Geopotential topography of deep levels in the Pacific Ocean

After examination of the baroclinic structure below 3000 db, recent data were used to map the geopotential topography at 1000, 1500, and 2000 db (referred to 3000 db) in the Pacific Ocean. In the high-latitude regions and in the western boundary currents, considerable relief is present at 1000 and 1500 db, and the Circumpolar Current is still well-developed at 2000 db. The geostrophic circulation inferred is very similar to the surface circulation in these areas. Neglect of the structure below 1000 db results in appreciable errors in estimates of the transport of these currents; direction of near-surface flow is properly shown, however, and computed speeds are not greatly in error. In the equatorial Pacific and central North Pacific, little relief is present, and the trends are generally unlike the surface flow.     

Random dynamic analysis of multi-body offshore structures

A general method for the dynamic analysis of multi-body offshore structures is presented, being based on a constraint matrix approach. A method of deriving the constraint matrix for a general structure is given, and this is then used to derive the equations of motion of a whole system from those of it's component parts. The response of the system to both first and second order random wave forces is found and then used to calculate the forces and moments in the connecting mechanisms. The structure is assumed to have rigid component parts and a linearised frequency domain analysis method is used, although other methods are discussed. To illustrate it's use, the method is applied to both the SBS and Yoke-CALM design of offshore mooring terminal.     

Variations of antioxidant efficiency and presence of endosymbiotic diatoms in the Antarctic porifera Haliclona dancoi

The role of endosymbiotic diatoms as pro-oxidant stressors in porifera has been investigated in the Antarctic sponge Haliclona dancoi in which the presence of diatoms is influenced by marked seasonal variations during the austral summer. Both chlorophaeopigments and frustules were absent in sponge tissues sampled in early November at the beginning of the summer and increased from the mid of December with slightly shifted temporal trends. The efficiency of antioxidant defenses in the sponge showed a marked response to symbionts with clearly enhanced values corresponding to the peak of diatoms.     

Community structure and dynamics of deep-water decapod assemblages from Le Danois Bank (Cantabrian Sea, NE Atlantic): Influence of environmental variables and food availability

The community structure of the decapod crustaceans inhabiting Le Danois Bank (Cantabrian Sea, NE Atlantic Ocean) was studied on two cruises performed in October 2003 and April 2004. Otter and beam-trawls were used to collect this fauna. At depths ranging between 455 and 1048 m, we found distinct decapod assemblages on the bank summit and deeper in the inner basin (between the bank and the continental shelf). The faunal discontinuity between these groups appeared at around 600 m (e.g. between 612 and 642 m in the basis of species replacement). The summit assemblage was characterized by low diversity (in terms of number and relative abundances of species) and by the dominance of hermit crabs (Pagurus alatus, Anapagurus laevis, Pagurus excavatus), the crangonid Pontophilus spinosus and the squat lobster Munida sarsi. Species characterizing the deeper assemblage, which was richer in terms of diversity, were Munida tenuimana, Parapagurus pilosimanus, Pontophilus norvegicus, the crab Geryon trispinosus and a number of bathypelagic shrimps (Sergia robusta, Acanthephyra pelagica and Pasiphaea tarda). Changes in decapod composition characterized by multidimensional scaling analyses were correlated with different variables, e.g. %mud and %organic matter (OM), temperature and salinity close to the bottom. Among those the %OM and %mud in sediments affected decapod distributions the most. The summit of the bank was covered by fine sediments with low proportion of mud (13.9–29.3%) and OM (2.55–3.50%). By contrast, sediment of the inner basin had a higher proportion of OM and mud (64.1–84.2%; 6.26–7.00%, respectively). The low proportion of mud at the summit of Le Danois Bank may explain the absence or scarcity of burrowing species (e.g. the lobster Nephrops norvegicus, the shrimps Calocaris macandreae and Alpheus glaber and the crab Goneplax rhomboides), that are dominant at similar depths (400–500 m) in the upper muddy assemblage on the mainland-continental slope in the Bay of Biscay (44–46°N). The dominance of certain species on the summit of submarine mounts can probably be related to their biology and feeding ecology. For example, pagurids are deposit feeders, even consuming marine snow (e.g. Chl-a identified in guts of Pagurus alatus), and they have low gut fullness (probably indicating a capacity to withstand long periods under starvation), that would favour their adaptability to a rather unpredictable habitat such as Le Danois Bank summit. Regarding prey availability, zooplankton/micronekton and infauna distributed around Le Danois Bank showed different depth-related patterns. Among zooplankton, mesopelagic decapods, mysids, and fishes were absent at the bank summit, while euphausiids exhibited high abundances over the summit. No significant trends with depth were found for infauna abundance, and for instance polychaete densities were similar both at the summit and the inner basin. Therefore, prey availability was lower for summit assemblages regarding zooplankton/micronekton. Patterns in mean size vs. depth were species specific for decapods, and the possible role of the bank summit as a recruitment area was not general for the whole decapod assemblage.     

A densely sampled core and climate variable aliasing

Undersampled records are susceptible to aliasing, in which a high frequency appears incorrectly as a lower one. We study the sampling requirements in a core taken from Rockall Trough using bulk density, P-wave velocity, and magnetic susceptibility as measured on an automated system. At 2-cm spacing (approximately 33 years in this core), all variables show a characteristic red-noise behavior, but with a spectral slope that is sufficiently weak so that significant aliasing appears to be present. P-wave velocity shows the largest potential corruption, probably owing to the weaker spatial averaging present in the sensor. Approximately 50% of the apparent low-frequency energy is aliased in all variables at some frequencies in both quiet and active regions of the record. In this core, a sampling interval of 0.2 cm appears to be "safe" in both active and quiet portions of the core, aliasing little or no energy, except in the P-wave record. For cores of different duration, sampling interval, and measurement type, the considerations will be identical, the importance of the problem depending directly upon the shape of the overall spectrum describing the entire frequency (wavenumber) range of physical variability.     

Meanders in the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone and their impact on phytoplankton

The Antarctic Polar Front is a complex set of meandering jets, which appear to support enhanced primary productivity. The US Joint Global Ocean Flux Study conducted a series of survey and process studies in part to study the processes regulating primary productivity in this high nutrient, low chlorophyll region. We deployed a set of surface velocity drifters, some of which were equipped with bio-optical sensors, to study the temporal and spatial scales of biological and physical processes in the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone. There were two primary sets of deployments: November 1997 before the spring bloom and January 1998 after the spring bloom. The November deployment revealed a strong spring bloom that lasted about 10 days. In late spring, when incoming solar radiation began to increase, the vertical motions associated with the meanders strongly affected the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass, primarily through their impact on light availability. Weaker meandering was observed in the January deployment, and chlorophyll values remained relatively constant. As the bloom began to decay, it appears that nutrient availability became more important in regulating phytoplankton photosynthesis. Some of the drifters in the November deployment were deployed in coherent clusters, thus allowing us to calculate vertical velocities associated with the meanders. Estimates of fluorescence/chlorophyll suggest that areas of upwelling and downwelling alternately decrease and increase photosynthetic stress, perhaps as a result of changes in the availability of iron or light during the formation of the bloom.