A multi-national, multi-parameter marine study of the western Solomon Sea and Region

A geological /geophysical survey of the western Solomon Sea and Manus Basin, northeastern Bismarck Sea, was carried out in 1983-84. The results of the survey and associated studies are reported in this issue and a later issue ofGeo-Marine Letters.     

Fate of the Black Sea Acartia clausi and Acartia tonsa (Copepoda) penetrating into the Marmara Sea through the Bosphorus

In October 2005 spatial distribution of live and dead Acartia clausi and Acartia tonsa was studied in the Black and Marmara Seas and near the Marmara Sea inlet of the Bosphorus, in order to understand their fate upon transportation between two seas. The morphometric characteristics in both species from all studied areas, and the decreased abundance of A. clausi and A. tonsa from the Black Sea towards the Marmara Sea indicate that the Marmara Sea Acartia populations are formed by recruitment from the Black Sea. We observed mass mortality of A. clausi in the Marmara Sea near the Prince Islands. The majority of carcasses (66% of total A. clausi numbers in the Marmara Sea) were found in the salinity gradient layer.     

Spatial demography of Calanus finmarchicus in the Irminger Sea

Continuous Plankton Recorder data suggest that the Irminger Sea supports a major proportion of the surface-living population of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus in the northern North Atlantic, but there have been few studies of its population dynamics in the region. In this paper, we document the seasonal changes in the demographic structure of C. finmarchicus in the Irminger Sea from a field programme during 2001/2002, and the associations between its developmental stages and various apparent bio-physical zones. Overwintering stages were found widely at depth (>500 m) across the Irminger Sea, and surviving females were widely distributed in the surface waters the following spring. However, recruitment of the subsequent generation was concentrated around the fringes of the Irminger Sea basin, along the edges of the Irminger and East Greenland Currents, and not in the central basin. In late summer animals were found descending back to overwintering depths in the Central Irminger Sea. The key factors dictating this pattern of recruitment appear to be (a) the general circulation regime, (b) predation on eggs in the spring, possibly by the surviving G0 stock, and (c) mortality of first feeding naupliar stages in the central basin where food concentrations appear to be low throughout the year.We compared the demographic patterns in 2001/2002 with observations from the only previous major survey in 1963 and with data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) surveys. In both previous data sets, the basic structure of G0 ascent from the central basin and G1 recruitment around the fringes was a robust feature, suggesting that it is a recurrent phenomenon. The Irminger Sea is a complex mixing zone between polar and Atlantic water masses, and it has also been identified as a site of sporadic deep convection. The physical oceanographic characteristics of the region are therefore potentially sensitive to climate fluctuations. Despite this, the abundance of C. finmarchicus in the region, as measured by the CPR surveys, appears not to have responded to climate factors linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation Index, in contrast with the stocks in eastern Atlantic areas. We speculate that this may because biological factors (production and mortality), rather than transport processes are the key factors affecting the population dynamics in the Irminger Sea.     

Spatial and seasonal distribution of adult Oithona similis in the Southern Ocean: Predictions using boosted regression trees

We applied a multivariate statistical modelling technique called boosted regression trees to derive relationships between environmental conditions and the distribution of the adult stage of the cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis in the Southern Ocean. Nearly 20 000 samples from the Southern Ocean Continuous Plankton Recorder survey (87% from East Antarctica) were used to model the probability of detection (presence) and relative abundance of adults of this zooplankton species in surface waters. We demonstrate that it is possible to obtain reasonable models for both the presence (area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve of 0.77) and relative abundance (28–35% variance explained) of adult O. similis between November and March in much of the Southern Ocean. No investigation was possible where the environmental characteristics were not well represented by the SO-CPR dataset, namely, the Argentine shelf, Weddell Sea, and the frontal region north of the Amundsen Sea, or under sea-ice. Our analyses support the hypothesis that adult O. similis abundance is related to environmental conditions in a broadly similar way throughout the Southern Ocean. Compared to a compilation of net-haul data from the literature, the abundance model explained 34% of the variance in surface concentrations of adult stages of this species, and 23–59% of the variance in depth-integrated abundance of copepodite and adult stages combined. The models show higher occurrence and elevated abundances in a broad circumpolar band between the Antarctic Polar Front and the southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (approximately 54–64°S). Evidence of diel vertical migration by adults of this species north of 65°S was found, with surface abundances 20% higher at night than during the day. There was no evidence of diel migration south of 65°S. Five potential “hotspots” of adult O. similis were identified: in the southern Scotia Sea, two areas off east Antarctica, in the frontal zone north of the Amundsen Sea, and a small area in the outer Bellingshausen Sea. We recommend that a database of all available net-haul data on Oithona similis in the Southern Ocean be created to facilitate further investigations on the circumpolar distribution of this species.     

