The use of benthic indicators in Europe: from the Water Framework Directive to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) are the European umbrella regulations for water systems. It is a challenge for the scientific community to translate the principles of these directives into realistic and accurate approaches. The aim of this paper, conducted by the Benthos Ecology Working Group of ICES, is to describe how the principles have been translated, which were the challenges and best way forward. We have tackled the following principles: the ecosystem-based approach, the development of benthic indicators, the definition of ‘pristine’ or sustainable conditions, the detection of pressures and the development of monitoring programs. We concluded that testing and integrating the different approaches was facilitated during the WFD process, which led to further insights and improvements, which the MSFD can rely upon. Expert involvement in the entire implementation process proved to be of vital importance.     

Terminology and symbols for use in studies of electromagnetic induction in the Earth

Induction studies currently suffer from a bewildering number of terms describing the same phenomenon, by definitions which are incompatible and by diverse and confusing presentation methods. IAGA Working Group I-2 (Electromagnetic Induction in the Earth) established an ad hoc Semantics Committee charged with proposing a set of standard terminologies and presentation methods for use in geomagnetic induction studies. The main text of this paper details the proposed standards following much involvement with the induction community. Background information detailing this involvement is given in a series of appendices.     

中国空间风暴探测计划和国际与日共存计划

本文首先概要地介绍了国际与日共存（International Living With a Star, ILWS）计划的目的、组织机构及ILWS第一次和第二次工作会议的情况.中国国家航天局于2003年4月正式参加了ILWS计划,并参加第一次和第二次工作会议.中方代表在会上提出了中国参加ILWS的建议,报告了中国新提出的“空间风暴探测计划”.现双星计划已被列为2006年以前的ILWS项目,“空间风暴探测计划”已被列为ILWS第一阶段的重要项目.本文概要地介绍了空间风暴探测计划项目的需求,主要目标和研究内容,有效载荷、轨道方案以及空间风暴计划的进度计划等.     

Macrobenthic community for assessment of estuarine health in tropical areas (Northeast, Brazil): Review of macrofauna classification in ecological groups and application of AZTI Marine Biotic Index

The aim of the present study was to investigate the ecological quality of tropical estuaries on the northeastern coast of Brazil using the AMBI. Macrofauna classification based on ecological groups was reviewed using the Indicator Value (IndVal) coefficient. The results indicate that the ecosystems exhibit some level of disturbance. Most sites are situated between slightly-moderately disturbed boundaries due to the higher proportion of Nematoda (assigned here as Ecological Group I) and of Oligochaeta and Tubificidae (both classified as Ecological Group V). The AMBI proved efficient in evaluating environmental status, although the applicability of this index requires adjustments regarding some species in ecological groups. The present study also highlights the merits of the IndVal method for examining the assignments of species/taxa to an ecological group and demonstrates the validity of this coefficient is an assessment tool. Moreover, the complementary use of different methods is recommended for the assessment of ecosystem quality.     

Modelling the release to the Kara Sea of radioactive waste from the icebreaker Lenin: Version II

In progressing its work for the International Arctic Seas Assessment Project (IASAP), under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Source Term Working Group has developed a FORTRAN model to predict a radiation release profile into the Kara Sea from reactor fuel and activated components of the nuclear icebreaker Lenin. The model accounts for the degradation of containment materials through corrosion and other mechanisms, and predicts annual release rates to 4500 years into the future. Version I of the model was developed as a spreadsheet program from the original data gathered by the Working Group and the results were published by Timms et al. (1994); revised information on the method of disposal necessitated a change to the program, which is presented in this paper as Version II. The model is being applied to other marine reactors dumped in the Kara Sea in a programme of work for the IASAP aimed at assessing the collective release profile from all significant dump sites in this region.     

