An Experimental Test of the Capacity of Food Web Interactions (Fish–Epiphytes–Seagrasses) to Offset the Negative Consequences of Eutrophication on Seagrass Communities

A mechanism of competition between epiphytes and seagrasses potentially modulated by grazers was studied in a high-nutrient Thalassia testudinum meadow in the Indian River Lagoon (Florida, U.S.A.). The effects of fish grazing on epiphytes, and likely enhancing T. testudinum growth, was tested through an exclusion experiment. Twelve (2×2m) independent experimental plots were selected within a shallow monospecific bed to which three randomized treatments (exclusion fences, open fences and controls) with four replicates each were assigned. The epiphyte load was monitored on T. testudinum leaves inside the plots from January 1995 to March 1996. Treatment effects occurred during a chlorophyte bloom in March 1995, when the epiphyte biomass was significantly higher inside the exclusion cages than in either of the controls. The composition of the epiphytic community in March 1995 was dominated by sheet-like Enteromorpha and filamentous algae such as Cladophora , which are less resistant to herbivory than the coarsely-branched forms of red algae (e.g. Hypnea , Chondria and Acanthophora) that bloomed subsequently. These results suggest that herbivory change seasonally depending on the availability of different prey species to fish-grazers, which preferentially utilize the fleshy green algae typical of bloom conditions over the thicker coarsely-branched red algae. In the nutrient-rich lagoon the role of top-down interactions in enhancing T. testudinum growth is limited to the reduction of shading by green macroalgae.     

Metamorphic evolution of the Naga Hills eclogite and blueschist, Northeast India: implications for early subduction of the Indian plate under the Burma microplate

Tectonic slices and lenses of eclogite within mafic and ultramafic rocks of the Early Cretaceous–Eocene Naga Hills ophiolite were studied to constrain the physical conditions of eastward subduction of the Indian plate under the Burma microplate and convergence rate prior to the India–Eurasia collision. Some of the lenses are composed of eclogite, garnet-blueschist, glaucophanite and greenschist from core to margin, representing a retrograde hydrothermal alteration sequence. Barroisite, garnet, omphacite and epidote with minor chlorite, phengite, rutile and quartz constitute the peak metamorphic assemblage. In eclogite and garnet-blueschist, garnet shows an increase in Mg and Fe and decrease in Mn from core to rim. In chlorite in eclogite, Mg increases from core to rim. Inclusions of epidote, glaucophane, omphacite and quartz in garnet represent the pre-peak assemblage. Glaucophane also occurs profusely at the rims of barroisite. The matrix glaucophane and epidote represent the post-peak assemblage. The Fe³⁺ content of garnet-hosted omphacite is higher than that of matrix omphacite, and Fe³⁺ increases from core to rim in matrix glaucophane. Albite occurs in late stage veins. P – T pseudosection analysis indicates that the Naga Hills eclogites followed a clockwise P – T path with prograde metamorphism beginning at ∼1.3 GPa/525 °C and peaking at 1.7–2.0 GPa/580–610 °C, and subsequent retrogression to ∼1.1 GPa/540 °C. A comparison of these P – T conditions with numerical thermal models of plate subduction indicates that the Naga Hills eclogites probably formed near the top of the subducting crust with convergence rates of ∼ 55–100 km Myr⁻¹, consistent with high pre-collision convergence rates between India and Eurasia.     

印度洋中西部大眼金枪鱼年龄与鱼体脂肪含量的关系

本文根据2012年10月—2013年3月在印度洋中西部海域金枪鱼延绳钓渔业调查所获得的样本,利用其脊椎骨鉴定了334尾大眼金枪鱼(Thunnus obesus)的年龄,并利用鱼类脂肪含量仪测定了其肌肉的脂肪含量,进而对年龄与脂肪含量的关系进行了研究。结果表明样本金枪鱼的特征如下:(1)年龄组成为1—9龄,其中4—6龄比例最大,约占样本总数的66.4%;(2)脂肪含量范围为3.1%—29.8%,平均为13.4%,优势范围在7.0%—17.0%之间,其中13.0%—17.0%的比例最高达51.4%;(3)通过比较不同年龄组的脂肪含量发现,鱼体脂肪含量1—3龄随年龄增加而下降。4—5龄脂肪含量较高,6龄急剧下降到最低,7—9龄又呈升高的趋势;(4)雌性和雄性大眼金枪鱼的新陈代谢变化无明显差异,雌性比雄性的性成熟年龄要早1年左右,雌性3—4龄时性成熟,而雄性为4—5龄时性成熟;(5)脂肪含量的变化可能与大眼金枪鱼生长、繁殖、衰老等过程中的新陈代谢变化相吻合。     

