The carbon dioxide system in the northwestern Indian Ocean during south–west monsoon

Data on the carbonate system of the Northwestern Indian Ocean obtained on a cruise of F.S. Meteor during SW monsoon in July/August 1995 were compared with those of George et al. [George, M.D., Kumar, M.D., Naqvi, S.W.A., Banerjee, S., Narvekar, P.V., de Sousa, S.N., Jayakumar, D.A., 1994. A study of the carbon dioxide system in the northern Indian Ocean during premonsoon. Mar. Chem. 47, 243–254] collected during intermonsoon. In general, deep water values agreed well between the two expeditions. Surface waters, however, showed a substantial increase in dissolved inorganic carbon (C_T) in the coastal regions due to strong upwelling in the SW monsoon. This was also accompanied by very high CO₂ partial pressures in surface waters. The north–south gradients in vertical profiles of the measured parameters in the Arabian Sea are discussed by comparing profiles from the oligotrophic equatorial region with those from the highly productive central Arabian Sea. The effect of denitrification on regenerated C_T and A_T is minor, with contributions of <9 and <8 μmol kg⁻¹, respectively, to the total amount regenerated also utilizing oxygen. The dissolution of biogenic carbonates is discussed; different approaches to define the depth, where the dissolution starts (lysocline(s), carbonate critical depth (CCrD)), are compared together with the calculation of saturation depth from carbonate concentrations. It is shown, that small differences in measured C_T and A_T (found between our data and those measured during GEOSECS) and different calculation approaches to the CO₂ system (different dissociation constants for species involved and taking into account phosphate and silicate concentrations) can produce pronounced differences in the calculated saturation depths. However, C_T and A_T data suggest substantial dissolution of biogenic carbonate in the water column even above the calcite lysocline, irrespective of the procedures followed to calculate this horizon.     

Baseline scenarios of global environmental change

This paper presents three baseline scenarios of no policy action computed by the IMAGE 2 model. These scenarios cover a wide range of coupled global change Indicators, including: energy demand and consumption; food demand, consumption, and production; changes in land cover including changes in extent of agricultural land and forest; emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone precursors; and climate change and its impacts on sea level rise, crop productivity and natural vegetation. Scenario information is available for the entire world with regional and grid scale detail, and covers from 1970 to 2100. The scenarios indicate that the coming decades could be a period of relatively rapid global environmental change as compared to the period before and after. The natural vegetation in industrialized regions could be threatened by climate change, but abandonment of agricultural lands could also make new lands available for reforestation and revegetation. The opposite is true for most of Asia and Africa. Here the impacts of climate change on vegetation may not be as significant as in temperate climates, but the demand for food will lead to a significant expansion of agricultural lands at the expense of remaining forests and other natural areas.     

An experimental study on the speciation of dissolved zinc,cadmium, lead and copper in river rhine and north sea water,by differential pulsed anodic stripping voltammetry

Dissolved electroactive concentrations of zinc, cadmium, lead and copper in river Rhine and North Sea samples have been measured at natural and lower pH values by differential pulsed anodic stripping voltammetry using a Kemula-type hanging mercury drop electrode. Average concentrations detected in North Sea samples at salinities $\text{? 32‰ S}$ and their range are (in μgl^?1): 3.9 (2.0–7.5) for zinc, 0.23 (0.13–0.31) for cadmium, 0.3 (0.1–0.6) for lead and 0.3 (0.25–0.60) for copper (pH 8.1). The APDC-MIBK extracting/concentrating method, followed by AAS measurement applied to the same samples, resulted in 3.9 (2.0–7.5) for zinc, 0.11 (0.01–0.27) for cadmium, 0.5 (0.2–0.9) for lead and 1.6 (0.7–3.2) for copper. A fraction of the electroactive concentrations at pH 2.7 (6.1 for Zn) is electroactive at pH 8.1. The fractions are 100% for Cd, 20% for Cu, 13% for Pb and 40% for Zn. The remaining fractions are partly composed of organically bound species in solution. The low value for lead may be caused by the presence of particulate lead that is dissolved at low pH.Ionic copper and lead species, added separately to seawater at pH 8.1 are removed from the electroactive form, and taken up in (organic) complexes in the same ratio (at least for copper) as the species already present. Added ionic zinc is not removed within the time scale of the measurements (30 min). North Sea water at the natural pH has a complexing capacity, probably due to the presence of dissolved organic compounds, in a concentration equivalent to 3.10^?7M copper. The complexing capacity is zero at pH 2.7. The usual method of standard addition for the determination of electroactive copper and lead concentrations may lead to erroneous results in samples where complexation of this type occurs.     

Beta diversity of pelagic assemblages at fish aggregating devices in the open ocean

Owing to difficulties in accessing the vast open ocean, the beta (β) diversity of pelagic fish assemblages remains poorly studied. We investigated the relationship between assemblage similarity and geographical distance between anchored fish aggregating devices (FADs), sampled by standardised underwater visual censuses in three anchored FAD arrays in the Indian Ocean—at the Maldives, the Seychelles and Mauritius. The use of two complementary indices of β-diversity, based on presence/absence data (Jaccard similarity coefficient) and abundance data (Bray–Curtis index), revealed that geographical distance between sampling sites (from 4 to 257 km) appeared to have no effect on the similarity of fish assemblages associated with FADs within each array. The results of this preliminary study question the generalisation of the paradigm of an increase in β-diversity with geographic distance to the open-ocean fish community. Large-scale studies using a variety of datasets should be conducted to further investigate patterns of β-diversity in the open ocean.     

Urban Forest Values of the Citizenry in Three Colombian Cities

Urban forests are an integral part of urban ecosystems and quality of life. With an overwhelmingly urban population, Latin American countries benefit considerably from their urban forests. However, little is known about the values that make such forests important. The goal of this study was to provide an overview of urban forest values in Colombia. Exploratory research was undertaken in the cities of Bogotá, Cali, and Pereira, with the use of field tours based on visits to five urban forest types, personal diaries, and focus groups. Recruitment was based on voluntary self-selection. Data were captured from 72 participants and analyzed via coding and theme extraction. The data demonstrate that Colombian urban dwellers value the urban forest in terms of a rich array of psychological, aesthetic, sociocultural, ecological, environmental, and economic themes. This study is a primer for eliciting urban forest values and developing typologies in a novel and effective way.