Assessment of a field incubation method estimating primary productivity in rockpool communities

An open incubation method has been used in many studies to directly estimate primary productivity and ecosystem functioning by measuring photosynthetic and respiratory rates in intertidal rockpool communities. The method measures changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations recorded in situ during an artificial dark period (respiration) and a natural light period (net primary productivity). Although this method has yielded interesting results, its advantages and limitations have yet to be thoroughly tested. The accuracy of the method was investigated in a controlled laboratory environment and compared with field incubations. Atmospheric oxygen diffusion across the air–water interface did not affect incubation measurements under low wind speed (<2 m s⁻¹). Temperature increases during incubations were not greater than in natural rockpools and did not affect primary productivity. The major problem was the oxygen supersaturation which inhibited photosynthesis, thus leading to an underestimation of primary production. To allow comparable measurements, net primary productivity needs to be recorded during the linear phase of the photosynthetic process (<30 min of light) before water reaches supersaturation (<160%). This method gives rapid and reliable estimates of primary productivity thereby allowing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relationships to be tested using rockpools as natural mesocosms.     

A large marine ecosystem governance framework

A large marine ecosystem (LME) governance framework, developed from a need to effectively address the sustainable management of the shared living marine resources of the Caribbean, is proposed. The framework is based on four propositions and focuses on a linked examination of two well-known components of LME-level governance: the policy cycle process by which decisions are made and the multi-level nature of LMEs. It accommodates the diversity of policy cycles at multiple levels and the linkages among them required for effective governance of LMEs. The framework takes into account of factors such as context, purpose, jurisdictional scale, capacity and complexity and provides a means to identify critical areas for intervention.     

Organic and trace metal contaminants in sediments and English sole tissues from Vancouver Harbour,Canada

As part of a multinational workshop on marine environmental quality, sediments were collected from seven sites in Vancouver Harbour and analyzed for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorines (OCs), and for trace metals. English sole were collected from five sites, and muscle was analyzed for trace metals and liver for OCs. As expected, sediment PAH and OC concentrations and tissue OC concentrations were higher at sites east of the First Narrows, compared to the outer harbor and reference sites. Sediment PAH concentrations east of the First Narrows were similar to concentrations at moderately contaminated sites in Puget Sound, south of Vancouver Harbour. In contrast, concentrations of OCs in sediments and tissue were low to moderate, even at relatively contaminated sites within Vancouver Harbour. Although several trace metals in sediments were higher than in contaminated sediments from Puget Sound, trace metals measured in fish muscle were lower.     

A snapshot of the polar ionosphere

This paper presents a picture of the north polar F layer and topside ionosphere obtained primarily from three satellites (Alouette 2, ISIS 1, ISIS 2), that passed over the region within a time interval of ca. 50 min on 25 April 1971, a magnetically quiet day. The horizontal distribution of electron densities at the peak of the F layer is found to be similar to synoptic results from the IGY. Energetic particle and ionospheric plasma data are also presented, and the F layer data are discussed in terms of these measurements, and also in terms of electric field and neutral N₂ density measurements made by other satellites on other occasions. The major features observed are as follows: A tongue of F region ionization extends from the dayside across the polar cap, which is accounted for by antisunward drift due to magnetospheric convection. In the F layer and topside ionosphere, the main effect of auroral precipitation appears to be heating and expansion of the topside. A region of low F layer density appears on the morning side of the polar cap, which may be due to convection and possibly also to enhanced N₂ densities.     

A study of the formation of N2O in the reaction of NO3(A2E′) with N2

The rate of formation of N₂O via the thermochemically favourable reaction of NO₃(A²E) with N₂, which would represent an additional source of stratospheric N₂O and therefore NO_x, has been investigated. Mixtures of NO₂+O₃ in synthetic air were photolysed at 662 nm. No evidence was found for the production of N₂O via this pathway, the upper limit for the quantum yield of nitrous oxide formation being % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXafv3ySLgzGmvETj2BSbqefm0B1jxALjhiov2D% aebbfv3ySLgzGueE0jxyaibaiiYdd9qrFfea0dXdf9vqai-hEir8Ve% ea0de9qq-hbrpepeea0db9q8as0-LqLs-Jirpepeea0-as0Fb9pgea% 0lrP0xe9Fve9Fve9qapdbaqaaeGacaGaaiaabeqaamaabaabcaGcba% GaeqOXdy2aaSbaaSqaamaaBaaameaadaWgaaqaamaaBaaabaGaamOt% amaaBaaabaGaaGOmaiaad+eaaeqaaaqabaaabeaaaeqaaaWcbeaatu% uDJXwAK1uy0HMmaeHbfv3ySLgzG0uy0HgiuD3BaGqbaOGae8hzIqOa% aGimaiaac6cacaaI2aGaaiyjaaaa!4E60!\[\phi _{_{_{_{N_{2O} } } } } \le 0.6\% \]. However, a dark conversion of NO_x to N₂O was observed and is attributed tentatively to a heterogeneous reaction on the wall of the reaction vessel. This process, although most likely to be insignificant in the atmosphere, needs to be taken into consideration in laboratory investigations or field studies of N₂O emission or deposition.     

DOAS Zenith Sky Observations: 2. Seasonal Variation of BrO Over Bremen (53°N) 1994-1995

Zenith sky observations of BrO over Bremen (53°N) are reported for the period of September 1994 to January 1996. BrO differential slant columns between 90° and 80° solar zenith angle showed a strong seasonal variation between a winter maximum of 1.9·1014 molec/cm2 and a summer minimum of 0.6·1014 molec/cm2. The seasonal variation in BrO twilight values is shown to be inversely correlated with NO2 columns in agreement with current knowledge of gas phase chemistry of bromine. In contrast to model predictions, no significant difference between morning and evening BrO measurements was observed. During a 6 day polar vortex excursion to mid-latitudes OClO could be measured above Bremen indicating chlorine activation in the vortex air. No significant increase in BrO differential slant columns was detected during this time.     

Slant Column Measurements of O3 and NO2 During the NDSC Intercomparison of Zenith-Sky UV-Visible Spectrometers in June 1996

In June 1996, 16 UV-visible sensors from 11 institutes measured spectra of the zenith sky for more than 10 days. Spectra were analysed in real-time to determine slant column amounts of O3 and NO2. Spectra of Hg lamps and lasers were measured, and the amount of NO2 in a cell was determined by each spectrometer. Some spectra were re-analysed after obvious errors were found. Slant columns were compared in two ways: by examining regression analyses against comparison instruments over the whole range of solar zenith angles; and by taking fractional differences from a comparison instrument at solar zenith angles between 85° and 91°. Regression identified which pairs of instruments were most consistent, and so which could be used as universal comparison instruments. For O3, regression slopes for the whole campaign agreed within 5% for most instruments despite the use of different cross-sections and wavelength intervals, whereas similar agreement was only achieved for NO2 when the same cross-sections and wavelength intervals were used and only one half-day's data was analysed. Mean fractional differences in NO2 from a comparison instrument fall within ±7% (1-sigma) for most instruments, with standard deviations of the mean differences averaging 4.5%. Mean differences in O3 fall within ±2.5% (1- sigma) for most instruments, with standard deviations of the mean differences averaging 2%. Measurements of NO2 in the cell had similar agreement to measurements of NO2 in the atmosphere, but for some instruments measurements with cell and atmosphere relative to a comparison instrument disagreed by more than the error bars.