Mechanisms for outbreak ofHeterosigma akashiwo red tide in Osaka Bay,Japan

Growth-limiting nutrients of the red tide flagellateHeterosigma akashiwo in Osaka Bay, the Seto Inland Sea, were examined using the method of algal growth potential. The growth yield ofH. akashiwo was enhanced by addition of chelated iron to filtered seawater, but not by the addition of nitrogen, phosphorus or vitamins. An areal survey conducted in June 1981 demonstrated that the concentration of soluble iron in the surface seawater was highest in the southeastern part of Osaka Bay where salinity was less than 30‰ and iron was correlated with the concentration ofH. akashiwo. Increased supply of chelated iron caused by the increase in river runoff during the rainy season is a crucial factor involved in outbreaks ofH. akashiwo red tides in Osaka Bay.     

Latitudinal changes (6°S-20°N) of summer ciliate abundance and species compositions in surface waters from the Java Sea to the South China Sea

Ciliates play a curial role in energy transfer from pico-and nano-phytoplankton to mesozooplankton in marine ecosystems. In order to visualize their geographical distributions from the Java Sea to the South China Sea (6°S to 20°N), the authors investigated the ciliate abundance and species composition in surface waters during May 18 to 27 of 2010. The ciliate abundance decreased latitudinally from 3 080 ind./L (～6°S) to 40 ind./L (～3°N), and then increased to 1 180 ind./L (～16°N) at the end of the survey. A total of 22 ciliates belonging to 15 genera were identified with the tintinnids accounted for 50% (11 species); and the species number showed a same spatial change as the ciliate abundance. Moreover, the Strombidium occupied over 50% of total ciliate abundance in most stations and Mesodinium and Tintinnopsis contributed to about 18.7% and 11.4%, respectively. In particular, our results indicate that the geographical changes in ciliate abundance were positively regulated by larger nano-and micro-phytoplankton biomass, rather than smaller pico-phytoplankton in the investigated waters.     

Innovating for change in global fisheries governance: an introduction

On 23 September 2016, a workshop entitled “Innovating for change in global fisheries governance” was held in Tromsø, hosted by the K. G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea (JCLOS) at the Faculty of Law of UiT, The Arctic University of Norway. The aim of the workshop was to address the following question: How can international law be used as an innovative mechanism for change in global fisheries governance? Seven of the papers presented at the workshop, each one addressing a particular aspect of this overarching question, are published here in this special issue of Marine Policy.     

Abundance and distribution of Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa,Rhizostomeae), in Korean waters in 2005–2013

Nemopilema nomurai have appeared massively since 2003 in Korean waters, and regular offshore monitoring has been performed since 2005 in the eastern Yellow Sea (YS), northwestern East China Sea (ECS), Korean southern waters (Ksw), and western East Sea (ES). Korea Jellyfish Monitoring Network (KoJEM) was established in 2006 for coastal jellyfish monitoring. From these, sight survey monitoring data were gathered and analyzed to extract the yearly and seasonal fluctuation of N. nomurai’s abundance and distribution. The first massive annual appearance of N. nomurai occurred in the northwestern ECS, off Shanghai, China, in mid May of 2005–2008 and of 2012–2013. In other years or concurrently with the appearance in the northwestern ECS in the same year, several individuals were found in the mid-eastern YS and Ksw, and southwestern ES. The population of N. nomurai at the northwestern ECS moved to the southeastern YS and Jeju Strait in June, and from the July to August it extended its distribution all around the Korean peninsula and persisted till October. Since October, the distribution was retracted into the southern YS and Ksw, and disappeared slowly. N. nomurai’s yearly abundance varied a lot, from nearly 0 inds 10^?4m^?2 in 2010 to 62.4 inds 10^?4m^?2 in 2005. The highest abundance was recorded in 2005, followed by 2007 and 2009, and the least abundance was in 2008 and 2010–2013. The results were compared with those of the Liaoning Bay, Bohai Sea, which led to speculation about a new seeding place of N. nomurai, and mortality during the early planktonic phase of N. nomurai was proposed as the determinant of the yearly variation in abundance.     

