Organochlorine contamination in some odontoceti species from the North Pacific and Indian Ocean

Concentrations of persistent organochlorines were determined in the blubber and melon of 11 species of adult male odontocetis collected from the North Pacific, Indian Ocean and nearby seas. Mean concentrations of DDs (33 μg/g wet wt) were the highest followed by PCBs (32 μg/g wet wt), chlordane compounds (CHLs: 3.7 μg/g wet wt), HCHs (1.1 μg/g wet wt), and HCB (0.32 μg/g wet wt). Odontoceti species inhabiting temperate waters revealed maximum residual concentrations of these contaminants, and the elevated DDT and PCB residues detected seem to suggest that some of the present species might potentially be at high risk. Relatively high DDT concentrations were found in tropical water species, which could be attributed to the current usage of DDT in the tropics and the less movable nature of this compound via long-range atmospheric transport. The HCH levels in animals inhabiting cold and temperate waters were higher than those inhabiting tropical waters, a result that was perhaps reflective of atmospheric transport from the tropical source to the northern sinks. A similar pattern was also observed in PCBs, CHLs and HCB, probably indicating the ongoing discharge of these compounds from mid-latitudes as well as those originating in tropical regions.     

Biological transport and mammal to mammal transfer of organochlorines in Arctic fauna

Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) is assumed to be the most important and common prey of polar bears (Ursus maritimus). However, during a scientific survey in the ice area of the northern Barents Sea east of Svalbard in June 1995, an unexpectedly high number of polar bears were observed feeding on harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) carcasses. Samples of both harp and ringed seals were obtained and organochlorine (OC) occurrence and pattern in these two potential polar bear prey species were determined. Significantly higher OC concentrations were found in harp seals, as compared to the ringed seals. All animals in the northern harp seal group were lean specimens in late moult. The industrial chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and the OC pesticides bis-2,2,(chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and chlordanes (CHLORs) were analysed in blubber. The concentrations of sigma PCB (sum of concentrations of 16 PCB congeners) and sigma DDT (sum of concentrations of p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE) in the northern harp seal group ranged from 2093 to 20,382 and 1460 to 10,381 ng g-1 lipid weight, with mean concentrations of 11,133 and 6847 ng g-1 lipid weight, respectively. The mean concentrations of the CHLORs, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor, were 1311 and 3743 ng g-1 lipid weight, respectively, while the mean concentrations of HCB and HCH isomers (alpha-, beta- and gamma-HCH) were all < 500 ng g-1 lipid weight. No significant difference was found in the mean total blubber mass between the two seal species when collected in June. This indicates that polar bears preying on harp seals instead of ringed seals at this time of the year could accumulate significantly higher PCB concentrations. We suggest that polar bears feeding along the ice-edge east of Svalbard in May and June preferentially prey on harp seals instead of ringed seals, and that this may partly explain the variation in PCB concentrations among polar bears from the Norwegian Arctic. An hypothesis is that the harp seal may function as a transport vector of OCs into the high Arctic environment.     

The Decline of the North Sea Whelk (Buccinum undatum L.) Between 1970 and 1990: A Natural or a Human-Induced Event?

Abstract. Recent surveys in the southern and central North Sea and the Dutch Wadden Sea revealed that the whelk Buccinun undarum L. can no longer be found in areas where whelks were abundant twenty or more years ago.
The decline of whelk populations tends to coincide with areas of various, intense human activities, which may cause either pollution or physical damage. Potential causes for the decline of whelks from the southern North Sea and coastal areas are discussed and considered in view of North Sea ecology and protective policies for the North Sea.     

