Impacts of human activities on coral reef ecosystems of southern Taiwan: a long-term study

In July 2001, the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, co-sponsored by the Kenting National Park Headquarters and Taiwan's National Science Council, launched a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program to monitor anthropogenic impacts on the ecosystems of southern Taiwan, specifically the coral reefs of Kenting National Park (KNP), which are facing an increasing amount of anthropogenic pressure. We found that the seawater of the reef flats along Nanwan Bay, Taiwan's southernmost embayment, was polluted by sewage discharge at certain monitoring stations. Furthermore, the consequently higher nutrient and suspended sediment levels had led to algal blooms and sediment smothering of shallow water corals at some sampling sites. Finally, our results show that, in addition to this influx of anthropogenically-derived sewage, increasing tourist numbers are correlated with decreasing shallow water coral cover, highlighting the urgency of a more proactive management plan for KNP's coral reefs.     

利用地面控制点相位残差定权方法减弱InSAR轨道误差相位

两次SAR图像成像时卫星位置的差异导致即使在平坦地区InSAR干涉图上也会有参考面相位存在。由于定轨精度有限,InSAR数据处理过程中需去除轨道误差相位。目前常用的去除轨道误差的方法为基于轨道状态矢量计算出初始基线,再根据地面控制点信息,利用最小二乘算法得到精密基线;或将初始基线对应的参考面相位去除后,再对剩余相位进行快速傅里叶变换或曲面拟合,得到趋势性相位再去除。由于去除参考面相位在去除大气相位和获取形变相位之前,因而基线精密估计的过程中易受到大气相位和形变相位的影响,影响形变解算结果。在实际应用中发现存在干涉图在去除参考面相位后依然有趋势性相位的现象,本文针对此现象考虑大气相位和形变相位影响,提出了利用地面控制点相位残差定权的基线估计方法,提高了估计形变结果的精度,模拟试验和实际应用表明该方法具有一定的有效性和可行性。     

春、秋季南黄海浮游纤毛虫丰度及生物量的分布差异

Seasonal variation of marine plankton spatial distribution is important in understanding the biological processes in the ocean.In this study,we studied spatial distribution of planktonic ciliate abundance and biomass in the central deep area(station depth greater than 60 m) and the coastal shallow area(station depth less than 60 m) of the southern Yellow Sea(32°–36.5°N,121°–125°E) in spring(April) and autumn(October–November) of 2006.Our results showed that both ciliate abundance and biomass in the surface waters were higher in spring((1 490±2 336)ind./L;(4.11±7.81) μg/L) than in autumn((972±823) ind./L;(1.11±1.18) μg/L,calculated by carbon).Ciliate abundance and biomass in the surface waters of the coastal shallow area were similar in spring and autumn.However,in the central deep area,those values were much higher in spring((1 878±2 893) ind./L;(5.99±10.10)μg/L) than in autumn((738±373) ind./L;(0.74±0.76) μg/L).High values of ciliate abundance and biomass occurred in the central deep area in spring and in the coastal shallow area in autumn.Mixotrophic ciliate Laboea strobila was abundant in the central deep area in spring,when a phytoplankton bloom occurred.However,in autumn,L.strobila was abundant in the coastal shallow area.Boreal tintinnid Ptychocyli obtusa was found in spring.Both L.strobila and P.obtusa were concentrated in the surface waters when their abundance was more than 1 000 ind./L.Peaks of these species were in the subsurface waters when their abundance was less than 400 ind./L.This study showed that both high abundance and biomass of ciliates occurred in different areas in southern Yellow Sea seasonally.     

变化环境下中国东南沿海致灾气旋及其人口暴露度研究

本文基于气象观测站的逐日气压、风速和降水量确定致灾气旋阈值,结合区域气候模式COSMO-CLM (CCLM)输出,研究中国东南沿海地区2021—2050年RCP2.6、4.5、8.5情景下致灾气旋的时空变化特征。并采用人口-发展-环境分析模型(PDE),预测共享社会经济路径SSP2下东南沿海地区人口发展趋势,揭示了致灾气旋人口暴露度演变。研究表明:(1) RCP2.6情景,东南沿海地区平均每年发生致灾气旋6.3次,风速和降水量较基准期(1986—2005年)分别增加9%和15%,72%区域致灾气旋人口暴露度有所增加。暴露在超基准期最大影响面积和最强风速下的致灾气旋人口分别增加2.1亿和0.1亿。(2) RCP4.5情景,致灾气旋年均发生7次,风速和降水量较基准期分别上升16%和32%,89%地区致灾气旋暴露人口增加。暴露在超基准期最大影响面积和最强风速下的致灾气旋人口分别增加2.6亿和0.5亿。(3) RCP8.5情景,致灾气旋年均发生5.8次,风速和降水量较基准期分别增加32%和50%,65%区域致灾气旋暴露人口度有所增加。暴露在超基准期最大影响面积和最强风速下的致灾气旋人口分别增加5.7亿和1.9亿。(4)相比RCP2.6,RCP8.5情景致灾气旋风速和降水量高出23%和35%,暴露于超基准期最大影响面积和最强风速的致灾气旋人口分别多3.6亿和1.8亿。控制温室气体浓度对降低致灾气旋的不利影响具有重要意义。     

