and indicate that Thaliacea, through asexual reproduction, can respond almost instantaneously to favourable food conditions. Thaliacea seem to be the only metazooplankton taxon that can respond immediately, with large increases in population, to upwelling events.     

Trophic relationships along a bathymetric gradient at the deep-sea observatory HAUSGARTEN

Deep-seafloor communities, especially those from the ice-covered Arctic, are subject to severe food limitation as the amount of particulate organic matter (POM) from the surface is attenuated with increasing depth. Here, we use naturally occurring stable isotope tracers (δ¹⁵N) to broaden our rudimentary knowledge of food web structure and the response of benthic organisms to decreasing food supplies along the bathymetric transect (～1300–5600 m water depth) of the deep-sea observatory HAUSGARTEN. Encompassing five trophic levels, the HAUSGARTEN food web is among the longest indicating continuous recycling of organic material typical of food-limited deep-sea ecosystems. The δ¹⁵N signatures ranged from 3.0‰ for Foraminifera to 21.4‰ (±0.4) for starfish (Poraniomorpha tumida). The majority of organisms occupied the second and third trophic level. Demersal fish fed at the third trophic level, consistent with results from stomach contents analysis. There were significant differences in the δ¹⁵N signatures of different functional groups with highest δ¹⁵N values in predators/scavengers (13.2±0.2‰) followed by suspension feeders (11.2±0.2‰) and deposit feeders (10.2±0.3‰). Depth (=increasing food limitation) affected functional groups in different ways. While the isotopic signatures of predators/scavengers did not change, those of suspension feeders increased with depth, and the reverse was found for deposit feeders. In contrast to the results of other studies, the δ¹⁵N signatures in POM samples obtained below 800 m did not vary significantly with depth indicating that changes in δ¹⁵N values are unlikely to be responsible for the depth-related δ¹⁵N signature changes observed for benthic consumers. However, the δ¹⁵N signatures of sediments decreased with increasing depth, which also explains the decrease found for deposit feeders. Suspension feeders may rely increasingly on particles trickling down the HAUSGARTEN slope and carrying higher δ¹⁵N signatures than the decreasing POM supplies, which elevates the δ¹⁵N value of their tissues. Our results imply that a depth-stratified approach should be taken to avoid a misinterpretation of data obtained at different depths.     

Settlement of the alien mollusc Brachidontes pharaonis in a Mediterranean industrial plant: Bioassays for antifouling treatment optimization and management

In this work, we investigated the efficacy of three new biocides (77351, 73532, 73503 – NALCO^®) as specific antifouling products against adult organisms of the bivalve Brachidontes pharaonis (Fischer P., 1870), a Lessepsian species introduced in the Mediterranean Sea by sea transport (ballast water), and which has recently shown invasive behaviour in an industrial plant in Southern Italy (Sicily). These biocides were tested to verify their efficacy, as well as their environmental compatibility at discharge point, using the crustacean belonging to the genus Artemia (Leach, 1819) as model organism, according to Government Decree (D. Lgs) No. 152/06. Biocides were also tested using alternative crustaceans, Amphibalanus amphitrite (Darwin, 1854), and Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer, 1860), in order to check whether their introduction as model species in the national regulation could affect discharge limit concentrations (DLC) due to their different sensitivity, with likely economic and technical repercussions in the industrial water treatment sector.     

Post-LGM sedimentation on the outer shelf-upper slope of the northernmost part of the São Paulo Bight, southeastern Brazil

Sedimentary and isotope data as well as ¹⁴C AMS dating on 15 box cores were used to identify the main post-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) processes in the outer shelf and upper slope of the northernmost part of the São Paulo Bight, southeastern Brazil. Results show slight but significant variations in calcium carbonate, total sulphur and nitrogen contents as well as carbon and oxygen isotope ratios. Sedimentation rates, varying from 5 to 184 mm kyr⁻¹ are controlled by the shelf and upper slope morphology, the Brazil Current meander dynamics, and the Coastal Water offshore motion.     

