Impacts of marine aquaculture at large spatial scales: evidences from N and P catchment loading and phytoplankton biomass

While several studies point at off-shore aquaculture as a possible source of impacts on the local marine environment, very few have analysed its effects at large scales such as at the bay, gulf or basin levels. Similar analyses are hampered by the multiple sources of disturbance that may concomitantly affect a given area. The present paper addresses these issues taking the Gulf of Castellammare (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) as an example. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) loads were calculated for the period 1970-2007, and compared to chlorophyll-a concentration as measured inside and outside the Gulf over the same period. Results indicate that N and P catchment loading has constantly decreased because of improved environmental management. Nevertheless, nutrient concentration in the Gulf has steadily increased since the establishment of aquaculture facilities in 1999. Chlorophyll-a concentration followed this trend, showing a marked increase from 2001 onwards. In the same period, chlorophyll-a concentrations measured inside and outside the Gulf have significantly diverged. As all the other possible causes can be ruled out, aquaculture remains the sole explanation for the observed situation. This paper demonstrates for the first time ever that off-shore aquaculture may affect the marine ecosystem well beyond the local scale and provides an additional element of concern to be kept into consideration when allocating oceans' space for new fish-farming activities.     

Monsoon-driven succession of the larval fish assemblage in the East China Sea shelf waters off northern Taiwan

The seasonal variation in the larval fish community related to the hydrography in the East China Sea (ECS) off northern Taiwan was studied from February to November 2004. Hydrographic conditions in the southern ECS are strongly influenced by the different water masses due to the seasonal monsoon system. A total of 173 taxa of larval fish belonging to 68 families and 105 genera were identified during the study period. The highest abundance of larval fish was recorded in winter, a moderate abundance was seen in late spring and summer, and the lowest abundance in autumn. Significantly higher abundances were usually found in the mixing zone than in ECS and the Kuroshio Current, and the number of species of larval fish was greater during the warm period than during the cold period. The larval fish fauna in the southern ECS is a mixture of endemic and exotic species; the latter come from the coastal waters of mainland China when the northeasterly monsoon prevails, from the South China Sea during the southwesterly monsoon, and from the Kuroshio waters year-round. The succession of water masses induced by the monsoon systems and the high nutrient levels caused by frontal turbulence and topographic upwelling may determine the distributions of larval fish in terms of abundance and composition.     

Thermochronology of the PoSen complex,northern Vietnam: Implications for tectonic evolution in SE Asia

The PoSen complex, located closely adjacent to the southwestern margin of the Red River shear zone represents the uplifted basement of north Vietnam and may record the motion of the shear zone. However, its thermochronological history has not been fully examined yet. Here we applied U–Pb and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating methods to reveal its thermochronological history. U–Pb analysis of composite zircon grains by TIMS yielded an average age of 760 ± 25 Ma, clustering on the concordia line. Twelve SHRIMP U–Pb analyses also yielded a consistent result of 751 ± 7 Ma. Along with the geochemical features, the U–Pb dating results suggest the PoSen complex was a late Proterozoic magmatic complex, which could correspond to the Chengjiang orogeny, a widespread thermal event in southwest China. Results of ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of micas and K-feldspars were in the range of 36–30 Ma, revealing a rapid cooling and exhumation history of the PoSen complex during the late Paleogene. The time span of cooling and exhumation of the PoSen complex is slightly older than the main cooling phases of the Ailao Shan–Red River (ASRR) metamorphic massifs (28–17 Ma), but is synchronous with the early igneous activity stage in the eastern Indo-Asian collision zone of southeast China and north Vietnam. Owing to the ongoing debate about the initiation and offset of the ASRR shear zone, the tectonic force for the late Paleogene cooling of the PoSen complex is still inconclusive. The rapid exhumation of the PoSen complex could be in response to either the detachment of the Neo-Tethyan slab or a transpressional phase of continental subduction along the ASRR shear system in the eastern Indo-Asian collision zone.     

Submarine canyon morphologies in the Gulf of Palermo (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) and possible implications for geo-hazard

The continental shelf and the upper slope of the Gulf of Palermo (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) in the depth interval ranging from 50 to 1,500 m were mapped for the first time with Multi Beam echosounder and high resolution seismic. Seven submarine canyons are confined to the upper slope or indent the shelf-edge and enter the Palermo intraslope basin at a depth of around 1,300 m. The canyons evolved through concurrent top-down turbiditic processes and bottom-up retrogressive mass failures. Most of the mass failure features of the area are related to canyon-shaping processes and only few of them are not confined to the upper slope. In general, these features probably do not represent a significant tsunami hazard along the coast. The geological element that controls the evolution of the canyons and induces sediment instability corresponds to the steep slope gradient, especially in the western sector of the Gulf, where the steepest canyons are located. The structural features mapped in the Palermo offshore contributed to the regulation of mass failure processes in the area, with direct faults and antiform structures coinciding with some of the canyon heads. Furthermore, the occurrence of pockmarks and highs that probably consist of authigenic carbonates above faulted and folded strata suggests a local relationship between structural control, fluid escape processes and mass failure. This paper presents a valuable high-resolution morphologic dataset of the Gulf of Palermo, which constitutes a reliable base for evaluating the geo-hazard potential related to slope failure in the area.     

Direct evidence of central European forest refugia during the last glacial period based on mollusc fossils

Although there is evidence from molecular studies for the existence of central European last glacial refugia for temperate species, there is still a great lack of direct fossil records to confirm this theory. Here we bring such evidence in the form of fossil shells from twenty strictly forest land snail species, which were recorded in radiocarbon-dated late glacial or older mollusc assemblages of nine non-interrupted mollusc successions situated in the Western Carpathians, and one in the Bohemian Massif. We proposed that molluscs survived the last glacial period in central Europe in isolated small patches of broadleaf forest, which we unequivocally demonstrate for two sites of last glacial maximum age.     

Analysis of rockfall risk on mountainside roads: evaluation of the effect of protection devices

Many kilometres of roads are close to rock slopes that are prone to rockfalls. The fulfilment of safety requirements in such situations is a multidimensional design process involving public and private technicians in the assessment and management of the problem. In this paper, a rockfall risk management approach has been applied to the road infrastructure network of the Regione Autonoma Valle D’Aosta, in order to calculate the level of risk and of its reduction using rockfall protection devices. In order to better understand the methodology, a comparative analysis of road accidents in Aosta Valley has been discussed. The road risk assessment was developed taking into account the absence of rockfall protection devices, and when they are present, different levels of efficacy have been considered.     

雷州半岛红树林海区的软体动物

2 0 0 2年 7～ 9月 ,对雷州半岛主要红树林区的软体动物进行调查 ,计有 110种 ,隶属 3纲、6亚纲、12目、37科、75属 ,主要为亚热带海岸区系种类。其中全国沿海广泛分布的暖水种有 36种 ,占 32 .8% ;分布于东、南沿海的暖水种有 6 0种 ,占 5 4.3% ;分布于南海的暖水种有 13种 ,占 11 8% ;1种外来种 ,占 0 .9% ;具有较高经济和可以开发利用的贝类约占总数的 1/2。由于人为过度采捕和环境污染严重 ,部分软体动物资源已遭到破坏 ,因此 ,急需加强红树林区生态保护和环境污染整治。