The international legal framework for marine spatial planning

Increasing demand for ocean resources, both living and non-living, have already lead to loss of biodiversity, habitat depletion and irreversible damage to the marine environment. Furthermore, introduction of new kinds of sea uses, spatial extension of ongoing sea uses and the need to better protect and conserve the marine biological diversity will result in increasing conflicts among the various users, as well as between the users and the environment. Marine spatial planning as a process to allocate space for specific uses can help to avoid user conflicts, to improve the management of marine spatial claims, and to sustain an ecosystem-based management of ocean and seas. This article explores the rights and duties towards exploitation and protection of the marine environment under the jurisdiction of coastal states as reflected in two important global conventions, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Both Conventions provide the main legal framework for marine spatial planning that have to be taken into account in planning at the regional and national level.     

Conclusions: Benefits, lessons learned, and future challenges of marine spatial planning

This article summarizes briefly the principal conclusions from papers presented in this special issue on marine spatial planning. It identifies potential economic, ecological, and administrative benefits (and costs) that might be realized from the implementation of MSP. Finally, the article summarize lessons learned and identifies future challenges and directions for MSP, including the development of international guidelines for its implementation.     

普通Kriging插值算法研究

地统计学是进行空间变异分析的有力工具.文章说明了地统计学的基本原理及其实现算法,并应用该算法对研究区域的草句白浆土有效磷的空间变异特征进行了分析,通过计算得出的地统计学参数说明了土壤有效磷具有中等空间相关性,并生成了该养分的空间分布图.     

The application of geographic information technology to coastal geomorphology

With the development of modern oceanic observation technologies,coastal survey data have been experiencing a substantial growth.The integration management of the data from different disciplines,different sources and different formats has become a major research field in coastal geomorphology by using Geographic Information System (GIS).This paper puts forward a new methodology framework of GIS techniques in coastal ocean geomorphology,including data acquisition,process,analysis,and representation.It focuses on some major GIS techniques to study the land-ocean interaction mechanism,such as spatial analysis,submarine topography model and three-dimension (3D) visualization,and apply its result to coastal urban planning,harbor site selection and geomorphology environment about coral reef and islands on the continental shelf.The case studies cover the whole coastal ocean to serve the social community,economical development and diplomatic rights for decision-making all round in the coastal zone.The research shows clearly that the application of coastal multi-source geospatial platform has changed the traditional coastal geomorphology science dramatically from its research scope,fields and methods,however,as made clear in this paper,extracting accurate information from remote sensing data and GIS databases for coastal geomorphological applications is a nontrivial challenge that requires the combined knowledge and skills of information scientists and geomorphologists.     

Temporal and spatial variability in shallow- and deep-water populations of the invasive Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea in the Western Mediterranean

The invasive green alga Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea represents an important threat to the diversity of Mediterranean benthic coastal ecosystems by interfering with native species and modifying benthic assemblages. The present study deals, for the first time, with the temporal and spatial variability of the biomass and phenology of C. racemosa considering both deep- and shallow-water populations. Two sampling depths (30 and 10 m) were sampled at three different rocky bottom sites every 3 months in the Archipelago of Cabrera National Park (Western Mediterranean). All morphometric variables analysed showed a spatial variation and temporal patterns depending on depth. Between depths, C. racemosa biomass, stolon length, number of fronds and frond length were usually significantly higher at deep-water populations, suggesting that C. racemosa grows better in deep-waters. Deep- and shallow-water populations displayed a high temporal variation although no evidence of seasonal patterns was found, in contrast with what has been reported by other authors. The sources of this variability are still unknown but probably both physical factors and differential herbivory pressures display a key role.     

Seasonal changes in community composition and trophic structure of fish populations of five salt marshes along the Essex coastline, United Kingdom

European intertidal salt marshes are important nursery sites for juvenile fish and crustaceans. Due to the increasing threat of habitat loss, the seasonal changes of salt marsh fish communities need to be understood in order to appreciate the ecological and economic importance of the saltmarsh habitat. This study was the first in Great Britain to investigate the seasonal changes of salt marsh fish communities and the variation in community structure between closely located marsh habitats. Between February 2007 and March 2008, five marshes on three estuaries of the Essex coastline were sampled using flume nets to block off intertidal creeks at high tide. Fourteen fish species were caught. The community overall was dominated by three species that made up 91.6% of the total catch: the common goby Pomatoschistus microps (46.2% of the total catch), juvenile herring Clupea harengus (24.3%), and juvenile and larval sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (21.2%). Cluster analysis demonstrated clear seasonal patterns, with some community structures unique to specific marshes or estuaries. The marsh fish community shifts from a highly diverse community during spring, to a community dominated by D. labrax and P. microps in autumn, and low diversity during winter months. Gravimetric stomach content analysis of fish community identified three main trophic guilds; macroinvertivores, planktivores and omnivores. The macroinvertivore feeding guild contained D. labrax and P. microps, the two most frequently occurring species. This investigation demonstrates the importance of British salt marshes as nursery habitats for commercial fish species.     

