ALBERT

Description: The deep ocean floor between the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones (NE equatorial Pacific) has the highest known manganese nodule abundance in the world oceans. A detailed analysis of MR1 (Mapping Researcher 1, 11–12 kHz) sonar images and free-fall grab data in the Korean manganese nodule field areas reveals a close relationship between side-scan sonar characteristics of the seafloor and manganese nodule abundance. Eight sonar facies are identified based on back-scattering intensity and distribution patterns. These sonar facies can be interpreted as (1) volcanic seamounts (facies I-1), (2) bounding faults of abyssal hills (facies I-2 and II-1), (3) lava flows or volcanoclastic mass-flow deposits around the volcanic seamounts (facies I-3 and II-2), (4) crests of abyssal hills (facies II-1), (5) abyssal troughs between abyssal hills (facies III-1), (6) relatively flat areas (facies II-3 and III-2). In the areas where facies II-1 (abyssal hill crests with thin sediment cover) and II-3 (relatively flat areas draped by thin sediments) are dominant, manganese nodules occur abundantly. In contrast, zones comprising facies III-1 (abyssal troughs with thick sediment cover) and III-2 (relatively flat areas covered by thick sediments) are characterized by low abundance of manganese nodules. This relationship between distribution of sonar facies and manganese nodule abundance implies that (1) the qualitative difference in acoustic reflectivity of long-range sidescan sonar with some ground truth data is useful for regional assessment of manganese nodule occurrence over wide areas in a reasonable time, and (2) seafloor topography and sediment thickness are important controlling factors for regional occurrences of manganese nodules.

Description: The torque generated by a rotating joint comprises the useful force exerted by the joint on the external environment, and both the magnitude and distribution of torque through the step cycle during walking are important variables in understanding the mechanics of walking. The mechanics of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) and snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) during walking were modelled to examine the relative roles of flexor versus extensor apodeme–muscle complexes, investigate which legs of these decapods likely contribute the greatest to locomotion, determine scaling effects of torque generation, and assess the relative roles of various model variables on torque production. Force generated along the length of the apodeme by the muscle was modelled based on apodeme surface area, muscle stress, and muscle fibre pinnation angle. Torque was then calculated from this estimated force and the corresponding moment arm. The flexor apodeme–muscle complex is calculated to generate consistently greater forces than the extensor, and generally this results in flexor torque being larger than extensor, though the snow crab does illustrate the opposite in two of its legs. This greater torque generation in flexion suggests that, in addition to the pushing of the trailing legs, the pulling action of the leading legs may play a significant role, at least during lateral walking. Leg 4 of both species appears to generate greater torques and thus provide the greatest forces for locomotion. Torque generation as a function of body size shows a second order response due to the increase in apodeme surface area. The pinnation angle of the muscle fibre is found to be insignificant in force generation, apodeme surface area (representing muscle cross sectional area) likely plays the most influential role in total force production, and moment arm controls the distribution of this force through the step cycle. Muscle stress remain a largely unknown quantity however, and may significantly affect both magnitude and distribution through step cycle of forces, and thus torque. Despite the uncertainty associated with the muscle stress parameter, the modelled results fit well with previously published force measurements.

Description: Palaeoenvironmental records from permafrost sequences complemented by infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and 230Th/U dates from Bol'shoy Lyakhovsky Island (7320'N, 14130'E) document the environmental history in the region for at least the past 200 ka. Pollen spectra and insect fauna indicate that relatively wet grass-sedge tundra habitats dominated during an interstadial c. 200–170 ka BP. Summers were rather warm and wet, while stable isotopes reflect severe winter conditions. The pollen spectra reflect sparser grass-sedge vegetation during a Taz (Late Saalian) stage, c. 170–130 ka BP, with environmental conditions much more severe compared with the previous interstadial. Open Poaceae and Artemisia plant associations dominated vegetation at the beginning of the Kazantsevo (Eemian) c. 130 ka BP. Some shrubs (Alnus fruticosa, Salix, Betula nana) grew in more protected and wetter places as well. The climate was relatively warm during this time, resulting in the melting of Saalian ice wedges. Later, during the interglacial optimum, shrub tundra with Alnus fruticosa and Betula nana s.l. dominated vegetation. Climate was relatively wet and warm. Quantitative pollen-based climate reconstruction suggests that mean July temperatures were 4–5 C higher than the present during the optimum of the Eemian, while late Eemian records indicate significant climate deterioration.

Description: The Space Information Laboratory (SIL) of the Tropical Center for Earth and Space Studies of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagu¨ ez (UPRM) has been collecting and processing satellite data since December of 1996. Satellite imagery from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Sea viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS) provides us with a new understanding of phytoplankton dynamics in the Caribbean region. SeaWiFS shows the intrusion of waters into the eastern Caribbean Sea from the Orinoco River during fall and from the Amazon River during spring–summer. Strong coastal upwelling in Venezuela produced by the trade winds during winter– spring is detected with the AVHRR. The satellite data suggest that these seasonal events may play an important role in phytoplankton fertilization of the eastern Caribbean Sea. SeaWiFS and hydrological data are also combined to evaluate the impact of hurricanes on phytoplankton distribution. The development of models for estimation of ocean primary productivity using SeaWiFS and AVHRR data is now in progress.

Description: The hydrographic conditions in the south-east Atlantic were investigated during the cruise of R/V Poseidon in April 1999. The area of investigation covers the two major eastern boundary currents of the Southern Atlantic and its convergence in the Angola-Benguela Frontal Zone (ABFZ). Hydrographic measurements have been carried out in combination with current measurements and are supplemented with remote sensing data of sea surface temperature (SST) and wind stress. The Angola Current transported in its surface part less saline water from the great rivers in the north towards the ABFZ. At the same time, south of the front, strong coastal upwelling in the Benguela was observed. At the beginning of April 1999 the ABFZ was found at an unusual southern position. The rapid dynamic response of the ABFZ to wind forcing is discussed on the basis of satellite SST images combined with hydrographic measurements.

Description: Changes apparent in the arctic climate system in recent years require evaluation in a century-scale perspective in order to assess the Arctic's response to increasing anthropogenic greenhouse-gas forcing. Here, a new set of century- and multidecadal-scale observational data of surface air temperature (SAT) and sea ice is used in combination with ECHAM4 and HadCM3 coupled atmosphere-ice-ocean global model simulations in order to better determine and understand arctic climate variability. We show that two pronounced twentieth-century warming events, both amplified in the Arctic, were linked to sea-ice variability. SAT observations and model simulations indicate that the nature of the arctic warming in the last two decades is distinct from the early twentieth-century warm period. It is suggested strongly that the earlier warming was natural internal climate-system variability, whereas the recent SAT changes are a response to anthropogenic forcing. The area of arctic sea ice is furthermore observed to have decreased similar to8 x 10(5) km(2) (7.4%) in the past quarter century, with record-low summer ice coverage in September 2002. A set of model predictions is used to quantify changes in the ice cover through the twenty-first century, with greater reductions expected in summer than winter. In summer, a predominantly sea-ice-free Arctic is predicted for the end of this century.

Description: Multiple antifouling strategies of marine organisms may consist of combinations of physical, chemical and mechanical mechanisms. In this study, the role of surface microtopography (〈500 mum) of different marine organisms, such as Cancer pagurus , Mytilus edulis , Ophiura texturata and the eggcase of Scyliorhinus canicula , has been investigated as a possible component of their defence systems. High resolution resin replicates of these natural surface structures were exposed to natural fouling in field experiments. Abundances of recruits were determined and compared to those on untextured, but otherwise identical, control surfaces to quantify the influence of the different microtopographies on fouling rates. Antifouling effects of microtopographies varied with type of microtopography and coloniser species. The surface microtopography of C. pagurus significantly rejected macrofoulers. The surface structures of the eggcase and O. texturata had repellent effects on microfoulers. Barnacle settlement was temporarily reduced on surface microtopographies of M. edulis and the eggcase. These results emphasise the promising non-toxic antifouling properties of microtextured surfaces

Description: Using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) bioautography, a total of 58 extracts from various organs (aerial parts, leaves, flowers, fruits, roots) of 16 Turkish plants were tested for their antibacterial, antifungal, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory, antioxidant, and radical scavenging activities. The hexane, CHCl3/CH2Cl2, water, and total MeOH extracts were used. No activity was observed against two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aureginosa) and the yeast Candida albicans. However, 23 plant extracts, mostly the CHCl3/CH2Cl2 and H2O-solubles, inhibited the growth of all five Gram-positive bacteria tested, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Of the active extracts, the CHCl3-soluble of the roots of Putoria calabrica (L. fil) DC (Rubiaceae) displayed the highest antibacterial potential. The majority of the CHCl3/CH2Cl2 crude extracts also appeared to inhibit acetylcholinesterase on TLC plates at 100 µg/spot concentration. Particularly active samples were the middle polarity extracts (CHCl3/CH2Cl2) of the leaves of Rhododendron smirnovii Trautv., R. ponticum L., and R. ungernii Trautv. (Ericaceae). β-Carotene, β-carotene/linoleic acid mixture, and 2,2-diphenyl-l-pieryhydrazyl (DPPH) solutions sprayed onto TLC plates were used for detecting antioxidant and radical scavenging properties of the crude extracts. Antioxidant and radical scavenging activities were found to be predominant in highly polar extracts. The water-solubles of all Rhododendron (Ericaceae) and Phlomis (Lamiaceae) species presented the most significant activity.

Description: A lab-scale composting experiment was carried out using vegetable and flower stalks waste to study the effectiveness of ligno-cellulolytic microorganisms (LCMs) obtained from the previous isolation on composting process, especially on enhancement of biodegradation rate of these organic materials. The addition of LCMs to compost showed promised to be a valuable asset by rendering timely benefits in efficiency, maturity, and quality of the composting. This was evidenced by a significant increase of temperature, O2 consumption and CO2 emission, and population density of LCMs in compost mass compared with that of biotic (addition of culture of horse feces) and abiotic (1% molasses amendment) treatments, as well as control trial. The phytotoxicity assay showed that the substrate became mature after 60 days’ composting. The LCMs inoculation enhanced the biodegradation of the composting materials as evidenced by an increasing screening ratio (1.2 cm sieve pore) of 34.5% in the treated trail, compared with that of control, which elucidated that big advantage of adding selected inoculants over other treatment, and screening ratio is a reasonable index to compare the quality of different compost. However, the inoculation seemed to have no significant effect on the moisture content, pH, and the final organic carbon of the composting materials.

Description: The egg mass and embryos of the ommastrephid squid Nototodarus gouldi McCoy, 1888 are reported for the first time, their identity confirmed by mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequence determination. The egg mass is a free‐floating gelatinous sphere of at least 1.5 m diameter and contains an estimated several thousand randomly distributed eggs; similar egg masses recorded from north‐eastern New Zealand waters of 1.0–2.0 m diameter are reported. Observed fluctuations in populations for this and other squid species may be a partial result of trawl damage to the egg masses.

Description: Siliceous and calcareous sponges commonly are treated with acid to remove the spicules prior to embedding and cutting for histological investigations. Histology of spiculated sponge tissue represents a challenging problem in sponge histotechnology. Furthermore, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), a key method for studying sponge-associated microbes, is not possible after acid treatment. For a broad range of siliceous sponge species, we developed and evaluated methods for embedding in paraffin, methylmethacrylate resins, LR White resin and cryomatrix. Different methods for cutting tissue blocks as well as mounting and staining sections also were tested. Our aim was to enable histological investigations and FISH without prior removal of the spicules. To obtain an overview of tissue and skeleton arrangement, we recommend embedding tissue blocks with LR White resin combined with en bloc staining techniques for large specimens with thick and numerous spicules, but paraffin embedding and subsequent staining for whole small specimens. For FISH on siliceous sponges, we recommend Histocryl embedding if the spicule content is high, but paraffin embedding if it is low. Classical histological techniques are used for detailed tissue examinations.

Description: Fault tolerance is an important aspect in the development of control systems for multi-legged robots since a failure in a leg may lead to a severe loss of static stability of a gait. In this paper, an algorithm for tolerating a locked joint failure is described in gait planning for a quadruped robot with crab walking. A locked joint failure is one for which a joint cannot move and is locked in place. If a failed joint is locked, the workspace of the resulting leg is constrained, but legged robots have fault tolerance capability to continue walking maintaining static stability. A strategy for fault-tolerant gaits is described and, especially, a periodic gait is presented for crab walking of a quadruped. The leg sequence and the formula of the stride length are analytically driven based on gait study and robot kinematics. The adjustment procedure from a normal gait to the proposed fault-tolerant crab gait is shown to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed scheme.

