ALBERT

Beschreibung: ... Overall, An Introduction to Programming with Mathematica is a useful and readable book that could serve as the text for a generic programming class, a supporting text for a class on programming for geoscientists, or an introduction for experienced geoscience programmers looking for an easily readable summary of Mathematica's programming language. Experienced Mathematica programmers may find it useful as a refresher. The book's principal drawbacks are the high price of Mathematica for those who do not already have the software (although a modestly priced student version is available) and, for geoscientists in particular, a lack of relevant example problems

Beschreibung: Fundamentals of Structural Geology provides a new framework for the investigation of geological structures by integrating field mapping and mechanical analysis. Assuming a basic knowledge of physical geology, introductory calculus and physics, it emphasizes the observational data, modern mapping technology, principles of continuum mechanics, and the mathematical and computational skills, necessary to quantitatively map, describe, model, and explain deformation in Earth's lithosphere. By starting from the fundamental conservation laws of mass and momentum, the constitutive laws of material behavior, and the kinematic relationships for strain and rate of deformation, the authors demonstrate the relevance of solid and fluid mechanics to structural geology. This book offers a modern quantitative approach to structural geology for advanced students and researchers in structural geology and tectonics. It is supported by a website hosting images from the book, additional colour images, student exercises and MATLAB scripts. Solutions to the exercises are available to instructors

Beschreibung: Males of Eledone cirrhosa grow to a size little over 600 g and normally have well-developed, and presumably active, reproductive organs from about 200 g upwards. Total weight of the genital bag is well correlated with total body weight (r= 0·906). Growth of the testis precedes that of the spermatophoric sac, and the size of neither of these reproductive components is predictable from body weight. The sizes of these organs and the estimated number and length of stored spermatophores are given for 100 g intervals of total body weight. No evidence was obtained for a seasonal trend in male maturity.

Beschreibung: Foraging rate was highly variable among shore crabs of the same size category and for individual crabs from day to day. Possible physiological reasons for this variability are discussed. Shore crab foraging rate, both in terms of mussels eaten per day and energy intake per day, was estimated to be higher at 17°C than at 10°C. The shape of diet curves and their mode for male shore crabs at 17°C closely resembled those for 10°C, indicating that the temperature increase had no effect on their previously demonstrated optimal foraging strategy. Female and certain male shore crabs showed a preference for prey smaller than for other equivalent sized males. These suboptimally feeding male and female crabs attained a relatively higher prédation rate (mussels day‐1), although their energy intake (KJ day‐1) remained lower than that of optimally feeding males. Preferred mussel size, number of mussels eaten per day and energy intake were strongly related to master chela height. The diet curves for female and suboptimally feeding male shore crabs could be explained by these crabs’ proportionately smaller master chelae.

Beschreibung: In this study, a series of drained triaxial tests were performed in order to examine the effect of cementation on the shear behavior of granular soil. It was observed that the brittle nature and dilative tendency of granular soil is dominant under a low confining stress level, while high confining stress results in a contractive behavior despite the strong cementation bond. Based on experimental results, an idealized concept is suggested to define the shear strength of cemented sand in three distinctive zones: the cementation control zone with a constant cohesion intercept at a low confining stress level, the transition zone in which the cohesion intercept is gradually reduced after a breaking point, and the stress control zone with almost zero cohesion intercept due to breakage of cementation bonds at a high confining stress level. It was shown that the sitting pressures during cementation have little effect on the strength parameters of cemented sand, while the increase of gypsum content and relative density, and the decrease of particle size, result in an increase of the cohesion intercept and the breaking point. In addition, the prediction equations for the shear strength and cohesion intercept in the cementation control zone and the transition zone are suggested from the analytical and experimental interpretation.

