Activity concentration of caesium-137 in seawater and plankton of the Pomeranian Bay (the Southern Baltic Sea) before and after flood in 1997

Activity coefficients of 137Cs determined during culminating flood waters in August 1997 in the estuary of the Oder River, discharging to the Pomeranian Bay as well as in the coastal and open-seawaters of the Bay, did not show enhanced levels of the nuclide as compared to those measured before the flood. It is thus concluded that the flood did not contribute to releasing the nuclide from eroded soil particles. The bioconcentration factors of 137Cs in the riverine plankton has been found to be one to two orders of magnitude higher than those determined in the Pomeranian Bay plankton.     

Nitrogen,Phosphorus and Primary Production in the Pomeranian Bay

The Pomeranian Bay in the south-western part of the Baltic sea has an area of 4300 km² and a volume of 51.4 km³ and contains a fresh-water inflow of 17.3 km³/a from a catchment area of 137,220 km². There were evaluated 18 investigations of specific dates at 14 stations in the years 1976 … 1978: 229 … 235 hydrochemical measurements and 75 phytoplankton investigations. It can be demonstrated by multiple regression analyses that the nutrient concentrations are mainly determined by the fresh-water inflow and the mixing ratios, phytoplankton having a secondary effect. Of the nutrients mainly ammonium influences the phytoplankton development and the oxygen production, the full utilization of the nitrogen stock being limited by an N/P ratio of 48 in the surface water and of 41 in the bottom water layers. Obviously, a limitation of the primary production is out of the question due to the high turnover rates of phosphorus. The N/P ratio is also a clear evidence of the great influence of the inflowing nitrate-rich freshwater on the nutrient situation of the bay.     

The Structure of the Net Alongshore Sediment Transport in the Eastern Gulf of Gdansk

Water Resources - The published schemes of the net alongshore sediment transport near the eastern coast of Gdansk Bay have been systematized. Considerable discrepancies have been identified in the...     

Potential toxicity of resuspended particulate matter and sediments: Environmental samples from the Bay of Banyuls-sur-Mer and Thermaikos Gulf

This contribution attempts to determine whether, and to what degree, environmental samples of resuspended particulate matter and sediments exert a toxicological impact. Further, an attempt is made also to screen the toxic level of potentially hazardous sites, based upon established sediment toxicity criteria. Therefore, a rapid, cost-effective and highly sensitive biotest (bioluminescence assay, based upon marine bacteria) has been applied on: biological fluid extracts; bottom sediments; and sediment trap samples. Samples were taken either from the Bay of Banyuls-sur-Mer (northwestern Mediterranean, France) or Thermaikos Gulf (northeastern Mediterranean, Greece). Biological fluid extracts and sediment trap samples corresponded to periods of resuspension events, or preceding and following such events.The results have revealed that the sampling strategy and biotest implemented in this study might be a useful tool for screening the toxicity of resuspended matter and sediments. Resuspension events appear to be able to exert an influence on the chemical forms of the micro-pollutants; thus on their bioavailability and toxicity. Nevertheless, based upon chemical analysis combined with the bioassay, the toxic level of the sediment samples could be determined, with the level at potentially hazardous sites being characterised.     

The late Wisconsin flood into the Gulf of Mexico

¹⁸O/¹⁶O and¹⁴C analysis of deep-sea cores from the Gulf of Mexico revealed a 2.4% isotopic anomaly between 12,000 and 11,000 years ago. This value, together with estimates of the oxygen isotopic composition of ice meltwater and rates of mixing within the Gulf of Mexico indicates that the average yearly discharge of the Mississippi River was between 100,000 and 230,000 m³/s (as compared to 57,000 m³/s for the peak flood of February 17, 1937), with probable yearly peak floods twice as large. Corresponding sea-level rise was between 1 and 2 m per century.     