Monitoring of East Channel dredge areas benthic fish population and its implications

Regional annual sampling of commercial fish stocks formed a high priority for monitoring studies attendant with the granting of aggregate dredging licenses in the Eastern Channel Region (ECR) which had previously not been dredged. An assessment of 4 m beam trawl sampling between 2005 and 2008 following the granting of licences in 2006 is provided. The majority of fish species have shown marked reductions in abundance since commencement of dredging. Draghead entrainment has been identified as a possible contributory cause based upon the known vulnerability of selected species (Drabble, 2012). Other environmental factors considered offer no explanation for the changes in abundance. Comparative analyses with ICES data for plaice and sole over the study period demonstrate that changes in the ECR do not result from seasonal flux in the wider populations. An alternative impact model and potential mitigation measures are suggested.     

Assessing the suitability of OSPAR EcoQOs for eutrophication vs ICES criteria for England and Wales

This paper provides a preliminary evaluation of the suitability of OSPAR Ecological Quality objectives for eutrophication for coastal and offshore waters of England and Wales on the basis of ICES criteria. In principle, EcoQOs are easy to understand, but responses to nutrient enrichment are complex. Few studies provide unequivocal evidence of links between inputs and response. Monitoring is generally feasible and in place, but needs to be improved. The best EcoQO is winter nutrient concentrations. Chlorophyll concentrations are a good indicator in environments susceptible to nutrient enrichment. The EcoQO for zoobenthos/fish kills potentially meets all criteria for a good indicator; EcoQOs for phytoplankton indicator species, oxygen concentrations and zoobenthos changes do not. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on seasonal effects of nutrient inputs and phytoplankton response, natural susceptibility of different water bodies, differences between coastal and offshore environments, and developing longer time series of data.     

Aquaculture and transport in a changing environment: overlap and links in the spread of alien biota

Aquaculture has been practiced for some millennia. The speed and access of different transport modes in the spread of cultured species, their pests, parasites, diseases and associates, has changed over this time. There now exists an overlap and interlinking of different transport networks with further routes planned. Coupled with environmental changes and habitat alterations alien biota are presented with further opportunities to become more widely distributed. The certainty of the responsible pathway for the arrival of an alien species is not always easily deduced unless imported directly. A scheme for classifying different levels of certainty is proposed. Aquaculture itself consists of different cultivation intensities ranging from part to all of a species life-history and are classified accordingly in this account. It is inevitable that further species intended for cultivation will be utilized in different world regions and that other biota, some considered to be harmful, will also be transmitted. Nevertheless there are codes of practice such as those used by the IMO and ICES that can reduce some risks.     

The Anthropocene: is there a geomorphological case?

The ‘Anthropocene’, as used to describe the interval of recent Earth history during which humans have had an ‘overwhelming’ effect on the Earth system, is now being formally considered as a possible new geological Epoch. Such a new geological time interval (possibly equivalent to the Pleistocene Epoch) requires both theoretical justification as well as empirical evidence preserved within the geological record. Since the geological record is driven by geomorphological processes that produce terrestrial and near‐shore stratigraphy, geomorphology has to be an integral part of this consideration. For this reason, the British Society for Geomorphology (BSG) has inaugurated a Fixed Term Working Group to consider this issue and advise the Society on how geomorphologists can engage with debates over the Anthropocene. This ESEX Commentary sets out the initial case for the formalisation of the Anthropocene and a priori considerations in the hope that it will stimulate debate amongst, and involvement by, the geomorphological community in what is a crucial issue for the discipline. The Working Group is now considering the practical aspects of such a formalization including the relative magnitude problem, the boundary problem and the spatial diachrony of ‘anthropogenic geomorphology’. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

地震科学探测台阵无线监控技术

地震科学探测台阵是开展地震学综合研究的大型野外观测系统,可根据观测目的布置在一定区域内进行连续观测。其特点是数量大、分布广,台站工作状况易受外部环境的影响。实际工作中迫切需要掌握流动地震仪的工作状态,而人工巡台工作量大,时效性不能保证。流动地震仪器工作状态的监控对于野外流动观测具有重要意义。我们采用虚拟网络（VPN）技术,通过无线（CDMA／GPRS）通讯方式组成局域网,实现了科学探测台阵总控中心一流动监控中心一观测仪器间的实时通讯,可方便、快速地对大量流动观测台进行实时监控和数据传输,显著提高了远程仪器维护的工作效率,便于提高观测质量。     

