Geochemistry of recent hydrothermal systems of Mendeleev Volcano, Kuril Islands, Russia

Among the thermal waters of Mendeleev Volcano three main types can be distinguished: sodium-chloride, acid-sulfate and chloride–sulfate–bicarbonate waters. Contents and behaviors of siderophile, chalcophile, lithophile, and rare-earth elements are discussed. These data, together with the result of isotopic studies (oxygen and hydrogen), are used to discuss the origin of these waters. From the three types of thermal waters, only acid-sulfate waters have a significant input on the chemical composition of the surrounding surface waters.     

The natural attenuation of two acidic effluents in Tharsis and La Zarza-Perrunal mines (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Huelva, Spain)

The geochemical evolution of two acid mine effluents in Tharsis and La Zarza-Perrunal mines (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Huelva, Spain) has been investigated. In origin, these waters present a low pH (2.2 and 3.1) and high concentrations of dissolved sulphate and metals (Fe, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni). However, the natural evolution of these acidic waters (which includes the bacterial oxidation of Fe(II) and the subsequent precipitation of Fe(III) minerals) represents an efficient mechanism of attenuation. This self-mitigating process is evidenced by the formation of schwertmannite, which retains most of the iron load and, by sorption, toxic trace elements like As. The later mixing with pristine waters rises the pH and favours the total precipitation of Fe(III) at pH 3.5 and, subsequently, Al compounds at pH 4.5, along with the sorption of trace metals (Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, Co, Ni) until chemical equilibrium at circumneutral conditions is achieved.     

山东半岛南部近岸海域富营养化状况的多元评价研究

于2006年至2007年分四个季度月对山东半岛南部近岸海域(35.5°~36.7°N,119.8°~121.3°E)的营养盐和叶绿素a进行了设站调查,分析了该海域上述因子时空分布特征,同时应用主成分分析(PCA)和潜在富营养化评价方法对该海域的富营养化状况进行了分析,初步确定了影响该海域富营养化状况的主要驱动因子。结果表明:(1)在时间分布上,总氮、总磷、活性磷酸盐、溶解态氮与总无机氮和活性硅酸盐的季节变化类似,均表现出秋冬季浓度较高而春夏季较低的趋势,而总磷、溶解态磷的浓度则在冬季最高,在夏秋季较低,叶绿素a浓度的季节变化趋势为春夏季较高,而冬季最低;该海域营养盐与叶绿素a浓度空间分布以胶州湾和丁字湾为中心,总体呈现出由近岸向离岸海域逐渐递减的趋势;(2)应用主成分分析对调查结果进行分析,结果显示10项调查指标(营养盐与叶绿素a)可以转换提取4个主成分,解释82.00%的结果。主成分综合得分可以作为富营养化程度的评价指标,据此得到调查海域富营养化状况的季节变化趋势由高到低依次为秋季、冬季、春季、夏季,总体呈现出以胶州湾和丁字湾为中心,沿岸及北部海域富营养化程度较高的格局;分析结果还表明总无机氮是该海区富营养化形成的主要驱动因子;(3)利用潜在富营养化评价方法对调查海域富营养化状况进行了初步分析,结果表明该海区仅于秋季表现为总体中度营养,在其他季节总体趋势均为贫营养,胶州湾与丁字湾附近海域在春秋季表现为磷限制潜在富营养化。主成分分析法较潜在富营养化评价方法更敏感,不仅能够定量表述海区富营养化状况,而且能够有效确定富营养化驱动因子。     

Distribution and fluxes of suspended sediments in the offshore waters of the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary

The offshore waters of the Changjiang Estuary are the transitional areas where river-supplied water and sediment are transported to the sea, and material exchanges occur with the neighbored Hangzhou Bay and the Jiangsu waters. Field observations of currents and sediment properties were conducted to study temporal and spatial distributions of suspended sediments under various dynamical conditions. The high sediment concentrations were found to occur in the western and southern waters of the offshore, and the low concentrations occurred in the eastern and northern waters. This pattern of the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) distribution is obviously influenced by the runoff and tidal current. The significant difference of along-estuary SSC distribution indicates that the SSC is reduced gradually from the west to the east, and that in the spring tide is obviously higher than in the neap tide. The methods of mechanism analysis and equal-area grids were used to calculate the suspended sediment fluxes at the typical cross sections. It was found that 44 percent of total suspended sediments from the Changjiang River were deposited in the submarine delta, and more than 27 percent of sediments were transported southernly into the Hangzhou Bay, and only 9 percent of sediments was supplied and exchanged with the northern Jiangsu waters, and about 20 percent of sediments was delivered offshore to the sea.     

Influence of allochthonous organic matter on bacterioplankton biomass and activity in a eutrophic,sub-tropical estuary

Heterotrophic bacterial and phytoplankton biomass, production, specific growth rates, and growth efficiencies were studied in the Northern region of the Cananéia–Iguape estuarine system, which has recently experienced an intense eutrophication due to anthropogenic causes. Two surveys were carried out during spring and neap tide periods of the dry season of 2005 and the rainy season of 2006. This region receives large freshwater inputs with organic seston and phosphate concentrations that reach as high as 1.0 mg l⁻¹ and 20.0 μM, respectively. Strong decreasing gradients of seston and dissolved inorganic nutrients were observed from the river/estuary boundary to the estuary/coastal interface. Gradients were also observed in phytoplankton and bacterial production rates. The production rates of phytoplankton were 5.6-fold higher (mean 8.5 μg C l⁻¹ h⁻¹) during the dry season. Primary production rates (PP) positively correlated with salinity and euphotic depth, indicating that phytoplankton productivity was light-limited. On the other hand, bacterial biomass (BB) and production rates (BP) were 1.9- and 3.7-fold higher, respectively, during the rainy season, with mean values of up to 40.4 μg C l⁻¹ and 7.9 μg C l⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. Despite such a high BP, bacterial abundance remained <2 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹, indicating that bacterial production and removal were coupled. Mean specific growth rates ranged between 0.9 and 5.5 d⁻¹. BP was inversely correlated with salinity and positively correlated with temperature, organic matter, exopolymer particles, and particulate-attached bacteria; this last accounted for as much as 89.6% of the total abundance. During the rainy season, BP was generally much higher than PP, and values of BP/PP > 20 were registered during high freshwater input, suggesting that under these conditions, bacterial activity was predominantly supported by allochthonous inputs of organic carbon. In addition, BB probably represented the main pathway for the synthesis of high-quality (low C:N) biomass that may have been available to the heterotrophic components of the plankton food web, particularly nanoheterotrophs.     