The human dimensions of marine mammal management in a time of rapid change: comparing policies in Canada,Finland and the United States

Arctic coastal populations share a close relationship with their environment consisting of linkages among communities, landscapes and seascapes, and the social institutions developed to sustain the system. This cultural–biogeophysical dynamic is termed throughout the section as a social–ecological system (SES). Marine mammals constitute a large portion of the subsistence diet for these communities, and as such represent key ecological services provided by the system. At the same time, marine mammals have gained iconic status as symbols for climate change in the North. A tension results between the demands of balancing on one hand good policy optics consistent with national and international norms and, on the other hand, flexible and adaptive institutions able to take on the task of managing resources in a dynamic, changing North. This tension and associated policy solutions such as co-management are explored in a series of papers focusing on marine mammal management dilemmas and policy practices around the circumpolar North. This introduction communicates the problem context and describes the five papers making up this special section. A guiding premise to this work is that new international pressures to implement moratoria on marine mammal hunting in the North ignore critical human dimensions of marine mammal management. Such policy proposals are unlikely to succeed in areas that require collaboration across scales. Simultaneously, new local-scale participation in multi-level management regimes holds promise for creating more resilient marine mammal SESs.     

Extension of a qualitative model on nutrient cycling and transformation to include microtidal estuaries on wave-dominated coasts: Southern hemisphere perspective

Estuaries are dynamic transition zones acting as filters and transformers of nutrients passing from catchments to the sea. We propose an extension to an existing southern hemisphere model on nutrient dynamics in estuaries to include the relatively constricted, microtidal estuaries located along wave-dominated coasts in the region, specifically focusing on the limiting macronutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and on key processes, including physical (e.g. flushing, mixing and sedimentation), geochemical (e.g. flocculation), biochemical (e.g. remineralisation) and biological (e.g. primary production) processes. A simplified model of the physical states (primarily controlled by hydrological characteristics) is used as the basis for the qualitative model, where these are defined in terms of characteristic salinity-induced stratification of the water column, flushing time and the mouth condition. Four physical states are identified: a freshwater-dominated state, freshwater pulsed/recovery state, marine-dominated state and the closed mouth state. The states and their physical characteristics largely resemble that of the earlier model, except that the extended model reflects the dynamics of restricted inlets and introduces the closed mouth state. This model specifically explores the variation within southern African estuarine systems to better inform research and management programmes on the appropriate trophic, temporal and spatial scales at which uncertainties in ecosystem functioning need resolving. It can also be applied to other regions in the southern hemisphere, and even the northern hemisphere, with similar hydrological and estuarine geomorphological characteristics (e.g. the Mediterranean coast, the west coasts of North and South America, and the south-west and south-eastern coasts of Australia).     

变暖背景下北极海冰减少在冬季北半球高纬大陆降雪增加中的作用

过去的几个冬季中,北美、欧洲、西伯利亚和东亚大部分地区经历了冷冬和强降雪,而这与北极海冰的快速减少有关。尽管北极海冰减少在冷冬和强降雪中的作用仍存在争议,但这种新兴的气候反馈在未来变暖背景下是否会持续仍值得关注。中等排放情境下的气候模式模拟结果揭示,欧洲东北部、亚洲中部北部、北美北部的冬季降雪增加会成为贯穿21世纪的一个稳健的特征。21世纪这些区域冬季降雪增加的主要原因是北极秋季海冰的减少（很大的外部强迫）,而冬季北极涛动的变化（北半球主要的自然变化形态）对降雪增加的作用很小。这一结果不仅体现在多模式平均上,而且每个单独模式的结果依然如此。我们认为海冰-降雪之间的强反馈作用可能已经出现,并且在接下来的几十年中这种强反馈作用可能会增强,北半球高纬地区的强降雪事件也会增加。     

FACTOR ANALYSIS FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MARINE AEROSOL IN BERMUDA ATMOSPHERE

Factor analysis was used to distinguish the major sources of the marine aerosol in Bermuda atmosphere. The data investigated from Bermuda were best represented by three sourses: pollution derived from North America, weathered crustal material from North Africa, and marine source from the sea spray.     

