Effects of low tide rainfall on the erodibility of intertidal cohesive sediments

Low tide rainfall may represent an important but little studied process affecting sediment fluxes on intertidal mudflats. In this study, we simulated rainfall events on an intertidal mudflat (median grain size=18.4 μm) of low slope (1 in 300) then quantified effects on sediment erodibility. Treatments consisted of a high (4.1 mm min⁻¹ for 6 min) and low (0.36 mm min⁻¹ for 60 min) rain intensity, chosen to match naturally occurring events and experiments were conducted seasonally (May and August) to encompass variations in ambient sediment stability. Changes in bed elevation due to rainfall were estimated using marked rods and sediment erodibility parameters (mass of sediment eroded at a flow velocity of 0.3 m s⁻¹ (ME-30, g m⁻²) and critical erosion velocity (U_crit, m s⁻¹)) were determined in annular flumes (bed area=0.17 m²). Ambient/control sediment erodibility in May (ME-30=211 g m⁻², U_crit=0.18 m s⁻¹) was higher than in August (ME-30=30 g m⁻², U_crit=0.26 m s⁻¹) and was correlated with changes in biological activity. In May, surface sediment was influenced by high densities of the bioturbating snail Hydrobia ulvae (1736 ind. m⁻²) and low biomass of the sediment stabilising microphytobenthos (5.7 μg chlorophyll a cm⁻²). In contrast, in August H. ulvae densities were low (52 ind. m⁻²) and microphytobenthic biomass higher (9.2 μg chlorophyll a cm⁻²). The high rain treatment caused a decrease in bed elevation of between 1.5 mm (May) and 4.4 mm (August) and significantly reduced sediment organic content and microphytobenthic biomass. Rainfall increased sediment erodibility; compared to ambient sediments ME-30 increased by a factor of 1.4× in May and 8.8× in August and caused a 10–30% decline in U_crit. The seasonal difference in treatment effect was due to the change in ambient sediment stability. The low rain treatment in August had no effect on bed elevation, microphytobenthic biomass or sediment erodibility. In May, the same treatment caused a reduction in bed elevation (0.5 mm) and microphytobenthic biomass but counter-intuitively, a decrease in sediment erodibility (ME-30 was reduced by 40%, U_crit increased by 5%) compared to controls. We attribute this result to removal by rainfall of easily eroded surface flocs and biogenic roughness which resulted in an underlying sediment with a smoother surface and greater resistant to erosion. Results suggest that high intensity rain events may destabilise intertidal sediments making them more susceptible to erosion by returning tidal currents and that the sediment eroded during such events may represent a considerable fraction (up to 25%) of the seasonal variation in shore elevation. The impact of natural rain events are likely to vary considerably due to variations in droplet size, intensity and duration and the interaction with ambient sediment stability.     

Dynamic Simulation of Pelagic Longline Retrieval

To improve fishing gear efficiency, it is important to understand the interactions among sea current, fishing vessel, line hauler, and catches during pelagic longline gear retrieval. In this study, fishing gear configuration parameters, operational parameters, and 3 D ocean current data were collected from Indian Ocean. Dynamic models of pelagic longline gear retrieval were built using the lumped mass method and solved using the Euler-Trapezoidal method. From the results, the pulling force of line hauler exerted on the gear was 2800–3600 N. There were no significant differences(P > 0.05) between the time of the hook retrieval measured at sea and that obtained from the simulation. The absolute values of the movement velocity at representative nodes along the X, Y, and Z axes were 0.01–25.5 m s^-1. These results suggest that the dynamic model of longline fishing gear retrieval can be used to analyze the interactions among sea current, fishing vessel, line hauler, longline gear, and catches, and to acquire the basic data for optimizing the design of the line hauler. Moreover, the model can serve as a reference to study the hydrodynamic performance of other fishing gears during the hauling process.     

