Severity of killer whale behavioral responses to ship noise: A dose–response study

Critical habitats of at-risk populations of northeast Pacific “resident” killer whales can be heavily trafficked by large ships, with transits occurring on average once every hour in busy shipping lanes. We modeled behavioral responses of killer whales to ship transits during 35 “natural experiments” as a dose–response function of estimated received noise levels in both broadband and audiogram-weighted terms. Interpreting effects is contingent on a subjective and seemingly arbitrary decision about severity threshold indicating a response. Subtle responses were observed around broadband received levels of 130 dB re 1 μPa (rms); more severe responses are hypothesized to occur at received levels beyond 150 dB re 1 μPa, where our study lacked data. Avoidance responses are expected to carry minor energetic costs in terms of increased energy expenditure, but future research must assess the potential for reduced prey acquisition, and potential population consequences, under these noise levels.     

Sediment infiltration traps: their use to monitor salmonid spawning habitat in headwater tributaries of the Cascapédia River,Québec

Sediment infiltration can clog salmon nests and reduce egg survival. As a countermeasure, environmental managers often deploy infiltration traps to monitor sediment infiltration. Traps provide a repeatable means of measuring infiltration and enable comparisons to be made between sites. Results from infiltration rates measured with traps have also been used to estimate infilling rates into salmon nests. Application of these data is questionable, as the composition of the bed and the amount of fine sediment within the bed is known to affect infiltration rates. Thus, infiltration rates measured with infiltration traps may differ from the infiltration rates occurring in redd and riffle gravels. To examine how relationships between sediment infiltration rates varied between four watersheds, we continuously monitored suspended sediment transport, shear stress and infiltration rates at four sites over 5 months. We also compared infiltration rates measured with infiltration traps with changes in the hydraulic conductivity and subsurface grain size distribution of adjacent artificially constructed salmon nests and natural riffle gravels. Among the four watersheds, clear differences in sediment infiltration rates were observed. The differences correlated with the subsurface silt content but no strong relationship existed between land‐use or basin physiography/geology. Despite observing an average of 30 kg m⁻² of sediment finer than 2 mm being deposited in the infiltration traps during the study, no change in redd or riffle substrate was observed. If the deposition rates measured with the traps reflect the processes in redds, enough sediment would have been deposited to inhibit egg emergence. However, no reduction in egg survival to the eyed stage was observed. In summary, our results show that infiltration traps with clean gravels can be used to detect intersite differences in sediment transport regimes. Extrapolations of sediment infiltration rates measured with such collectors to estimate infiltration rates in redds or riffles is, however, flawed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High precision glacial–interglacial benthic foraminiferal Sr/Ca records from the eastern equatorial Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea

Glacial–interglacial variation in the marine Sr/Ca ratio has important implications for coral Sr thermometry [J.W. Beck et al., Science 257 (1992) 644–647]. A possible variation of 1–3% was proposed based on ocean models [H.M. Stoll and D.P. Schrag, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 62 (1998) 1107–1118]. Subsequently, studies have used fossil foraminifera to test this prediction [P.A. Martin et al., Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 1 (1999); H.M. Stoll et al., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 63 (1999) 3535–3547; H. Elderfield et al., Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 1 (2000)]. But whether some component of foraminiferal Sr/Ca variation can be uniquely ascribed to seawater Sr variation is still not clear. To address this question, we developed cleaning and analysis techniques and measured Sr/Ca ratios on individual shells of the modern benthic foraminifer Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi. We showed that different size shells have different Sr/Ca ratios; however, samples with shell sizes of 355–500 μm appear to have normally distributed Sr/Ca ratios (1σ=1.8%). For multi-shell measurements (with estimated errors of 0.12–0.39%), the ratio varied by as much as 7.2±0.5% during the last glaciation for two Caribbean records at the same site and by 3.7±0.5% over the past 40,000 yr for one record from the Sierra Leone Rise in the eastern equatorial Atlantic. The two Caribbean records are very similar indicating that the behavior of shell Sr uptake was identical locally and that the shell Sr/Ca ratio faithfully reflects the local environment. The Atlantic record differs from the Caribbean records by as much as several percent. Thus, the foraminiferal Sr/Ca changes cannot be solely due to changes in seawater Sr/Ca unless the glacial deep ocean had spatial variation in Sr/Ca well in excess of the modern ocean. Certain similarities between the three records do exist. Notably, the rate of change of Sr/Ca is similar between 9 and 0 ka (−0.25%/kyr) and between 25 and 16 ka (+0.16%/kyr). This suggests that during these intervals, benthic foraminiferal Sr/Ca was affected by similar large-scale variables. One of these variables may be the average marine Sr/Ca ratio; however, comparison with model predictions [H.M. Stoll and D.P. Schrag, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 62 (1998) 1107–1118] suggests other factors must also be considered. The discrepancies between the two sites may be related to the different water mass histories for the Caribbean and eastern Atlantic. Our results suggest that variation of the seawater Sr budget only partially contributed to C. wuellerstorfi Sr/Ca records, while other significant factors still need to be quantified. At present we cannot confidently determine past seawater Sr/Ca variation from our foraminiferal records.     

