Abundance of the introduced seastar, Asterias amurensis, and spatial variability in soft sediment assemblages in SE Tasmania: Clear correlations but complex interpretation

The northern Pacific seastar, Asterias amurensis, was first collected in southeast Tasmania in 1986. Mistaken for the endemic asteroid Uniophora granifera, its true identity was not realised until 1992. It is now a conspicuous predator in soft sediment habitats in this region, and is considered a major threat to native assemblages and commercial species. We examined the structure of soft sediment assemblages at different spatial scales in southeast Tasmania, and correlated spatial variation in community composition with seastar abundances. We found that the structure of soft sediment assemblages is highly variable at a range of spatial scales from metres to tens of kilometres. Clear differences in the composition of assemblages and abundances of major taxa were detected between areas with and without seastars and between areas with low and high seastar densities. However, the nature of these patterns suggests that they are more likely due to differences in sediment characteristics than due to impacts of the seastar. Thus, spatial differences in soft sediment assemblages might have been erroneously attributed to seastars without detailed information on important physical factors such as sediment characteristics. A second survey, using larger sampling units (1 m²) but across a more limited spatial extent, targeted bivalves and heart urchins that were identified as important prey of the seastar in observations of feeding and in experimental studies. Large-scale patterns of abundance and size structure were consistent with seastar effects anticipated from small-scale experimental and feeding studies for some, but not all, species. While the field survey ultimately provided evidence about the presence or absence of seastar impacts at large-scales, the identification of key ecological variables in experimental and feeding studies proved crucial to both the design and interpretation of patterns observed in the large-scale surveys. Overall, this work highlighted the necessity to consider multiple lines of evidence rather than relying on a single ‘inferential’ test, in the absence of pre-impact data.     

Seasonal evolution of the transverse thermohaline asymmetry in the Ria de Pontevedra (northwestern Spain)

A quasi-permanent transverse asymmetry in the thermohaline properties of the Ria de Pontevedra (northwestern Spain) was measured from October 1997 to October 1998 during 23 cruises. On average, the density increased form north to south. This asymmetry was maintained by salinity during the wet season, and by salinity and temperature during the dry season. The density difference between coasts (Δσ_t = σ_tsouth − σ_tnorth) and the river discharge were positively correlated (correlation coefficient, approximately 0.6) throughout the year. The density difference was negatively correlated with the upwelling index during the wet season (correlation coefficient, approximately −0.45) and positively correlated during the dry season (correlation coefficient, approximately 0.55).     

南海北部东沙天然气水合物区浮游植物生物量和生产力粒级结构特征及其环境影响分析

本文讨论了2013年5月南海东沙天然气水合物区浮游植物生物量和生产力粒级结构特征及其环境影响因素。结果表明,研究海域表现出典型的低营养盐、低叶绿素a、低生产力特征,浮游植物叶绿素a和初级生产力具有明显的次表层最大值现象。东沙海域生物量和初级生产力粒级结构差异性显著,从生物量和生产力贡献度来看,表现为微微型浮游植物> 微型浮游植物> 小型浮游植物。生物量的垂直分布结果表明,春季不同粒级类群浮游植物在真光层内的分布存在明显不同,比如小型浮游植物在真光层内分布较均匀;微型浮游植物则主要分布于近表层或真光层中部,而微微型浮游植物则主要分布于真光层中部和底部。微微型浮游植物在纬度较低的热带贫营养海区之所以能够占主导优势,最主要的原因是其极小的细胞体积和较大的表面积使其有利于营养竞争。相关性分析表明,南海东沙浮游植物各粒级生物量与温度、pH显著正相关,与硅酸盐、磷酸盐显著负相关;浮游植物各粒级生产力与温度显著正相关,与盐度、磷酸盐显著负相关。磷酸盐含量是影响东沙海域浮游植物粒级结构差异的重要因素之一,同时,光辐照度和水体的真光层深度对东沙天然气水合物区不同粒径浮游植物的垂直分布起着更为重要的调控作用。     

