A software tool for monitoring legal minimum length of landings: Case study of a fishery in southern Spain

The regulation of minimum legal size (MLS) of catches is a tool widely applied in the management of fisheries resources, although the MLS does not always coincide with the length at first maturity (LFM). The optimization of this management tool requires a series of quality control in fish markets and transportation. A software application has been developed to make the control of the landings of several target species easier and faster. In order to test and make this tool operational, six species of commercial interest were selected: four species of fish and two species of bivalves. It is proposed to estimate the proportion of illegal specimens in the studied lot from the proportion of illegal individuals found in the samples taken from this lot. The input data for the application are the minimum legal size (MLS) of the species and the total length (TL) of each specimen sampled. The output data is a statistical summary of the percentage of specimens of size less than the legal minimum (TL≤MLS) within different confidence intervals (90%, 95% and 99%). The software developed will serve as a fast, efficient and easy to manage tool that allows inspectors to determine the degree of compliance on MLS control and to make a decision supported by statistical proof on fishing goods.     

Grazing suppression of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) accumulation in iron-fertilised, sub-Antarctic waters

The impact of in situ iron fertilisation on the production of particulate dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSPp) and its breakdown product dimethyl sulphide (DMS) was monitored during the SOLAS air-sea gas exchange experiment (SAGE). The experiment was conducted in the high nitrate, low chlorophyll (HNLC) waters of the sub-Antarctic Southern Ocean (46.7°S 172.5°E) to the south-east of New Zealand, during March-April, 2004. In addition to monitoring net changes in the standing stocks of DMSPp and DMS, a series of dilution experiments were used to determine the DMSPp production and consumption rates in relation to increased iron availability. In contrast to previous experiments in the Southern Ocean, DMS concentrations decreased over the course of the 15-d iron-fertilisation experiment, from an integrated volume-specific concentration in the mixed layer on day 0 of 0.78 nM (measured values 0.65-0.91 nM) to 0.46 nM (measured values 0.42-0.47 nM) by day 15, in parallel with the surrounding waters. DMSPp, chlorophyll a and the abundance of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes exhibited indiscernible or only moderate increases in response to the raised iron availability, despite an obvious physiological response by the phytoplankton. High specific growth rates of DMSPp, equivalent to 0.8-1.2 doublings d⁻¹, occurred at the simulated 60% light level of the dilution experiments. Despite the high production rates, DMSPp accumulation was suppressed in part by microzooplankton grazers who consumed between 61% d⁻¹ and 126% d⁻¹ of the DMSPp production. Temporal trends in the rates of production and consumption illustrated a close coupling between the DMSP-producing phytoplankton and their microzooplankton grazers. Similar grazing and production rates were observed for the eukaryotic picophytoplankton that dominated the phytoplankton biomass, partial evidence that picoeukaryotes contributed a substantial proportion of the DMSP synthesis. These rates for DMSPp and picoeukaryotes were considerably higher than for chlorophyll a, indicating higher cycling rates of the DMSP-producing taxa than for the bulk phytoplankton community. When compared to the total phytoplankton community, there was no evidence of selection against the DMSP-containing phytoplankton by the microzooplankton grazers; the opposite appeared to be the case. SAGE demonstrated that increased iron availability in the HNLC waters of the Southern Ocean does not invariably lead to enhanced DMS sea-air flux. The potential suppression of DMSPp accumulation by grazers needs to be taken into account in future attempts to elevate DMS emission through in situ iron fertilisation and in understanding the hypothesised link between levels of Aeolian iron deposition in the Southern Ocean, DMS emission and global albedo.     

Effects of sand grain size and morphological traits on running speed of toad-headed lizard Phrynocephalus frontalis

We conducted a manipulative experiment to investigate the influential factors of locomotor ability in steppe toad-headed lizards. By using a video-base method, we measured running speed of the lizards when they run on sands of different grain sizes. We also considered body condition, tail length and sex as fixed factors to analyze their effects on running speed of the lizard. Results showed that running speed of the lizard significantly differed among different trials of sand grain size. Specifically, the peak and the nadir values of the running speed were found on sands of 0.5-1 mm and 0.075-0.25 mm grains, respectively. When lizards ran on sands of different grain size their running speed changed significantly. Body condition and tail length also had significant effects on running speed. The findings indicated that locomotor ability of lizards depended on both body condition and the external environment. We hypothesized that sand grain size is one of the factors that influence the habitat selection in steppe toad-headed lizards. Moreover, this lizard may be used as an indicator of the development of sand dunes.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviews in are this Article Northern Waters . Clive Archer and David Scivener , EDS. Principles of Geographical Information Systems for Land Resources Assessment . P. A. Burrough . The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book. Environment Canada , United States Environmental Protection Agency , Brock University , AND Northwestern University . Uneven Development in Southern Europe: Studies of Accumulation, Class, Migration and the State. Rays Hudson AND Jim Lewis , EDS. Hazards: Technology and Fairness. Robert W. Kates and Alvin M. Weinberg . The Price of War. Urbanization in Vietnam 1954–85. Nigel Thrift and Dean Forbes . Population Structures and Models: Developments in Spatial Demography. Robert Woods and Philip Rees , EDS. Evaluating Earthquake Hazards in the Los Angeles Region-An Earth-Science Perspective. J. I. Ziony , ed .     