Description: The family Forskaliidae (Siphonophora, Physonectae) contains a single genus, Forskalia, whose species are, in general, poorly known. However, in recent years many Forskalia specimens have been collected by scuba divers or by using submersibles. These specimens have allowed a comprehensive review of the species within the genus to be carried out. In addition two new species are described.

Description: Permafrost deposits were studied along the Olenyeksky and the Arinsky distributaries in the western Lena delta using a multidisciplinary approach that included sedimentological, mineralogical, stable-isotope, and paleoecological analyses in order to reconstruct the Late Quaternary landscape and environmental history of this Northeast.

Description: This review provides an overview of the importance of beach accumulations of macrophytes and other organic beach-cast material on the ecology of sandy beach ecosystems. It describes the composition of these allochthonous subsidies, their abundance on beaches in relation to seasonal, lunar, tidal and spatial trends, their decomposition and utilisation by bacterial, meio- and macrofaunal communities. The paper then analyses the community structure and the species succession in both macrophyte wrack and carrion and reports the most important findings on individual wrack-inhabiting species (amphipods, isopods, dipterans). Other aspects, such as feeding and microclimatic preferences of certain species and their interactions in wracks, are also discussed. Links to vertebrate species and other secondary consumers that exploit beach-cast macrophytes and carrion as trophic resource are considered, and the importance of wrack in recycling nutrients to nearshore coastal ecosystems is stressed. The beneficial and detrimental effects of organic beach-cast material on both plants and animals of beach and nearshore communities and on the geomorphology of coastal beach-dune systems are pointed out. Another section is dedicated to human use of beach-cast macrophytes through harvesting of economically important species and of other stranded material through its exploitation for traditional reasons. The effects of harvesting on local faunal communities and on the stability of the dunes is discussed. A final section of the paper includes the positive and negative effects of man-made debris on sandy-beach ecosystems and briefly reviews the major findings.

Description: Current antifouling technologies rely on metal-based paints, but due to their toxicity, an expected worldwide ban of organotin-containing paints is now prompting the quest for safe and effective alternatives. One of these is antifouling coatings whose active components are naturally occurring compounds in marine organisms. A number of laboratory bioassays has been designed to search for antifouling compounds. However, there is no evidence to date that these assays provide results reproducible through ecologically realistic field experiments. Natural concentrations of the extracts from the Brazilian seaweeds Laurencia obtusa and Stypopodium zonale were tested in the laboratory through the 'mussel test' and in the field through the 'phytagel method' in order to compare the efficiency of these methods in assessing antifouling activity. L. obtusa extract significantly inhibited fouling in both the laboratory and field assays, while S. zonale stimulated fouling in both assays. Major compounds from the extracts were identified. The findings suggest that the 'mussel test' is a reliable time and cost-saving screening method for antifouling substances, although field assays are more sensitive for detection of their activity spectrum.

Description: Development of biomass and density in experimental monospecific stands of Fucus serratus, F. vesiculosus and F. spiralis was followed on Helgoland (southern North Sea) in plots with three different initial germling densities. As biomass increased over time, considerable mortality occurred. Mortality was significantly higher in stands with higher initial densities, leading to similar final densities. The self-thinning law, which describes boundary conditions for combinations of biomass and density of plants, was refuted in two ways for all three Fucus species: (i) several data points on a bi-logarithmic plane lay considerably above self-thinning lines with conventional parameters from terrestrial plant ecology; however, ‘overall boundaries’ (i.e. a self-thinning line that constrains all lines found) from terrestrial plant ecology were not significantly transgressed, (ii) lines fitted with principal components analysis (PCA) revealed a positive correlation between stand biomass and density. Reasons are proposed why seaweeds generally seem to show higher maximum biomass for a given density than terrestrial plants. Size distributions at the end of the experiment were positively skewed with high Gini coefficients that lay in the range found in other seaweed studies. Inequality decreased with individual mass and increased with density. Gini coefficients were highly correlated with other measurements of inequality (coefficient of variation, skewness).

Description: The Baltic Sea Experiment BALTEX is the European regional project of GEWEX. The aim of BALTEX is to improve the knowledge of the water and energy cycle of the Baltic Sea including its catchment area (the BALTEX area). In this study the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data (Kalnay et al. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 1996, 77, 437–471) are used to derive the mean atmospheric water budget over the BALTEX area. For this purpose the horizontal water vapour fluxes are calculated. In the long-term mean (here 1948 – 2000) the vertically integrated divergence of these fluxes must balance evaporation minus precipitation. The latter two are provided by the NCEP/NCAR reanalyses. The water budget over the BALTEX area is, however, not closed. An error estimation is performed. The divergence of the water vapour flux is corrected due to the mass balance correction technique (Alestalo, Tellus, 1981, 33, 360–371). Large differences are obtained between the precipitation given by the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and by the analysis of the observations by Rubel and Hantel (Meteorol. Atmos. Phys., 2001, 77, 155–166). With these analysed precipitation data and the corrected divergence of the water vapour fluxes the imbalance of the water vapour budget could be remarkably reduced.

Description: Precipitation and evaporation over the Baltic Sea are calculated for a one-year period from September 1998 to August 1999 by four different tools, the two atmospheric regional models HIRLAM and REMO, the oceanographic model PROBE-Baltic in combination with the SMHI (1 × 1)° database and Interpolated Fields, based essentially on ship measurements. The investigated period is slightly warmer and wetter than the climatological mean. Correlation coefficients of the differently calculated latent heat fluxes vary between 0.81 (HIRLAM and REMO) and 0.56 (SMHI/PROBE-Baltic and Interpolated Fields), while the correlation coefficients between model fluxes and measured fluxes range from 0.61 and 0.78. Deviations of simulated and interpolated monthly precipitation over the Baltic Sea are less than ±5 mm in the southern Baltic and up to 20 mm near the Finnish coast for the one-year period. The methods simulate the annual cycle of precipitation and evaporation of the Baltic Proper in a similar manner with a broad maximum of net precipitation in spring and early summer and a minimum in late summer. The annual averages of net precipitation of the Baltic Proper range from 57 mm (REMO) to 262 mm (HIRLAM) and for the Baltic Sea from 96 mm (SMHI/PROBE-Baltic) to 209 mm (HIRLAM). This range is considered to give the uncertainty of present-day determination of the net precipitation over the Baltic Sea.

Description: The aim of this article is to give a contextual description of personnel selection in Europe, and to highlight some typical features and recent trends in practice and research. We begin with describing the socio-economic environment in which European personnel selection is embedded. Next, we take a closer look at the institutional settings in which personnel selection takes place and its underlying principles. Consequently we review and discuss recent empirical evidence on selection practices and methods, and interpret observed characteristics in terms of contextual differences. Looking at recent changes in the European organizational environment, we note that selection practices exhibit a certain degree of conservatism, and that selection research and theory are slow in addressing new issues. The lack of responsiveness to the changing context is attributed to a continued adherence to the "right man in the right place" paradigm. As an alternative paradigm we propose the "theatre model" of selection, which seems more suitable to tune personnel selection to current contextual demands. Finally, we present a view of the future agenda for European selection research.

Description: Cold seep environments such as sediments above outcropping hydrate at Hydrate Ridge (Cascadia margin off Oregon) are characterized by methane venting, high sulfide fluxes caused by the anaerobic oxidation of methane, and the presence of chemosynthetic communities. Recent investigations showed that another characteristic feature of cold seeps is the occurrence of methanotrophic archaea, which can be identified by specific biomarker lipids and 16S rDNA analysis. This investigation deals with the diversity and distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria, some of which are directly involved in the anaerobic oxidation of methane as syntrophic partners of the methanotrophic archaea. The composition and activity of the microbial communities at methane vented and nonvented sediments are compared by quantitative methods including total cell counts, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), bacterial production, enzyme activity, and sulfate reduction rates. Bacteria involved in the degradation of particulate organic carbon (POC) are as active and diverse as at other productive margin sites of similar water depths. The availability of methane supports a two orders of magnitude higher microbial biomass (up to 9.6 2 10 10 cells cm m 3 ) and sulfate reduction rates (up to 8 w mol cm m 3 d m 1 ) in hydrate-bearing sediments, as well as a high bacterial diversity, especially in the group of i -proteobacteria including members of the branches Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus , Desulforhopalus , Desulfobulbus , and Desulfocapsa . Most of the diversity of sulfate-reducing bacteria in hydrate-bearing sediments comprises seep-endemic clades, which share only low similarities with previously cultured bacteria.

Description: Pollen data from a Levinson-Lessing Lake sediment core (74°28'N, 98°38'E) and Cape Sabler, Taymyr Lake permafrost sequences (74°33'N, 100°32'E) reveal substantial environmental changes on the northern Taymyr Peninsula during the last c. 32000 14C years. The continuous records confirm that a scarce steppe-like vegetation with Poaceae, Artemisia and Cyperaceae dominated c. 32 000–10300 14C yr BP, while tundra-like vegetation with Oxyria, Ranunculaceae and Caryophyllaceae grew in wetter areas. The coldest interval occurred c. 18000 yr BP. Lateglacial pollen data show several warming events followed by a climate deterioration c. 10500 14C yr BP, which may correspond with the Younger Dryas. The Late Pleistocene/Holocene transition, c. 10300–10000 14C yr BP, is characterized by a change from the herb-dominated vegetation to shrubby tundra with Betula sect. Nanae and Salix. Alnus fruticosa arrived locally c. 9000–8500 14Cyr BP and disappeared c. 4000–3500 14Cyr BP. Communities of Betula sect. Nanae, broadly distributed at c. 10000–3500 14Cyr BP, almost disappeared when vegetation became similar to the modern herb tundra after 3500–3000 14Cyr BP. Quantitative climate reconstructions show Last Glacial Maximum summer temperature about 4°C below the present and Preboreal (c. 10 000 14C yr BP) temperature 2–4°C above the present. Maximum summer temperature occurred between 10 000 and 5500 14C yr BP; later summers were similar to present or slightly warmer.

Description: A compilation of data on the elemental composition of marine phytoplankton from published studies was used to determine the range of C:N:P. The N:P ratio of algae and cyanobacteria is very plastic in nutrient-limited cells, ranging from 〈5 mol N:mol P when phosphate is available greatly in excess of nitrate or ammonium to 〈100 mol N:mol P when inorganic N is present greatly in excess of P. Under optimal nutrient-replete growth conditions, the cellular N:P ratio is somewhat more constrained, ranging from 5 to 19 mol N:mol P, with most observations below the Redfield ratio of 16. Limited data indicate that the critical N:P that marks the transition between N- and P-limitation of phytoplankton growth lies in the range 20–50 mol N:mol P, considerably in excess of the Redfield ratio. Biochemical composition can be used to constrain the critical N:P. Although the biochemical data do not preclude the critical N:P from being as high as 50, the typical biochemical composition of nutrient-replete algae and cyanobacteria suggests that the critical N:P is more likely to lie in the range between 15 and 30. Despite the observation that the overall average N:P composition of marine particulate matter closely approximates the Redfield ratio of 16, there are significant local variations with a range from 5 to 34. Consistent with the culture studies, lowest values of N:P are associated with nitrate- and phosphate-replete conditions. The highest values of N:P are observed in oligotrophic waters and are within the range of critical N:P observed in cultures, but are not so high as to necessarily invoke P-limitation. The C:N ratio is also plastic. The average C:N ratios of nutrientreplete phytoplankton cultures, oceanic particulate matter and inorganic N and C draw-down are slightly greater than the Redfield ratio of 6.6. Neither the analysis of laboratory C:N:P data nor a more theoretical approach based on the relative abundance of the major biochemical molecules in the phytoplankton can support the contention that the Redfield N:P reflects a physiological or biochemical constraint on the elemental composition of primary production.