Macrobenthos relative to the oxygen minimum zone on the East Indian margin,Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal remains one of the least studied of the world's oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Here we offer a detailed investigation of the macrobenthos relative to oxygen minimum zone [OMZ – DO (dissolved oxygen), concentration <0.5 ml·1^?1] at 110 stations off the North East Indian margin (16⁰ and 20⁰ N) featuring coastal, shelf and slope settings (10–1004 m). Macrobenthos (>0.5 mm) composition, abundance and diversity were studied in relation to variations in depth, dissolved oxygen, sediment texture and organic carbon. Using multivariate procedures powered by SIMPROF analysis we identified distinct OMZ core sites (depth 150–280 m; DO 0.37 ml·1^?1) that exhibited dense populations of surface‐feeding polychaetes (mean 2188 ind. m^?2) represented by spionids and cossurids (96%). Molluscs and crustaceans were poorly represented except for ampeliscid amphipods. The lower OMZ sites (DO > 0.55 ml·l^?1) supported a different assemblage of polychaetes (cirratulids, amphinomids, eunicids, orbinids, paraonids), crustaceans and molluscs, albeit with low population densities (mean 343 ind. m^?2). Species richness [E(S₁₀₀)], diversity (Margalef d; H’) and evenness (J’) were lower and dominance was higher within the OMZ core region. Multiple regression analysis showed that a combination of sand, clay, organic carbon, and dissolved oxygen explained 62–78% of the observed variance in macrobenthos species richness and diversity: E(S₁₀₀) and H’. For polychaetes, clay and oxygen proved important. At low oxygen sites (DO <1 ml·l^?1), depth accounted for most variance. Residual analysis (after removing depth effects) revealed that dissolved oxygen and sediment organic matter influenced 50–62% of residual variation in E(S₁₀₀), H’ and d for total macrofauna. Of this, oxygen alone influenced up to ~50–62%. When only polychaetes were evaluated, oxygen and organic matter explained up to 58–63%. For low oxygen sites, organic matter alone had the explanatory power when dominance among polychaetes was considered. Overall, macrobenthic patterns in the Bay of Bengal were consistent with those reported for other upwelling margins. However, the compression of faunal gradients at shallower depths was most similar to the Chile/Peru margin, and different from the Arabian Sea, where the depth range of the OMZ is two times greater. The Bay of Bengal patterns may take on added significance as OMZs shoal globally.     

Mesoscale surface circulation and variability of Southern Indian Ocean derived by combining satellite altimetry and drifter observations

High resoultion Eulerian mean velocity field has been derived by combining the satellite tracked surface drifter data with satellite altimetry and ocean surface winds. The drifter data used in this study includes Argos and surface drifter data from Global Drifter Program. Maps of Sea Level Anomaly(MSLA) weekly files with a resolution of(1/3)° in both Latitude and Longitude for the period 1993–2012 have been used. The Ekman current is computed using ocean surface mean wind fields from scatterometers onboard ERS 1/2,Quikscat and ASCAT. The derived mean velocity field exhibits the broad flow of Antarctic Circumpolar Current with speeds up to 0.6 m/s.Anomalous field is quite significant in the western part between 20° and 40°E and in the eastern part between 80°E and 100°E with velocity anomaly up to 0.3 m/s. The estimated mean flow pattern well agrees with the dynamic topography derived from in-situ observations. Also,the derived velocity field is consistent with the in-situ ADCP current measurements. Eddy kinetic energy illustrates an increasing trend during 1993–2008 and is in phase coherence with the Southern Annular Mode by three month lag. Periodic modulations are found in the eddy kinetic energy due the low frequency Antarctic Circumpolar Wave propagation.     

Spatiotemporal variation and mechanisms of temperature inversion in the Bay of Bengal and the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean

In the northern Bay of Bengal, the existence of intense temperature inversion during winter is a widely accepted phenomenon. However, occurrences of temperature inversion during other seasons and the spatial distribution within and adjacent to the Bay of Bengal are not well understood. In this study, a higher resolution spatiotemporal variation of temperature inversion and its mechanisms are examined with mixed layer heat and salt budget analysis utilizing long-term Argo（2004 to 2020） and RAMA（2...     

