Relict sand dredging for beach nourishment in the central Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy): effects on benthic assemblages

The aim of this study is to analyse the effects in space and time of relict sand-dredging activities on macrobenthic assemblages, in an area situated offshore Montalto di Castro (central Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), and to analyse the recolonisation processes of macrobenthos in the dredged areas. The area in question is characterised by relict sand deposits (Holocenic paleo-beaches), used for beach nourishment along the Latium coast. The effects of sand extraction on benthic assemblages were investigated before, during and after three dredging operations. The sites analysed are located within the dredged areas (inside stations) and in neighbouring, not dredged, areas (outside stations). The results showed that the impact of sand extraction was confined to the dredged stations and to the areas in proximity to the dredged areas. During dredging activities, the structure of benthic assemblages within the impacted stations was characterised by low species richness and diversity. Both the direct removal of sediment and the re-suspension and consequent deposition of fine sediment affected benthic assemblages of the impacted stations. A few months after the dredgings, a recolonisation process was still observed at all the impacted stations. A gradual recolonisation process was observed at those stations affected by only one dredging, whereas a different recolonisation was observed at those stations affected by two dredgings over time. This study suggests that differences of re-colonisation processes of benthic assemblages are related to the intensity of dredging operations in terms of dredging frequency.     

Revisiting Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) trophodynamics provides a new vision of the Humboldt Current system

The Peruvian anchovy or anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) forages on plankton and is a main prey for marine mammals, seabirds, fish, and fishers, and is therefore a key element of the food web in the Humboldt Current system (HCS). Here, we present results from the analysis of 21,203 anchoveta stomach contents sampled during 23 acoustic surveys over the period 1996–2003. Prey items were identified to the genus level, and the relative dietary importance of different prey was assessed by determination of their carbon content. Variability in stomach fullness was examined relative to the diel cycle, the distance from the coast, sea surface temperature, and latitude, using generalized additive models (GAMs). Whereas phytoplankton largely dominated anchoveta diets in terms of numerical abundance and comprised >99% of ingested prey items, the carbon content of prey items indicated that zooplankton was by far the most important dietary component, with euphausiids contributing 67.5% of dietary carbon followed by copepods (26.3%). Stomach fullness data showed that anchoveta feed mainly during daytime between 07h00 and 18h00, although night-time feeding also made a substantial contribution to total food consumption. Stomach fullness also varied with latitude, distance from the coast, and temperature, but with substantial variability indicating a high degree of plasticity in anchoveta feeding behaviour. The results suggest an ecological role for anchoveta that challenges current understanding of its position in the foodweb, the functioning of the HCS, and trophic models of the HCS.     

Trophic modeling of the Northern Humboldt Current Ecosystem, Part II: Elucidating ecosystem dynamics from 1995 to 2004 with a focus on the impact of ENSO

The Northern Humboldt Current Ecosystem is one of the most productive in the world in terms of fish production. Its location near to the equator permits strong upwelling under relatively low winds, thus creating optimal conditions for the development of plankton communities. These communities ultimately support abundant populations of grazing fish such as the Peruvian anchoveta, Engraulis ringens. The ecosystem is also subject to strong inter-annual environmental variability associated with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which has major effects on nutrient structure, primary production, and higher trophic levels. Here our objective is to model the contributions of several external drivers (i.e. reconstructed phytoplankton changes, fish immigration, and fishing rate) and internal control mechanisms (i.e. predator-prey) to ecosystem dynamics over an ENSO cycle. Steady-state models and time-series data from the Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE) from 1995 to 2004 provide the base data for simulations conducted with the program Ecopath with Ecosim. In simulations all three external drivers contribute to ecosystem dynamics. Changes in phytoplankton quantity and composition (i.e. contribution of diatoms and dino- and silicoflagellates), as affected by upwelling intensity, were important in dynamics of the El Niño of 1997–98 and the subsequent 3 years. The expansion and immigration of mesopelagic fish populations during El Niño was important for dynamics in following years. Fishing rate changes were the most important of the three external drivers tested, helping to explain observed dynamics throughout the modeled period, and particularly during the post-El Niño period. Internal control settings show a mix of predator–prey control settings; however a “wasp-waist” control of the ecosystem by small pelagic fish is not supported.     

