Methane in the Sevastopol coastal area, Black Sea

Concentrations of dissolved methane in seawater and bottom sediments, as well as of methane emanating from gas seeps were measured at 18 stations including several small bays in the Sevastopol coastal area (Black Sea) during 2007–2008. Methane concentrations in surface waters ranged from 10 to 2,970 nmol l^?1, and correlated well with values recorded for sediments. Methane concentrations in the water column were influenced by water depth, as well as by air and water temperatures. In the spring and summer of 2008, in situ CH₄ saturation relative to air was in the range of 970–71,900%. Maximum saturation was in summer. CH₄ fluxes to the atmosphere from the Sevastopol coastal area were estimated to vary from 190 to 1,550 μmol m^?2 day^?1. Gas bubbles escaping from the seepages contained about 57 vol% methane. Radiocarbon dating of the methane revealed an age not exceeding 150 years, implying a biogenic origin.     

Spatiotemporal Changes in the Macrophytobenthos of Laspi Bay (Crimea,Black Sea)

Oceanology - Using a landscape approach, the paper presents for the first time the results of a comparative analysis of spatiotemporal changes in the macrophytobenthos, performed in the Laspi Bay...     

Arsenic and heavy metals in the bottom sediments of the Balaklava Bay (Black Sea)

We present the results of investigation of the contents of metals (As, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, V, Sr, Mn, Ti, and Fe) in the bottom sediments of the Balaklava Bay (Black Sea) carried out in July 2005. It is shown that the pollution of the bottom sediments with metals has a polyelemental character. We establish the specific features of changes in the contents of the analyzed elements and localize the sources of their appearance in the ecosystem. On the basis of the results of evaluation of the intensity of technogenic action upon the marine medium, we determine a group of toxic elements (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) accumulated in the bottom sediments of the bay in amounts significantly exceeding the background values typical of sediments of the Black Sea shelf. The comparative analysis of the degrees of pollution of the bay and some other coastal water areas with metals is performed.     

The role of sea ice in coastal and bottom dynamics in the Pechora Sea

This article deals with the morpho- and lithodynamic role of ice in shaping the Arctic coasts. Taking the Pechora Sea as an example, the direct and indirect impact of ice on the sea floor and shores is described. Active gouging by ice floes, ice-rafting of sedimentary material, formation of strudel scour depressions and frozen rocks on shallows are all direct impacts. The indirect impact of ice that arrests the coastal zone for most of the year is a considerable reduction of the overall energy of waves and currents. Based on the performed analysis, we plot a schematic zonation of the Pechora Sea according to the probable impact of ice on the shores and seafloor.     

大亚湾夏季浮游群落生产代谢特征及其影响因素*

2017年8月对大亚湾海域浮游群落初级生产、群落呼吸代谢及其平衡特征进行了研究, 并分析了其潜在环境影响因素以及对沿岸生态系统功能与健康的指示作用。研究结果表明, 大亚湾夏季海水表层呈自养状态, 而底层呈异养状态, 群落总初级生产力(gross primary productivity, GPP)、呼吸代谢速率(community respiration, CR)与净生产力(net commutnitiy production, NCP)在表层分别为1335.36±910.12、597.86±403.30和737.50±608.22mg C·m^-3·d^-1; 在底层分别为43.65±37.05、216.25±147.28和-160.27±137.01mg C·m^-3·d^-1。海湾整体呈自养状态, 水柱平均NCP为233.41±248.88mg C·m^-3·d^-1; 部分沿岸水域存在异养状态。1~200μm粒级浮游生物是GPP和CR的主要贡献者。相关性分析和主成分分析显示, NCP在表层受GPP和CR共同调控, 且与浮游植物生物量和营养盐正相关; 而在底层主要受CR影响, 且与盐度正相关。大亚湾夏季群落生产代谢平衡存在明显的水平和垂向变化, NCP的区域差异与潜在波动性对该海湾生态系统稳定性及健康状况有重要的指示作用。     

东海南部与台湾以东海域浮游介形类的群落结构

分析东海南部与台湾以东海域浮游介形类的物种和生态类群多样性,并阐述其季节差异与区域差异,同时指出本海区存在4种生态类群,但以高温高盐类群起支配作用.此外,夏、冬两季浮游介形类的丰度有显着的差别,7和12月的均值分别为0.63个/m3和1.22个/m3,而就丰度的水平分布而言,表现出东海南部大于台湾以东海域的分布格局,并在海区的东北部形成数量密集区.同时,还着重阐述本海区的群落结构,本区虽存在3种生态群落,但以外海群落占据绝大部分海域,尤其应指出的是,钓鱼岛邻近海域与台湾北部和东部水域同属于外海群落.最后,分析了由于海域环境因子的变化导致群落生境地理位置的季节性迁移.     