The biology and ecology of Centropages typicus: An introduction

We briefly introduce the different chapters of this special issue which review the current knowledge and understanding of the biology and ecology of Centropages typicus obtained over the last 30 years. The papers are grouped into two major theme areas: the first five papers review behaviour, feeding, metabolism, growth and development, and reproduction, and the four following papers have a regional focus dealing with temporal and spatial distribution in the Mediterranean Sea and in the North Atlantic shelf areas. The findings reviewed in the two groups of papers converge to explain why C. typicus is such a very successful copepod species in these coastal areas. In the different chapters, similarities and differences with congeneric species (C. velificatus, C. hamatus, C. brachiatus, C. chierchiae, C. furcatus, and C. abdominalis) have been explored where these are known.     

Neogene sapropels in the Mediterranean: a review

For 50 years the existence of sapropels (organic-carbon-rich sediments) deposited within Plio–Pleistocene sediments of the Mediterranean Sea has been known. Initially, research concentrated on material recovered in relatively short gravity/piston cores taken from the eastern basins where sequences were found to be well developed/preserved and had extensive spatial coverage. In the main, previous studies concentrated upon establishing a workable stratigraphy, spatial correlation of individual layers and determining the probable depositional mechanisms. However, despite a plethora of research papers, some issues still remain unresolved. This is in part due to a lack of agreement between investigators; sampling and analytical short comings, restricted sample size and the fact that, in many instances, like was not being compared with like. Recently, the limit of sapropels in the western basin has been further extended. As a result, the palaeoceanographic/palaeoclimate models which had previously been developed for deposition of sapropels in the eastern basin have been modified. Most recently, strong links have been established between astronomical cyclicity and sapropel formation. This review paper provides a summary of sapropel research to date, and ongoing sapropel research in the Mediterranean, some of which appears in this thematic issue of Marine Geology. It is fitting that this thematic issue of Marine Geology be dedicated to the memory of Colette Vergnaud-Grazzini and Rob Kidd who in many ways helped to initiate the resurgence in sapropel studies in the 1970s in the Mediterranean —perhaps in 50 more years we will know all of the answers!     

Precision of high-resolution multibeam echo sounding coupled with high-accuracy positioning in a shallow water coastal environment

Over 4 years, repetitive bathymetric measurements of a shipwreck in the Grådyb tidal inlet channel in the Danish Wadden Sea were carried out using a state-of-the-art high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) coupled with a real-time long range kinematic (LRK?) global positioning system. Seven measurements during a single survey in 2003 (n=7) revealed a horizontal and vertical precision of the MBES system of ±20 and ±2 cm, respectively, at a 95% confidence level. By contrast, four annual surveys from 2002 to 2005 (n=4) yielded a horizontal and vertical precision (at 95% confidence level) of only ±30 and ±8 cm, respectively. This difference in precision can be explained by three main factors: (1) the dismounting of the system between the annual surveys, (2) rougher sea conditions during the survey in 2004 and (3) the limited number of annual surveys. In general, the precision achieved here did not correspond to the full potential of the MBES system, as this could certainly have been improved by an increase in coverage density (soundings/m²), achievable by reducing the survey speed of the vessel. Nevertheless, precision was higher than that reported to date for earlier offshore test surveys using comparable equipment.     

The temporal and spatial variability of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass in the southeastern Yellow Sea, 2009-2011

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM) is one of the important water mass in the Yellow Sea(YS).It is distributed in the lower layer in the Yellow Sea central trough with the temperature less than 10 C and the salinity lower than 33.0.To understand the variability of the YSCWM,the hydrographic data obtained in April and August during 2009–2011 are analyzed in the southeastern Yellow Sea.In August 2011,relatively warm and saline water compared with that in 2009 and 2010 was detected in the lower layer in the Yellow Sea central area.Although the typhoon passed before the cruise,the salinity in the Yellow Sea central trough is much higher than the previous season.It means that the saline event cannot be explained by the typhoon but only by the intrusion of saline water during the previous winter.In April 2011,actually,warm and saline water(T >10 C,S >34) was observed in the deepest water depth of the southeastern area of the Yellow Sea.The wind data show that the northerly wind in 2011 winter is stronger than in 2009 and 2010 winter season.The strong northerly wind can trigger the intrusion of warm and saline Yellow Sea Warm Current.Therefore,it is proposed that the strong northerly wind in winter season leads to the intrusion of the Yellow Sea Warm Current into the Yellow Sea central trough and influenced a variability of the YSCWM in summer.     

