Strong intrusions of the Northern Mediterranean Current on the eastern Gulf of Lion: insights from in-situ observations and high resolution numerical modelling

The Northern Mediterranean Current is the return branch of the cyclonic circulation of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Because of geostrophic constraints, this warm and oligotrophic current is forced to flow westward along the continental slope of the Gulf of Lion. But, occasionally, it penetrates on the shelf and strongly impacts the local biogeochemistry and in turn the primary production. By combining in situ observations and high-resolution modelling, it is shown that intrusions on the eastern part of the gulf are mainly forced by easterly or northwesterly wind events, through physical mechanisms that are very different in nature. Easterlies induce a piling of water along the Gulf of Lion coast that drives, through geostrophy, an alongshore shelf-intruding current. This intrusive current occurs independently of the stratification and is concomitant with the wind forcing. On the other hand, intrusions due to northwesterlies only occur during stratified conditions and are related to the development of upwellings along the Gulf of Lion coasts. When the upwelling develops, a northwestward alongshore pressure force balances the Coriolis force associated with the onshore flow at depth. When the winds drop, the upwelling relaxes and the onshore flow weakens. Consequently, the Coriolis force no longer counterbalances the pressure force that ultimately dominates the momentum balance, causing the displacement of the Northern Current on the Gulf of Lion shelf approximately 1 day after the wind relaxation. This time lag between the northwesterlies decrease and the intrusions permits to anticipate possible changes in the biogeochemistry of the Gulf of Lion.     

Neustonic microplastic and zooplankton in the North Western Mediterranean Sea

Neustonic microplastic and zooplankton abundance was determined in the North Western Mediterranean Sea during a summer cruise between July 9th and August 6th 2010, with a break between July 22 th and 25th due to a strong wind event. Ninety percent of the 40 stations contained microplastic particles (size 0.3-5mm) of various compositions: e.g., filaments, polystyrene, thin plastic films. An average concentration of 0.116 particles/m(2) was observed. The highest abundances (>0.36 particles/m(2)) were observed in shelf stations. The neustonic plastic particles concentrations were 5 times higher before than after the strong wind event which increased the mixing and the vertical repartition of plastic particles in the upper layers of the water column. The values rise in the same order of magnitude than in the North Pacific Gyre. The average ratio between microplastics and mesozooplankton weights was 0.5 for the whole survey and might induce a potential confusion for zooplankton feeders.     

River loads of suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus and herbicides delivered to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon

Degradation of coastal ecosystems in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon, Australia, has been linked with increased land-based runoff of suspended solids, nutrients and pesticides since European settlement. This study estimated the increase in river loads for all 35 GBR basins, using the best available estimates of pre-European and current loads derived from catchment modelling and monitoring. The mean-annual load to the GBR lagoon for (i) total suspended solids has increased by 5.5 times to 17,000ktonnes/year, (ii) total nitrogen by 5.7 times to 80,000tonnes/year, (iii) total phosphorus by 8.9 times to 16,000tonnes/year, and (iv) PSII herbicides is 30,000kg/year. The increases in river loads differ across the 10 pollutants and 35 basins examined, reflecting differences in surface runoff, urbanisation, deforestation, agricultural practices, mining and retention by reservoirs. These estimates will facilitate target setting for water quality and desired ecosystem states, and enable prioritisation of critical sources for management.     

Rapid physicochemical changes in the high Arctic Lake Kongressvatn caused by recent climate change

High Arctic lakes are among the most sensitive ecosystems and climate change strongly affects their physical properties, especially water temperature, and mixing processes. To study the effect of recent climate change on such a lake in the Arctic environment, we measured water chemistry and temperature from 2005 to 2010 in Kongressvatn, a crenogenic meromictic lake in Spitsbergen (Svalbard). In addition, we monitored water column temperatures during two consecutive years and compared them to regional air temperature data and physicochemical lake data from 1962 and 1968, two relatively cold years. Summer surface water temperature was highly correlated to air temperature, and both have increased by approximately 2°C since 1962. Temperature monitoring during 2?years showed that the warm summer of 2007 resulted in increased water temperatures even in the stratified, denser hypolimnion. Our water chemistry measurements showed that the chemocline position in 2005?C2010 was ca 12?m deeper than in 1962?C1968, and a second, weaker, chemocline appeared at metalimnetic depths of 7?C15?m. During the study period, the water level decreased by 4?m, and this change accelerated between 2008 and 2010. Our data support the hypothesis that water temperatures and stratification patterns are changing rapidly with air temperature, but changes in the catchment, such as glacial retreat and permafrost melting, may have an even stronger impact on lake properties.     

