Organic matter origin and distribution in suspended particulate materials and surficial sediments from the western Adriatic Sea (Italy)

In this study, organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), stable carbon isotopic (δ¹³C_OC) and CuO reaction product compositions were used to identify the sources of organic matter (OM) and to quantify the relative importance of allochthonous and autochthonous contributions to the western Adriatic Sea, Italy. Suspended particulate material (195 samples) and surficial sediments (0–1 cm, 70 samples) from shallow cross-shelf transects were collected in February and May 2003, respectively. Vertical water column profiles were acquired along the same transects. Data include depth, potential temperature, salinity, density and chlorophyll fluorimetry.Along the western Adriatic shelf in the near-shore region, the phytoplankton growth was influenced by dynamics of the buoyant plumes from the Po and Appennine rivers. A small amount of very fine terrigenous material remained suspended within the coastal current and was exported southward along the shelf to the slope. High variability in the bulk composition was detected in the Po prodelta surficial sediments, whereas the western Adriatic shelf, although a larger area, exhibited a narrower range of values.A significant decoupling was observed between suspended particles in the water column and surficial deposits. The organic material collected in the water column was compositionally heterogeneous, with contributions from marine phytoplankton, riverine–estuarine phytoplankton and soil-derived OM. Frequent physical reworking of surficial sediments likely leads to the efficient oxidation of marine OC, resulting in the observed accumulation and preservation of refractory soil-derived OC delivered by the Po and Appennine rivers.     

Nannoplankton of the Atlantic Ocean from sediment trap samples

Calcareous nannoplankton from sediment trap samples collected at six sites in the Atlantic Ocean from 23° S to 73° N (cruise 20 of R/V Vityaz’ and cruise 33 and 34 of R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh). Those samples were studied with a scanning electron microscope. In the coastal and open-sea regions of the North and South Atlantic and in the subarctic region of the Norwegian Sea, the conditions are significantly different. In the shelf area of the Benguela upwelling, 11 species were recognized; some of them were agglutinated by diatoms and tintinnides or covered the surface of pellets. The Broken Spur and TAG pelagic areas of the North Atlantic contained up to 43 coccolith species. They included holococcoliths, large pelagic, and delicate easily soluble species distributed over the entire water column. The presence of coccoliths in the high-latitude area of the Norwegian Sea is related to their supply with the warmer North Atlantic waters. These assemblages are distinguished by a low species diversity and an enhancement of the coccolith solubility with the depth increase.     

First results from the North Iceland experiment

Between June 2004 and September 2004 a temporary seismic network was installed on the northern insular shelf of Iceland and onshore in north Iceland. The seismic setup aimed at resolving the subsurface structure and, thus, the geodynamical transition from Icelandic crust to typical oceanic crust along Kolbeinsey Ridge. The experiment recorded about 1,000 earthquakes. The region encloses the Tjörnes Fracture Zone containing the Husavik–Flatey strike-slip fault and the extensional seismic Grimsey Lineament. Most of the seismicity occurs in swarms offshore. Preliminary results reveal typical mid-ocean crust north of Grimsey and a heterogeneous structure with major velocity anomalies along the seismic lineaments and north–south trending subsurface features. Complementary bathymetric mapping highlight numerous extrusion features along the Grimsey Lineament and Kolbeinsey Ridge. The seismic dataset promises to deliver new insights into the tectonic framework for earthquakes in an extensional transform zone along the global mid-ocean ridge system.     

Sharksucker–shark interaction in two carcharhinid species

It is not known whether sharksuckers have positive or negative effects on their hosts, partly because this association is difficult to study in free‐ranging fish. I observed the behaviour of sharks with and without sharksuckers, to determine whether the hosts actively avoid sharksuckers. Wild blacktip sharks, Carcharhinus limbatus, took evasive actions when sharksuckers, Echeneis naucrates, attached to them, presumably to escape from skin irritation or hydrodynamical drag caused by the sharksuckers. Sharksuckers were most often attached to the belly or back of the shark, and sharks reacted most strongly to sharksuckers on their heads, sides, and dorsal fins. Observations of two captive bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, indicated that swimming speed increased when sharksuckers were attached. This paper supports the hypothesis that sharksucker attachment irritates sharks, and that the relationship between the two is best viewed as a subtle host–parasite interaction.     

