Short-Term Benthic Recolonization after Dredging in the Harbour of Ceuta, North Africa

Abstract. The benthic recovery after dredging (area: 2625 m²) was studied in a polluted and enclosed area of the harbour of Ceuta, in which the recolonization through the water column (larvae and adult bedload transport) could be limited by the lack of renewal. The benthos was sampled at two sites (control and dredged) using a van Veen grab and adopting a BACI (Before, After, Control, Impacted) approach. Five samplings were conducted after dredging (3, 15, 30, 90, 180 days). The proportion of gravel in the sediment of the dredged site increased after dredging, while the organic matter decreased. The impact on the community was estimated at species level, using both univariate and multivariate analyses. The maximum negative effect on benthic macrofauna was a reduction by 65% for species richness (15 days after dredging) and by 75% for abundance (3 days after dredging). Between 15 and 30 days after dredging, the abundance of some species such as the molluscs Parvicardium exiguum and Retusa obtusa and the polychaete Pseudomalacoceros tridentata increased considerably in the dredged site, while typical ‘opportunistic’ species such as Capitella capitata were disfavoured by the disturbance. For this small‐scale dredging, about 6 months are required for the disturbed area to re‐establish a sediment structure and a macrobenthic community similar to the undisturbed area. Small‐patch dredging operations are proposed in harbour management whenever possible, since they allow a quick re‐adjustment of the initial sediment structure and benthic communities.     

Bulk particulate organic carbon in the East China Sea: Tidal influence and bottom transport

Five oceanographic surveys were carried out in the East China Sea (ECS) and Yellow Sea from 1999 to 2003. In all, seven different sections were surveyed, but one section (the PN section) was observed on every cruise. Two time-series stations were also surveyed, one located at the Changjiang River mouth, the other over the continental shelf in the PN section.We identified biogeochemical characteristics for waters close to the Changjiang Estuary and in the Kuroshio waters (KW), respectively. Resuspension is a strong feature near bottom over the ECS continental shelf, with suspended matter values 13 times higher than that for the surface. A model of particulate organic carbon (POC) dynamics based on a rectangle equation reveals that POC concentration close to the Changjiang Estuary varies with a semidiurnal period of ∼13 h, coinciding with the tidal period. The upper limit for POC residence times in the seasons we covered over the shelf are estimated to be on the order of weeks and generally increase seaward from near the Changjiang Estuary to the KW. Short POC residence times suggest that POC in the ECS is rapidly exported from euphotic waters.A nepheloid layer, observed as elevated suspended matter in near the bottom of the water column, is important in particle transfer over the shelf, especially in winter when the residual current flows mainly eastward. Cross-shelf transport of POC via the nepheloid layer is estimated to be 0.22 × 10¹² g yr⁻¹. Comparison with other work indicates that POC transport is ∼2% of the Changjiang POC input.     

Cloning of a chub metallothionein cDNA and development of competitive RT-PCR of chub metallothionein mRNA as a potential biomarker of heavy metal exposure

Metallothionein has been assayed in a range of aquatic animal tissues as an indicator of metal exposure. We sequenced chub (Leuciscus cephalus) metallothionein cDNA which showed over 90% homology to common carp, goldfish and stone loach and 77% homology to rainbow trout sequences for metallothionein. We then used the extended primer method to develop an accurate quantitative competitive RT-PCR assay for metallothionein mRNA. RT-PCR was used to measure metallothionein mRNA in feral chub from a range of field sites, with different levels of heavy metal pollution, in the West Midlands, UK. Measurements were complemented by analysis of liver and gill metallothionein protein by capillary electrophoresis. There was no significant difference in the metallothionein protein levels between fish of different rivers and there was no evidence of elevation of mRNA at the sites of highest metal exposure. The level of metal exposure (e.g. zinc, nickel and cadmium each ranging between 15 and 28 microg/l ) at the pH (7.5-8.5) of these rivers appears insufficient to elevate hepatic or gill metallothionein in chub. A lack of elevation of hepatic metallothionein mRNA in chub exposed to zinc, copper and manganese for 24 h and 10 days in the laboratory also suggests a non-responsiveness of this species.     

An evaluation of systems for the integrated assessment of capture fisheries

Integrated fishery assessments are intended to take an integrated and wholistic view of fisheries management, to provide comprehensive systems-based evaluations of the sustainability of individual fisheries and their products. Using guidance derived from decision theory and management science, we develop 18 criteria to evaluate the likely effectiveness of nine integrated fishery assessment systems. The assessment systems do not consistently consider four key criteria: the socio-economic impacts of fisheries, the provision of food security, the local relevance of the assessment to the fishery under assessment, and the independent peer review of assessment outcomes. Other important areas of weakness include the lack of appropriate consultation processes relating to both the design of the assessment system and the outcomes of fishery assessments, and limitations in the quality of data and information used in assessments. Improvements will be needed in these areas across all the systems we evaluated if fishers, consumers, managers and other stakeholders are to be provided with consistently reliable assessment outcomes, and an assurance of the sustainability of capture fisheries.     

