A Functional Analysis of the Benthic Macrofauna of the São Sebastião Channel (Southeastern Brazil)

Abstract.  The major problem in coastal areas of developing countries is disturbance caused by anthropogenic influence. This disturbance can be quantified by analysing the distribution and composition of marine communities using uni- and multivariate techniques and the biotic index. A study of benthic macrofauna was carried out along the São Sebastião Channel, northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil, in an area with a submarine outfall, a petroleum terminal and a commercial harbour. Sampling was undertaken seasonally, by means of a van Veen grab (0.1 m²) at 15 oceanographic stations, from November 1993 to August 1994. A total of 392 species were identified (129 Polychaeta, 127 Mollusca, 98 Crustacea, 28 Echinodermata and 10 other phyla). The sedimentary pattern recorded for the São Sebastião Channel is very heterogeneous, influenced mainly by strong wind-driven currents, and differs from nearby shelf areas. The study area could be divided into three regions based on sediment texture and fauna: one region dominated by medium and coarse sand with low values of organic carbon; a second area where pelitic fractions were dominant with high values of organic carbon and nitrogen; and a third region characterised by fine and very fine sand, presenting intermediate organic carbon values. No temporal significant variation in abundance and species composition was found, except in autumn. The use of the 'marine Biotic Coefficient' showed the same ecological trend as the faunal abundance and demonstrated that the central continental region of the channel is affected by human activities.     

Stress and deformation of offshore piles under structural and wave loading

Various offshore structures, especially large structures such as Tension Leg Platforms (TLP), are usually supported by concrete piles as the foundation elements. The stress distribution within such a large structure is a dominant factor in the design procedure of an offshore pile. To provide a more accurate and effective design for offshore foundation systems under axial and lateral wave loads, a finite element model is employed herein to determine the stresses and displacements in a concrete pile under similar loading conditions. A parametric study is also performed to examine the effects of the stress distribution due to the changing loading conditions.     

Particulate and dissolved amino acids in the lower Mississippi and Pearl Rivers (USA)

In this study, we present seasonal changes (monthly samples from September 2001 to August 2003) in the abundance and composition of dissolved and particulate amino acids, at one station in the lower Mississippi and Pearl Rivers (LA, MS: USA). Spatial changes over a 4-day transmit from river km 390 to river mouth (Head of Passes, LA) in the Mississippi River, and a two-day downstream sampling from Jackson (MS) to Stennis Space Center (MS) were also determined. Temporal data in the lower Mississippi River showed significantly lower concentrations of dissolved combined amino acids (DCAA, 0.8 to 2.2 μM) and dissolved amino acids in high molecular weight fraction (HMW DAA, 0.2–0.4 μM) than in the Pearl River (DCAA, 1.4–4.3 μM; HMW DAA, 0.4–1.4 μM). Dissolved free amino acids (DFAA) were significantly lower than DCAA in both rivers, and displayed minimal seasonal variability. DCAA, HMW DAA, and particulate amino acids (PAA) were generally higher during high-flow periods, which may have suggested dominance in terrestrial sources. Carbon-normalized yield of PAA (%C-PAA) was generally higher during low-flow conditions and positively correlated with chlorophyll-a (chl-a), reflective of in situ sources. Downstream variability in the lower Mississippi River showed stable DCAA concentrations, a decline in PAA (from 1.06 to 0.43 μM), and a gradual increase in mole percent of non-protein amino acids (%NPAA). This likely reflected bacterial degradation of phytoplankton biomass during falling discharge. Nitrogen-normalized yield of PAA (%N-PAA) was inversely correlated with PAA (R = − 0.7, n = 48), indicative of short-term sedimentation and resuspension events. Conversely, downstream decreases in DCAA and middle-reach peaks of PAA and %N-PAA in the Pearl River, likely resulted from photochemical degradation of DOM as well as algal production during base-flow conditions. The comparisons in abundance and composition of DAA and PAA in these different river systems provides important information on in situ nitrogen and carbon cycling as related to riverine inputs of organic matter to coastal ocean.     

The circulation of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review

During the 1950s and 1960s, an extensive field study and interpretive effort was made by researchers, primarily at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, to sample and understand the physical oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific. That work was inspired by the valuable fisheries of the region, the recent discovery of the equatorial undercurrent, and the growing realization of the importance of the El Niño phenomenon. Here we review what was learned in that effort, and integrate those findings with work published since then as well as additional diagnoses based on modern data sets.Unlike the central Pacific, where the winds are nearly zonal and the ocean properties and circulation are nearly independent of longitude, the eastern tropical Pacific is distinguished by wind forcing that is strongly influenced by the topography of the American continent. Its circulation is characterized by short zonal scales, permanent eddies and significant off-equatorial upwelling. Notably, the Costa Rica Dome and a thermocline bowl to its northwest are due to winds blowing through gaps in the Central American cordillera, which imprint their signatures on the ocean through linear Sverdrup dynamics. Strong annual modulation of the gap winds and the meridional oscillation of the Intertropical Convergence Zone generates a Rossby wave, superimposed on the direct forcing, that results in a southwestward-propagating annual thermocline signal accounting for major features of observed thermocline depth variations, including that of the Costa Rica Dome, the Tehuantepec bowl, and the ridge–trough system of the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC). Interannual variability of sea surface temperature (SST) and altimetric sea surface height signals suggests that the strengthening of the NECC observed in the central Pacific during El Niño events continues all the way to the coast, warming SST (by zonal advection) in a wider meridional band than the equatorially trapped thermocline anomalies, and pumping equatorial water poleward along the coast.The South Equatorial Current originates as a combination of equatorial upwelling, mixing and advection from the NECC, and Peru coastal upwelling, but its sources and their variability remain unresolved. Similarly, while much of the Equatorial Undercurrent flows southeast into the Peru Undercurrent and supplies the coastal upwelling, a quantitative assessment is lacking. We are still unable to put together the eastern interconnections among the long zonal currents of the central Pacific.     