Phytoplankton community characteristics in the coastal waters of the southeastern Arabian Sea Phytoplankton community characteristics in the coastal waters of the southeastern Arabian Sea

Remote sensing applications are important in the fisheries sector and efforts were on to improve the predic-tions of potential fishing zones using ocean color. The present study was aimed to investigat...     

A temporal analysis on the dynamics of deep-sea macrofauna: Influence of environmental variability off Catalonia coasts (western Mediterranean)

A seasonal analysis of deep-sea infauna (macrobenthos) based on quantitative sampling was conducted over the Catalan Sea slope, within the Besòs canyon (at ∼550-600 m) and on its adjacent slope (at 800 m). Both sites were sampled in February, April, June-July and October 2007. Environmental variables influencing faunal distribution were also recorded in the sediment and sediment/water interface. Dynamics of macrobenthos at the two stations showed differences in biomass/abundance patterns and trophic structures. Biomass was higher inside the Besòs canyon than on the adjacent slope. The community was mostly dominated by surface-deposit feeding polychaetes (Ampharetidae, Paraonidae, Flabelligeridae) and crustaceans (amphipods such as Carangoliopsis spinulosa and Harpinia spp.) inside the canyon, while subsurface deposit feeders (mainly the sipunculan Onchnesoma steenstrupii) were dominant over the adjacent slope. The taxonomic composition in the suprabenthic assemblages of polychaetes, collected on the adjacent slope by a suprabenthic sledge, was clearly different from that collected by the box-corer. The suprabenthic assemblage was dominated by carnivorous forms (mainly Harmothoe sp. and Nephthys spp.) and linked to higher near-bottom turbidity. Inside Besòs a clear temporal succession of species was related to both food availability and quality and the proliferation of opportunistic species was consistent with higher variability in food sources (TOC, C/N, ??¹³C) in comparison to adjacent slope. This was likely caused by a greater influence of terrigenous inputs from river discharges. Inside the canyon, Capitellidae, Spionidae and Flabelligeridae, in general considered as deposit feeders, were more abundant in June-July coinciding with a clear signal of terrigenous carbon (depleted ??¹³C, high C/N) in the sediments. By contrast, during October and under conditions of high water turbidity and increases of TOM, carnivorous polychaetes (Glyceridae, Onuphidae) increased. Total macrobenthos biomass found over Catalonian slopes were higher than that found in the neighboring Toulon canyon, probably because the two canyons are influenced by different river inputs, connected with distinct terrigenous sources.     

Evaluation of ecosystem status in the shelf-slope zone of the northeastern Black Sea based on the trophic index (TRIX)

The water conditions and trophic status in the shelf-slope zone and bays of the northeastern Black Sea were evaluated on the basis of monitoring data from 2007–2014. It has been shown that the concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll “a” in the studied area are at the level of the pristine period (of the late 1970s). The concentration of mineral nitrogen in the surface water layer varied from 0.19 to 5.64 μM. The concentration of phosphates differed from analytical zero to 0.56 μM. The concentration of chlorophyll “a” in different seasons ranged from 0.24 to 0.89 μg/L. The trophic index characterizes the status of the marine shelf ecosystem near Gelendzhik city as “excellent” even in the bays. Significant year-to-year differences in the index were not detected. The range between the values of the trophic index in the bays and open sea was low (3.7 and 3.2, respectively).     