西北太平洋柔鱼冬春生群体栖息地的变化研究

柔鱼（Ommastrephes bartramii）是短生命周期鱼种,其适宜栖息地范围受海洋水温条件的显著影响。本文根据2006-2015年7-11月中国鱿钓技术组提供的西北太平洋柔鱼冬生群体的捕捞数据以及海表温度（SST）数据,利用捕捞努力量与SST的频率分布关系,估算柔鱼各月适宜温度范围（PFSST）,对1985-2015年柔鱼PFSST进行估算,同时分析柔鱼PFSST的年代际变化规律,并评估不同强度厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜事件对柔鱼栖息地的影响。研究表明,2006-2015年柔鱼各月适宜的SST具有明显变化,7-11月对应适宜的SST范围分别为16~19℃、17~21℃、15~19℃、14~16℃和12~13℃。单位捕捞努力量渔获量大小随PFSST变动而发生相应变化,两者具有显著正相关关系,这说明了柔鱼渔场范围内适宜温度面积增加,对应柔鱼资源丰度上升。1985-2015年柔鱼PFSST呈现显著的月间和年际变化,7-11月PFSST具有先增加后递减的变化规律,且7-9月PFSST年际波动相似,10和11月PFSST年际变化相似。同时,柔鱼PFSST与渔场内SST具有显著正相关关系。柔鱼渔场内PFSST受厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜事件调控,其面积随气候事件的强度发生变化,具体表现为:弱拉尼娜事件和正常气候条件下,柔鱼渔场范围内水温最高,适宜栖息面积显著增长;中等强度和高强度拉尼娜条件下,柔鱼渔场内平均水温较高,但适宜栖息面积较前两者显著减小;弱强度、中等强度和超高强度厄尔尼诺条件下,柔鱼渔场内水温均较低,但弱强度和超高强度厄尔尼诺条件下柔鱼适宜栖息面积均大于中等强度厄尔尼诺条件。     

集成虚拟格网和八叉树的点云数据管理方法

为实现大规模点云的快速组织和检索,提出了基于内外存动态调度的虚拟格网与八叉树相结合的点云数据索引和组织策略。该方法利用虚拟格网对点云进行节点分割和存储,并结合磁盘映射与内外存动态调度技术,将节点进行构八叉树以实现点云数据高效的组织与检索。实验证明,该方法可在计算机内存资源有限的情况下,以较小的内存消耗实现十亿级规模点云的快速组织和检索操作。     

Philopatry and dispersal of juvenile leervis Lichia amia (Teleostei: Carangidae) tagged in a warm-temperate South African estuary

Understanding and characterising movement and area-use patterns of fishes within estuaries, as well as understanding the degree of connectivity between estuaries and the marine environment, can provide important insights into a species’ ecology, which is fundamental for effective management and conservation. Mark-and-recapture data obtained from the 082 TAG FISH Project, a dart-tagging programme, were used to describe movement patterns of juvenile leervis Lichia amia in the permanently open Swartkops Estuary, South Africa, as well as the degree of connectivity with the adjacent marine environment. A total of 628 juvenile leervis were tagged from 2008 to 2015, of which 77 fish (12.3%) were recaptured, with juveniles comprising 85.7% of all measured recaptures. The majority of recaptures (75.3%) were made within the Swartkops Estuary, indicating estuarine philopatry, with 23.4% having moved less than 1 km, revealing site fidelity, but most (51.9%) displaying estuarine roaming. A smaller portion of recaptures (27.7%) had dispersed to other habitats; 16 (20.8%) displayed multiple-habitat connectivity, while only 3 (3.9%) had undertaken long-distance movements (>100 km) and were recaptured up to 825 km northeast of the Swartkops Estuary. Lichia amia that had moved greater distances were characterised by a greater mean size and age at the time of recapture. This study provides valuable information on the philopatry and dispersal of juvenile L. amia.     

Environmental conditions and biological community of the Penzhina and Talovka hypertidal estuary (northwest Kamchatka) in the ice-free season

New data on the abiotic conditions; species composition; abundance, distribution, and migrations of fauna; and feeding interactions in an estuary ecosystem were obtained during expeditions in the mouths of Penzhina and Talovka rivers (northwest Kamchatka). It is revealed that in the ice-free season, the hydrological regime of the estuary is determined by seasonal fluctuations of river runoff, as well as fortnightly and daily variation of tides. The estuary is characterized by hypertidal fluctuations (up to 10–12 m); strong reverse flows (up to 1.0–1.5 m/s), considerable tidal variations in salinity (from 0 to 6–9‰ at the river boundary and from 6–8 to 14–16‰ at the offshore boundary), and high water turbidity (up to 1 000 NTU or more). Based on the spatial structure of the community, three ecological zones with mobile boundaries are distinguished: freshwater (salinity 0–0.1‰), estuarine (0–12.3‰), and neritic (11.2–18.9‰). High turbidity prevents the development of phytoplankton in the estuarine zone (EZ), and the local benthic community is significantly depleted due to the desalination and wide spread of aleuritic silts. Neritic copepods and nektobenthic brackish- water crustaceans generate the maximum abundance and biomass here. The species that have adapted to the local extreme hydrologic conditions dominate and form the basis of the estuarine food chain. Dominant among the EZ vertebrates are such groups as anadromous fishes (smelts, pacific salmons, charrs, and sticklebacks); waterfowl (terns, kittiwakes, cormorants, fulmars, puffins, guillemots, auklets, and wadepipers); and predatory marine mammals (larga, ringed seal, bearded seal, and white whale). The total abundance and biomass of these animals are much higher in the pelagic EZ in comparison to neighboring zones.     

