Guiding ecological principles for marine spatial planning

The declining health of marine ecosystems around the world is evidence that current piecemeal governance is inadequate to successfully support healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and sustain human uses of the ocean. One proposed solution to this problem is ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP), which is a process that informs the spatial distribution of activities in the ocean so that existing and emerging uses can be maintained, use conflicts reduced, and ecosystem health and services protected and sustained for future generations. Because a key goal of ecosystem-based MSP is to maintain the delivery of ecosystem services that humans want and need, it must be based on ecological principles that articulate the scientifically recognized attributes of healthy, functioning ecosystems. These principles should be incorporated into a decision-making framework with clearly defined targets for these ecological attributes. This paper identifies ecological principles for MSP based on a synthesis of previously suggested and/or operationalized principles, along with recommendations generated by a group of twenty ecologists and marine scientists with diverse backgrounds and perspectives on MSP. The proposed four main ecological principles to guide MSP—maintaining or restoring: native species diversity, habitat diversity and heterogeneity, key species, and connectivity—and two additional guidelines, the need to account for context and uncertainty, must be explicitly taken into account in the planning process. When applied in concert with social, economic, and governance principles, these ecological principles can inform the designation and siting of ocean uses and the management of activities in the ocean to maintain or restore healthy ecosystems, allow delivery of marine ecosystem services, and ensure sustainable economic and social benefits.     

Effect of the environment on the hydrochemical characteristics of an alluvial aquifer following an exceptional multiyear drought (Mediterranean Seashore,Hérault,France): Part II—Climatology and agronomy

The hydrochemical evolution of an alluvial groundwater located along the Mediterranean seashore is analyzed with respect to its agricultural and climatic environment, including degree of saturation of the soil; types of cultures, chemical fertilizers and phytosanitary treatments; selective irrigations of the cultivated areas; precipitations. It is shown that the environmental effect on the groundwater's vulnerability depends on two groups of factors:

1. Transfers from surface to groundwater of nitrates, chlorides, sulfates, and potassium, which are governed by: (a) the climatic conditions before the agricultural activities begin, (b) the kinds of agricultural activities and their distribution in time with respect to a given climatic context. Phenomena of retention of and/or rapid diffusion are related to the sedimentary heterogeneities of the reservoir and to the differences of temperatures between irrigation waters and precipitations.
2. Cationic exchanges related to the presence of clays of Montmorillonite-Kaolinite type.

     

Differential effects of salinity changes on two estuarine fishes,Leiostomus xanthurus andMicropogonias undulatus

Salinity fluctuation has been proposed as an important determinant of estuarine fish distribution. To test this idea, we compared distribution, behavioral preference and physiological sensitivity of two juvenile estuarine fishes, spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), with respect to salinity change. In field collections, spot: croaker ratios were positively correlated with salinity variation. Subsequent behavioral observations revealed that croaker tend to cross a 10‰ salinity gradient less often than spot. We proposed that energetic costs of salinity adaptation may be higher for croaker, resulting in the observed avoidance behavior. Oxygen consumption rates over rapid salinity fluctuations showed no significant differences in metabolic response between species, although there was some indication that sensitivity changes with fish size. Apparently, juvenile spot and croaker are well-equipped to withstand extreme changes in salinity. We conclude that environmental factors correlated with salinity change may be responsible for distribution differences between these two abundant species.     

The Sensitivity of Four Monitoring Well Sampling Systems to Low Concentrations of Three Volatile Organics

Four state-of-the-art ground water sampling systems were analyzed to determine their reliability in providing representative samples of the volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) from a simulated monitoring well. The sampling systems studied represent four commonly used devices, including a stainless steel and Teflon® piston pump, a Teflon bailer, a Teflon bladder pump, and a PVC air-lift pump.
Controlled laboratory sampling experiments were conducted in a tank and well test chamber designed to approximate field conditions. A well purging and sampling procedure was used in the test apparatus to determine the accuracy and precision of each device for detecting low concentrations of the compounds in ground water. The compounds selected are some of the most ubiquitous hazardous contaminants found in shallow aquifers near hazardous waste sites throughout the United States.
No significant statistical difference was found among the four sampling systems in detecting the compounds.     

A Syringe and Cartridge Method for Down-Hole Sampling for Trace Organics in Ground Water

A newly developed technique which allows the down-hole sampling and subsequent analysis of ground water for trace organic contaminants was tested during an investigation of contaminant migration at an inactive landfill site in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. The sampling device, which is lowered down piezometers with a tube, consists of a small cylindrical cartridge of sorbent material attached to a syringe. Vacuum or pressure applied at the surface controls the movement of the plunger in the syringe. The volume of the syringe determines the volume of sample water that passes through the cartridge. The cartridge is removed from the syringe at the surface. One cartridge is used for each sampling; the syringe is reusable. The residual water in the cartridge is removed in the laboratory, and the cartridge is desorbed to a fused silica capillary column for analysis by gas chromatography (GC). The analyses discussed here were performed on a GC/mass spectrometer/data system (GC/MS/DS). Of the many organic compounds that were identified in the samples, three compounds were clearly landfill-related: 1,1,1-trichloroethane, chlorobenzene, and para-dichlorobenzene. The three compounds were found at levels substantially above blank levels in 9, 5, and 5 piezometers, respectively. The average concentrations were 14., 5.3, and 0.88μg/1 (ppb), respectively. The pooled coefficients of variation for the analyses for the three compounds were 27., 6.9, and 6.4%, respectively. The volatility of 1,1,1-trichloroethane was probably the cause of the greater variability in its analytical data. The main advantages of the technique over most conventional sampling methods include: (1) down-hole sampling in a manner which minimizes the potential for volatilization losses; (2) avoidance of passage of the sample through long sections of tubing that may contaminate the sample or cause adsorptive losses; (3) convenience of sample handling, storage, and shipping; and (4) high sensitivity.     

