Trace metal-binding proteins in marine molluscs and crustaceans

Some marine invertebrates, such as the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, the blue crab, callinectes sapidus and the American lobster, Homarusamericanus, concentrate trace metals in their tissues. The occurrence of metallothionein, a low molecular weight, sulfur-containing metal-binding protein, has been correlated with elevated levels of trace metals in these organisms. It is our hypothesis that, whilst metallothioneins are involved in the sequestration of elevated levels of trace metals, they primarily function in regulating normal metal metabolism. In this paper we describe recent field and laboratory experiments designed to examine how oysters, blue crabs and lobsters manage accumulated cadmium, copper and zinc. The possible rôles of metallothionein, as well as the tissue distribution of metals, are emphasized. Metallothioneins were found in all animals we examined; concentrations of metallothioneins and the the amount of bound trace metals are related to time of exposure. We have also demonstrated that the laboratory developed metallothionein models for blue crabs and lobsters may be useful in predicting the partitioning of trace metals in animals living in environments polluted with trace metals.     

The importance of extratropical and tropical cyclones on the short-term evolution of barrier islands along the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA

Data are presented indicating the complexity and highly variable response of beaches to cold front passages along the northern Gulf of Mexico, in addition to the impacts of tropical cyclones and winter storms. Within the past decade, an increase in the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes impacting the northern Gulf has dramatically altered the long-term equilibrium of a large portion of this coast. A time series of net sediment flux for subaerial and nearshore environments has been established for a section of this coast in Florida, and to a lesser extent, Mississippi. The data incorporate the morphological signature of six tropical storms/hurricanes and more than 200 frontal passages.

Data indicate that (1) barrier islands can conserve mass during catastrophic hurricanes (e.g., Hurricane Opal, a strong category 4 hurricane near landfall); (2) less severe hurricanes and tropical storms can promote rapid dune aggradation and can contribute sediment to the entire barrier system; (3) cold fronts play a critical role in the poststorm adjustment of the barrier by deflating the subaerial portion of the overwash terrace and eroding its marginal lobe along the bayside beach through locally generated, high frequency, steep waves; and (4) barrier systems along the northern Gulf do not necessarily enter an immediate poststorm recovery phase, although nested in sediment-rich nearshore environments. While high wave energy conditions associated with cold fronts play an integral role in the evolution and maintenance of barriers along the northern Gulf, these events are more effective in reworking sediment after the occurrence of extreme events such as hurricanes. This relationship is even more apparent during the clustering of tropical cyclones.

It is anticipated that these findings will have important implications for the longer term evolution of barrier systems in midlatitude, microtidal settings where the clustering of storms is apparent, and winter storms are significant in intensity and frequency along the coast.     

Ionic medium effects in sea water — A comparison of acidity constants of carbonic acid and boric acid in sodium chloride and synthetic sea water

It is shown that the values of pK_1C and pK_2C for carbonic acid, pK_B for boric acid and the ionic product of water, pK_w, in sea water may be explained on the basis of their determination in 0.7 M_w sodium chloride and the formation of the following ion-pairs: NaSO₄^?, MgSO₄, CaSO₄, MgCO₃, CaCO₃, MgHCO₃⁺, CaHCO₃⁺, MgOH⁺, HSO₄^?, MgB(OH)₄⁺ and CaB(OH)₄⁺. On the whole the calculated stability constants are lower than those given by Garrels and Thompson (1962).     

An ocean bottom,microprocessor based seismometer

We describe the design and construction of an ocean bottom seismometer configured as a computer, based on an Intersil IM6100 microprocessor plus appropriate peripheral devices. The sensors consist of triaxial 1 Hz seismometers and a hydrophone, each sensor channel being filtered prior to digitizing so that typical noise spectra are whitened. Digital data are recorded serially on magnetic tape. The instrument is placed on the ocean bottom by allowing it to fall freely from just below the surface. An acoustic system allows precise determination of instrument position, acoustic recall, and transmission of operational information to the surface. Release from an expendable anchor is accomplished by redundant pyrotechnic bolts which can be fired by acoustic command or by precision timers.The operational flexibility provided by the micro-computer, which executes the DEC PDP8/E instruction set, enables optimum use of the 6-hr recording capacity (at 128 samples/second/channel) in the context of the particular experiment being performed.