Importance of tropical coastal environments

On a global basis, a very large fraction (>50%) of the mass flux from land to the marine environment enters from tropical rivers. A broad range of processes active in the adjacent coastal ocean determines the fate of this material. The tropical setting causes many of the coastal processes to be fundamentally distinct from those operating in temperate and polar regions. Therefore, their operation cannot necessarily be understood by extrapolation from empirical observations at higher latitudes. Other coastal processes are influenced by the extremely large water, particulate, and solute discharges from tropical rivers. Further complexity is added by the diverse range of geographic settings through which tropical rivers flow and into which they empty. In summary, coastal—ocean processes in the wet tropics are: globally important, fundamentally different than at higher latitudes, and diverse in operation. Many recent advances have been made in the understanding of the tropical coastal ocean, and it is hoped these will continue into the future. Such understanding is important for predicting processes of river—ocean interaction and terrestrial fluxes to the global ocean, which affect and are affected by human populations. It also can be combined with knowledge of temperate and polar settings to provide a comprehensive understanding of the coastal ocean.     

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-     

Historical storminess and climate ‘see-saws’ in the North Atlantic region

The existence of a well-defined climate ‘see-saw’ across the North Atlantic region and surrounding areas has been known for over 200 years. The occurrence of severe winters in western Greenland frequently coincides with mild winters in northern Europe. Conversely, mild winters in western Greenland are frequently associated with cold winters across northern Europe. Whereas this ‘see-saw’ is normally discussed in terms of air temperature and pressure differences, here we explore how the climate ‘see-saw’ is reflected in records of historic storminess from Scotland, NW Ireland and Iceland. It is concluded that the stormiest winters in these regions during the last ca. 150 years have occurred when western Greenland temperatures have been significantly below average. In contrast, winters of reduced storminess have coincided with winters when air temperatures have been significantly above average in western Greenland. This reconstruction of winter storminess implies a relationship between chronologies of coastal erosion and the history of North Atlantic climate ‘see-saw’ dynamics with sustained winter storminess, and hence increased coastal erosion, taking place when the Icelandic low pressure cell is strongly anchored within the circulation of the northern hemisphere. Considered over the last ca. 2000 years, it would appear that winter storminess and climate-driven coastal erosion was at a minimum during the Medieval Warm Period. By contrast, the time interval from ca. AD 1420 until present has been associated with sustained winter storminess across the North Atlantic that has resulted in accelerated coastal erosion and sand drift.     

Assessment of cytochrome P450 1A in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) using a minimally-invasive biopsy approach

Biomarkers of organochlorine exposure, such as the induction of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), can be used to assess the impact of environmental contaminants on the health of free-ranging marine mammal populations. The objective of the present study was to measure CYP1A in skin and liver biopsies obtained from live harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). Twelve harbour seal pups, aged three to five weeks, were captured from the Fraser River estuary, British Columbia, Canada, and temporarily held in captivity. Skin ( approximately 60 mg) and liver ( approximately 40 mg) biopsies, obtained while seals were under general anaesthesia, yielded sufficient tissue for the measurement of CYP1A by immunoblot analysis and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity. A short-term exposure experiment, in which harbour seals (n=3) were treated orally with beta-naphthoflavone (BNF), resulted in increased hepatic and cutaneous CYP1A protein levels, consistent with observations in other mammals. This study is the first to measure CYP1A in skin and liver biopsies from live harbour seals and to report in vivo BNF-associated CYP1A induction in a marine mammal. The results demonstrate that microsamples collected using minimally-invasive techniques can provide toxicologically-relevant information form marine mammals.     

Lithospheric structure along the Queen Charlotte margin in western Canada: constraints from flexural modeling

 The Queen Charlotte fault zone along the western margin of Canada, a right-lateral transform, is part of the boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. Combining reflection and refraction surveys and flexural modeling, we place limits on the amount of underthrusting of the Pacific plate beneath the North America plate. Results from our two-dimensional elastic modeling suggest 10–15 km of underthrusting along the northern Queen Charlotte Islands, in agreement with the amount of underthrusting inferred from plate motion models. Received: 12 June 1995/Revision received: 9 December 1995     