罗布泊“大耳朵”地区多源遥感影像数据库的设计与实现

目前,由空间数据引擎管理遥感影像数据的技术已经非常成熟,但在对多源遥感影像数据的合理组织和有效管理以及数据共享方面,还需要寻求更有效的方法。本文在分析不同遥感影像类型的基础上,结合罗布泊“大耳朵”地区研究的需要,设计实现了该区多源遥感影像数据库。讨论了逻辑上设计相同空间分辨率和不同空间分辨率的多源遥感影像数据存储的方法。即根据遥感影像数据的空间分辨率进行分类,并通过遥感影像元数据表建立多源遥感影像数据之间的逻辑关联来组织和管理影像数据的设计方法。该方法的成功运用,为多源遥感影像数据库的设计与建设提供了参考。     

涠洲岛潮滩表层沉积物中重金属的空间分布及其环境质量评价

根据2006年4月对涠洲岛潮滩表层沉积物的调查资料,分析了表层沉积物中重金属元素Hg、Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd、Cr、As的含量水平及空间分布特征,运用单因子评价法对其环境质量进行了评估,并通过相关性分析、因子分析探讨了几种重金属元素的物源.结果表明:涠洲岛潮滩环境质量状况良好,各元素均未达到污染水平,多数地区存在Cu的玷污,个别地区存在As的玷污;各分析元素较多的累积在人为活动相对频繁的XKZ、W05断面附近区域;Hg、Cu、Zn、Cr显著正相关,以环境背景来源为主,Pb、As较多的受到人为因素的影响.     

pCO2 and carbon fluxes across sea-air interface in the Changjiang Estuary and Hangzhou Bay

Partial pressure of CO2(pCO2) was investigated in the Changjiang(Yangtze River) Estuary,Hangzhou Bay and their adjacent areas during a cruise in August 2004,China.The data show that pCO2 in surface waters of the studied area was higher than that in the atmosphere with only exception of a patch east of Zhoushan Archipelago.The pCO2 varied from 168 to 2 264 μatm,which fell in the low range compared with those of other estuaries in the world.The calculated sea-air CO2 fluxes decreased offshore and varied from -10.0 to 88.1 mmol m-2 d-1 in average of 24.4 ± 16.5 mmol m-2 d-1.Although the area studied was estimated only 2 × 104 km2,it emitted(5.9 ± 4.0) × 103 tons of carbon to the atmosphere every day.The estuaries and their plumes must be further studied for better understanding the role of coastal seas playing in the global oceanic carbon cycle.     

Distribution of general aerobic heterotrophic bacteria in sediment core taken from the Canadian basin and the Chukchi Sea

The occurrence percentage and abundance of General Aerobic Hetero- trophic Bacteria （GAB） were determined by using the method of MPN for 182 sub- samples from 10 sediment cores taken from the Canadian basin and the Chukchi Sea at two different culturing temperatures. The results showed that the general occurrence percentage of GAB was quite high, average abundanees of GAB at cultured temperatares of 4℃ and 25℃ were 4.46 ×10^7 and 5.47×10^7 cells·g^-1（wt）, respectively. The highest abundance of GAB occurred at 20 -22 cm section in the sediment. GAB abundances changed among the section of sediments, but there is a trend ： the a-bundances at the middle or lower sections were lower than those at upper section. Cultivation at 25℃ could improve the occurrence percentage and abundances of GAB, which suggests that the increasing of temperature may change the living circum-stances of GAB. The differences of GAB among the latitudes areas indicated that occurrence percentage and abundances of GAB in middle latitude areas were higher than those in the higher or lower latitude areas, and were more obvious at 4℃ than those at 25℃. The GAB abundances in sediment under the shallower water seemed to be low- er than those in sediments under the deeper water and this status was more obvious at 25℃ than that at 4℃.