Predicting summer hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico: redux

We report on the evolution and accuracy of a model used to predict the mid-summer area of hypoxia (oxygen ≤2 mg l(-1)) in the northern Gulf of Mexico, use it to test for impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (2010), and estimate the N loading that would meet a management goal. The prediction since 2000 were 100%±6% (μ±1 SE) of the actual value. The predicted in 2010 was 99% of that actual value, suggesting that the net effect of the 2010 oil spill on the hypoxic zone size was negligible. A tropical storm, however, may have reduced the potential size of the hypoxic zone. Lowering the May nitrogen load to about 70,000 mton N nitrate+nitrite would bring the model's predicted hypoxic zone size down to the management goal of 5000 km(2) and restore hypoxic waters to normoxic conditions.     

Water masses in the Monterey Bay during the summer of 2000

Water masses in Monterey Bay are determined from the CTD casts of the Monterey Ocean Observing System (MOOS) Upper-water-column Science Experiment (MUSE) August 2000 dataset. It is shown through cluster analysis that the MUSE 2000 CTD dataset contains 5 water masses. These five water masses are: bay surface water (BSW), bay warm water (BWW), bay intermediate water (BIW), sub arctic upper water (SUW) and North Pacific deep water (NPDW). The BWW is a new water mass that exists in one area and is attributed to the effects of solar heating. The volumes occupied by each of the water masses are obtained. The BIW water is the most dominant water mass and occupies 68.8% of the volume. The statistical means and standard deviations for each water parameter, including spiciness and oxygen concentration, are calculated during separate upwelling and relaxed periods.The water mass content and structure are analyzed and studied during upwelling and a relaxed period. During upwelling, along a CTD track off Pt. Ano Nuevo, the water mass T, S distribution tended to be organized along three branches. Off Pt. Ano Nuevo the innovative coastal observation network (ICON) model showed the formation of a cyclonic eddy during the analyzed upwelling period. In time the eddy moved southwest and became absorbed into the southerly flow during the initial phases of the following wind-relaxed period.     

Drifter observations of the Gulf of Maine Coastal Current

Two-hundred and twenty seven satellite-tracked drifters were deployed in the Gulf of Maine (GoM) from 1988 to 2007, primarily during spring and summer. The archive of tracks includes over 100,000 km logged thus far. Statistics such as transit times, mean velocities, response to wind events, and preferred pathways are compiled for various areas of the coastal GoM. We compare Lagrangian flow with Eulerian estimates from nearby moorings and evaluate drifter trajectories using Ekman theory and 3-D ocean circulation models.     

Environmental pollution in the Gulf of Guinea--a regional approach

Environmental pollution in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) coastal zone has caused eutrophication and oxygen depletion in the lagoon systems, particularly around the urban centres, resulting in decreased fish (reproduction) levels and waterborne diseases. A pollution sources assessment was undertaken by six countries in the region as a first step in defining a region-wide Environmental Management Plan. Results show that households produce 90% of solid waste. Industry, however, is responsible for substantial amounts of hazardous waste, specifically the Nigerian petroleum industry. The latter is also responsible for the spilling of large amounts of oil. BOD load from industrial effluents is slightly larger than domestic loads in the industrialised coastal zone. Wastewater treatment systems are either absent or inadequate. Apart from large-scale gas flaring in Nigeria, air pollution, in terms of COx, HC, NOx and SO2 emissions, is contributed mainly by traffic. Particulates, originate mainly from industries and domestic biomass burning.     

Rare and new small-celled taxa of Navicula s. str. in the Gulf of Gdansk and in its freshwater affluents

Presented are results of morphological (LM and SEM) and taxonomical investigations on very small-sized Navicula spp. from the brackish waters of the Gulf of Gdansk and some freshwater affluents. Detailed studies revealed that most of the taxa in question are either new for science or previously described but rather poorly known. Dominant in that assemblage of extraordinarily small-celled Navicula species, specimens mostly below 10 μm in length, are Navicula germanopolonica Witkowski & Lange-Bertalot and Navicula paulschulzii Witkowski & Lange-Bertalot as established taxa. New for science are Navicula aleksandrae, Navicula bozenae and Navicula viminoides ssp. cosmomarina. From common freshwater habitats no species are known that could be confused with the new taxa.     

