Geochemical and hydrodynamic constraints on the distribution of trace metal concentrations in the lagoon of Nouméa, New Caledonia

Seawater samples were collected in the lagoon of Nouméa (southwest New Caledonia) along two transects from eutrophic coastal bays to the oligotrophic barrier reef. Land-based emissions to the lagoon were measured with dissolved and particulate concentrations of chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni), used as tracers of both terrigenous and industrial (Ni ore treatment) activities, as well as dissolved and particulate concentrations of zinc (Zn), used as a tracer of urban effluents. The spatial variability of metal concentrations was related to geochemical and hydrodynamic conditions, i.e., respectively: (1) natural and anthropogenic emission sources, and chemical processes occurring in the water column; and (2) water residence times. The parameter used to describe the residence time of water masses was the local e-flushing time, i.e. the time required for a tracer mass contained within a given station to be reduced by a factor 1/e. High metal concentrations were found in coastal areas (up to 9000 ng dissolved Ni L⁻¹), and steeply decreased with distance from the coast (down to 101 ng dissolved Ni L⁻¹ near the barrier reef) to reach levels similar to those found in remote Pacific waters, suggesting a rapid renewal of waters close to the barrier. Distributions of metals in the lagoon are controlled upstream by land-based emission sources and later chemical processes. Then hydrodynamics constrain metal distributions, as shown by the observed relationship between local e-flushing times and the spatial variability of metal concentrations. In addition, a change in the direction of prevailing winds yielded a decrease of dissolved metal concentrations at the same site by a factor of 2.5 (Cr and Ni) and 2.9 (Zn). It is suggested that the residence time is a key parameter in the control of elemental concentrations in the lagoon waters, as much as land-based emission sources.     

Post-Miocene stratigraphy and depositional environments of valley-fill sequences at the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida

Post-Miocene sea-level low stands allowed rivers and karst processes to incise the exposed carbonate platform along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Few Miocene to mid-Pleistocene deposits survived erosion along the present coast except within incised valleys. Since their formation, these valleys have been filled and incised multiple times in response to sea-level changes. The thick sedimentary sequences underlying the mouth of Tampa Bay have been recorded as a range of depositional environments and multiple sea-level incursions and excursions during pre-Holocene time and subsequent to the accumulation of the Miocene carbonate sequences. Sediment analysis of cores collected from a north–south transect across the mouth of Tampa Bay has enabled the identification of lithofacies, ranging from well-sorted, quartz sand to dense, fossiliferous, phosphatic grainstone. These facies were deposited in freshwater, estuarine, and shallow, open marine environments. As a result of channel development and migration within the paleovalley, and cut-and-fill associated with individual transgressions and regressions, correlation of the lithofacies does not extend across the entire transect. Fining-upward sequences truncated by tidal ravinement surfaces that extend throughout the paleovalley can, however, be identified. Age determinations based on 14-C analysis, amino-acid racemization, and strontium isotope analysis dating of numerous samples yield ages of Miocene, Pliocene, early Pleistocene, and late Pleistocene, as well as Holocene for sequences that accumulated and were preserved in this valley-fill complex. Numerous inconsistencies in the stratigraphic organization of the age determinations indicate that there are bad dates, considerable reworking of shells that were dated, or both. For this reason as well as the lack of detailed correlation among the three relatively complete cores, it is not possible to place these strata in a sequence stratigraphic framework.     

Geoid height anomalies over the Cape Verde Rise

Geoid height anomalies, as determined by satellite altimetry, suggest that the Cape Verde Rise is in local isostatic equilibrium, supported by a low-density root of altered lithosphere. A depth anomaly map shows the Cape Verde Rise to be approximately 1600 km wide and 2km high. Removal of a quadratic surface from the observed geoid heights leaves a residual positive anomaly with the same shape as the rise and an amplitude of about 8 m. The ratio of residual geoid height anomaly to depth anomaly is consistent with an isostatic root only 40 km deep on average.     

Spatial heterogeneity of epibenthos on artificial reefs: fouling communities in the early stages of colonization on an East Australian shipwreck

Artificial reefs are spatially complex habitats and serve as good model systems to study patterns of community succession and the response of epibiota to environmental clines over small spatial scales. Here, we quantified spatial heterogeneity in community composition and diversity of fouling communities across a number of environmental gradients that included water depth, surface orientation of habitats, exposure to currents, and shelter. Assemblage structure was quantified by spatially replicated photo transects on a recently scuttled large navy ship off the East Australian coast, lying in 27 m of water. A rich assemblage of epifauna had colonized the wreck within a year, dominated by barnacles, sponges and bryozoans. Community structure varied significantly over small spatial scales of meters to tens of meters. Depth, surface orientation and exposure were the major environmental drivers. Assemblages were substantially less diverse and abundant on the deepest (23 m near the seafloor) part of the hull with residual antifouling paint, on sheltered surfaces inside the wreck, and on the sediment‐laden horizontal surfaces. Overall, the wrecks’ habitat complexity corresponds with small‐scale heterogeneity in the fouling communities. This study supports the notion that wrecks enhance local diversity and biomass within the habitat mosaic of their location, and habitat complexity may be an important mechanism for this, as demonstrated by the large spatial variability in the assemblages documented here.     

