Annual Cycle of Zooplankton Biomass, Abundance and Species Composition in the Neritic Area of the Balearic Sea, Western Mediterranean

Abstract. Seasonal changes in zooplankton biomass, abundance and species composition were studied at a neritic station in the Balearic Sea between April 1993 and May 1994. Sampling was carried out every 10 days in a zone influenced by the main current circulating through the Mallorca channel. Three main peaks of zooplankton biomass and abundance were observed: (1) at the beginning of summer when the thermocline developed, (2) in autumn when the thermocline broke down, and (3) in early spring. The smaller zooplankton fraction (100–250 μm) comprised on average 32 % of the total biomass and 73 % of total abundance. Copepods were the predominant group (64 % of the total abundance) with Clausocalanus, Oithona and Paracalanus being the most abundant genera. Paracalanus parvus, Clausocalanus furcatus, Acartia clausi, Oithona plumifera, Temora stylifera, Centropages typicus and Oncaea mediterranea were found to be the most important species in the area. Other abundant groups were cladocerans (15 %) and meroplankton larvae (12 %), both of which were particularly numerous during the stratified period. The copepod community was characterized by the above‐cited perennial species, which were abundant during the cycle studied. However, the influence of the hydrological conditions of the Balearic Sea, such as the Atlantic water influx and the physical structure of the water column (stratification and mixing), promoted the observed variability in zooplankton as well as the appearance of characteristic species during the annual cycle.     

西地中海的弧后盆地

地中海是太平洋之外弧后盆地较为发育的海区。巴利阿里海盆和第勒尼安海盆是西地中海两个位置相邻、互有成因联系的弧后盆地。海盆莫霍面埋深分别为 1 2～ 1 5km和 1 0 km,热流密度分别为 1 0 0 m W/m2和 2 0 0 m W/m2 ,发育有大洋型磁条带异常 ,大洋钻探和拖网取样均采到了拉斑玄武岩。较之巴利阿里海盆 ,第勒尼安海盆更富年青性。两弧后盆地的成生演化是与欧洲板块与非洲 -阿普利亚板块的相互作用息息相关的。中新世 ,随着非洲 -阿普利亚板块向西、西北俯冲 ,科西嘉、撒丁裂离欧洲大陆 ,巴利阿里海盆被打开 ;上新世 ,阿普利亚微板块进一步俯冲 ,导致亚平宁与科西嘉、撒丁之间的裂离 ,形成第勒尼安海盆。     

Diversity and distribution of gelatinous zooplankton in the Southwestern Mediterranean Sea

Gelatinous zooplankton species composition, distribution and abundance were investigated in the bay and the lagoon of Bizerte (North Tunisian coast) from January 2004 to December 2005. In total, 48 species were identified in the study area: 24 medusae, 11 siphonophores, four appendicularians, six chaetognaths, two pteropods and one doliolid. The hydromedusa Eutima mira was recorded for the first time in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The diversity in the Bay of Bizerte was greater than the diversity in the Bizerte lagoon. There was a loss of species diversity. Siphonophores were the most sensitive group to anthropogenic discharge. Only two species of siphonophores were recorded in the lagoon. Four species of gelatinous zooplankton, Muggiaea kochi, Lensia conoidea, Oikopleura longicauda and Podocorynoides minima were the most frequent species in the lagoon and may benefit from eutrophication. Appendicularians were numerically the most dominant group in the bay and the lagoon of Bizerte. Mesozooplankton density declined significantly in autumn and winter of 2004 and 2005 in relation to the dense aggregations of the scyphomedusae Pelagia noctiluca. Statistical analysis divided the study area into three zones: lagoon zone, bay zone and channel zone.     

