Forecasting El Niño and La Niña events using decision tree classifier

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon affects the global climate by changing temperature and precipitation patterns mainly in tropical...     

Protective effect of phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) against lipid peroxidation in mussels Perna perna exposed to different metals

Levels of antioxidant defenses and lipid peroxidation were evaluated in mussels exposed to lead (200 mg/l), iron (500 microg/l), cadmium (200 microg/l) and copper (40 microg/l), for 12, 24, 72 and 120 h. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was unchanged with all treatments. Catalase (CAT) increased after 120 h of exposure to all metals. Mussels exposed to Cd for 12 h, and to Cu and Fe for 120 h had increased lipid peroxidation, which might be associated to decreased levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. Pb exposure caused GSH depletion after 12 h and increased GPx activity after 120 h. Negative correlations were observed between the enzyme phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) and malonaldehyde (MDA) levels after Fe and Cu exposure, indicating a protective role of PHGPx against lipid peroxidation, and suggesting the use of this enzyme as a new potential biomarker of toxicity associated with contaminant exposure in mussels.     

El Niño related interannual variations in biological production in the North Pacific as evidenced by satellite and ship data

A recently proposed method for estimating nitrate and new production from remotely sensed data (Goes and Goes) allowed us to observe significant deviations from the normal in the quantum of winter-time nitrate injected into the euphotic column and its consumption by phytoplankton in the North Pacific following the El Niño event of 1997. Results from this study allowed us to observe large differences in the ways in which the El Niño event affected the western and the eastern margins of the North Pacific basin. For the western North Pacific, a long-term (1972–1992) historical record of oceanographic data provided us with clear evidence supporting of our findings from satellite observations. In the eastern North Pacific Ocean also, our results compared well with those previously reported (Wong, Whitney, Matear, & Iseki, 1998). While it is clear from this study that El Niño/La Niña oscillations can have a major influence on interannual variations in biological processes in the North Pacific, these results also serve to highlight the value of remote sensing as a tool for studying large regional to basin-scale biological oceanographic events.     

Population Dynamics and Secondary Production of Emerita brasiliensis (Crustacea: Hippidae) at Prainha Beach, Brazil

Abstract. The secondary production and population dynamics of the mole crab Emerita brasiliensis Schmitt, 1935 (Decapoda: Hippidae) were studied by taking monthly samples from June 1993 to May 1995 at each of three intertidal transects at Prainha beach, Brazil. The lifespan was ca. 8 months for males and females, but females showed higher growth, mortality, secondary production, and turnover rate. The higher production in spring versus autumn and winter was related to intense recruitment during that period. The population production was estimated at between 39.86 and 46.88 g (AFDW) · m^?2 · a^?1 for the first year (June 93–May 94) and between 150.95 and 156.07 g (AFDW) · m^?2 · a^?1 for the second year (June 94–May 95); the mean annual biomass was 4.91 and 23.09 g (AFDW) · m^?2, respectively. High P/B rates, between ca. 6 and 9 · a^?1, reflected the fast growth, high mortality, and low lifespan of the population, characterized by a high percentage of recently recruited individuals.     

Productivity cycles in the coastal upwelling area off Concepción: The importance of diatoms and bacterioplankton in the organic carbon flux

Recurrent coastal upwelling is recognized as one of the main factors promoting the exceptionally high productivity of the Humboldt Current System. Herein, we study time series data of gross primary production (2003-2006) and its fluctuation in relation to seasonal changes in the light and nutrient field of the Concepción upwelling ecosystem. Concurrent measurements of gross primary production, community respiration, bacterial secondary production, and sedimentation rates allowed a characterization of the main carbon fluxes and pathways in the study area. The integrated values of gross primary production were higher during the upwelling period (>1 g C m⁻² d⁻¹; October-April; that is, early spring to early austral fall). Seasonal changes in the system were also reflected in community respiration, organic matter sedimentation, and bacterial production rates, which varied along with the gross primary production. The significant correlation between gross primary production and community respiration (Spearman, r = 0.7; p < 0.05; n = 18) reflected an important degree of coupling between organic matter formation and its usage by the microplanktonic community during periods when gross primary production/community respiration were highly similar. Higher gross primary production values (>6 g C m⁻² d⁻¹) were consistently associated with maximum biomass levels of Skeletonema costatum and Thalassiosira subtilis. We observed a positive correlation between gross primary production and the sedimentation of intact diatom cells (Spearman, r = 0.5, p < 0.05, n = 17). Our data suggest that, in the Concepción upwelling ecosystem, bacteria utilize an important fraction of the gross primary production. If our interpretations are correct, they leave unanswered the question of how the system supports the extremely high fish biomass levels, therein pointing out the system’s limited capacity to buffer the evasion of CO₂ following upwelling.     

沿海水位和大尺度气候状态——降尺度技术在日本列岛的应用

沿海水位和大尺度气候状态——降尺度技术在日本列岛的应用     

Geochemistry of microgranular enclaves and host granite from Telões (Vila Pouca de Aguiar), Northern Portugal

At Telões, a subaluminous medium- to coarse-grained porphyritic biotite granite, crops out along the Vila Real NNE–SSW fault. It is a post-tectonic granite of 299±3 Ma old given by U–Pb isotopic data on zircon. It contains metaluminous to subaluminous tonalitic, granodioritic and monzogranitic enclaves. All granitoids have Fe²⁺-biotite and some enclaves contain magnesiohornblende and subsolidus actinolite. Monzogranitic enclaves show obvious similarities to the host granite. Linear array between enclaves and host granite is observed in Rb–Sr typical isochron diagram and gives the age of 286±11 Ma and (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)₀=0.7063±0.0011. Microgranular enclaves have δ¹⁸O values similar to those of the hosting granite. Microgranular enclaves are hybrid rocks probably formed by mixing between a tonalitic enclave magma and a host granite magma as supported by the modelling of major and trace elements. The similar isotopic signatures suggest a subsequent partial equilibration of the enclaves and granite magmas.