Description: We investigated the effects of local nutrient enrichment, among-population variation in quality, and within-plant variation in quality on growth, development, and food consumption (total amount of food ingested) of the marine isopod Idotea baltica when fed Fucus vesiculosus. We found that the proximity of fish farms increased carbon/nitrogen ratio, but did not change the concentration of phlorotannins in the F. vesiculosus thallus. Algal diets taken from sites close to or far from fish farms did not affect the growth, development, or total amount of food ingested of I. baltica. Therefore, eutrophication may not necessarily decrease the level of plant resistance. We found that different F. vesiculosus beds vary in quality and led to differences in total amount of food ingested and production efficiency of I. baltica. The variation in quality of F. vesiculosus in different locations may generate variance in grazing pressure between the belts. Idotea baltica was most sensitive to within-plant variation, as the isopods grew more and had higher production efficiency on apical than basal parts of F. vesiculosus. Idotea baltica did not compensate for the lower quality of basal parts by increasing consumption. This may indicate that the low quality of the basal thallus is related to higher levels of secondary metabolites and not to lower levels of soluble sugars or nitrogen that might have encouraged compensatory consumption. Our results suggest that within-plant variation in the quality of the F. vesiculosus is more important for herbivores than possible environmental variation caused by eutrophication.

Description: Small-angle phase functions (0.05° 〈 θ 〈 20°) have been measured for turbid samples that were then used in a Monte-Carlo theoretical light-scattering model. The measured phase function yields excellent agreement between model predictions and long-path tank measurements.

Description: The study investigates perspectives of the parameter estimation problem with the adjoint method in eddy-resolving models. Sensitivity to initial conditions resulting from the chaotic nature of this type of model limits the direct application of the adjoint method by predictability. Prolonging the period of assimilation is accompanied by the appearance of an increasing number of secondary minima of the cost function that prevents the convergence of this method. In the framework of the Lorenz model it is shown that averaged quantities are suitable for describing invariant properties, and that secondary minima are for this type of data transformed into stochastic deviations. An adjoint method suitable for the assimilation of statistical characteristics of data and applicable on time scales beyond the predictability limit is presented. The approach assumes a greater predictability for averaged quantities. The adjoint to a prognostic model for statistical moments is employed for calculating cost function gradients that ignore the fine structure resulting from secondary minima. Coarse resolution versions of eddy-resolving models are used for this purpose. Identical twin experiments are performed with a quasigeostrophic model to evaluate the performance and limitations of this approach in improving models by estimating parameters. The wind stress curl is estimated from a simulated mean stream function. A very simple parameterization scheme for the assimilation of second-order moments is shown to permit the estimation of gradients that perform efficiently in minimizing cost functions.

Description: Using dimensional analysis and finite-element calculations, several relationships that relate features of indentation loading and unloading curves to the hardness, the elastic modulus and the work of indentation are extended to conical indentation in elastic-plastic solids with various angles. These relationships provide new insights into indentation measurements. They may also be useful to the interpretation of results obtained from instrumented indentation experiments.

Description: One kinds of glycolipid (SBI) have been isolated from the marine brown alga Sargassum hemiphyllum (Turn.) Ag. The structures of SBI have been determined as the sodium salt of 1-0-acyl-3-0-(6′-sulfo-α-D-quinovopyrannosyl) glycerol (acyl: tetradecanoyl, pentadecanoyl, 11-hexadecenoyl, hexadecanoyl, 10,13-octadecadienoyl, 9-octade cenoyl, 15-metylheptadecanoyl and 11-eicosenoyl 17:1.5:19:153:1:19:1:2) on the basis of chemical and spectral evidence and GC-MS analysis, respectively. Four constituents of the SBI were new compounds [the sodium salt of 1-0-(11″-hexadecenoyl)-3-0-(6′-sulfo-α-D-quinovopyrannosyl) glycerol, the sodium salt of 1-0-(10″,13″-octadecadienoyl)-3-0-(6′-sulfo-α-D-quinovopyrannosyl) glycerol, and the sodium salt of 1-0-(15″-metylhexadecenoyl)-3-0-(6′-sulfo-α-D-quinovopyrannosyl) glycerol, and the sodium salt of 1-0-(11″-eicosenoyl)-3-0-(6′-sulfo-α-D-quinovopyrannosyl) glycerol]. All compounds were isolated from marine brown alga for the first time.

Description: Seafloor morphology and ferromanganese nodule occurrence were studied using a multibeam side scan sonar (SeaBeam, 2000) and a deep-sea camera system in the Korea Deep-sea Environmental Study (KODES) area, northeast equatorial Pacific. Seafloor morphology and nodule abundance are highly variable even in this small study area. The NNE-SSW oriented hills are parallel and about 100–200 m high. Valleys are very flat-floored, while hilltops are rugged with depressions of tens of meters. Cliffs to about 100 m bound the valleys and the hills. The study area can be classified into three types based both on nodule occurrence and seafloor morphology, mostly G- and B-types and some M-type. G-type is characterized by high nodule abundance, ubiquitous bioturbation, and flat seafloor morphology, while B-type is characterized by irregular-shaped nodules, variable nodule abundance, occurrence of giant nodules and sediment lumps, rugged bottom morphology with depressions, and white calcareous surface sediments. Medium nodule abundance and a generally flat seafloor characterize M-type. G-type occurs mostly in the valley regions, while B-type is on the hilltop areas. M-type is located between the hilltop and the valley. Tectonic movement of the Pacific plate resulted in the elongated abyssal hills and cliffs. The rugged morphology on hilltops resulted from erosion and redistribution of surface siliceous sediments on hilltops by bottom currents, outcropping of underlying calcareous sediments, and dissolution of the carbonate sediments by corrosive bottom water undersaturated with CaCO3. Sediment eroded from the hills, which is relatively young and organic-rich, is deposited in the valleys, and diagenetic metal supply to manganese nodules in the valley area is more active than on the hills. We suggest that tectonic movement ultimately constrains morphology, surface sediment facies, bottom currents and sediment redistribution, bioturbation, thickness of the sedimentary layer, and other conditions, which are all interrelated and control nodule occurrence. The best potential area for mining in the study area is the G-type valley zones with about 3–4 km width and NNW-SSE orientation.

Description: The use of precautionary management actions within a fisheries context has generally been limited to reducing fishing mortality. By the use of quantitative models, overfishing thresholds can be determined and actions can be taken to reduce the probability of further population declines and to allow rebuilding. Within this context, four management approaches have been defined (i.e., preventive approach, corrective approach, precautionary approach, and precautionary principle) on the basis of levels of uncertainty in the information used to make decisions and the potential cost of errors as a result of those decisions. In this paper, I apply these approaches to developing a precautionary and adaptive habitat management framework. Fishing effort metrics are used to develop estimates of the area of seafloor impacted by fishing, and thresholds are proposed to trigger specific types of management actions. Information needs include the cumulative area impacted by all gears, the distribution of habitats and diversity of key taxa, effects of gears on habitat and patterns of diversity, and linkages between habitat and the dynamics of exploited populations. Incentives for the fishing industry that will improve the information available to make decisions and reduce the level of precaution required for managing exploitation of wild populations are discussed. This framework is a starting point for management agencies to develop precautionary and adaptive habitat management programs that promote both the sustainability of exploited populations and the maintenance of biological diversity.

Description: Due to the ephemeral nature of the atmospheric conditions over the Baltic Sea, the flow field is highly variable, and thus, changes in the resulting circulation and upwelling are difficult to observe. However, three-dimensional models, forced by realistic atmospheric conditions and river runoff, have reached such a state of accuracy that the highly fluctuating current field and the associated evolution of the temperature and salinity field can be described. In this work, effects of remote and local atmospheric forcing on circulation and upwelling in the Baltic Sea are investigated. Changes in the characteristics of the large-scale atmospheric wind field over the central and eastern North Atlantic can be described by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO is related to the strength and geographical position of weather systems as they cross the North Atlantic and thus has a direct impact on the climate in Europe. To relate the local wind field over the Baltic Sea to the large-scale atmospheric circulation, we defined a Baltic Sea Index (BSI), which is the difference of normalised sea level pressures between Oslo in Norway and Szczecin in Poland. The NAO is significantly related to the BSI. Furthermore, the BSI is highly correlated with the storage variation of the Baltic Sea and the volume exchange through the Danish Sounds. Based on three-dimensional model calculations, it is shown that different phases of the NAO during winter result in major changes of horizontal transports in the deep basins of the Baltic Sea and in upwelling along the coasts as well as in the interior of the basins. During NAO+ phases, strong Ekman currents are produced with increased up- and downwelling along the coasts and associated coastal jets, whereas during NAO− phases, Ekman drift and upwelling are strongly reduced, and the flow field can almost entirely be described by the barotropic stream function. The general nature of the mean circulation in the deep basins of the Baltic Sea, obtained from a 10-yr model run, can be described by the depth integrated vorticity balance derived from the transport equation for variable depth.

Description: Cephalopod stocks are of increasing economic importance. Cephalopod fisheries show marked inter-annual fluctuations unrelated to fishery landings and effort. Their population dynamics, particularly recruitment, are thought to be strongly susceptible to changes in environmental conditions. This arises in part from the short life cycle, resulting in poor buffering of the population against changing conditions. These characteristics make traditional approaches to stock assessment and fishery management inappropriate. GIS offers a tool to improve understanding of spatio-temporal trends in abundance and facilitate rational management. A cephalopod fishery geographical information system for Northeast Atlantic waters (CFGIS-NEA) was developed. The system covers the area from 28.0° W to 11.0° E, and 34.5° N to 65.5° N. It was designed for investigating cephalopod resource dynamics in relation to environmental variation. It is based on Unix Arc/Info, and PC ArcView, combined with the statistical software package S-PLUS and supported by a database in Microsoft Access. Environmental data (e.g. sea surface temperature and salinity, sea bottom temperature and salinity, and bathymetric data), cephalopod fishery, survey and biological data, from a variety of sources, were integrated in the GIS as coverages, grids, shapefiles, and tables. Special functions were developed for data integration, data conversion, query, visualisation, analysis and management. User-friendly interfaces were developed allowing relatively inexperienced users to operate the system. The spatial and temporal distribution patterns of cephalopod abundance by species, the spatial and temporal relationships between cephalopod abundance and environmental factors, and the spatial and temporal patterns of cephalopod fishing activity were analysed using a combination of visual (qualitative) and quantitative methods. Predictive empirical models, such as GAMs (generalized additive models), were developed for modelling cephalopod abundance using environmental variables.

Description: All seven known resident Arctic cephalopods were identified in the collections of the German RV Polarstern (1991, 1993, 1995, 1998) in the waters around Svalbard, northwards from the Kara Sea, in the Laptev and western East Siberian seas: sepia lids Rossia palpebrosa (depths 96–362 m) and R. moelleri (67–101, specimens identified with question mark also at the depths of 38 and 292 m), benthic octopuses Bathypolypus arcticus (180–362 m), Benthoctopus piscatorum (1580–2000 m), and Benthoctopus sibiricus (30m, a juvenile identified with question mark), cirrate octopod Cirroteuthis muelleri (3012–3310 m), and gonatid squid Gonatus fabricii (juveniles: in midwater, 300–500 m, in fish stomachs, 946–990 m). The latter two species are definitely circumpolar and panpolar (inhabiting the whole Polar Basin). The known ranges of R. pulpebrosa, R. moelleri, and B. arcticus are extended from the eastern coasts of Severnaya Zemlya and Vilkitsky Strait to western East Siberian Sea (R. palpebrosa: 150°E) or eastern Laptev Sea (R. moelleri: 130°E, B. arcticus: 135°E), the range of B. piscatorum is extended from West Spitsbergen Island to 91°E. Although gaps still exist in the known distributions of R. palpebrosa. R. moelleri and B. arcticus (these species are considered as West-Arctic or Atlanta-West-Arctic) between the eastern boundaries of their ranges in the Asian Arctic and western boundaries in the Canadian Arctic, there are little doubt that they are in fact circumpolar and widely eurybathic in the western sector of the Arctic but in the eastern sector distributed only at depths 〉 100–200 m (except R. moelleri: to 67 m). B. piscatorum is known at yet in western Arctic only and may be not circumpolar. Benthoctopus sibiricus is the East-Arctic (definitely not circumpolar) shallow-water benthic octopus having relations with the octopods of northwestern Pacific.

