ALBERT

Description: Light and electron microscopic examination of a number of dpecies previously attributed to the genus Syracosphaera LOHMANN show that three groups can be delimited, all of which warrant generic status. Caneosphaera GAARDER and Coronosphaera GAARDER are described, and the genus Syracosphaera with type species the two-layered S. pulchra LOHMANN is emended with redescription in terms of morphological features seen under light and electron microscope. New combinations are presented for five species.

Description: Through correspondence, the authors determined that each possessed material of an undescribed wrasse of the genus Suezichthys SMITH. The first five specimens of this species were taken in December, 1964 by R. V. "Anton Bruun" while trawling in 78-82 m and in 70-80 m (2 and 3 specimens resp.) off the Somali Republic, East Africa; the next two were collected a month later by R. V. "Meteor" by trawl off Kenya in 124-130 m; the last two were trawled in July and October, 1972 by U. S. National Marine Fisheries Service research vessel "Townsend Cromwell" off Oahu, Hawaiian Islands in 119-168 m. These nine specimens form the basis for the description herein of this new labrid fish.

Description: 46 hydropolyp species of 28 genera and 10 families were sampled during the "Meteor" passage 1964/65 (IIOE) through the Red Sea and its northern and southern exits and on the occasion of several ecological investigations of 29 selected coral reef sections of the central Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. These collections comprise 128 single records of hydropolyp species. Three species and two genera each with one species are doubtful. 25 species, seven genera, one family and one subfamily, together from 49 records have not previously been found in the Red Sea and its exits. Including these newly reported species, the total list increases from 64 species and 112 records (SCHMIDT 1972) to 89 species and 240 single records and 51 additional ones. Scanning microscopical photos, made for the first time for the illustration of the hydropolyps, have been shown to be suitable for a better characterization and diagnosis of the species. Qualified results on the reasons for the horizontal distribution of the species known from the Red Sea area cannot be given because of the low number of samples sporadically distributed through the whole area. In contrast with this fact, the vertical spread of the species sampled seems primarily to be regulated by water exchange and light intensity. For example, four species of hydropolyps are excellent indicators of certain abiotic factors or combinations of them: Gymnangium eximium reacts extremely stenophote-photophobe-rheophil, Eudendrium ramosum moderately stenophote-photophobe-rheophobe, Lytocmpus philippinus moderately stenophotephotophil-rheophil, and Halocordyle disticha var. australis extremely stenophote-photophil but moderately rheophil. Other species have been found throughout all the light zones. Combined with the small size of their colonies their euryphotic behaviour does not allow their use as indicator species.

Description: Four species of gammaridean Amphipoda are recorded from the Iberian deep sea basin at about 5000 m depth: Bathyceradocus iberiensis sp. n., Paracallisoma platepistomum sp. n., Parandaniexis cf. mirabilis SCHRELLENBERG, 1929, and Parargissa galatheae BARNARD, 1961. The biogeography of the four species is discussed.

Description: Using a Bongo-Net equipped with a multiple codend closing device, the vertical distribution of siphonophores has been observed in 100 m depth intervals at 13 stations off Cap Mirik (19° N) (from 0-500 m depth). The distributional pattern of the 15 siphonophores species found is discussed in relationship to the hydrography of this upwelling region. The following main features have been observed in comparison with the warmer oceanic water offshore: (1) a lower diversity, (2) a shallower distribution of some of the deep living species due to the lower temperature in the upper 300 m and a lower transparency, (3) no contribution to acoustic scattering by physonect siphonophores.

Description: From sublittoral silty sediments (118 m depth) of the North Sea (59° 0.5' N; 01° 20.5' E), Bathymacrostomum spirale n. gen. n. sp. is described on the basis of squeeze preparation. According to the organization of the cuticular apparatus of the bursal organ the species belongs to the family Dolichomacrostomidae RIEGER, 1971. The absence of an accessory gland organ and the simplicity of the penis stilet leads to the establishment of the subfamily Bathymacrostominae nov. subfam.

