Paleocene to lower Eocene clay sedimentation in the Bay of Biscay

A study of the mineralogy of red clay sequences overlying basalt in the Bay of Biscay revealed two successive units: unit one (lower unit) indicates that clay minerals are the result of subaerial weathering of acid or basic continental rocks, occurring in the Galice province (northwest Spain); and unit two (upper unit) consists of fine-grained particles which suggest distinct volcanic activity. Clay materials from the first unit (Paleocene) are deposited in shallow environments, whereas the second unit materials (lower Eocene) Occur in deeper environments followed by neoformation of clay Minerals and concentration of chemical elements (cobalt, nickel, lead, zinc, and barium).     

Abundance, distribution and patch formation of zooplankton

The goal of studies described here was to determine the responses of zooplankton taxa to phytoplankton patches which develop in and near intrusions of cold, nutrient-rich Gulf Stream water. To achieve this goal we determined the horizontal and vertical distributions of abundant mesozooplankton taxa on the south-eastern continental shelf of the USA between 29°30′ and 31°N. The study period was from June 23 to August 16, 1981. Highest concentrations of zooplankton usually occurred in and near patches of phytoplankton. Increased phytoplankton appeared to trigger the formation of patches of the calanoid copepod Temora turbinata and the cyclopoid copepods Oithona spp. and Oncaea spp. The patches of zooplankton had greater alongshore than cross-shelf dimensions. T. turbinata responded rapidly to increased concentrations of phytoplankton by reproducing and aggregating in and above intruded waters. Oithonidae which were often, but not always, abundant in phytoplankton patches eventually attained high concentrations over most of the middle and part of the inner shelf. Their concentration and that of Oncaeidae increased steadily. Oncaeidae were not abundant in recently upwelled waters, as was T. turbinata but reached high concentrations in older intrusions when the abundance of T. turbinata remained level or decreased slowly. Both cyclopoid taxa are thought to reproduce slowly (egg sacs) compared to T. turbinata. Another taxon, the doliolids, became abundant far more rapidly in intruded waters (by asexual reproduction) than did the other three taxa. Doliolids were the most opportunistic intrusion zooplankton form. They do not regularly occur in low abundance on the shelf, as do the three copepod taxa, but develop in pulses in regions where T. turbinata and Oncaea are not abundant. Of the four taxa studied the abundance of doliolids increased and decreased most rapidly, whereas Oithona and Oncaea increased slowly and did not decrease during the study period. T. turbinata and Oncaea were most abundant at 60% of all stations in the intruding water. Doliolids and Oithona on the other hand, were mostly in the thermocline and intrusion. Whereas phytoplankton patches, which developed in intrusions, were physically induced (PAFFENHÖFER and LEE, 1988), patches of zooplankton were biologically induced.     

Scaling analysis of deposition from turbidity currents

Many oil-bearing sedimentary deposits are formed by the settling of particles from turbidity currents. Modeling sedimentary processes that form these turbidites enables the calculation of properties such as extent, depth, porosity and permeability of hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs. This paper estimates the extent and thickness of turbidites from the initial conditions of the turbidity flow. This is achieved by the application of scaling analysis of the partial differential equations that govern the dynamics of and deposition from turbidity currents. We apply the results of scaling analysis to five modern submarine fans. The predicted and actual values of the dimensions of the fan deposits match well. We then compare the derived results against tabulated sizes of ancient turbidites. The comparisons are good as long as we correctly identify the flow regimes in which the deposition took place. The good agreements observed in the two cases show that the estimates obtained using scaling analysis can provide useful first-guess values for the dimensions of the deposits.     