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Multi-AUV Control and Adaptive Sampling in Monterey Bay

Operations with multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have a variety of underwater applications. For example, a coordinated group of vehicles with environmental sensors can perform adaptive ocean sampling at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. We describe a methodology for cooperative control of multiple vehicles based on virtual bodies and artificial potentials (VBAP). This methodology allows for adaptable formation control and can be used for missions such as gradient climbing and feature tracking in an uncertain environment. We discuss our implementation on a fleet of autonomous underwater gliders and present results from sea trials in Monterey Bay in August, 2003. These at-sea demonstrations were performed as part of the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) II project     

Annual Cycle of Zooplankton Biomass, Abundance and Species Composition in the Neritic Area of the Balearic Sea, Western Mediterranean

Abstract. Seasonal changes in zooplankton biomass, abundance and species composition were studied at a neritic station in the Balearic Sea between April 1993 and May 1994. Sampling was carried out every 10 days in a zone influenced by the main current circulating through the Mallorca channel. Three main peaks of zooplankton biomass and abundance were observed: (1) at the beginning of summer when the thermocline developed, (2) in autumn when the thermocline broke down, and (3) in early spring. The smaller zooplankton fraction (100–250 μm) comprised on average 32 % of the total biomass and 73 % of total abundance. Copepods were the predominant group (64 % of the total abundance) with Clausocalanus, Oithona and Paracalanus being the most abundant genera. Paracalanus parvus, Clausocalanus furcatus, Acartia clausi, Oithona plumifera, Temora stylifera, Centropages typicus and Oncaea mediterranea were found to be the most important species in the area. Other abundant groups were cladocerans (15 %) and meroplankton larvae (12 %), both of which were particularly numerous during the stratified period. The copepod community was characterized by the above‐cited perennial species, which were abundant during the cycle studied. However, the influence of the hydrological conditions of the Balearic Sea, such as the Atlantic water influx and the physical structure of the water column (stratification and mixing), promoted the observed variability in zooplankton as well as the appearance of characteristic species during the annual cycle.     

Analysis of a fast-spreading rise crest: The East Pacific Rise, 9° to 12° south

The axis of the East Pacific Rise is defined by a topographic block about 15 km wide and 300 to 350 m high which is flanked by abyssal hills 100 to 200 m high and 3 to 5 km wide. These hills often are tilted such that their steep slopes face the axis. An empirical model explaining these features combines axial extrusion to form the central block and rotational faulting to lower the shoulders of the axial block to the regional depth and tilt them outward.The axial block is offset about 10 km left-laterally at 10.0°S and a similar amount right-laterally at 11.5°S. Offsets (or lack of offsets) of young magnetic anomalies indicate that these axial displacements occurred between 1.7 and 0.9 m.y. ago and 0.7 m.y. ago and the present in the north and south. respectively. These small axial offsets are interpreted to be the result of either brief episodes of asymmetric see-floor spreading or discrete jumps in the site of spreading activity. Both axial shifts were to the west; a unidirectional sequence of such shifts occurring at the above rate of one per million years would be difficult to differentiate from true regional asymmetric spreading and might explain that phenomenon on other medium-to fast-spreading rises.Reconnaissance data from the east flank of the East Pacific Rise indicate that spreading activity began on that part of the rise between the 9°S and 13.5°S fracture zones approximately 8.2 m.y. ago when the site of crustal accretion jumped westward from the now dormant Galapagos Rise. Slope change in crust approximately 2 and 6 m.y. old imply faster spreading rates between about 6 and 2 m.y. ago than either before or after that time. Identification and correlation of anomaly 3 allows an estimate of about 90 mm/y for this higher east flank spreading rate. Since 1.7 m.y. ago spreading rates have averaged about 80 mm/y to the west and 77 mm/y to the east.