我国海域赤潮发生与海温及厄尔尼诺的相关分析

分析2000年以来我国海域赤潮发生次数和面积,以及期间与厄尔尼诺指数关系,分析认为①海域表温对我国4个海域赤潮发生有较显著影响.②2000～2007年4个海域发生的赤潮次数:东海>渤海>南海>黄海;2000～2007年4个海域赤潮发生面积:东海>渤海>黄海>南海.③1986～2007年厄尔尼诺对赤潮发生次数有一定的影响,4个海域赤潮发生次数与厄尔尼诺的相关程度不同:东海>南海>渤海>黄海,其中1999年后厄尔尼诺对中国近海赤潮发生次数具有显著影响.④1977～2007年发生的10次厄尔尼诺事件对厄尔尼诺年的次年我国海域赤潮发生的次数有比较显著的影响.     

Nursery function of mangrove: A comparison with mudflat in terms of fish species composition and fish diet

Shallow soft-bottom habitats including mangroves and mudflats provide important nursery functions for juvenile fishes, but little information exists concerning the relative nursery value of these habitats for juvenile fishes. We compared the potential of a mangrove and a mudflat in a semi-enclosed bay in Hong Kong to serve as fish nurseries by measuring species composition, dietary composition, gut fullness and diet breadth of juvenile fishes. Fish abundance was higher in mangrove than mudflat, but species richness was almost similar between the two habitats. After excluding Ambassis gymnocephalus, which was found mainly in the mangrove, difference in fish abundance between the two habitats was small. The gut fullness and diet breath of most species did not differ between mangrove and mudflat, suggesting that the two habitats were very similar in terms of providing feeding opportunity for juvenile fishes. While the importance of mangrove as nursery of fishes has been repeatedly emphasized, our data suggest that other soft-bottom habitats, such as mudflats, are also important and need to be protected.     

浙江南部近岸海域春季口虾蛄(Oratosquilla oratoria)生物量的时空分布

根据2011年春季(4月、5月、6月)对浙江南部近岸海域进行的共3个航次的底拖网渔业资源调查资料,对该海域口虾蛄(Oratosquilla oratoria)生物量的时空分布进行了分析。结果表明,4—6月,在月间分布上口虾蛄的生物量呈逐月下降的趋势,但各月间不存在显著性差异;在空间分布上大多数站位的生物量均较低(<150kg/km2);生物量重心位于27°33′N—27°55′N、121°20′E—121°38′E之间海域。各月相对高生物量(>150kg/km2)的空间分布与该月底温与底盐的变化相关。另外,随着月平均底盐特别是平均底温的升高,口虾蛄呈现逐月由较深海域向较浅海域移动的趋势。     

Climate variability and its effects on major fisheries in Korea

Understanding in climate effects on marine ecosystem is essential to utilize, predict, and conserve marine living resources in the 21s t century. In this review paper, we summariz ed t h e past history and current status of Korean fisheries as well as the changes in climate and oceanographic phenomena since the 1960s. Ocean ecosystems in Korean waters can be divided into three, based on the marine commercial fish catches; the demersal ecosystem in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, the pelagic ecosystem in the Tsushima Warm Current from the East China Sea to the East/Japan Sea, and the demersal ecosystem in the northern part of the East/Japan Sea. Through the interdisciplinary retrospective analysis using available fisheries, oceanographic, and meteorological information in three important fish communities, the trend patterns in major commercial catches and the relationship between climate/ environmental variability and responses of fish populations were identified. Much evidence revealed that marine ecosystems, including the fish community in Korean waters, has been seriously affected by oceanographic changes, and each species has responded differently. In general, species diversity is lessening, and mean trophic level of each ecosystem has decreased during the last 3~4 decades. Future changes in fisheries due to global warming are also considered for major fisheries and aquaculture in Korean waters.     

Fate of antibiotics during wastewater treatment and antibiotic distribution in the effluent-receiving waters of the Yellow Sea,northern China

Antibiotics including three β-lactams, two fluoroquinolones and two macrolides, which were the top seven most prescribed antibiotics in Dalian, China, were selected to investigate their occurrence in six municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their distribution in the effluent-receiving waters of the Yellow Sea. Four WWTPs employing different treatment technologies were selected to explore the mechanism of antibiotics elimination during wastewater treatment. Results showed that fluoroquinolones and macrolides were dominant species in both WWTPs effluents and the surveyed coastal waters. Biodegradation was the main pathway for β-lactams removal, however, primary treatment performed better than biological treatment for fluoroquinolones removal. Concentrations of macrolides increased dramatically after the biological treatment, which was probably due to the release of macrolides enclosed in feces particles. In the surveyed coastal waters, reduction of antibiotic concentration with distance was observed. Potential environmental risk caused by the occurrence of these antibiotics should be evaluated in future work.