Altering intertidal sediment topography: effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Sedimentary marine systems are often highly productive and perform important nutrient regeneration functions as they efficiently decompose organic material. In recent years the role of habitat effects and of species composition in ecosystem functioning has become of interest. Estuarine environments are frequently subject to considerable anthropogenic pressures whilst supporting a variety of habitats ranging from well sorted soft muds through biogenically stable sediments to highly mobile coarse sands. There is therefore considerable spatial complexity in habitat type and faunal composition. This study set out to observe the effects of altering the topographical habitat features of an estuarine mudflat on a range of porewater nutrient concentrations (NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻, NO₂⁻, PO₄³⁻ and SiO) collected from four depths (3, 5, 9, and 12 cm) and on faunal composition. Two treatments (Shelled Nets and Net Controls) were used to alter the topography from simple mud to a mussel shell crumble and were compared to un-manipulated Control areas. Sediment granulometry and organic matter content analyses alongside biological traits analysis of the fauna were also conducted.
Differences were observed in porewater nutrient concentrations between the Control and both netted treatments at 5 cm depth only; the species diversity and abundance were also different in the netted treatments compared to the Controls, although no difference between the two manipulated treatments were observed. The changes in faunal composition were attributed solely to the altered topography and the observed nutrient changes were attributed to the faunal alteration rather than the topographical manipulation.     

Systematic marine conservation planning in data-poor regions: Socioeconomic data is essential

Systematic planning for conservation is highly regarded but relies on spatially explicit data that are lacking in many areas of conservation concern. The decision support tool Marxan is applied to a reef system in the central Philippines where 30 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established in communities without much use of biophysical data. The intent was to explore how Marxan might assist with the legally required expansion to protect 15% of marine waters, and how existing MPAs might affect that process. Results show that biophysical information alone did not provide much guidance in identifying patterns of conservation importance in areas where the data are poor. Socioeconomic data were needed to distinguish among possible areas for protection; but here, as elsewhere in marine environments, the availability of such data was very limited. In the final analysis, local knowledge and integrated understanding of socioeconomic realities may offer the best spatially explicit information. The 30 existing MPAs, which encompassed a small proportion of the reef system, did not limit future options in developing a suite of MPAs on a broader scale. Rather, they appeared to generate the support for MPAs that is obligatory for any larger zoning effort. In summary, establishing MPAs based on community-driven criteria has biological and social value, but efforts should be made to collect ecological and socioeconomic data to guide the continued creation of MPAs.     

The impact of artisanal fishing on coral reef fish health in Hat Thai Mueang,Phang-nga Province,Southern Thailand

This study investigates whether there has been a decline in fish stocks of a coral reef in Thailand, and if so, whether that decline is due to small-scale fishing. The research methods used included fish sampling by UVC, interviews and questionnaires with key informants and artisanal fishers. The results confirmed that there has been a decline in piscivores and carnivores (though not herbivores), and the main perceived threat came not from artisanal but from commercial fishing. Recommendations are to replace the largely unrestricted fishery with a more regulated regime backed by effective enforcement.     

Challenges in developing China's marine protected area system

Since the 1980s, there have been continuous increases in the coverage of marine protected areas (MPAs) in China, and a total of 158 MPAs have been declared. The MPA system in China is characterized by (1) decentralised designation and management with reduced control from the central government; (2) a dominance of de jure fully protected MPAs that are often implemented as de facto multiple-use areas; and (3) a lack of objective evaluation processes. To improve China's MPA system requires an appropriate integration of fully protected and multiple-use MPAs, and an approach that balances the advantages of top-down and bottom-up approaches.     

Paleoclimate studies and natural-resource management in the Murray-Darling Basin I: past,present and future climates

This paper provides an incisive review of paleoclimate science and its relevance to natural-resource management within the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). The drought of 1997–2010 focussed scientific, public and media attention on intrinsic climate variability and the confounding effect of human activity, especially in terms of water-resource management. Many policy and research reviews make statements about future planning with little consideration of climate change and without useful actionable knowledge. In order to understand future climate changes, modellers need, and demand, better paleoclimate data to constrain their model projections. Here, we present an insight into a number of existing long-term paleoclimate studies relevant to the MDB. Past records of climate, in response to orbital forcing (glacial–interglacial cycles) are found within, and immediately outside, the MDB. High-resolution temperature records, spanning the last 10⁵ years, exist from floodplains and cave speleothems, as well as evidence from lakes and their associated lunettes. More recently, historical climate records show major changes in relation to El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycles and decadal shifts in rainfall regimes. A considerable body of research currently exists on the past climates of southeastern Australia but, this has not been collated and validated over large spatial scales. It is clear that a number of knowledge gaps still exist, and there is a pressing need for the establishment of new paleoclimatic research within the MDB catchment and within adjacent, sensitive catchments if past climate science is to fulfil its potential to provide policy-relevant information to natural-resource management into the future.     

