First results from the North Iceland experiment

Between June 2004 and September 2004 a temporary seismic network was installed on the northern insular shelf of Iceland and onshore in north Iceland. The seismic setup aimed at resolving the subsurface structure and, thus, the geodynamical transition from Icelandic crust to typical oceanic crust along Kolbeinsey Ridge. The experiment recorded about 1,000 earthquakes. The region encloses the Tjörnes Fracture Zone containing the Husavik–Flatey strike-slip fault and the extensional seismic Grimsey Lineament. Most of the seismicity occurs in swarms offshore. Preliminary results reveal typical mid-ocean crust north of Grimsey and a heterogeneous structure with major velocity anomalies along the seismic lineaments and north–south trending subsurface features. Complementary bathymetric mapping highlight numerous extrusion features along the Grimsey Lineament and Kolbeinsey Ridge. The seismic dataset promises to deliver new insights into the tectonic framework for earthquakes in an extensional transform zone along the global mid-ocean ridge system.     

Guidelines for navigation and overflight in the exclusive economic zone

Several significant international incidents in Asian exclusive economic zones (EEZs) have underscored the ambiguity and lack of agreement regarding the regime governing foreign military activities in coastal States’ EEZs. A group of senior officials and analysts participated in their personal capacities in a dialogue from 2002–2005 that discussed the issues with a view to improving mutual understanding of the regime and finding areas of agreement. The Tokyo meeting in September 2005 reached consensus on some voluntary, non-binding guidelines that are presented here. The guidelines are based selectively on the 1982 UNCLOS, State practice and emerging ‘soft’ law, and attempt to balance the interests of coastal States and user States. It is hoped that they may serve as the basis for discussion and eventual agreements between governments.     

A stratigraphic and tectonofacies framework of the “calcari aLucina” in the Apennine Chain,Italy

The Apennine Chain provides the first example of stratigraphic (time) and synsedimentary tectonic (space) distribution of the calcari aLucina Miocene equivalents of modern cold-vent carbonates. Chemosynthetic faunal assemblages and related carbonate deposits are found at different stratigraphic levels, with peaks during Langhian-Serravallian and late Tortonian-early Messinian times. A general increase in frequency and volume occurs with time. A genetic link between venting and the Messinian Evaporite event is difficult to demonstrate. However,Lucina limestones are limited to preevaporitic times, and their maximum abundance is reached just before the onset of the Messinian Evaporite accumulation.Lucina limestones occur in almost all tectofacies of the orogen, from backland to foreland.     

The importance of bioturbation to continental slope sediment structure and benthic processes off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Even though the continental slope off Cape Hatteras has sediment accumulation rates on the order of 1 cm/year, large areas of soft sediment are intensively reworked by infaunal organisms. Primary sedimentary structures have been completely replaced with biogenic structures. Surface sedimentary structures are dominated by the bioturbational activities of a deep burrowing infauna (to at least 30 cm). The layer actively mixed by the benthos, as evidenced by sediment profile and X-ray images, is estimated to range from 5 to 20 cm, with the residence time for particles within the surface mixed layer ranging from about 4.5 to 18 years. The biological mixing parameter (G) ranges from 0.4 to 5.5, which indicates moderate to strong biological mixing relative to accumulation and strata formation. Bioturbation contributes to the dynamic forces affecting the surface sediments by decreasing compaction of sediment layers and dilating sediment fabrics by sediment mixing, and introducing large water-filled burrows and voids to subsurface sediments. The sediment profile images captured numerous subsurface feeding voids, and worms in the process of making deep burrows, many of which extended below the 5 to 10 cm average depth of the apparent color redoxpotential discontinuity layer. High rates of accumulation of organic-rich sediment lead to high standing stocks of benthos and intensive feeding/burrowing activity that result in organic rich stratagraphic sequences that are thoroughly mixed. Cape Hatteras is a apparent focusing point for the transport of shallow water sediments to the deep sea. Sediments across other areas of the continental slope just 100's of kilometers south of Cape Hatteras are not as thoroughly mixed or biologically active.     

Building capacity for integrated coastal management in developing countries

The need for building human and institutional capacity has been identified in Agenda 21 of the UNCED conference as well as by a number of international environmental institutions as essential for integrated coastal management (ICM) and sustainable development in developing coastal states. There is a growing need for coastal management practitioners and organizations with expertise in planning and implementation for ICM. The application of strategies for institutional development and building human capacity in coastal management and other fields shows that short-term intensive training efforts and long-term institutional strengthening programs are appropriate to address the issues and needs of ICM. An overview of the experience of the URI/USAID International Coastal Resources Management Program in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Ecuador presents lessons learned for strengthening ICM efforts in developing countries.     

