How can marine ecosystem services support the Blue Growth agenda?

The EU Blue Growth Agenda targets maritime economic activities that have the sea and the coasts as drivers. These activities are supported by marine Ecosystem Services (ES) in combination, or not, with abiotic outputs from the marine natural capital. This paper analyses Blue Growth activities with regards to the demand and supply of marine ES and Good Environmental Status (GES). The results show that marine provisioning ES support aquaculture and blue biotechnology, while blue energy is supported by marine provisioning ES and by abiotic provisioning, and abiotic provisioning supports extraction of marine mineral resources. Maritime, coastal and cruise tourism is supported by cultural marine ES and cultural settings dependent on marine abiotic structures. All these multi-sectoral economic activities depend on healthy marine and coastal ecosystems that are provided by regulating and maintenance ES combined with the abiotic regulation and maintenance by natural marine physical structures and processes. In order to balance concurrent sectoral interests and achieve sustainable use of marine resources there is the need to consider indicators for demand for ES, which are social and economically driven, and for the supply, which are dependent on ecosystems capacity to provide the required marine ES. Some of the actions foreseeing GES are already anticipated in legislation that underpin Blue Growth, whilst others could benefit from additional regulation, particularly in what concern the exploration and exploitation of marine mineral and biological resources. Blue Growth options require navigating trade-offs between economic, social and environmental aspects.     

The effects of heavy metals on the primary productivity in the marine ecosystem enclosures

In April, 1985, scientists from China and Canada made a marine enclosed ecosystem experiment cooperatively in Xiamen. The experiment was carried out in the plastic bags in a shorebased tank. To the bags, heavy metals (Cu, Hg, Zn, Pb and Cd) were added quantitatively and their effects on the primary productivity were studied. The results show that the effects of low level metal mixture (Cu 3.5-10.0, Hg 0.2-1.0, Pb 0.3-1.5, Zn 3.5-17.5,     

Impacts of anthropogenic activities on the Changjiang(Yangtze)estuarine ecosystem(1998–2012)

Estuarine ecosystem has greatly changed in the recent decades due to anthropogenic perturbations in the Changjiang Estuary. Change patterns and impact factors were analyzed based on the continuous data...     

The effects of nutrients and heavy metals on the plankton in marine enclosed ecosystem

Applying marine enclosed ecosystem extensively to study the nutrient variation and its relation to biochemical process by marine ecologists and biogeologists in North America, Europe, Japan and Australia has been lasting for many years. Santschi (1982) reviewed the geochemical recirculation of nutrients systematically. Kremling et al. (1978) described the changes in nutrient in marine enclosed e-     

Strictly for the birds?: On ecosystem services of forage fish

Small pelagic fish like sardine, anchovy and herring feed on zooplankton and are in turn prey for fish higher up in the food chain. They are therefore expected to play a vital role in transfer of energy between levels in the food chain. Some stocks of small pelagics are extremely large and subject to very substantial fluctuations caused by environmental factors. They are also very vulnerable to exploitation due to schooling behavior and highly efficient fishing technology. Several such stocks crashed in the 20th century as a result of heavy exploitation and/or adverse environmental changes. The effect of four such stock crashes on other fisheries are reviewed and found to be limited or nonexistent. This puts into perspective a recent report from the Lenfest Foundation, which examines small pelagics and their role in the ecosystem and finds that certain sea bird populations have been severely affected by exploitation of small pelagics. The report recommends more conservative management of small pelagics to limit the effects on predators, but makes no effort to weigh this against the contribution of forage fish to food production.     

How well is the EU protecting its seabirds? Progress in implementing the Birds Directive at sea

The European Commission has repeatedly requested its Member States to fully implement one of the world's oldest nature legislation laws, the Birds Directive, by designating Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in the marine environment. The current work analyses the spatial coverage offered by the SPA network to the 82 species of seabirds that occur in EU waters, and compare it to that of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), as defined by BirdLife International. Marine SPAs represent 3.9% of the EU's marine area, while the IBA network represents 4.4%. On average, only 0.05% of the EU marine area is protected, and there are enormous regional differences. On average, SPAs and IBAs both cover 16.0% of the breeding distribution range of seabird species, but only1.4% of their non-breeding distribution range. SPAs cover more than 50% of the breeding range of only one seabird family, Procellariidae, and both SPA and IBA networks offer greater coverage to threatened species than to non-threatened ones. The year when Member States were legally obliged (2008 onwards) to declare their marine SPA networks is not significantly related to their network size, and that those species subjected to tracking studies or have well known breeding colonies benefit from higher coverage. Methodological challenges that were once posed to implement the Birds Directive at sea are largely overcome, and political will is the main driver for identifying, designating and managing a complete network of marine SPAs in the EU.     

