Annual Cycle of Zooplankton Biomass, Abundance and Species Composition in the Neritic Area of the Balearic Sea, Western Mediterranean

Abstract. Seasonal changes in zooplankton biomass, abundance and species composition were studied at a neritic station in the Balearic Sea between April 1993 and May 1994. Sampling was carried out every 10 days in a zone influenced by the main current circulating through the Mallorca channel. Three main peaks of zooplankton biomass and abundance were observed: (1) at the beginning of summer when the thermocline developed, (2) in autumn when the thermocline broke down, and (3) in early spring. The smaller zooplankton fraction (100–250 μm) comprised on average 32 % of the total biomass and 73 % of total abundance. Copepods were the predominant group (64 % of the total abundance) with Clausocalanus, Oithona and Paracalanus being the most abundant genera. Paracalanus parvus, Clausocalanus furcatus, Acartia clausi, Oithona plumifera, Temora stylifera, Centropages typicus and Oncaea mediterranea were found to be the most important species in the area. Other abundant groups were cladocerans (15 %) and meroplankton larvae (12 %), both of which were particularly numerous during the stratified period. The copepod community was characterized by the above‐cited perennial species, which were abundant during the cycle studied. However, the influence of the hydrological conditions of the Balearic Sea, such as the Atlantic water influx and the physical structure of the water column (stratification and mixing), promoted the observed variability in zooplankton as well as the appearance of characteristic species during the annual cycle.     

The Reproductive Cycle of Ophioderma brevispinum (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea)

Abstract. .The reproductive cycle of the brittlestar Ophioderma brevispinum is described using histological and organ index data for a population in Massachusetts, U.S.A. The cycle consists of a one month mid-summer spawning phase followed by gametogenesis and gradual gonadal growth during the winter, and greatly accelerated gonadal growth from May to June. At the end of the spawning season, oogonia proliferate near the base of the ovary, and a continuous layer of spermatogonia lines the testis. As oocytes grow to a maximum diameter of 350 um, yolk granules accumulate and the cytoplasm becomes less basophilic. Prior to spawning, the testis becomes branched and sulcate, and a whorl of spermatozoa produced by columns of spermatids accumulates in the lumen. Comparisons between the reproductive cycles of different populations of O. brevispinum and its congeners support the hypothesis that temperature may be a critical exogenous factor, but definitely not the only factor, in the initiation and duration of the growth and spawning phases of the ophiuroid reproductive cycle.     

Locomotor activity rhythm in the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica elvers

Under artificial LD cycles(6,12,18 L),the elvers of Japanese eel,Anguilla japonica,showed a 24 h cycle of locomotor activity rhythm being most active at light transitions:the eels' activity rose to a primary peak after lights-off,followed by a quiescent period during which they buried into the shelters or lying motionlessly on sand for most of the time,and then reached a secondary peak before lights-on.Elvers could resynchronize their activity rhythm with a new photo cycle within 4 d.Moreover,their activity level at dark phase significantly increased as the light period was prolonged:higher activity levels during shorter dark period.However,the elvers did not display clearly the existence of a circadian rhythm under constant light or dark conditions.The timing of daily activity rhythm evidenced in the Japanese eels may occur through the action of the LD cycles with a weak participation of an endogenous circadian system.In all the LD cycles,over 99% of the activity occurred in the dark phase,indicating that the eels were always nocturnally active no matter what time of day it might be.Under 12 L conditions,the eels' activity level and the time outside sand were significantly elevated both at light and dark phases as temperature increased from 10~15 to 20~25 ℃.The activity rhythm pattern(i.e.,two peaks occurring around light transitions) did not apparently change among temperatures.However,in contrast with the primary activity peaks immediately after lights-off at 20 and 25 ℃,the timing of the primary peaks at 10 and 15 ℃ showed a latency of a few hours following lights-off,indicating the inhibiting effect of low temperature on the eels' activity.     

Damage Detection Methods for Offshore Platforms Based on Wavelet Packet Transform

1 .IntroductionInthe whole service period of the platforms ,some damage is unavoidable due to the corrosion,impact ,fatigue and so on.The damage whould cause the structures’ultimate capacity and safety de-crease .Presently,it is generally acceptedthat the detection of damage involes considerable statisticaluncertainties,thus lot of efforts is made for the damage probalility model ,for example Song and Lu(1996) usedthefuzzy-settheoryto estimatethe humanerrorsthroughthe definitionof inspection…     

Reproductive Cycle of the Caribbean Feather Star Nemaster rubiginosa (Echinodermata: Crinoidea)