Description: Description of Acanthophmyngoides quintus nov. spec. (Desmodorinae) with discussion of the systematical relationship to Spiriniinae and Pseudonchinae, and description of Richtersia iberica nov. spec. with discussion of the relationship to Desmodorinae.

Description: The Great Meteor Seamount is situated in the subtropical NE Atlantic. The dimension of the plateau in the depth of 400m is 1465 km2 ; its lowest depth 275 m. 35 species have been caught above the plateau in 1967 and 1970 (voyages 9 c and 19; R. V. "Meteor") with a bottom trawl, the Agassiz-trawl, with BEYER's epibenthic closing net, the triangle-dredge and the chain-dredge. For comparison fishes of the same species were collected off Morocco, Mauretania and Senegal. The circular current system above the seamount and the low rates of the net transport are the reasons for the existence of the autochthonous demersal fish populations, in spite of the pelagic stages of development. A comparison of the populations of three species from the seamount and from the African shelf, using a multivariate method (linear discriminant function), indicates a genetical diverging development of the populations. An overlapping of the populations is only applicable for 1.7 % of the individuals. This argument for an autochthonus demersal fish fauna is corroborated by nearly the same composition of species in 1967 and 1970, the small differences in the dominance of the species and the great homogeneity of the fish fauna in the two years. The distribution of the species above the plateau is nearly uniform. The species Aulopus filamentosus, Phycis phycis, Macroramphosus scolopax, Anthias anthias, Antigonia capros, Capros aper, Callionymus phaeton and Arnoglossus rueppelli are characteristic for the fauna, as in 6 of 11 comparable catches these 8 species were present together. For the demersal fishes the plateau is a rather uniform biotope, for it is mainly covered with biogenic sand. The aggregations of the seamount's own plankton and nekton near the bottom in daytime is exclusively or partly the food for 94% of the fish species, while the bottom fauna is only utilized by 22% of the species. Only Callionymus phaeton feeds exclusively on bottom animals. Shrimps (predominantly Plesionika heterocarpus) are the favoured prey of the majority of fish species. Relative to the number of examined stomachs the small crustacea like ostracodes and copepods are most abundant. Fishes were found in the stomachs of 8 species. Moreover cuttle-fish are of some importance as food of the bigger fishes. A comparison of the food of respective species from the African shelf shows that the lower availability of food above the seamount has no influence on the feeding behaviour of the species. lt seems, that there is sufficient food at the seamount, so that the fishes must not put up with animals they disdain elsewhere. The fish fauna from the Great Meteor Seamount shows the greatest similarity with the demersal fish fauna of the African shelf between Gibraltar and Cap Blanc (28 species in common). The Great Meteor Seamount has only 24 species in common with Madeira and 17 with the Canary Islands. Two species suggest a possible influence of settlement from the Western Atlantic. These species also belong to the fauna of Madeira and the Josephine Seamount, while they are absent on the African shelf. The species Gnathophis codoniphorus, Callionymus sousai and probably also the ray of the genus Raja are endemic. The depth of the plateau (275-400 m) has a great influence on the composition of the fish fauna. Regarding the vertical distribution of the species in the rest of their distribution areas, the plateau of the Great Meteor Seamount is situated at the optimal depth.

Description: 85 species of polychaetes were collected, 72 of them were determined to species level. One genus (Palposyllis n. g.), four species (Pionosyllis gorringensis n. sp., Palposyllis prosostoma n. sp., Potamethus filiformis n. sp., Potamethus breviuncatus n. sp.), and one subspecies (Ophelina delapidans longicephala n. subsp.) were described as new taxa. The majority of the species collected during this cruise have their distribution in the Atlantic Ocean or are more widely distributed. Peisidice bermudensis was found the second time after its original description. Lepidastenia brunnea and Isolda whydahensis never have been found as far north off the coast of Portugal. The interstitial living species Pisione remota and Hesionides arenaria, usually common in shallow waters, were found in deeper water (72 m and 120-180 m) for the first time.