Repeated Intermittent Earthquake Cycles in the San Francisco Bay Region

Forecasts of future earthquake hazard in the San Francisco Bay region (SFBR) are dependent on the distribution used for the possible magnitude of future events. Based on the limited observed data, it is not possible to statistically distinguish between many distributions with very different tail behavior. These include the modified and truncated Gutenberg–Richter distributions, and a composite distribution assembled by the Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities. There is consequent ambiguity in the estimated probability of very large, and hence damaging, events. A related question is whether the energy released in earthquakes is a small or large proportion of the stored energy in the crust, corresponding loosely to the ideas of self-organized criticality, and intermittent criticality, respectively. However, the SFBR has experienced three observed accelerating moment release (AMR) cycles, terminating in the 1868 Hayward, 1906 San Andreas and 1989 Loma Prieta events. A simple stochastic model based on elastic rebound has been shown to be capable of producing repeated AMR cycles in large synthetic catalogs. We propose that such catalogs can provide the basis of a test of a given magnitude distribution, via comparisons between the AMR properties of the real and synthetic data. Our results show that the truncated Gutenberg–Richter distribution produces AMR behavior closest to the observed AMR behavior. The proviso is that the magnitude parameters b and m _max are such that a sequence of large events that suppresses activity for several centuries is unlikely to occur. Repeated simulation from the stochastic model using such distributions produces 30-year hazard estimates at various magnitudes, which are compared with the estimates from the 2003 Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities.     

Petrochemistry and tectonic setting of mafic volcanic rocks in the Chon Daen–Wang Pong area,Phetchabun, Thailand

The mafic volcanic rocks and hypabyssal rocks in the Chon Dean‐Wang Pong area are possibly the southern extension of the western Loei Volcanic Sub‐belt, Northeast Thailand. They are least‐altered, and might have been formed in Permian–Triassic times. The rocks are commonly porphyritic, with different amounts of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, amphibole, Fe–Ti oxide, unknown mafic mineral, and apatite phenocrysts or microphenocrysts, and are uncommonly seriate textured. The groundmass mainly shows an intergranular texture, with occasionally hyalophitic, intersertal and ophitic–subophitic textures. The groundmass constituents have the same minerals as the phenocrysts or microphenocrysts and may contain altered glass. The groundmass plagioclase laths may show a preferred orientation. Chemically, the studied rock samples can be separated into three magmatic groups: Group I, Group II, and Group III. These magmatic groups are different in values for Ti/Zr ratios. The averaged Ti/Zr values for Group I, Group II, and Group III rocks are 83 ± 6, 46 ± 12, and 29 ± 5, respectively. In addition, the Group I rocks have higher P/Zr, but lower Zr/Nb relative to Group II and Group III rocks. The Group I and Group II rocks comprise tholeiitic andesite–basalt and microdiorite–microgabbro, while the Group III rocks are calc‐alkalic andesite and microdiorite. According to the magmatic affinities and the negative Nb anomalies on normal mid‐oceanic ridge basalt (N‐MORB) normalized multi‐element plot, arc‐related lavas are persuasive. The similarity between the studied lavas and the Quaternary lavas from the northern Kyukyu Arc, in terms of chondrite‐normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns and N‐MORB normalized multi‐element patterns, leads to a conclusion that the mafic volcanic rocks and hypabyssal rocks in the Chon Daen–Wang Pong area have been formed in a volcanic arc environment.     

Canada

Mr. Holden is in charge of the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory at Pitlochry. He has been engaged in freshwater and marine pollution research, particularly on organochlorines, for many years and has organized collaborative studies for both the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).     