Description: What is environmental enrichment? During the last several decades, zoos and aquariums have come to realize (perhaps belatedly) that animals kept in captivity need environmental enrichment for their well-being (Seidensticher & Forthman, 1998). Early zoos and aquariums tried to show as many animals as possible; hence, their exhibits were frequently small and bare to permit easy viewing, cleaning, and sterilization. Now, all have come to realize that captive animals need environmental enrichment for their health and for the education and increased expectations of visitors to zoos and aquariums.

Description: The morphological features associated with Co-rich manganese deposits, the size variations of nodules, and the occurrence of different substrates have been analyzed, to evaluate the influence of various seabed slope angles on the distribution of these features. The coverage and size of the crusts depend on their surface morphology and seabed topography, resulting in cobble-type, lineated, or step-like outcrops. Small nodules (1–4 cm in diameter) dominate all seabed slopes, with a few locations having nodules ranging from 1 to 8 or 1 to 10 cm. Sediments invariably occur as substrates for nodules and as cover for crusts, their coverage being inversely proportional to that of the nodules and crust outcrops.

Description: A semi-quantitative assessment is made of the animals observed in archived videotapes taken from the research submersible Jago, during diamond mining and exploratory surveys off the mouth of the Orange River on the west coast of southern Africa (28°15′S, 29°11′S) in November 1996. The seabed environment is described and nekton associations with substratum features are identified. The area is characterized by heterogeneity to its physical and biological struture. The variety of observed nekton is low, and communities are dominated by goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus, juvenile hake Merluccius spp. and cuttlefish Sepia spp. (on soft substrata), as well as false jacopever Sebastes capensis and kingklip Genypterus capensis (on rocky substrata).

Description: The chief host of cadmium in zinc deposits is sphalerite, the cadmium content of which depends on the type of deposit. Sphalerite from Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits has high cadmium concentrations whereas sphalerite from exhalative deposits has low cadmium concentrations. The Cd content of sphalerite depends on the Cd/Zn ratio, ligand activities, and temperature of the ore-forming fluids. The combined effect of variation of temperature, pH, total activity of reduced sulfur, and activity of Cl- cannot by itself account for either Cd depletion (exhalative deposits) or Cd enrichment (MVT deposits). Variations in the Cd/Zn ratio of the fluid have a significant effect in determining that of sphalerite. Basinal brines, which can considered to be the recent equivalents of MVT fluids, have high Cd/Zn ratios, and active exhalative systems are characterized by low Cd/Zn ratios. Probably the differences in sphalerite composition between the different deposit types are less a function of temperature and ligand activities than Cd/Zn ratio of the ore-forming fluids. In the hydrothermal environment, the Cd/Zn ratio is generally not high enough to allow crystallization of cadmium sulfides (greenockite or hawleyite). The abundance of greenockite in the supergene alteration zone of hydrothermal zinc deposits can be explained on the basis of Zn scavenging by crystallizing smithsonite.

Description: A single living specimen of Stenocyathus vermiformis was collected with a grab from the distal rubble zone of a Lophelia bank at 276 m depth on the Sula Ridge, Norwegian Shelf.

Description: Recent progress in research of the global carbon cycle is reviewed and research needs for the immediate future are discussed, in light of the challenge posed to society to come to grips with the problem of man-made climate change. The carbon cycle in the oceans and on the land is reviewed, and how the atmosphere functions to couple them together. Major uncertainties still exist for any projection of the future atmospheric burden of carbon dioxide resulting from postulated emission scenarios of CO2. We present some ideas on how future policies designed to limit emissions or to sequester carbon can possibly be supported by scientific evidence of their effectiveness.

Description: Particle fluxes were measured 7 m above the sea bottom during the predisturbance, disturbance, and postdisturbance periods by using time series sediment traps attached to seven deep-sea moorings deployed in the INDEX experiment site in the Central Indian Basin. The predisturbance particle fluxes varied between 22.3 to 55.1 mg m−2 day−1. Increased and variable particle fluxes were recorded by the sediment traps during the disturbance period. The increase observed was 0.5 to 4 times more than the background predisturbance fluxes. The increases in particle fluxes (∼4 times) recorded by the sediment trap located in the southwestern direction (DMS-1) were the greatest, which could be the result of preferential movement of resuspended particles generated during the deep-sea benthic disturbance along the general current direction prevailing in this area during the experimental period. Also, the traps located closer to the disturbance area recorded greater fluxes than did the traps far away, across the Deep Sea Sediment Resuspension System path. This variability in recorded particle fluxes by the traps around the disturbance area clearly indicates that physical characteristics such as grain size and density of the resuspended particles produced during the disturbance had an important effect on particle movement. The postdisturbance measurements during ∼5 days showed a reduction in particle fluxes of ∼50%, indicating rapid particle settlement.

Description: Observations on seafloor features from subbottom profiling and seabed photography data show that the undisturbed and natural conditions before the benthic disturbance undergo a substantial change after operation of the disturber. The effects can be seen in the form of deep trenches and grooves, formed by the action of the sleds and the pumping of the sediment along its path, as well as sediment piles on either side of the track. Biological traces such as fecal coils, casts, tubes, burrows, and trails get obliterated in the areas of disturbance and resedimentation. The smooth, uniform nature of the seafloor observed in pre-disturbance phase shows microtopographic changes in and around the disturbed area as a result of sediment excavation and resettlement. Vertical mixing as well as lateral transport of sediment alter the geological, biological, physical, and chemical conditions on the seafloor, which need to be monitored over time to assess the process and the time taken for restoration of environmental conditions.

Description: Antarctic sponges are commonly fouled by diatoms, sometimes so heavily as to occlude pores employed in filter feeding and respiration. This fouling becomes heavier during the annual summer microalgal bloom. Polar and non‐polar extracts of eight species of marine sponges from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica were assayed for cytotoxicity against sympatric fouling diatoms. To identify compounds potentially released by sponges as defenses against diatom biofouling, only fractions of crude extracts that were soluble in seawater or 2% methanol in seawater were assayed. Significant bioactivity was present in seven of the eight species. Both Mycale acerata and Homaxinella balfourensis displayed moderate levels of defense against diatoms even though they are not or are only weakly chemically defended against bacteria and predators. Calyx acuarius extracts, which do have antipredator and antibacterial effects, had no effect on diatoms except at levels many fold higher than present in the intact animal. These results strongly suggest some level of specificity for chemical defenses against diatom fouling in antarctic sponges.

Description: Measurements from a dinosaur trackway are used to estimate how fast the dinosaur track makers were moving. The exercise, which is appropriate for any introductory earth-science course at the secondary-school or college level, introduces students to dimensional analysis by having them construct an empirical graph of dimensionless stride length versus dimensionless velocity. The students then estimate the dimensionless stride length from the trackway data and use the dimensionless graph to determine the speeds of the dinosaurs. Experience with the exercise indicates that even students with little quantitative background are motivated by the challenge of determining whether they could outrun the dinosaurs and often begin to appreciate the power of dimensional analysis, a concept not usually presented in introductory courses.

Description: A reassessment of the abundance of dolomite in carbonate sediments has confirmed that carbonates deposited during the past 150 Ma contain, on average, less dolomite than Proterozoic and Paleozoic carbonates. The lower dolomite content of the more recent carbonate sediments results from the increase in the deposition of CaCO3 in deep-sea sediments, and to the difficulty of dolomitizing deep-sea CaCO3 by reaction with cold, unevaporated seawater. The decrease in the rate of dolomite formation during the past 150 Ma has led to an increase in the output of oceanic Mg+2 by the reaction of seawater with clay minerals and with ocean-floor basalts. The increase in the output of marine Mg+2 into these reservoirs has been brought about by an increase in the Mg+2 concentration of seawater. During the past 40 Ma, the concentration of Mg+2 in seawater has probably increased by ∼18 mmol/kg, and probably has been accompanied by an equimolar increase in the concentration of SO4−2.

Description: The morphological features associated with Co-rich manganese deposits, the size variations of nodules, and the occurrence of different substrates have been analyzed, to evaluate the influence of various seabed slope angles on the distribution of these features. The coverage and size of the crusts depend on their surface morphology and seabed topography, resulting in cobble-type, lineated, or step-like outcrops. Small nodules (1–4 cm in diameter) dominate all seabed slopes, with a few locations having nodules ranging from 1 to 8 or 1 to 10 cm. Sediments invariably occur as substrates for nodules and as cover for crusts, their coverage being inversely proportional to that of the nodules and crust outcrops. Steeper seafloor areas have large crust outcrops exposed with no or few nodules and sediments associated with them. The intermediate slopes have a combination of nodules, sediments, and crusts in various proportions, depending on topography and gradient. Large-scale nodule occurrences, followed by sediment fields and crust outcrops on seabed slopes of 〈 3°, 3–7°, and 〉 15°, respectively, represent typical morphological distribution zones of the Co-rich manganese deposits on a seamount in the central Pacific Ocean. A transition zone between nodule-dominated fields and large crust outcrops occurs for slopes from 7° to 15°. This detailed study on distribution of Co-rich deposits gives a better understanding for purposes of their exploitation.

Description: The holoplanktonic family Miraciidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) is revised and a key to the four monotypic genera presented. Amended diagnoses are given for Miracia Dana, Oculosetella Dahl and Macrosetella A. Scott, based on complete redescriptions of their respective type species M. efferata Dana, 1849, O. gracilis (Dana, 1849) and M. gracilis (Dana, 1847). A fourth genus Distioculus gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate Miracia minor T. Scott, 1894. The occurrence of two size-morphs of M. gracilis in the Red Sea is discussed, and reliable distribution records of the problematic O. gracilis are compiled. The first nauplius of M. gracilis is described in detail and changes in the structure of the antennule, P2 endopod and caudal ramus during copepodid development are illustrated. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Miracia is closest to the miraciid ancestor and placed Oculosetella-Macrosetella at the terminal branch of the cladogram. Various aspects of miraciid biology are reviewed, including reproduction, postembryonic development, vertical and geographical distribution, bioluminescence, photoreception and their association with filamentous Cyanobacteria (Trichodesmium).

Description: The stomach contents of 723 Loligo vulgaris and 440 Loligo forbesi caught in the northwestern Spanish Atlantic waters have been examined. The diets of both species are described and compared. Loligo vulgaris shows 28 different types of prey belonging to four groups (Teleostei, Crustacea, Cephalopoda and Polychaeta) and Loligo forbesi 27 different types of prey belonging to three groups (Teleostei, Crustacea and Cephalopoda). Both species catch similar prey species but in different proportions. Cannibalism was observed in both species. Estimated prey sizes were smaller than squid sizes. No differences in feeding habits of males and females of both species were observed, but females seem to increase food intake during maturation. No significant changes were found in the diet of Loligo vulgaris within the size (DML) range studied (65–465 mm). Importance of cephalopods increased and importance of fish decreased in the diet of Loligo forbesi with growth (65–685 mm). Diet and food intake varied with seasons in both species. Diets of both squids were significantly different. Los contenidos estomacales de 723 Loligo vulgaris y 440 Loligo forbesi capturados en aguas de Galicia (Noroeste de España) fueron examinados. Se describe y compara la dieta de ambas especies. Se identificaron 28 tipos de presa diferentes en Loligo vulgaris que pertenecen a cuatro grupos (Teleostei, Crustacea, Cephalopoda y Polychaeta); y 27 tipos de presa en Loligo forbesi, pertenecientes a tres grupos (Teleostei, Crustacea y Cephalopoda). Ambas especies comen pres as similares, pero en proporciones diferentes. En ambas especies se observó canibalismo. La talla de las presas fue menor que la de los calamares. No se encontraron diferencias en la dieta entre machos y hembras en ambas especies, pero se observó que las hembras incrementan su tasa de ingestión durante la maduración. No se hallaron cambios significativos en la dieta de Loligo vulgaris en función de la talla (DML) dentro del rango de tamanos estudiado (65–465 mm). En Loligo forbesi, los cefalópodos aumentaron y los peces disminuyeron en importancia con la talla (65–685 mm DML). La dieta y la tasta de ingestión de ambas especies varió con la época del ano. Las dietas de ambas especies fueron significativemente diferentes entre sí.