春季东海有害藻华高发区仔稚鱼时空分布

根据2011年春季(3月29日—5月27日)海洋综合调查,对东海有害藻华高发水域(28°15′36″~30°30′16″N、121°52′36″~123°15′6″E)的仔稚鱼种类组成、时空分布以及主要优势种与环境因子的相关性进行了探讨。调查共采集到仔稚鱼27种,前几位优势种分别为日本鳀Engraulis japonicus、鰕虎科sp.(Gobiidae sp.)、六丝钝尾鰕虎Amblychaeturichthys hexanema、小黄鱼Larimichthys polyactis,该4种占据了总丰度的91.23%。优势种丰度和发育阶段组成的时空变化显示,日本鳀在调查期间有两次产卵小高峰,其仔鱼孵化后向岸漂流;小黄鱼和六丝钝尾鰕虎在此期间只有一次产卵高峰,其仔鱼在舟山群岛邻近水域进行保育。可以看出,调查水域及邻近水域是部分鱼类产卵,仔稚鱼保育、向岸漂流的场所或途径,是鱼类早期生活史中重要生境,一旦暴发有害藻华,补充群体将受到不良影响。多元分析结果显示,所选环境因子对几位优势种仔稚鱼的分布影响不大,推测产卵场位置和保育方式可能是更重要的原因。     

白令海特征区域的表层沉积硅藻分布及其古海洋学意义

对白令海表层沉积物样品进行硅藻分析,共鉴定硅藻30属56种(含变种),并确定17种硅藻新记录,其中包括Kisseieviella carina等3种化石种。白令海表层沉积物中的硅藻优势种为Neodenticula seminae,Fragilariopsis cylindrus和Fragilariopsis oceanica,在白令海北部陆坡深水区附近以Neodenticula seminae为主,而在白令海北部陆架以Fragilariopsis cylindrus和Fragilariopsis oceanica为主。对硅藻结果进行聚类分析,可以划分出3个硅藻组合,硅藻组合Ⅰ代表海冰种硅藻组合,组合Ⅱ代表受阿拉斯加流影响的大洋浮游硅藻组合,组合Ⅲ代表上述两个硅藻组合之间的过渡组合。Fossula arctica是17种硅藻新记录之一,首次记录于白令海表层沉积物中,其百分含量分布趋势与Fragilariopsis cylindrus和Fragilariopsis oceanica的相近,在白令海北部陆架为11.7%~17.1%,而在陆坡深水区附近明显减少,是继Fragilariopsis cylindrus和Fragilariopsis oceanica之后白令海又一海冰指示种,并有望成为一种有效的海冰变化替代物运用于晚第四纪以来白令海海冰进退历史研究。     

The oxygen isotope composition of water masses within the North Sea

Based on measurements of the ¹⁸O isotope composition of 247 samples collected over a 3-year period we have assessed the oxygen isotope composition of water masses in the North Sea. This is the first δ¹⁸O data set that covers the entire North Sea basin. The waters lie on a mixing line: δ¹⁸O (‰_VSMOW) = −9.300 + 0.274(S) with North Atlantic sub-polar mode water (SPMW) and surface waters, and Baltic Sea water representing the saline and freshwater end members respectively. Patterns exhibited in surface and bottom water δ¹⁸O distributions are representative of the general circulation of the North Sea. Oxygen-18 enriched waters from the North Atlantic enter the North Sea between Scotland and Norway and to a lesser extent through the English Channel. In contrast, oxygen-18 depleted waters mainly inflow from the Baltic Sea, the rivers Rhine and Elbe, and to a lesser degree, the Norwegian Fjords and other river sources. Locally the δ¹⁸O–salinity relationship will be controlled by the isotopic composition of the freshwater inputs. However, the range of local freshwater compositions around the North Sea basin is too narrow to characterise the relative contributions of individual sources to the overall seawater composition. This dataset provides important information for a number of related disciplines including biogeochemical research and oceanographic studies.     

No microzooplankton grazing during a Mediopyxis helysia dominated diatom bloom

The new diatom species Mediopyxis helysia was described to science from clones found in 2003 in the North Sea, northern Wadden Sea, and the Gulf of Maine. Seven years after its first occurrence, we observed Mediopyxis to contribute up to almost 50% of the biovolume of the diatoms during a diatom spring bloom in the western Wadden Sea. Grazing experiments based on the dilution technique could not detect any microzooplankton grazing impact on the bloom community. Mediopyxis is now also well established in the western Wadden Sea and does have the potential to become a dominant species. The reasons for its success remain largely unresolved but avoidance of being grazed might be one factor. Future research on this new species is needed to understand the success and forecast the ecological footprint of this large diatom species arriving in the western European Seas.     