The CANALES experiment (1996-1998). Interannual, seasonal, and mesoscale variability of the circulation in the Balearic Channels

Repeated hydrographic casts, mooring time series and satellite sea surface temperature collected during the CANALES experiment (1996–98) are used to describe the thermohaline circulation in the Balearic Channels (western Mediterranean) and to analyze its variability. Mass transports are estimated by inverse calculations. The role played by each channel in the meridional water exchange is clarified: the Ibiza Channel funnels southward cool, saline, northern waters whereas the Mallorca Channel appears as the preferred route for the northward progression of warm, fresh, southern waters. A neat interannual trend is revealed by the continuous decrease of the amount of Western Mediterranean Intermediate Waters (WIW) brought by the Northern Current, reflecting the increase in temperature of the winter mixed layer in the northern Mediterranean that occurred each year between 1996 and 1998. A clear seasonal signal was also seen in the transport of the Northern Current which decreased from 1 to 1.4 Sv in winter to < 0.5 Sv in summer. The current intensified again in fall. A number of mesoscale eddies, from 20 to 70 km in size, most of them anticyclonic vortex eddies were brought by the unstable Northern Current, these eddies strongly perturbed the water exchange in the Ibiza Channel forcing retroflections of northern waters back to the north-east into the Balearic Current. These eddies either stayed stalled for several months in the Gulf of Valencia to the north of the channel, or were slowly funnelled southward through the channel narrows. A decreasing trend was observed in the mesoscale activity of the Northern Current between 1996 and 1998. Conversely, large, anticyclonic eddies, 150-km diameter, progressively invaded the Algerian Basin to the south of the channels in 1997–98 and forcing northward inflows (up to 0.75 Sv) of fresh and warm waters of Atlantic origin (AW) into the Mallorca Channel. The marked interannual differences observed in both northern and southern eddy activity may be linked to the interannual variability of the large scale thermohaline circulation.     

Organic waste impact of capture-based Atlantic bluefin tuna aquaculture at an exposed site in the Mediterranean Sea

A variety of pelagic and benthic parameters were measured at an aquaculture farm used for the fattening of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) which is located at an exposed site (700 m from the coast, average bottom depth of 45 m and average current speed of 6 cm s⁻¹) in the Mediterranean Sea. The objective was to test whether modern off-shore tuna fattening industries can exert a sustainable organic waste impact on the receiving environment as has been reported for the offshore culture of more traditional Mediterranean species such as sparids. In the water column, the concentration of phytopigments, organic matter, heterotrophic bacteria and the taxonomic abundance of mesozooplankton (at the species level) were assessed. In the sediment, we assessed the concentration of reduced sulphur pools, phytopigments, organic matter, heterotrophic bacteria and the taxonomic abundance of meiofauna (at the taxa level) and nematodes (at the genus level). For most parameters, we found no substantial differences between farm and control sites. Deviations of farm values from control values, when they occurred, were small and did not indicate any significant impact on either the pelagic and benthic environment. Deviations were more apparent in the benthic compartment where lower redox potential values, higher bacterial production rates and a change in nematode genus composition pointed out to early changes in the sediment's metabolism. In addition, indigenous potential pathogenic bacteria showed higher concentration at the fish farm stations and were a warning of an undesirable event that may become established following aquaculture practice in oligotrophic environments. The overall data from this study provide extensive experimental evidence to support the sustainability of modern offshore farming technology in minimizing the hypertrophic-dystrophic risks associated with the rapidly-expanding tuna-fattening industry in the Mediterranean Sea.     

西北太平洋波候与大气涛动的联系

利用ECMWF 1958-2001年44 a的ERA-40海浪再分析资料计算了西北太平洋海域(0°~45°N,99°~160°E)月平均有效波高(SWH)、平均周期(T)与北太平洋模态指数(NPI)、太平洋年代际振荡(PDO)和多变量ENSO指数(MEI)等大气涛动之间的时间和空间的相关性,重点探讨了NPI对北半球西太平洋波候(SWH和T)的影响。结果表明:NPI、PDO和MEI均与SWH和T有显著的相关性;NPI与SWH和T呈现正相关性,NPI超前SWH和T半年左右正相关最强,最强的相关海域位于日本和菲律宾以东洋面;NPI还存在3~5 a、8~9 a和13~15 a的年际和年代际周期变化; NPI高指数且PDO负位相或MEI负位相均使得SWH和T 增大; MEI冷位相且叠加PDO负位相时也利于SWH和T增大。NPI影响西北太平洋波候的可能机制是:NPI处于低(高)指数时,阿留申低压加深(减弱)且位置偏东(西),北太平洋西风带海面风速急流出现(消失),太平洋副热带东北信风大值区东移(西移),西北太平洋海域信风减弱(加强),西北太平洋海域有效波高和平均周期随之减小(增大)。中、东太平洋西向传播的涌浪对西北太平洋海域波侯有重要影响。     

