Diving down the reefs? Intensive diving tourism threatens the reefs of the northern Red Sea

Intensive recreational SCUBA diving threatens coral reef ecosystems. The reefs at Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt, are among the world’s most dived (>30,000 dives y⁻¹). We compared frequently dived sites to sites with no or little diving. Benthic communities and condition of corals were examined by the point intercept sampling method in the reef crest zone (3 m) and reef slope zone (12 m). Additionally, the abundance of corallivorous and herbivorous fish was estimated based on the visual census method. Sediments traps recorded the sedimentation rates caused by SCUBA divers. Zones subject to intensive SCUBA diving showed a significantly higher number of broken and damaged corals and significantly lower coral cover. Reef crest coral communities were significantly more affected than those of the reef slope: 95% of the broken colonies were branching ones. No effect of diving on the abundance of corallivorous and herbivorous fish was evident. At heavily used dive sites, diver-related sedimentation rates significantly decreased with increasing distance from the entrance, indicating poor buoyancy regulation at the initial phase of the dive. The results show a high negative impact of current SCUBA diving intensities on coral communities and coral condition. Corallivorous and herbivorous fishes are apparently not yet affected, but are endangered if coral cover decline continues. Reducing the number of dives per year, ecologically sustainable dive plans for individual sites, and reinforcing the environmental education of both dive guides and recreational divers are essential to conserve the ecological and the aesthetic qualities of these dive sites.     

Drifting blooms of the endemic filamentous brown alga Hincksia sordida at Noosa on the subtropical east Australian coast

Since 2002, the usually uncommon endemic filamentous brown alga Hincksia sordida (Harvey) Silva (Ectocarpales, Phaeophyta) has formed nuisance blooms annually during spring/early summer at Main Beach, Noosa on the subtropical east Australian coast. The Hincksia bloom coincides with the normally intensive recreational use of the popular bathing beach by the local population and tourists. The alga forms dense accumulations in the surf zone at Main Beach, giving the seawater a distinct brown coloration and deterring swimmers from entering the water. Decomposing algae stranded by receding tides emit a nauseating sulphurous stench which hangs over the beach. The stranded algal biomass is removed from the beach by bulldozers. During blooms, the usually crowded Main Beach is deserted, bathers preferring to use the many unaffected beaches on the Sunshine Coast to the south of Main Beach. The bloom worsens with north-easterly winds and is cleared from Noosa by south easterly winds, observations which have prompted the untenable proposal by local authorities that the bloom is forming offshore of Fraser Island in the South Pacific Ocean. The Noosa River estuarine system/Laguna Bay is the more probable source of the bloom and the nutrient inputs into this system must be substantial to generate the high bloom biomass. Current mitigation procedures of removing the blooming alga off the beach with bulldozers treat the symptom, not the cause and are proving ineffective. Environmental management must be based on science and the Noosa bloom would benefit greatly from the accurate ecological data on which to base management options.     

Marine debris ingestion in loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, from the Western Mediterranean

Marine debris represents an important threat for sea turtles, but information on this topic is scarce in some areas, such as the Mediterranean sea. This paper quantifies marine debris ingestion in 54 juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) illegally captured by fishermen in Spanish Mediterranean waters. Curved carapace length was measured, necropsies were performed and debris abundance and type was recorded. Different types of debris appeared in the gastrointestinal tract of 43 turtles (79.6%), being plastics the most frequent (75.9%). Tar, paper, Styrofoam, wood, reed, feathers, hooks, lines, and net fragments were also present. A regression analysis showed that the volume of debris increased proportionally to the size of the turtles. The high variety of debris found and the large differences in ingestion among turtles indicated low feeding discrimination of this species that makes it specially prone to debris ingestion. Our data suggest that more severe control of litter spills and greater promotion of environmental educational programmes are needed in the Western Mediterranean.     

阿拉伯海东北部;印度深海扇下部的早期扩张和大陆向大洋基底的过渡

为了研究印度河深海冲积扇,地震测量穿入基底,利用测量结果能够绘制阿拉伯海东北部的基底构造图,并描述它的地球动力学演化。基底的主要大地构造是一条ＥＷ向地堑,并伴有一个突出的中心,ＥＷ向地垒——Ｐａｌｉ－ｔａｎａ地垒。这条裂谷被若干ＮＥ—ＳＷ向的断层斜向切割。大的ＥＷ向磁异常同大洋性阿拉伯海盆的磁异常层序不连续。但是,这些磁异常与地壳中的反磁化作用是有联系的,表明这条裂谷位于与德干圈闭（ＤｅｃｃａｎＴｒａｐｓ）有关的被线状火山岩体侵入的拉伸大陆壳之下,或者说位于老于像在东南方向的Ｌａｘｍｉ海盆的年代２８（６４Ｍａ）大洋壳之下。伴随这些构造,在Ｌａｘｍｉ海岭从印度大陆的分离过程中ＮＥ－ＳＷ向断层随着走向滑移模式可以起转变方向的作用。笔者提出裂谷作用和大洋扩张已经发生在与连接大洋性Ｌａｘｍｉ海盆、ＮａｒｍａｄａＳｏｎ线性构造和Ｇｏｐ裂谷的三联点周围。这个阶段早于阿拉伯海盆的大洋扩张作用。这一解释符合前面提到的在年代２８之前印度和塞舌尔的初始分离说。Ｌａｘｍｉ海岭可能是后来离去附着到印度大陆的塞舌尔微板块的一部分。