Description: Individual polychlorinated biphenyl (CB) congeners in adipose and whole blood tissues of a capacitor manufacture worker (occupational/accidental exposure) and of the general population were determined. Nondestructive sample cleanup and multidimensional gas chromatography-electron capture detection (MDGC-ECD) techniques were applied. Special attention was given to the toxicologically relevant congeners CB-77, CB-126, CB-169, CB-105, CB-114, CB-118, CB-156, CB-167, and CB-189 (IUPAC). Lipid-based tissue contents of sigma CBs were higher in the occupationally/accidentally exposed worker (adipose = 7,000 ng/g; whole blood = 11 ng/g) than in the general population (adipose = 300 ng/g; whole blood = 1.9 ng/g). Among the non-ortho Cl CBs, CB-77 was below detection limit (〈 1.0 pg/g). The contents of CB-126 for the capacitor manufacture worker were 2,000 and 3 pg/g, and in the general population were 100 and 2 pg/g for adipose and whole blood, respectively. The corresponding data for CB-169 were 3,500 and 4 for adipose and whole blood, respectively, in the exposed worker, and 40 and 2 for adipose and whole blood, respectively, in the general population. Congeners with highest contents were CB-153, CB-138, CB-180, CB-170, and CB-187. These congeners possess chlorine substitution patterns, making them resistant to metabolism. X/153 ratios suggest that both PB and 3-MC type cytochrome P-450 enzymes were induced in the exposed worker, as well as in the general population.

Description: A coupled ocean-atmosphere GCM is being developed for use in seasonal forecasting. As part of the development work, a number of experiments have been made to explore some of the sensitivities of the coupled model system. The overall heat balance of the tropics is found to be very sensitive to convective cloud cover. Adjusting the cloud parameterization to produce stable behaviour of the coupled model also leads to better agreement between model radiative fluxes and satellite data. A further sensitivity is seen to changes in low-level marine stratus, which is under-represented in the initial model experiments. An increase in this cloud in the coupled model produces a small improvement in both the global mean state and the phase of the east Pacific annual cycle. The computational expense of investigating such small changes is emphasized. An indication of model sensitivity to surface albedo is also presented. The sensitivity of the coupled GCM to initial conditions is investigated. The model is very sensitive, with tiny perturbations able to determine El Niño or non-El Niño conditions just six months later. This large sensitivity may be related to the relatively weak amplitude of the model ENSO cycle.

Description: ECHO is a new global coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM), consisting of the Hamburg version of the European Centre atmospheric GCM (ECHAM) and the Hamburg Primitive Equation ocean GCM (HOPE). We performed a 20-year integration with ECHO. Climate drift is significant, but typical annual mean errors in sea surface temperature (SST) do not exceed 2° in the open oceans. Near the boundaries, however, SST errors are considerably larger. The coupled model simulates an irregular ENSO cycle in the tropical Pacific, with spatial patterns similar to those observed. The variability, however, is somewhat weaker relative to observations. ECHO also simulates significant interannual variability in mid-latitudes. Consistent with observations, variability over the North Pacific can be partly attributed to remote forcing from the tropics. In contrast, the interannual variability over the North Atlantic appears to be generated locally.

Description: This paper describes the evolution of the former Tethys ocean in terms of successive positions of the involved plates, their boundaries, and the oceanic and continental elements they bore. Most of the past positions for the major continents are obtained from published data on the kinematics of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. As they do not cover the complete time span and area under study, additional solutions for the missing parts are proposed on the basis of paleomagnetic and geologic data. A revised reconstruction of Eastern Gondwana and a reappraisal of the early history of the Indian ocean is presented, as well as a discussion of the Pangea megashear concept which applies to the relations between Gondawa and Laurussia during latest Palaeozoic to Mid-Triassic times. Past positions of continental blocks, basins and associated plate boundaries within the now disappeared Tethys ocean, are determined through the kinematic inversion of the Alpine chains interpreted in terms of break-up, oceanic spreading and drift, subduction and collision. A quantitative solution is obtained by associating Eulerian rotation parameters to any relative displacement, computing their combination, then adjusting until a complete coherency through time and space is obtained. Our method puts emphasis on the former positions of the plate boundaries in the Tethys, and stresses the drastically different organisation of Tethys west and east of a fundamental triple junction located in its Mediterranean part. A symmetric Atlantic part of Tethys, governed by a mid-ocean diverging boundary, was thus linked eastwards to an asymmetric “Transit” part of Tethys where southern diverging boundaries and northern converging boundaries defined a Transit plate (or group of plates). Besides several reorganisations through southward shift of these boundaries, the successive (or coeval) transit plates systematically exhibited the same north-south asymmetry responsible for the northward migration of the various continental blocks they carried, which were successively detached from Gondwana to become accreted to Eurasia. The transit process, while an essential element of the Tethyan tectonic pattern, was not restricted to lifetime of Tethys, as it is still active nowadays and was already active during the Palaeozoic. Nevertheless, its association with the Atlantic Tethys diverging boundary is typical for the lifetime of Tethys, both constituting a “Tethys plate pattern”, in opposition to the present-day and to Hercynian “Anti-Tethys plate pattern” where a converging boundary is and was associated with the transit plate system. Two pre-eminent tectonic events, the Late Triassic switchover from the Anti-Tethys pattern to the Tethys pattern, and the Late Cretaceous switchover back to the Anti-Tethys pattern, decided birth and death of the Tethys ocean.

Description: Site fidelity and dispersal of juvenile and sexually mature adults was investigated at the largest southern African gannetry on Bird Island, Algoa Bay, where a minimum of 65000 airs occupy approximatel 2 ha at a mean density of 2,85 nests per m2. Based on 512 ring recoveries and live retraps of known-aged birds of this colony, immature and non-breeding adult gannets dispersed widely along the coasts o Africa, reaching Maputo Bay (southern Mozambique) on the eastern side of the continent and the Namibian Skeleton Coast on the western side. Very few birds flew farther. There were conspicuously few ring recoveries at 400–500 km straight-line distance east from Bird Island, corresponding with the Pondoland coast in Transkei. A similar drop was observed in the west for the Tsitsikamma coast and the stretch of coast from Cape St. Blaize to Cape Infanta. In these regions reporting by members of the public is presumed to be low. either because the rocky coast is inaccessible or because of socioeconomic reasons. The geographical spread of the ring recoveries suggested a possible range contraction of the species between the 1950's and the period 1978–1993 but the nature of the data prevented a test of this hypothesis. No evidence was found that gannets from Bird Island breed or roost at other southern African colonies as a matter of habit. On the contrary, all survivors of post-fledgling dispersal eventually returned to their native colony, where they exhibited pronounced fidelity to the site where they hatched from the egg. Based on multiple retraps of 862 known-age individuals, 71.7 % of young adults took over vacant sites in the immediate vicinity of their original nest, 8,1% moved once but were faithful to their new site and in 20,2% of all cases faithfulness to the original site could not be shown. Moreover, in subsequent years edge birds did not vacate their sites to move towards the center, refuting the hypothesis that fringes are physically inferior breeding sites.

Description: This article introduces a resampling procedure called the stationary bootstrap as a means of calculating standard errors of estimators and constructing confidence regions for parameters based on weakly dependent stationary observations. Previously, a technique based on resampling blocks of consecutive observations was introduced to construct confidence intervals for a parameter of the m-dimensional joint distribution of m consecutive observations, where m is fixed. This procedure has been generalized by constructing a “blocks of blocks” resampling scheme that yields asymptotically valid procedures even for a multivariate parameter of the whole (i.e., infinite-dimensional) joint distribution of the stationary sequence of observations. These methods share the construction of resampling blocks of observations to form a pseudo-time series, so that the statistic of interest may be recalculated based on the resampled data set. But in the context of applying this method to stationary data, it is natural to require the resampled pseudo-time series to be stationary (conditional on the original data) as well. Although the aforementioned procedures lack this property, the stationary procedure developed here is indeed stationary and possesses other desirable properties. The stationary procedure is based on resampling blocks of random length, where the length of each block has a geometric distribution. In this article, fundamental consistency and weak convergence properties of the stationary resampling scheme are developed.

Description: A large, discrete aggregation of squid was sampled at short intervals by means of jigging, midwater trawling and purse-seining. Differences among basic parameters of the population (e.g. length frequency) indicate that jigging is a more selective, and therefore biased, method of sampling than midwater trwaling or purse-seining. This has important consequences for stock assessments that take commercial catches into account. The selectivity curve indicates that squid of mantle lenghts (ML) 28-33cm are over-represented (in terms of the situation in the population) in fisheries conducted by jigging and that squid 〈26 and 〉34cm ML are under-represented if purse-seine results are considered to be representative of the population.

Description: The occurrence and distribution of dinoflagellate resting cysts in Recent sediments was investigated at 9 locations in Kiel Bight, Baltic Sea. The assemblage comprised 25 known cyst species and 4 unknown cyst types and is characterized by the dominance of Protoperidinium cf. divergens with a maximal abundance of 1695 living cysts/cm3 in the upper half centimeter. Cysts of the potentially toxic dinoflagellates of the Alexandrium excavatum/tamarense group and A. minutum were scarce. Micro-reticulate resting cysts of the toxic, unarmoured Gymnodinium catenatum, whose motile cell has not been recorded in Northern European waters, are reported for the first time from Recent sediments of the Baltic Sea. In the top 2-cm of sediment up to 1200 living dinoflagellate cysts/cm3 were found and the following trends were noted: Cysts were primarily associated with sediments dominated by mud, sandy stations exhibited the lowest cyst abundance. Highest cyst concentrations were found at the deepest stations and the small-scale vertical distribution ofcysts usually exhibited maximum concentrations below the sediment surface. Empty cysts constituted 16.5–64.0% of total cyst abundance. These results suggest that the spatial distribution of several cyst species is controlled by water circulation patterns. The wide distribution ofliving and empty cysts of Peridinium dalei, Protoperidinium denticulatum and P. punctulatum and corresponding germination experiments suggest that the motile forms, which have not previously been recorded in the area, are common members of the plankton community in the western Baltic Sea. The cysts of Gonyaulax polyedra, P. dalei and Protoceratium reticulatum exhibited a reduced length of processes compared to individuals from marine habitats.

Description: In situ caging experiments showed that both littorinid snails and gammarid amphipods exerted minimal effects on the suite of algae comprising the canopy of littoral fringe tide pools dominated by Fucus distichus. In the absence of grazers, the Fucus canopy was dramatically reduced by fatal endophyte infections. Among the 10dependent variables making up the algal species and forms at the substratum level below the canopy, 3 were highly affected by grazing. The germlings of F. distiehus were greatly reduced by littorinids. Gamrnarids also reduced germling cover, but were less effective. In addition, the two grazer guilds interactively reduced the cover of algae belonging to the Uniseriate functional form at the substratum level. Sheet/Tube form algae were reduced in cover only by littorinids. Other forms, including calcareous crusts, thalli of Chondrus crispus and 3 Cladophora species were unaffected by grazing. There was no indication of food resource partitioning between littorinids and gammarids.

Description: Long-range global climate forecasts have been made by use of a model for predicting a tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) in tandem with an atmospheric general circulation model. The SST is predicted first at long lead times into the future. These ocean forecasts are then used to force the atmospheric model and so produce climate forecasts at lead times of the SST forecasts. Prediction of the wintertime 500mb height, surface air temperature and precipitation for seven large climatic events of the 1970 1990s by this two-tiered technique agree well in general with observations over many regions of the globe. The levels of agreement are high enough in some regions to have practical utility.