Paleomonsoon precipitation deduced from a sediment core from the equatorial Indian Ocean

Rapid shifts in past climate recorded in polar ice sheets have elicited various explanations relating to either thermohaline circulation changes by ice-rafting or natural greenhouse gas concentrations modulated by climatic conditions in the tropics. To compare the tropical paleoclimate record with the polar record, one must choose sediment cores from highly productive ocean regions. Necessarily, such regions reflect the wind records in the tropics, because high productivity is associated with upwelling driven by winds. Comparing tropical precipitation records with high-latitude records is, however, a more difficult task because sediments recording paleoprecipitation usually have low sedimentation rates, and offer coarser resolution relative to polar ice cores. Here, we present δ ¹⁸O data of three planktonic species of Foraminifera (a proxy for precipitation) from such a sediment core, spanning the past 35 ka for the equatorial Indian Ocean, which falls under the southwest monsoon (SWM) realm. Results show that minimum SWM precipitation occurred at the Last Glacial Maximum, with a subsequent increase at Termination IA. During the Holocene, SWM precipitation intensified uniformly up to the core top (∼2.2 ka b.p.), as revealed by generally decreasing δ ¹⁸O values. Variations in precipitation are consistent with climate changes recorded in polar ice sheets. Although the different resolutions of the two records preclude a rigorous comparison, abrupt cooling/warming events appear to be accompanied by sudden reduction/enhancement in (SWM) rainfall. Thus, mechanisms with time scales much shorter than a millennium, such as natural greenhouse warming (e.g., CH₄ concentration), controlled by emissions from the tropics, could have played a major role in high-latitude climate change.     

海水中金属设施防腐、防海洋生物污损及检测技术研究

随着工业的高速发展和人口的急剧増加及环境污染的加剧，淡水资源危机已引起世界各国的普遍关注。据统计，城市用水中工业用水通常占80%左右，而工业用水中有80%是工业冷却用水，所以开发利用海水代替淡水直接作冷却用水是节约淡水的重要途径。海水直流冷却系统具有深海取水温度低且恒定、冷却效果好和系统管理简单等优点，但必须具备以下条件:(1)管道系统防除生物附着污损；(2)管道系统的防结垢；(3)金属腐蚀与防护。多年来有关方面虽然相应地采取了许多措施，但由于主设备通常需常年连续运行，因而往往出现在某段时间、某些部位上效果降低与失效。现行的对海水环境中生物附着腐蚀检测主要采取取样离位分析方法，其结果与实际状态有差异，且生过程中许多重要部位，如海上平台、浮码头、船舶、海滨电厂、化工厂的海水冷却系统和海水管路的管道内、及死角区都很难取样，必要时只有定期停机检查(侯保荣1998； Efird，1976；吉井彻，1967)，造成很大的经济损失。 防止海水环境中的金属设施遭受海水腐蚀和海洋生物污损的方法很多，通常采用阴极保护、防污涂料、电解海水或电解重金属等方法，但这些方法的缺点是：(1)阴极保护能防止金属腐蚀而不能防止海洋生物附着；(2)防污涂料涂刷一次，只能用3-5年，对许多一次性埋入水中的管件无法进行二次补涂，防污涂料所释放出的毒物将长期污染环境；(3)利用电解海水或电解重金属所产生的次氯酸钠或重金属离子来进行防污，即电解防污效果明显，但对金属防腐的作用不大(侯保荣，1999;陈光章，1994;马土德，1996)。总结前人的经验，经过多年的研究，我们利用电化学方法研制出既能防止金属海水腐蚀又能防生物附着的双防与检测新技术系统装置，已通过实海实验，取得了良好的效果。     

Effects of organic toxicants on the anoxic energy metabolism of the mussel Mytilus edulis

The anoxic rates of heat dissipation by mussels (Mytilus edulis) were enhanced after exposure to pentachlorophenol (PCP) and tributyltin (TBT), both known uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation. The degree of metabolic activation under anoxia was dependent upon the amount of toxicant accumulated in the tissues, but the concentration-response relationship was different to that under aerobic conditions. Biochemical measurements indicated that the anaerobic metabolic pathways were significantly disturbed by PCP and TBT. There was a decline in succinate, an increase in the fumarate: succinate ratio, and an increase in the accumulation of lactate, indicating a shift from succinate to lactate anaerobic pathways. A consequence of organic toxicant exposure was a reduction in anoxic survival time of mussels.     

A polar method for obtaining wave resonating quadruplets in finite depths

A polar method for obtaining wave resonating quadruplets {K₁, K₂, K₃, K₄} in the computation of nonlinear wave–wave interaction source term of the wave model is presented with results for both deep and finite water depths. The method first determines the end radial points of the locus equation for K₂, for each set of input wave vectors (K₁, K₃) on the symmetry. The locus of K₂ (and hence K₄) is then traced in the anti-clockwise direction starting with the maximum radial point on the line of symmetry. It is shown that when k₃>k₁, the number of points on the locus varies when the orientations of the input wave vectors are changed and reduces when the difference in the magnitude of the input wave vectors is increased. A significant advantage in this method is that the angular increment on the locus for K₂ can be kept constant.