An alternative approach to the structural motion analysis of wedge-beam offshore structures supporting a load

For convenience of dynamic analysis, some offshore structures such as fixed-type platforms are often modeled as the wedge beams supporting tip lumped masses. It is well-known that, due to the effect of the surrounding water, the natural frequencies of a beam in air (or dry beam) are different from those of the same beam immersed in water (or wet beam). However, if the natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of a dry beam are calculated by taking account of the “added mass” for the immersed beam, then the last natural frequencies and mode shapes will be equal to the corresponding ones of the wet beam. Based on the last concept, the closed form solutions for natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of the dry beam were determined first, then the partial differential equation of motion for the wet beam was transformed into a matrix equation by using the expansion theorem and the foregoing closed form solutions of free vibration responses for the dry beam. Solving the last matrix equation will give the required natural frequencies and the associated mode shapes of the wet beam. The formulation of this paper is available for the fully or partially immersed double tapered beams with either circular, square or rectangular cross-sections. The taper ratio for width and that for depth may be equal or unequal. The numerical results of this paper were compared with the existing results or the finite-element-method results and good agreement was achieved.     

Molecular identification of bloom-forming species Phaeocystis globosa (Pryninesiophyta) and its dispersal based on rDNA ITS sequence analysis

The colony-forming Phaeocystis species are causative agents of dense bloom occurrences in coastal waters worldwide. It is difficult to separate them because of the different morphologies associated with their colonial stages. In this study we applied molecular approaches to analyze the genetic variation of Phaeocystis globosa and Phaeocystis pouchetii from several geographic regions, and to assist in tracing the dispersal of bloom-forming Phaeocystis species in coastal waters of China. The sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) of rDNA and the 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene of Phaeocystis strains were determined. Sequence comparison shows that P.globosa was the most divergent to P. pouchetii, exhibiting sequence divergence higher than 0.08. However, lower genetic divergences existed between strains of P.globosa. The sequence comparison of the Phaeocystis rDNA ITS clearly shows that the species isolated from the southeast coast of China is identified as P.globosa rather than P. cf. pouchetii or other species. Furthermore, the significance of rDNA variation in distinct global populations of P.globosa suggested it might have had sufficient time to accumulate detectable mutations at the rDNA locus, supporting the hypothesis of ancient dispersal of P.globosa to many areas, meaning that P.globosa blooms in the coastal waters of China are endemic rather than a newly introduced species or a foreign source. Finally, based on the high divergent region of rDNA ITS, a pair of species-specific primers for P.globosa were designed, they could be useful to detect the presence of this species in mixed plankton assemblages or flagellate stages that are recognized with diffculties by means of conventional microscopy.     

Estimation of Contamination of ERS-2 and POSEIDON Satellite Radar Altimetry Close to the Coasts of Australia

It is broadly acknowledged that the precision of satellite-altimeter-measured instantaneous sea surface heights (SSH) is lower in coastal regions than in open oceans, due partly to contamination of the radar return from the coastal sea-surface state and from land topography. This study investigates the behavior of ERS-2 and POSEIDON altimeter waveform data in coastal regions and estimates a boundary around Australia's coasts in which the altimeter range may be poorly estimated by on-satellite tracking software. Over one million 20 Hz ERS-2 (March to April 1999) and POSEIDON (January 1998 to January 1999) radar altimeter waveform data were used over an area extending 350 km offshore Australia. The DS759.2 (5'resolution) ocean depth model and the GSHHS (0.2 km resolution) shoreline model were used together to define the coastal regions. Using the 50% threshold retracking points as the estimates of expected tracking gate, we determined that the sea surface height is contaminated out to maximum distance of between about 8 km and 22 km from the Australian shoreline for ERS-2, depending partly on coastal topography. Using the standard deviation of the mean waveforms as an indication of the general variability of the altimeter returns in the Australian coastal region shows obvious coastal contamination out to about 4 km for both altimeters, and less obvious contamination out to about 8 km for POSEIDON and 10 km for ERS-2. Therefore, ERS-2 and POSEIDON satellite altimeter data should be treated with some caution for distances less than about 22 km from the Australian coast and probably ignored altogether for distances less than 4 km.     

