Gravity variations along the Southeast Bohol Ophiolite Complex (SEBOC), Central Philippines: Implications on Ophiolite Emplacement

Abstract The basement complex of Bohol Island consists of the Southeast Bohol Ophiolite Complex (SEBOC), Cansiwang Melange and Alicia Schist. The SEBOC is a complete, but dismembered ophiolite with outcrops generally trending northeast– southwest and dipping north-west. The harzburgite units of the SEBOC are almost always observed to be thrusted onto the Cansiwang Melange, which in turn is thrusted onto the Alicia Schist. Bouguer gravity values on Bohol range from about +60 mGal in the west to +120 mGal in the east, in the region to the north-east of the SEBOC outcrops. Based on the present distribution of the SEBOC units and their thrust fault relationship with the Cansiwang Melange and Alicia Schist, it is proposed that the SEBOC was emplaced by onramping towards the south-eastward direction. However, the orientation of the Bouguer highs suggests that the thrusting direction of the ophiolite units is towards the south-west and not towards the south-east.     

Mapping benthic habitat in regions of gradational substrata: An automated approach utilising geophysical,geological, and biological relationships

The relationship between acoustic backscatter, sediment characteristics and benthic habitat is examined using high-resolution sidescan sonar data collected at the Loch Linnhe artificial reef site on the west coast of Scotland. The site is typical for the continental shelf of NW Europe, with a mix of seabed environments from muddy to coarse, stony substrata on a 10–100 m length scale. A sidescan sonar mosaic was produced and classified according to derived backscatter parameters (mean, median and standard deviation of the backscatter values) using an unsupervised classification procedure. The accuracy of the final classified map was assessed by comparison with a ground-truthing survey in which the biological habitat was derived from underwater video footage. The sidescan correctly predicted seabed surface characteristics of observed biological habitat with 78% accuracy. A second, and more challenging test of the acoustic data to correctly predict biological habitat was made by comparing it with data from 21 grab sampling stations. These stations were divided into three groups using multivariate statistical techniques based on their backscatter properties. Benthic assemblage structure was found to be significantly distinct between the high and low, and the medium and low backscatter stations. There was a low to moderate but significant correlation between the multivariate patterns of acoustic backscatter, benthic assemblage structure, and particle size distribution. The work shows that even in areas with subtle and gradational changes in substratum, the sidescan was able to predict biological community with an acceptable accuracy.     

Introduction: Interaction between environment and fisheries—The role of stakeholder participation

This paper is an introduction to the special issue on a role of participation in dealing with the interactions between environment and fisheries. In this introduction, we explore the recent discussion on the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management (EBAFM) and extract important points for implementation of EBAFM from the social science literature on participation and participatory processes in environmental management. The introduction finishes by describing the analytical framework for studying participatory processes.     

A complicated relationship: Stakeholder participation and the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management

The relationship between stakeholder participation (SP) and the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management (EBAFM) is often taken for granted, but is actually very complicated. The literature reveals five possible interpretations of this relationship: that they are (1) logically linked; (2) ethically linked; (3) instrumentally linked; (4) complementarily linked and (5) antagonistically linked. We examine these five formulations in the light of recent research on interactions between fisheries and their environment and conclude that the SP/EBAFM relationship manifests itself as predominantly instrumental in character.     

Multiscale finite-volume method for density-driven flow in porous media

The multiscale finite-volume (MSFV) method has been developed to solve multiphase flow problems on large and highly heterogeneous domains efficiently. It employs an auxiliary coarse grid, together with its dual, to define and solve a coarse-scale pressure problem. A set of basis functions, which are local solutions on dual cells, is used to interpolate the coarse-grid pressure and obtain an approximate fine-scale pressure distribution. However, if flow takes place in presence of gravity (or capillarity), the basis functions are not good interpolators. To treat this case correctly, a correction function is added to the basis function interpolated pressure. This function, which is similar to a supplementary basis function independent of the coarse-scale pressure, allows for a very accurate fine-scale approximation. In the coarse-scale pressure equation, it appears as an additional source term and can be regarded as a local correction to the coarse-scale operator: It modifies the fluxes across the coarse-cell interfaces defined by the basis functions. Given the closure assumption that localizes the pressure problem in a dual cell, the derivation of the local problem that defines the correction function is exact, and no additional hypothesis is needed. Therefore, as in the original MSFV method, the only closure approximation is the localization assumption. The numerical experiments performed for density-driven flow problems (counter-current flow and lock exchange) demonstrate excellent agreement between the MSFV solutions and the corresponding fine-scale reference solutions.     

