Fauna of whale falls: systematics and ecology of a new polychaete (Annelida: Chrysopetalidae) from the deep Pacific Ocean

Vigtorniella flokati, a new species of polychaete worm associated with decaying whale remains, is described. Three separate V. flokati populations were sampled using submersibles: two associated with implanted gray whale carcasses in the San Diego Trough (1240 m depth) and the Santa Cruz Basin (1670 m) off California, and one from sperm whale and balaeanopterid bones implanted on the slope of Oahu, Hawaii at 1000 m. Extraordinarily large numbers of live specimens were observed and videotaped in situ using submersibles in the San Diego Trough and the Santa Cruz Basin. The populations on the carcass implanted for 4 months in San Diego Trough, and on the bones implanted for 2 years off Oahu, were composed only of small sized individuals (including juveniles). V. flokati most closely resembles the poorly known V. zaikai Kiseleva, 1992, described from the Black Sea. Forty-six morphological characters were used in a phylogenetic analysis of selected nereidiform polychaetes. The resulting most-parsimonious trees indicate sister taxon status between V. flokati and V. zaikai, and that this clade is sister to the putatively ancient polychaete clade Chrysopetalidae. Whale falls, which are intense point sources of organic enrichment at the deep-sea floor, pass through three successional stages. V. flokati appears to colonize the middle, “enrichment opportunist” stage, inhabiting organic-rich bones and sediments 4–24 months after carcass arrival. V. flokati exhibits remarkable behavior, clinging posteriorly to whale bones or nearby sediments to form a writhing carpet at densities exceeding 8000 m⁻². Its extraordinary abundance on whale falls, and apparent absence from other habitats, suggests it to be a whale-fall specialist. The precise feeding mechanism of the worm remains unknown, but we hypothesize that it may utilize dissolved organic carbon derived from the organic-rich setting of whale falls. The widespread occurrence of V. flokati on ephemeral, food-rich habitat islands in the Pacific suggests life-history strategies analogous to those for hydrothermal-vent and cold-seep species.     

Wave-induced drift of an elliptical surface film

This study investigates experimentally the drift velocity of an elliptical surface film advected by deep-water waves. Thin polyethylene sheets were used to simulate the inextensible surface film. The drift velocities were obtained by recording and analyzing a sequence of images captured using a video camera. The results show that the drift velocity increases with the longitudinal length of the polyethylene sheet until approximately 0.8 times the wavelength. Beyond that, further increment would not result in substantial increase in the drift velocity. The effect due to the normalized transverse width is found to be significant within a particular range. At large wave steepness, the drift velocity appears to be limited by the Stokes drift. A set of best-fit empirical equations based on the sigmoidal function is introduced for oil spill trajectory prediction.     

Interpreting sedimentation dynamics at Longxi catchment in the Three Gorges Area,China, using Cs-137 activity,particle size and rainfall erosivity

Reservoir sedimentation dynamics were interpreted using Cs-137 activity,particle size and rainfall erosivity analysis in conjunction with sediment profile coring.Two sediment cores were retrieved from the Changshou reservoir of Chongqing,which was dammed in 1956 at the outlet of Longxi catchment in the Three Gorges Area using a gravity corer equipped with an acrylic tube with an inner diameter of 6 cm.The extracted cores were sectioned at 2 cm intervals.All sediment core samples were dried,sieved(2 mm) and weighed.137 Cs activity was measured by γ-ray spectrometry.The particle size of the core samples was measured using laser particlesize granulometry.Rainfall erosivity was calculated using daily rainfall data from meteorological records and information on soil conservation history was collated to help interpret temporal sedimentation trends.The peak fallout of 137 Cs in 1963 appeared at a depth of 84 cm in core A and 56 cm in core B.The peaks of sand contents were related to the peaks of rainfall erosivity which were recorded in 1982,1989,1998 and 2005,respectively.Sedimentation rates were calculated according to the sediment profile chronological controls of 1956,1963,1982,1989,1998 and 2005.The highest sedimentation rate was around 2.0 cm?a~(-1) between 1982 and 1988 when the Chinese national reform and the Household Responsibility System were implemented,leading to accelerated soil erosion in the Longxi catchment.Since 1990 s,andparticularly since 2005,sedimentation rates clearly decreased,since a number of soil conservation programs have been carried out in the catchment.The combined use of 137 Cs chronology,particle size and rainfall erosivity provided a simple basis for reconstructing reservoir sedimentation dynamics in the context of both physical processes and soil restoration.Its advantages include avoiding the need for full blown sediment yield reconstruction and the concomitant consideration of core correlation and corrections for autochthonous inputs and reservoir trap efficiency.     