Abstract. The reproductive cycle of the comatulid crinoid Nemaster rubiginosa from Discovery Bay, Jamaica is described histologically. The cycle is annual and may be divided into (1) a "resting" phase (summer) in which most adults possess immature, unsexable gonads, (2) a recovery phase (early fall) marked by the re-initiation of gametogenesis and rapid gonadal growth, (3) a breeding phase (late fall and winter) during which the gonads are mature and repeated spawning likely takes place, and (4) a post-spawning phase (spring) during which relict gametes are removed from the shrinking gonads. Although unsexable individuals predominate during the "resting" phase, a small proportion of the adult population is unsexable at all times of the year. The reproductive condition of animals in the same month in two successive years was very similar, suggesting that the timing of reproduction is quite predictable from year to year. The re-initiation of gametogenesis in the early fall is correlated with both rising sea temperature and shortening daylength, and the October to March breeding season corresponds to the period of short daylengths at the study site. The well-defined and synchronized annual reproductive cycle of Nemaster rubiginosa contrasts with the more prolonged and variable reproductive cycles reported for other tropical crinoids and points to a diversity of breeding patterns among tropical crinoids.     

海底天然气水合物地球化学探测技术

海底天然气水合物是未来的新型能源，地球化学探测与分析技术在天然气水合物勘探、研究和开发中发挥巨大作用。简要介绍了天然气水合物地球化学探测方法及相关的分析测试技术，包括海底沉积物、海水、海面低层大气中烃类气体(主要为甲烷)、孔隙水中阴阳离子和同位素地球化学异常等。并对发展天然气水舍物地球化学探测与分析新技术提出建议。     

海洋天然气水合物的地震识别方法研究

天然气水合物作为21世纪新的自然能源将为人类的生存发展服务。20世纪60年代证实，俄罗斯西伯利亚的麦索亚哈气田为典型的天然气水合物形成的气田，70年代又在海底发现了固体天然气水合物岩样。1971年，RStoll首先将地震剖面中的似海底反向层解释为海洋天然气水合物存在的标志，后来被深海钻探证实，从此地震方法成为大面积研究天然气水合物的重要手段。天然气水合物既是潜在能源，也是影响环境和形成灾害的因素之一，因此，研究天然气水合物是人类在21世纪的重要课题。探讨海洋天然气水合物的地震识别方法，由于这项工作刚刚起步，还没有做出具体的成果，在此只能根据我们仅有的工作和参照国外分开的出版物，以及出国访问得到的有关资料进行分析，提出我们的一些基本设想，与各位专家探讨。     

欧氏六线鱼Hexagrammos otakii Jordan & Starks性腺发育的周年变化研究

根据对青岛附近水域欧氏六线鱼（已达性成熟年龄）性腺周年宏观和组织学观察，性腺发育可分为：①重复发育Ⅱ期；②开始成熟期；③接近成熟期；④临产期或产卵期；⑤产后期。按性腺指数变化并结合性腺组织切片确定，欧氏六线鱼性腺发育在青岛海区一年一个周期，繁殖期在１０月下旬至１２月，繁殖盛期是１１月下旬至１２月中旬。     

Deep ocean fluxes and their link to surface ocean processes and the biological pump

Intense studies of upper and deep ocean processes were carried out in the Northwestern Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea) within the framework of JGOFS and related projects in order to improve our understanding of the marine carbon cycle and the ocean’s role as a reservoir for atmospheric CO₂. The results show a pronounced monsoon-driven seasonality with enhanced organic carbon fluxes into the deep-sea during the SW Monsoon and during the early and late NE Monsoon north of 10°N. The productivity is mainly regulated by inputs of nutrients from subsurface waters into the euphotic zone via upwelling and mixed layer-deepening. Deep mixing introduces light limitation by carrying photoautotrophic organisms below the euphotic zone during the peak of the NE Monsoon. Nevertheless, deep mixing and strong upwelling during the SW Monsoon provide an ecological advantage for diatoms over other photoautotrophic organisms by increasing the silica concentrations in the euphotic zone. When silica concentrations fall below 2 μmol l⁻¹, diatoms lose their dominance in the plankton community. During diatom-dominated blooms, the biological pathway of uptake of CO₂ (the biological pump) appears to be more efficient than during blooms of other organisms, as indicated by organic carbon to carbonate carbon (rain) ratios. Due to the seasonal alternation of diatom and non-diatom dominated exports, spatial variations of the annual mean rain ratios are hardly discernible along the main JGOFS transect.Data-based estimates of the annual mean impact of the biological pump on the fCO₂ in the surface water suggest that the biological pump reduces the increase of fCO₂ in the surface water caused by intrusion of CO₂-enriched subsurface water by 50–70%. The remaining 30 to 50% are attributed to CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. Rain ratios up to 60% higher in river-influenced areas off Pakistan and in the Bay of Bengal than in the open Arabian Sea imply that riverine silica inputs can further enhance the impact of the biological pump on the fCO₂ in the surface water by supporting diatom blooms. Consequently, it is assumed that reduced river discharges caused by the damming of major rivers increase CO₂ emission by lowering silica inputs to the Arabian Sea; this mechanism probably operates in other regions of the world ocean also.