Reproduction in the intertidal limpet Cellana ornata in southern New Zealand

The reproductive cycle of the abundant intertidal limpet Cellana ornata (Dillwyn 1817) was examined over 19 months, covering two breeding periods, on a rocky intertidal platform in southern New Zealand. A gonad index was calculated, and histological sections were used to count the numbers of mature and immature eggs present. Fecundity was estimated using counts of eggs before and after spawning. To determine any variation between sites, the gonad index of limpets at a second site dominated by boulders was examined over 6 months during the second breeding period. C. ornata had a single spawning period annually during summer, with greatest gonad sizes in January‐February. There were significant differences in peak gonad indices between two breeding seasons on the platform. Within the second breeding period, both the timing and magnitude of peak gonad development differed between sites, with lower reproductive output at the boulder site. Fecundity increased with increasing size, but individuals are probably capable of reproducing after their first year on the shore. The life history of this species is discussed in comparison to other limpets in New Zealand.     

First identification of the cylindrospermopsin‐producing cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in New Zealand

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is a planktonic freshwater cyanobacterium that is becoming increasingly prevalent in water bodies worldwide. During a survey of toxic cyanobacteria in New Zealand, C. raciborskii was identified in a sample collected from Lake Waahi (Waikato). This is the first identification of this species in New Zealand. Liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry were used to confirm the presence of the cyanotoxins cylindrospermopsin (CYN) and deoxy‐cylindrospermopsin (do‐CYN). Detection of CYN and do‐CYN demonstrates that C. raciborskii is a now a species of concern in recreational, stock drinking, and potable water supplies in New Zealand.     

Effects of Cystoseira Sensu lato (Fucales: Phaeophyceae) on Species Richness,Composition, and Biomass of Abrau Peninsula Shelf Macrophytobenthic Communities (Black Sea)

Oceanology - Field observations were applied to study the macrophytobenthos of the Abrau Peninsula of the Black Sea and the effect of the two most common and largest species of brown algae of the...     

Thermodynamic characterization of boltwoodite and uranophane: Enthalpy of formation and aqueous solubility

Boltwoodite and uranophane are uranyl silicates common in oxidized zones of uranium ore deposits. An understanding of processes that impact uranium transport in the environment, especially pertaining to the distribution of uranium between solid phases and aqueous solutions, ultimately requires determination of thermodynamic parameters for such crystalline materials. We measured formation enthalpies of synthetic boltwoodites, K(UO₂)(HSiO₄)·H₂O and Na(UO₂)(HSiO₄)·H₂O, and uranophane, Ca(UO₂)₂(HSiO₄)₂·5H₂O, by high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. We also studied the aqueous solubility of these phases from both saturated and undersaturated conditions at a variety of pH. The combined data permit the determination of standard enthalpies, entropies and Gibbs free energies of formation for each phase and analysis of its potential geological impact from a thermodynamic point of view.     

Guiding ecological principles for marine spatial planning

The declining health of marine ecosystems around the world is evidence that current piecemeal governance is inadequate to successfully support healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and sustain human uses of the ocean. One proposed solution to this problem is ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP), which is a process that informs the spatial distribution of activities in the ocean so that existing and emerging uses can be maintained, use conflicts reduced, and ecosystem health and services protected and sustained for future generations. Because a key goal of ecosystem-based MSP is to maintain the delivery of ecosystem services that humans want and need, it must be based on ecological principles that articulate the scientifically recognized attributes of healthy, functioning ecosystems. These principles should be incorporated into a decision-making framework with clearly defined targets for these ecological attributes. This paper identifies ecological principles for MSP based on a synthesis of previously suggested and/or operationalized principles, along with recommendations generated by a group of twenty ecologists and marine scientists with diverse backgrounds and perspectives on MSP. The proposed four main ecological principles to guide MSP—maintaining or restoring: native species diversity, habitat diversity and heterogeneity, key species, and connectivity—and two additional guidelines, the need to account for context and uncertainty, must be explicitly taken into account in the planning process. When applied in concert with social, economic, and governance principles, these ecological principles can inform the designation and siting of ocean uses and the management of activities in the ocean to maintain or restore healthy ecosystems, allow delivery of marine ecosystem services, and ensure sustainable economic and social benefits.     

Role of geological inheritance in Australian beach morphodynamics

The Australian coast contains 10,685 beaches which occupy 49% of the 30,000 km coast and average 1.37 km in length. Their relatively short length is largely due to the presence of bedrock, calcarenite and laterite, which form boundaries to many of the beaches, as well as occurring as rocks, reefs and islands along and off the beaches. This geological inheritance plays a major role in Australian beach systems — determining their length and through wave refraction and attenuation influencing beach location, shape, type, morphodynamics and circulation, which in turn influence sediment transport and the backing dune and barrier systems. This paper uses a database covering every Australian beach to review the role of headlands, rocks and reefs on Australian beaches. Major effects are the short average beach length; reduction in breaker height resulting in lower energy beach types; wave refraction resulting in increased beach curvature; the presence of topographic rips on moderate and higher energy beaches and megarips during high wave conditions; and the interruption of and/or trapping of longshore sand transport leading to beach rotation.     