汉江中下游梯级枢纽联合生态调度对产漂流性卵鱼类自然繁殖的效应研究

为促进汉江中下游鱼类繁殖,2018年6月汉江中下游首次实施梯级联合生态调度试验.该研究在汉江中下游钟祥、沙洋、泽口、仙桃江段设置监测断面,采集鱼类早期资源,并在兴隆枢纽泄洪闸上、下开展鱼类溯流集群情况监测,以分析生态调度对促进汉江中下游鱼类繁殖的效果.监测结果表明汉江中下游鱼卵种类共有26种(属),其中产漂流性卵鱼类22种.监测期间漂流性卵径流量为143411万粒,其中四大家鱼卵径流量为4887万粒,占3.41%,推测汉江中下游有6处成规模的产漂流性卵鱼类产卵场.生态调度期间,坝下鱼类溯流集群随兴隆枢纽调度过程发生变化,钟祥和仙桃江段均出现两次鱼类产卵高峰,鱼卵径流量占总径流量的61.66%,并监测到四大家鱼卵,表明梯级联合生态调度结合区间来水,对汉江下游鱼类,特别是四大家鱼的繁殖具有积极的作用.     

东海浮游介形类(Ostracods)分布特征

根据1997~2000年东海(23°30'~33°00'N,118°30'~128°00'E)海域四季海洋调查资料,探讨了东海浮游介形类分布特征及与环境的关系.结果表明:东海浮游介形类丰度占浮游动物总丰度的3.47%;春、夏、秋和冬四季平均丰度分别为0.70,1.72,2.57和0.90个/m3;冬春季的短棒真浮萤(Euconchoecia chierchiae),夏季的后圆真浮萤(Euconchoecia maimai)和秋季的齿形海萤(Cypridi-na dentata)分别是各季的主要优势种;夏、秋季介形类总丰度与水文环境因子的线性相关性不显著,春季与表层盐度相关,冬季与表层温度相关.东海北部外海四季均有介形类高丰度区出现,但在东海北部近海长江口及其邻近舟山水域,介形类数量相对较低.在东海南部,冬春季高丰度区位于外海,夏秋季在近海.东海浮游介形类基本上是一大类较为典型的暖水性且具有集群行为的海洋浮游动物.介形类秋季高丰度区和较高丰度区的分布与太平洋褶柔鱼(Todarodes pacificus)、绿鳍马面鲀(Navodon Septentrionalis)、鲐鯵鱼类等渔场的位置基本一致,在渔业上有重要的意义.     

东北印度洋深海记录基本特征及其对青藏高原隆升的响应

本文在综合东北印度洋域5支深海钻芯和7支活塞柱状芯资料的基础上,对该区沉积作用及其形成的记录与北部山脉和高原隆升的关系进行讨论.过去有关深海记录对造山带构造活动响应的研究多集中于孟加拉浊积扇,而90°E海岭的远洋沉积记录通过海气相互作用系统作为中介,可能包含响应隆升的重大环境信号.初步研究表明,远洋记录中的碳酸盐含量、有孔虫的形态结构和若干微量元素特征的剧变期与已知的高原构造阶段存在密切的对应关系,其中,距今8Ma、3.7Ma、0.8Ma和0.16Ma所反映的变化尤为突出.     

Sedimentation, fracturing and sliding on a pelagic plateau margin: the Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous succession of Rocca Busambra (Western Sicily, Italy)

