Predicting significant wave height with artificial neural networks in the South Atlantic Ocean: a hybrid approach

Ocean Dynamics - Accurate simulations of significant wave height (Hs) are extremely important for the safety of navigation, port operations, and oil and gas exploration. Thus, accurate forecasts of...     

Influence of ground motion intensity on the effectiveness of tuned mass dampers

The effectiveness of Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) on buildings subjected to moderate and high-intensity motions is analysed. First, the response of a 22-storey four-bay reinforced concrete non-linear frame with a TMD is studied for motions with different intensities. Several values of the relevant parameters are assumed in the analyses. Then, equivalent single-degree-of-freedom systems with TMDs and without them are defined and analysed under the action of ground motions with intensities associated with different return intervals at the site where the structures are located. Vulnerability curves for the systems are obtained based on the probabilities of reaching two different performance limit states. The expected annual rate of exceedance of each limit state is calculated. The results show that the effectiveness of TMDs is higher for systems with small non-linearity produced by small and moderate earthquakes, than for systems with high non-linear behaviour, generally associated with high-intensity motions. Some recommendations about the applicability of TMD are given. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Summer phytoplankton blooms in the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre: Historical perspective and recent observations

The export of organic matter from the oceanic euphotic zone is a critical process in the global biogeochemical cycling of bioelements (C, N, P, Si). Much of this export occurs in the form of sinking particles, which rain down into the unlit waters of the deep sea. Classical models of oceanic production and export balance this gravitational loss of particulate bioelements with an upward flux of dissolved nutrients, and they describe reasonably well those areas of the ocean where deep winter mixing occurs. The surface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), however, are strongly stratified and chronically nutrient-depleted, especially in summer. Nevertheless, there is ample evidence that blooms of phytoplankton and subsequent pulses of particle export occur during the height of summer stratification in these waters, especially to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands. These blooms impact regional bioelemental cycling and act as a food source to the deep-sea benthos. We review here numerous published observations of these events in the NPSG, and present new data collected at Station ALOHA (22.75°N, 158°W) during the first 176 cruises of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series program (1988-2005), along with results from transect cruises conducted in the region in 1996 and 2005. We suggest that the summer phytoplankton bloom can be considered a frequent, perhaps annual feature in the northeastern NPSG, and that its perceived stochastic nature is a manifestation of chronic undersampling in time and space. The bloom is typically dominated by only a few genera of large diatoms and the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. It appears to be consistently supported by dinitrogen fixation, but the fate of the organic matter produced during the summer depends critically on the species composition of the responsible diazotrophs. We estimate that the summer bloom is responsible for up to 38% of N₂ fixation and up to 18% of N-based new production annually at Station ALOHA. We hypothesize that the spatial distribution, timing and magnitude of the bloom may be determined largely by the physical and biological processes controlling new phosphorus delivery into the euphotic zone during the summer and the preceding winter.     

Behaviour of colloidal trace metals (Cu, Pb and Cd) in estuarine waters: An approach using frontal ultrafiltration (UF) and stripping chronopotentiometric methods (SCP)

The frontal cascade ultrafiltration (UF) technique in conjunction with stripping chronopotentiometry (SCP) has been evaluated for determining the colloidal distribution of Cu, Pb and Cd in estuarine waters. Metallic concentrations in seven size fractions (0.45 μm–0.22 μm; 0.22 μm–300 kDa; 300–50 kDa; 50–30 kDa; 30–10 kDa; 10–5 kDa; <5 kDa) were determined with the aim to investigate their changes along the salinity gradient of the Penzé system (NW France). These data, completed by analysis of the total dissolved metals at 10 stations over the whole freshwater–seawater mixing zone, provided some insights in the removal and addition processes that affect Cu, Pb and Cd in estuaries.     

The latitudinal and bathymetric ranges of marine fishes: a global analysis to test the application of Rapoport′s Rule

We evaluated the applicability of Rapoport’s Rule (RR) to the marine bony fishes of the world. The biogeographical pattern predicted by RR has been the subject of a large number of studies, some supporting it and some not. In this exercise, we attempted to generate results free of biases from taxonomy or geographic scale. The study area encompassed all world oceans. Our analysis was based on secondary data. We tested the relationship of the geographic range and the bathymetric range to the latitude gradient, using the method of Stevens (American Naturalist 1989, 133 , 240–256) . We compared all known species of marine bony fishes together, and performed a second analysis limited to the non‐pelagic species. Our results were generated from a databank including 13,957 species. The results indicated that RR (latitudinal range) is valid for 11 regions. However, there were exceptions for the northern part of the Eastern Atlantic and Pacific, the northern part of the Western Indian, and the Arctic Oceans. The analyses of RR (bathymetric range) were supported for 13 regions. We found only one exception, for the northern part of the Western Indian Ocean. The applicability of RR and its relationship to energy supply, represented here by the temperature variability of the marine water masses, was clear. The exceptions appeared when some feature associated with the distribution of water masses was superposed on the latitudinal gradient, or when some life trait characteristic of a taxon, for instance body size, was confounded with the effect of climate variability.     

Population biology of Excirolana armata (Dana, 1853) (Isopoda,Cirolanidae) on an exposed sandy beach in Southeastern Brazil

The reproductive biology and population dynamics of the cirolanid isopod Excirolana armata (Dana, 1853) were analysed through monthly samples from December 2003 to November 2005 on Una beach, São Paulo state (24° S), in Southeastern Brazil. Sampling was performed along three transects established from the base of foredunes to the waterline. On Una beach, E. armata showed continuous reproduction with higher abundances of ovigerous females in winter and spring (July–November) with a higher peak of juveniles in spring (November 2004). The fecundity ranged from 2 to 18 eggs/embryos per female, depending on the female length. The incubation period was estimated as 2 months. The life span of males and females was nearly 1 year. The short life span and the high energetic expenditure inherent to reproduction with maternal care, probably kept females from producing more than one brood in their lifetime. When comparing the population of E. armata on Una beach (24° S) with populations in Southern Brazil (32° S), Uruguay (34° S) and Argentina (36° S), it was verified that several biological population traits (length of the smallest juvenile, length of the largest individual, length of the smallest and largest ovigerous females, range of fecundity and life span) tended to increase at higher latitudes, whereas other traits (instantaneous rate of mortality and the curvature parameter of von Bertalanffy growth function) tended to decrease. However, comparing E. armata on Una beach (24° S) with a population situated at a close latitude (25° S), unexpected differences in relation to population structure and to growth demonstrated and reinforced the importance of density‐dependent factors over life history traits of E. armata on dissipative beaches.     

Advancements in hydrochemistry mapping: methods and application to groundwater arsenic and iron concentrations in Varanasi,Uttar Pradesh,India

The area east of Varanasi is one of numerous places along the watershed of the Ganges River with groundwater concentrations of arsenic surpassing the maximum value of 10 parts per billion (ppb) recommended by the World Health Organization in drinking water. Here we apply geostatistics and compositional data analysis for the mapping of arsenic and iron to help in understanding the conditions leading to the occurrence of elevated level of arsenic in groundwater. The methodology allows for displaying concentrations of arsenic and iron as maps consistent with the limited information from 95 water wells across an area of approximately 210 km²; visualization of the uncertainty associated with the sampling; and summary of the findings in the form of probability maps. For thousands of years, Varanasi has been on the erosional side in a meander of the river that is free of arsenic values above 10 ppb. Maps reveal two anomalies of high arsenic concentrations on the depositional side of the valley, which has started seeing urban development. The methodology using geostatistics combined with compositional data analysis is completely general, so this study could be used as a prototype for hydrochemistry mapping in other areas.