Description: Off the NW-African coast in February 1973 neuston was sampled between latitudes 36° and 30° N as part of the CINECA multiship survey. The ichthyoplankton, fish larvae only, of these neuston samples was investigated under qualitative and quantitative aspects. Due to winterly environmental conditions and a more northern station-grid compared to the other "Meteor" expeditions, the total yield was low, for subtropical faunistic elements were absent or less abundant. The northern neritic part showed densities of only 3.0 fishes/100 m3 of water filtered, in the southern neritic zone maximum values occurred with 18.9 animals/100 m3, but even these values were far lower than those found in winter 1970, when surfacetemperatures and the amount of subtropical species were higher. The investigated area is considered to be a transitional zone between boreal and subtropical conditions under regional and seasonal aspects. For the most frequent taxa earlier findings on zoogeography, behaviour and ecology could be confirmed and completed.

Description: The report considers all planktonic stages of the Mysidacea Lophogastrida, Amphionidacea and Decapoda taken by R.V. "Meteor" in plankton samples over Josephine and Great Meteor Seamounts and regions of similar latitude off the Portuguese and Moroccan coasts. Larvae of most species in the vicinity of the seamounts were virtually confined to the upper 100 m. Circadian vertical migration was not evident. The waters over the seamounts were not avoided by holopelagic species. Such waters yielded fewer species of meroplanktonic larvae than the coastal regions and showed few species in common with each other or with the coastal regions. One larval species from both seamounts and three from Great Meteor Seamount show major characters unknown in larvae from European or North African waters.

Description: Sediment cores from the continental slope off NW Africa (20-27° N) have been investigated by means of an analysis of clay minerals, of grajn size distribution of terrigenous material and of coarse fractions and CaC03 -contents. Deductions concerning Late Quaternary climatic variations could be made from the obtained results. The interglacial periods X and Z (stage 1 and 5 after SHACKLETON & OPDYKE 1973) had an arid climate, characterized by: a) presence of chlorite and attapulgite in noticeable amounts, these fragile minerals being preserved from weathering in dry climatic conditions, b) small grain size of terrigenous material, c) high desert quartz numbers, high CaC03-amounts of total sediment, small terrigenous input and low transport energy. The glacial periods Y and W (stage 2-4 and 6) had a humid climate. This is suggested by: a) the absence or rareness of chlorite and attapulgite and increasing amounts of mixed-layer minerals, b) high amounts of coarse-grained terrigenous material, indicating greater transport energy, c) low or disappearing desert quartz numbers, low CaC03-content and high terrigenous input. The cores from 27 and 20° N do not fit into this general scheme, because they are situated at climatic boundaries, the northern core lying at the actual boundary of mediterranean humid and arid climate, the southern core lying at the Würm boundary between humid and arid climate. Results of 40-63 μm sized desert quartz and amount of 〈6 respectively 20-63 μm fraction show sharp boundaries between stratigraphic zones, revealing rapid changes in climate. Clay mineralogical changes are less rapid, showing the progressive changes in soil formation and soil destruction. The origin of the clay minerals is exclusively detrital. Their quantitative variations show a differential settling with distance from coast, and a latitudinal zonation parallel to terrestrial soils.

Description: The 60 km wide shelf off Mauritania is cut by several submarine canyons. Its water-circulation is controlled by the cool Canary current and upwelling. Its Recent sediments show faunal assodations remarkably related to the grain size distribution which in water depths between 40 and 80 m is strongly influenced by reworldng of older coarse sand or sandstone. In this depth range a mixed biofades originating from Pleistocene and Recent material is encountered. The present lateral faunistic and sedimentological fades change, including horizons of mixed provenance, can be recognized in vertical sequences taken by vibro-coring. This correlation combined with 14C-datations on molluscs enable the reconstruction of the history of the last gladal regression and transgression. Due to the arid climate, the emerging calcareous shelf sediments are indurated and, therefore, protected from subaerial and submarine erosion. During low sea level eolian sand migrates over the shelf, but only about l/10 of this material remains there and is later incorporated into the sandy shelf sediments. The calculated average rate of total sedimentation during Holocene is 15 cm, and the production rate of carbonate is 5 cm/1000 years.

