Eastern boundary drainage of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

The eastern boundary of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre (NASG) is an upwelling favorable region characterized by a mean southward flow. The Canary Upwelling Current (CUC) feeds from the interior ocean and flows south along the continental slope off NW Africa, effectively providing the eastern boundary condition for the NASG. We follow a joint approach using slope and deep-ocean data together with process-oriented modeling to investigate the characteristics and seasonal variability of the interior–coastal ocean connection, focusing on how much NASG interior water drains along the continental slope. First, the compiled sets of data show that interior central waters flow permanently between Madeira and the Iberian Peninsula at a rate of 2.5?±?0.6 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s^-1 10⁹ km s^-1), with most of it reaching the slope and shelf regions north of the Canary Islands (1.5?±?0.7?Sv). Most of the water entering the African slope and shelf regions escapes south between the easternmost Canary Islands and the African coast: In 18 out of 22 monthly realizations, the flow was southward (?0.9?±?0.4?Sv) although an intense flow reversal occurred usually around November (1.7?±?0.9?Sv), probably as the result of a late fall intensification of the CUC north of the Canary Islands followed by instability and offshore flow diversion. Secondly, we explore how the eastern boundary drainage may be specified in a process-oriented one-layer quasigeostrophic numerical model. Non-zero normal flow and constant potential vorticity are alternative eastern boundary conditions, consistent with the idea of anticyclonic vorticity induced at the boundary by coastal jets. These boundary conditions cause interior water to exit the domain at the boundary, as if recirculating through the coastal ocean, and induce substantial modifications to the shape of the eastern NASG. The best model estimate for the annual mean eastward flow north of Madeira is 3.9?Sv and at the boundary is 3.3?Sv. The water exiting at the boundary splits with 1?Sv flowing into the Strait of Gibraltar and the remaining 2.3?Sv continuing south along the coastal ocean until the latitude of Cape Ghir. The model also displays significant wind-induced seasonal variability, with a maximum connection between the interior and coastal oceans taking place in autumn and winter, in qualitative agreement with the observations.     

The use of benthic indicators in Europe: from the Water Framework Directive to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) are the European umbrella regulations for water systems. It is a challenge for the scientific community to translate the principles of these directives into realistic and accurate approaches. The aim of this paper, conducted by the Benthos Ecology Working Group of ICES, is to describe how the principles have been translated, which were the challenges and best way forward. We have tackled the following principles: the ecosystem-based approach, the development of benthic indicators, the definition of ‘pristine’ or sustainable conditions, the detection of pressures and the development of monitoring programs. We concluded that testing and integrating the different approaches was facilitated during the WFD process, which led to further insights and improvements, which the MSFD can rely upon. Expert involvement in the entire implementation process proved to be of vital importance.     

Off‐reef planktivorous reef fishes respond positively to decadal‐scale no‐take marine reserve protection and negatively to benthic habitat change

The effects of no‐take marine reserve (NTMR) protection and changes in benthic habitat on fusiliers (family Caesionidae) were investigated at four small Philippine offshore islands on time scales of 10–31 years. Fusiliers are highly mobile, schooling, medium‐sized planktivorous fish that generally feed “off‐reef.” For these reasons, and given the small size of the NTMRs (3.6–37.5 ha) in this study, it was predicted that fusilier density would be unlikely to show clear effects of NTMR protection, or to respond to changes in benthic habitat. In contrast to predictions, clear NTMR effects were observed on fusilier density at three of the four NTMRs, with durations of protection from 14 to 31 years. Furthermore, the study provided strong evidence that benthic variables, specifically cover of live hard coral and dead substratum, affect the density of fusiliers. This effect of benthic habitat on density was highlighted by several major environmental disturbances that caused shifts in the benthic habitat from live hard coral to dead substratum. For two of the three most abundant species of fusiliers individually, and for all three of them combined (Pterocaesio pisang + Caesio caerulaurea + Pterocaesio digramma/tessellata), as live hard coral cover decreased, fish density decreased. It is hypothesized that these “off‐reef” daytime feeders may have such a strong association with live hard coral cover because they use this habitat as nocturnal sleeping sites. Multivariate analyses indicated that, across all sites and times sampled, cover of live hard coral and dead substratum accounted for 38% of the variation in fish assemblage structure. These results are important as there are very few reports in the published literature of strong effects of NTMR protection or changes in benthic habitat on the density and assemblage structure of fusiliers.     

