Correcting underwater images distorted by surface waves

An experiment on the correction of underwater images distorted by waves at the air-water interface was conducted using a laboratory modeling installation intended for experimental examination of light and image transfer across a water surface covered with waves. A digital color camera was used for the simultaneous formation of the image of the underwater test object through the disturbed surface and of the superimposed glitter pattern. Both images are spectrally separated. Processing the glitter pattern makes it possible to obtain the values of the surface slopes at a limited number of points and to use these slopes for retrieval of image fragments. The total corrected image is formed by integration of about 300 partially corrected fragments. This image is close to that obtained through a wave-free water surface.     

Phytoplankton production characteristics in the Eastern Atlantic and Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean in October–November 2004

Production parameters of surface phytoplankton were measured along three transects: La Manche-Cape Town (I); Cape Town-54°S (II); 0°-49°W (along 54°S) (III). The Canary upwelling waters were most productive along transect I, where the surface chlorophyll a (Chl ₀) and the surface primary production (PP ₀) were as high as 4.3 mg/m³ and 173 mg C/m³ per day, respectively. Mosaic patterns in the distribution of these parameters were recorded in the northeastern regions of the South Subtropical Anticyclonic Gyre (Chl ₀ = 0.03–0.35 mg/m³; PP ₀ = 1.6–12.6 mg C/m³ per day). Along transect II, the average twofold southward increase in Chl ₀ (from 0.2 to 0.4 mg/m³) and the concurrent decline of the phytoplankton assimilation activity ( AN ₀) resulted in deviations from typical latitudinal changes inPP ₀. At most sites, PP ₀ values varied between 6 and 15 mg C/m³ per day. Negligible changes in Chl ₀ (0.36–0.85 mg/m³), PP ₀ (8–19 mg C/m³ per day), and AN ₀ (0.7–1.6 mg C/mg chl a per hour) were registered for the oceanic waters along transect III. Along all the transects, PP ₀ depended on Chl ₀ to a greater extent than AN ₀. The values of the latter parameter were largely determined by the water temperature and showed a slight correlation with the insolation. Along transect II, the integrated primary production (PP _int) and the layer-integrated chlorophyll a in the upper 200 m (Chl _0–200) generally varied from 180 to 360 mg C/m² per day and from 30 to 70 mg/m², respectively. In the Polar Front region, an increase in Chl _0–200, PP _int, Chl ₀, and PP ₀ up to respective values of 190 mg/m², 520 mg C/m² per day, 1.2 mg/m³, and 32 mg C/m³ per day was observed. A comparison of the water column (0–100 m) stability with the vertical distribution of the primary production and chlorophyll content along transect II implies that the thick (>100 m) upper mixed layer (UML) formed in response to the strong water cooling and wind forcing was largely responsible for the limited primary production in the Subantarctic and Antarctic regions. The large UML thickness resulted in an intense removal of plant cells from the photosynthetic layer and light starvation of a significant (up to 60%) part of the phytoplankton community.     

Use of a problem-oriented database for statistical analysis of the hydrochemical characteristics of the redox layer of the Black Sea

A problem-oriented database (PODB) was developed for the statistical analysis of the hydrochemical characteristics of the redox layer of the Black Sea. The paper describes the features of the PODB, including the algorithm of interpolation and the location of the levels of the appearance and disappearance of hydrochemical parameters (the so-called onset levels) based on Akima’s spline. The application of the PODB allowed us to obtain a series of biogeochemical estimates, in particular, (1) to reveal the constancy of the vertical gradients of the hydrochemical parameters at selected density levels; (2) to calculate the seasonal variability of the degree of manifestation of the phosphate minimum in the near-shore and open sea areas; and (3) to calculate the interannual variability of the level of the disappearance of the hydrogen sulfide, ammonium, total manganese, and methane, as well as the oxygen content in the cold intermediate layer, and to find out their relations with the climatic variations.     

