A transition in weather over the Agulhas Current

Aircraft observations were used to investigate contrasting weather conditions over the northern edge of the warm Agulhas Current south of George, South Africa, during June 1989. A sea surface temperature front of 7°C over 10 km was observed near 35°S, 23°E. Surface-sensible and latent heat fluxes increased by a factor of five on the warm side. A deepening of the moist unstable layer was indicated by increased equivalent potential temperatures over the warm side. Most significantly, convectively generated turbulence, as inferred from variances in air pressure, increased exponentially with sea surface temperature and surface layer winds doubled south of 35°S. The sea state, initially smooth over the continental shelf, became rough seawards of the northern edge of the Agulhas Current. Numerical model simulations were performed to assess air-sea interactions. Model-simulated thermodynamic variables responded in close agreement with observations, but the increase in cross-frontal winds was not fully resolved. The aircraft observations provide evidence that the Agulhas Current affects the large-scale pressure field and may enhance the rain-bearing capacity of transient weather systems.     

Do dart tags suppress growth of dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus?

Growth rates of dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus calculated from mark-recapture and otolith-reading methods were compared. Mark-recapture data showed that A. japonicus are resident in an area between the Breede River Estuary and Cape Agulhas on the south-east coast of South Africa. Maximum recapture length was 1 150mm. A von Bertalanffy growth curve, fitted to length-at-age data derived from otolith sections of 168 specimens (1–42 years) from the Breede Estuary and adjacent marine environment, was differentiated to provide instantaneous length-based growth rates. Comparison of mark-recapture and otolith-based growth rates revealed that external dart tags suppress growth of A. japonicus <750mm, but do not affect the growth of larger fish.     

Biological parameters reflecting the current state of the exploited pink dentex Dentex gibbosus (Pisces: Sparidae) population off the Canary Islands

A total of 639 pink dentex Dentex gibbosus was collected in Canary Islands waters between April 1991 and September 1993. Total lengths ranged from 14,2 to 95,2 cm. Females dominated smaller size-classes and males the larger ones. The species was characterized by protogynous hermaphroditism. The overall ratio of males to females was 1 : 1,45. The reproductive period extended from April to September, spawning peaking in June/July. The total lengths at 50% maturity were 34,7 cm for females and 38,6 cm for males. The length-mass relationship for the whole sample can be described by the parameters a = 0,01014 and b = 3,0812. Fish aged 0–16 years were present in the samples. The parameters of the Von Bertalanffy growth equation were: L _∞ = 101,2 cm, k = 0,149·year^?1, and t ₀ = ?0,111 years. The rates of total mortality Z and natural mortality M were 0,57 and 0,28·year^?1 respectively. Rates of fishing mortality F and exploitation E were 0,29 and 0,51·year^?1 respectively. The estimated length at first capture (LC ₅₀) was 17,8 cm total length.     

Growth patterns of the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera L. in Gazi Bay,Kenya

Culture of pearl oysters is rapidly increasing worldwide, including the western Indian Ocean. The oyster Pinctada margaritifera L., which produces the most highly valued black pearls, occurs in East Africa, a nd as been exploited there for the shell for many decades. The growth patterns of P. margaritifera from a natural population in the sheltered back-reef, and fro oysters translocated to a tidal current-swept site, both sites within Gazi Bay, Kenya, are described. The growth rate in the natural population ranged from 31.3mm year^?1 (60–65mm size-class) to 7.6mm year^?1 (105–110mm size-class). The von Bertalanffy growth coefficient (K), calculated with a fixed L_∞ of 127.2mm, was 0.30 for the natural population and 0.38 for the translocated oysters. The mean growth rate during the north-east monsoon season was approximately double that for during the south-east monsoon season. The dailyrate of nacre deposition ranged from 1.3μm to 5.9μm (mean 3.45μm); it declined with the size of oysters and was marginally higher at the high-energy current site. At that rate, it would take approximately two years to produce a marketable cultured half pearl with a 2.5mm layer of nacre. The results of the study are relevant to the understanding of the influence of the environment on growth, and are applicable to the optimisation of growth rate of pearl oysters in the inshore region along the east coast of Africa.     

Ocean current and temperature structures in Algoa Bay and beyond in November 1986

Data on ocean temperature, currents, salinity and nutrients were obtained in an area off Algoa Bay on the south-east coast of South Africa during a ship's cruise in early November 1986. Satellite imagery provided information on the position of the Agulhas Current during the cruise period, while wind data were available from weather stations on the eastern and western sides of Algoa Bay. It is surmised that wind-forcing plays a major role in water circulation in the Bay and over the inshore continental shelf remote from the influence of the open ocean. The predominantly barotropic current flow, of the order of 0,5 m·s^?1, was downwind and influenced by topographic features and coastline shape. The Agulhas Current influences the ocean structures by long-term (large episodic meanders) and short-term (upwelling forced by the Current, core upwelling in frontal eddies and warm frontal plumes at the surface) fluctuations. Temperature structures showed well mixed water in Algoa Bay and a strong thermocline over the continental shelf, and were typical of a western boundary current in the Agulhas Current itself. The presence of a thermocline at 30–50 m over the shelf prevented upward mixing of nutrients. The Current exerted a dominant effect on shelf waters north of Algoa Bay.