Description: In March 1974 combined refractional and reflectional seismic experiments were performed in the Cretan Sea. A total of 141 shots were fired along two lines, one parallel to the main structure striking nearly E-W between Karpathos and the SE-Peloponnese, the other perpendicular to it between Crete and Santorin (Thira). The shots were observed at 13 sites on land and by four buoy stations at sea. The seismic data reduced to time-distance plots and evaluated by direct and inverse ray theory methods revealed that: The Cretan Sea builds an E-W elongated dome of the upper mantle with maximum crustal attenuation at its central part and a thickness of nearly 20km. The vertical distribution of the P wave velocity is that of a continental crust that has been subjected to attenuation. The present distribution of sediments is mainly confined to the zone: SE-Peloponnese-Kithera-Antikithera-Crete-Karpathos, and also to small depressions within the central basin. In general they do not exceed 2 km in thickness. The uneven distribution of the sediments indicates the possibility of a two phase subsidence of the Cretan Sea. Areas with no or very thin sedimentary cover belong to the youngest tectonic phase. The morphology of the crystalline basement has been formed by intensive fragmentation, consisting mainly of normal faults, typical for tensional tectonism. The northern border of the Cretan Sea exhibits intensive volcanism along the line : Methana-Milos-Santorin-los. This zone is partly mobilized and intruded by surplus masses from the upper mantle as shown in the case of Santorin.

Description: This paper is a dcscription of the shallow structure of the Cretan Trough in the Aegean Sea as illustrated by continuous seismic profiles obtained by R. V. "Meteor" (1600 n.m., 1974), and R. R. S. "Shackleton" (1000 n.m., 1972, 1974). Study of this data shows an erosional unconformity between indurated rocks and sediments which over most of the Cretan Trough corresponds to erosion after the main Alpine orogeny and prior to the Upper Tortonian and in some places to the Upper Pliocene transgression. Thick sediments of up to 1.5 km have collected in local basins. Strong vertical movements on normal faults were responsible for the formation of the Cretan Trough and subsequently controlled the sedimentation. Sediments within the Trough have been deformed by Upper Pliocene/Pleistocene faulting and folding. Quaternary intrusions of volcanic? material are sporadically observed over the whole width of the Cretan Trough and do not suggest active seafloor spreading. Extensional processes are seen to be the dominant f eature in the tectonics of this area since ca. 10 m. y. A geodynamic process responsible for the observed structural data - mantle diapirism or subduction induced back-arc spreading - could not be derived from the reflection seismic data.

Description: Sediments sampled in three lateral traverses from the outer continental shelf to the continental rise off the Sahara Desert were analysed for their grain size distribution and composition. The carbonate content of the shelf and upper slope sediments increases from about 10-15 % in the south to about 50-90 % in the north and changes to about 40-45 % in deeper water. The high carbonate content in the north generally reflects the high proportion of relict material in the sediments. The main change in the composition of the sediments - defined mostly as hemipelagic - from the outer shelf to the rise is in an increase of coccoliths and clays and a decrease of quartz. The cumulative grain size curves indicate that each of the samples is a mixture of different proportions of two approximately log normal populations. The size of the truncation point between the populations, the proportion between the coarse and fine populations and the mean, sorting, skewness and kurtosis decrease with increasing depth. Correlations between the parameters indicate that the moments express mainly the mixture proportions of the two populations. The two populations may, however, indicate an artificial effect of deflocculation during sample treatment rather than reflecting some hydraulic factor. The cumulative grain size distribution curves of eolian dust collected on ship's surface during cruises along the Saharan shelf and that of other published data is divided into a two-population and a onepopulation type. The two populations may be attributed to either gravitational settling of larger dust particles and normal dust fall or to disaggregation effect. The moment statistics of the dust differ mainly from those of the marine sediments in that they have a lower standard deviation. The composition and the textural parameters, combined with modal analysis of the dust and the separated soluble and insoluble components of the sediments indicate that the downslope transportation of the coarser sediment particles is a result of marine currents rather than of wind. The distribution pattern of the relict material in the northern outer shelf and upper slope is attributed to an extinct current regime which was stronger than the present one. The gravitational settling of coarse dust, mainly over the shelf, most probably accounts for the principal input of sediment that is transported further downslope by marine currents. Part of the fine, as well as a small portion of the coarse terrigenous material may be derived from direct settling of dust over the open sea. The recent sedimentation process results in a continental margin prograding off the Sahara Desert. In the south sedimentation occurs on the outer shelf, slope and rise, whereas in the north main sedimentation occurs on the lower slope and rise. The deflection of the Canary current away from the Cape Blanc coast is proposed as an explanation for the apparent reduced deposition rate over the outer shelf and upper slope in the northern area.

