Environmental overview of Eckernförde Bay,northern Germany

This environmental overview of Eckernförde Bay (northern Germany) summarizes the results of previous studies relevant to the Office of Naval Research's Coastal Benthic Boundary Layer (CBBL) Baltic field exercise conducted during 1993–1994. Significant environmental characteristics include the following: (1) surface sediment distribution is related to water depth, dictated primarily by hydrodynamic reworking of older glacial deposits; (2) the origin and characteristics of small-scale sedimentary structures depend on storm-generated waves and currents; (3) the proximity of the sea surface and sediment —water interface results in a pelagic—benthic coupling that drives biogeochemical processes and produces organicrich, acoustically turbid sediments; and (4) the bay floor is complicated topographically by pockmarks and manmade sedimentary structures.     

Total amount of oceanic excess CO2 taken from the North Pacific subpolar region

Concentrations of total carbonate, alkalinity and dissolved oxygen were obtained near the 1973 GEOSECS stations in the North Pacific subpolar region north of 40°N along 175°E between 1993 and 1994. A difference of excess CO₂ content between the GEOSECS and our expeditions was estimated. The maximum difference in water column inventory of excess CO₂ has increased by about 280 gC m^–2 above 2000 m depth which apparently means an uptake of excess CO₂ taken from air to sea during the last two decades. An averaged value of the annual flux of excess CO₂ at 75–1000 m depth was 8.63±2.01 gC m^–2yr^–1 in the North Pacific subpolar region. By introducing the annual flux of excess CO₂ into a two-box model for the North Pacific subpolar region, a penetration factor of excess CO₂ from air to sea was obtained to be 1.08×10^–2 gC m^–3ppm^–1 in the North Pacific subpolar region. Based on this factor, the surface concentration of excess CO₂ in the North Pacific subpolar region was estimated to be 68 mole I^–1, suggesting that the North Pacific subpolar region absorbed atmospheric excess CO₂ more than the saturated concentration of excess CO₂. Total amount of excess CO₂ taken from the North Pacific subpolar region by 1993 was estimated to be 36.2×10¹⁵ gC, which was equal to about one tenth of that released by human activities after the preindustrial era.     

Sensitivity to stress of the estuarine bivalve Macoma balthica from areas between the Netherlands and its southern limits (Gironde)

Variation in the sensitivity to stress of Macoma balthica was measured in several French and Dutch estuaries. For adult and juvenile Macoma balthica exposed to copper under conditions of starvation, differences in mortality rate, condition, glycogen, burrowing rate and copper content were assessed. No significant differences were observed between adults and juveniles; the influence of treatment and origin was always evident. Animals from the most southern estuaries, Loire and Gironde, near to the species's southern limit of distribution, showed, in the field, the strongest deviations for the ecophysiological traits measured, and were in the experiments the most sensitive to stress.     

Transverse vibrations of a rectangular cantilever plate with thickness varying in a discontinuous fashion

A numerical solution is obtained for the title problem by means of the popular finite element method. An experimental investigation of the problem is also presented for plates of square planform. The agreement between theoretical and experimental values is very good in the case of the fundamental frequency, and reasonably good when the second and third normal modes of transverse vibration are considered. It is concluded that beneficial effects are obtained in the sense that one generates a lighter structural element with higher fundamental frequency of transverse vibration. Hence, dynamic stiffening is achieved.     

Isotopic and Elemental Variations of Carbon and Nitrogen in a Mangrove Estuary

Variations in elemental and isotopic ratios of suspended particulate matter (SPM) were investigated in the Guayas River Estuary Ecosystem (GREE) that empties into the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Detritus in the system was identified on the basis of extremely high carbon:chlorophyll aratios (>1000). This material had mean δ¹³C of −26·4±0·3, δ¹⁵N of +4·8±0·2, and (C:N)_atomicof 14·1±0·9. The isotopic data were comparable to measurements reported for fresh and degrading mangrove leaves, whereas the elemental ratio was comparatively enriched in nitrogen. Isotope measurements of SPM throughout the GREE were more similar to values for riverine material and detritus compared with that for the coastal end-member. Values indicative ofin situproduced algae, sewage and shrimp pond effluent were only found at selected sites. Bacterial bioassays, which were used to document potential sources of dissolved organic matter in the GREE, were isotopically similar to SPM. This correspondence coupled with the relatively low (C:N)_aof SPM could be explained by bacterial immobolization of nitrogen onto detritus. Finally, tidal variations of (C:N)_aand δ¹³C at a brackish mangrove site were similar in magnitude to spatial variations encountered throughout the GREE. Based on these results, the authors caution that care must be taken when samples are taken for food-web studies in these systems.