Decadal temperature changes in the Tasman Sea

Ocean temperature changes between 1991 and 2005 in the eastern Tasman Sea were analysed. This area was chosen because of a combination of data availability, low mesoscale variability and because of its importance in determining the climate of the downwind New Zealand landmass. A large warming extending to the full depth of the water column (c. 800 m) was found to have occurred between 1996 and 2002. This warming was seen in measurements by expendable bathythermographs and also in satellite sea surface temperature and sea surface height products, and has a clear impact on New Zealand's terrestrial temperature. The nature of the warming is discussed, together with likely forcing mechanisms. No local forcing mechanisms are consistent with the observed warming, leading to the conclusion that the signal seen in the Tasman Sea is part of a larger South Pacific‐wide phenomenon.     

The vertical distribution of zooplankton in the western Irish Sea

Zooplankton diel vertical migration is evident on the mixed isothermal side of the western Irish Sea frontal system but is often influenced by large tides and persistent geostrophic currents. On the stratified side of the front, temperature acts as a controlling factor with most of the zooplankton occurring above the thermocline and carrying out pronounced vertical migration when chlorophyll a levels are low and diffuse. At higher chlorophyll levels, when discrete chlorophyll a maxima form, zooplankton vertical movement may be greatly modified with a large number of species and stages concentrating within these maxima at all times of the diel light cycle.     

Demersal Continental Shelf and Upper Slope Cephalopod Assemblages from the Balearic Sea (North-Western Mediterranean). Biological Aspects of Some Deep-Sea Species

The analysis of 79 hauls performed by commercial bottom trawlers from 50 to 800 m depth in the Balearic Sea (north-western Mediterranean) from June 1995 to September 1996 yielded a total of 30 cephalopod species belonging to 12 families. Cluster analysis of these data gave as a result two main groups 50–200 m and 200–800 m each subdivided into two other groups (50–100 vs. 100–200 m and 200–600 vs. 600–800 m). These results suggested the existence of two assemblages that could be associated to the continental shelf (50–100 m) and the upper slope (600–800 m) separated by a wide transitional zone (100–600 m) representing a region of overlapping shelf and slope faunas (ecotone). The faunistic bathymetric gradient showed a continuous substitution of species with depth rather than discrete assemblages separated by distinct boundaries. The more coastal species such as Eledone moschata, Loligo vulgarisSepia officinalis and Octopus vulgaris were found on the continental shelf; on the transitional zone, apart from species characteristic of this zone (Illex coindetii, Sepietta oweniana, Rossia macrosoma, Scaeurgus unicirrhus and Pteroctopus tetracirrhus), we also observed species from both the continental shelf and slope. The upper slope was characterized by typical species of deeper waters, such asBathypolypus sponsalis , Histioteuthis reversa, H. bonnellii, Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii andOnychoteuthis banksii . The octopod O. vulgaris was the dominant species on the continental shelf and upper transitional zone, being substituted by T. sagittatus on the lower transitional zone and upper slope. Mean biomass decreased abruptly from the continental shelf to the transitional zone and from there to the upper slope. Mean species richness and species diversity were higher in the transitional zone than in the continental shelf and upper slope. Finally, some biological aspects of the more abundant deep-sea cephalopod species are studied: Bathypolypus sponsalis, Octopus salutii,Pteroctopus tetracirrhus , Histioteuthis reversa and H. bonnellii.     

Seasonal abundance of non-commercial demersal fish in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in relation to hydrographic and sediment characteristics

Fish-habitat associations were investigated for twenty-five non-commercial demersal species in the Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean) using Generalized Additive Modeling techniques. Fishery related abundance indices, derived from experimental bottom trawl surveys, were linked to various habitat variables: substrate characteristics, area, season, depth, temperature and salinity. Depth was the most important factor for all species. Eleven species showed decreasing abundance with depth, while the remaining species were more abundant in specific depth zones either on the continental shelf or in the upper continental slope. Most species were associated with specific substratum characteristics such as the dry weight percentage of sand-gravel and the carbonate content. The dry weight percentage of sand-gravel in the sediments was selected as a predictor of the relative abundance of most (twenty three) species. Seasonal patterns in the relative abundance of species were observed, related in most cases to the seasonal differentiation of temperature. The effect of temperature was more pronounced in summer and autumn, when a marked thermocline is observed, while it was much less intense in winter. For most of the species, the preferable habitat was identified, that contributes valuable information for the successful implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.     