Bridging the gap between field data and global models: current strategies in aeolian research

Modern global models of earth‐atmosphere‐ocean processes are becoming increasingly sophisticated but still require validation against empirical data and observations. This commentary reports on international initiatives amongst aeolian researchers that seek to combine field‐based data sets and geomorphological frameworks for improving the quality of data available to constrain and validate global models. These include a second iteration of the Dust Indicators and Records from Terrestrial Marine Palaeoenvironments (DIRTMAP2) database, the Digital Atlas of Sand Seas and Dunefields of the World and a new geomorphology‐based land surface map produced by the QUEST (Quantifying Uncertainties in the Earth System) Working Group on Dust. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High urine hippuric acid level among police working close to traffic in an urban area,Thailand: a preliminary study

Toluene is of particular concern because recent research indicating that toluene exposure can result in several toxicities. Hence, toluene exposure is of particular concern because of ongoing exposure to thousands of workers in the industrial plants. Determination of the urine hippuric acid level is accepted as a helpful for monitoring risk groups of workers. Apart from the industrial workers, there are other occupations with high risk for toluene exposure. In this study, we study another at-risk occupation, the police. In this study, 45 urine samples were obtained from 45 Thai police working close to traffic in an urban area for determination for urine hippuric acid level. The average urine hippuric acid level was 0.70 ± 0.70 mg/gCr, respectively. This average is significant higher than that of the control non-exposed Thais (P < 0.05). Working in the air pollution in the urban area can be health hazard for the police. Exposure to the toluene from automobile exhaust can be an important occupational problem for these police.     

International solar terrestrial energy programme and the UK participation

The Solar Terrestrial Energy Programme (STEP) aims to improve our general understanding of how mass, energy and momentum are transferred between the various regions that form the Solar Terrestrial environment. STEP began in 1990 and will continue until 1997, during which time a number of major new spacecraft and ground-based projects will become operational. Six Working Groups form the basis of STEP, covering topics such as the Sun as a source of energy and disturbance, energy and mass transfer through the interplanetary medium and the magnetosphere-ionosphere system, ionosphere-thermosphere coupling and response to energy and momentum inputs, middle atmosphere responses to forcing from above and below, solar variability effects in the human environment, and informatics. A Royal Astronomical Society Geophysics Discussion meeting took place in March 1992 to draw to the attention of UK scientists the diverse nature of STEP and the opportunities offered by STEP. This paper consists of individual sections prepared by the speakers at the meeting and which cover most of the STEP Working Group topics. The main aims of each section are to provide a benchmark for the present status of the research area and to look ahead to the possible contributions that UK scientists can make during STEP.     

Climatology of surface and near-bed temperature and salinity on the north-west European continental shelf for 1971–2000

A 30-year (1971–2000) temperature and salinity climatology is presented for surface and near-bed regions of the NW European shelf seas, with a resolution of 1/6^°$1/6^{°}$ longitude by 1/10^°$1/{10}^{°}$ latitude. The data have been extracted from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) data centre and supplemented by additional records from the World Ocean Data Centre (WODC). From the original data, which are irregularly distributed in space and time, the mean monthly temperature and salinity are calculated, as well as the climatic mean annual cycle. The climatology presented here is an improvement upon all existing climatologies presented in the literature for the NW European shelf; covering a wider area on a finer scale and including the surface and near-bed distribution of both temperature and salinity. Comparison of our data with existing climatologies shows good agreement, with differences occurring where our climatology is an improvement. This climatology, which will prove to be valuable to many users in the marine community, will be regularly updated and made available to all users via the ICES data centre.     

Experimentation at the interface of fluvial geomorphology,stream ecology and hydraulic engineering and the development of an effective,interdisciplinary river science