Force-directed layout of origin-destination flow maps

This paper introduces a force-directed layout method for creating origin-destination flow maps. Design principles derived from manual cartography and automated graph drawing to increase readability of flow maps and graph layouts are taken into account. The origin-destination flow maps produced with our algorithm show flows with quadratic Bézier curves that reduce flow-on-flow and flow-on-node overlaps, and avoid sharp or irregular bends in flow lines. A survey of expert cartographers found that flow maps created with our automated method are similar in quality to manually produced flow maps.     

Real-time raster projection for web maps

The virtual globe is the default visualization for Digital Earth applications, but it can only show one half of the Earth. This article introduces user-adjustable, on-the-fly projection of georeferenced raster images for web mapping and web GIS applications. This technique allows users to center a map on arbitrary locations, while still seeing the entire Earth surface. Modern web mapping libraries can apply map projection transformations to vector data in the browser, but they do not currently support the projection of raster images at interactive frame rates. We use the cross-platform WebGL (Web Graphics Library) graphics pipeline for hardware-accelerated projection of raster data in web browsers. Two algorithmic techniques – inverse per-fragment projection, and combined forward per-triangle and inverse per-fragment projection – for georeferenced raster imagery are documented. The resulting raster maps combine the ease of use and flexibility of interactive virtual globes with the ability to show the entire Earth. The adjustable projection of raster imagery allows users to observe global phenomena that are difficult to visualize on virtual globes or traditional maps with static projections.     

Nitrogen cycling in deep-sea sediments of the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, NE Atlantic

Rates of transformation, recycling and burial of nitrogen and their temporal and spatial variability were investigated in deep-sea sediments of the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP), NE Atlantic during eight cruises from 1996 to 2000. Benthic fluxes of ammonium (NH₄) and nitrate (NO₃) were measured in situ using a benthic lander. Fluxes of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and denitrification rates were calculated from pore water profiles of DON and NO₃, respectively. Burial of nitrogen was calculated from down core profiles of nitrogen in the solid phase together with ¹⁴C-based sediment accumulation rates and dry bulk density. Average NH₄ and NO₃-effluxes were 7.4 ± 19 μmol m⁻² d⁻¹ (n = 7) and 52 ± 30 μmol m⁻² d⁻¹ (n = 14), respectively, during the period 1996–2000. During the same period, the DON-flux was 11 ± 5.6 μmol m⁻² d⁻¹ (n = 5) and the denitrification rate was 5.1 ± 3.0 μmol m⁻² d⁻¹ (n = 22). Temporal and spatial variations were only found in the benthic NO₃ fluxes. The average burial rate was 4.6 ± 0.9 μmol m⁻² d⁻¹. On average over the sampling period, the recycling efficiency of the PON input to the sediment was 94% and the burial efficiency hence 6%. The DON flux constituted 14% of the nitrogen recycled, and it was of similar magnitude as the sum of burial and denitrification. By assuming the PAP is representative of all deep-sea areas, rates of denitrification, burial and DON efflux were extrapolated to the total area of the deep-sea floor (>2000 m) and integrated values of denitrification and burial of 8 ± 5 and 7 ± 1 Tg N year⁻¹, respectively, were obtained. This value of total deep-sea sediment denitrification corresponds to 3–12% of the global ocean benthic denitrification. Burial in deep-sea sediments makes up at least 25% of the global ocean nitrogen burial. The integrated DON flux from the deep-sea floor is comparable in magnitude to a reported global riverine input of DON suggesting that deep-sea sediments constitute an important source of DON to the world ocean.