MTBE and gasoline hydrocarbons in ground water of the United States

The occurrence of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and gasoline hydrocarbons was examined in three types of studies of ground water conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey: major aquifer surveys, urban land-use studies, and agricultural land-use studies. The detection frequency of MTBE was dependent on the study type, with the highest detection frequency in urban land-use studies. Only 13 ground water samples from all study types, or 0.3%, had concentrations of MTBE that exceeded the lower limit of the U.S. EPA's Drinking-Water Advisory. The detection frequency of MTBE was highest in monitoring wells located in urban areas and in public supply wells. The detection frequency of any gasoline hydrocarbon also was dependent on study type and generally was less than the detection frequency of MTBE. The probability of detecting MTBE in ground water was strongly associated with population density, use of MTBE in gasoline, and recharge. Ground water in areas with high population density, in areas where MTBE is used as a gasoline oxygenate, and in areas with high recharge rates had a greater probability of MTBE occurrence. Also, ground water from public supply wells and shallow ground water underlying urban land-use areas had a greater probability of MTBE occurrence compared to ground water from domestic wells and ground water underlying rural land-use areas. The probability of detecting MTBE in ground water was weakly associated with the density of leaking underground storage tanks, soil permeability, and aquifer consolidation, and only concentrations of MTBE >0.5 microg/L were associated with dissolved oxygen.     

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition from a remote source enriches macroalgae in coral reef ecosystems near Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

Over the past several decades, the fixation of "new" nitrogen to the biosphere has doubled. For the early 21st century, the most significant rate increases in atmospheric nitrogen deposition are predicted for developing nations. Wet nitrogen deposition was assessed on the remote island of Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas in a dry and wet season from January to July 2000. Episodic deposition of nitrate (approximately 1-137 microM) and ammonia (approximately 2-122 microM) represented a mean deposition rate of approximately 0.2 mgDIN m(-2) yr(-1). Wet deposition of nitrogen to the climatologically-linked east coast of Florida is approximately 4 times greater than the estimated annual wet nitrogen deposition value at Green Turtle Cay, suggesting the continental US as a principal airshed for this loading source. Short-term bioassays of macroalgal productivity with a 5% rainfall solution caused depressed net productivity and increased dark respiration, well known "transient metabolic" responses by nutrient-limited tropical macroalgae. Wet deposition of inorganic nitrogen from episodic rainfall events may provide up to 20% of the "new" nitrogen necessary to meet growth demands of macroalgae on coral reefs near Green Turtle Cay.     

Effect of an acid mine drainage effluent on phytoplankton biomass and primary production at Britannia Beach, Howe Sound, British Columbia

We investigated the effect of acid mine drainage (AMD) from an abandoned copper mine at Britannia Beach (Howe Sound, BC, Canada) on primary productivity and chlorophyll a levels in the receiving waters of Howe Sound before, during, and after freshet from the Squamish River. Elevated concentrations of copper (integrated average through the water column >0.050 mg l⁻¹) in nearshore waters indicated that under some conditions a small gyre near the mouth of Britannia Creek may have retained the AMD from Britannia Creek and from a 30-m deep water outfall close to shore. Regression and correlation analyses indicated that copper negatively affected primary productivity during April (pre-freshet) and November (post-freshet). Negative effects of copper on primary productivity were not supported statistically for July (freshet), possibly because of additional effects such as turbidity from the Squamish River. Depth-integrated average and surface chlorophyll a were correlated to copper concentrations in April. During this short study we demonstrated that copper concentrations from the AMD discharge can negatively affect both primary productivity and the standing stock of primary producers in Howe Sound.     

The effect of the new Massachusetts Bay sewage outfall on the concentrations of metals and bacterial spores in nearby bottom and suspended sediments

Since the new outfall for Boston's treated sewage effluent began operation on September 6, 2000, no change has been observed in concentrations of silver or Clostridium perfringens spores (an ecologically benign tracer of sewage), in bottom sediments at a site 2.5 km west of the outfall. In suspended sediment samples collected with a time-series sediment trap located 1.3 km south of the outfall, silver and C. perfringens spores increased by 38% and 103%, respectively, in post-outfall samples while chromium, copper, and zinc showed no change. All metal concentrations in sediments are <50% of warning levels established by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. An 11-year data set of bottom sediment characteristics collected three times per year prior to outfall startup provides perspective for the interpretation of post-outfall data. A greater than twofold increase in concentrations of sewage tracers (silver and C. perfringens) was observed in muddy sediments following the exceptional storm of December 11-16, 1992 that presumably moved contaminated inshore sediment offshore.