2012年南海西北陆架冬季水文特征的观测分析

本文基于2012年12月南海西北部陆架海区的温盐和流速实测资料,分析了粤西和琼东陆架海区冬季三维温、盐结构和流场特征,给出沿陆架和跨陆架方向的水体和热盐通量。结果表明：（1）在50m以浅,粤西和琼东海区温度均由近岸向外海递增,深层则相反;冬季近岸海区混合层较深,外海密度跃层位于60—120m深度且层结较强,浮力频率大于10^–2/s;（2）海流大致沿等深线向西南流动,30m以深流速大小在0.03—0.40m/s之间,且随着深度增加而略有减小;琼东海区100m等深线附近在60m以浅水层观测到水体辐聚并有明显温度锋面存在;（3）沿陆架方向的水体和热盐输送均大于跨陆架方向,其中粤西单位面积沿/跨陆架水体通量平均值为0.13×10^–6/0.03×10^–6Sv/m²,低于琼东海区的0.91×10^–6/0.56×10^–6Sv/m²。     

Disentangling seafood value chains: Tourism and the local market driving small-scale fisheries

Identifying socio-economic drivers of small-scale fisheries is a fundamental step to understand impacts and pressures on fishery resources, and the behaviour of seafood trade actors. It is especially relevant for developing countries where such information is usually lacking and fisheries management is greatly needed. To address this gap, this study maps the structure of value chains of fish and marine invertebrates caught by small-scale fisheries from São Vicente, Cape Verde (West Africa), and examines the main socio-economic drivers behind the seafood trade on the island. Specifically, it shows how drivers, such as tourism and the local market, shape the preferences for certain species and how they affect the distribution of income among actors involved in the seafood trade. To collect this information, interviews were done with fishers, small-scale traders, market vendors, and restaurant owners, in all fishing communities of the island of São Vicente, in 2015. Tourism and the local market drive the exploitation of a wide variety of marine species, from small demersal low trophic level fish and marine invertebrates, to large pelagic high trophic level fish species. Moreover, the local seafood market, and especially tourism dynamics, contribute to the unequal distribution of income among actor groups, benefiting mostly restaurant owners due to their direct access to tourist consumers. Such findings have implications for local fishery resources management, food security, and fishing communities’ livelihoods.     

The release of dissolved actinium to the ocean: A global comparison of different end-members

The measurement of short-lived ²²³Ra often involves a second measurement for supported activities, which represents ²²⁷Ac in the sample. Here we exploit this fact, presenting a set of 284 values on the oceanic distribution of ²²⁷Ac, which was collected when analyzing water samples for short-lived radium isotopes by the radium delayed coincidence counting system. The present work compiles ²²⁷Ac data from coastal regions all over the northern hemisphere, including values from ground water, from estuaries and lagoons, and from marine end-members. Deep-sea samples from a continental slope off Puerto Rico and from an active vent site near Hawaii complete the overview of ²²⁷Ac near its potential sources.The average ²²⁷Ac activities of nearshore marine end-members range from 0.4 dpm m^− 3 at the Gulf of Mexico to 3.0 dpm m^− 3 in the coastal waters of the Korean Strait. In analogy to ²²⁸Ra, we find the extension of adjacent shelf regions to play a substantial role for ²²⁷Ac activities, although less pronounced than for radium, due to its weaker shelf source. Based on previously published values, we calculate an open ocean ²²⁷Ac inventory of 1.35 * 10¹⁸ dpm ²²⁷Ac_ex in the ocean, which corresponds to 37 moles, or 8.4 kg. This implies a flux of 127 dpm m⁻² y^− 1 from the deep-sea floor. For the shelf regions, we obtain a global inventory of ²²⁷Ac of 4.5 * 10¹⁵ dpm, which cannot be converted directly into a flux value, as the regional loss term of ²²⁷Ac to the open ocean would have to be included.Ac has so far been considered to behave similarly to Ra in the marine environment, with the exception of a strong Ac source in the deep-sea due to ²³¹Pa_ex. Here, we present evidence of geochemical differences between Ac, which is retained in a warm vent system, and Ra, which is readily released [Moore, W.S., Ussler, W. and Paull, C.K., 2008-this issue. Short-lived radium isotopes in the Hawaiian margin: Evidence for large fluid fluxes through the Puna Ridge. Marine Chemistry]. Another potential mechanism of producing deviations in ²²⁷Ac/²²⁸Ra and daughter isotope ratios from the expected production value of lithogenic material is observed at reducing environments, where enrichment in uranium may occur. The presented data here may serve as a reference for including ²²⁷Ac in circulation models, and the overview provides values for some end-members that contribute to the global Ac distribution.     