Description: The net flux of all irreversible fluxes of radiation and heat crossing the ocean surface is determined for phase III of GATE at position no. 27 (WFS "Planet", FRG). The radiation fluxes have been measured directly, while the heat fluxes have been parameterized with the bulk formula however with bulk coefficients depending on stability. The heat loss of the ocean due to warming of the cooler precipitation is included for the determination of the net flux at the ocean surface. Some examples of hourly mean values of different fluxes during different weather conditions are additionally shown.

Description: Spectral analysis of time series for hourly and three minutes surface observations of potential temperature, specific humidity and wind speed show significant differences between spectra for disturbed and undisturbed conditions in the period range between one and five days and 30 and 120 minutes. The spectrum of pot. temperature which was found to be a good indicator of convective activity showed that these differences are mainly caused by enhanced convection during disturbed conditions, as the cloud and subcloud layer are strongly coupled by updrafts and downdrafts. This convective mixing influences the near surface fields of pot. temperature, wind velocity, and to a lesser extent 0£ specific humidity. For moderate to depressed convection the cloud and subcloud layers are less coupled. The diurnal radiative forcing then determines the spectra. Convection seems not to be distinctly organized, while during enhanced convective activity, the individual clouds are organized on a larger scale, forming what is commonly called cloud clusters. Two modes are found in the long period range which could be determined with a certain significance. The first one in the range of 4 to 5 days the second one in the range of 30 to 40 hours. The analysis of the high resolution buoy measurements at "Meteor" shows a further maximum due to convective influences for periods of about 40 minutes.

Description: With a 6-channel integrating nephelometer spectral scattering properties of the atmospheric aerosol have been measured during the third part of the Atlantic Expedition 1969. A meridional cross section of light scattering integrals in the wavelength range 0.475 µm to 0.924 µm was recorded reaching from 10° S to 60° N along 30° W. With a new algorithm the time series of hourly scattering spectra was inverted yielding a first meridional cross section of the median radius of the number size distribution in situ. Three air mass regimes could be distinguished in the course of the experiment, the first one being the extremely clean air of the SE-trade south of the ITC. An abrupt increase in light scattering marked the hemispheric change when the ship entered the NE-trade which was heavily loaded with Sahara dust. North of the trade region the ship sailed through maritime North Atlantic air masses with highly variable light scattering and a slow decrease in median radius with latitude.

Description: The hydrodynamic roughness of the sea surface at low wind speeds (u10 〈 5 ms-1) is investigated according to the aerodynamic profile method. The wind, temperature, and humidity profiles were measured during GATE in 1974. In some earlier publications on this subject the density stratification has not been considered. Therefore apparent roughness parameters are found, which are smaller than those for a hydrodynamic smooth flow. In this paper the density stratification was determined from 10 m-values of wind, temperature, and humidity. From more than 1 OOO 10 min-profiles an average drag coefficient reduced to neutral stability of CD,N10 = (1.10 ± 0.32) · 10-3 for u10 〈 5 ms-1 is obtained. As the slight decrease of CD,NlO with increasing wind speed is not significant, CD,NlO can be regarded as independent of the wind speed. In the range of low wind speeds (1.75 ms-1 〈 t110 〈 5 ms-1) the sea surface is hydrodynamically rough. The validity of the Charnock formula z0 = u*2/ag cannot be verified. An influence of wind waves on the wind profile can be shown even for wave heights less than 0.75 m up to a level of 2 m above the sea surface. Therefore the drag coefficient was determined from wind values above 2 m height.

