Environmental policy reform on north-eastern Brazil’s agricultural frontier

The expansion of modern agriculture in developing countries presents numerous challenges for environmental policy makers. Environmental policies for agriculture in north-eastern Brazil’s soybean belt are analyzed, with emphasis on the role of a non-state actor in leading policy reforms. An organization representing large farmers is leading policy reforms to reduce the environmental impacts of modern agriculture. By contrast, state agencies are relatively weak and ineffective. The analysis situates this question conceptually in literatures stressing the political and structural causes of corporate environmentalism and literatures explaining the increasingly strong role of non-state actors in environmental governance. The case study focuses on the content of reforms, reasons why the non-state actor is so prominent, and the implications of policy reforms. State agencies face major challenges in environment-agriculture policy debates in places where environmental subsidies are unlikely, environmental information is poor, and organized private interests are influential.     

Morphology and internal structure of two new abelisaurid remains (Theropoda,Dinosauria) from the Adamantina Formation (Turonian – Maastrichtian), Bauru Group,Paraná Basin,Brazil

The knowledge on the Brazilian theropod fauna is hampered by the limited number of specimens unearthed so far. The most potential deposits for the finding of those dinosaurs are the layers of Bauru Group, which comprises several different formations of Late Cretaceous age. Most of those remains are referred to Abelisauroidea, a clade that is particularly well represented in Gondwana. Here we report two new abelisaurid specimens comprising a left ilium (DGM 927-R) and the distal articulation of a right femur (MCT 1857-R) unearthed from the outcrops of Adamantina Formation (Turonian – Maastrichtian) in the locality known as Santo Anastácio, that comprises an abandoned quarry located in the outskirts of the homonymous city in São Paulo State. The ilium has a preacetabular process horizontally oriented and ventrally deflected, as well as an acute angle between this process and the pubic peduncle. The femur shows a well-developed anteromedial crest, but not to the same degree as in noasaurids, and ossified ridges between condyles and tibiofibular crest. Those features allow us to assign both specimens to Abelisauridae. CT-scans of those specimens shows that the ilium has pneumaticities similar to the camellate pattern previously recorded in neosauropods and reveals the diverticula invasion of abdominal air-sacs. The femur presents a developed anisotropic trabecular system, which suggests that the main muscular strain is located at the distal portion of this bone. These features have not been previously reported in Abelisauridae, indicating that the internal organization of the postcranial skeleton in the group is rather complex and quite variable.     

A Loop Current experiment: Field and remote measurements

An overview of a new comprehensive observational study of the Loop Current (LC) in the eastern Gulf of Mexico that encompassed full-depth and near-bottom moorings, pressure-equipped inverted echo sounders (PIES) and remote sensing is presented. The study array was designed to encompass the LC from the Campeche Bank to the west Florida escarpment. This overview centers about principal findings as they pertain to mesoscale dynamics. Two companion papers provide in-depth analyses. Three LC anticyclonic eddy separation events were observed with good 3D spatial coverage over the 2½ year extent of the field study; the three separations exhibited similar processes after the LC had extended into the eastern Gulf. Large scale (∼300 km wavelength, 40–60 day periods) southward propagating meanders developed on the eastern side of the LC over deep (∼3000 m) water that were the result of baroclinic instability between the upper layer meandering jet and lower layer cyclones and anticyclones. The lower layer was only highly energetic during relatively short (∼2–3 months) intervals just prior to or during eddy detachments because of baroclinic instability. The steepening of the meanders lead to a pinch-off of LC eddies. The deep lower-layer eddies, constrained by the closed topography of the southeastern Gulf, propagated westward across the detachment zone and appear to assist in achieving separation. Small scale (∼50–100 km, periods ∼10 days) frontal eddies, observed on the western side of the LC along the Campeche Bank slope, decay over the deep water of the northern part of an extended LC, and have little influence on lower layer eddies, the east side meanders and the eddy detachment processes.     

The genus Perissocytheridea Stephenson, 1938 (Crustacea: Ostracoda) and evidence of brackish water facies along the Oligo-Miocene,Pirabas Formation,eastern Amazonia,Brazil

Perissocytheridea Stephenson is characteristic of brackish water facies. In 57 samples from the Upper Oligocene to Lower Miocene, from five localities, Pirabas Formation, Pará State, Brazil eleven species have been identified. Among these species, four are new reports: Perissocytheridea punctoreticulata n. sp., Perissocytheridea largulateralis n. sp., Perissocytheridea colini n. sp. and Perissocytheridea pirabensis n. sp.; five species in open nomenclature: Perissocytheridea sp. 1, P. sp. 2, P. sp. 3, P. sp. 4, and P. sp. 5 and two species left in “aff.” abbreviation: Perissocytheridea aff. Perissocytheridea pumila and Perissocytheridea aff. Perissocytheridea brachyforma subsp. excavata. The distributional pattern of the Perissocytheridea combined with the occurrence of foraminifera Elphidium and Ammonia in the studied sections supports the presence of the brackish water facies to the respective layers. Their quantitative variation through the studied sections indicate more than one phase of salinity reduction (about >5 and <30 ppm) and/or the decrease of the sea level, forming lagoon along the Pirabas Formation. This genus has a wide paleobiogeographical occurrence and stratigraphic distribution ranging from the Cretaceous to Recent, and already been recorded in the northern of South America, especially in the Neogene of Solimões Basin, but this is the first report of a neotropical genus to the Oligo-Miocene deposits of Pirabas Formation, northern Brazilian Coast, Pará State.     