Empirical predictors of annual bed load travel distance,and implications for salmonid habitat restoration and protection

Measurements of annual travel distance (L_b) of bed load sediment at 16 locations in Alaska, the intermountain USA, west coast USA and Scotland are strongly correlated with bankfull channel width (r² = 0·86, p < 0·001). Travel distance of particles is probably limited by trapping in bars, which have a longitudinal spacing proportional to channel width. Increased abundance of woody debris reduces bar spacing and may reduce L_b. Longer cumulative duration of bed load transporting flows in a year appears to increase L_b. Other predictors of annual travel distance such as stream power per unit length, drainage area and bankfull discharge were less well correlated with L_b (r² ranging from 0·27 to 0·51). Stream power per unit bed area, basal shear stress and slope were not significantly related to L_b (r² < 0·05). Most correlations were improved when regressions were limited to data from the west coast USA. Travel distance estimates can be used to help identify reaches that may take longer to recover from large, short‐term increases in sediment supply. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Circulation and fertility of waters in Concepcion Bay

The spatial and temporal distributions of oxygen, nutrients and pigments in the waters of Concepcion Bay, Chile (36°40′S, 73°01′W) are described for 1978–1979. Analysis of the seasonal fluctuations shows the upwelling of water poor in oxygen and rich in nutrients inside the bay during summer. The upwelled water fertilizes the bay and produces progressive eutrophication, causing mass mortalities, discoloured water and mineralization of organic matter.     

Sedimentary facies and sequence stratigraphy of the Asmari Formation at Chaman-Bolbol, Zagros Basin, Iran

The Oligocene–Miocene Asmari Formation of the Zagros Basin is a thick sequence of shallow water carbonate. In the study area, it is subdivided into 14 microfacies that are distinguished on the basis of their depositional textures, petrographic analysis and fauna. Based on the paleoecology and lithology, four distinct depositional settings can be recognized: tidal flat, lagoon, barrier, and open marine. The Asmari Formation represents sedimentation on a carbonate ramp. In the inner ramp, the most abundant lithofacies are medium grained wackestone–packstone with imperforated foraminifera. The middle ramp is represented by packstone–grainstone to floatstone with a diverse assemblage of larger foraminifera with perforate wall, red algae, bryozoa, and echinoids. The outer ramp is dominated by argillaceous wackestone characterized by planktonic foraminifera and large and flat nummulitidae and lepidocyclinidae. Three third-order depositional sequences are recognized from deepening and shallowing trends in the depositional facies, changes in cycle stacking patterns, and sequence boundary features.     

Conservation of wetlands especially as waterfowl habitat in northeast China

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A Linked Physical and Biological Framework to Assess Biogeochemical Dynamics in a Shallow Estuarine Ecosystem

The littoral zone of Chesapeake Bay contains a mosaic of shallow vegetated and nonvegetated habitats with biotic components that are sensitive to changes in biological and physical driving factors. Static and dynamic modelling frameworks provide an integrative way to study complex hydrodynamic and biogeochemical processes in linked estuarine habitats. In this study we describe a spatial simulation model developed and calibrated relative to a specific littoral zone, estuarine ecosystem. The model consisted of four distinct habitats that contained phytoplankton, sediment microalgae, Zostera marina (eelgrass), and Spartina alterniflora. There was tidal exchange of phytoplankton, particulate and dissolved organic carbon and dissolved inorganic nitrogen between the littoral zone ecosystem and the offshore channel. Physical exchange and biogeochemical transformations within the habitats determined water column concentrations in each habitat. Predicted subtidal water column concentrations and Z. marina and S. alterniflora biomass were within the variability of validation data and the predicted annual rates of net primary production were similar to measured rates. Phytoplankton accounted for 17%, sediment microalgae 46%, the Z. marina community 24% and S. alterniflora 13% of the annual littoral zone primary production. The linked habitat model provided insights into producer, habitat and ecosystem carbon and nitrogen properties that might not have been evident with stand-alone models. Although it was an intra-ecosystem sink for particulate carbon, the seagrass habitat was a DOC source and responsible for over 30% of the littoral zone carbon and nitrogen primary production. The model predicted that the Goodwin Islands littoral zone was a sink of channel derived POC, but a source of DOC to the surrounding estuary. The framework created in this study of estuarine ecosystem dynamics is applicable to many different aquatic systems over a range of spatial and temporal scales.