Beschreibung: We present chemical data on magmatically heterogeneous pyroclastic deposits of late Quaternary age erupted from zoned magma systems underlying Tenerife (Canary Islands), Sao Miguel and Faial (Azores), and Vesuvius. The most fractionated magmas present at each centre are respectively Na-rich phonolite, trachyte, and K-rich phonolite. Within any one deposit, chemical variation is either accompanied by changes in the phenocryst assemblage (petrographic zonation) or is largely manifested in trace element abundances, unaccompanied by any petrographic change (occult zonation). Zoning is analogous to that in calc-alkaline systems where the most fractionated products are high-silica rhyolites. When a range of magma types are considered, a correlation emerges between roofward depletion of trace elements (especially REE) in the zoned system and compatability of those same trace elements in the accessory phenocryst phases present. Thus, allanite- or chevkinite-bearing rhyolitic systems are light-REE depleted roofwards, the sphene-bearing Tenerife system is middle-REE depleted roofwards, the melanite-bearing Vesuvius system is heavy-REE depleted roofwards, while the Azores systems, which lack these phases, display roofward REE enrichment. Therefore, the behaviour of trace elements may in each case be explained by fractionation of observed phenocryst assemblages. The resemblance between features of zoned magma systems and published work on the dynamic consequences of cooling saturated aqueous solutions prompts us to suggest that sidewall crystallization and consequent boundary-layer uprise to form a capping layer at top of the system may be a plausible mechanism for the generation of both petrographic and occult zonation. Reverse zoning occurs among the first-erupted tephra of some deposits, demonstrating that the most highly differentiated magma available is not always the first to be tapped during an eruption from a zoned system.

Beschreibung: Changes in the relative size of the ovary, oviducal glands and eggs are described for Eledone cirrhosa captured from the North Sea off Aberdeen over a 3 year period (N = 488). The analysis is based only on freshly caught animals, excluding those held in aquarium conditions (〉 5 days). Ovary enlargement and egg size estimates are used as indices of sexual maturity. Between 0–15% and 18–95% of total body weight is contributed by the ovary. Maximum egg length in the ovary ranges up to 7 mm. On these criteria, sexual maturation typically occurs at body sizes between 400–1000 g although some animals of 1000–1200 g are found showing no evidence of ovary enlargement. The majority of the monthly sample is always immature but maturation can apparently occur at almost any time of the year. Increase in mean ovary index and mean values for egg size are strongly seasonal and indicate a peak incidence of sexual maturity over 2–3 months in the July-September period. Spawning is presumed to follow within 1 month. Estimates of the fecundity of the females, based on the egg sample from the ovary, range from 2·2 × 103 to 55 × 10 3 eggs with a mean of 11 × 10 3 and a mode of 7·5 × 10 3 eggs.

Beschreibung: Female Eledone cirrhosa held in aquarium conditions for periods of time of five daysand over show relatively enlarged ovary sizes. Values for ovary index considerably exceed thoseof freshly caught animals and the incidence of the final stage of maturity, in which eggs pack the oviducts, is greater. A comparison of maturity indices for fresh and aquarium males was inconclusive. The range of factors associated with aquarium conditions is briefly reviewed and it is concluded that studies of cephalopod reproductive maturation must distinguish fresh and aquarium animals. Introduction External factors effective in inducing sexual maturation in cephalopods have been suggested several times. The influence of the absence of light has been implicated since the experiments of Wells & Wells (1959) showed that blinded Octopus vulgar is matured precociously. An effect of short day length in stimulating the optic glands of Sepia has been found by Defretin & Richard (1967) and Richard (1967) but this is not clearly the case for Octopus (Buckley, 1977). Octopuses kept in aquarium conditions for lengthy periods are said to have larger relative gonad sizes than those fresh from the sea (Wells & Wells, 1975). One of the factors associated with aquarium conditions is often a degree of starvation, and this circumstance alone is held to be a factor in inducing precocious sexual maturation in Eledone (Mangold & Boucher-Rodoni, 1973). In the course of recent studies on the growth and reproduction of Eledone cirrhosa from the North Sea (Boyle & Knobloch, 1982,1983,1984) animals which had remained in aquarium conditions for 5 days or over were separated from the analysis.

