Food web structure within kelp holdfasts (Laminaria): a stable isotope study

Kelp holdfasts are highly reticulated structures which host a large diversity of small fauna. These microhabitats have been reported to play a crucial role in the biodiversity associated to kelp forest ecosystems. This study aimed at identifying trophic links and the main food sources sustaining food webs within communities associated with kelp holdfasts, through a stable isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) approach. Sampling of the main invertebrates inhabiting Laminaria digitata holdfasts, and of their potential food sources, took place in February and May 2007. Stable isotope results reveal that most of the primary consumers, including filter-feeders and deposit-feeders, rely on the particulate organic matter sedimented within kelp holdfasts. Only three grazers departed from this general pattern. The correspondence between the stable isotope ratios of predators and sediment consumers indicated that this source is at the base of the main pathway through which energy and matter transit in the food web. δ¹⁵N ranges found for consumers revealed that the food web associated with kelp holdfasts is composed of 3.5 levels. In spite of the low diversity of food sources at the base of the food web, these microhabitats can therefore be considered micro-scale ecosystems, from a functional perspective.     

800年来苏北废黄河三角洲的演变模式

根据历史资料、数据和相关研究,结合研究区域背景,分析苏北废黄河三角洲的演变。结果显示,岸线演变在发育阶段和侵蚀阶段分别为向海延伸约90 km和侵蚀后退约22 km,面积相差约800 km2,三角洲地貌演变表现为岸线平直-曲折-平滑-平直的过程。在废三角洲陆海相互作用的基础上,运用演化模式分析三角洲的演变过程。该三角洲演变可以分为7个演变阶段,发育期在径流和潮流作用下以沙洲并陆淤积延伸方式进行,侵蚀期在波浪和潮流作用下以沙洲合并侵蚀后退和淤积外长交替侵蚀的方式。泥沙输运、人类活动和气候变化对废三角洲的演变有重要影响,巨量的来沙是三角洲发育的原因,泥沙平衡被打破是侵蚀的主要原因。发育期中,泥沙输运影响淤积速度和位置,人类活动和气候变化影响黄河河道迁移、输沙量和产沙量;侵蚀期中,泥沙输运影响侵蚀状态,人类活动在一定程度上影响海岸带冲/淤,气候变化将影响三角洲的演变趋势。     

洋山深水港区海域秋、冬季沉积物中重金属来源分析及生态风险评价(英文)

通过测定洋山深水港区海域2010~2013年6个航次秋、冬季沉积物中重金属含量,分析其时空差异,结果表明该海域沉积物重金属总体含量较低,空间分布较为均匀,Hg、Zn、Pb、Cd含量秋季明显高于冬季,As、Cu含量的季节性波动较小,用因子分析法研究该海域重金属来源,发现陆源工业、船舶航运排污以及有机质降解是研究海域Pb、Cd、Zn的主要来源;农业污染、码头货物装卸残留及建筑垃圾支配着Cu、As、Hg的来源。SQG-Q生态风险评价表明研究海域沉积物中重金属均存在中、低度的生态风险,秋季的生态风险高于冬季,Hg和Cu是主要生态风险因子;地累积指数法评价结果显示研究海域基本不受Hg、As、Zn、Pb的污染;Cd、Cu以轻度污染为主,部分站位属于偏中度污染,6种重金属污染程度依次为:CdCuPbZnHgAs。因子综合得分评价表明,重金属污染相对严重的站位依次为5号、4号及3号站位。但总体看来洋山深水港区附近海域沉积物中重金属污染状况属于轻度污染。     

Possibility of recent changes in vertical distribution and size composition of chlorophyll-a in the western North Pacific region

Our analysis of the last three decades of retrospective data of vertical distributions and size composition of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) over the western North Pacific has revealed significant changes of three indices related to Chl-a during summer season, as follows: (1) decreasing linear trend of the proportion of Chl-a in surface layer to that of the whole water column by 0.4 and 2.3% year⁻¹ in the subtropical area along 137°E (STA₁₃₇) during 1972 to 1997 and in the Kuroshio Extension area along 175°E (KEA₁₇₅) during 1990 to 2001; (2) increasing linear trend of the depth of subsurface Chl-a maximum (DCM) by 0.4 and 2.6 m year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅; and (3) decreasing linear trend of larger-size Chl-a (>3 μm) by 0.1 and 2.5% year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅, respectively. Water density (σ _θ ) at 75 m depth had also decreased by 0.006 and 0.05 year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅, respectively. The ratio of biogenic opal to biogenic CaCO₃ in the sinking flux decreased by 0.015 year⁻¹ in the subtropical region from 1997 to 2005. These findings may indicate that the subsurface chlorophyll maximum is deepening and larger phytoplankton such as diatoms has been decreasing during the past decade, associated with the decreasing density of surface water caused by warming in the western North Pacific, especially in the summer.     