Global Dynamics of the MLT

The transition between the middle atmosphere and the thermosphere is known as the MLT region (for mesosphere and lower thermosphere). This area has some characteristics that set it apart from other regions of the atmosphere. Most notably, it is the altitude region with the lowest overall temperature and has the unique characteristic that the temperature is much lower in summer than in winter. The summer-to-winter-temperature gradient is the result of adiabatic cooling and warming associated with a vigorous circulation driven primarily by gravity waves. Tides and planetary waves also contribute to the circulation and to the large dynamical variability in the MLT. The past decade has seen much progress in describing and understanding the dynamics of the MLT and the interactions of dynamics with chemistry and radiation. This review describes recent observations and numerical modeling as they relate to understanding the dynamical processes that control the MLT and its variability. Results from the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), which is a comprehensive high-top general circulation model with interactive chemistry, are used to illustrate the dynamical processes. Selected observations from the Sounding the Atmosphere with Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument are shown for comparison. WACCM simulations of MLT dynamics have some differences with observations. These differences and other questions and discrepancies described in recent papers point to a number of ongoing uncertainties about the MLT dynamical system.     

Inversion of a Lagrangian time domain random walk (TDRW) approach to one-dimensional transport by derivation of the analytical sensitivities to parameters

Lagrangian approaches are well suited to transport in contrasted media but have been considered irrelevant when inversion is envisioned. The randomness of results for the same transport scenario adds to the rough evaluation by perturbation of the sensitivities, yielding an inaccurate search of parameters. It is shown here how a Time Domain Random Walk (TDRW) method can be inverted by deriving the sensitivities analytically. The calculations are very rapid and provide a precise evaluation of the descent directions followed by a Gauss–Newton optimizer. The method handles advection–dispersion + retention by matrix diffusion or sorption with first-order kinetics and proves its worth in all cases. Since analytical sensitivities are available, calculations are rigorous and allow discussing the inversion feasibility, the accuracy of the sought parameters, according to the predominant mechanism involved in the transport scenario.     

Composition and properties of the iron hydroxides-cemented lenses in Estonian sandstone of Middle Devonian age

The formation of hematite and goethite concretions in different sedimentary rocks including sandstones is an important diagenetic process in the geologic history of the Earth. Its interpretation can also contribute to understanding the diagenetic history of Martian iron hydroxide concretions. A case study of iron-rich concretions from Estonian Middle Devonian sandstones exposed in ancient river valleys in southeastern Estonia was carried out based on the results of mineralogical, petrographical, geochemical, petrophysical and magnetic analyses. It was found that the high Fe₂O₃(total) content (25.0–39.5%), high magnetic susceptibility, bulk and grain density, very low porosity, corrosion and fracturing of the quartz grains of the platy iron concretions are in contrast with properties of the Devonian host sandstones. However the ferrous iron content (measured as FeO) of iron-rich concretions was as low as in the other Devonian rocks, suggesting an oxidizing environment and arid climate during the cementation by iron-hydroxides. The fracturing of quartz grains cemented by iron hydroxides could take place at near-surface conditions including vadose and phreatic zones in arid climate with high evaporation rates. Such climatic conditions have been reported for the Baltic region during Devonian, Upper Permian and Triassic times. We have found that goethite is prevalent in the cement, replacing clay and carbonate minerals. We assume that this iron-rich cement is originated from the mobilization of iron in host sandstones by groundwater, associated with tectonic activity at the end of the Middle Devonian, evidenced by fracturing in Devonian outcrops and caves. Although this mobilization could occur under reducing conditions, precipitation of goethite and hematite for the cementation could take place in oxidizing environment along bedding planes close to the surface during short sedimentation breaks. Another possible time for the formation of iron concretions could be Permian, under the condition of both arid climate and tectonic activity.     