The autecology and production dynamics of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) in Netarts Bay,Oregon

Changes in biomass, growth form and shoot net primary production in an eelgrass, Zostera marina L., bed were monitored along transects at three tidal heights in Netarts Bay, Oregon, from May 1979 through June 1981. During the growing season, April through October, the mean plastochrone interval was 16.5 d along the low intertidal transect and 11.6 d along the high intertidal transect. The mean export interval was 13.3 d along the low intertidal transect and 11.6 d along the high intertidal transect. The life span of a leaf averaged 48 d along the low intertidal transect and 36 d along the high intertidal transect. Shoot density was positively correlated with mean leaf area index (LAI) until the LAI reached 3.8 to 5.5, above which LAI was negatively correlated with density. The maximum Zostera biomass ranged from 143 (high intertidal transect) to 463 (low intertidal transect) g dry wt m^?2. Maximum values of shoot net production ranged from 4.7 (high intertidal transect) to 13.6 (low intertidal transect) g dry wt m^?2d^?1. Zostera shoot net production was related to light and to the physical damage to the shoots associated with a rapid accumulation of Enteromorpha biomass in the bay. In addition, patterns of biomass accumulation were related to the duration of water coverage, as determined by both tidal height and local impoundments of water. At all transects, biomass sloughed was equal to at least 50% of the shoot net primary production in that area during that time period; sloughed leaves accounted for 25 to 97% of these losses. An estimate of the total annual net primary production of aboveground Zostera in the bed was 17,500 kg, dry wt (SE=3,080 kg dry wt), which was equivalent to a mean annual rate of 383 g C m^?2 (SE=67 g C m^?2)     

Coseismic and post-seismic signatures of the Sumatra 2004 December and 2005 March earthquakes in GRACE satellite gravity

The GRACE satellite mission has been measuring the Earth's gravity field and its temporal variations since 2002 April. Although these variations are mainly due to mass transfer within the geofluid envelops, they also result from mass displacements associated with phenomena including glacial isostatic adjustment and earthquakes. However, these last contributions are difficult to isolate because of the presence of noise and of geofluid signals, and because of GRACE's coarse spatial resolution (>400 km half-wavelength). In this paper, we show that a wavelet analysis on the sphere helps to retrieve earthquake signatures from GRACE geoid products. Using a wavelet analysis of GRACE geoids products, we show that the geoid variations caused by the 2004 December ( M _w= 9.2) and 2005 March ( M _w= 8.7) Sumatra earthquakes can be detected. At GRACE resolution, the 2004 December earthquake produced a strong coseismic decrease of the gravity field in the Andaman Sea, followed by relaxation in the area affected by both the Andaman 2004 and the Nias 2005 earthquakes. We find two characteristic timescales for the relaxation, with a fast variation occurring in the vicinity of the Central Andaman ridge. We discuss our coseismic observations in terms of density changes of crustal and upper-mantle rocks, and of the vertical displacements in the Andaman Sea. We interpret the post-seismic signal in terms of the viscoelastic response of the Earth's mantle. The transient component of the relaxation may indicate the presence of hot, viscous material beneath the active Central Andaman Basin.     

The junction of Fensch and Moselle rivers,France; mineralogy and composition of river materials

The Moselle river flows in the north-east of France, from Vosges Mountains to neighboring countries Luxembourg and Germany. One of its tributaries, the Fensch river, drains a highly industrialized watershed, strongly impacted by mining, smelting and surfacing activities. The objective of this work, part of a general research program on Moselle watershed (Zone Atelier Moselle) was to assess the impact of the polluted Fensch river on the global quality of the Moselle river. For that purpose, water, sediments and suspended particulate matter were sampled in both rivers, upstream and downstream the junction. Four main sampling campaigns were carried out, in winter during a flood event and in spring at low water level. On a first step, mineralogical analyses (XRD and FTIR) and chemical analyses (ICP-MS, ICP-AES), were performed on sediments, suspended particulate matters and filtered waters. Major and trace elements concentrations were obtained on two different granulometric fractions (0–2 mm and 0–50 μm) revealing the enrichment in heavy metals of fine particles. From one collecting campaign to another, seasonal variations could be evidenced on suspended matter composition even though major minerals (calcite, quartz and kaolinite) were always present. Furthermore, spatial variations were evidenced for Fensch and Moselle downstream sediments. Thus, very fine-grained sediments, poorly crystallized, displaying at the same time higher metal concentrations and higher organic matter content than in Fensch river material, were collected downstream, in a low hydrodynamic conditions zone, assumed as a preferential sedimentary zone or even as a placer. Strong correlations could be revealed between iron content and contaminant concentrations, confirming the origin of polluted material.