The Jurassic succession of Rocca Busambra consists of two lithostratigraphic units: a pile of peritidal limestones several hundreds of metres thick (Inici Formation: Hettangian to Sinemurian) and a 2 to 15 m thick sequence of Rosso Ammonitico‐type pelagic limestones (Toarcian? to lowermost Berriasian). An extensive interval of non‐deposition is evidenced by a thick Fe–Mn oxide crust on the bounding disconformity and is recorded partially in the material contained within a complex network of neptunian dykes and sills. Seven lithofacies are distinguished in the Rosso Ammonitico. These lithofacies show that the Rosso Ammonitico limestones differ from most analogues both in Sicily and elsewhere: sediments are mostly grain‐supported and non‐nodular; obviously bottom currents were important during deposition of these sediments. These currents were pulsating at different frequencies and induced winnowing, intraclast production and early cement precipitation. Other Rosso Ammonitico lithosomes of Late Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous age, usually decimetre thick and discontinuous, overlie the Inici Formation without any Fe–Mn crust; their anomalous stratigraphical and geometrical relationships show that they were deposited on an inclined, stepped, erosional surface incised in the sub‐horizontal Inici Formation. This ancient escarpment is interpreted as the result of a mainly gravitational collapse of the margin of a pelagic plateau. Such mass wasting was probably due to the backstepping of the tectonic plateau–basin margin that is not observable directly, but may be inferred from circumstantial evidence. This observation clearly shows that tectonic activity affected the Rocca Busambra sector of the West Tethys continental margins a few tens of millions of years after the end of the rifting stage. The anomalous Rosso Ammonitico sediments are the only indication of the escarpment and their occurrence in the stratigraphic record is probably more widespread than reported in the literature. More accurate palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographic reconstructions may depend on the identification of these sediments.     

Economic characteristics and management challenges of the Hawaii pelagic longline fisheries: Will a catch share program help?

To date, none of the fisheries in the U.S. Pacific Islands Region is managed under a catch share program. In light of the NOAA policy to encourage the use of catch shares as a fishery management tool, the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (WPFMC) listed six commercial fisheries, including the Hawaii pelagic longline fishery, the largest in the region, as potential candidates for catch share programs. This study examines the baseline economic characteristics and the main challenges facing the Hawaii pelagic longline fishery and evaluates the impact of these on the desirability and feasibility of a catch share program for this particular fishery.     

Spatial polychaeta habitat potential mapping using probabilistic models

The purpose of this study was to apply probabilistic models to the mapping of the potential polychaeta habitat area in the Hwangdo tidal flat, Korea. Remote sensing techniques were used to construct spatial datasets of ecological environments and field observations were carried out to determine the distribution of macrobenthos. Habitat potential mapping was achieved for two polychaeta species, Prionospio japonica and Prionospio pulchra, and eight control factors relating to the tidal macrobenthos distribution were selected. These included the intertidal digital elevation model (DEM), slope, aspect, tidal exposure duration, distance from tidal channels, tidal channel density, spectral reflectance of the near infrared (NIR) bands and surface sedimentary facies from satellite imagery. The spatial relationships between the polychaeta species and each control factor were calculated using a frequency ratio and weights-of-evidence combined with geographic information system (GIS) data. The species were randomly divided into a training set (70%) to analyze habitat potential using frequency ratio and weights-of-evidence, and a test set (30%) to verify the predicted habitat potential map. The relationships were overlaid to produce a habitat potential map with a polychaeta habitat potential (PHP) index value. These maps were verified by comparing them to surveyed habitat locations such as the verification data set. For the verification results, the frequency ratio model showed prediction accuracies of 77.71% and 74.87% for P. japonica and P. pulchra, respectively, while those for the weights-of-evidence model were 64.05% and 62.95%. Thus, the frequency ratio model provided a more accurate prediction than the weights-of-evidence model. Our data demonstrate that the frequency ratio and weights-of-evidence models based upon GIS analysis are effective for generating habitat potential maps of polychaeta species in a tidal flat. The results of this study can be applied towards conservation and management initiatives for the macrofauna of tidal flats.     

波纹巴非蛤胚胎与浮游幼虫的形态发育和生长特性

摘要：在人工繁育条件下,在显微镜下对波纹巴非蛤胚胎与浮游幼虫的形态进行活体观察和拍摄,并用内置目微尺进行壳长和壳高的测量．首次报道了波纹巴非蛤胚胎与浮游幼虫的形态发育和生长特点,利用图版和文字描述了波纹巴非蛤早期生活史的形态并对其发育生长特点进行初步探讨．波纹巴非蛤的早期形态体现了浅海性种类的特点,“D”形幼虫期的壳长为90．37±1．53I,zm,壳高为71．86±1．09μm;壳顶后期壳长为130．17±1,83μm,壳高为110．24±1．39μm,与其他帘蛤科种类相比明显较小．