Growing Duckweed to Recover Nutrients from Wastewaters and for Production of Fuel Ethanol and Animal Feed

Lemnaceae or duckweed is an aquatic plant that can be used to recover nutrients from wastewaters. The grown duckweed can be a good resource of proteins and starch, and utilized for the production of value‐added products such as animal feed and fuel ethanol. In the last eleven years we have been working on growing duckweed on anaerobically treated swine wastewater and utilizing the duckweed for fuel ethanol production. Duckweed strains that grew well on the swine wastewater were screened in laboratory and greenhouse experiments. The selected duckweed strains were then tested for nutrient recovery under laboratory and field conditions. The rates of nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by the duckweed growing in the laboratory and field systems were determined in the study. The mechanisms of nutrient uptake by the duckweed and the growth of duckweed in a nutrient‐limited environment have been studied. When there are nutrients (N and P) available in the wastewater, duckweed takes the nutrients from the wastewater to support its growth and to store the nutrients in its tissue. When the N and P are completely removed from the wastewater, duckweed can use its internally stored nutrients to keep its growth for a significant period of time. A modified Monod model has been developed to describe nitrogen transport in a duckweed‐covered pond for nutrient recovery from anaerobically treated swine wastewater. Nutrient reserve in the duckweed biomass has been found the key to the kinetics of duckweed growth. Utilization of duckweed for value‐added products has a good potential. Using duckweed to feed animals, poultry, and fish has been extensively studied with promising results. Duckweed is also an alternative starch source for fuel ethanol production. Spirodela polyrrhiza grown on anaerobically treated swine wastewater was found to have a starch content of 45.8% (dry weight). Enzymatic hydrolysis of the duckweed biomass with amylases yielded a hydrolysate with a reducing sugar content corresponding to 50.9% of the original dry duckweed biomass. Fermentation of the hydrolysate using yeast gave an ethanol yield of 25.8% of the original dry duckweed biomass. These results indicate that the duckweed biomass can produce significant quantities of starch that can be readily converted into ethanol.     

Transport properties in small-scale coastal flows: relative dispersion from VHF radar measurements in the Gulf of La Spezia

Lagrangian transport characteristics in the Gulf of La Spezia, a 5 × 10-km area along the western coast of Italy, are investigated using data collected from a very high frequency (VHF) radar system with 250 m and 30-min resolution and two clusters of Coastal Dynamics Experiment surface drifters during 2 weeks in the summer of 2007. The surface drifters are found to follow the temporal and spatial evolution of the finite-scale Lyapunov exponents (FSLEs) computed by the VHF radar, indicating the precision of both the radar measurements and the diagnostic FSLE in mapping accurately the transport pathways. In light of this agreement, an analysis of the relative dispersion is conducted. It is found that the average FSLE value varies within a narrow range of 4   day^-1 ￡ l ￡ 7   day^-14 \;\mbox{day}^{-1} \leq \lambda \leq 7 \;\mbox{day}^{-1} and displays an exponential regime over the entire extent of the measurements. The dynamical implication is that relative dispersion is controlled nonlocally, namely by slow, persistent, energetic mesoscale structures as opposed to the rapidly evolving high-gradient small-scale turbulent features. The value of the exponent is about an order of magnitude larger than those found in previous modeling studies and analysis of SCULP data in the Gulf of Mexico but somewhat smaller than that estimated from CLIMODE drifters in the Gulf Stream region. Scaling of the FSLE using a metric of resolved gradients of the Eulerian fields in the form of a positive Okubo–Weiss criterion is useful, but not as precise as in modeling studies. The horizontal flow convergence is found to have a small yet tangible effect on relative dispersion.     

Floating debris in the Ligurian Sea,north-western Mediterranean

Results from visual sightings of large floating debris are presented, taken in the Ligurian Sea, a sub-basin of the north-western Mediterranean Sea which belongs to the recently stated "Cetacean Sanctuary". Data have been collected during three oceanographic cruises, during the summer of 1997 and 2000. Results for the 1997 data suggest a debris density of the order of 15-25 objects km(-2), while for the 2000 data, a lower density of the order of 3-1.5 objects km(-2) is found. The difference between the two results appears statistically significant using simple tests. Possible reasons for the observed variability are discussed, including meteorological forcing, marine currents and debris input variability.