A comparison of the main methods for estimating probabilities of extreme still water levels

Sea-level return periods are estimated at 18 sites around the English Channel using: (i) the annual maxima method; (ii) the r-largest method; (iii) the joint probability method; and (iv) the revised joint probability method. Tests are undertaken to determine how sensitive these four methods are to three factors which may significantly influence the results; (a) the treatment of the long-term trends in extreme sea level; (b) the relative magnitudes of the tidal and non-tidal components of sea level; and (c) the frequency, length and completeness of the available data. Results show that unless sea-level records with lengths of at least 50 years are used, the way in which the long-term trends is handled in the different methods can lead to significant differences in the estimated return levels. The direct methods (i.e. methods i and ii) underestimate the long (> 20 years) period return levels when the astronomical tidal variations of sea level (relative to a mean of zero) are about twice that of the non-tidal variations. The performance of each of the four methods is assessed using prediction errors (the difference between the return periods of the observed maximum level at each site and the corresponding data range). Finally, return periods, estimated using the four methods, are compared with estimates from the spatial revised joint probability method along the UK south coast and are found to be significantly larger at most sites along this coast, due to the comparatively short records originally used to calibrate the model in this area. The revised joint probability method is found to have the lowest prediction errors at most sites analysed and this method is recommended for application wherever possible. However, no method can compensate for poor data.     

Metazoan meiofauna in deep-sea canyons and adjacent open slopes: A large-scale comparison with focus on the rare taxa

Metazoan meiofaunal abundance, total biomass, nematode size and the richness of taxa were investigated along bathymetric gradients (from the shelf break down to ca. 5000-m depth) in six submarine canyons and on five adjacent open slopes of three deep-sea regions. The investigated areas were distributed along >2500 km, on the Portuguese to the Catalan and South Adriatic margins. The Portuguese and Catalan margins displayed the highest abundances, biomass and richness of taxa, while the lowest values were observed in the Central Mediterranean Sea. The comparison between canyons and the nearby open slopes showed the lack of significant differences in terms of meiofaunal abundance and biomass at any sampling depth. In most canyons and on most slopes, meiofaunal variables did not display consistent bathymetric patterns. Conversely, we found that the different topographic features were apparently responsible for significant differences in the abundance and distribution of the rare meiofaunal taxa (i.e. taxa accounting for <1% of total meiofaunal abundance). Several taxa belonging to the temporary meiofauna, such as larvae/juveniles of Priapulida, Holothuroidea, Ascidiacea and Cnidaria, were encountered exclusively on open slopes, while others (including the Tanaidacea and Echinodea larvae) were found exclusively in canyons sediments. Results reported here indicate that, at large spatial scales, differences in deep-sea meiofaunal abundance and biomass are not only controlled by the available food sources, but also by the region or habitat specific topographic features, which apparently play a key role in the distribution of rare benthic taxa.     

Distribution of deep near-inertial waves observed in the Kuroshio Extension

The distribution of deep near-inertial waves (NIWs) is investigated using data mainly from an array of 46 near-bottom acoustic current meter sensors spanning a 600 km × 600 km region as part of the Kuroshio Extension System Study during 2004–2006. The deep NIW distribution is interpreted in the context of both upper-layer and near-bottom mapped circulations. The wintertime-mean mixed-layer NIW energy input, modeled from observed wind stress, has the same range of values north and south of the Kuroshio Extension in this region. Yet, the wintertime-mean deep NIW energy distribution reveals a sharp factor-of-5 decrease from north to south of the Kuroshio jet. This direct observational evidence shows that the Kuroshio Extension blocks the equatorward propagation of NIWs. The NIW energy that does reach the sea floor within the subset of wintertime observations in the subtropical gyre arrives with patchy spatial and temporal distribution. Elevated NIW energy in deep water is associated with anticyclones in the deep barotropic flow and unassociated with upper layer eddies.     

Optical characteristics of coastal waters and atmosphere near the south coast of the crimea at the end of summer 2008

We present the results of measurements of optical characteristics of waters (the beam attenuation coefficient, volume scattering function, sea water reflectance, and Secchi depth) and optical characteristics of the atmosphere (aerosol optical thickness, content of vapors, and the ?ngstr?m exponent) carried out in September 2008 on the oceanographic platform near Katsiveli. We carried out the comparative analysis of hydrooptical characteristics measured in various years. The optical type of sea waters in the period of observations is determined.