The dynamic behaviour of a river-dominated tidal inlet, River Murray, Australia

Australia's largest river, the River Murray, discharges to the southern ocean through a coastal lagoon and river-dominated tidal inlet. Increased water extractions upstream for irrigation have led to significantly reduced flows at the mouth and, as a result, the area is undergoing rapid change, particularly with regard to the rate at which sediment is being transported into the lagoon. Based on detailed and accurate bathymetric surveys it has been possible to estimate that the rate of lagoon in-filling is of the order of 100,000 m³ per year for the period June 2000 to May 2003, although the actual rate shows significant year to year variability. Dredging of the lagoon commenced in 2000 in an attempt to reverse the trend.In an effort to understand the behaviour of the inlet a one-dimensional numerical model of the inlet has been developed. The model extends the original of van de Kreeke by including a dynamic inlet throat area based on predicted river flows and a sediment transport module to predict the resulting net sediment transport. Comparisons with water level data collected on both the ocean and lagoon sides of the mouth have shown that the model is able to predict the attenuation and lag of the tidal signal reasonably well. The sediment transport model was based on predicted sediment concentrations in the surf zone and was found to predict the rate of sediment in-filling to an acceptable level of accuracy. It is envisaged that the model will be a useful management tool, especially since it is possible to manipulate river discharges to the mouth.     

Assessment of cytochrome P450 1A in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) using a minimally-invasive biopsy approach

Biomarkers of organochlorine exposure, such as the induction of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), can be used to assess the impact of environmental contaminants on the health of free-ranging marine mammal populations. The objective of the present study was to measure CYP1A in skin and liver biopsies obtained from live harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). Twelve harbour seal pups, aged three to five weeks, were captured from the Fraser River estuary, British Columbia, Canada, and temporarily held in captivity. Skin ( approximately 60 mg) and liver ( approximately 40 mg) biopsies, obtained while seals were under general anaesthesia, yielded sufficient tissue for the measurement of CYP1A by immunoblot analysis and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity. A short-term exposure experiment, in which harbour seals (n=3) were treated orally with beta-naphthoflavone (BNF), resulted in increased hepatic and cutaneous CYP1A protein levels, consistent with observations in other mammals. This study is the first to measure CYP1A in skin and liver biopsies from live harbour seals and to report in vivo BNF-associated CYP1A induction in a marine mammal. The results demonstrate that microsamples collected using minimally-invasive techniques can provide toxicologically-relevant information form marine mammals.     

泉州湾海域表层沉积物矿物碎屑分布特征及其环境意义

对泉州湾13个表层沉积物样品进行了矿物碎屑定量分析．通过矿物分析，发现泉州湾不同站位的轻、重矿物组分、含量和表征存在差异．根据矿物的分布和组合特征．将耒州湾划分为4个组合区，不同组合区所处沉积环境是不同的．分析表明，研完区表层沉积物的碎屑矿物具有明显的亲陆性，物质来源主要为河流输砂和沿湾海岸侵蚀来砂，且其分布受物源、水动力条件和矿物物理性质等因素所控制。     

液体中光声信号吸收衰减的研究

研究水的声吸收所引起的光声脉冲幅度的变化。脉冲声波由激光通过光击穿机制产生。文中给出了光声脉冲峰值声压与传播距离和声吸收系数之间的理论关系式。实验测量结果和理论曲线所描述的变化规律相符合。     

Quantitative distribution of meiobenthos in deep-water zones of the World Ocean

An analysis of published and original data on the meiobenthos abundance in the depth interval from 100 to 9807 m (in total, 665 records, 445 of them obtained for depths exceeding 1000 m) revealed general regularities in its distribution. The influence of the sampling and data processing methods on the quantitative estimates of the meiobenthos abundance is considered to demonstrate changes in the proportions of the main meiobenthic taxa at different depths and to characterize latitudinal changes in the meiobenthos abundance. The dependence of the abundance of free-living nematodes, the most abundant group of metazoan meiobenthos, on trophic conditions is analyzed. No significant differences in the meiobenthos abundance in the samples obtained by box-and multicorers are established. It is shown that the share of nematodes in metazoan meiobenthos communities increases with the depth. In temperate latitudes, a distinct maximum in the population density confined to depths exceeding 1 km is observed. The quantitative distribution of the meiobenthos at the depths gradient is controlled by the bottom macrotopography and trophic conditions.