Evaluation of acetylcholinesterase activity in several zooplanktonic crustaceans

Zooplankton are an essential component of the marine and estuarine food chains. The ecotoxicological risk to zooplanktonic communities, estimated through the use of the biomarkers, can be used as an early warning signal of a potential alteration of the ecosystem health. The aim of this project was to evaluate the potential use of several biomarkers (esterases, mixed function oxidases, porphyrins) in zooplanktonic organisms. The acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) was determined in homogenates of whole organisms of 10 different zooplanktonic crustaceans. Mean activity of AChE was 10.05 micromol/min/g for Acartia margalefi; 3.30 for Acartia latisetosa; 79.70 for Siriella clausi; 49.97 for Diamysis bahirensis; 7.48 for Siriella armata; 14.20 for Mysidopsis gibbosa; 4.49 for Euphausia crystallorophias; 1.66 for Euphausia superba; 2.74 for Streetsia challengeri; 13.26 for Meganycthiphanes norvegica. The species moreover showed a linear increase in enzyme activity in relation to the increase in sample concentration. The key result of this study concerns the different AChE activity basal values of the crustaceans' different species.     

Upstream dams and downstream clams: growth rates of bivalve mollusks unveil impact of river management on estuarine ecosystems (Colorado River Delta, Mexico)

We studied how the extensive diversion of Colorado River water, induced by dams and agricultural activities of the last 70 years, affected the growth rates of two abundant bivalve mollusk species (Chione cortezi and Chione fluctifraga) in the northern Gulf of California. Shells alive on the delta today (‘Post-dam’ shells) grow 5.8–27.9% faster than shells alive prior to the construction of dams (‘Pre-dam’ shells). This increase in annual shell production is linked to the currently sharply reduced freshwater influx to the Colorado River estuary. Before the upstream river management, lower salinity retarded growth rates in these bivalves. Intra-annual growth rates were 50% lower during spring and early summer, when river flow was at its maximum. Growth rates in Chione today are largely controlled by temperature and nutrients; prior to the construction of dams and the diversion of the Colorado River flow, seasonal changes in salinity played an important role in regulating calcification rates.Our study employs sclerochronological (growth increment analysis) and geochemical techniques to assess the impact of reduced freshwater influx on bivalve growth rates in the Colorado River estuary. A combination of both techniques provides an excellent tool to evaluate the impact of river management in areas where no pre-impact studies were made.     

A genetic assessment of the taxonomic status of New Zealand mussels of the genus Xenostrobus Wilson, 1967

ABSTRACT

The genus Xenostrobus consists of small, marine and estuarine mussels that all appear similar externally. One of its estuarine species, Xenostrobus securis, with a native range in New Zealand and Australia, has become invasive in the Northern Hemisphere. No genetic data are available to determine if X. securis populations from the two countries are conspecific. Additionally, marine Xenostrobus from New Zealand have often been regarded as a species, X. neozelanicus, distinct fromthe marine Australian species X. pulex. We combined new DNA sequences with published data to assess the taxonomic status of New Zealand Xenostrobus. The data comprised 658 aligned bases of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and 331 bases of nuclear histone H3. There was no evidence that X. securis populations from Australia and New Zealand are specifically distinct. Northern Hemisphere specimens of X. securis belonged to Australian, not New Zealand, clades in phylogenetic analyses of COI data, suggesting the former country as their more likely original source. The results confirm that X. neozelanicus and X. pulex are distinct species and for nomenclatural completeness for this taxonomic decision a lectotype is designated for Mytilus ater Zelebor in Dunker and Zelebor, 1866 DunkerW, ZeleborJ. 1866. Bericht über die von der Novara-expedition mitgebrachten Mollusken. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 16:909–916. [Google Scholar] [?=?Modiolus neozelanicus Iredale, 1915 IredaleT. 1915. A commentary on Suter’s ‘Manual of New Zealand Mollusca’. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. 47:417–497. [Google Scholar]].