Consideration of the oasis analogy for chemosynthetic communities at Gulf of Mexico hydrocarbon vents

The analogy between desert oasis and deep-sea chemosynthetic community arose from the biomass contrast between vents and the relatively depauperate background benthic fauna. Fully developed, the analogy helps pose questions about interactions with the background fauna with respect to resources, colonization, and persistence. The chemosynthetic sites of the Gulf of Mexico provide an opportunity to consider possible interactions between vent and nonvent fauna over a 3000-m depth range. It is postulated that deep chemosynthetic communities require the operation of geochemical transporting and concentrating processes to overcome low levels of in situ methane and sulfide production. Clathrate reservoirs may serve these functions. A few chemosynthetic species at the Gulf of Mexico upper slope sites are related to shallow-water sulfide species, but it can be speculated that the dominant chemosynthetic fauna may have originated in a wide spread deep sulfide biome of the Cretaceous. Generic endemism of consumers is low in Gulf of Mexico sites, suggesting a high level of colonization from the surrounding benthos. Chemosynthetic communities may avoid excessive colonization by predators in spite of the apparent food limitation of the surrounding benthos due to toxicity or an evolutionary mechanism selecting against specialized predators. The abundance of large predators is related to the composition of the surrounding benthos and is high at the Gulf of Mexico upper slope sites. Exclusion of chemosyntheic communities from shallower depths may be due to excessive predation by generalists.     

Responses of resident marsh fishes to stages ofPhragmites australis invasion in three mid Atlantic estuaries

Modification of brackish marshes by nonindigenousPhragmites australis has occurred across a broad geographical area in eastern North America. Among its effects on marsh processes,Phragmites may be increasingly unfavorable to marsh surface fishes as its invasion progresses within an estuary. We assessed the effect of thePhragmites invasion on resident marsh surface fishes by examining the population response ofFundulus heteroclitus (mummichog, 5–48 mm TL) andF. luciae (spotfin killifish, 5–41 mm TL) to four distinct invasion stages in three estuaries of the U.S. mid Atlantic region (New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland). We documented precipitous declines in mean catch per unit effort ofF. heteroclitus in pit traps from natural marsh (51.6), through initial (33.8), early (12.3), and late invasion stages (2.4) across all sites. A similar pattern was documented forF. luciae, with mean catch per unit effort in pit traps declining from natural marsh (48.9), through initial (39.1), early (9.3), and late invasion stages (2.7). Population structure of both species also changed somewhat across invasion stages such that we collected a narrower size range of individuals of both species from late invasion stages. Patterns suggest that as thePhragmites invasion progresses, there is a decline in habitat function for larval and juvenileF. heteroclitus and an increased risk of extirpation ofF. luciae from brackish marshes along the east coast of the U.S.     

Food Deserts in the Prairies? Supermarket Accessibility and Neighborhood Need in Edmonton,Canada*

The U.S. and U.K. literatures have discussed “food deserts,” reflecting populated, typically urban, low‐income areas with limited access to full‐service supermarkets. Less is known about supermarket accessibility within Canadian cities. This article uses the minimum distance and coverage methods to determine supermarket accessibility within the city of Edmonton, Canada, with a focus on high‐need and inner‐city neighborhoods. The results show that for 1999 both of these areas generally had higher accessibility than the remainder of the city, but six high‐need neighborhoods had poor supermarket accessibility. We conclude by examining potential reasons for differences in supermarket accessibility between Canadian, U.S., and U.K. cities.     

'Trees, forests and communities': some historiographical approaches to environmental history on Africa

Focusing on the contested issue of trees and forests, this paper looks at various ways in which historians have explored environmental change and human agency in Africa. It looks in particular at the colonial period and positions the case of the Cape Colony (South Africa) in a broader historiographical context. Colonial silviculture involved both the appropriation of the natural forests and the creation of exotic plantations. These policies generated a mixture of reactions from African communities and had varying effects on the environment. Colonial science and the projects it gave rise to have since been critiqued, contributing to the promotion of community-based forestry schemes that try to incorporate indigenous knowledge and ideas about land use.     