Model Simulations of the Transport of Odra Flood Water through the Szczecin Lagoon into the Pomeranian Bight in July/August 1997

The Odra river flood of July through August 1997 transported a large additional volume of water into the Szczecin Lagoon area for a period of about one month. The dispersion of this water in the Szczecin Lagoon and Pomeranian Bight was simulated using the operational hydrodynamic model of the North Sea and Baltic Sea operated by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH). The model system receives as input meteorological forecast fields from the EUROPA model of the German Weather Service. As a result of the model simulation, the temporal development of the river plume can be described as follows: First the eastern part of Szczecin Lagoon, the Zalew Wielki, filled with flood water displacing θnormalρ Odra river water from that area. After about a week, Odra river flood water started to flow into the Pomeranian Bight. Its dispersion within Szczecin Lagoon was by no means uniform. The Kleines Haff, the western part of the Lagoon, was not much affected at first. When large labelled water masses had already left the Zalew Wielki area through the Swina river, at most only about half the water volume in Kleines Haff had been replaced by Odra flood water. In the Pomeranian Bight, the concentration was higher at the coast of Usedom – at least initially – than at the coast of Wolin. After 30 August 1997, northwesterly winds caused undiluted Baltic water to flow from the northern to the southern part of the Pomeranian Bight, pushing the water body marked, or distinguished, by Odra water eastward along the coast of Wolin. At the same time, outflow began from Kleines Haff through the Peenestrom into the Greifswalder Bodden. Due to light winds, and hence limited vertical mixing in summer, the proportion of freshwater in Baltic surface water reached about 50% in the southern Pomeranian Bight. Near Rügen, it fell below 10%. Within 2 months of stronger wind caused major shifts of the water bodies concerned. The scale considerations and model simulations discussed in this paper allowed qualitative estimates to be made in the course of the flood event, which were later confirmed by measurements, presented at a HELCOM (Helsinki Commission, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission) Scientific Workshop in January 1998.     

外强迫因子变化在2003年夏季旱涝预测中的作用

利用中国科学院大气物理研究所大气科学和地球流体力学数值模拟实验室研发的全球海洋－大气－陆面过程气候系统耦合模式（IAP/LASG GOALS 4.0）,对比分析了考虑和不考虑气候的外强迫因子（太阳活动、温室气体及硫酸盐气溶胶）变化对2003年夏季中国区域的短期气候预测的影响.结果发现,由于外强迫因子变化的影响,模式模拟的中国区域2003年夏季降水距平的分布比不考虑这种变化时更接近实况,它有效地改善了无外强迫变化时模式模拟预测的中国区域降水不真实偏大的缺点,使一些地区的模拟降水量值减小,范围扩大,位置北抬.更重要的是,由于考虑了外强迫的变化,GOALS耦合模式很好地模拟出了2003年夏季淮河流域较大的降水正距平区,同时相应的500 hPa环流场的模拟也有较大的改进.     

SOFIE PMC observations during the northern summer of 2007

This work examines the first season of polar mesospheric cloud (PMC) observations from the Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment (SOFIE). SOFIE observations of temperature, water vapor, and PMC frequency, mass density, particle shape, and size distribution are used to characterize the seasonal evolution and altitude dependence of mesospheric ice and the surrounding environment. SOFIE indicates that ice is nearly always present during summer, and that the ice layer is continuous from about 81 km altitude to the mesopause and above. Ice particles are observed to be more aspherical above and below the extinction peak altitude, suggesting a relationship between particle shape and mass density. The smallest particles are observed near the top of the ice layer while the largest particles exist at low concentrations near cloud base. A strong correlation was found between water vapor and particle size with small particles existing when H₂O is low. This relationship holds when examining variability in altitude, and variability over time at one altitude.