ALBERT

Description: These data list the fish counts and densities observed using time-lapse cameras at the two DELOS observatory platforms, located at 1400 m water depth on the Angolan continental margin between February 2009 and July 2016. Timelapse photographs were captured from both the "Near Field" (NF; 7.90°S, 12.14°E) and "Far Field" (FF; 7.95°S, 12.28°E) DELOS observatories using a Kongsberg OE14-208 5.1 megapixel digital camera and a Kongsberg OE11-242 flash. Where appropriate: Fish counts are listed as no. individuals observed per photograph. Fish densities are listed as no. individuals observed per photograph, per calendar month, and multiplied by 1000. The DELOS platforms (DELOS A and DELOS B) are under Angolan jurisdiction and all activities must abide by Angolan law. As such, any person intending to publish DELOS data in any form is required to obtain prior permission from the National Concessionaire (Sonangol). Permission can be requested via Robert O'Brien at BP UK (Robert.OBrien@uk.bp.com) or the DELOS PI Dr. David Bailey (David.Bailey@glasgow.ac.uk). This process is not intended as a deterrent and applications to use DELOS data are welcomed. Participating Institutions: BP Exploration, BP Angola, University of Aberdeen, MBARI, National Oceanography Centre, INIP - Angola Instituto Nacional de Investigação Pesqueira (Angolan National Institute of Fisheries), Texas A&M University, Glasgow University

Description: Nature conservation and fisheries management often focuses on particular seabed features that are considered vulnerable or important to commercial species. As a result, individual seabed types are protected in isolation, without any understanding of what effect the mixture of seabed types within the landscape has on ecosystem functions. Here we undertook predictive seabed modelling within a coastal marine protected area using observations from underwater stereo-video camera deployments and environmental information (depth, wave fetch, maximum tidal speeds, distance from coast and underlying geology). The effect of the predicted substratum type, extent and heterogeneity or the diversity of substrata, within a radius of 1500 m around each camera deployment of juvenile gadoid relative abundance was analysed. The predicted substratum model performed well with wave fetch and depth being the most influential predictor variables. Gadus morhua (Atlantic cod) were associated with relatively more rugose substrata (Algal-gravel-pebble and seagrass) and heterogeneous landscapes, than Melanogrammus aeglefinus (haddock) or Merlangius merlangus (whiting) (sand and mud). An increase in M. merlangus relative abundance was observed with increasing substratum extent. These results reveal that landscape effects should be considered when protecting the seabed for fish and not just individual seabed types. The landscape approach used in this study therefore has important implications for marine protected area, fisheries management and monitoring advice concerning demersal fish populations.

Description: Worldwide, loess-paleosol sequences are archives of terrestrial Quaternary paleoenvironment data. The Rulo site is a newly described site in the Palouse loess of southeastern Washington State, USA. The site reveals a 19 m thick deposit of loess and flood sediment, preserving a total of 30 m of reconstructed stratigraphic section. Five unconformity-bound sequences of sediment are exposed at the site, the lowest two of which have yielded fossil remains, including the first reported occurrence of flat-headed peccary (Platygonus compressus) in northwestern North America. The unconformities, two diamicts bearing extrabasinal clasts, and a number of clastic dikes provide evidence for pre-Wisconsin glacial outburst floods in southeastern Washington. More than a dozen paleosols are preserved at the site. These soils are relatively unweathered and therefore primarily record periods of slow sedimentation accumulation in the Palouse, rather than changes in weathering rates. A paleosol near the base of the sequence is unusually weathered for Palouse paleosols, and records a period of increased weathering during the Middle Pleistocene. All units above the sand are normal paleomagnetic polarity; additional age control is provided by a tephra in the upper third of the sequence that matches a ca. 220 ka tephra from Newberry Volcano, and by stratigraphic correlation of later units to other sites in the Palouse. The Rulo site adds to the record of Irvingtonian fauna in North America, and supports accumulating evidence for pre-Late Wisconsin glacial outburst floods in the Pacific Northwest.

Description: Correct species identifications are of tremendous importance for invasion ecology, as mistakes could lead to misdirecting limited resources against harmless species or inaction against problematic ones. DNA barcoding is becoming a promising and reliable tool for species identifications, however the efficacy of such molecular taxonomy depends on gene region(s) that provide a unique sequence to differentiate among species and on availability of reference sequences in existing genetic databases. Here, we assembled a list of aquatic and terrestrial non-indigenous species (NIS) and checked two leading genetic databases for corresponding sequences of six genome regions used for DNA barcoding. The genetic databases were checked in 2010, 2012, and 2016. All four aquatic kingdoms (Animalia, Chromista, Plantae and Protozoa) were initially equally represented in the genetic databases, with 64, 65, 69, and 61% of NIS included, respectively. Sequences for terrestrial NIS were present at rates of 58 and 78% for Animalia and Plantae, respectively. Six years later, the number of sequences for aquatic NIS increased to 75, 75, 74, and 63% respectively, while those for terrestrial NIS increased to 74 and 88% respectively. Genetic databases are marginally better populated with sequences of terrestrial NIS of plants compared to aquatic NIS and terrestrial NIS of animals. The rate at which sequences are added to databases is not equal among taxa. Though some groups of NIS are not detectable at all based on available data - mostly aquatic ones - encouragingly, current availability of sequences of taxa with environmental and/or economic impact is relatively good and continues to increase with time.

Description: We present a compilation of measurements of bedrock Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic composition across the North American Southwest from the published literature. These datasets allow us to identify the isotopic signature of aeolian material exported from the North American Southwest and explore the contribution of dust to the California Borderland Basins.

Description: Strontium, neodymium and lead isotopic signatures were measured on a suite of surface sediment samples from nine different playa lakes across the Mojave Desert. All sediment samples had carbonates and organic material removed before full chemical digestion prior to analysis. Ferromanganese coatings were also removed in a subset of samples, with no notable isotopic effect from an anthropogenic contribution of Pb detected.