An NGO role in enhancing integrated coastal management in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea: The MEDCOAST experience

In the early 1990s, integrated coastal management (ICM) in the Mediterranean basin found general acceptance as an important issue both at national and international levels, and since then it has been, though slowly, steadily developed. Donor organizations such as the European Union and the World Bank, and the UNEP's Mediterranean Action Plan played catalyst roles in this development by initiating and supporting pilot projects. In 1992, the European Union launched the Mediterranean programs in by 1999 which the environment, and especially the coastal environment, was considered as a priority issue. Parallel to this development, several NGO initiatives took place for public awareness on pressing coastal issues and in training and education. The idea of MEDCOAST, which is an NGO network of Euro-Mediterranean academic institutions, was born in 1990 and the new initiative was launched in two directions in 1993. One of these was the organization of the First International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment (2–5 November 1993, Antalya, Turkey), which placed strong emphasis on the management issues. The second was the development of a project proposal to the Med-Campus program of the European Union. The project, which had the title of Educational Programs in Coastal Zone Management, was selected for funding and became operational in early 1994. The first international training program organized by MEDCOAST was the MEDCOAST Institute 94: Coastal Zone Management in the Mediterranean. This three-week long training effort took place in August–September 1994. Since then, MEDCOAST organized eight training programs in by 1999 five different countries, which were participated by 173 professionals representing 31 countries. Development of an international Masters Degree program in ICM was the second goal of the MEDCOAST's Med-Campus project. Efforts for pursuing this goal are still continuing. This paper elaborates the potential for the NGO's contribution to training and education in the field of integrated coastal management in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea by introducing the MEDCOAST experience. It presents the past and planned MEDCOAST efforts and discusses the strengths and limitations of the role of NGOs at the regional scale.     

Distributional characteristics of planktonic Amphipoda (Hyperiidea) in the South Huanghai Sea and East China Sea

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Annual variability of planktonic ostracods (Crustacea) in the South Adriatic Sea

Temporal variability and population structure of planktonic ostracods were investigated for the first time in the South Adriatic Sea during 1996. The maximal total ostracod abundance (1167 ind·100 m⁻³; 69% juveniles, 18% females and 13% males) was recorded in February. Thirteen species of marine planktonic ostracods were identified. Porroecia spinirostris and Archiconchoecia striata dominated the ostracod assemblage, accounting respectively for 62% and 18% of the total abundance. Their annual peaks were recorded during the cold season, which was the period of their intense reproduction, with favourable temperature conditions and lack of predators. The females surpassed the males in abundance in most species. The presence of the mesopelagic species indicated a strong influence of intermediate layer water masses from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.     

Anthropogenic influence on the planktonic community in the basin of Mamala Bay (Oahu Island,Hawaii) based on field and satellite data

The anthropogenic impact on the biomass of coastal plankton communities caused by submerged disposal of urban sewage waters (dumping) was studied. The observations were carried out in August–September of 2002–2004 in Mamala Bay (Oahu Island, Hawaii) using satellite and sea truth methods. An analysis of the variability of the integral indicators of the water column determined on the basis of shipborne measurements allowed us to divide them into two groups: the elements most sensitive to the pollution (heterotrophic bacteria (H-Bact), the phototrophic cyanobacteria Synechococcus spp. (SYN), and chlorophyll a (CHLa)) and the elements that manifested episodic positive dependence on the inflow of the polluted waters (heterotrophic unicellular eukaryotes, small unicellular algae, the phototrophic green bacteria Prochlorococcus spp., as well as the total biomass of microplankton). It was shown that the submerged wastewater disposal in the region of the diffuser of the dumping device led to an insignificant (1.2–1.4 times, on the average) local increase in the integral biomass of H-Bact, SYN, and in the content of CHLa. A similar but sharper (1.5–2.1, on the average) increase in these parameters was found in the water layers with maximal biomasses. The possible pathways of disposed waters (under the pycnocline, at its upper boundary, and in the entire mixed layer) were analyzed on the basis of studying the vertical displacement of the biomasses of H-Bact, SYN, and prochlorophytes. The possibility of using the optical anomalies distinguished from satellite data as markers of anthropogenic eutrophication caused by dumping was confirmed. Application of such markers depends on the water transparency and on the shapes of the curves of the vertical distribution of autotrophic organisms.     