The regime shift of the 1920s and 1930s in the North Atlantic

During the 1920s and 1930s, there was a dramatic warming of the northern North Atlantic Ocean. Warmer-than-normal sea temperatures, reduced sea ice conditions and enhanced Atlantic inflow in northern regions continued through to the 1950s and 1960s, with the timing of the decline to colder temperatures varying with location. Ecosystem changes associated with the warm period included a general northward movement of fish. Boreal species of fish such as cod, haddock and herring expanded farther north while colder-water species such as capelin and polar cod retreated northward. The maximum recorded movement involved cod, which spread approximately 1200 km northward along West Greenland. Migration patterns of “warmer water” species also changed with earlier arrivals and later departures. New spawning sites were observed farther north for several species or stocks while for others the relative contribution from northern spawning sites increased. Some southern species of fish that were unknown in northern areas prior to the warming event became occasional, and in some cases, frequent visitors. Higher recruitment and growth led to increased biomass of important commercial species such as cod and herring in many regions of the northern North Atlantic. Benthos associated with Atlantic waters spread northward off Western Svalbard and eastward into the eastern Barents Sea. Based on increased phytoplankton and zooplankton production in several areas, it is argued that bottom-up processes were the primary cause of these changes. The warming in the 1920s and 1930s is considered to constitute the most significant regime shift experienced in the North Atlantic in the 20th century.     

副热带一热带太平洋密跃层水量交换年际变化的模拟研究

利用一个全球海洋环流模式在3组风应力资料的强迫下模拟分析了副热带太平洋向热带太平洋密跃层水量输送的年际变化特征及其和风应力的关系,并设计数值试验,研究了密跃层水量输送的变化机制.结果表明,副热带太平洋向赤道太平洋的密跃层水量输送具有显著的年际变化.在年际时间尺度上,南北太平洋西边界密跃层水量输送都起着补偿内部路径输送的...     

The limitations of diversity metrics in directing global marine conservation

Biodiversity hotspots have been used extensively in setting conservation priorities for marine ecosystems. A recent Nature publication claims to have uncovered new latitudinal gradients in the evenness of reef communities and new reef hotspots based on functional diversity. Simulation models show that the purported evenness gradient is a mathematical inevitability of differences in species richness and detectability between vastly different marine ecosystems, namely ‘reefs’ in tropical, temperate, and polar regions. Constraints on evenness, along with disparity amongst communities in possible functional traits, cast doubt on the utility of global functional diversity comparisons for management of marine systems.     

Distribution,behavior and fate of PCBs in the marine environment

I am extremely grateful and honored for being awarded the Okada Prize (1985) for my study. The present article reviews my research on the distribution, behavior and fate of PCBs in the marine environment. The outline of this study is summarized as follows:

1. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were detectable in the wide range of environmental media and biota of the Seto-Inland Sea, Japan, in which much high concentrations were found in sediment and biological samples due to their hydrophobic, lipophilic and less biodegradable properties as well as their extensive production and use in estuarine and coastal regions.
2. PCBs extend the boundaries of their distribution all over the global environment, being evidenced by their occurrence in open ocean atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, even in Antarctica. The global contamination of PCBs is much more prominent in northern hemisphere than in southern hemisphere.
3. The sinking rate of PCBs from surface to deeper layers in open ocean water column is relatively slower in tropical waters than in high latitude ones. This implies the possible prolonged contamination of persistent synthetic organic chemicals in the tropical marine environment.
4. The bioaccumulation processes in marine ecosystems can be explained by the physicochemical and biochemical properties of PCBs and the metabolic capacity of organisms. In higher animals, additional factors such as parturition and lactation are also related to this process.
5. Total PCB load in global environment was estimated to be about 370 thousand tons. Of this, most amounts were in coastal sediment and open ocean water. Presently, about 780 thousand tons of PCBs are still in use mainly in electrical equipments. In order to reduce the PCB levels in marine environment, pertinent measures to prevent the further discharge and safe disposal of PCBs are required.