Has the value of global marine and coastal ecosystem services changed?

In 1997, Robert Costanza and his colleagues published a groundbreaking study [1] that estimated the monetary value of the contribution of the world's ecosystems to human wellbeing. The methods used were cited as preliminary and received considerable criticism [2], [3]. In two more recent peer-reviewed studies [4], [5], the authors update the original estimates of ecosystem service value and find: (1) that original per area ecosystem service values were underestimated and (2) using these revised per area values, the total global value of ecosystem services has declined. Just under ninety-five percent of the estimated loss in ecosystem service value comes from revisions by the authors in the value estimates of marine ecosystem services. These revisions include additional per area value estimates of coral reefs and coastal wetlands that are many times the value of estimates used in the original analysis. The reasons cited by Costanza et al. for the increases in revised value estimates are examined and rejected. The data are found to be insufficient for a rigorous estimate of the global value of marine ecosystems services.     

How much runoff do riparian wetlands affect?

Abstract

Nitrate runoff from pastoral fanning is of concern because it contributes to lake eutrophication. Surface flow in wetlands is a measure of the runoff likely to experience nitrate attenuation. This study assessed the potential of small headwater wetlands to reduce catchment nitrate loads by quantifying the proportion of total runoff that occurred as surface flow at the outlet of wetlands. Surface flow can be measured from wetlands in side valleys (valley wetlands) with well defined flow channels, but not in those parallel to the stream (riparian wetlands) with distributed flow. This study, from November 2004 to June 2008: (1) measured the mean specific flow yield (mm yr^?1) at the outlet of 6 wetlands; (2) classified wetlands into 3 types based on hydrology; (3) mapped and classified all wetlands in the catchment; and (4) calculated the area‐weighted mean specific yield of wetlands for the whole catchment. The 6.6 km² study catchment at Taupo, North Island, New Zealand, was predominantly pasture on volcanic soils where flows were baseflow dominated. Riparian and valley wetlands occupied 5% of catchment area. Type 1 wetlands flowed continuously, were dominated by baseflow (81–83%), and had a mean annual yield (± SE) of 167 ± 46 mm (34% of stream yield). Type 2 wetlands dried up during droughts and type 3 wetlands dried up each summer. Both latter types had a low baseflow component (20%) and a yield of 66±18 mm (13% of stream yield). In one tributary, gaugings over 4 days in summer during a wet year indicated that 27% of streamflow originated from wetlands. For the catchment as a whole, wetland baseflow accounted for 11± 4% of mean annual streamflow and wetland quickflow another 8 ± 2%, although these percentages are likely underestimates because seepages occurred downslope from measurement points. Although riparian and valley wetlands occupied only 5% of the catchment area, they could potentially have attenuated nitrogen in 11–19% of runoff. Other catchments may have different hydrology and wetland nitrate attenuation, and the methods outlined here could be used to quantify these differences.     

Compensatory mitigation in marine ecosystems: Which indicators for assessing the “no net loss” goal of ecosystem services and ecological functions?

Recent years have seen increasing interest in the concepts of compensation and ecosystem services. Regulation systems in the United States dealing with environmental protection (Superfund Act, Oil Pollution Act, National Environment Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, etc.) require those responsible for damage to ecosystem services to compensate for it “physically” and restore these services for the benefit of the entire population. This article, using simple indicators of compensation identified in the literature, attempts to analyze what types of ecological compensation are adopted, how performance is assessed, how standards on ecological equivalencies are adopted, and what are the costs of this compensation. To perform this analysis, compensatory measures carried out during the last ten years in the case of coastal and marine ecosystems in Florida have been addressed. The results show that: analysis criteria for the equivalencies between ecosystem services lost due to damage and ecosystem services gained due to compensatory measures are questionable; most compensation monitoring is for a relatively brief period of time and the data obtained during this period may be insufficient for assessing the net effect of the compensatory measure; the weaknesses regarding criteria for the equivalencies and the uncertainty about the relevant time-scale can be counter-balanced by increasing the area of compensation, a problematic solution at best.     

