Mediterranean deep-sea amphipods: composition, structure and affinities of the fauna

The recent revision of the Mediterranean amphipod fauna includes 415 species (i.e. 8% of the worldwide fauna). The number of endemic species is estimated to be about 190 (i.e. 46% of the total fauna).The deep-sea fauna, which includes all those species inhabiting depths >150m, comprises 154 species (37.1% of the total fauna), belonging to 89 genera and 25 families. 84 of these species inhabited depths down to 400m, 47 down to 1000m, and 31 to depths >2000m. Considering the upper limits to their bathymetric ranges, 49 species are restricted to depths >150m, 15 to >400m, 9 to >1000m and just 5 to depths >2000m. 62.9% of the gammaridean fauna is restricted to the continental shelf at depths shallower than 150m. Only 11.3% of this fauna inhabits depths >1000m. and only 2.2% is restricted to these deeper depths.The composition of this deep-living fauna has complex zoogeographical relationships. There are four main categories of species: eurybathic, Atlantico-Mediterranean bathyal, endemic bathyal and endemic abyssal species.The deep-living species include 71 (46%) which are endemic. There are also 71 species which zoogeographically are Atlantico-Mediterranean, 4 which are cosmopolitan, 5 Atlantico-Pacifico-Mediterranean, one Indo-Atlantico-Mediterranean and one Pacifico-Mediterranean. The 71 endemic species belonging to 52 genera. Three of these genera are endemic and five others were previously known only as Indo-Pacific.The presence of bathyal endemic species belonging to bathyal genera, and the affinity of some other species otherwise occurring only in the Indo-Pacific, confirms that a Tethyan component persists in the amphipod fauna, and indicates that during the Messinian Crisis the Mediterranean did not completely dry up. Thus a relict amphipod fauna was able to survive in some of the residual basins.     

The relationship between tidal current field and sediment transport in the Huanghai Sea and the Bohai Sea

-Based on a two-dimensional numerical M2 tidal model of the Huanghai and Bohai Seas, sediment transport of particles with different sizes in the computational area is given. It is concluded that tidal currents play an important role in sediment transport and deposition in the Huanghai and Bohai Seas.     

Simulations of Annual Cycle of Phytoplankton Production and the Utilization of Nitrogen in the Yellow Sea

A nutrient dynamic model coupled with a 3D physical model has been developed to study the annual cycle of phytoplankton production in the Yellow Sea. The biological model involves interactions between inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium), phosphate and phytoplankton biomass. The model successfully reproduces the main features of phytoplankton-nutrient variation and dynamics of production. 1. The well-mixed coastal water is characterized by high primary production, as well as high new production. 2. In summer, the convergence of tidal front is an important hydrodynamic process, which contributes to high biomass at frontal areas. 3. The evolution of phytoplankton blooms and thermocline in the central region demonstrate that mixing is a dominant factor to the production in the Yellow Sea. In this simulation, nitrate- and ammonium-based productions are estimated regionally and temporally. The northern Yellow Sea is one of the highly ranked regions in the Yellow Sea for the capability of fixing carbon and nitrogen. The annual averaged f-ratio of 0.37 indicates that regenerated production prevails over the Yellow Sea. The result also shows that phosphate is the major nutrient, limiting phytoplankton growth throughout the year and it can be an indicator to predict the bloom magnitude. Finally, the relative roles of external nutrient sources have been evaluated, and benthic fluxes might play a significant role in compensating 54.6% of new nitrogen for new production consumption.     

