Interannual and decadal variability in zooplankton communities of the southeast Bering Sea shelf

The southeastern Bering Sea shelf ecosystem is an important fishing ground for fin- and shellfish, and is the summer foraging grounds for many planktivorous seabirds and marine mammals. In 1997 and 1998, Northern Hemisphere climate anomalies affected the physical and biological environment of the southeastern Bering Sea shelf. The resulting anomalous conditions provided a valuable opportunity to examine how longer-term climate change might affect this productive ecosystem. We compared historical and recent zooplankton biomass and species composition data for the southeastern Bering Sea shelf to examine whether or not there was a response to the atmosphere–ocean–ice anomalies of 1997 and 1998. Summer zooplankton biomass (1954–1994) over the southeastern shelf did not exhibit a decline as previously reported for oceanic stations. In addition, zooplankton biomass in 1997 and 1998 was not appreciably different from other years in the time series. Spring concentrations of numerically abundant copepods (Acartia spp., Calanus marshallae, and Pseudocalanus spp.), however, were significantly higher during 1994–1998 than 1980–1981; spring concentrations of Metridia pacifica and Neocalanus spp. were not consistently different between the two time periods. Neocalanus spp. was the only taxon to have consistent differences in stage composition between the two time periods—CV copepodites were much more prevalent in May of the 1990s than early 1980s. Since relatively high zooplankton concentrations were observed prior to 1997, we do not attribute the high concentrations observed in the summers of 1997 and 1998 directly to the acute climate anomalies. With the present data it is not possible to distinguish between increased production (control from below) and decreased predation (control from above) to explain the recent increase in concentrations of the species examined.     

A review of eastern tropical Pacific oceanography: Summary

The collection of articles in this volume reviewing eastern tropical Pacific oceanography is briefly summarized, and updated references are given. The region is an unusual biological environment as a consequence of physical characteristics and patterns of forcing – including a strong and shallow thermocline, the ITCZ and coastal wind jets, equatorial upwelling, the Costa Rica Dome, eastern boundary and equatorial current systems, low iron input, inadequate ventilation of subthermocline waters, and dominance of ENSO-scale temporal variability. Remaining unanswered questions are presented.     

A simplified model for the transformation of the atmospheric planetary boundary layer overlying a thermal front in the sea

This paper discusses a simplified model for the evolution of the atmospheric planetary boundary layer overlying a thermal front in the sea. The model provides local values of the friction/heat transfer geostrophic coefficients and the direction of surface wind stress, as well as the wind/temperature profiles at any point on the front. With the running over a warm front, the baroclinicity of the internal boundary layer leads to the generation of a near-surface current of air directed down the front. The model can be used to interpret radar imagery of the sea surface with the purpose of determining its mesoscale variability. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Quantitative distribution of meiobenthos in deep-water zones of the World Ocean

An analysis of published and original data on the meiobenthos abundance in the depth interval from 100 to 9807 m (in total, 665 records, 445 of them obtained for depths exceeding 1000 m) revealed general regularities in its distribution. The influence of the sampling and data processing methods on the quantitative estimates of the meiobenthos abundance is considered to demonstrate changes in the proportions of the main meiobenthic taxa at different depths and to characterize latitudinal changes in the meiobenthos abundance. The dependence of the abundance of free-living nematodes, the most abundant group of metazoan meiobenthos, on trophic conditions is analyzed. No significant differences in the meiobenthos abundance in the samples obtained by box-and multicorers are established. It is shown that the share of nematodes in metazoan meiobenthos communities increases with the depth. In temperate latitudes, a distinct maximum in the population density confined to depths exceeding 1 km is observed. The quantitative distribution of the meiobenthos at the depths gradient is controlled by the bottom macrotopography and trophic conditions.     

Benthic macrofauna changes in areas of Venice lagoon populated by seagrasses or seaweeds.

Two areas of the Venice lagoon populated by seagrasses (three stations covered by Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Asherson, Zostera marina Linnaeus, Zostera noltii Hornemann) or seaweeds (two stations: one covered by Ulva rigida C. Agardh and another at present without seaweed biomass) were monitored by means of six surveys over a year in order to study macrofaunal composition and seasonal changes. The seagrass stations showed a mean species richness (28-30 S m(-2)), individual abundance (1854-4018 N m(-2)) and biomass (22.3-37.7 g m(-2) ash-free-dry-weight, AFDW) ca. 3-8 times higher than those populated by seaweeds (10-15 S m(-2), 494-1395 N m(-2) and 5.6-13.7 g m(-2) AFDW). Differences among seagrass or seaweed stations were much lower. The Ulva-dominated station showed a macrofauna completely different both from the other stations and the communities recorded ca. 30 years ago, before the prolific growth of Ulva. In this station, frequent biomass decompositions and anoxic crises created critical conditions for life favouring organisms with reduced life cycles, younger individuals and the epifaunal species instead of the infaunal ones. In particular, Ulva grazers and scrapers such as Gammarus aequicauda Stock and Gibbula adriatica Philippi were found to be by far the most abundant species, whereas the taxa characteristic of the associations found in the past, in the presence of seagrasses or seaweeds and typical of low eutrophicated environments, appear strongly reduced. Marked differences in the macrophyte dominance and in the bio-physico-chemical variables which characterise the main environmental conditions of the Venice lagoon support the different distribution and composition of macrofaunal communities. Seaweed stations appear mainly governed by the seasonal cycles of these un-rooted macrophytes which, by alternating periods of production and decomposition, are responsible for the drastic reduction of macrofauna biodiversity and biomass. Conversely, seagrass stations exhibit a better oxidisation of the environment and show conditions more favourable for macrofauna colonisation, especially in the presence of macrophytes which are characterised by very well developed below-ground systems such as Cymodocea nodosa.     

Design and projected performance of a flapping foil AUV

The design and construction of a biomimetic flapping foil autonomous underwater vehicle is detailed. The vehicle was designed as a proof of concept for the use of oscillating foils as the sole source of motive power for a cruising and hovering underwater vehicle. Primary vehicle design requirements included scalability and flexibility in terms of the number and placement of foils, so as to maximize experimental functionality. This goal was met by designing an independent self-contained module to house each foil, requiring only direct current power and a connection to the vehicle's Ethernet local area network for operation. The results of tests on the foil modules in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Marine Hydrodynamics Water Tunnel and the MIT Ship Model Testing Tank are both used to demonstrate fundamental properties of flapping foils and to predict the performance of the specific vehicle design based on the limits of the actuators. The maximum speed of the vehicle is estimated based on the limitations of the specific actuator and is shown to be a strong function of the vehicle drag coefficient. When using four foils, the maximum speed increases from 1 m/s with a vehicle C/sub D/ of 1.4 to 2 m/s when C/sub D/=0.1, where C/sub D/ is based on vehicle frontal area. Finally, issues of vehicle control are considered, including the decoupling of speed and pitch control using pitch-biased maneuvering and the tradeoff between actuator bandwidth and authority during both the cruising and hovering operation.