Spatial distributions and interannual variations of snow cover over China in the last 40 years

By using the observational snow data of more than 700 weather stations,the interannual temporal and spatial characteristics of seasonal snow cover in China were analyzed.The results show that northern Xinjiang,northeastern China-Inner Mongolia,and the southwestern and southern portions of Tibetan Plateau are three regions in China with high seasonal snow cover and also an interannual anomaly of snow cover.According to the trend of both the snow depth and snow cover days,there are three changing patterns for the seasonal snow cover:The first type is that both snow depth and snow cover days simultaneously increase or decrease;this includes northern Xinjiang,middle and eastern Inner Mongolia,and so on.The second is that snow depth increases but snow cover days decrease;this type mainly locates in the eastern parts of the northeastern plain of China and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.The last type is that snow depth decreases but snow cover days increase at the same time such as that in middle parts of Tibetan Plateau.Snow cover in China appears to have been having a slow increasing trend during the last 40 years.On the decadal scale,snow depth and snow cover days slightly increased in the 1960s and then decreased in the 1970s;they again turn to increasing in the 1980s and persist into 1990s.     

秦岭黄淮平原交界带自然地理特征

The features of physical geography in the transitional region between Qinling Mountains and Huanghuai Plain possess transitional characters evidently in two directions： one is from the western mountain to the eastern plain and the other is from southern subtropical zone to northern temperate zone. Torrential rain, especially strong torrential rain is frequent in the transitional region, and there are many torrential rain centers. A majority of torrential rain is distributed among 100-200 m asl. The winter temperature at 100-400 m asl is higher than that in Huanghuai Plain whose altitude is lower than that of the transitional region, and the highest temperature in January appears at 350-400 m asl.The thickness of warm slope belt in the transitional region varies from 100 m to 250 m asl. The formation of torrential rain and warm slope belt is the result of joint action of atmospheric circulation and local terrain. Frequent torrential rains and warm slope belt had tremendous influences on the soil properties, plant distribution and local climate in the transitional region.     

石羊河流域平原地下水位动态特征与监测网观测频率优化

在阐述石羊河流域平原地下水位动态特征的基础上,采用频谱分析方法对研究区的地下水水位进行周期分析,并开展了地下水动态监测网的观测频率优化。结果认为：昌宁盆地水位动态存在4个周期成分,民勤和武威盆地水位动态存在2个周期成分,水位动态主要以年动态和月动态为主,动态类型主要有入渗径流开采型、开采型和补给开采型3种。昌宁盆地的水位监测频率每月可为2次,民勤和武威盆地的每月可为3次。     

乔治王岛东北海域大磷虾虾群构成分析

1985年1月在乔治王岛东北约25海里(水深460米)海域,曾观测到范围较大的大磷虾群.在约4海里范围内用垂直探鱼仪记录了虾群的映象,进行了水平拖网.对6网样品的分析结果表明,虾群组成相当均一.体长频数分布样品间的百分比相似性指数平均为84.3%,性成熟度组成频数分布的相似性指数平均为75.6%,说明这些样品属同一虾群.磷虾平均体长为46.8毫米,成体虾占群体的96.5%,表明它们为一生殖群体.群体分布水层在20—50米深,厚度一般为20米,平均密度为1400尾/千立方米.     

白云凹陷恩平组南部物源研究及其油气地质意义

恩平组是珠江口盆地白云凹陷已经获得勘探证实的主要烃源层系。对其物源的清晰认识是潜力烃源和有利储层发育研究的重要基础。基于大量的三维地震解释和有限的钻井资料分析,提出白云凹陷恩平组时期不仅有来自北部盆外物源的输入,同时存在来自南部隆起的物源贡献。已钻井岩石学特征、古地貌分析、地震剖面特征和碎屑锆石年代学特征表明,白云凹陷西南部恩平组具有砂地比超过80%、粒度较粗、发育NE向大规模高角度“S”型前积地震相、具有物源通道的古地貌以及碎屑锆石以中生代岩浆锆石为主的特征,这与凹陷北部盆外具有NW向较平缓的“叠瓦状”前积地震相和较老的前寒武纪—古生代的碎屑锆石年龄的特征截然不同。综合分析认为,恩平组时期白云凹陷的南部隆起物源为白云凹陷西南部提供了充足的陆源物质供给,对白云西南部的优质陆源海相烃源岩的发育有重要作用;同时云开低凸起恩平组砂体埋深浅,粒度粗,是重要的潜在优质储层,具有重要的勘探意义。     

南黄海及长江口附近海域绿潮暴发前期微观繁殖体的动态变化

基于2011年3至5月对南黄海及长江口附近海域的水体与沉积物样品采集及实验室萌发培养实验,分析了绿潮暴发前期该海域微观繁殖体的时空分布特征。结果表明,在调查期间,南黄海水体中微观繁殖体空间分布趋势表现为近岸高远岸低,高值区主要集中在紫菜筏架养殖区附近海域,在122°30'E以东区域未发现有微观繁殖体存在。3,4,5月份该区域海水中平均微观繁殖体数分别为144 ,164和140株/dm3,最大值分别为278,426,和537株/dm3;南黄海沉积物中微观繁殖体数量分布范围介于19~127株/层,表层微观繁殖体数高于底层。长江口以北靠近江苏近岸区域有微观繁殖体存在,数量介于1~10株/dm3,31°N以南区域和河口内未发现有繁殖体分布,由此可排除黄海浒苔等绿藻微观繁殖体由长江水携带入海或来源于长江口南部海域。在春季绿潮暴发前开展该海域微观繁殖体的研究,可为查明绿潮发源地及早期发生发展过程提供基础资料,为预测和预警绿潮发生提供科技支撑。