A map series of the Southern East Pacific Rise and its flanks, 15° S to 19° S

Four large-scale bathymetric maps of the Southern East Pacific Rise and its flanks between 15° S and 19° S display many of the unique features of this superfast spreading environment including abundant seamounts (the Rano Rahi Field), axial discontinuities, discontinuity migration, and abyssal hill variation. Along with a summary of the regional geology, these maps will provide a valuable reference for other sea-going programs on-and off-axis in this area, including the Mantle ELectromagnetic and Tomography (MELT) experiment.     

Documenting hurricane impacts on coral reefs using two-dimensional video-mosaic technology

Four hurricanes impacted the reefs of Florida in 2005. In this study, we evaluate the combined impacts of hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma on a population of Acropora palmata using a newly developed video‐mosaic methodology that provides a high‐resolution, spatially accurate landscape view of the reef benthos. Storm damage to A. palmata was surprisingly limited; only 2 out of 19 colonies were removed from the study plot at Molasses Reef. The net tissue losses for those colonies that remained were only 10% and mean diameter of colonies decreased slightly from 88.4 to 79.6 cm. In contrast, the damage to the reef framework was more severe, and a large section (6 m in diameter) was dislodged, overturned, and transported to the bottom of the reef spur. The data presented here show that two‐dimensional video‐mosaic technology is well‐suited to assess the impacts of physical disturbance on coral reefs and can be used to complement existing survey methodologies.     

Experimental research on the hydrophysical characteristics and dynamics of waters in the north-west Black Sea in the region of the main Black Sea current

The results of measurements of hydrophysical parameters in the upper layer of the sea at an observation site located south-west of the Crimea are reported. The current pattern, the distribution of the upwelling and downwelling zones at the observation site, and the location of the mesoscale fronts are discussed.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

The choice of a dynamico-stochastic model for ocean monitoring — A compromise between the accuracy and cost of computations

In this paper we compare, two dynamico-stochastic models (DSMs) with different hydrodynamic parts, designed to study a large-scale North Atlantic region. As a performance criterion, RMS errors (over the horizon) in density and velocity field reconstruction are used. It has been shown that in some cases it seems rational to use DSMs with simplified hydrodynamic parts. This helps to expedite the computations and to reduce the related costs without much detriment to the quality of hydrophysical field simulation.UDK 551.465.001.573(261.1).Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Regimes and the history of the major fisheries off Canada's west coast

The major fisheries on the Pacific coast of Canada can be grouped into 12 species that have consistently represented about 80–90% of the total catch from the past to the present. A review of population dynamics of these species indicates that climate and the ocean environment have a major impact on their productivity. We review the history of Canada's Pacific coast fishery to show that trends in catch were similar to trends in the climate and ocean environment. Decadal scale patterns in climate and the ocean are termed regimes and we show that it is the regime scale of climate variability that most influences the long-term trends in the catches in these major fisheries. Ignoring the impacts of regime shifts on the abundance trends in the future could result in collapses of major fisheries. The difficulty of knowing when a regime shift will occur may be overcome as we discover more about the mechanisms that affect the decadal-scale trends in the rotational velocity of the solid earth which is measured as the length of day (LOD).     

Bedrock morphology and structures within overlying sediments,Start Bay,Southwest England,determined by continuous seismic profiling,side-scan sonar,and core sampling

The bedrock morphology of Start Bay, Southwest England, and the Structures within overlying sediments have been determined by a combined geophysical and geological survey. It has been established that the Skerries Bank consists of a drape of possibly coarse, unconsolidated material (bank deposits) overlying medium- to fine-grained silty sand (bay deposits). A break of slope in the bedrock surface, traced along the entire length of the Bay, and a step profile in the southern part of the Bay, may be either a legacy of submerged topography produced by vigorous tidal action, or alternatively the product of subaerial and marine processes. Other significant geological features in the Bay include infilled valleys, and “terraces” possibly pertaining to relict barrier beaches.