Geochemical and statistical analysis of trace metals in atmospheric particulates in Wuhan, central China

The geochemical characteristics of trace metals (As, Cr, Co, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in PM10 in Wuhan, the biggest metropolitan in central China, as well as their sources and contributions were analyzed. As PM10 has been the principal contaminant of air in Wuhan for years, concentrations of trace metals were measured in PM10 using high-volume samplers at one urban (Hankou) and one industrial (Changqian) site in Wuhan between September 2003 and September 2004. Based on the results, PM10 in Wuhan is characterized by relatively high levels of As, Cd, Mn, Pb and Zn compared with other Asian cities. The time-series of these elements indicated that As, Cu and Zn at both sites have similar trends, whereas Pb levels showed different patterns due to different emission sources. Factor analysis was applied to the datasets focusing on the apportionment of the mass of selected trace metals. Results indicate that Pb, Cd and As have a common source (smelting) at both sites, whereas the sources of Ni vary from coal combustion and steel in Changqian to mineral and traffic in Hankou.     

The Last Pterosaurs: First Record from the Uppermost Maastrichtian of the Tremp Syncline (Northern Spain)

Pterosaur bones are for the first time reported from the Tremp Syncline(Spain) and the southern Pyrenees.They come from the Torrebilles-2 site(Isona,Lleida Province) in the upper Maastrichtian part of the Tremp Formation,which falls within the C29r magnetochron.Fragmentary long bones are referred to the Pterosauria based on their cortical thinness,micro-architecture,and histological features.They belong to very large to possibly giant individuals.The most complete specimen is possibly a partial right femur.The review of the Maastrichtian pterosaur record shows that only a few specimens can be referred to the C29r(which contains the K/Pg boundary).The identification of fragmentary remains could improve our knowledge about the abundance and distribution of these flying sauropsids just before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.     

Using historical data, expert judgement and multivariate analysis in assessing reference conditions and benthic ecological status, according to the European Water Framework Directive

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) establishes a framework for the protection and improvement of estuarine and coastal waters, trying to achieve 'good surface water status at the latest 15 years after the date of entry into force of this Directive'. One of the biological elements that should be analysed is the benthos and, as such, the WFD normative definitions describe the aspects of the benthic communities that must be included in the ecological status assessment of a water body. Therefore, it is essential to include, in the assessment, the different metrics that address those parameters identified in the normative definitions for each of the ecological status classes. In this contribution the use of the AMBI, richness and diversity, combined with the use, in a further development, of factor analysis together with discriminant analysis, is presented as an objective tool (named here M-AMBI) in assessing ecological quality status. This assessment requires previous classification of water bodies and typologies, together with the definition of reference conditions; this is undertaken in this contribution using historical data, expert judgement and multivariate analysis. The study has been undertaken by examining changes in benthic communities in the Basque Country, over the last decade, as a case-study, to demonstrate the accuracy and potential of these methodologies.     

P-T-X data on P21/c-clinopyroxenes and their displacive phase transitions

The P2₁/c clinopyroxene kanoite (ideally MnMgSi₂O₆) was studied as a function of pressure and temperature using powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and optical methods. The temperature of the P2₁/c to high-temperature (HT) C2/c transition ranges from 425?°C in endmember MnMgSi₂O₆ to 125?°C in natural samples with an aegirine component. Compiling pigeonite and clinoenstatite–clinoferrosilite literature data, the temperature of the transformation was found to decrease linearly with M2 cation size. A synchrotron powder diffraction study in a heated diamond-anvil cell (DAC) yielded compression and thermal expansion data for low kanoite of composition Mn_1.2Mg_0.4Fe_0.4Si₂O₆. The high-pressure (HP) phase transition from P2₁/c to HPC2/c was reversed at 5.8 GPa at 417?°C. The high-temperature phase transition from P2₁/c to HTC2/c was rather indistinct and occurred at approximately 530?°C and 0.76 GPa. In a separate experiment, the HT transition was observed optically in a hydrothermal DAC between 0.0 and 0.4 GPa. The in-situP-T data of both experiments yielded an increase in transition temperature with increasing pressure (approx. 149?°C/GPa) and suggest a change in character of the transition from first order to continuous with increasing pressure. The data indicate that the HTC2/c and HPC2/c polymorphs are distinct phases with different stability fields. Since the high-temperature and the high-pressure polymorphs of kanoite were shown to be isotypic with other low-Ca clinopyroxenes such as the (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ series, the conclusions we draw from this study are valid for all clinopyroxenes with small (<0.88 Å) M1 and M2 cation sizes. The petrologic implications of these conclusions for the occurrence of “clinoenstatite” in the Alpe Arami peridotite are discussed.     

