Three-parameter model of turbulence for the atmospheric boundary layer over an urbanized surface

A modified three-parameter model of turbulence for a thermally stratified atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is presented. The model is based on tensor-invariant parametrizations for the pressure-strain and pressure-temperature correlations that are more complete than the parametrizations used in the Mellor-Yamada model of level 3.0. The turbulent momentum and heat fluxes are calculated with explicit algebraic models obtained with the aid of symbol algebra from the transport equations for momentum and heat fluxes in the approximation of weakly equilibrium turbulence. The turbulent transport of heat and momentum fluxes is assumed to be negligibly small in this approximation. The three-parameter E ? ε ? 2> model of thermally stratified turbulence is employed to obtain closed-form algebraic expressions for the fluxes. A computational test of a 24-h ABL evolution is implemented for an idealized two-dimensional region. Comparison of the computed results with the available observational data and other numerical models shows that the proposed model is able to reproduce both the most important structural features of the turbulence in an urban canopy layer near the urbanized ABL surface and the effect of urban roughness on a global structure of the fields of wind and temperature over a city. The results of the computational test for the new model indicate that the motion of air in the urban canopy layer is strongly influenced by mechanical factors (buildings) and thermal stratification.     

The regime shift of the 1920s and 1930s in the North Atlantic

During the 1920s and 1930s, there was a dramatic warming of the northern North Atlantic Ocean. Warmer-than-normal sea temperatures, reduced sea ice conditions and enhanced Atlantic inflow in northern regions continued through to the 1950s and 1960s, with the timing of the decline to colder temperatures varying with location. Ecosystem changes associated with the warm period included a general northward movement of fish. Boreal species of fish such as cod, haddock and herring expanded farther north while colder-water species such as capelin and polar cod retreated northward. The maximum recorded movement involved cod, which spread approximately 1200 km northward along West Greenland. Migration patterns of “warmer water” species also changed with earlier arrivals and later departures. New spawning sites were observed farther north for several species or stocks while for others the relative contribution from northern spawning sites increased. Some southern species of fish that were unknown in northern areas prior to the warming event became occasional, and in some cases, frequent visitors. Higher recruitment and growth led to increased biomass of important commercial species such as cod and herring in many regions of the northern North Atlantic. Benthos associated with Atlantic waters spread northward off Western Svalbard and eastward into the eastern Barents Sea. Based on increased phytoplankton and zooplankton production in several areas, it is argued that bottom-up processes were the primary cause of these changes. The warming in the 1920s and 1930s is considered to constitute the most significant regime shift experienced in the North Atlantic in the 20th century.     

Electronic atlas of the Russian Arctic coastal zone

A set of digital maps including geology, Quaternary sediments, landscapes, engineering-geological, vegetation, geocryological and the series of regional sources have been selected to characterize the Russian Arctic coast. Based on this data, new maps of engineering geocryological zoning and zoning of the coast with respect to the intensity of exogenous geological processes and risk of technogenic impacts have been generated at the scales of 1:4,000,000–1:8,000,000. These maps are a tool to assess the impact of industry on the Arctic coast of the country.     

Simple determination of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a simple, sensitive and less destructive method for the determination of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in seawater. Combined with detection by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the method had sufficient sensitivity (minimum detectable concentration of DMS was 0.05 nM), and practical levels of reproducibility (relative standard deviation ≤7%) and linearity (r ² > 0.995) over a wide concentration range (0.5 to 910 nM). The protocol developed was applied to a Sagami Bay water sample to determine concentrations of DMS and DMSP, and in situ DMSP-lyase activity.     

High-resolution measurements of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River plume regions

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was measured in the spring and summer in the northern Gulf of Mexico with the ECOShuttle, a towed, instrumented, undulating vehicle. A submersible pump mounted on the vehicle supplied continuously flowing, uncontaminated seawater to online instruments in the shipboard laboratory and allowed discrete samples to be taken for further analysis. CDOM in the northern Gulf of Mexico was dominated by freshwater inputs from the Mississippi River through the Birdfoot region and to the west by discharge from the Atchafalaya River. CDOM was more extensively dispersed in the high-flow period in the spring but in both time periods was limited by stratification to the upper 12 m or so. Thin, subsurface CDOM maxima were observed below the plume during the highly stratified summer period but were absent in the spring. However, there was evidence of significant in situ biological production of CDOM in both seasons.The Mississippi River freshwater end member was similar in spring and summer, while the Atchafalaya end member was significantly higher in the spring. In both time periods, the Atchafalaya was significantly higher in CDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) than the Mississippi presumably due to local production and exchange within the coastal wetlands along the lower Atchafalaya which are absent along the lower Mississippi. Nearshore waters may also have higher CDOM due to outwelling from coastal wetlands. High-resolution measurements allow the differentiation of various water masses and are indicative of rapidly varying (days to weeks) source waters. Highly dynamic but conservative mixing between various freshwater and marine end members apparently dominates CDOM distributions in the area with significant in situ biological inputs (bacterial degradation of phytoplankton detritus), evidence of flocculation, and minor photobleaching effects also observed. It is clear that high-resolution measurements and adaptive sampling strategies allow a more detailed examination of the processes that control CDOM distributions in river-dominated systems.     