On the origin of glauconitic and chamositic granules

Glauconitic minerals range from green smectite to 10Å glauconite, occur mainly in peloids (most of which were fecal pellets), and apparently were produced largely by neoformation replacing several kinds of substrate. Chamositic minerals, berthierine and chamosite, occur in Recent and ancient peloids, but mostly in ancient ooids, and they developed by alteration of a precursor Al-rich clay mineral. Ooid sheaths were built by rolling of cores on ue sea floor. Glauconitic greensands and chamositic oolitic ironstones are condensed sequences deposited as sandwaves during long periods of reduced influx of sediment. Some are associated with hardgrounds.     

Turnover of hepatic hemoproteins in rainbow trout

The hepatic mixed function oxidase system in the fish differs from that in mammals in its responses to the two classic mammalian inducers. The cytochrome P-448-type inducers (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) stimulate monooxygenase activity, but phenobarbital, a P-450-type inducer, does not.¹ We have compared the effects of phenobarbital (PB) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) on the turnover of hepatic microsomal hemoproteins in trout (PCB's are P-448- and P-450-type inducers in mammals, which in fish induce only cytochrome P-448). We show here that neither PCB nor PB treatment changed the turnover rate. However, both the rates of synthesis and degradation were much slower than in the rat.     

An analysis of 3.5 kHz acoustic reflections and sediment physical properties

Near-bottom normal incidence acoustic reflection data and sediment physical property data are used to study the relationships between acoustic reflections and sediment physical properties. A pinger-hydrophone experiment was performed to obtain the necessary acoustic reflection data. In addition, a standard piston core was retrieved in the acoustic survey area for physical property analysis. The piston core was sampled and 13 properties were measured at 55 locations within the top 12 m of the core. Correlation studies amongst the sediment physical properties resulted in the following strong correlations: acoustic impedance ($\text{Z}$) and porosity ($\text{N}$), (0.96); water content ($\text{WC}$) and $\text{Z}$, (0.95); bulk density ($\text{BD}$) and $\text{Z}$, (0.99).The empirical orthonormal function (EOF) method was employed for acoustic signal analysis. This method assumes no a-priori models of the sediment or causality. The EOF method reduced the acoustic data to 8 functions that contained 97.6% of the sample variance. The EOFs were subsequently analysed by using cepstrum analysis which reveals time delay information and enhances detecting zones of reflectivity. The result of the sediment physical property and cepstrum analysis indicates that zones of reflectivity are essentially zones of relatively high acoustic impedance, low porosity, and low phi (high mean grain size).     

Study of the fauna inhabiting the holdfasts of Laminaria hyperborea (gunn.) fosl. along some environmental and geographical gradients

A survey of the holdfast fauna of Laminaria hyperborea was carried out at thirty-five sites around the UK, mostly along the North Sea and south coasts.Data from different age classes of holdfast from a polluted and unpolluted site indicate that volume of holdfast space is a most important measurement of sample size, a minimum size of sample being one litre and, preferably, three.Gradients of increased heavy metals were defined down the North Sea and west coasts and, by utilising measurements of kelp penetration, water clarity gradients were determined as increasing northwards on the west coast and both north and southwards on the North Sea coast from a point near Tyne and Wear county. Analysis of holdfast fauna showed numerous gradients of total numbers, species and diversity which correlate closely with the heavy metal and water clarity gradients, or with undetermined parameters analogous to latitude and longitude. Where there were increases of heavy metals or decreases of water clarity, various reciprocal relationships between suspension feeders and all other trophic groups were commonly observed. In the North Sea numbers of suspension feeders increased while numbers of all other trophic groups declined. On the west coast a heavy metal increase correlated with a decreasing species richness of all trophic categories except suspension feeders, while with total numbers only suspension feeders showed an increase. On the south coast transect neither gradient existed, and only here did all trophic categories covary, except at one very polluted site where the same reciprocal relationship was again indicated.In terms of species similarity the North Sea showed a greater pool of common species than occurred between sites of other regions and between North Sea sites with other regions, despite the widest range of heavy metal levels and wate clarity that existed there. Between-site similarity appeared to be much more dependent on geographical proximity than on the two measured environmental factors. It is suggested that effects of clarity-reduction can be measured by trophic analysis more successfully than by species presence or absence, and that changes of holdfast fauna along the North Sea coast are due largely to pollution.     

Concentrations of suspended matter and particulate cadmium,copper, lead and zinc in the Indian sector of the antarctic ocean

The concentrations of suspended matter and particulate Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined for 36 samples collected at 6 stations in the Antarctic Ocean during December, 1970 and January, 1971 using membrane filters. The concentration of suspended matter was determined gravimetrically and trace metal levels were determined using anodic stripping voltammetry. For waters deeper than 100 m the concentration of suspended matter was < 100 μg l^?1. Concentrations up to 542 μg l^?1 were recorded between surface and 100 m. Individual concentrations of the metals were scattered with depth. Average concentrations of particulate metals were: Cd, 3.5 ng l^?1; Cu, 100 ng l^?1; Pb, 35 ng l^?1; and Zn, 230 ng ;l^?1 These measurements represent non-steady state conditions of early Antarctic summer as the ice pack disintegrates and biological activity increases.