欧亚大陆春季融雪与长江流域夏季降水的可能联系

利用1979—2007年全球月平均的积雪水当量资料,定义了春季积雪水当量增量指数,该指数可以较为直观地反映春季融雪的情况。通过这一纽带,分析了欧亚大陆春季融雪与长江流域夏季降水之间的联系。研究表明:欧亚大陆春季融雪与中国长江流域夏季降水是负相关关系,这与高原积雪的影响是不一致的。春季融雪量的减少,使得欧亚大陆北部夏季剩余积雪偏多,夏季融雪增多。融雪的局地效应使得土壤湿度增加,加大了欧亚大陆南北热力差异。从而,夏季中纬度的纬向风切变增大,对流层上层的副热带西风急流增强,副热带高压增强西伸,但是北抬受到抑制。长江流域位于异常西南暖湿气流与冷空气的辐合带上,上升运动活跃,有利于降水偏多。     

Evaluation of Three Harvest Control Rules for Bigeye Tuna（Thunnus obesus） Fisheries in the Indian Ocean

The stock of Bigeye tuna（Thunnus obesus） in the Indian Ocean supports an important international fishery and is considered to be fully exploited. The responsible management agency, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission（IOTC）, does not have an explicit management decision-making framework in place to prevent over-fishing. In this study, we evaluated three harvest control rules, i） constant fishing mortality（CF）, from 0.2 to 0.6, ii） constant catch（CC）, from 60000 to 140000 t, and iii） constant escapement（CE）, from 0.3 to 0.7. The population dynamics simulated by the operating model was based on the most recent stock assessment using Stock Synthesis version Ⅲ（SS3）. Three simulation scenarios（low, medium and high productivity） were designed to cover possible uncertainty in the stock assessment and biological parameters. Performances of three harvest control rules were compared on the basis of three management objectives（over 3, 10 and 25 years）： i） the probability of maintaining spawning stock biomass above a level that can sustain maximum sustainable yield（MSY） on average, ii） the probability of achieving average catches between 0.8 MSY and 1.0 MSY, and iii） inter-annual variability in catches. The constant escapement strategy（CE=0.5）, constant fishing mortality strategy（F=0.4） and constant catch（CC=80000） were the most rational among the respective management scenarios. It is concluded that the short-term annual catch is suggested at 80000 t, and the potential total allowable catch for a stable yield could be set at 120000 t once the stock had recovered successfully. All the strategies considered in this study to achieve a ‘tolerable＇ balance between resource conservation and utilization have been based around the management objectives of the IOTC.     

Evaluation of three harvest control rules for Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus) fisheries in the Indian Ocean

The stock of Bigeye tuna(Thunnus obesus) in the Indian Ocean supports an important international fishery and is considered to be fully exploited. The responsible management agency, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission(IOTC), does not have an explicit management decision-making framework in place to prevent over-fishing. In this study, we evaluated three harvest control rules, i) constant fishing mortality(CF), from 0.2 to 0.6, ii) constant catch(CC), from 60000 to 140000 t, and iii) constant escapement(CE), from 0.3 to 0.7. The population dynamics simulated by the operating model was based on the most recent stock assessment using Stock Synthesis version Ⅲ(SS3). Three simulation scenarios(low, medium and high productivity) were designed to cover possible uncertainty in the stock assessment and biological parameters. Performances of three harvest control rules were compared on the basis of three management objectives(over 3, 10 and 25 years): i) the probability of maintaining spawning stock biomass above a level that can sustain maximum sustainable yield(MSY) on average, ii) the probability of achieving average catches between 0.8 MSY and 1.0 MSY, and iii) inter-annual variability in catches. The constant escapement strategy(CE=0.5), constant fishing mortality strategy(F=0.4) and constant catch(CC=80000) were the most rational among the respective management scenarios. It is concluded that the short-term annual catch is suggested at 80000 t, and the potential total allowable catch for a stable yield could be set at 120000 t once the stock had recovered successfully. All the strategies considered in this study to achieve a ‘tolerable' balance between resource conservation and utilization have been based around the management objectives of the IOTC.     

2011/2012年冬季中国气温异常的成因及前兆信号

采用国家气候中心整理的全国160站月平均气温资料、NCEP/NCAR再分析资料及NOAA全球海温资料,在探讨1986年以来中国冬季气温异常机理基础上,对2011/2012年冬季气温异常特征及其前兆信号进行分析。结果表明:地面西伯利亚高压、东亚冬季风及500 hPa乌拉尔山与贝加尔湖南侧的异常环流等系统是影响中国冬季气温的主要中高纬环流系统,而中低纬环流系统主要包括西太平洋副高环流和印缅槽。前期热带印度洋和中东太平洋关键区海温异常与后期冬季气温关联的环流系统有密切的关系:前期夏季7、8月西印度洋海温偏高时,冬季西伯利亚高压将偏强,有利于冬季风偏强和中国冬季气温偏低;而当8—10月中东太平洋海温偏高时,西太平洋副高将偏强偏大偏西,北界位置偏北,印缅槽偏强,中国气温容易偏高,反之亦然。两者对后期环流的影响存在一定的独立性,中国冬季地面气温异常是它们共同作用的结果。