Diet of albacore Thunnus alalunga from the waters of Mauritius (western Indian Ocean) inferred from stomach contents and fatty acid analysis

The diet of albacore Thunnus alalunga from their spawning ground in the waters of Mauritius was investigated. The stomach contents of 249 albacore individuals, caught by industrial longliners and artisanal fishers, was analysed, and the dominant prey taxa were selected for lipid and fatty acid (FA) analysis. The FA profiles of prey were compared with those of liver tissue of spawning-capable and post-spawning female albacore, using multivariate analysis. Whereas stomach content analysis identified cephalopods and crustaceans as the dominant prey items in number, FA-profile analysis identified crustaceans and fishes as the most-frequently consumed prey of post-spawning female albacore. In contrast, the FA profiles of spawning-capable albacore and those of prey showed very low similarity. Analysis of the prey suggests that although cephalopods, crustaceans and fishes could all provide albacore with the required lipids and FAs, cephalopod prey seem to be less desirable owing to their lower energy content (i.e. low in total lipid, triacylglycerol, 16:0, 18:0 and 18:1ω9). Instead, the most beneficial food appeared to be locally available fishes, which are more energy-rich and have a higher docosahexaenoic acid/ eicosapentaenoic acid ratio. These results provide new information on the trophic ecology of albacore, promote our understanding of the importance of prey type for successful reproduction of albacore, and highlight the advantages of FA profiling to study diet.     

Artificial Upwelling of Deep Seawater Using the Perpetual Salt Fountain for Cultivation of Ocean Desert

Deep seawater in the ocean contains a great deal of nutrients. Stommel et al. have proposed the notion of a “perpetual salt fountain” (Stommel et al., 1956). They noted the possibility of a permanent upwelling of deep seawater with no additional external energy source. If we can cause deep seawater to upwell extensively, we can achieve an ocean farm. We have succeeded in measuring the upwelling velocity by an experiment in the Mariana Trench area using a special measurement system. A 0.3 m diameter, 280 m long soft pipe made of PVC sheet was used in the experiment. The measured data, a verification experiment, and numerical simulation results, gave an estimate of upwelling velocity of 212 m/day. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

比较原理在多有理数时滞区间系数离散系统的应用

应用多组有理数时滞离散系统的比较原理和频域法,将多组有理数时滞区间系数离散系统化为多组有理数时滞定常离散系统,以判定其时滞无关稳定性,并举例说明了新定理的有效性和实用性。     

河口潮位在频域内的一种插补模型

若把河口潮位时间序列简单地看为单输入和输出线性系统模型的输入输出信号，借助频谱分析可以将它们在频域内的关系建立起来，用来进行潮位序列的插补，带通滤波技术的应用可使模型的计算精度大大提高     

Second-order resonance of sloshing in a tank

Sloshing in a two-dimensional rectangular tank in horizontal motion is analysed based on the velocity potential theory. It is found that even when the first-order excitation is away from all the natural frequencies of the tank, second-order resonance can still occur when the sum-frequency or the difference-frequency is equal to one of the natural frequencies corresponding to the even mode. However, such resonance is not excited when the sum or difference frequency is equal to the natural frequency of an odd mode.     

Validation of Jason and Envisat Altimeter Dual Frequency Rain Flags

New rain flags based on the dual frequency capabilities of the new Jason Poseidon-2 and Envisat RA2 altimeters have been tested, developed and adopted for the operational processing of the altimeter data. Their validation conducted during the calibration/validation phases of the satellites is presented here. The Jason flag is validated by comparison with the TOPEX one, using the Tandem mission. The results show a very good agreement between the two sensors and the two rain flags The Envisat flag is validated by comparison with both Jason and TOPEX using global and collocated data sets. The results show similar performances for the three sensors. The f relations estimated during the calibration-validation period and presented here have been given to the altimeter ground processing facilities for operational use.