Reconstruction of the space and time variability of thermohaline fields in the Sevastopol Bay

The aim of the present work is to reconstruct the space and time variability of the three-dimensional fields of currents, temperature, salinity, and density in the Sevastopol Bay under the influence of the actual external factors in 1999. For this purpose, we use a version of the numerical multilayer model on the σ-coordinates. A vast array of the data of observations accumulated as a result of regular monitoring of the Sevastopol Bay contains, in particular, the data on the sea-surface temperature measured with six-hour intervals (at the hydrometeorological station located near the center of the bay) and almost monthly vertical profiles of temperature and salinity obtained at seven hydrological stations. The comparison of the numerical results with the data of observations enables us to conclude that, in general, the model fairly correctly describes the space structure and rearrangements of the fields of temperature and salinity. Among the most important distinctions, we can mention the fact that the fresh river water penetrating into the bay is mixed with seawater faster than predicted by the model. We also discuss the causes of these distinctions. Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 5, pp. 23–39, September–October, 2008.     

Suspended particulate matter and vertical fluxes of sedimentary material in bays of the Murmansk (Barents Sea) and Karelian (White Sea) coasts

Synchronous measurement of the total suspended organic and mineral particulate matter, together with vertical sedimentary matter flux, carried out in various areas of Yarnyschnaya Inlet (Murmansk coast of the Barents Sea) and Chupa Inlet (Karelian coast of the White Sea) revealed that the seston organic component plays no part in sedimentation, being almost completely utilized in the water column, while the majority of mineral matter is transported out of the bay. The total amount of suspended matter and its components in the water column is estimated, as well as the total flux of sedimentary matter to the bottom of Chupa and Yarnyschnaya inlets.     

Dynamics of planktonic foraminiferal community in the Sea of Japan during the last 2 My

Based on the analysis of the foraminiferal assemblages in 118 sediment samples from the 210-m-long core of ODP Hole 798 drilled near Honshu Island, it is shown that the structure of their tanathocoenoses experienced three large reorganizations during the last 1.9 My, namely 0.68, 1.21, and 1.36 My B.P. The first reorganization coincides with the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary marked by the magnetic polarity reversal. The second reorganization corresponds to the sharp and progressive temperature fall caused by general climate deterioration. The third event is poorly interpretable thus far. Using the K-average method, the assemblages were differentiated into two types differing in their taxonomic structures. The replacement of one type of community with another occurred simultaneously with the cooling onset 1.21 My B.P. Spectral analysis of the variations in the integral characteristics of the taxonomic structure revealed three groups of cycles with average periods of 136, 59, and 33 ky. These estimates are one-third higher as compared to the duration of the Milankovitch climatic cycles. The species structure of the foraminiferal community is shown to be well consistent with the rank model of geometric series.     

Diatom quantification and their distribution with salinity brines in coastal sediments of Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica)

Benthic diatoms represent an important element of global nutritional productivity; to raise attention on their role, which is often neglected due to analytical difficulties, surface (1 cm top layer) coastal sediments from Gerlache inlet to Penguin Bay at Terra Nova Bay were collected and stored at -20 °C. DNA amplification by real-time PCR, based on diatom-specific oligonucleotide primers designed on small-subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA), was performed in addition to diatom conventional cell counting and spectrophotometric determination of photo-pigments. Moreover, cations and anions were determined in sediments with the aim to identify factors involved in the control of diatom abundance. Diatom distribution was found quite heterogeneous displaying significant differences from site to site. The salinity in sediments ranged from 45.1 at Gerlache inlet to 76.2 at Penguin Bay and it was correlated with cell abundance, biodiversity, amount of pigments and amplified DNA. The dominant species, Fragilariopsis curta, was associated to sediment salinity brines.     

Temporary ice microalgae community in Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea

The temporary ice algae community in the mixing zone of brackish and fresh waters of the Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea is described. A high abundance and biomass of planktonic algae and a high chlorophyll a concentration have been registered in samples of under-ice water taken on February 2013. The mass development of the diatom Stephanodiscus hantzschii Grunow blooming on the ice in the eastern part of Taganrog Bay is described for the first time. The quantitative data on the under-ice microalgae community and the related hydrochemistry are published. The obtained results could be used in total productivity estimates in the Azov Sea.