Emerging fisheries,emerging fishery interactions with sea turtles: A case study of the large-mesh gillnet fishery for flounder in Pamlico Sound,North Carolina,USA

Emerging fisheries and changes in fishery practices are not always readily apparent, nor are their impacts on non-target species such as seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals. Data from several different sources led managers to discover high rates of sea turtle bycatch in an inshore large-mesh gillnet fishery in North Carolina, USA, particularly the emerging deep-water gillnet fishery. This paper reviews the history of how increased numbers of observed stranded sea turtles in 1999 led to the discovery that turtles were becoming entangled in the large-mesh gillnet fishery in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. It also demonstrates how a variety of data sets from fisheries observers, aerial surveys, and fisheries statistics programs contributed to shaping management of the large-mesh gillnet fishery in Pamlico Sound to decrease turtle bycatch and now point towards the need of additional assessment of gillnet bycatch in other parts of North Carolina. Finally, potential approaches are discussed for a more timely detection of future fishery conflicts and development of a plan to reduce otherwise inevitable bycatch and disruptions to fishing effort.     

Biological controls on dissolution of diatom frustules during their descent to the deep ocean: Lessons learned from controlled laboratory experiments

The majority of opal produced by diatoms dissolves during their sedimentation to the seafloor, but spatial and temporal variability of dissolution rates are large. Controlled laboratory experiments using live phytoplankton or phyto-detritus may help identify the different processes, including those that are biologically mediated or physico-chemically driven, that impact the dissolution of frustules and the aforementioned variability. Results of eight bSiO₂ dissolution experiments, seven of which were conducted at low temperatures (<6 °C) are presented within the context of earlier similar studies, and different phases of dissolution dynamics characterized. TEP concentration, aggregation and the physiological status of the diatoms determined the period during which diatoms may maintain the protective membrane that surrounds their frustule and effectively reduces or completely inhibits (lag period) dissolution for some time. Once diatoms loose the capability to maintain their protective membrane, bacterial activity compromises it. Physico-chemical dissolution, which depends on frustule structure and abiotic environmental conditions, begins once the protective membrane is damaged. The ability of diatoms to maintain their membrane, the bacterial composition and activity governing its degradation, and the physico-chemical dissolution dynamics of exposed frustules are all impacted by temperature. In our experiments instantaneous dissolution rates were not dependant on bSiO₂ concentration at low temperatures, although such a relationship was observed under otherwise identical conditions at 15 °C, implying that biotic factors rather than physico-chemical processes initially dominated dissolution at polar temperatures. Since inhibition of bSiO₂ dissolution at low temperatures was inhibited to a greater extent than organic matter degradation, we postulate that it was not reduced bacterial activity but the enhanced ability of diatoms to maintain their membrane and thus withstand microbial attack that caused the low initial dissolution rates at <6 °C. In situ, interactions between the different biotic and abiotic processes impacting dissolution combined with differences in sinking velocity of diatom aggregates and grazing effects could easily explain high spatial and temporal variability in the accumulation of diatoms on the seafloor. Simple calculations based on our experimental results suggest that Fragilariopsis kerguelensis, for example, would be appreciably more likely to reach the seafloor than Chaetoceros debilis if both grow at low growth rates, e.g. under growth limiting conditions. However, dissolution behavior of Chaetoceros debilis during sedimentation may differ under conditions where this species forms large blooms.     

Vegetation patterns and diversity along an altitudinal and a grazing gradient in the Jabal al Akhdar mountain range of northern Oman

Little is known about the effects of grazing on vegetation composition on the Arabian Peninsula. The aim of this study therefore was to analyse the vegetation response to environmental conditions of open woodlands along an altitudinal and a grazing gradient in the Jabal al Akhdar mountain range of Oman. The species composition, vegetation structure, grazing damage and several environmental variables were investigated for 62 samples using a nested plot design. Classification analysis and a Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) were used to define vegetation types and to identify underlying environmental gradients. The relationship between environmental variables and diversity was analysed using correlation coefficients and a main-effects ANOVA. The plant species richness followed a unimodal distribution along the altitudinal gradient with the highest number of species at the intermediate altitudinal belt. The cluster analysis led to five vegetation groups: The Sideroxylon mascatense–Dodonaea viscosa group on grazed and the Olea europaea–Fingerhuthia africana group on ungrazed plateau sites at 2000 m a.s.l., the Ziziphus spina-christi–Nerium oleander group at wadi sites and the Moringa peregrina–Pteropyrum scoparium group at 1200 m a.s.l, and the Acacia gerrardii–Leucas inflata group at 1700 m a.s.l. The CVA indicated a clear distinction of the groups obtained by the agglomerative cluster analysis. The landform, altitude and grazing intensity were found to be the most important variables distinguishing between clusters. Overgrazing of the studied rangeland is an increasing environmental problem, whereas the plant composition at ungrazed sites pointed to a relatively fast and high regeneration potential of the local vegetation.     