Experimental analysis of breakwater stability with antifer concrete block

Armor is a pavement made of erosion-resistant materials like a stone or concrete that is constructed to protect breakwater, coasts, and other coastal line features against erosion. These armors are a kind of protective layer made of stone or concrete, used in breakwater constructions or coastal lines, arrayed with specific regular or irregular pattern on the breakwater or the coast. The antifer concrete blocks have almost cubic form, often changed into frustum by adding inclined plates to their sides. One of the most important advantages of these armors is their diversified regular and irregular placement patterns. In this study, using the physical modeling and different tests, the stability level of antifer concrete blocks was evaluated considering the decrease of the armor weight. Results of this study show that by a 10% decrease in the block weight, the failure graph slope is increased and the damage is intensified.     

Characterisation and preliminary quantification of the methane reservoir in a coastal sedimentary source: San Simón Bay,Ría de Vigo,NW Spain

Ría de Vigo is a river valley flooded by the sea, with a bay (San Simón Bay) at its innermost part. The accumulation of Holocene sediment in San Simón Bay has been studied by the integration of 1) large scale high resolution seismic data, and 2) detailed geochemical analysis of a gravity core. In San Simón Bay the majority of the seismic records are obscured by acoustic turbidity which represents gassy sediments, but on records from Rande Strait it is possible to distinguish two Quaternary seismic sequences; an Upper Pleistocene sequence (SQ1) and a Holocene sequence (SQ2). Only SQ2 is recognized in San Simón Bay where it is comprised of two seismic units; the upper unit represents the HST sediment, i.e. the period of highest sea level. A gravity core taken within the gassy zone at 10 m water depth provided 3.55 m of fine-grained sediments (muds) from the youngest seismic unit (4 m thick). Geochemical analysis show high values (4 to 10%) of TOC. Sediment and porewater analyses indicate a distinct sulphate–methane transition zone (SMTZ) between 60 and 80 cm where sulphate is depleted (to <1.7 mM) and methane increases (to >0.4 mM). The top of the acoustic turbidity (the gas front) at 80 cm corresponds to the lower limit of the SMTZ. The methane cannot have been derived from the underlying metamorphic and granitic rocks, but was probably derived by microbial degradation of the organic matter in the Holocene sediments. We estimate that the sediments of the Bay contain approximately 1.8 × 10⁶ m³ of organic carbon and 275 ton of methane.     

Factors to consider in evaluating the management and conservation effectiveness of a whale sanctuary to protect and conserve the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

This paper examines key factors used in protecting the migratory North Atlantic right whale within the context of a marine protected area (MPA) system, using the Grand Manan Whale Conservation Area, in New Brunswick Canada, as a case study example. Designated as a conservation area in 1993, before the Oceans Act came into effect, the Grand Manan conservation area currently does not form part of the Canadian network of MPAs. Given the possibility that MPA designation may occur, the paper examines factors that should be considered in meeting International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) MPA design criteria and IUCN evaluation model requirements. An MPA evaluation framework based on an IUCN evaluation model (Hockings et al., 2000 [1]) is designed to assess the effectiveness of an MPA in protecting a migratory right whale. Case study results indicate that current management and research activities for the Grand Manan conservation area address most governance, biophysical and socio-economic issues under an IUCN evaluation framework. On a site basis, it is recommended that the Grand Manan conservation area be designated as a component of the Canadian network of MPAs and that regulations be developed and implemented under the Species at Risk Act to clearly define activities considered damaging or destructive to right whale critical habitat. Recommendations also suggest the preparation of a combined site management-action plan for the Grand Manan conservation area indicating how activities specified in North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Strategy will be implemented locally. On a regional and international basis, recommendations call for an internationally coordinated and integrated approach to right whale protection within the context of a network of designated critical habitat areas. Recommended activities include: continued Canadian participation in cross-border research and actions to mitigate threats to the right whales over their migratory range; development of a regional right whale management and monitoring strategy; and designation of additional critical habitats in national/international waters. It is further recommended that the evaluation framework developed by this paper be used as a model in assessing the conservation and management effectiveness of MPAs protecting other migratory marine species.