Managing shark fishermen in southern Australia: A critique

This paper analyses effects of a shift from input to output controls in Australia's Southern Shark Fishery. We show that the use of two management tools—individual transferable quotas and a “partnership approach”—was flawed and argue that primary contributing causes were the unjustified expectation that quota management would serve as a ‘technical fix’ to a variety of presumed problems, the discounting of social effects and the extreme lack of stability in the organizational structure within which this fishery was situated.     

Sedimentary provenance in the central Ribeira belt based on laser-ablation ICPMSPb/Pb zircon ages

²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages from 420 zircons from 9 upper amphibolite and granulite facies quartzites of the post-1.8 Ga metasedimentary cover from the Occidental and Oriental terranes from the Neoproterozoic central Ribeira belt, in eastern Brazil, are discussed. Ages from the Occidental terrane show that Proterozoic ages predominate with a modal class at 2.1–2.2 Ga and that Archean ages are less common and lie within the 2.5–3.6 Ga range. A wider dispersion on Proterozoic ages down to 1.1 Ga and youngest Neoproterozoic ages (550–700 Ma) were also observed and could be related to the Brasiliano/PanAfrican metamorphic events. The data show that detrital sediments of the Occidental terrane were derived predominantly from erosion of a 1.8–2.2 Ga Paleoproterozoic terrane with a small proportion of a 2.6–3.6 Ga Archean crust. Ages from the Oriental terrane are greatly dispersed, but show a significant proportion of ages between 1.7 and 2.1 Ga, although the great majority are between 0.5 and 1.6 Ga. Only 3 out of 144 grains yield Archean ages, between 2.5 and 2.9 Ga. Based on the greatest errors observed on the data from the Oriental Terrane (100–300 Ma), and a continuum of obtained ages between 2072 Ma (Paleoproterozoic) and 517 Ma (Cambrian), the more plausible interpretation is that the dispersion of ages results from partial resetting of the U–Pb system by Brasiliano metamorphism in Proterozoic–Archean zircons, although a Mesoproterozoic source could not be discarded.     

The Cost(s) of Geospatial Open Data

The provision of open data by governments at all levels has rapidly increased over recent years. Given that one of the dominant motivations for the provision of open data is to generate ‘value’, both economic and civic, there are valid concerns over the costs incurred in this pursuit. Typically, costs of open data are framed as internal to the data providing government. Building on the strong history of GIScience research on data provision via spatial data infrastructures, this article considers both the direct and indirect costs of open data provision, framing four main areas of indirect costs: citizen participation challenges, uneven provision across geography and user types, subsidy of private sector activities, and the creation of inroads for corporate influence on government. These areas of indirect cost lead to the development of critical questions, including constituency, purpose, enablement, protection, and priorities. These questions are posed as a guide to governments that provide open data in addressing the indirect costs of open data.     

Size matters more than method: Visual quadrats vs photography in measuring human impact on Mediterranean rocky reef communities

The performances of two commonly used non-destructive sampling procedures for rocky benthic assemblages (i.e. photography and visually assessed quadrats) were compared. A damaging human activity, date mussel (Lithophaga lithophaga) harvesting (DMH), was chosen. Directly impacted sites were compared with reference conditions (controls). Both visual quadrats and photography were equally able to detect differences between impacted situations and controls. However, visual quadrats showed high variability among replicates and estimated higher species richness for controls, while photography did so for impacts. Pooling photos in a ‘sum photo quadrat’ showed that differences between the two methods are due to sampling unit size rather than sampling procedure itself. As a small sampling unit is unavoidable with photography, visual quadrats should be preferred in investigating shallow rocky reefs for their larger size; however, longer working time underwater with quadrats does not allow for numerous replicates. Pooling many photos to reach sampling sizes comparable with those of quadrats may be a valid alternative to reconcile image resolution and areal coverage.     

A Comparison Between Machine Learning and Functional Geostatistics Approaches for Data-Driven Analyses of Sediment Transport in a Pre-Alpine Stream

Mathematical Geosciences - The problem of providing data-driven models for sediment transport in a pre-Alpine stream in Italy is addressed. This study is based on a large set of measurements...