What is the ecosystem approach for fisheries management?

The ecosystem approach for fisheries management is a widely accepted concept and various international instruments require its application. However, there are various interpretations of the ecosystem approach and its application almost always brings about confrontations and resistance among managers, proponents, and stakeholders. This paper categorizes the ecosystem approach into four distinguishable types: bycatch mitigation, multi-species management, protection of vulnerable ecosystems, and integrated approach. Furthermore, the lack of identification and understanding of specific management goals is hampering the application of the ecosystem approach. Unless the stakeholders understand and accept the goals, the ecosystem approach will not succeed.     

How the pollution stress acting on the phytoplankton populations——an observation by the experimental enclosed ecosystem

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The enigma of double BSRs: indicators for changes in the hydrate stability field?

 A classical bottom simulating reflector (BSR) and a presently unknown double BSR pattern are detectable in reflection seismic profiles from the Storegga Slide area west of Norway. Pressure and temperature modeling schemes lead to the assumption that the strong BSR marks the base of a hydrate stability zone with a typical methane gas composition of 99%. The upper double BSR may mark the top of gas hydrates and the lower double BSR may represent a relict of former changes of the hydrate stability field from glacial to interglacial times or the base of gas hydrates with a gas composition including heavier hydrocarbons.     

The effects of sediment from an industrial outfall area on a marine planktonic ecosystem

-Sediment from Xiamen industrial area was added to marine ecosystem enclosures to test the effects on the planktonic communities in Xiamen Bay, China, in April, 1985. Sediments were added at two concentrations, 11.2 and 112 ppm dry wt. respectively. The species of phytoplankton did not change as compared with the control, but the number of diatoms markedly decreased in the sediment treated enclosures. A suppression of photosynthesis was presumed to be due to light attenuation by the added sediment. Microflagellates, zooplankton and bacteria were resistant to sediment increase in water column.     

The effects of heavy metals and sediments on zooplankton in an experimental marine ecosystem

Eight experimental ecosystem enclosures were employed to test the ecological effects of pollutants on marine zooplankton. The results indicated that in the bags treated with metals and sediments, the low level mixed metals (Cd 1.0 ppb, Cu 3.5 ppb,Pb 0.3 ppb, Zn 3.5 ppb, Hg 0.2ppb) inhibited the development of herbivorous copepods to some extent, in     

A demonstration of the hydrographic partition of the Benguela upwelling ecosystem at 26°40'S

Continuous CTD data from a series of recent cruises show that the distribution of the water mass characteristics in the central Benguela region from the Orange River mouth (28°38'S) to alvis Bay (22°57'S) is discontinuous in the central and intermediate waters at about the latitude of Lüderitz (26°40'S), Namibia. The central and intermediate water masses at the shelf edge and shelf break north of the Lüderitz upwelling cell have a high salinity relative to the potential temperature compared to similar waters south of the upwelling cell. It is shown that the feed waters for the wind-induced upwelling on the shelf to the north and south of the Lüderitz discontinuity are different in character and source. The distribution of the water masses shows that the shelf-edge poleward undercurrent provides low-oxygen water from different regions in the Atlantic Ocean to be upwelled onto the shelf. North of th Lüderitz upwelling cell, the central and intermediate waters come from the oxygen-depleted Angola Basin, whereas south of the discontinuity those waters are from the interior of the adjacent Cape Basin, which is less oxygen-deficient. This has implications for the dispersion of low-oxygen water and the triggering of anoxic events, and consequences for the biota on the shelf, including commercially important fish species.     

Atmospheric effects of the gas–dust plume of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid of 2013

We have performed a simulation of the convectively induced ascent of the gas–dust cloud formed during the atmospheric passage and explosion of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid. The acceleration, velocity, and rise of the gas–dust cloud have been described as functions of time and altitude. The time of dust settling in the atmosphere has been estimated. The results of calculations are in a close agreement with the observational data.