Recent temperature and precipitation increases in West Siberia and their association with the Arctic Oscillation

Surface air temperature and precipitation records for the years 1958-1999 from ten meteorological stations located throughout West Siberia are used to identify climatic trends and determine to what extent these trends are potentially attributable to the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Although recent changes in atmospheric variability are associated with broad Arctic climate change, West Siberia appears particularly susceptible to warming. Furthermore, unlike most of the Arctic, moisture transport in the region is highly variable. The records show that West Siberia is experiencing significant warming and notable increases in precipitation, likely driven, in part, by large-scale Arctic atmospheric variability. Because this region contains a large percentage of the world's peatlands and contributes a significant portion of the total terrestrial freshwater flux to the Arctic Ocean, these recent climatic trends may have globally significant repercussions. The most robust patterns found are strong and prevalent springtime warming, winter precipitation increases, and strong association of non-summer air temperatures with the AO. Warming rates for both spring (0.5-0.8 °C/decade) and annual (0.3-0.5°C/decade) records are statistically significant for nine often stations. On average, the AO is linearly congruent with 96% (winter), 19% (spring), 0% (summer), 67% (autumn) and 53% (annual) of the warming found in this study. Significant trends in precipitation occur most commonly during winter, when four of ten stations exhibit significant increases (4-13 %/decade). The AO may play a lesser role in precipitation variability and is linearly congruent with only 17% (winter), 13% (spring), 12% (summer), 1% (autumn) and 26% (annual) of precipitation trends.     

A field comparison of indicators of sublethal stress in the salt-marsh grassSpartina patens

There is a need for research into bioindicators of stress in threatened plant communities such as coastal wetlands. Land subsidence, diversion of sediment, and salt-water intrusion produce stresses associated with waterlogging, elevated salinity, and nutrient depletion. Temporal and spatial environmental variation (soil redox potential, interstitial water salinity, pH, ammonium and phosphorus, and cation and trace metal concentrations) was analyzed near Lake de Cade, Louisiana, in a brackish marsh which is a mosaic of healthy plant communities interspersed with areas where wetland loss is occurring. Environmental variation was related to indicators of stress inSpartina patens, which included variables derived from the adenine nucleotide levels in plants, leaf spectral reflectance, leaf proline concentrations, and shoot elongation. In a comparison of burned and unburned sites, streamside and inland marsh, and along a salinity gradient, among-site differences were found in spectral reflectance and adenine-nucleotide-related indicators. Although it was difficult to relate a single causal environmental variable to the response of a specific indicator, spectral reflectance in the visible light range responded to salinity or to elements borne in seawater, and adenine-nucleotide indices were sensitive to nutrient availability. The ability of indicators to detect plant responses changed during the growing season, suggesting that they were responding to the changing importance of different environmental factors. In addition, some reflectance indicator responses occurred along salinity gradients when salinity differences were less than those that were found to have ecologically meaningful effects in greenhouse experiments. A multivariate numerical approach was used to relate environmental variation with indicator responses. We concluded that factors which in combination cause the degradation and loss of Louisiana wetlands produce environmental conditions that are only subtly different from those in vigorously growing marsh communities.     

Quantifying Organization of Atmospheric Turbulent Eddy Motion Using Nonlinear Time Series Analysis

Using three methods from nonlinear dynamics, we contrast the level of organization inthe vertical wind velocity (w) time series collected in the atmospheric surface layer(ASL) and the canopy sublayer (CSL) for a wide range of atmospheric stability ()conditions. The nonlinear methods applied include a modified Shannon entropy, waveletthresholding, and mutual information content. Time series measurements collected overa pine forest, a hardwood forest, a grass-covered forest clearing, and a bare soil, desertsurface were used for this purpose. The results from applying all three nonlinear timeseries measures suggest that w in the CSL is more organized than that in the ASL, and that as the flows in both layers evolve from near-neutral to near-convective conditions, the level of organization increases. Furthermore, we found that the degree of organization in w associated with changes in is more significant than the transition from CSL to ASL.     