Beschreibung: A new species of a monogenean Isancistrum subulatae (Gyrodactylidae) has been discovered on the arms and tentacles of the cephalopod mollusc Alloteuthis subulata at Plymouth and I. loliginis, on the gills of the same host, has been re-discovered for the first time since its original description in 1912. I. subulatae, like other gyrodactylids, is viviparous, and has been shown by experiments to transfer to new hosts by contagion. In nature such transfers probably take place during copulation of the hosts and since the parasite may occur in numbers of several thousands per host, it may thereby constitute a venereal disease.

Beschreibung: The distribution of five dominant calanoid copepods was related to different water masses in the Angola-Benguela Front system. Five water bodies were identified by principal component analysis, on the basis of abiotic parameter such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, silicate, nitrate and nitrite. These parameters were reduced to single factors and arranged along two principal component axes. The copepod species incuded females and copepodites C5 of Calanoides carinatus and females of Metridia lucens, Centropages brachiatus, Nannocalanus minor and Aetideopsis carinata. The water bodies identified in the frontal system were related to currents, upwelling processes, an oxygen minimum layer and biological modification. The different copepod species, as well as the two ontogenetic stages of C. carinatus, showed clear preference for specific water bodies, and their behavioural and physiological adaptations to the environment are discussed.

Beschreibung: Force chain buckling, leading to unjamming and shear banding, is examined quantitatively via a discrete element analysis of a two-dimensional, densely-packed, cohesionless granular assembly subject to quasistatic, boundary-driven biaxial compression. A range of properties associated with the confined buckling of force chains has been established, including: degree of buckling, buckling modes, spatial and strain evolution distributions, and relative contributions to non-affine deformation, dilatation and decrease in macroscopic shear strength and potential energy. Consecutive cycles of unjamming–jamming events, akin to slip–stick events arising in other granular systems, characterize the strain-softening regime and the shear band evolution. Peaks in the dissipation rate, kinetic energy and local non-affine strain are strongly correlated: the largest peaks coincide with each unjamming event that is evident in the concurrent drops in the macroscopic shear stress and potential energy. Unjamming nucleates from the buckling of a few force chains within a small region inside the band. A specific mode of force chain buckling, prevalent in and confined to the shear band, leads to above-average levels of local non-affine strain and release of potential energy during unjamming. Ongoing studies of this and other buckling modes from a structural stability standpoint serve as the basis for the formulation of internal variables and associated evolution laws, central to the development of thermomicromechanical constitutive theory for granular materials.

Beschreibung: The behaviour of Chelophyes has been analysed from the point of view of coordination between stem and nectophores, and an electron microscope study of the effectors and conducting elements has been carried out. Coordination between the stem and anterior nectophore involves two pathways, one epithelial and the other nervous. The nervous link consists of a bundle of small neurites and a single giant axon. There is some evidence that this mediates rapid escape behaviour. After the nerves have been cut, coordination is maintained via the epithelial route. Impulses can jump from epithelial cells into nerves but the transmission process is unclear. Neuro‐epithelial transmission involves conventional synapses. As in physonectid siphonophores, the stem has two nervous systems each with its own giant fibre, and a slow system, the endodermal epithelium. In the nectophore, marginal nerve centres generate a swimming rhythm. Conduction in the subumbrellar muscle is myoid. The exumbrellar epithelium and the subumbrellar endoderm are conducting tissues. Histological study reveals synapses in the predicted locations and gives details of myo‐epithelial organization and nervous layout. Novel histological features include elements resembling steroid‐secreting cells, which ensheath nerves and are innervated by them, and innervated giant non‐nervous cells lying between the nerve ring and the hydroecium. The subumbrellar muscle cells are shown to have sarcolemmal invaginations reminiscent of the f‐tubule system of vertebrate muscle.

Beschreibung: The major light and dark components of body displays are described and classified for the octopus Eledone cirrhosa (Lamarck) under aquarium conditions. Comparisons are made with Octopus vulgaris and Eledone moschata. Upon the basic similarity of white display components in the three species is superimposed a trend of modification. Dark components are less various in Eledone cirrhosa and although the chromatophores are organised with leucophores into chromatic units these are not clearly limited morphologically by “grooves”. The mottle patterns of Eledone seem to be arranged along the longitudinal and latitudinal (radial) axes of the animal, the grade of mottle does not respond to grade of background contrast.