Description: The present study contributes new information on the cephalopods off Namibia, contains the first record of Ornithoteuthis volatilis (Sasaki, 1915) in the Atlantic, and adds records of six species in the Benguela Current and three species in Namibian waters. The presence of certain species seldom encountered in the Benguela Current has been confirmed. A compilation of the cephalopod fauna off Namibia had also been included, listing 65 species. Additional morphological data on Stoloteuthis leucoptera, Lycoteuthis lorigera, Architeuthis sp., Pholidoteuthis boschmai, Ornithoteuthis volatilis, Eledone nigra, and Graneledone sp. have been provided. The status of the genus Lycoteuthis has been reviewed in the light of the first collection of Lycoteuthis lorigera (Steenstrup, 1875) males in the Atlantic, and Lycoteuthis diadema (Chun, 1900) has been considered to be a synonym for Lycoteuthis lorigera

Description: During the years 1989–1993 an intensive collection of fishes from the aphotic zone (below 150 m) of the northern part of the Gulf of Aqaba was conducted. This survey recorded 69 fish species, 8 elasmobranchs, and 61 teleosts, belonging to 45 families. Fifteen species are endemic to the Red Sea: Mustelus mosis, Narcine bentuviai, Rhinobatos punctifer, Ophichthus echeloides, Rhynchoconger sp., Physiculus marisrubri, Ostichthys hypsipterygion sufensis, Pterygotrigla sp., Uranoscopus marisrubri, Parascolopsis sp.1 and sp. 2, Atrobucca geniae, Chromis pelloura, Samariscus sp., Thamnaconus modestoides erythraeensis. Eleven species are new records for the Red Sea: Gymnothorax johnsoni, Rhynchoconger sp., Synodus doaki, Pterygotrigla sp., Chelidoperca pleurospilus, Carangoides equula, Parascolopsis sp. 1 and sp. 2, Bodianus leucostictus, Paracaesio sordidus, and Samariscus sp. Two species, Cociella crocodilo and Parascolopsis eriomma, are first substantiated records for the Red Sea. None of the species recorded in this list is considered conventional deep-sea fishes. The ichthyofauna of the aphotic zone of the Gulf of Aqaba is composed of species of shallower origin.

Description: Tests on the effects of two herbivore groups (littorinid snails and gammarid amphipods), on algal succession in high intertidal tidepools dominated by Fucus distichus showed that the grazer groups exert different grazing pressures on the algae. The differences can be related to the feeding morphologies ofthe two grazer guilds. The scraping, microphagous littorinid snails prevent the establishment of both micro- and rnacroalgae at the microscopic level. The biting, macrophagous gammarid amphipods are ineffective at grazing microalgae and prostrate macroalgae from the substratum, but exert a considerable influence on the erect macroalgae which escape littorinid grazing. Despite differences in feeding mechanisms, the magnitude of the effect of the two grazer groups on the canopy cover of macroalgae is similar.

Description: A new species of Siboglinum is reported from off the Tejo mouth, Portugal. It was dredged from c. 1100 m. It resembles S. atlanticum and certain other species, in having paired white glandular stripes on the forepart. In the posterior trunk region we found small gram-negative internal symbiotic bacteria. All described species of the genus Siboglinum are equipped with a single tentacle, but one of our specimens bears two tentacles.

Description: Most atmospheric parameters relevant to microbe dissemination into the atmosphere, including aerial transport and deposition, can be monitored by temperature and humidity, aerosols, clouds, precipitation, and wind through current meteorological and other satellite systems. A wide range of these parameters are already extracted and distributed operationally on a regional or global basis like cloudiness, cloud height, cloud motion, winds, surface temperature and atmospheric temperature profiles, and precipitation estimates, Some of these products like cloud motion, winds, and temperature profiles enter weather forecast models for initialization purposes. These models predict the global state of the atmosphere (some include precipitation and cloudiness) quite reliably for several days. Thus, an important part of the necessary technical framework for global disease spread and transmission monitoring exists.

Description: During the ‘Meteor’ Expedition 13 in July and August 1990 to the northern part of the Norwegian Sea off west Spitsbergen, 7 stations with a depth of 2000 m or more were sampled with Agassiz trawl or hyperbenthos sledge, 14 more with a large box corer. Sponges were found at 6 of the trawl stations and in 2 box cores. A total of 19 species occurred, most of which were new to the area. Eight of the species were encountered more often than the other 11. Literature review and check of unpublished samples showed that by distribution, frequency of occurrence or abundance these species can be defined as the typical sponge association of the Norwegian and Greenland abyssal sea. This sponge association has a wide occurrence over the deep Norwegian-Greenland seas and parts of the Arctic basins. The analysis of substrate utilization of the 8 core species shows that all of them are able to colonize soft bottom, even some that previously had been considered to be dependent on hard substrate exclusively. Alternative substrate utilization and, in some species, the adoption of an infaunallife style are judged to be major reasons for the success of these species in the deep sea. The infaunal life style of the species Thenea abyssorum, Trichostemma sol and Tentorium semisuberites is documented and population structure data are given for the first time.

Description: Climatological data sets are used to estimate the amount of water changing temperature and salinity at the sea-surface owing to air-sea exchanges. Considering this conversion as a function of sea-surface temperature and salinity leads to the definition of a conversion vector, which represents mass sources and sinks for each water type. The vector representation shows graphically the way the shape of the temperature-salinity relation is driven at the surface by the air-sea heat and fresh water fluxes.

Description: The cephalopod fauna of the Sea of Marmara was investigated during the years 1991-1992. Three species, Sepia orbignyana Ferussac, 1826; Rondeletiola minor Naef, 1912; and Todaropsis eblanae (Ball, 1841), are hereby recorded for the first time from the Sea of Marmara.

Description: Fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa collected from various storage sites in the male and female squids were examined by inseminated eggs in the presence or absence of gelatinous substances of the oviducal gland origin. Over 90% of the eggs were fertilized by the spermatozoa collected from the female's seminal receptacle regardless of the presence or absence of the gelatinous substance. Elevation of the chorion and the formation of perivitelline space was observed only in the jellied eggs. All jellyless eggs without perivitelline space died in 4 days after insemination. Spermatozoa collected from the spermatophore in the male's accessory gland could fertilize the majority of the eggs. On the other hand, those from the male's vas deferens could fertilize only 30–50% of both the jellied and jellyless eggs. It may be concluded from these experiments that the gelatinous substance of the oviducal gland origin has nothing to do with fertilization. However, it is essential for the elevation of the chorion and the formation of the perivitelline space. It may also be concluded that squid spermatozoa become fertile before they are transferred to the female's seminal receptacle.

Description: Mature males of Histioteuthis atlantica are described. They differ from immature animals mainly in the unique photophore pattern of the distal portion of the mantle, i.e. in the presence of densely set, lensless photophores. These photophores resemble those on H. elongata, but they are smaller and much more dense on male H. atlantica. The occurrence of the photophore pattern in approximately the same dense concentration on the dorsum as well as the ventrum is unique in the family Histioteuthidae.

Description: The beaks of 9,994 cephalopods of 61 species, obtained mainly from chick regurgitations of wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans L.) at Gough, Auckland, Antipodes, Prince Edward and Macquarie Islands and South Georgia, were used to specify and calculate the biomass of cephalopods consumed. Histioteuthidae were most important by numbers and biomass at Gough Island (in warmest seas), but Onycboteuthidae increasingly superseded them southwards; Kondakovia longimana formed 59 to 75% of biomass eaten at the three localities nearest the Antarctic Polar Front. Other important families were Octopoteuthidae, Cranchiidae, Architeuthidae (juveniles) and Ommastrephidae (South Georgia only). Most frequently eaten were Histioteuthis atlantica 13.7%, Galiteuthis glacialis 12.4%, H. eltaninae 12.0% and Kondakovia longimana 11.6%. Wandering albatrosses rearing chicks can forage at least to 3,000 km in a single foray, and may exploit an important food source about 1200 km from the nest (as in the probable commensalism of South Georgian birds with the Falkland Islands fishery). They feed, sometimes opportunistically, on cephalopods active or moribund at the surface, or discarded or lost by trawlers, cetaceans or seals. Vertically migrating cephalopods, especially bioluminescent species, are disproportionately frequent in their non-commensal diet, suggesting that they often feed at night.

Description: A link is proposed between the processes that led to the evolution of large species of squid and the highly variable, cyclic recruitment seen in squid fisheries. Maximum growth requires maximal feeding and minimal routine metabolism at optimum temperatures, which decrease as squid grow. Topographically induced upwelling zones, inshore of western boundary currents, provide productive environments with appropriate temperatures for all life stages. Most squid are small and live in the tropics or subtropics; locomotor constraints prevent them from swimming long distances. Long annual migrations to spawn upstream in current systems require short-lived squids to maximize rates of growth. Therefore, such systems provide the opportunity and a powerful selective advantage for large size and rapid growth. Increased fecundity and cannibalism provide additional directional selection for large individuals. Current systems show food production peaks (blooms); paralarval release must match these to increase survival. Because squid are semelparous, disruption of delicately balanced lifecycles by physical events can virtually annihilate stocks. Recovery probably requires that populations of large squid "re-evolve" from smaller, more-stable tropical populations of small squid. This recovery phase may extend the "down-side" of abundance cycles. Studies of squid/current systems have focused on western boundary currents, but the Illex complex also associates with eastern boundaries. Such populations are generally smaller than in larger systems, supporting the hypothesis, but more detailed comparisons are required.

Description: During a cruise in March 1988 dedicated to investigation of the marine resources of South Africa's continental slope, 62 species in 22 families of Cephalopoda were collected from the Cape Canyon and Cape Point Valley. Multivariate analysis revealed a clear distinction between cephalopods of the upper and lower continental slope in both benthic and epibenthic habitats. Todaropsis eblanae and Todarodes angolensis were indicator species for the upper slope benthic, from 300 to 500 m, but on the lower slope, in 700–900 m of water, they were replaced by Histioteuthis miranda and Opisthoteuthis agassizii. In the epibenthic, both upper and lower slopes were dominated by Abraliopsis gilchristi and Lycoteuthis ?diadema, but other species characteristic of the lower slope were the oceanic species Mastigoteuthis hjorti, Ctenopteryx sicula and Taonius sp. A. Cranchia scabra indicated the presence of oceanic water at stations 700–900 m deep. Other species of significance in the catches were Todarodes filippovae, Histioteuthis macrohista, Rossia enigmatica and Bathypolypus valdiviae. Species affinities indicate that the cephalopod fauna of the southern African continental slope includes the following zoogeographic components: southern African endemic, circum-Subantarctic species associated with Antarctic Intermediate Water, circum-global southern tropical/subtropical, tropical Indo-Pacific and cosmopolitan tropical/subtropical.

Description: Literature on trophic relationships in the Benguela ecosystem has stressed the importance of cephalopods as prey of groundfish. The groundfish community of the shelf and upper slope of southern Africa is dominated by the Cape hakes, and the results presented (1984–1991) confirm that both species of hake are important predators of cephalopods, especially taking into consideration the abundance of hake in the ecosystem. However, geographic, seasonal and species variability are evident in the patterns observed. The main prey species are Sepia spp. (predominantly Sepia australis), Loligo vulgaris reynaudii, Todaropsis eblanae and Lycoteuthis ?diadema. The last-named is an important food organism for fish. Its systematic status needs revision, however. Qualitative results of studies of cephalopod predation are also provided for kingklip and monkfish.

Description: Cephalopods of importance in the Benguela ecosystem include Loligo vulgaris reynaudii, Todarodes angolensis, Todaropsis eblanae, Lycoteuthis ?diadema, Sepia australis, Octopus spp. (up to three species) and Argonauta spp., and possibly also Ocythoe tuberculata and Rossia enigmatica. Species which may prove important as a result of further research are Lolliguncula mercatoris, Ommastrephes bartramii, Todarodes filippovae, Histioteuthis miranda and Abraliopsis gilchristi. "Importance" is defined on the basis of "survey abundance" (including commercial fisheries) and their trophic links with other organisms. Use of the latter criterion indicates that Sepia australis, Todaropsis eblanae and Lycoteuthis ?diadema are sufficiently abundant to be exploited by fisheries. Unknown factors are dispersal, availability and market considerations. The only examples of cephalopods feeding on commercial species of fish are Loligo v. reynaudii feeding on anchovy Engraulis capensis and Cape hakes Merluccius capensis and/or M. paradoxus in the southern Benguela and Todarodes angolensis preying on Cape hake in the northern Benguela. Such feeding is opportunistic and is not believed to threaten the fish stocks. Predators of cephalopods are mostly opportunistic, switching to other prey when cephalopods are not available. There is no evidence that such predators pose a threat to the Loligo fisheries. The opportunistic nature of cephalopods as prey and predators makes quantification of predation (in both directions) difficult. Data for such quantification are, as yet, unavailable.