Conspicuous sediment structures in fossil beach deposits (southern Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain): paleoliquefaction features versus biogenic origin

Tubular-shaped concretions and concretionary dykes occur in Holocene fossil beach deposits between the township of El Médano and Punta Roja in southern Tenerife, Canary Islands. These sediment structures have been interpreted either as the result of (a) the interaction between hot ignimbrites that overflowed wet beaches; (b) fast accumulation of beach sands on hot and degassing ignimbrites; (c) paleoliquefaction caused by an earthquake (seismites). Based on the interpretation as seismites, an intense paleoearthquake with a moment magnitude of M = 6.8 was proposed to be responsible for the generation of the paleoliquefaction structures. However, we here reinterpret the sedimentary structures in question using the general criteria diagnostic for rhizocretions and root tubules with respect to their orientation, size, branching system, and style of cementation and, thus, consider them, to be of biogenic origin.     

Crustal transect across the North Atlantic

Two dimensional crustal models derived from four different ocean bottom seismographic (OBS) surveys have been compiled into a 1,580 km long transect across the North Atlantic, from the Norwegian Møre coast, across the extinct Aegir Ridge, the continental Jan Mayen Ridge, the presently active Kolbeinsey Ridge north of Iceland, into Scoresby Sund in East Greenland. Backstripping of the transect suggests that the continental break-up at ca. 55 Ma occurred along a west-dipping detachment localized near the western end of a ca. 300 km wide basin thinned to less than 20 km crustal thickness. It is likely that an east-dipping detachment near the present day Liverpool Land Escarpment was active during the late stages of continental rifting. A lower crustal high-velocity layer (7.2–7.4 km/s) interpreted as mafic intrusions/underplating, was present beneath the entire basin. The observations are consistent with the plume hypothesis, involving the Early Tertiary arrival of a mantle plume beneath central Greenland and focused decompression melting beneath the thinnest portions of the lithosphere. The mid-Eocene to Oligocene continental extension in East Greenland is interpreted as fairly symmetric and strongly concentrated in the lower crustal layer. Continental break-up which rifted off the Jan Mayen Ridge, occurred at ca. 25 Ma, when the Aegir Ridge became extinct. The first ca. 2 m.y. of oceanic accretion along the Kolbeinsey Ridge was characterized by thin magmatic crust (ca. 5.5 km), whereas the oceanic crustal formation since ca. 23 Ma documents ca. 8 km thick crust and high magma budget.     

Static performance of power-augmented ram vehicle model on water

An experimental parametric study of a novel air-assisted platform-type model called power-augmented ram vehicle is described. The zero-speed regimes of the model over the water are investigated. The recovered thrust, pressure underneath the platform, and the model attitude are recorded for variable system geometry, loading conditions, and propulsor thrust. The stern flap under the model platform provides an effective mechanism for controlling the thrust recovery and the air-jet-induced lift. Unstable behavior of the model is found at sufficiently high levels of the propulsor thrust.     

Zooplankton research off Peru: A review

A review of zooplankton studies conducted in Peruvian marine waters is given. After a short history of the development of zooplankton research off Peru, we review zooplankton methodology, taxonomy, biodiversity, spatial distribution, seasonal and interannual variability, trophodynamics, secondary production, and modelling. We review studies on several micro-, meso-, macro-, and meroplankton groups, and give a species list from both published and unpublished reports. Three regional zooplankton groups have been identified: (1) a continental shelf group dominated by Acartia tonsa and Centropages brachiatus; (2) a continental slope group characterized by siphonophores, bivalves, foraminifera and radiolaria; (3) and a species-rich oceanic group. The highest zooplankton abundances and biomasses were often found between 4–6°S and 14–16°S, where continental shelves are narrow. Species composition changes with distance from the shore. Species composition and biomass also vary strongly on short time scales due to advection, peaks of larval production, trophic interactions, and community succession. The relation of zooplankton to climatic variability (ENSO and multi-decadal) and fish stocks is discussed in the context of ecological regime shifts. An intermediate upwelling hypothesis is proposed, based on the negative effects of low upwelling intensity in summer or extremely strong and enduring winter upwelling on zooplankton abundance off Peru. According to this hypothesis, intermediate upwelling creates an optimal environmental window for zooplankton communities. Finally, we highlight important knowledge gaps that warrant attention in future.     