Description: During GATE 37 flights with radiometersondes to measure the infrared radiation were made from R.V. "Meteor" at 7.8° N, 22.1° W. This position was close to the ITCZ, very often high reaching convective clouds dominated. The profiles of the irradiances are dominating influenced by clouds. Examples are given, one showing the dependence on cirrus clouds, another that on dense altostratus and nimbostratus clouds. The goal of the measurements was to obtain mean profiles of infrared radiative heating rates, but due to the high variability of the clouds and due to the difficulty to assign the flights to distinct clouds, only three mean profiles could be calculated: - Average of all 37 flights, - Clear skies, - Skies overcast with medium clouds.

Description: The distribution of 210Pb and 210Po in dissolved ( 〈 0.4-micron) and particulate (〉 0.4-micron) phases has been measured at ten stations occupied during cruise 32 of F. S. "Meteor" in the tropical and eastern North Atlantic. Both radionuclides occur principally in the dissolved phase. Unsupported 210Pb activities, maintained by flux from the atmosphere, are present in the surface mixed layer and penetrate into the thermocline to depths of about 500 m. Dissolved 210Po is ordinarily present in the mixed layer at less than equilibrium concentrations, suggesting rapid biological removal of this nuclide. Particulate matter is enriched in 210Po, with 210Po/210Pb activity ratios greater than 1.0, similar to those reported for phytoplankton. At depths of 100-300m, 210Po maxima occur, and unsupported 210Po is frequently present, an observation that suggests rapid re-cycling within the thermocline. Comparison of the 210Pb distributions with those reported for 226Ra at nearby GEOSECS stations confirms the widespread existence of a 210Pb/226Ra disequilibrium in the deep sea. Close to the bottom, profiles of 210Pb and 226Ra usually diverge, and 210Pb concentrations frequently decrease with depth, suggesting a sink for 210Pb near the seafloor. Particulate 210Pb concentrations ordinarily show little systematic variation with depth. At depths greater than 1,000 m, dissolved 210Po activities are, on the average, less than those of 210Pb by 12 % . A corresponding 210Po enrichment in the particulate phase is found.

Description: Pelagic tar has been collected daily on a transsect from off Prtugal to south of the Canary Islands in January/February 1975. A new neuston sampler was used which may be towed at speeds between 7 and 10 knots (DERENBACH & EHRHARDT 1975). A total of 22 samples was taken. Dimensions of tar balls ranged from potatoe-size to small specks approximately 1 mm in diameter. Concentrations were found to vary between 20.5 and 0.007 mg/m2, except for one instance of an extremely high tar concentration of 2270 mg/m2. 49 GC analyses were made. 61% showed bimodal peak distributions characteristic of crude oil sludges. The composition of tar balls was independent of their size suggesting diffusion controlled degradation.

Description: During the International ICES Expedition "Overflow '73" a total of 174 samples from 18 stations were collected by R. V. "Meteor" in the waters of the Iceland-Faroe Ridge area. They were filtered on board ship (through 0.4 µm "Nuclepore" filters), then stored in 500 cm3 quartz bottles (at -20°C) and analyzed in air-filtered laboratories on land for zinc and cadmium by means of the differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry technique and copper and iron by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. The overall averages of 1.9 µg Zn l-1, 0.07 µg Cd l-1, 0.5 µg Cu l-1 and 0.9 µg Fe l-1 are in good agreement with recent "baseline" studies of open-ocean waters. The mixture of low salinity water masses from the North Iceland Shelf/Arctic Intermediate Waters seem to maintain distinctly lower concentration of Cd, Cu and Fe than the waters from the North Atlantic and the Norwegian Sea where quite similar mean values are found. There is only little evidence for the assumption that overflow events on the ridge are influencing the concentrations of dissolved metals in the near-bottom layers.