Climate change and mental health: an exploratory case study from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada

As the impacts from anthropogenic climate change are increasing globally, people are experiencing dramatic shifts in weather, temperature, wildlife and vegetation patterns, and water and food quality and availability. These changes impact human health and well-being, and resultantly, climate change has been identified as the biggest global health threat of the 21st Century. Recently, research is beginning to indicate that changes in climate, and the subsequent disruption to the social, economic, and environmental determinants of health, may cause increased incidences and prevalence of mental health issues, emotional responses, and large-scale sociopsychological changes. Through a multi-year, community-led, exploratory case study conducted in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Labrador, Canada, this research qualitatively explores the impacts of climate change on mental health and well-being in an Inuit context. Drawing from 67 in-depth interviews conducted between January 2010 and October 2010 with community members and local and regional health professionals, participants reported that changes in weather, snow and ice stability and extent, and wildlife and vegetation patterns attributed to climate change were negatively impacting mental health and well-being due to disruptions in land-based activities and a loss of place-based solace and cultural identity. Participants reported that changes in climate and environment increased family stress, enhanced the possibility of increased drug and alcohol usage, amplified previous traumas and mental health stressors, and were implicated in increased potential for suicide ideation. While a preliminary case study, these exploratory findings indicate that climate change is becoming an additional mental health stressor for resource-dependent communities and provide a baseline for further research.     

Actinian dominated intertidal mudflats: A new case of an extraordinary rare phenomenon from Southern Chile

Generally, estuarine intertidal mudflats constitute important nurseries for fish and foraging grounds for coastal birds by providing a plenitude of mollusks, worms, and crustaceans as prey, which in turn mostly feed on suspended and benthic microalgae, bacteria, and detritus. Despite the high productivity of such habitats, pronounced variability in both salinity and temperature results typically in low diversity. The only sea anemone reported from estuarine mud is the edwardsiid Nematostella vectensis Stephenson, 1935. It occurs widely in the northern hemisphere, and occasionally in extremely high density. Here we document another sea anemone from estuarine mud and muddy sand found in Southern Chile which has similar ecological attributes. Taxonomic confusion has impeded the reporting on this small but prominent member in a macrozoobenthic assemblage, the brooding Anthopleura hermaphroditica (Carlgren, 1899; Anthozoa: Actiniidae). It differs from N. vectensis by the presence of symbiotic algae. Average density under poly- to euhaline conditions in mud and muddy sand at around mid tide level was about 3 actinians per cm². An average abundance of 11,000 m^? 2, a biovolume of 487 cm³ m^? 2, and a biomass of 35.5 g dry organic weight m^? 2 were found in mud and muddy sand in two surveys 20 years apart. The mean fishing area of fully expanded individuals covers 42 ± 25 mm², corresponding to a circular area with a diameter of 7.3 ± 5.7 mm. Preliminary experiments indicate that associated benthos may be relegated to life below surface by the net of tentacles above the sediment. As no predators on A. hermaphroditica could be found on the mudflat, the success of this mixotrophic sea anemone may entail a trophic dead end.     

An analysis of carrier phase differential kinematic GPS positioning using DynaPos

A series of activities have been carried out at the University of New Brunswick in an effort to evaluate advances in long-range marine kinematic differential positioning. These activities involved processing and analysis of GPS carrier phase kinematic data sets. Some of the data was collected by UNB and some was provided by The XYZs of GPS Inc. Data were collected using Trimble 5700 and Ashtech Z-12 receivers. The data sets were processed using the software DynaPos provided by the The XYZs of GPS Inc. The best results obtained in our analysis indicate an agreement of 5 cm RMS for the horizontal component and 12 cm RMS for the vertical component between two ionospheric-delay free solutions, in baselines varying from 40 to 100 km.