Elimination of Carbamazepine,Diclofenac and Naproxen from Treated Wastewater by Nanofiltration

Most conventional wastewater treatment plants remove very small amounts of micropollutants, such as pharmaceuticals. Here, the ability of two different types of submerged nanofiltration flat sheet modules to remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater is analyzed. The two nanofiltration membranes were used at relatively low pressures of only 0.3 and 0.7 bar. At such low pressures, the membranes did not retain salts to a great extent. This is advantageous in wastewater treatment because no salt concentrate is produced. Carbamazepine was retained only slightly by the nanofiltration membranes, whereas approximately 60% of diclofenac and naproxen were retained by both membranes. This level of effectiveness might not be enough to justify the use of such a system as an additional treatment step in wastewater treatment plants.     

Diverse Range of Mineralization Induced by Phase Separation of Hydrothermal Fluid: Case Study of the Yonaguni Knoll IV Hydrothermal Field in the Okinawa Trough Back-Arc Basin

The Yonaguni Knoll IV hydrothermal vent field (24°51′N, 122°42′E) is located at water depths of 1370–1385 m near the western edge of the southern Okinawa Trough. During the YK03–05 and YK04–05 expeditions using the submersible Shinkai 6500, both hydrothermal precipitates (sulfide/sulfate/carbonate) and high temperature fluids (Tmax = 328°C) presently venting from chimney‐mound structures were extensively sampled. The collected venting fluids had a wide range of chemistry (Cl concentration 376–635 mmol kg^?1), which is considered as evidence for sub‐seafloor phase separation. While the Cl‐enriched smoky black fluids were venting from two adjacent chimney‐mound structures in the hydrothermal center, the clear transparent fluids sometimes containing CO₂ droplet were found in the peripheral area of the field. This distribution pattern could be explained by migration of the vapor‐rich hydrothermal fluid within a porous sediment layer after the sub‐seafloor phase separation. The collected hydrothermal precipitates demonstrated a diverse range of mineralization, which can be classified into five groups: (i) anhydrite‐rich chimneys, immature precipitates including sulfide disseminations in anhydrite; (ii) massive Zn‐Pb‐Cu sulfides, consisting of sphalerite, wurtzite, galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and marcasite; (iii) Ba‐As chimneys, composed of barite with sulfide disseminations, sometimes associated with realgar and orpiment overgrowth; (iv) Mn‐rich chimneys, consisting of carbonates (calcite and magnesite) and sulfides (sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, alabandite, and minor amount of tennantite and enargite); and (v) pavement, silicified sediment including abundant native sulfur or barite. Sulfide/sulfate mineralization (groups i–iii) was found in the chimney–mound structure associated with vapor‐loss (Cl‐enriched) fluid venting. In contrast, the sulfide/carbonate mineralization (group iv) was specifically found in the chimneys where vapor‐rich (Cl‐depleted) fluid venting is expected, and the pavement (group v) was associated with diffusive venting from the seafloor sediment. This correspondence strongly suggests that the subseafloor phase separation plays an important role in the diverse range of mineralization in the Yonaguni IV field. The observed sulfide mineral assemblage was consistent with the sulfur fugacity calculated from the FeS content in sphalerite/wurtzite and the fluid temperature for each site, which suggests that the shift of the sulfur fugacity due to participation of volatile species during phase separation is an important factor to induce diverse mineralization. In contrast, carbonate mineralization is attributed to the significant mixing of vapor‐rich hydrothermal fluid and seawater. A submarine hydrothermal system within a back‐arc basin in the continental margin may be considered as developed in a geologic setting favorable to a diverse range of mineralization, where relatively shallow water depth induces sub‐seafloor phase separation of hydrothermal fluid, and sediment accumulation could enhance migration of the vapor‐rich hydrothermal fluid.     

The young star cluster system of the Antennae galaxies

The study of young star cluster (YSC) systems, preferentially in starburst and merging galaxies, has seen great interest in the recent past, as it provides important input to models of star formation. However, even some basic properties (such as the luminosity function; LF) of YSC systems are still being debated. Here, we study the photometric properties of the YSC system in the nearest major merger system, the Antennae galaxies. We find evidence for the existence of a statistically significant turnover in the LF.