2014年春季黄、渤海浮游动物群落特征

为了解黄、渤海浮游动物群落特征, 利用2014年春季在黄、渤海采集的浮游动物样品, 对浮游动物的种类组成、丰度、生物量、优势种和生物多样性进行分析, 分析浮游动物群落结构与环境因子间的相关关系, 并划分了浮游动物群落。共记录浮游动物78个种类(南黄海69种、北黄海42种、渤海47种), 浮游幼虫占比最高。研究海域的浮游动物平均丰度为3 183.8±7 829.7 ind./m³, 剔除夜光虫(Noctiluca scintillans)后, 平均丰度为537.3±554.2 ind./m³; 平均生物量为409.1±517.5 mg/m³。夜光虫、中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)和强壮箭虫(Sagitta crassa)是黄、渤海的共同优势种。结合香农-威纳指数和累积优势度曲线分析, 渤海浮游动物的生物多样性最低, 北黄海次之, 南黄海的多样性最高。聚类分析表明, 研究海域浮游动物群落可划分为渤-黄海沿岸群落、黄海中部群落和南黄海-东海近岸混合水群落。相关性分析显示, 研究海域与浮游动物群落结构相关性最高的环境因子组合为温度、盐度和叶绿素a浓度。     

Climate change and warm‐water species at the north‐western boundary of the Mediterranean Sea

The effects of global change are particularly serious in areas where range shifts of species are physically constrained such as the Ligurian Sea, which is one of the coldest sectors of the Mediterranean. In this basin, historical information on water temperature (from the sea surface down to 75 m depth) dates back to the 1950s. Early studies also recorded warm‐water species occurrence. Thanks to these data we provide the first detailed characterization of water temperature variation from 1958 up to 2010 in the layer 0–75 m depth. We coupled this analysis with the available information on rocky reef epibenthic communities (literature review from 1955 to 1964 and field data from 1980 to 2010). The analysis of water temperature revealed several patterns of variation: a cooling phase from 1958 to 1980, a phase of rapid warming from 1980 to 1990 and a phase of slower warming from 1990 to 2010. Inter‐annual variation in temperature increased over the entire period for the water layer down to 20 m. Warm‐water native and alien species richness increased during the warming phases. Literature estimates suggest a decrease in warm‐water native species richness during the cooling phase. The analysis of quantitative data collected in the early 1990s and late 2000s indicated a decrease in the cover of warm‐water native species on shallow rocky reefs and an increase in deeper waters. We argue that increased inter‐annual variation in water temperature may disadvantage native warm‐water species in shallow waters. Our results indicate that the effect of temperature rises in cold, constrained basins may be more complex than the simple prediction of species changing their geographical range according to their thermal limits.     

西北太平洋热带气旋频数及生成位置的气候变化研究进展

自20世纪70年代末期以来,西北太平洋的热带气旋在全球变暖的背景下主要发生了两种宏观的气候变化：一个是热带气旋生成频数呈现年代际减少,尤其是在东南部海域;另一个则是其生成与活动位置等总体特征有向西北偏移的趋势。本文对这两个方面的研究进展进行了概述。近些年的研究表明,垂直风切变的增强可能是夏秋季热带气旋频数减少的最主要原因,这与太平洋-印度洋海面温度变化导致的大尺度环境变化有密切联系。同样有研究认为北大西洋海面温度的多年代际振荡对近期西北太平洋热带气旋生成频数的减少也非常重要。但西北太平洋西部强热带气旋的频数呈现出增加的趋势,这可能与东亚近海海面温度的显著升高有关,尽管这种变化是否可信仍有争议。近20年来,西北太平洋热带气旋活动普遍出现西北移倾向,包括生成位置和路径位置,这种变化可能受到了ENSO变异及20世纪90年代末期太平洋气候突变的调控。同时,热带环流的极向扩张又导致了热带气旋的有利环境向北扩张,因此西北太平洋热带气旋活动也出现极向迁移的趋势。