Progress in the determination of Ac in sea water

²²⁷Ac is a naturally occurring radioisotope with a unique combination of properties that make it suitable for the determination of deep ocean mixing and upwelling rates. Here, we present a method for the determination of ²²⁷Ac in sea water on sample sizes of 20–80 L. The measurement is based on co-precipitation of ²²⁷ Ac with MnO₂, followed by chemical isolation of actinium in the presence of an artificial Ac isotope. Actinium is then electrodeposited onto silver discs. In two alpha-spectrometric counting periods, first the artificial ²²⁵Ac isotope is counted, then after > 100 days five daughters of ²²⁷Ac. The first counting period gives a total yield for the procedure, integrating chemical recovery and detector efficiency. The total yield was found here to be on average 15 ± 5%, the chemical yield on average about 50%. The counting of five decay products of ²²⁷Ac in the second period makes the method particularly sensitive. Using appropriate decay corrections, the initial ²²⁷Ac activity can be determined to better than 10% relative error for concentrations < 10,000 atoms/L. We compare data acquired by the new method to a data set from in-situ pumps, from a parallel sampling campaign in the Eastern Weddell Gyre, and we can show excellent agreement. Repeated determinations of ²²⁷Ac in a uranium reference material (UREM-11) demonstrate the accuracy of the method.     

Impacts of CO2-driven seawater acidification on survival, egg production rate and hatching success of four marine copepods

Ecological experiments were conducted to examine the effects of seawater containing elevated par- tial pressure of carbon dioxide (p CO2 800 × 10 -6 , 2 000 × 10 -6 , 5 000 × 10 -6 and 10 000 × 10 -6 ) on the survival and reproduction of female Acartia pacifica, Acartia spinicauda, Calanus sinicus and Centropages tenuiremis, which are the dominant copepods in the southern coastal waters of China. The results show that the effects of elevated p CO2 on the survival rates of copepods were species-specific. C. sinicus, which was a macro-copepod, had a higher survival rate (62.01%-71.96%) than the other three species (5.00%-26.67%) during the eight day exposure. The egg production rates of C. sinicus, A. spinicauda and C. tenuiremis were significantly inhibited by the increased p CO2 and the exposure time duration. There were significantly negative impacts on the egg hatching success of A. spinicauda and C. tenuiremis in the p CO2 2 000 × 10 -6 and 10 000 × 10 -6 groups, and, in addition, the exposure time had noticeably impacts on these rates too. This study indicates that the reproductive performances of copepods were sensitive to elevated p CO2 , and that the response of different copepod species to acidified seawater was different. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of seawater acidification and climate change or other pollutant stresses on organisms should be given more attention.     

Analysis of Ac in seawater by delayed coincidence counting

The activity of ²²⁷Ac in seawater was determined using a delayed coincidence counting technique based on the measurement of the short-lived daughter ²²³Ra (half-life of 11 days). Two 180-l aliquots of Ac free seawater from surface waters of the California borderlands were spiked with Harwell Uraninite standard and the added Ac and Ra were extracted on Mn-fibers. The measured activities on the fibers agreed to within 5% of the equilibrium Ac activity of the spike addition, well within the 2σ counting error of 7% for the measurements. Thus, any recovery error was indistinguishable from counting error. Large volume samples were collected from the water column of the Eastern North Pacific in December of 1998 and processed through Mn-fiber columns. The ²²³Ra activities on the fibers were measured four or more times over a period of 2 months by the technique of [J. Geophys. Res. 101 (1996) 1321] to determine if the activity of ²²³Ra was wholly supported by ²²⁷Ac. In most cases, no significant differences in ²²³Ra activity were observed during repeated counting of the same sample, again implying that ²²³Ra was supported wholly by ²²⁷Ac. In samples where unsupported ²²³Ra were present, samples were counted beyond five half live of the ²²³Ra (>60 days). Two depth profiles of ²²⁷Ac in the Eastern North Pacific showed similar shape and activity to profiles in the Western and Central Pacific measured with alpha-spectrometry by [Nature 310 (1984) 486). Surface waters of the Southern Ocean were relatively enriched in ²²⁷Ac compared to Eastern North Pacific waters, possibly indicating export of the parent ²³¹Pa from Atlantic surface waters or upwelling.