Phase relations in the system fayalite–magnetite at high pressures and temperatures

The phase relations in the Fe₂SiO₄–Fe₃O₄ binary system have been determined between 900 and 1200 °C and from 2.0 to 9.0 GPa. At low to moderate pressures magnetite can accommodate significant Si, reaching X_Fe2SiO₄=0.1 and 0.2 at 3.0 and 5.0 GPa respectively, with temperature having only a secondary influence. At pressures below 3.5 GPa at 900 °C and 2.6 GPa at 1100 °C magnetite-rich spinel coexists with pure fayalite. This assemblage becomes unstable at higher pressures with respect to three intermediate phases that are spinelloid polytypes isostructural to spinelloids II, III and V in the Ni-aluminosilicate system. The phase relations between the spinelloid phases are complex. At pressures above ≈8.0 GPa at 1100 °C, the spinelloid phases give way to a complete spinel solid solution between Fe₃O₄ and Fe₂SiO₄. The presence of small amounts of Fe³⁺ stabilises the spinel structure to lower pressures compared to the Fe₂SiO₄ end member. This means that the fayalite–γ-spinel transition is generally unsuitable as a pressure calibration point for experimental apparatuses. The molar volumes of the spinel solid solutions vary nearly linearly with composition, having a small negative deviation from ideal behaviour described by W_v=−0.15(6) cm³. Extrapolation yields V°₍₂₉₈₎ = 41.981(14) cm³ for the Fe₂SiO₄-spinel end member. The cell parameters and molar volumes of the three spinelloid polytypes vary systematically with composition. Cation disorder is an important factor in stabilising the spinelloid polytypes. Each polytype exhibits a particular solid solution range that is directly influenced by the interplay between its structure and the cation distributions that are energetically favourable. In the FeO–FeO_1.5–SiO₂ ternary system Fe₇SiO₁₀ (“iscorite”) coexists with the spinelloid phases at intermediate pressures on the SiO₂-poor, or Fe³⁺-poor side of the Fe₂SiO₄–Fe₃O₄ join. On the SiO₂ and Fe³⁺-rich side of the join, orthopyroxene or high-P clinopyroxene coexists with the spinelloids and spinel solid solutions. The assemblage pyroxene+spinel+SiO₂ is stable over a wide range of bulk composition. The stability of spinelloid III is of particular petrologic interest since this phase has the same structure as (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄–wadsleyite, indicating that Fe³⁺ can be easily incorporated in this important phase in the Earth's transition zone, in addition to silicate spinel. This has important implications for the redox state of the Earth's transition zone and for the depth at which the olivine to spinel transition occurs in the mantle, potentially leading to a shift in the “410 km” seismic discontinuity to shallower depths depending on the prevailing redox state. In addition, a coupled tetrahedral substitution of Fe³⁺+OH for Si+O could provide a further mechanism for the incorporation of H₂O in wadsleyite. Received: 10 January 2000 / Accepted: 12 May 2000     

Displacive phase transitions in C-centred clinopyroxenes: spodumene, LiScSi2O6 and ZnSiO3

The clinopyroxenes spodumene (LiAlSi₂O₆), LiScSi₂O₆ and ZnSiO₃, all with space group C2/c at ambient conditions, were studied under high pressures by single-crystal X-ray diffraction in a diamond-anvil cell. Changes in the evolution of the unit-cell parameters, optical properties and the appearance of h + k odd reflections characteristic of a primitive lattice, indicate that all three pyroxenes undergo phase transitions. The transitions are mostly displacive in character, and are non-quenchable. Transition pressures are 3.19 GPa in spodumene, ∼0.6 GPa in LiScSi₂O₆ and 1.92 GPa in ZnSiO₃. The space group of all three high-pressure phases was determined to be P2₁/c by structure refinement to single-crystal X-ray intensity data collected in the DAC. In the ZnSiO₃ clinopyroxene the intermediate P2₁/c phase further transforms to a second C2/c phase (HP-C2/c) at 4.9 GPa (confirmed by structure refinement). The volume change at this transition is about 2.6%, three times larger than in the first phase transition, and typical of the P2₁/c→ HP-C2/c phase transitions found previously in MgSiO₃, FeSiO₃, etc. These results therefore provide the first direct evidence that the HP-C2/c and the HT-C2/c structures of pyroxenes are distinct polymorphs with the same space group. The phase transition from C2/c to P2₁/c symmetry in spodumene and LiScSi₂O₆ therefore occurs because the polymorphs stable at ambient conditions are isotypic to the high-temperature C2/c phases of clinopyroxenes such as pigeonite and clinoenstatite. Received: 22 December 1999 / Accepted: 7 June 2000     

High-pressure behaviour and equation of state of calcite, CaCO3

The high-pressure response of the cell parameters of calcite, CaCO₃, has been investigated by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The unit cell parameters have been refined from 0 to 1.435?GPa, and the linear and volume compressibilities have been measured as β _a =2.62(2)?×?10^?3?GPa^?1,β _c =7.94(7)?×?10^?3?GPa^?1, β _v =13.12?×?10^?3?GPa^?1. The bulk modulus has been obtained from a fit to the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, giving K ₀=73.46?±?0.27?GPa and V ₀=367.789 ±?0.004?ų with K′=4. Combined with earlier data for magnesite, ankerite and dolomite, these data suggest that K ₀ V ₀ is a constant for the Ca-Mg rhombohedral carbonates.