Population genetic diversity and structure of a dominant tropical seagrass,Cymodocea rotundata,in the Western Pacific region

Cymodocea rotundata is an ecologically important tropical pioneer seagrass species distributed in the Indo‐Pacific region. The population genetic diversity and structure of this species were analysed at 46 sites spanning the Philippines, Ryukyu Islands (northern limit) and Hainan Island, by using microsatellite simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Analyses revealed the persistence of C. rotundata likely relies on local population dynamics and fitness influenced by environmental gradients, with sexual reproduction prevalent in the Philippines while the Ryukyu and Hainan populations were predominantly established by clonal spread. Analysis of molecular variance showed significant genetic differentiation (P < 0.001) among three geographic regions: the Philippines, Ryukyu and Hainan. Furthermore, the mean fixation index value was very high (F_ST = 0.36), indicating poor dispersal potential or limited gene flow. Allelic richness and heterozygosity of C. rotundata was comparable in the Philippines and Ryukyu Islands populations. More private alleles were found in the Philippines and excess heterozygotes in the Ryukyu Islands. STRUCTURE analysis revealed that the Ryukyu and Hainan populations were mosaics of admixed alleles of individuals from the Philippines. An assignment test suggested that recruitment occurs from the Northeast Philippines to Ryukyu Islands. These results suggest that the Philippine populations are tropical seagrass hotspots and perhaps the origin of the populations in the Ryukyu and Hainan Islands. This scenario is most likely driven by the Kuroshio Current and island integration events during plate tectonic activities. The Philippine Archipelago is considered of high importance for conservation objectives and management plan of seagrasses. Likewise, the Ryukyu Islands are also important in terms of conserving regional diversity because locally adapted genotypes have important evolutionary potential in the face of environmental change.     

南海上层经向翻转环流的低频变化

The low-frequency variability of the shallow meridional overturning circulation(MOC) in the South China Sea(SCS) is investigated using a Simple Ocean Data Assimilation(SODA) product for the period of 1900–2010. A dynamical decomposition method is used in which the MOC is decomposed into the Ekman, external mode, and vertical shear components. Results show that all the three dynamical components contribute to the formation of the seasonal and annual mean shallow MOC in the SCS. The shallow MOC in the SCS consists of two cells: a clockwise cell in the south and an anticlockwise cell in the north; the former is controlled by the Ekman flow and the latter is dominated by the external barotropic flow, with the contribution of the vertical shear being to reduce the magnitude of both cells. In addition, the strength of the MOC in the south is found to have a falling trend over the past century, due mainly to a weakening of the Luzon Strait transport(LST) that reduces the transport of the external component. Further analysis suggests that the weakening of the LST is closely related to a weakening of the westerly wind anomalies over the equatorial Pacific, which leads to a southward shift of the North Equatorial Current(NEC) bifurcation and thus a stronger transport of the Kuroshio east of Luzon.     

Quantitative seismic geomorphology of a submarine channel system in SE Brazil (Espírito Santo Basin): Scale comparison with other submarine channel systems

Detailed morphological analyses of a Pleistocene-Holocene submarine channel system in terms of its hierarchical framework, were carried out using a 3D seismic volume from offshore Espírito Santo, SE Brazil. The channel morphology shows marked variations, with five segments (Segments a to e) being identified along its full length. For example, the cross-sectional area of the channel decreases by a factor of 70 from Segment a to Segment c, and is then followed by a nearly four-fold increase from Segment c to Segment d. The significant changes in channel morphology relate to temporal and spatial variations in flow volume within the channel. In the same channel system, the valley reveals three distinct segments (Segments A to C), with similar aspect ratios but marked variations in morphology along the valley distance. Valley morphological changes are chiefly affected by erosional processes. Segment B is characterised by the largest valley-base width, valley width, and cross-sectional area compared to the other two segments. Valley enlargement in Segment B results from relatively high degrees of lateral channel migration and associated cut bank erosion, leading to the widening of the valley, especially the valley base. In Segment C, the valley is characterised by inner bank erosion in the form of shallow-seated mass failures, which only enlarged the upper part of the valley wall. The spatial variations in both channel and valley morphology documented here suggest an important role of local factors (e.g. salt diapirs, tributaries, overbank collapse) in the development of channel systems. Hence, the morphological analyses developed in this work provide an effective tool for studying channels and valleys on continental slopes around the world.     

近年来厄尔尼诺期间北赤道流输运的年际变化

为了研究近年来厄尔尼诺期间北赤道流输运的年际变化,本文利用海洋客观分析数据MOAA GPV(Grid Point Value of the Monthly Objective Analysis)以及P-vector方法计算了北太平洋绝对地转流,探讨了2001~2013年期间厄尔尼诺与北赤道流输运之间的关系。在此期间发生的4次厄尔尼诺事件中,北赤道流输运在2002~2003、2006~2007、2009~2010年的厄尔尼诺成熟期都出现了明显的增强,但是在2004~2005年的厄尔尼诺成熟期并没有明显的增强。进一步分析发现,在2002~2003年、2006~2007年、2009~2010年的厄尔尼诺成熟期,10°N以南的热带西北太平洋区域出现了负的海面高度异常和气旋式环流异常,这主要是由热带环流区域出现的西风异常和正的Ekman抽吸通过Rossby波西传到热带西太平洋区域所致;但是在2004~2005年厄尔尼诺成熟期,海面温度异常的分布明显不同,西风异常和正的Ekman抽吸异常明显北移,导致负的海面高度异常和气旋式环流异常出现在了10°N以北的西北太平洋区域,使得北赤道流输运在2004~2005年的厄尔尼诺成熟期没有明显的增强。