Transport and accumulation of organochlorines in the ovaries of Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus)

The role of vitellogenin in the transport of organochlorines was investigated in Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) by exposing them through the diet to o,p′-DDT at a concentration of 10.8 μg/100 g fish/day for 14 days or Aroclor 1254 (PCB) at a concentration of 0.5 mg/100 g fish/day for 30 days during gonadal recrudescence. Tissue samples were taken from the fish at various times after initial exposure, and o,p′-DDT and PCBs were extracted in acetonitrile and analyzed by gas chromatography. Analysis of the ovarian tissue collected 2 and 3 weeks from the start of exposure revealed that the o,p′-DDT concentration increases as the gonadosomatic index (GSI) increases (r² = 0.63), with accumulation ranging from less than 1% to as much as 8% of the total dosage. Interestingly, o,p′-DDT did not accumulate in the testes during the same exposure period. Accumulation of PCBs was found to be 40 times higher in the ovaries than in the testes. Gel filtration of plasma from exposed females showed that o,p′-DDT elutes in the low density lipoprotein and vitellogenin fractions. Control plasma incubated with o,p′-DDT at 4 °C for 16 h followed by chromatography on Sepharose 6B gave similar results with an o,p′-DDT concentration of 0.6μg/mg protein in the vitellogenin fraction. Furthermore, both o,p′-DDT and PCBs were found to bind to purified croaker vitellogenin. These results suggest that lipoproteins, including vitellogenin, are involved in the transport and accumulation of organochlorines in the ovaries of exposed fish.     

Distribution and transfer of trace elements in the Western Mediterranean

Results concerning the concentration of cadmium and lead in Mediterranean waters collected during the 2nd PHYCEMED cruise (Oct. 1983) are discussed. Sampling has been performed at seven stations in the Western Mediterranean Basin, two in the Strait of Gibraltar and the near Atlantic, two in the Sicily Strait and the Eastern Basin.In the Western Basin the observations are in fair agreement with those of PHYCEMED 1. Cadmium has a fairly homogeneous distribution vertically as well as from one station to another, with an average concentration of 8 ng l⁻¹; while lead shows a slight but continuous decrease in concentrations with depth (from at least 50 ng l⁻¹ in surface waters to 20 or 25 ng l⁻¹ at depth). On the other hand, at the basin boundaries, where waters from different origins are present, vertical distributions appear very different. On the basis of calculated water budgets it can be estimated that the Mediterranean Sea discharges about 200 t y⁻¹ of cadmium and about 250 t y⁻¹ of lead into the Atlantic Ocean while 1000 t y⁻¹ of lead are transferred from the Western to the Eastern Basin.     

Eastern and Western Poor Cod (Trisopterus minutus capelanus) Populations in the Mediterranean Sea: Evidence from Allozyme and Minisatellite Loci

Abstract. Nine allozyme and two minisatellite loci were used to investigate potential genetic differentiation among three samples of Mediterranean poor cod, Trisopterus minutus capelanus, from the Gulf of Lion, the Tuscan Archipelago and the Aegean Sea. Both types of markers showed consistent results, with F_ST values of 0.0262 and 0.0296 (P < 0.0015, after Bonferroni correction for multiple tests) for allozymes and minisatellites, respectively. Allele frequency heterogeneity tests between pairs of samples showed a clear separation between the two western Mediterranean samples (Gulf of Lion, Tuscan Archipelago) and the eastern one (Aegean Sea). The results indicate that at least two reproductively isolated populations of poor cod occur in the Mediterranean.     

Assessment of the effects of hydrocarbon contamination on the sedimentary bacterial communities and determination of the polar lipid fraction purity: Relevance of intact phospholipid analysis

This in situ study reports on the relevance of intact phospholipids as new biomarkers and highlights the limits of the classical fatty acid analysis after the hydrolysis of the polar lipid fraction. The analysis of polar lipid fractions revealed significant contributions of marine macrophytes with either non-phospholipid compounds (sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol) or with both non-bacterial phospholipid classes (phosphatidylcholine) and non-bacterial phospholipid molecular species (some molecular species of phosphatidylglycerol). The analysis of intact phospholipids showed also the predominance of gram-negative bacteria in sediments whereas the analysis of fatty acids alone cannot confirm such information. Lastly, as regard to the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on the sedimentary bacterial communities, we observed a higher degree of saturation of the fatty acyl chains of the phospholipids extracted from sediment exposed to a massive and chronic crude oil contamination. Such a result was interpreted as an adaptive response resulting in higher membrane rigidity of the bacterial communities.