An initial demonstration of underwater acoustic communication using time reversal

In July 1999, an at-sea experiment to measure the focus of a 3.5-kHz centered time-reversal mirror (TRM) was conducted in three different environments: an absorptive bottom, a reflective bottom, and a sloping bottom. The experiment included a preliminary exploration of using a TRM to generate binary-phase shift keying communication sequences in each of these environments. Broadside communication transmissions were also made, and single-source communications were simulated using the measured-channel response. A comparison of the results is made and time reversal is shown to be an effective approach for mitigating inter-symbol interference caused by channel multipath.     

Dispersal, Genetic Differentiation and Speciation in Estuarine Organisms

For some of their occupants, estuaries represent spatially discrete habitats, isolated from each other by barriers to dispersal or physiological tolerance. We present contrasting strategies for the retention or export of larvae from their estuary of origin, and consider the implications these have on population structure and divergence. Reported patterns of genetic differentiation and inferred gene flow in estuarine taxa (principally animals) are reviewed, and difficulties in the interpretation of existing genetic data discussed. Species concepts and models of speciation relevant to estuaries are outlined, and patterns of speciation of estuarine taxa reviewed. It is concluded that estuarine environments tend to restrict gene flow and impose distinct selective regimes, generating physiologically adapted populations divergent from their marine counterparts, and the potential for in situ speciation in complete or partial isolation. The resulting taxa may represent sibling or cryptic species groups of truly estuarine origin, rather than simply estuarine populations of marine eurytopes.     

A singular evolutive extended Kalman filter to assimilate ocean color data in a coupled physical–biochemical model of the North Atlantic ocean

Within the European DIADEM project, a data assimilation system for coupled ocean circulation and marine ecosystem models has been implemented for the North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas. One objective of this project is to demonstrate the relevance of sophisticated methods to assimilate satellite data such as altimetry, surface temperature and ocean color, into realistic ocean models. In this paper, the singular evolutive extended Kalman (SEEK) filter, which is an advanced assimilation scheme where three-dimensional, multivariate error statistics are taken into account, is used to assimilate ocean color data into the biological component of the coupled system. The marine ecosystem model, derived from the FDM model [J. Mar. Res. 48 (1990) 591], includes 11 nitrogen and carbon compartments and describes the synthesis of organic matter in the euphotic zone, its consumption by animals of upper trophic levels, and the recycling of detritic material in the deep ocean. The circulation model coupled to the ecosystem is the Miami isopycnic coordinate ocean model (MICOM), which covers the Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans with an enhanced resolution in the North Atlantic basin. The model is forced with realistic ECMWF ocean/atmosphere fluxes, which permits to resolve the seasonal variability of the circulation and mixed layer properties. In the twin assimimation experiments reported here, the predictions of the coupled model are corrected every 10 days using pseudo-measurements of surface phytoplankton as a substitute to chlorophyll concentrations measured from space. The diagnostics of these experiments indicate that the assimilation is feasible with a reduced-order Kalman filter of small rank (of order 10) as long as a sufficiently good identification of the error structure is available. In addition, the control of non-observed quantities such as zooplankton and nitrate concentrations is made possible, owing to the multivariate nature of the analysis scheme. However, a too severe truncation of the error sub-space downgrades the propagation of surface information below the mixed layer. The reduction of the actual state vector to the surface layers is therefore investigated to improve the estimation process in the perspective of sea-viewing wide field-of-view sensor (SeaWiFS) data assimilation experiments.     

Ocean Waves: Half-a-Century of Discovery

While the nature of most ocean waves has long been known and their basic physics understood since the nineteenth century, intense study of ocean waves during the second half of the twentieth century has taken the subject from the realm of mathematical exercises to that of practical engineering. Modern understanding of the generation, propagation and interactions of ocean waves with each other and with oceanic features has advanced to a quantitative level offering predictive capacity. This paper presents a brief qualitative review of advances in knowledge of sound waves, wind waves, tsunamis, tides, internal waves and long-period vorticity waves. The review is aimed at non-specialists who may benefit from an overview of the current state of the subject and access to a bibliography of general-interest references. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Response of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L. following exposure to PAHs or contaminated sediment

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene significantly reduced the feeding rate of mussels. For both compounds the tissue concentration resulting in a 50% reduction of the clearance rate (TEC₅₀) was calculated. At high tissue concentrations both aromatic compounds reduced the tolerance of mussels to aerial exposure, whereas at low tissue concentrations an improved response was noticed. The activities of the antioxidant enzymes Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were elevated only at low tissue concentrations of fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene. At the highest measured tissue concentrations the activity of both enzymes was reduced, possibly due to a narcotic effect. The reproductive success rate of mussels appeared to be affected negatively by the investigated hydrocarbons. The results of a pilot experiment indicate that mussels can be used also for the testing of contaminated sediments.     

Seasonality in nutrient concentrations in Galveston Bay

In order to investigate factors controlling nutrient cycling in the shallow and turbid coastal ecosystem of Galveston Bay, data from: (1) the Texas Water Commission (TWC) database 1980–1989, and (2) salinity transects in 1989 and 1993 are presented and analyzed. Statistical regression and time-series analysis were carried out on data acquired by TWC between 1980 and 1989, in an attempt to establish seasonally of nutrient and chlorophyll-a (chl.-a.) concentrations in the bay and to determine factors which regulate these concentrations.A strong seasonality was found for phosphorus and chl.-a. in the upper and mid-bay stations. A recurring maximum for phosphate occurred in September and a chl.-a. maximum occurred regularly in March–April. It is hypothesized that benthic regeneration of phosphorus at the end of summer is responsible for the phosphate maximum. The inverse correlation of the partition coefficient (K_d) for phosphate with the concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM), coupled to a strong enrichment of phosphate in suspended particles at low SPM concentrations, indicates additional control by geochemical and physical processes such as particle sorting and/or particle-colloid interactions. Nitrate is inversely correlated with salinity at the upper and mid-bay stations, indicating the Trinity River is a major source.Nutrient concentrations in the lower bay (East and West Bay stations) are considerably lower and less predictable, as they are not correlated with salinity or temperature. Data from the 1989 and 1993 transects confirm the yearly maximum in phosphate concentration in late summer months, with peak concentrations in the upper Trinity Bay. It is concluded that despite possible phosphate buffering by physical and geochemical mechanisms, relatively large concentration maxima recur regularly every year during the summer, possibly caused by a benthic source of phosphate.