Description: The results of ichthyoplankton surveys carried out by the Instituto Nacional de Pesca (INAPE) in the Argentine–Uruguayan Common Fishing Zone (AUCFZ) in summer 1980 and the winters of 1980–1982 are presented. In addition, the results of joint research with INIDEP, the Argentine and Japan Fisheries Agency, on larvae, juveniles and adults of the short-finned squid Illex argentinus carried out in winter 1989 are given, as are data obtained during the joint sardine and anchovy recruitment project carried out by R.V. Meteor in November/December 1989. The short-finned squid Illex argentinus is the most important cephalopod resource of the area, and an extended fishery is carried out on the Patagonian shelf and in the proximity of the Falkland Islands. The fishing season in the AUCFZ, for pre-spawning and spawning animals, extends from early autumn to winter (March–August). Abundance of rhynchoteuthion larvae (417–485 larvae·10 m−2) was greatest in winter in surface temperatures of 12,1–16,9°C and surface salinities of 34,8 – 35,2 × 10−3. The distribution of the larvae is related to the western boundary of the Brazil Current and the convergence front.

Description: The question whether the chokka squid Loligo vulgaris reynaudii resource can be managed effectively is examined in the light of developments in the fishery and knowledge of the resource gathered in recent years. The history of the fishery since its inception in 1985, management controls and the current state of knowledge of stock identity, distribution, seasonality and abundance, life cycle and population dynamics are reviewed as a background to a discussion of management alternatives. Long-term measures, such as fleet limitation, seasonal closures and de facto closed areas and size limits, all appropriate in the early stages of a fishery when knowledge is limited, should be replaced by more-flexible alternatives as knowledge improves. Methods of stock assessment, stock-recruitment studies and further basic biological analyses are recognized as being crucial to improving management methods. An explanation embracing physical oceanographic features and plankton productivity in the vicinity of the spawning grounds is advanced for the mechanisms underlying hatchling survival. The possible contribution of trophic studies to squid management is recognized. Effective management of the chokka squid resource is concluded to be possible provided that the specific areas needing attention be addressed by means of goal-orientated research. Rational, but not necessarily optimal, management decisions can, however, be made even in the absence of stock-recruitment data, by the employment of common-sense measures which generally include some form of effort control.

Description: The results of ichthyoplankton surveys carried out by the Instituto Nacional de Pesca (INAPE) in the Argentine–Uruguayan Common Fishing Zone (AUCFZ) in summer 1980 and the winters of 1980–1982 are presented. In addition, the results of joint research with INIDEP, the Argentine and Japan Fisheries Agency, on larvae, juveniles and adults of the short-finned squid Illex argentinus carried out in winter 1989 are given, as are data obtained during the joint sardine and anchovy recruitment project carried out by R.V. Meteor in November/December 1989. The short-finned squid Illex argentinus is the most important cephalopod resource of the area, and an extended fishery is carried out on the Patagonian shelf and in the proximity of the Falkland Islands. The fishing season in the AUCFZ, for pre-spawning and spawning animals, extends from early autumn to winter (March–August). Abundance of rhynchoteuthion larvae (417–485 larvae·10 m−2) was greatest in winter in surface temperatures of 12,1–16,9°C and surface salinities of 34,8 – 35,2 × 10−3. The distribution of the larvae is related to the western boundary of the Brazil Current and the convergence front.

Description: The population size and breeding success of Emperor Penguins Aptenodytes forsteri at the Auster and Taylor Glacier colonies were estimated during the 1988 breeding season. At Auster a total of 10 963 pairs produced about 6350 fledglings for a breeding success of 58%. At Taylor Glacier about 2900 pairs raised 1774 fledglings for a breeding success of 61%. Fledglings left Taylor Glacier over a period of 33 days at a mean mass of 10.56 kg.

Description: This paper presents an idea on the possible structuring effect of hex actinellids on Antarctic sponge associations. To this end, information derived from underwater photography performed on the eastern Weddell Sea shelf is reported and original trawl data are presented. Underwater photography shows the existence of different sponge associations; species poor associations are connected to soft bottom, species rich associations exist on substrates characterized by bryozoan debris and especially sponge spicule mats. The trawl. catches show differences in the population structure of a hexactinellid sponge, Rassella racovitzae Topsent at two stations, distinguishable from each other by substrate structure. On average small and therefore probably young specimens were found on bryozoan debris, while a population with larger and probably older specimens was found on solid hexactinellid spicule mats. These observations form the basis for the hypothesis that hexactinellid sponges are a major biological structuring agent for Antarctic sponge associations; they colonize soft substrate and bryozoan debris dominated areas and subsequently change the quality of the substrate by spicule deposition. The ensuing spicule mats are a suitable settling ground for a large number of demosponge species dependent on hard substrates. Mass occurrences of hexactinellids are also found in areas other than Antarctica. The phenomenon recognized in the Weddell Sea probably occurs more widely spread.

Description: A method is proposed for cloud detection over sea using a single infrared channel of a high spatial resolution satellite radiometer. The method combines a spatial coherence test and an absolute threshold test for the temperature field. The threshold for the second test is automatically determined by a histogram analysis of data which were preselected by the coherence test. The coherence test used differs from the classical standard deviation test in the way of the test value computation: the weight of the pixel to be investigated is increased. A simulation shows that under conditions of low cloud cover this makes the proposed coherence test more sensitive than the standard deviation test. When applied to real data the test was also found to be very sensitive compared with visible and IR threshold tests. Cloud cover obtained by the whole method is finally compared with that resulting from the visible and IR histogram analysis procedure of Phulpin et al. This comparison indicates a high reliability of the proposed method.

Description: The diets of 20 species of smaller Odontoceti were investigated. The material was collected along the southern African coast between 1966 and 1990 and included 158 strandings, 29 animals killed incidentally and 49 animals caught under permit. In total, 57 species in 34 families of fish and 89 species in 24 families of cephalopods were identified from remains in the 236 stomachs investigated. Most Odontoceti fed on commercially unexploited cephalopods and fish, or on fish below commercially utilized sizes. However, the average sizes of anchovy and pilchard eaten by Delphinus delphis and Lagenorhynchus obscurus were larger than the sizes most frequently taken commercially. The species composition of the prey items reflected the onshore-offshore distribution (and possibly the foraging depths) of different Odontoceti. Tursiops truncatus and Cephalorhynchus heavisidii were closest to shore and D. delphis and L. obscurus over the continental shelf. The rest were distributed around the shelf-edge and just off the edge. A comparison of the stomach contents of stranded and non-stranded D. delphis, L. obscurus and C. heavisidii demonstrated that results from stranded animals are biased.

Description: The community of benthic organisms in the lower zone of a rocky shore at Praia Rasa, Brazil is distinctly patchy in structure. We examined the hypothesis that two types of patch (a. red algal turf and b. colonial coelenterate) represent different temporal stages in the same successional trajectory. We made observations on a) the stability of patch boundaries, b) successional sequence in experimental clearings within both patch types and c) species composition through time in undisturbed patches. In most cases, the coelenterate overgrew the algae at the patch boundaries, thus showing a competitive asymmetry. In the successional sequence, diatoms were followed by ulvoid species. Thereafter, within clearings in the algal patches, a red algal turf was once more established over one year. In contrast, the mid successional period in clearings within the coelenterate patch was characterized by very low cover of sessile organisms. Colonization by red algal turfs and by the coelenterate colony is largely dependent on vegetative spread. Thus later succession is not predictable on the basis of time alone. Supply-side processes are clearly of equal importance. Therefore it cannot be stated without qualification that patches of red algal turfs and colonial coelenterate at Praia Rasa are part of the same successional sequence.

Description: A vertical mixing model was applied to a location off the west coast of the South Island, New Zealand, with the aim of simulating the seasonal cycle of temperature and mixed layer depth in the region. Observed weather data for 1973–89 were used to drive the model. Model results for sea temperature and mixed layer depth were compared to measurements from ships, moored temperature sensors, and satellites. The main features of the variations in temperature and mixed layer depth can be explained by the local meteorological forcing and vertical mixing, together with a general southward flow in the study area. Superimposed are short‐term variations which are obviously related to variable currents and the associated horizontal heat transport.

Description: Specimens of Siboglinum poseidon were collected by box coring and studied together with their undisturbed habitat. Occupied tubes occur in depse aggregations beneath the sediment surface directly at methane seep sites. Fertilized eggs develop into small larvae within the anterior transparent region of the tube. The oldest larvae observed in tubes measure c. 370 µm in length. It is concluded that released larvae develop in the sediment in the oxygenated top layer. Three tube types have been found: 1, the larval envelope; 2, the juvenile, transparent tube and 3, the ringed, adult tube. The smallest specimens recovered from the sediment measure c. 2 mm. They are complete with a tentacle, pyriform glands, bacteriocytes and juvenile opisthosoma. Some larvae were reared under laboratory conditions for 10 weeks. At that stage red blood becomes visible and a small tentacular bud is formed dorsally.

Description: Kanechlor-300, -400, -500 and -600, Phenoclor DP-3, -4, -5 and -6 and Sovol mixtures were analyzed for their chlorobiphenyl (CB) composition using high-resolution one-dimensional and multidimensional gas chromatography-electron capture detection (MDGC-ECD) techniques. The congener patterns of tested Kanechlor and Phenoclor mixtures resembled Aroclor 1016, 1242, 1254 and 1260. However, differences in the percentage contribution of minor constituents were noticed among these mixtures, which could be due to variations in the boiling-point fractionation of these commercial products. CB pattern of Sovol was different from the rest of the mixtures tested. It showed a composition in between ca. 30%, 40%, 50% and 60% overall chlorine levels. MDGC-ECD study showed the presence of hitherto unnoticed non-CB compounds coeluting with CBs in some commercial PCBs. The use of these mixtures as quantitation standards should be considered with caution. CB patterns of Sovol and a water extract of the Gulf of Finland matched closely, indicating a point source contamination to these waters.

Description: A series of field experiments has been made to determine the occurrence of small-scale surface motions that might enhance gas exchange by surface renewal. Out of 93 runs under natural conditions on open bodies of water, only 19 gave no indication of surface streaming within a few seconds. The data cover the wind speed range up to about 6 ms-1. Above 2 or 3 ms-1, predominately line structures were observed. This points to an important r6le of surface renewal in gas exchange.

Description: The North Pacific is a sea area of primary interest to Russia, which inherited key strategic interests of the former Soviet Union. But the North Pacific has also become an area of increasing resource exploitation activity. These factors lead to an even more active involvement in regional political relations. The article touches on a number of most urgent, controversial, and still unsolved issues faced today by the Russian Federation. The author concentrates on two major problems: the issue of international fisheries in the so‐called doughnut hole (located in the central Bering Sea), and the highly controversial questions of marine spaces delimitation between Russia on one side and Japan (which raises a more general political question of sovereignty over the four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain) and the United States on the other.

Description: Results are presented following a long-term study of the diet of the Cape gannet Morus capensis at Bird Island, Algoa Bay, examining 4 178 regurgitations representing 36 351 prey items collected during 12 breeding cycles from April 1979 to March 1991. In all, 32 teleost and two cephalopod species were recorded. The pelagic shoaling pilchard Sardinops ocellatus, anchovy Engraulis capensis and saury Scomberesox saurus scombroides were identified as the main prey species. The diet composition showed marked interannual fluctuations during the sampling period, which appear to be related to changes in the abundance of the main prey species. The relative abundance of pilchard, anchovy and saury was also found to change intra-annually, the first two species occurring more frequently in the diet during the breeding season and saury dominating the diet in the non-breeding season. These changes are thought to originate from temporal variation in the oceanographic regime within the foraging range of the gannets.

Description: Six species of skates were trawled commonly on the continental shelf off the Southern Cape during routine surveys of demersal fish between 1986 and 1990. Raja miraletus is a small skate found principally in shallow (〈50 m) water that feeds mainly on small crustaceans, such as mysids and macrurans. The large Raja alba occurs over most of the continental shelf, is a piscivore throughout its life and preys heavily on flatfish, especially Cynoglossus zanzibarensis. R. cf. clavata is ubiquitous on the shelf but most abundant between 50 and 150 m deep. Feeding predominantly on crustaceans, this skate switches from carids, penaeids and mysids when small to brachyurans and small benthic fish when larger. R. pullopunctata is found over a similar depth range but attains a much larger size. It eats small mysids and macrurans when small, but brachyurans and fish become more important in the diet with increasing size of the predator. R. wallacei is most commonly taken at depths of 80–〉200 m, feeds initially on small crustaceans, but switches to fish, including eels, as it grows. The small Cruriraja parcomaculata is found at the edge of the continental shelf and over the upper slope; it preys on small crustaceans, including mysids, isopods and macrurans. The distribution pattern of the skates and their prey suggest overlap in prey taken, the overlap being greatest in those species which feed on crustaceans. The large biomass of skates in the area suggests that they are an important component of the demersal faunal assemblage of the continental shelf there, and also that they may have a significant impact on the benthic fauna.