One ‘2020 vision’ for fluvial geomorphology is that it sits alongside stream ecology and hydraulic engineering as a key element of an integrated, interdisciplinary river science. A challenge to this vision is that scientists from these three communities may approach problems from different perspectives with different questions and have different methodological outlooks. Refining interdisciplinary methodology is important in this context, but raises a number of issues for geomorphologists, ecologists and engineers alike. In particular, we believe that it is important that there is greater dialogue about the nature of mutually‐valued questions and the adoption of mutually‐acceptable methods. As a contribution to this dialogue we examine the benefits and challenges of using physical experimentation in flume laboratories to ask interdisciplinary questions. Working in this arena presents the same challenges that experimental geomorphologists and engineers are familiar with (scaling up results, technical difficulties, realism) and some new ones including recognizing the importance of biological processes, identifying hydraulically meaningful biological groups, accommodating the singular behaviour of individuals and species, understanding biological as well as physical stimuli, and the husbandry and welfare of live organisms. These issues are illustrated using two examples from flume experiments designed (1) to understand how the movement behaviours of aquatic insects through the near‐bed flow field of gravelly river beds may allow them to survive flood events, and (2) how an understanding of the way in which fish behaviours and swimming capability are affected by flow conditions around artificial structures can lead to the design of effective fish passages. In each case, an interdisciplinary approach has been of substantial mutual benefit and led to greater insights than discipline‐specific work would have produced. Looking forward to 2020, several key challenges for experimentalists working on the interface of fluvial geomorphology, stream ecology and hydraulic engineering are identified. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lower crustal melting via magma underplating: Elemental and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic constraints from late Mesozoic intermediate–felsic volcanic rocks in the northeastern North China Block

Ar–Ar dating, major and trace element analyses, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope results of two groups of Lower Cretaceous (erupted at 126 and 119 Ma, respectively) intermediate–felsic lava from the northeastern North China Block (NCB) suggest their derivation from melting of mixtures between the heterogeneous lower crust and underplated basalts. Both groups exhibit high‐K calc‐alkaline to shoshonitic affinities, characterized by light rare earth element (LREE) and large ion lithophile element (LILE) enrichment and variable high field strength element (HFSE, e.g. Nb, Ta and Ti) depletion, and moderately radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd and Pb isotopic compositions. Compared with Group 2, Group 1 rocks have relatively higher K₂O and Al₂O₃/(CaO + K₂O + Na₂O) in molar ratio, higher HFSE concentrations and lower Nb/Ta ratios, and higher Sr–Nd–Pb isotope ratios. Group 1 rocks were derived from a mixture of an enriched mantle‐derived magma and a lower crust that has developed radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd and Pb isotopic compositions, whereas the Group 2 magmas were melts of another mixture between the same mantle‐derived component and another type of lower crust having even lower Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic ratios. Shift in source region from Group 1 to Group 2 coincided with a change in melting conditions: hydrous melting of both the underplated basalt and the lower crust produced the earlier high‐Nb and low‐Nb/Ta melts with little or no residual Ti‐rich phases; while the younger low‐Nb and high‐Nb/Ta magmas were melted under a water‐deficient system, in which Ti‐rich phases were retained in the source. Generation of the two groups of intermediate–felsic volcanic rocks was genetically linked with the contemporaneous magma underplating event as a result of lithospheric thinning in the eastern NCB.     

Distribution and source recognition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the sediments of Hsin-ta Harbour and adjacent coastal areas,Taiwan

Thirty-three sediment samples from Hsin-ta Harbour and neighboring coastal areas were analyzed by GC-MS for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Total concentrations of 30 analyzed parental and alkylated PAHs ( summation operator PAH) varied from 98.1 to 3382 ng/g dry weight. MP/P (methylphenanthrenes/phenanthrene) values larger than 2 coincided with very low P/A (phenanthrene/anthracene) values at inner harbour stations, revealing that a significant portion of low molecular weight PAHs are probably from petrogenic pollution sources, specifically, illegal disposal of used motor oil. The 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene/3,6-dimethylphenanthrene (4,6-C(2)D/3,6-C(2)P) ratio is found to be more useful than the MP/P ratio in tracing petrogenic PAHs from the inner harbour area to the adjacent coastal environment. In addition, according to hierarchical cluster analysis, collected sediments cluster in three major groups, Off-shore Group, Near-shore Group and Inner Harbour Group. Three diagnostic ratios, 4,6-C(2)D/3,6-C(2)P, PER/ summation operator PAH (perylene to summation operator PAH) and BaA/CHR (benzo(a)anthracene/chrysene), representing petrogenic, biogenic and pyrogenic origins, are found to be effective in differentiating and characterizing sediments among the groups in this study. Enrichment of pyrogenic and petrogenic PAHs in sediments collected exhibits mixing or dilution, spatially, by biogenic (or natural) PAHs.