Groundwater–surface water interactions in a lowland watershed: source contribution to stream flow

The lower coastal plain of the Southeast USA is undergoing rapid urbanisation as a result of population growth. Land use change has been shown to affect watershed hydrology by altering stream flow and, ultimately, impairing water quality and ecologic health. However, because few long‐term studies have focused on groundwater–surface water interactions in lowland watersheds, it is difficult to establish what the effect of development might be in the coastal plain region. The objective of this study was to use an innovative improvement to end‐member mixing analysis (EMMA) to identify time sequences of hydrologic processes affecting storm flow. Hydrologic and major ion chemical data from groundwater, soil water, precipitation and stream sites were collected over a 2‐year period at a watershed located in USDA Forest Service's Santee Experimental Forest near Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Stream flow was ephemeral and highly dependent on evapotranspiration rates and rainfall amount and intensity. Hydrograph separation for a series of storm events using EMMA allowed us to identify precipitation, riparian groundwater and streambed groundwater as main sources to stream flow, although source contribution varied as a function of antecedent soil moisture condition. Precipitation, as runoff, dominated stream flow during all storm events while riparian and streambed groundwater contributions varied and were mainly dependent on antecedent soil moisture condition. Sensitivity analyses examined the influence of 10% and 50% increases in analyte concentration on EMMA calculations and found that contribution estimates were very sensitive to changes in chemistry. This study has implications on the type of methodology used in traditional forms of EMMA research, particularly in the recognition and use of median end‐member water chemistry in hydrograph separation techniques. Potential effects of urban development on important hydrologic processes (groundwater recharge, interflow, runoff, etc.) that influence stream flow in these lowland watersheds were qualitatively examined. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crustal structure of the Ordovician Macquarie Arc,Eastern Lachlan Orogen,based on seismic‐reflection profiling

In the Eastern Lachlan Orogen, the mineralised Molong and Junee‐Narromine Volcanic Belts are two structural belts that once formed part of the Ordovician Macquarie Arc, but are now separated by younger Silurian‐Devonian strata as well as by Ordovician quartz‐rich turbidites. Interpretation of deep seismic reflection and refraction data across and along these belts provides answers to some of the key questions in understanding the evolution of the Eastern Lachlan Orogen—the relationship between coeval Ordovician volcanics and quartz‐rich turbidites, and the relationship between separate belts of Ordovician volcanics and the intervening strata. In particular, the data provide evidence for major thrust juxtaposition of the arc rocks and Ordovician quartz‐rich turbidites, with Wagga Belt rocks thrust eastward over the arc rocks of the Junee‐Narromine Volcanic Belt, and the Adaminaby Group thrust north over arc rocks in the southern part of the Molong Volcanic Belt. The seismic data also provide evidence for regional contraction, especially for crustal‐scale deformation in the western part of the Junee‐Narromine Volcanic Belt. The data further suggest that this belt and the Ordovician quartz‐rich turbidites to the east (Kirribilli Formation) were together thrust over ?Cambrian‐Ordovician rocks of the Jindalee Group and associated rocks along west‐dipping inferred faults that belong to a set that characterises the middle crust of the Eastern Lachlan Orogen. The Macquarie Arc was subsequently rifted apart in the Silurian‐Devonian, with Ordovician volcanics preserved under the younger troughs and shelves (e.g. Hill End Trough). The Molong Volcanic Belt, in particular, was reworked by major down‐to‐the‐east normal faults that were thrust‐reactivated with younger‐on‐older geometries in the late Early ‐ Middle Devonian and again in the Carboniferous.     

Plastic ingestion by petrels breeding in Antarctica

Plastic particles were found to be common pollutants in stomachs of Wilson's Storm Petrels and Cape Petrels breeding on the Antarctic continent. Highest incidence of plastics was found in chicks of Wilson's Storm Petrels that had died before fledging. Few or no plastics were found in Snow Petrels and Antarctic Petrels. Evidence suggests that most plastics originate from wintering areas outside the Antarctic, and that relatively few plastics are available in Antarctic waters. Possible hazards of plastic levels observed in Wilson's Storm Petrels are discussed.     

A REVIEW OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY IN SOUTH ASIA

The development of physical geography in South Asia has generally followed the British and European trends. Diverse themes from denudational chronology to palaeoflood geomorphology have attracted the attention of geomorphologists, particularly in the last 25 years. In addition, geographers’ interest in climatology and biogeography became pronounced during the 1980s. Major methodological shifts in the late 1960s in the west have affected geographical studies in South Asia. These shifts include the use of methods of quantification, remote sensing data, and the increased importance of field and laboratory studies. The second notable aspect in recent times is the accelerating interest amongst physical geographers in environmental studies and the applied aspects of the discipline as well as an increased interaction with scientists in cognate fields. An attempt is also made to identify the key research themes that will interest physical geographers in the near future.