Seasonal use of coastal resources by otters: Comparing sandy and rocky stretches

Seasonal patterns of use of coastal resources by otters have been studied, simultaneously performing diet analyses and spraint counts (expressed as marking intensity, MI). In spite of the small size of the study area, two different sectors could be clearly identified, a sandy and a rocky one. The origin (freshwater or coastal) of most prey types could also be determined. Surveys were performed bimonthly and classified as autumn–winter (A–W) or spring–summer (S–S).In the sandy sector, eels, flatfish and grey mullets were more frequently consumed in A–W, while crayfish was more frequently consumed in S–S. None of the identified prey types in the rocky sectors showed different frequency of occurrence values between the two periods. In this sector otter fed mainly on coastal prey throughout the year, while in the sandy one there was a clear shift from coastal prey to freshwater ones in S–S. The decrease of coastal prey consumption in S–S in the sandy sector coincided with the lowest MI values, showing that in this period otters use coastal areas less intensely. Though shifts in otter diet and use of space in the sandy sector are probably influenced by the population dynamics of estuarine fish species and crayfish, the increased tourist disturbance during spring and summer in the sandy sector could be an important determinant of the observed patterns. Finally, the results show that MI can be used as a reliable measure of habitat use by otters, at least in small areas.     

Rare species, habitat diversity and functional redundancy in marine benthos

Macro-ecological theories relating species richness, abundance, range size, biological traits and environmental tolerance have rarely been tested in marine soft-sediments, despite the spatial extent of these habitats and the inherent richness of resident communities. This study examines the contribution of rare species to marine soft-sediment communities from New Zealand, focussing on the relationships of range size with abundance, environment, habitat diversity and life history traits. 54% of the 351 species sampled exhibited restricted ranges (found at ≤ 2 sites). In contrast to many terrestrial systems, we observed only a weak positive relationship between abundance and frequency of occurrence. Restricted-range species were not randomly distributed, with their distribution related to habitat characteristics, suggesting an important link between habitat diversity and rarity. They exhibited a similar range of traits to the total observed species pool, suggesting that they are not only important to biodiversity but could play a role in stability. Restricted range species were generally not small and this, together with the number of different biological traits represented, suggests that rare species are important to the functioning of marine systems. Thus, our results highlight the importance of considering rare species in habitat-based approaches to conservation.     

Influence of large-diameter pipe pile driving on surrounding marine soils and adjacent submarine pipelines

Abstract

With the large-scale development and utilization of ocean resources and space, it is inevitable to encounter existing submarine facilities in pile driving areas, which necessitates a safety assessment. In this article, by referring to a wharf renovation project as a reference, the surrounding soil response and buried pipe deformation during pile driving in a near-shore submarine environment are investigated by three-dimensional (3D) numerical models that consider the pore water effect. Numerical studies are carried out in two different series: one is a case of a single pile focusing on the effect of the minimum plane distance of the pile–pipe, and the other is a case of double piles focusing on the effect of the pile spacing.     

Sampling procedure for small-scale heterogeneities (crossbedding) for reservoir modelling

Sampling permeability from individual laminae in crossbedded rocks is very well possible by making use of a so-called probe permeameter. The methodology and calculation of permeabilities from the output of this instrument are fairly well-established. However, what is hardly established is a sampling strategy that guarantees adequate representation of permeability contrast between laminae. Especially so, because finer foreset and bottomset are difficult to sample, yet their permeabilities are critical to fluid flow through a crossbed. Therefore we propose to systematically sample laminae. To this end we suggest a sampling strategy that is adapted to the heterogeneity under study, namely to the thickness of the finer foreset.     