Beschreibung: A new 30-arc second resolution global topography/bathymetry grid (SRTM30_PLUS) has been developed from a wide variety of data sources. Land and ice topography comes from the SRTM30 and ICESat topography, respectively. Ocean bathymetry is based on a new satellite-gravity model where the gravity-to-topography ratio is calibrated using 298 million edited soundings. The main contribution of this study is the compilation and editing of the raw soundings, which come from NOAA, individual scientists, SIO, NGA, JAMSTEC, IFREMER, GEBCO, and NAVOCEANO. The gridded bathymetry is available for ftp download in the same format as the 33 tiles of SRTM30 topography. There are 33 matching tiles of source identification number to convey the provenance of every grid cell. The raw sounding data, converted to a simple common format, are also available for ftp download.

Beschreibung: Cirripedes are one of the major groups of fouling organism in the marine environment. The cyprid can, before a permanent attachment, actively explore and walk on the substratum using its antennules in a bipedal fashion without leaving the surface. Studying the structure of the cyprid antennule is therefore important for understanding the events that culminate in biofouling by barnacles. There are at present no complete, standardised accounts of the structure of the cyprid antennules in thoracican barnacles, and moreover, the existing accounts vary in their use of terminology. This article describes the cyprid antennule of the barnacle Megabalanus rosa. This barnacle species is common in E Asia, and the cyprids have previously been used in several biofouling studies. All externally visible setae on the antennules have been mapped; these comprise both chemosensors with a terminal pore, a putative aesthetasc-like seta and mechano-sensory setae. More setae were found on the attachment disc than in previous scanning electron microscope-based studies, but not all structures that can be seen with transmission electron microscopy were visible. The disc itself seems to have a variable surface area, which could assist in exploring rough surfaces. The various lengths of the antennular setae, coupled with the disposition of the segments, enable the cyprid to cover a wide swath of substratum during exploratory walking. A new terminology is proposed for cyprid antennular setae, which will form a basis for future comparative and functional studies of cirripede settlement.

Beschreibung: A simple unified critical state constitutive model for bonded geomaterials is presented in this paper. The model, which is called CASM-n, is an enhancement of an existing unified critical state model for reconstituted geomaterials (CASM). Characteristic behaviours of a bonded geomaterial such as the pre-yield higher strength and stiffness and the cohesive–frictional shearing mode in the post-yield region are taken into account and included in the reference model. The salient feature of the proposed model is the incorporation of cohesive component into the stress–dilatancy relationship. Consideration of the contribution of cohesion to plastic flow allows the modelling of delayed dilatancy and softening–contraction behaviour, which are two interesting phenomena observed in bonded geomaterials.

Beschreibung: Study of Nautilus belauensis i its natural habitat in Palau, West Caroline Islands, shows that growth is slow (0.1 millimeter of shell per day on the average) and decreases as maturity is approached and that individuals may live at least 4 years beyond maturity. Age estimates for seven animals marked and recaptured between 45 and 355 days after release range from 14.5 to 17.2 years. These data indicate that the life-span of Nautilus may exceed 20 years and that its life strategy is very different from that of other living cephalopods.

Beschreibung: The growth of the octopus Eledone cirrhosa has been studied in a population from the North Sea off Aberdeen. Data are presented for the growth of individuals isolated in aquarium conditions; the growth of size classes in thefieldpopulation; and preliminary information on the growth relationships of gonad, somatic, cardiac and brain components of the body. At 15 °C Eledone cirrhosa is capable of growing from 10 to 1000 g in 270 days. From octopuses which feed readily in captivity, weight specific growth rates of up to about 3–5 % day-1 for animals of 100 g body weight are recorded, falling to a maximum of about 1–5 % day-1 at body sizes above 500 g. Females stop growing when sexually mature, but in the sample captured they were consistently larger than males, a feature which may account for the 7:1 bias towards the incidence of females. On a wet-weight basis, the mean food incorporation into growth is 37 % of the food ingested, which is 49% of the gross weight of crabs killed. Field data for 1978/79 suggest that animals recruited to the population at the beginning of the year grew steadily until December, overwintered without growing, then grew rapidly for several months in the subsequent year before disappearing from the samples. The estimated average age of those animals and by implication, the life span, is 20 months.