Biokarst on Limestone Coasts, Morphogenesis and Sediment Production

Abstract. Biokarst-forms on limestone coasts are developed and arranged according to the bionomic zonation. The development of biokarst is the result of bioerosion, a synergistic effect of biological corrosion by endoliths and biological abrasion by grazers.
The cumulative effect of biogenic carbonate destruction leads to coastal destruction with a resulting highly profiled morphology on the limestone surfaces along the coastal profile. Under the influence of environmental factors a zonation of organisms develops which brings in turn a zonation of erosion rates (0.1-1.1 mm a^-1) resulting in biokarst-forms such as rock holes, rock pools and notches.
Products of bioerosion on limestone coasts are dissolved carbonate (by biological corrosion, 10–30% of the decomposed limestone) and particulate carbonate (by biological abrasion, 70–90% of the decomposed limestone) both of which contribute directly or indirectly to nearshore sedimentation. Size and shape of the bioerosional grains are determined by the boring pattern of the endoliths. The fine-grained sediments (maximum within the fraction 20–63 μm) contribute 3–25 % to the nearshore sediments.
Drastic changes in the biological zonation (like the mass invasion of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in the Northern Adriatic since 1972 which eliminated nearly the entire macrophyte zone) due to unknown factors or pollution can have a profound effect on the bioerosion rates, altering them by as much as a factor of ten.     

对应分析方法在粤西水东湾动力沉积环境分析的应用

本文以粤西水东湾表层沉积物样品的粒度分布为基本数据,使用对应分析方法并结合地形与波流特征,分析了海湾动力沉积环境。分析结果表明,海湾现代沉积环境可划分为4个动力沉积区。     

Interference fringes on GLORIA side-scan sonar images from the Bering Sea and their implications

GLORIA side-scan sonographs from the Bering Sea Basin show a complex pattern of interference fringes sub-parallel to the ship's track. Surveys along the same trackline made in 1986 and 1987 show nearly identical patterns. It is concluded from this that the interference patterns are caused by features in the shallow subsurface rather than in the water column. The fringes are interpreted as a thin-layer interference effect that occurs when some of the sound reaching the seafloor passes through it and is reflected off a subsurface layer. The backscattered sound interferes (constructively or desctructively) with the reflected sound. Constructive/destructive interference occurs when the difference in the length of the two soundpaths is a whole/half multiple of GLORIA's 25 cm wavelength. Thus as range from the ship increases, sound moves in and out of phase causing bands of greater and lesser intensity on the GLORIA sonograph. Fluctuations (or wiggles) of the fringes on the GLORIA sonographs relate to changes in layer thickness. In principle, a simple three dimensional image of the subsurface layer may be obtained using GLORIA and bathymetric data from adjacent (parallel) ship's tracks. These patterns have also been identified in images from two other systems; SeaMARC II (12 kHz) long-range sonar, and TOBI (30 kHz) deep-towed sonar. In these, and other cases world-wide, the fringes do not appear with the same persistence as those seen in the Bering Sea.     

The algorithms of chlorophyll-a concentration for CMODIS

The algorithms of extracting chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) concentration have been established for Chinese moderate resolution imaging spectrometer(CMODIS) mounted on Shenzhou-3 spaceship launched on 25 March 2002.The CMODIS is an ocean color sensor with 30 visible channels and 4 infrared channels,much different from other ocean color satellites and needs new algorithms to process data.Three models of Chl-a concentration were established based on Chl-a data retrieved from sea-viewing wide field-of-view sensor(SeaWiFS),with the average relative errors of 26.6%,24%.0% and 33.5%,respectively.This practical and economic approach can be used for developing the algorithms of Chinese ocean color and temperature sensor(COCTS) on the satellite Haiyang-1 to derive the Chl-a concentration concentration distribution.The applicability of the algorithms was analyzed using some in situ measurements.Suspended sediment is the main factor influencing the accuracy of the spectral ratio algorithms of Chl-a concentration.The algorithms are suitable to using in the regions where suspended sediment concentrations(SSC) are less than 5 g/m3 under the condition of relative error of Chl-a concentration retrieval within 35%.High concentration of suspended sediment leads to the overestimate remote sensing retrieval of concentration of Chl-a,while low-middle SSCs lead to the low Chl-a concentration values using the spectral ratio algorithms.Since the accuracy of Chl-a concentration by the spectral ratio algorithms is limited to waters of Case 2,it is necessary to develop semi-analytical models to improve the performance of satellite ocean color remote sensing in turbid coastal waters.     

腾格里沙漠西北缘湖泊沉积记录的全新世中期气候环境

通过腾格里沙漠西北缘青土湖沉积物粒度、有机碳、碳酸盐、碳氮比和有机质稳定同位素等多项沉积学气候代用指标及精确定年的综合分析,建立了该区域全新世中期9.0~3.0 cal.kaBP的古气候演化序列。结果表明,9~7.8 cal.kaBP期间,区域的水分条件和温度逐渐上升,植被状况好转,此阶段属于全新世早期向全新世暖湿期转变的过程;而在7.8~7.5 cal.kaBP期间出现了显著的百年尺度的干旱事件,沉积物主要以砂质沉积为主,此时湖泊生产力显著下降;全新世期间最为暖湿的气候适宜期出现在7.5~5.0 cal.kaBP;5.0 cal.kaBP以来,该区域出现了较为明显的干旱化趋势。     

鸭绿江洪季的河口最大混浊带

对 1 994年 8月在鸭绿江河口的水文和悬浮泥沙的观测资料进行分析。结果表明 ,在洪季鸭绿江河口的最大混浊带 ,出现在第一个河口锋面内侧。它的核心处盐度小于 1 ,从上游带入河口的细颗粒泥沙多数被河口第一锋面截留 ,还有一部分上游来沙穿过该锋面 ,聚集在河口第一和第二锋面之间。垂向密度环流作用和絮凝作用在鸭绿江洪季最大混浊带的维持过程中起着主导作用