Methyl halide production and loss rates in sea water from field incubation experiments

Experiments were conducted in the field to determine the non-chemical loss rate of methyl iodide in seawater and to examine production rates of methyl halides. The loss rate of added C13 labelled methyl iodide, present at concentrations similar to those found in seawater, corrected for chemical loss due to reaction with Cl⁻ varied from < 1 to 18% day^− 1, with a mean value of 7%. This rate of loss is much lower than that which was proposed by Bell et al. [Bell, N., Hsu, L., Jacob, D. J., Schultz, M. G., Blake, D. R., Butler, J. H., King, D. B., Lobert, J. M., Maier-Reimer, E., 2002. Methyl iodide: Atmospheric budget and use as a tracer of marine convection in global models, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres 107(D17), 4340-4351.] to account for the large discrepancies between observed and predicted mid-latitude concentrations of CH₃I based on their global photochemical source model. The suitability of several types of container for seawater incubations was studied and only quartz tubes appeared to be free of experimental artifact. Collapsible polyvinyl fluoride containers showed major production of methyl halides on irradiation with simulated sunlight. Polyethylene containers caused spurious production of methyl iodide at lower rates.     

Feature modeling approach to simulating Loop Current Frontal Eddies

Loop Current Frontal Eddies (LCFE) in the Gulf of Mexico are simulated with a regional configuration of the Princeton Ocean Model using a feature-oriented initialization technique. The initialization procedure is based on a prior investigation of stability characteristics of the Loop Current (LC). Zonal channel experiments conducted with a multi-layer intermediate equations model allowed to identify conditions necessary for formation and growth of frontal eddies. The simulations were able to reproduce key features of LCFE-topography interaction in the DeSoto Canyon region observed during the “Eddy Intrusion” study.     

Mussels document loss of bioavailable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the return to baseline conditions for oiled shorelines in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were measured in mussels (Mytilus trossulus) collected between 1990 and 2002 from 11 sites on the shores of Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, that were heavily oiled by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). This study, utilizing the methods of the NOAA Status and Trends Mussel Watch Program, found that concentrations of PAH released from spill remnants have decreased dramatically with time and by 2002 were at or near the range of total PAH (TPAH) of 3-355 ng/g dry weight obtained for mussels from unoiled reference sites in PWS. Time-series TPAH data indicate a mean TPAH half-life in mussel tissues of 2.4 years with a range from 1.4 to 5.3, yielding an annual mean loss of bioaccumulated TPAH of 25%. The petroleum-derived TPAH fraction in mussel tissues has decreased with time, reflecting the decreasing release of EVOS residues in shoreline sediments. These results show that PAH from EVOS residues that remain buried in shoreline sediments after the early 1990s are in a form and at locations that have a low accessibility to mussels living in the intertidal zone.     

A numerical experiment on the calculation of the tropical Atlantic circulation in 1982–1983, with the real wind considered

This paper discusses the results obtained through numerical modelling of the annual course of circulation and thermohaline field evolution in the tropical Atlantic under the impact of real wind forcing (from March 1982 to March 1983) and compares them with the calculation of seasonal variability induced by the climatic wind. Changes in the pattern of the equatorial currents and related temperature fields induced by the specific peculiarities in the wind field are analysed.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

A stratigraphic and tectonofacies framework of the “calcari aLucina” in the Apennine Chain,Italy

The Apennine Chain provides the first example of stratigraphic (time) and synsedimentary tectonic (space) distribution of the calcari aLucina Miocene equivalents of modern cold-vent carbonates. Chemosynthetic faunal assemblages and related carbonate deposits are found at different stratigraphic levels, with peaks during Langhian-Serravallian and late Tortonian-early Messinian times. A general increase in frequency and volume occurs with time. A genetic link between venting and the Messinian Evaporite event is difficult to demonstrate. However,Lucina limestones are limited to preevaporitic times, and their maximum abundance is reached just before the onset of the Messinian Evaporite accumulation.Lucina limestones occur in almost all tectofacies of the orogen, from backland to foreland.     

Accommodating ecotourism in multiple use planning of coastal and marine protected areas

Coastal and marine areas the world over provide food, transportation, recreation, and energy resources to increasing numbers of people each year. As demands for these resources rise, the potential for user conflicts is radically heightened. This situation can be avoided or counteracted by instigating proactive multiple use planning. Multiple use zoning plans can only exist in a concrete management framework: marine and coastal protected areas provide just such a foundation. Nature-based or ecotourism can be encouraged in coastal protected areas aimed at achieving sustainability. Well-planned tourism provides economic and political incentives for management and for conservation, and may bring additional benefits to local communities and regional economies. Examples where nature-based tourism has been or is becoming successfully integrated into multiple use planning can be found in Quintana Roo, Mexico; the Lesser Antilles; and Australia, among other areas.