Caught in the act: the 20 December 2001 gravity flow event in Monterey Canyon

A sediment gravity flow descended through the axis of Monterey Canyon on 20 December 2001 at 13:35 Pacific standard time. The timing of this event is documented by a current-meter package which recorded an 11.9-dbar pressure increase in less than 10 min and was found 550 m down-canyon from its deployment site, buried completely within a >70-cm-thick gravity flow deposit. This event is believed to have started in less than 290 m of water because an instrument at this location was also lost at the same time. A 178-cm core collected after the event from the axis of the canyon at 1,297-m water depth contained fresh, greenish, chlorophyll-rich organic material at 32-cm sub-bottom depth, suggesting the event extended to this water depth. The only trigger identified for this mass movement event appears to be moderate sea and surf conditions. Thus, gravity flow events of this magnitude do not require an exceptional triggering event.     

The expression of CYP1A,vitellogenin and zona radiata proteins in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) after oral dosing with two commercial PBDE flame retardant mixtures: absence of short-term responses

The short-term effects of the commercial PBDE flame retardant mixtures Penta-BDE and cta-BDE on the expression of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), vitellogenin (Vtg) and zona radiata proteins (Zrp) were investigated in juvenile salmon (Salmo salar). For this purpose, groups of fish were dosed twice (oral intake at days I and 4) with 10 and 50 mg/kg body weight of both commercial mixtures. The fishes were sacrificed at day 7 (n = 5 for each group) and 14 (n = 6 for each group), and blood, liver, fillet, and brain were collected. Blanks and positive controls were also part of the experiment. The expressions of Vtg, Zrp, and CYPIA were measured with several techniques (EROD, ELISA, Western, Northern and Slot Blot). The values in the groups of fish treated with Penta-BDE or Octa-BDE did not significantly differ from the reference group for any of the parameters tested. In contrast, the positive control groups treated with estradiol-17beta for Vtg and Zrp expression, and beta-naphthoflavone for CYP1A expression did show a significant response, indicating the potential sensitivity of the fishes for the parameters measured. Since the results of the chemical analyses showed concentrations of a number of PBDE congeners in liver, fillet, and brain that were about three orders of magnitude above those of fish from the North Sea, it is concluded that the short-term toxicity of both commercial PBDE mixtures for these endpoints was low.     

An initial demonstration of underwater acoustic communication using time reversal

In July 1999, an at-sea experiment to measure the focus of a 3.5-kHz centered time-reversal mirror (TRM) was conducted in three different environments: an absorptive bottom, a reflective bottom, and a sloping bottom. The experiment included a preliminary exploration of using a TRM to generate binary-phase shift keying communication sequences in each of these environments. Broadside communication transmissions were also made, and single-source communications were simulated using the measured-channel response. A comparison of the results is made and time reversal is shown to be an effective approach for mitigating inter-symbol interference caused by channel multipath.     

The importance of extratropical and tropical cyclones on the short-term evolution of barrier islands along the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA

Data are presented indicating the complexity and highly variable response of beaches to cold front passages along the northern Gulf of Mexico, in addition to the impacts of tropical cyclones and winter storms. Within the past decade, an increase in the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes impacting the northern Gulf has dramatically altered the long-term equilibrium of a large portion of this coast. A time series of net sediment flux for subaerial and nearshore environments has been established for a section of this coast in Florida, and to a lesser extent, Mississippi. The data incorporate the morphological signature of six tropical storms/hurricanes and more than 200 frontal passages.

Data indicate that (1) barrier islands can conserve mass during catastrophic hurricanes (e.g., Hurricane Opal, a strong category 4 hurricane near landfall); (2) less severe hurricanes and tropical storms can promote rapid dune aggradation and can contribute sediment to the entire barrier system; (3) cold fronts play a critical role in the poststorm adjustment of the barrier by deflating the subaerial portion of the overwash terrace and eroding its marginal lobe along the bayside beach through locally generated, high frequency, steep waves; and (4) barrier systems along the northern Gulf do not necessarily enter an immediate poststorm recovery phase, although nested in sediment-rich nearshore environments. While high wave energy conditions associated with cold fronts play an integral role in the evolution and maintenance of barriers along the northern Gulf, these events are more effective in reworking sediment after the occurrence of extreme events such as hurricanes. This relationship is even more apparent during the clustering of tropical cyclones.

It is anticipated that these findings will have important implications for the longer term evolution of barrier systems in midlatitude, microtidal settings where the clustering of storms is apparent, and winter storms are significant in intensity and frequency along the coast.     

Cloning of a chub metallothionein cDNA and development of competitive RT-PCR of chub metallothionein mRNA as a potential biomarker of heavy metal exposure

Metallothionein has been assayed in a range of aquatic animal tissues as an indicator of metal exposure. We sequenced chub (Leuciscus cephalus) metallothionein cDNA which showed over 90% homology to common carp, goldfish and stone loach and 77% homology to rainbow trout sequences for metallothionein. We then used the extended primer method to develop an accurate quantitative competitive RT-PCR assay for metallothionein mRNA. RT-PCR was used to measure metallothionein mRNA in feral chub from a range of field sites, with different levels of heavy metal pollution, in the West Midlands, UK. Measurements were complemented by analysis of liver and gill metallothionein protein by capillary electrophoresis. There was no significant difference in the metallothionein protein levels between fish of different rivers and there was no evidence of elevation of mRNA at the sites of highest metal exposure. The level of metal exposure (e.g. zinc, nickel and cadmium each ranging between 15 and 28 microg/l ) at the pH (7.5-8.5) of these rivers appears insufficient to elevate hepatic or gill metallothionein in chub. A lack of elevation of hepatic metallothionein mRNA in chub exposed to zinc, copper and manganese for 24 h and 10 days in the laboratory also suggests a non-responsiveness of this species.     

The next few years of the ICES Journal of Marine Science

This issue marks a change in the editorial team of the ICESJournal of Marine Science, in that we have bid farewell to ourformer Editor-in-Chief, Niels Daan, after six years of sterlingservice, and to our Elsevier Publishing Editor, Andrew Richford,after an even longer period of years. Both deserve credit fortheir energy and vision that has left us the legacy of a journalas widely read and cited as the ICES Journal now is, but theyleave a gap that will be a huge challenge for us to meet. However,in my new capacity as Editor-in-Chief and in Els Bosma's capacityas Elsevier's Publishing Editor, I     

The optimum control of thruster system for dynamically positioned vessels

An offshore vessel with a dynamic positioning system (DP system) needs fast response to produce thrust to counteract the environmental forces acting on it for the purpose of maintaining its position and heading as close as possible to the working position. Therefore, quick and effective modulation of the thrust is the problem to determine the thrust and the rotation angle of the thruster devices of the ship. This paper presents an effective optimum control for a thruster system, using the sequential quadratic method to achieve economical and effective modulation of the thrust and the direction of the thruster. An optimum control study of a 2280 tons DP coring vessel with five rotary azimuth thruster marine positioning is studied in detail, which can quickly and exactly estimate the thrusts and angles of direction of all the thrusters. The results can provide a valuable thruster system for a dynamically positioned vessel.