Microhabitat preferences and depth distribution of combtooth blennies (Blenniidae) in the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea)

The microhabitat preferences and depth distribution of blenniid species (Blenniidae) in the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea) were surveyed using the all‐occurrence sampling method, a non‐destructive visual census method, aided by SCUBA diving. Fourteen species were identified during the entire survey. Four species showed to be indiscriminate in their microhabitat choice while 10 species were classified as infrequent in the surveyed coastal area. A statistically significant correlation was found between the blenniid assemblage and nine microhabitat variables. The blenniid assemblage was divided in two main groups, by the use of canonical correspondence analysis, electivity index, and the depth distribution analysis. The first group comprises species that dwell in surface waters and show a high positive correlation with boulders, the presence of Mytilus galloprovincialis, cirripeds and empty holes bored by Lithophaga lithophaga. The second group includes species that mostly inhabit deeper waters and show a high positive correlation with rocks covered by precoralligenous bioformations.     

Variability in oceanographic and ecological processes in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

This paper brings together unpublished historical data sets and published literature to review the role of climatic, oceanographic and ecological processes in the marine ecosystem of the eastern Canadian Archipelago. Physical data include characteristics of the water masses, circulation patterns, sea ice conditions, and climatic records from 1950s onward. Biological data include unpublished data sets on nutrients, primary and secondary production, and sedimentation, which were collected during the 1980–1990s in the eastern Canadian Archipelago. These results show high year-to-year variability in nutrient inventories and ratios, the magnitude of the ice algae and phytoplankton bloom, the timing of ice algae sedimentation in the spring, and the composition of the zooplankton community. The significance of this high interannual variability and its effect on pelagic–benthic coupling processes is discussed in the context of climatic and oceanographic forcing, with emphasis on recent (past decade) Arctic changes. An estimate of total primary production in the Archipelago is also presented, along with published production estimates for other Arctic shelves, showing that the Archipelago may support up to 32% of the total primary production of Arctic shelves. The high year-to-year variability in production and carbon transfer pathways (e.g. pelagic versus benthic) in the Archipelago suggest that the system might be resilient to the increased variability in climatic conditions occurring in the past decade. However, this increased variability combined with directional change in climatic and oceanographic conditions might also modify the existing balance of ecological processes. For example, shifts in the timing of events appear to have already occurred in the past decade, with potential cascading effects throughout the ecosystem.     

The dynamics of the carbon cycle in the surface water of the Norwegian Sea

Historical data of total dissolved inorganic carbon (C_T), together with nitrate and phosphate, have been used to model the evolution of these constituents over the year in the Atlantic water of the Norwegian Sea. Changes in nutrient concentration in the upper layer of the ocean are largely related to biological activity, but vertical mixing with the underlying water will also have an impact. A mixing factor is estimated and used to compute the entrainment of these constituents into the surface water from below. After taking the mixing contribution into account, the resulting nutrient concentration changes are attributed to biological production or decay. The results of the model show that the change in C_T by vertical mixing and by biological activity based on nutrient equivalents needs another sink to balance the carbon budget. It cannot be the atmosphere as the surface water is undersaturated with respect to carbon dioxide and is, thus, a source of C_T in this region. Inasmuch as the peak deficit of carbon is more than a month later than for the nutrients, the most plausible explanation is that other nitrogen and phosphate sources than the inorganic salts are used together with dissolved inorganic carbon during this period. As nitrate and phosphate show a similar trend, it is unlikely that the explanation is the use of ammonia or nitrogen fixation but rather dissolved organic nitrogen and phosphate, while dissolved organic carbon is accumulating in the water.     

Cross-Calibration and Long-Term Monitoring of the Microwave Radiometers of ERS, TOPEX, GFO, Jason, and Envisat

The radiometers on board the satellites ERS-1, TOPEX/Poseidon, ERS-2, GFO, Jason-1, and Envisat measure brightness temperatures at two or three different frequencies to determine the total columnal water vapor content and wet tropospheric path delay, a major correction to the altimeter range measurements. In order to asses the long-term stability of the path delay, the radiometers are calibrated against vicarious cold and hot references, against each other, and against several atmospheric models. Four of these radiometers exhibit significant drifts in at least one of the channels, resulting in yet unmodeled errors in path delay of up to 1 mm/year, thus limiting the accuracy at which global sea level rise can be inferred from the altimeter range measurements.     

晚中生代─新生代南海周缘地块运动与南海演化

报道了由华南几个盆地的古地磁数据综合而得的反映该区白垩纪以来古纬度变化曲线，结合Ｓｃｈｍｉｄｔｋｅ等（１９９０）发表的加里曼丹１５０Ｍａ以来的古地磁数据，表明华南与加里曼丹在４０Ｍａ前具有大致相同的古纬度变化史，差异仅出现在距今３０Ｍａ前后和１０Ｍａ以来。若此趋势可靠，则可作出下列推断：（１）南海的扩张只能发生在距今３０Ｍａ附近或１０Ｍａ以后华南与加里曼丹反向运动时期；距今３０Ｍａ的扩张已被广为接受；（２）华南与加里曼丹之向可能存在的古南海只能在９１Ｍａ之前存在；（３）南海演化可能存在两期扩张。南海的拟合可通过沿３５００ｍ等深线的先道时针旋转、后北向平移两个步骤完成。这与Ｈａｙａｓｈｉｄａ等（１９９１）提出的日本海张开与扩张模式很相似，提示东亚边缘海的形成和演化可能具有同样的机制。华南距今５０Ｍａ以来的古纬度变化与Ｔａｐｐｏｎｎｉｅｒ（１９８２）的传播挤出构造模式所预期的基本吻合，表明距今５０Ｍａ以来华南古纬度变化的运动学机制可用Ｔａｐｐｏｎｎｉｅｒ模式作解释。     

南海南部约30 ka来沉积有机质的生物输入特征

对位于南沙海区的1962柱状样中的有机质进行了热解色谱分析，估算了沉积有机质中水生生物输入和陆源生物输入的变化情况，得出了两种输入的高分辨率的堆积速率曲线，并依此探讨了有关的古海洋事件。发现Younger Dryas、Heinrich及Bond周期事件在本海区皆有表现，说明“西太平洋暖池”在末次冰期是不稳定的。