济州岛南部海区的双跃层现象

本文分析了济州岛南部区域温度双跃层现象的类型及其成因。特别阐明了双跃层的波状现象,指出:强流锋区的侧向效应,黑潮次—中层混合水的爬升,黄海冷水团边缘密度环流引起的侧向流动,以及上、下层流速、流向不一致引起的剪切作用,是导致双跃层波状现象的主要原因。发现上、下跃层之间存在着“跃层间环流”,这是一个有趣的海洋学现象,它将导致双扩散的发生和有利于双跃层的维持。     

Practical implementation of Hilbert-Huang Transform algorithm

Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) is a newly developed powerful method for nonlinear and non-stationary time series analysis. The empirical mode decomposition is the key part of HHT, while its algorithm was protected by NASA as a US patent, which limits the wide application among the scientific community. Two approaches, mirror periodic and extrema extending methods, have been developed for handling the end effects of empirical mode decomposition. The implementation of the HHT is realized in detail to widen the application. The detailed comparison of the results from two methods with that from Huang et al. (1998, 1999), and the comparison between two methods are presented. Generally, both methods reproduce faithful results as those of Huang et al. For mirror periodic method (MPM), the data are extended once forever. Ideally, it is a way for handling the end effects of the HHT, especially for the signal that has symmetric waveform. The extrema extending method (EEM) behaves as good as MPM, and it is better t     

南海东北部表层沉积中生源和矿物碎屑组分分析及其古环境意义

通过对南海东北部128个表层沉积样品的定量研究，揭示隆源和矿物碎屑各组分的分布，也显示了组分分析作为一种简单、快速的研究方法在海洋古环境研究中的潜力，研究区生源碎屑的分布明显受与水深相关的深海溶解作用所控制，水深3500-4000m的现代南海CCD以下，钙质生物的含量急剧减少，而硅质生物的含量急剧增加，研究区表层沉积中的碎屑矿物主要来源于亚洲大陆，吕宋镐的风化产物只起次要作用，且其分布主要受与离岸距离远近和海流相关的搬运作用所控制。     

Responses of a Mediterranean soft bottom community to short-term (1993-1996) hydrological changes in the Rhone river

The polychaete fauna of muddy bottoms off the Rhone delta (NW Mediterranean) was seasonally sampled at two sites at 70 m depth, from 1993 to 1996. During this period, five severe flood events occurred. A clustering analysis (distance coefficient of Whittaker) and three way fixed factor ANOVAs (site x season x year) showed strong year-to-year changes in species density and community structure, changes that masked seasonal variations. Total density increased by a factor of 3 and density of most species significantly increased following the first flooding event. Changes in the community structure were due to the successive dominance of a few species. The opportunistic species, such as Cossura sp., Mediomastus sp. and Polycirrus sp., exhibited peaks in density 1-3 months after the flood. These peaks were followed by a drastic decline. For species with a long life span, such as Sternaspis scutata, a slower but continuous increase in density was observed which was maintained for several months. The density fluctuations of these species exhibited a good correlation with river flow with time lags of 1-2 years. The successional dynamics observed are explained according to the geographical origin of the floods and the biology and feeding ecology of species.     

Short period internal waves over the Huanghe (Yellow River) delta front

Internal waves with periods of about 5 minutes and trough to crest heights of up to 6.2 m were observed acoustically over the actively accreting delta front of the Huanghe (Yellow River) in the western portion of the Gulf of Bohai, Peoples Republic of China. The radian frequency of the internal waves was close to the locally-observed Brunt-Vaisala frequency. Through the relatively short (one hour) duration of an internal wave train, the amplitude was observed to decrease progressively with time. These internal waves may cause resuspension of delta-front sediments.     

东白令海三种经济鲽类捕捞群体结构与生长特性比较

对东白令海水域双线鲽(Lepidopsetta bilineata)、太平洋拟庸鲽(Hippoglosso-ides elassodon)和阿拉斯加鲽(Pleuronectes quadrituberculata)等三种经济鲽类的捕捞群体结构和生长特性进行比较。得出结论是:(1)捕捞群体结构复杂;(2)渐近体长和渐近体重较大、寿命长、K值小;(3)雌鱼比雄鱼个体大、生长快、寿命长;(4)三种鲽类的捕捞群体结构和生长特性有明显差异。