Shape optimization of two-dimensional cavitators in supercavitating flows, using NSGA II algorithm

The reduction of energy consumption of high speed submersible bodies is an important challenge in hydrodynamic researches. In this paper, shape optimization of two-dimensional cavitators in supercavitating flows is studied. A two dimensional supercavitation potential flow passes a symmetric two dimensional cavitator, which is placed perpendicular to the flow in a channel of infinite length and immediately a cavity is formed behind the cavitator. This is because of the generation of a gas or vapor cavity between the body and the surrounding liquid due to the change in a high speed flow direction passing the cavitator. Drag force acting on this supercavitating body dictates the thrust requirements for the propulsion system, to maintain a required cavity at the operating speed. Therefore, any reduction in the drag force, by modifying the shape of the cavitator, will lead to decrease this force. This study concentrates on the optimization of two dimensional cavitators in order to decrease drag coefficient for a specified after body length and velocity in a potential flow. To achieve this goal a multi-objective optimization problem is defined to optimize cavitator shapes in supercavitating flow. The so-called NSGA II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm) algorithm is used as an optimization method. Design parameters and constraints are obtained according to supercavitating flow characteristics and cavitator modeling and objective functions are generated using Linear Regression Method. The obtained results are compared with other classic optimization methods, like the weighted sum method, for validation.     

The role of water mass dynamics in controlling bacterial abundance and production in the middle Adriatic Sea

Month-to-month fluctuations in the abundance of bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and bacterial production, as well as various chemical (nutrients, oxygen) and physical (salinity, temperature) parameters were analysed at a station located in the open middle Adriatic Sea during one decade (1997-2006). Being influenced by both coastal waters and open Adriatic circulation in the surface layer, and by the deep Adriatic water masses in the deep layers (100 m), this station is quite suitable for detecting the environmental changes occurring in the open Adriatic Sea with respect to the circulation of its water masses and their long-term changes and anomalies. Multivariate methods were used to identify seasonal and inter-annual changes of the investigated parameters, associating observed changes to the changes in Adriatic water masses and circulation regimes. The analyses showed that bacterial abundance and production were controlled by different water mass dynamics during 1997-2001 compared to 2002-2006 period, particularly noticeable in different seasonal patterns of biological parameters. The interplay between North Adriatic Dense Water (NAdDW) and Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) resulted in a change in the available nutrients (NAdDW is poor in orthophosphates), and as a consequence different bacterial abundance and production. A few periods were examined in detail, such as 2004, when LIW inflow was particularly strong and was accompanied by an increase of bacterial and HNF abundances, as well as of bacterial production.     

Assessing the extent of mangrove change caused by Cyclone Vance in the eastern Exmouth Gulf, northwestern Australia

Changes in mangal area were quantified in the eastern Exmouth Gulf over six years (1999–2004) after Cyclone Vance using Landsat TM satellite imagery and aerial photography. Vance was the strongest tropical cyclone ever to impact the Australian mainland before 2006 and produced wind gusts of more than 280 km h⁻¹. Image data were processed using ENVI™ and IDRISI™ software. Three sets of Landsat TM images from 1999 (a few days before the cyclone), 2002 and 2004 were used, along with 2004 digital aerial photography. A ‘common’ subset of 904 km² was selected from all images and classification was developed using ISODATA™ unsupervised classification to identify spectrally distinct areas followed by principal component analysis (PCA), vegetation indices and supervised classification. Some 12,800 ha of mangrove habitat was present before the cyclone and approximately 5700 ha (44%) was removed by it. Most mangroves lost (74%) between 1999 and 2004 were converted either to bare sediment or to live saltmarshes and this occurred mostly between 1999 and 2002. Five basic categories of damage were conspicuous from imagery and field observations, and evidence suggests that much of the loss was due to the longer term consequences of sediment deposition or smothering, rather than the immediate effects of wind or waves. Mangroves exhibited accelerated recovery between 2002 and 2004, and around 1580 ha regenerated during this time, amounting to a return of 68% of their former coverage. At this recovery rate we estimate that they should have returned to their pre-cyclone area by 2009. Over half of the saltmarsh habitats (54%) were removed by the cyclone (4060 ha) but their recovery has been far more rapid than mangroves. After 5 years, saltmarshes had returned to 87% of their previous area. The 5700 ha of mangrove habitat damaged by Cyclone Vance exceeds any anthropogenic impact that has ever taken place in Western Australia by several orders of magnitude.