Spatial variability in growth and reproduction of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) along the west European coast

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas was introduced in Europe for commercial purposes in the mid 1960s. It was initially thought that low winter temperatures would restrain this species' reproduction and settlement; however, its present distribution in areas where no introduction has taken place suggests that natural invasion and expansion has occurred. Along the European coast, wild populations of Pacific oysters are already found from northern Germany to southern Portugal. Whether C. gigas will continue to further expand through northern waters will depend on its physiological performance. In this study, the performance of wild oyster populations has been studied in terms of growth and reproduction at three stations: La Rochelle (France; 46°N), Yerseke (Oosterschelde estuary, The Netherlands, 51°N), and Texel (Wadden Sea estuary, The Netherlands, 53°N). The French population had the lowest somatic-shell mass ratio and an increase in maximum shell length, somatic and gonadal mass was observed from France to the Netherlands. In addition, mean oocyte diameter decreased significantly from south to north. The combination of increasing gonadal mass and decreasing oocyte volume suggests an increasing reproductive output in terms of egg numbers from France to The Netherlands. Differences in temperature between locations will at least be partly responsible for the observed patterns; however, other environmental factors (such as food availability, predation pressure, sediment type and/or seston concentration) cannot be excluded. Since smaller eggs (oocytes) are thought to have a longer development time, the environmental conditions along the Dutch coast may result in increased larval dispersal and possibly in further population expansion.     

Growth and reproduction of the bivalve Spisula subtruncata (da Costa) in Dutch coastal waters

The bivalve Spisula subtruncata is usually abundant in shallow coastal waters along the Dutch coast. However, its biomass has been decreasing since 1995. In order to assess whether reproductive failure may be the cause of the observed decline over the last decades, the energy investment in reproduction of a population of S. subtruncata from central Dutch coastal waters was studied. The population studied consisted of individuals of up to four years old. Shell length reached maximum values of around 32 mm and individual total body, somatic and gonadal ash-free dry mass reached maximum values of about 278 mg AFDM, 252 mg AFDM and 76 mg AFDM, respectively. A clear seasonal cycle in somatic and gonadal mass was observed. Somatic and gonadal mass indices increased in early spring and reached maximum values during summer, followed by a decrease to minimum values at the beginning of the following year. Spawning was in June–July and settlement of spat seems to have occurred in July–August. Mean oocyte diameter was 57.43 ± 0.03 μm, corresponding to a volume of 98972 μm³. These results suggested that reproductive failure was not the cause of the current population decline. Most likely, unsuccessful settlement of spat and/or severe predation during the first months of life were responsible for the observed patterns.     

An experimental study on non-linear progressive wave-induced dynamic stresses in seabed

In this study, the dynamic stresses within the seabed induced by non-linear progressive waves were explored through a series of hydraulic model tests on a movable bed within a wave flume. By comparing Stokes’ 2nd-order wave theory with the theory of wave-induced dynamic stresses within the seabed as proposed by Yamamoto et al. [1978. On the response of a poro-elastic bed to water waves. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 87 (1), 193–206.] and Hsu and Jeng [1994. Wane-induced soil response in an unsaturated anisotropic seabed of finite thickness. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics 18, 785–807], the experimental results show that the pressure on the seabed surface, the pore water pressure within the seabed as well as the vertical and the horizontal stresses are all smaller than their theoretical values. If we were to obtain the characteristics of seabed soil, the analytical solution of Hsu and Jeng [1994. Wane-induced soil response in an unsaturated anisotropic seabed of finite thickness. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics 18, 785–807] might agree to the simulation of the wave-induced effective stresses and shear stress in the sandy seabed. A different phase shift exists among all the three soil stresses. Their influences on the three dynamic stresses within seabed soil are important for seabed stability, and can be used in the verification of numerical models. In the whole, the non-linear progressive waves and the naturally deposited seabed are found to have a strong interaction, and the behavior of the induced dynamic stresses within the seabed is very complicated, and should be investigated integrally.     

Ghost fishing in European waters: Impacts and management responses

In this paper we review levels of net loss, what happens to the gear once it has been lost, and the resulting levels of ‘ghost catches’ made in passive net fisheries in the EU. We also consider ghost catches resulting from lost gear in other types of fisheries, and the extent to which the value of ghost catches has been quantified. We consider why fishing gear is lost, and profile common management responses. We present a cost benefit model to assess the relative cost effectiveness of different management measures, and suggest that gear retrieval programmes may provide less value for money than other management responses.