Description: Oogenesis in four commercial Caribbean sponge species, Hippospongia lachne, Spongia barbara, S. cheiris and S. graminea, was studied using light and transmission electron microscopy. Eggs and embryos develop asynchronously in localized endosomal nurseries of these viviparous and gonochoristic species. Statistical analyses of specific morphological characteristics of reproductive elements have unequivocally identified four specific stages in the process of oogenesis. Oogonia undergo mitotic division to produce primary oocytes. Meiotic division occurs producing secondary oocytes which are fertilized before zygotes undergo major growth by phagocytosis and the transfer of nutrients through cytoplasmic bridges. During cleavage of the zygote, umbilici form between embryos and nurse cell layers and these function in the transfer of symbiotic bacteria and other mesohyl substances from the maternal parent to the embryo. These symbionts were observed dispersed between blastomeres of all young and maturing embryos and between internal cells of cytodifferentiated parenchymella larvae. Extracellular transfer of symbiotic bacteria from maternal tissues to developing embryos has not been reported in any other viviparous invertebrate.

Description: Before 1985, Martialia hyadesi (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) in the Pacific Ocean was known only from the Eltanin Fracture Zone and Macquarie Island. A joint Japan‐New Zealand squid survey around New Zealand captured many immature ommastrephid squids. Gel electrophoresis confirmed the presence of immature M. hyadesi. Aspects of the external morphology are described. The distinctive tentacle club was evident in the smallest specimen examined, 19 mm dorsal mantle length (ML). Arm trabeculae were first evident in specimens of 40–50 mm ML. Immature squid were distributed around and southward of the Subtropical Convergence Zone. The presence of very small squid (〈 10 mm ML) indicated spawning on or near the Auckland Island Shelf.

Description: Sexual reproductive cycles of a Florida, U.S.A., population of four Caribbean commercial sponge species, Hippospongia lachne, Spongia barbara, S. cheiris and S. graminea, were determined by analysis of tissue samples collected over a three-year period. Spermatogenesis in these species was studied using light and transmission electron microscopy. The production of male gametes occurs in cysts within the endosomal tissue of mature specimens. Reproductive elements within an individual cyst develop synchronously while development between cysts is asynchronous. All available evidence suggests that these species are dioecious. Spermatogonia differentiate directly from choanocytes in situ. All cells of the chamber lose their collars and flagella and undergo mitosis to produce primary spermatocytes, each possessing a single flagellum. The ratio of nucleus to cell diameter in these cells is almost double that of choanocytes. Circumstantial evidence suggests that primary spermatocytes undergo meiosis to produce four spermatids, but confirmational chromatid linkage figures are still lacking. The mature spermatozoa lack both intermediate segments and acrosomes. Male gametes displayed a bright yellow-white autofluorescence when excited with blue light (460–485 nm).

Description: Squid on their spawning grounds feed mainly at night when they are more dispersed. In all, 28,5 per cent of squid sampled at night had food in their stomachs, whereas only 6,7 per cent of those collected by day had food. Most stomachs contained only a single prey species (90,8% of those analysed). Teleosts dominated the prey of squid collected at night (58%M), followed by crustaceans (25%), polychaetes (9%) and cephalopods (3%). By day the prey was dominated by cephalopods (61%), followed by teleosts (20%), crustaceans (14%) and polychaetes (2%). Bregmaceros sp. was the most frequently identified teleost, Loligo vulgaris reynaudii (cannibalism) the dominant cephalopod, ?Betaeus sp. (Alpheidae; pieces of coral were also found) the commonest crustacean and Nereis sp. the commonest polychaete. There were seasonal differences in the diet too: squid caught during summer seemed to have similar proportions of the four main prey components. Also, the incidence of feeding was higher than in winter. There were, however, no significant differences in stomach mass expressed as a percentage of body mass between day and night nor between season nor between sexes. The average stomach mass of all samples was 0,6 per cent of body mass, less than on the feeding grounds, where it is generally about 2 per cent.

Description: The enoploteuthid cephalopod Abraliopsis lineata is re-described and its generic position discussed. Specimens for the present study were captured during the Indian Ocean Expedition of RV Meteor in 1987, where the species occurred in considerable numbers. The geographical distribution of A. lineata is described and discussed. The detailed analysis of the photophore pattern of the present specimens differs from the original description. The diagnostic features in the male, especially the structure of the hectocotylus which separates A. lineata easily from the members of the subgenus Pfefferiteuthis, are outlined. The morphological differences which separate A. lineata from A. gilchristi, the only other member of the subgenus Micrabralia, are summarized.

Description: Larval behaviour, settlement, and metamorphosis were investigated in four Caribbean commercial sponges, Hippospongia lachne, Spongia barbara, S. cheiris and S. graminea, using light and transmission electron microscopy. The parenchymella larvae of these viviparous and gonochoristic species have an average size of 350 μm by 420 μm when released. Symbiotic bacteria occur intercellularly in both larvae and post-larvae. Laboratory behavioural studies demonstrate that free-swimming larvae display directional swimming with constant lateral rotation and negative phototaxis. Larval settlement occurs 26–56 hours after release from the parent and involves the formation of a basal lamella between the post-larva and substrate. There is no evidence of larval substrate selection by type or orientation. The canal system begins to form six days after settlement and oscules are apparent eleven days post-settlement. Available evidence suggests that larval ciliated epithelial cells are terminally differentiated and do not appear to contribute to formation of post larva or adult in this group of Porifera.

Description: To evaluate the feasibility of feeding Sepia officinalis on artificial food, a food pellet consisting of Palaemon serratus powder and alginate as binding agent was developed and tested. Six of seven cuttlefish clearly ingested the artificial food during the ten days it was supplied.

Description: Knowledge concerning biology of two loliginids and three sepiids which are found in the Japanese waters was reviewed including unpublished information of the authors. The swordtip squid, Photololigo edulis, is one of the most important resources for the coastal fisheries of Kyushu and the prefectures facing the southwest Japan Sea. This species is the only species of genus Photololigo found along the Japanese mainland coast and is easily distinguished from other loliginids, by the light organs on the ink sac. The species is distributed from southern Japan to the Red Sea. The spawning season extends throughout the year. Egg cases are laid in clusters on the sandy bottom. The life span is about one year. In the juvenile stage they feed on Crustacea and after reaching pre‐maturity they prey mainly on fish, but many have empty stomachs. Most catches are made by jigging and trawler. The fishing season extends throughout the year. The fishing grounds are widely spread over the continental shelf. Annual catches are around 25 000 metric tonnes. Although this level varies from year to year, it is fairly stable. Fishing has probably little effect on the stocks. The spear squid, Heterololigo bleekeri, can be easily distinguished from other loliginids by its shorter tentacles. The species is endemic in the Far East waters. The stocks are larger in the north. The spawning season is winter in south Japan, and from spring to early summer in north Japan. Egg cases are laid beneath the undersurfaces of firm substances. The life span is about one year. Its feeding behaviour is similar to that of the swordtip squid. Catches are made mainly with bottom trawler and fixed nets from autumn to spring. Annual landings fluctuate widely from year to year. Several prefectures along the northern Japan Sea coast are promoting the large scale development of artificial spawning beds of the species to increase the stocks. The three sepiids, golden cuttlefish. Sepia esculenta, kisslip cuttlefish. Sepia lycidas, and spineless cuttlefish, Sepiella japonica are important in mainland Japan. Those three spawn from spring to early summer in the innermost waters of semi‐enclosed inlets. Eggs are laid in batches of 50–300 every day for 3–4 days followed by a rest period of 1–2 days. This pattern is repeated until several thousands of eggs have been laid. The life span of Sepia esculenta and Sepiella japonica is one year. They feed mainly on decapod crustaceans and fish but as growth proceeds the proportion of fish increases. They are fished mainly by cuttlefish trap and beam trawler. In the early 1960s annual landings were 20 000 metric tonnes but since 1980 catches have decreased below 10 000 metric tonnes. Of the three species, the stock of Sepiella japonica is the most fluctuable. Judging from the result of the stock assessment studies on Sepiella japonica in the western Inland Sea, their stocks have been over‐exploited.

Description: The model presented here provides an explanation of the rapid response of atmospheric CO2 to increasing solar insolation. In the glacial ocean, during periods of slow, deep water renewal, when less oxygen is supplied to the deep ocean and into sediments, manganese oxide in the sediments is reduced and forms soluble MnCO3 and stays in the water column. The dissolved Mn-carbonate should then reach a concentration of ≥ 10µMol/liter, approximately 5,000 to 104 times larger than it is at present. This is the mode prevailing until deep water formation at high latitudes starts again. As soon as the balance between oxygen and organic matter becomes oxidizing once more, the deposition of MnO2 recommences. Oxidation of dissolved Mn2+CO3 to Mn4+O2 which is a spike of acidity to the ocean, rapidly lowers the CO3−− concentration in the water column and enhances release of CO2 to the atmosphere, producing the observed events of CO2 increase at the transitions from glacials to interglacials. The surprising conclusion is that the oceanic (redox-) cycle of a minor element may have had a major impact on Earth's climate.

Description: The role of substratum surface tension on the colonization process (fouling) on artificial substrata was investigated in Kiel Bay (Western Baltic). The density of organisms from the major groups (bacteria, microalgae, protozoa, macroorganisms) was monitored on test panels after several exposure intervals in two experimental series. The results showed that substrata with a surface free energy of 24 mN/m were initially less densely colonized by representatives of the different fouling groups. The most hydrophobic substrata and those between 31–43 mN/m were heavily colonzied but there was a slight decrease in density towards the most hydrophilic material (glass). After an immersion time of 64 d these differences were not apparent for bacteria, microalgae or protozoa. These results correspond with thermodynamic predictions, which propose minimum bioadhesion on substrata with critical surface tensions between 20–25 mN/m in seawater. In addition, factors other than the surface tension may be important in marine fouling.

Description: The methodology for analysis of marine mammal diets may be thought of as a series of choices; about the sampling regime, the type of sample, the processing of samples, the identification of prey remains, the quantification of prey importances, and the estimation of population food consumption. In addition to directed sampling, samples may be obtained directly or opportunisitically and the most frequently used types of sample are gut contents of dead animals, and faeces. Direct observation of feeding may be possible for species living inshore, and humane approaches to sampling (e.g. lavaging) have been succesfully applied to seals, but all methods are subject to bias. Identification of fish prey usually relies on recognition of otoliths, but additional information may be obtained from other hard remains or serological analysis of proteins. Remains of invertebrate prey may also be identified from hard parts. A variety of methods exists for quantifying the importance of prey in marine mammal diets. The most useful currency is probably prey biomass but, for fish, natural variation in otolith size-fish weight relationships makes it difficult to estimate fish weights from otolith size. Also, otoliths are reduced in size or lost during digestion. Notwithstanding these problems, otoliths are widely used. If the diet of a population has been adequately characterised, the amounts of each prey type consumed may be derived from direct or indirect estimates of energy requirements. Ideally the measurements should be taken in the field. Possible improvements in methodology include improved calibrations for otolith measurements, the development of keys and guides to fish bones, and of serological methods for identifying fish proteins. Feeding is normally inferred rather than directly monitored and a means for remote detection of prey ingestion and defaecation would greatly enhance the interpretation of foraging activity. To predict diet choice it is necessary to undertand the underlying behavioural mechanisms. Measurement of the energetic costs of prey capture would be an important step in this direction.

Description: Opportunistically collected information on sea temperature and wind was used in a preliminary investigation of physical factors affecting jigged catches of chokka squid Loligo vulgaris reynaudii. Results revealed sea temperature and wind to be correlated with catches during part of the summer upwelling season (October and December) in 1988. Multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that sea temperature was a highly significant explanatory variable (p = 0,0000) for catches from three boats, as well as for the overall catch. Wind direction also played a significant role (p = 0,0085) in the overall catch. A statistical linear multiple regression model is proposed for each boat and for the total catch. Upwelling events are suggested to play a major role in the availability of squid on the inshore spawning grounds (〈50 m) during summer. With further study, other independent physical variables, such as currents, swell height and turbidity, are likely to be introduced into the proposed model.