山东全新世滨海软土与工程地质灾害的研究

山东全新世滨海软土分布在海湾、泻湖、河口区，厚度１－１０ｍ。海湾、泻湖软土为淤泥、淤泥质土，陆源物质供应丰富的浅水区，软土颗粒偏粗，强度相对较高，触变性对建筑物危害性大，陆源物质供应少的深水区，软土颗粒偏细，低强度、高压缩性、沉降变形大和蠕变性是危及建筑物稳定的主要因素。海湾、泻湖软土位于地下水位下，具低透水性，掩埋后短期不易排水固结，软土下为强度较高的冲积物，对一般建筑物，利用强夯、粉喷搅拌桩、     

软土海岸地区测量控制点标志的设立

分析了软土、湿地、滩涂地区特殊地理环境对测量控制点的影响;主要探讨了此类地区控制点标志的设计、施工。借助于建筑桩基技术和道桥施工方法,首次成功实现了某三角洲湿地滩涂地区统一布网。几年来,结合滩涂湿地测量、海岸防护和滩涂开发工程对部分控制点进行了初步检测,给出了部分检测数据。应用和检测均表明:桩基标石可较好地解决软土、湿地、滩涂地区控制点布设难题,显著提高软土海岸地区测量控制点标志的稳固性,从而延长控制网的可使用期。     

种植盐地碱蓬修复滨海盐渍土效果的研究

利用盐生植物——盐地碱蓬进行天津河口滨海盐碱地的生物修复。通过比较种植盐地碱蓬土壤和对照土壤的电导率、有机质和微生物数量的差异等研究了其修复效果。结果表明，种植区碱蓬根际土壤的电导率与对照土壤相比下降了13％；有机质和总氮与对照土壤相比分别增加43％和18％；根际土壤的微生物数量明显增加，放线菌和真菌分别比对照增加了5倍和16倍。根际微生物优势种群的盐耐受性结果显示，部分根际土壤的优势种群的盐耐受性明显下降，耐盐性较低的微生物种群已成为优势种群。以上结果表明，种植盐地碱蓬对改善滨海盐碱地的生态有明显的效果。     

Meadow fragmentation and reproductive output of the SE Asian seagrass Enhalus acoroides

Flower and fruit production of the abundant, tall, long-lived, dioecious, surface-pollinating seagrass species Enhalus acoroides (L.) Royle were estimated at seven sites in the reef flats off Bolinao (NW Luzon, The Philippines) featuring different fragmentation of the seagrass meadows. Fragmentation of the seagrass meadow was quantified as cover of E. acoroides and all seagrass species present in 20×20 m plots. E. acoroides and overall seagrass cover were correlated positively. The proportion of female flowers of E. acoroides that developed a fruit increased sharply as overall seagrass cover was around 50%. Apparent sex ratio bore no relationship with overall seagrass cover. This threshold-type of relationship suggests that fragmentation of seagrass meadows can have a major effect on the reproductive output of this species. A possible mechanism underlying these results would be a non-linear increase of the efficiency of trapping the surface-dispersed pollen with increasing seagrass canopy density. This provides the first evidence based on real data that fragmentation can affect the population dynamics of seagrass species.     

A Study on the Dynamic Analysis of A Tracked Vehicle for Ocean Mining on the Deep Seabed

1 .IntroductionOnthedeepseabed ,30 0 0～ 50 0 0mbelowthePacificOcean ,manganesenodulesaresolidifiedandspread ,andmanycountriesintheworldarestudyinghowtominethem .AccordingtoYamazakietal.( 1 998)andAmannetal.( 1 991 ) ,theenvironmentofthedeepseabedisdifferentfromthedrylandinmanyways .Inparticular,thesurfaceoftheseabedisverysoft.Inordertoensuretheperformanceofrunningofamanganesenodulemineronsuchasoftsurface ,thetrackedvehiclemaybeapplied .Ac cordingtoHongandChoi ( 2 0 0 1 ) ,astudyisbeingdone…     

深层搅拌法在超软弱港口地基上的工程应用

某港口堆场地基上部5．0m系吹填而成，地表下18m范围均属软土，经真空预压初级加固后地基承载力仅在80—90kPa，局部区域上部淤泥土层土性指标较差，含水量大于50％，地基承载力不足60kPa。为了使地基达到230kPa的承载要求，设计采用深层搅拌法加固超软弱地基。通过现场成桩工艺试验和检测表明，桩身水泥土强度在90d龄期时大于1．80MPa，单桩承载力标准值大于150kN，以φ600桩径、桩长13．5m、置换率为0．308和φ500桩径、桩长13．5m、置换率为0．267两种方案布置的复合地基承载力标准值均超过了230kPa的设计要求。试验结果表明，深层搅拌法在港口超软弱地基土应用只要施工工艺适当，完全可以使地基承载力提高2—3．5倍以土，从而节省大量的工程投资。