Probabilistic methodology for the analysis of paleoliquefaction features

Paleoliquefaction features can be used to estimate lower bounds on the magnitude and ground motion associated with the earthquake that caused the liquefaction feature. The engineering back-analysis of paleoliquefaction features is usually conducted using state of the practice liquefaction-triggering analysis methodologies. Recent studies have shown that these methodologies are associated with variable probabilities of liquefaction depending on the soil parameters. This would imply that estimates of magnitude and ground motion intensity obtained from these methodologies would not be consistent for all soil sites. Moreover, these estimates could be unconservative. In this paper, the use of a probabilistic methodology for the back-analysis of paleoliquefaction features is proposed. The proposed methodology permits the incorporation of model and parameter uncertainty into the analysis and results in more robust estimates of past magnitude and a measure of the uncertainty associated with these predictions. Previously published paleoliquefaction data are used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method. Magnitude estimates obtained with the proposed method do not differ significantly from those obtained using deterministic methodologies, but the proposed methodology permits a quantification of the uncertainty associated with magnitude estimates.     

Rethinking economies/economic geographies

This paper provides a short introduction to the papers in this special issue on Rethinking economies/economic geographies. It focuses on the diversity within and between Economics and Economic Geography in their performative relationships with economies and economic geographies. Questions of power/knowledge and cross-disciplinarity are raised. Five hoped-for consequences of the debate are identified.     

Using carbon finance to support climate policy objectives in high mountain ecosystems

Carbon markets and climate finance payments are being used to incentivize the mitigation of CO₂ arising from anthropogenic land-use change in forests, marine ecosystems, and lowland grasslands. However, no such consideration has been given to how these ‘carbon finance incentives’ might be applied to mountain grasslands and shrublands, ecosystems that contain a substantial amount of carbon. These incentives amount to more than US$350 billion per annum and could potentially support underfunded natural resource management (NRM) activities, which are urgently needed to address numerous stressors impacting these important ecosystems. In the mountain context, NRM activities could include adaptive grazing management, sustainable cropping, ecosystem preservation, ecosystem restoration, and engineered soil conservation measures. This article investigates the stressors, challenges, and priorities related to the NRM of carbon stocks in mountain grasslands and shrublands; why carbon markets and climate finance have not yet been utilized in this context; and, what is required to position mountain-based NRM activities as eligible for carbon finance incentives. Using surveys and interviews triangulated with a systematic literature review, the study found that carbon finance incentives are not well understood, both amongst mountain-focused experts and in the literature. The study also found the required technical methodologies, policy frameworks, and data to be largely undeveloped. This article proposes a top-down conceptual policy framework that can be used to develop key ‘enabling factors’ with the view of extending the eligibility of carbon markets and climate finance to NRM activities undertaken in mountain grasslands and shrublands in the same way that has been afforded to other ecosystems.

Policy relevance

This is the first study to explicitly highlight the important role that the mountain grasslands and shrublands might play in international climate policy, and how carbon finance mechanisms might support better NRM in these areas. It is also the first to investigate why these incentives have not been adopted thus far. The article concludes by proposing a novel top-down ‘carbon incentive enabling’ framework that could be driven by governments and mountain development focused organizations so as to capture some of the opportunities offered by carbon-based incentives, and help meet international climate policy objectives.     

The skeleton of a straight-tusked elephant,Palaeoloxodon antiquus (Falconer and Cautley, 1847) from Selsey,England, and growth and variation in Palaeoloxodon of the European Pleistocene

A partial skeleton of straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) excavated at Selsey beach (Sussex, UK) in 1961 is one of very few from Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7), ca. 240–200 ka, in Europe. Dental morphometrics, including X-ray micro-computed tomography, confirms the species identification. Age determination through dental wear and skeletal morphology, sex determination through pelvic anatomy, and body-size measurements, together identify the individual as a female of approximately 30 years old with a live shoulder height of ca. 3 m and a body mass of ca. 5 t. Dental mesowear indicates mixed feeding with a significant proportion of grass, indicating selective feeding in a predominately forested environment. Although taphonomic conclusions are limited by the nature of the excavation, identification of 107 recovered skeletal elements indicates predominant preservation of the right side of the animal, suggesting death or burial on the right side in a shallow, slow-moving freshwater environment, with possible removal of other elements by scavenging or decay. Combining the Selsey data with 29 comparative skeletons from across Europe, we demonstrate the validity of pelvic proportions for determining sex and provide a graphical representation of variation and growth rate in males and females of this species.     

The first record of Cuon alpinus (Pallas, 1811) from Poland and the possible impact of other large canids on the evolution of the species

The presence of Cuon alpinus in Poland is documented here for the first time. Between 650 and 450 ka, Lycaon lycaonoides dominated the open lands, while Cuon alpinus priscus tended to prefer forests, mountains and highlands. Canis mosbachensis coexisted in all these environments. Between 480 and 430 ka, there was a drastic reduction in the number and range of L. lycaonoides. The balance between canids was disturbed and a critical point in the lycaon–wolf relationship was passed. Probably between 450 and 400 ka, the lycaon was too rare to be a real competitor and a limiting factor for the wolf. It was also at this time that the lycaon disappeared completely. With disappearance of the lycaon from Eurasia, there was a slow increase in the body size of the wolf. Between 400 and 300 ka, the dhole and the wolf were still close in body size, but the wolf was slowly increasing in size. Between 300 and 250 ka, the wolf became the dominant dog species and took a niche occupied until then by the lycaon. Because of competition, C. alpinus decreased in body size and adapted to hunting and living in forest, mountain and highland environments.