夏季南海东北部和东海陆架浮游植物群落结构昼夜变化的比较研究

于2008年和2009年夏季分别对南海东北部和东海陆架区浮游植物生物量和群落结构的昼夜变化进行了24 h时间序列连续观测和研究。通过高效液相色谱法分析浮游植物特征光合色素可以看出3个测站的叶绿素a浓度均呈现出明显的昼夜变化,最高值出现在夜间,而在中午至午后达到最低值,而这种昼夜变化主要是由于光照和潮汐作用所导致。各站均以硅藻为最主要的优势类群,受上升流影响的S702站硅藻生物量超过80%,S305和DH04站硅藻也占据了35%~50%,且3个测站硅藻生物量昼夜变化与叶绿素a一致,但所占生物量百分比却在叶绿素a高值的时间段较低,表明高生物量对应着更为丰富的浮游植物类群组成多样性。除硅藻外,S305站青绿藻也表现出与叶绿素a同步的昼夜变化规律。而在东海DH04站,由于存在明显层化特征,聚球藻是上混合层的主要优势类群,且表现出与叶绿素a一致的变化。黎明前后,甲藻出现了暴发式的生物量升高,所占生物量超过30%,由于其昼夜变化并不明显,分析可能由于水团的侧向输送所致。     

A high-resolution,multi-channel,over-sea-ice seismic reflection survey over the Mackay Sea Valley,Granite Harbor,Antarctica

In the austral summer of 2007, 20.5 km of high-resolution over-sea-ice seismic reflection data were collected in the Granite Harbor region of southern McMurdo Sound over the Mackay Sea Valley. The goal of the survey was to image thin pelagic sediment deposited in the Mackay Sea Valley after the Last Glacial Maximum. A generator–injector air gun was lowered beneath the sea ice through holes drilled by an auger drill system. The recording system was a 60 channel snow streamer with vertically oriented gimbaled geophones spaced 25 m apart. Unique problems in the over-sea-ice seismic reflection survey—noise from the ice column flexing and timing delays caused by trapped air at previous shot points—were overcome to improve the quality of the seismic data. The Mackay Sea Valley survey produced seismic data with a vertical resolution of 6.3 m. The processed seismic data show pelagic sediment thickness of up to 50 m within the Mackay Sea Valley with some locations showing possible older sediments beneath the pelagic sediment layer.     

Distribution of Mytilus taxa in European coastal areas as inferred from molecular markers

The genetic constitution of mussels (Mytilus spp.) was studied by means of three nuclear (Me 15/16, EF-bis, ITS) and one mtDNA (ND2-COIII) marker on a large European scale. In addition to a sharp cline between Atlantic and Mediterranean M. galloprovincialis, we observed a clear genetic distinction between the Black Sea and Mediterranean populations and a higher incidence of M. trossulus than reported so far in northern European populations. The frequency of M. galloprovincialis nuclear alleles was high along the Iberian Peninsula and decreased abruptly along the French coasts with a high frequency of M. edulis alleles in the Bay of Biscay, The Netherlands, Germany, Iceland, Barents and White Seas, and with little evidence of introgression between the two taxa. M. trossulus alleles were observed in the Baltic Sea and Danish Straits as expected. In addition, occurrence of M. trossulus alleles in cold waters of Iceland, Barents Sea and White Sea is reported for the first time.     

鱼耳石碳氧同位素在黄、渤海小黄鱼种群识别中的应用

Oxygen and carbon isotope ratios(δ~(18)O and δ~(13)C) in otoliths were used to identify the stock structure of small yellow croaker,Larimichthys polyactis.Otoliths were collected from fish at five locations across the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea representing most of their distributional range and fisheries areas.The significant differences in the isotopic signatures showed that the five locations could be chemically distinguished and clearly separated,indicating stock subdivision.Correlation of δ~(18)O and δ~(13)C values suggested that population of L.polyactis could be divided into the Bohai Sea group,the southern Yellow Sea group and the central Yellow Sea group.Discriminant analysis of δ~(18)O and δ~(13)C values demonstrated a high significant difference with 85.7% classification accuracy.The spatial separation of L.polyactis indicated a complex stock structure across the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea.These results indicate that optimal fisheries management may require a comprehensive consideration on the current spatial arrangements.This study has provided further evidence that measurement of the stable isotopes ratios in otolith can be a valuable tool in the delineation of fishery management units.