     

The targets of management rules for marine mammal populations require justification: A reply to

The management of anthropogenic impacts on marine mammal populations involves the setting of targets that are built on assumptions and choices. Scientific methods can be used to investigate the implications of management actions, but the choice of overall objectives and priorities lies outside science. A recent paper (Potential biological removal and other currently used management rules for marine mammal populations: A comparison in Marine Policy), summarised the characteristics of the main approaches currently used to set conservation management targets for marine mammal populations in order to provide a basis for discussion of the targets they contain. Cooke et al. (Management rules for marine mammal populations: A response to Lonergan in Marine Policy) responded, giving some important additional information about these management rules. However most of that paper's criticisms were incorrect or misplaced. Specifically, it erroneously treated an example of how PBR could be reworked, to make its abundance explicit, as a proposal to ignore uncertainty in managing populations. This paper addresses Cooke's main criticisms, and suggests that explicit justifications should be an important part of the process of setting targets for the management of marine mammal populations.     

Analysis of the economic benefits associated with the recovery of threatened marine mammal species in the Canadian St. Lawrence Estuary

This paper examines Canadians' willingness to pay to recover the populations of three marine mammal species found in the St Lawrence Estuary. The valuation approach utilized a stated preference tool that is somewhat a hybrid between contingent valuation and a choice experiment with multiple species recovery program options and choices framed as referenda. Program options involved the use of a marine protected area and restrictions on whale watching and shipping industries. The estimated willingness to pay (WTP) for different levels of marine mammal recovery ranged from $77 to $229 per year per household and varied according to the species affected and the recovery program effort. A series of tests revealed that people would be willing to pay more for programs that contribute to greater increases in marine mammal populations, but the additional value of programs that improve a species status beyond the “at risk” threshold is relatively small.     

冬季中纬度海气相互作用与长江中下游汛期旱涝预测

中纬度海洋的热力状况对大气环流的维持和变化起着重要的作用,尤其在冬季。汛期的研究表明,冬季黑潮海域海表面水温(SST)与长江中下游和华北平原汛期降水有密切的关系(中国科学院大气物理研究所长期预报组,1978),夏季阿留申海域的SST异常与北太平洋上空大气环流场和后期秋季美国的气温和降水亦存在有意义的关系(Namias,1976)。赵永平(1986a;赵永平, McBean,1996)和Zhao and McBean(1989)曾用北太平洋海洋对大气加热场资料详细地分析了其时空分布特征,揭露了黑潮及邻近海域海洋异常加热对同期和后期半年至一年北半球大气环流的影响事实,并提出用海洋异常加热对同期和后期大气环流作用的反相性假说来进行解释。以上研究表明,冬季中纬度海洋异常加热与大气环流的异常和我国汛期旱涝之间存在一定的联系。 冬季黑潮和湾流海域是中纬度海洋的两个巨大热源,它们对同期和后期大气环流有重要影响。本文研究了冬季中纬度黑潮和湾流海域海洋异常加热对夏季副热带高压和中高纬度西风环流的影响,讨论了长江中下游汛期旱涝前期冬季和同期大气环流型。结果表明,冬季东亚和北美冷空气都强时,黑潮和湾流海域对大气异常多加热,夏季西太副热带高压、乌山和鄂海阻塞高压多趋减弱,中纬环流平直,形成长江中下游偏旱的环流形势；反之,西太副热带高压、乌山和鄂海阻塞高压多趋加强,中纬槽脊系统明显,形成长江中下游偏涝的环流场。本文还对可能的物理过程进行了讨论。     

Stable isotopic ratios of lead in surface waters of the Central Pacific

The geographic variation in the isotopic composition of lead in surface waters of the central Pacific provides new evidence of the global anthropogenic perturbation of the element's cycle. Ratios of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb decrease from 1.196 in the northern hemisphere (19°N, 158°W) to 1.176 in the southern hemisphere (15°S, 150°W). This decrease parallels the geographic variation in surface concentrations of soluble lead which decrease from 13 ng kg^?1 at the northern station to 4 ng kg^?1 at the southern station. Both the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb and the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁸Pb ratios of those waters fit between the isotopic ratios of Australian (Broken Hill) and North American (Mississippi Valley) leads which are the predominant sources of leads in anthropogenic emissions to the Pacific Ocean basin.