Beschreibung: Three new species of siphonophores (Rhodaliidae), a little known, uniquely benthic, family of Physonectae (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria), are described from specimens observed and collected at depths between 120 and 360 m off Indonesia and South Africa by the submersible JAGO. Special reference is made to in situ observations and video close‐ups that revealed detailed information on locomotory, fishing and feeding behaviour.

Beschreibung: The vertical distribution of the hydromedusa Aequorea forskalea was investigated using observations from the research submersible 'Jago' collected during 36 dives off the west coast of southern Africa during November 1997 and April 1999. The mean population depth of Aequorea? forskalea deepened with increasing sea surface temperature. We suggest that this behaviour enables individuals to avoid offshore advection, to minimize spatial overlap with other large medusae and to maintain their position over the middle of the shelf.

Beschreibung: Data from New Zealand and northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, indicate that the Cambrian Takaka Terrane intra-oceanic arc/backarc assemblage and the Bowers Terrane intra-oceanic arc/back-arc assemblage were accreted to the Gondwana margin by the Late Cambrian. Compelling similarities between the arc rocks and the immediate post-arc sediments firmly place the two regions in the same tectonic framework and imply close paleogeographic proximity. Currently, the Ross Orogen is thought to be the result of sinistral oblique convergence with west-directed subduction, and accretion of the arc assemblages is attributed to closure of backarc basins. Syntectonic fluvial conglomerates in both regions attest to the development of fluvial systems draining both the accreted arc and the contemporaneous continental margin arc. Trilobite faunas indicate that fluvial sedimentation commenced earlier in New Zealand than in northern Victoria Land. In the context of the widely accepted sinistral oblique convergence model, these data suggest an original position for New Zealand to the south of northern Victoria Land, probably in the region of the southern Ross Sea.

Beschreibung: Sediments of upwelling regions off Namibia, Peru, and Chile contain dense populations of large nitrate-storing sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, Thiomargarita, Beggiatoa, and Thioploca. Increased contents of monounsaturated C16 and C18 fatty acids have been found at all stations studied, especially when a high density of sulfide oxidizers in the sediments was observed. The distribution of lipid biomarkers attributed to sulfate reducers (10MeC16:0 fatty acid, ai-C15:0 fatty acid, and mono-O-alkyl glycerol ethers) compared to the distribution of sulfide oxidizers indicate a close association between these bacteria. As a consequence, the distributions of sulfate reducers in sediments of Namibia, Peru, and Chile are closely related to differences in the motility of the various sulfide oxidizers at the three study sites. Depth profiles of mono-O-alkyl glycerol ethers have been found to correlate best with the occurrence of large sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. This suggests a particularly close link between mono-O-alkyl glycerol ether-synthesizing sulfate reducers and sulfide oxidizers. The interaction between sulfide-oxidizing bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria reveals intense sulfur cycling and degradation of organic matter in different sediment depths.

Beschreibung: Large euhedral crystals of calcium carbonate hexahydrate were recovered from a shelf basin of the Bransfield Strait, Antarctic Peninsula, at a water depth of 1950 meters and sub-zero bottom water temperatures. The chemistry, mineralogy, and stable isotope composition of this hydrated calcium carbonate phase, its environment of formation, and its mode of precipitation confirm the properties variously attributed to hypothetical precursors of the glendonites and thereby greatly expand their use in paleoceanographic interpretation.

Beschreibung: A variety of methods were successfully applied to examine the efficacy of a modular ballast water system according to the standards as adopted by the International Maritime Organization. The ballast water treatment system had a capacity of 530 m3 h−1 consisted of a pump system, a hydrocyclone, a 50 μm mesh-size self-cleaning filter and an installation for the addition of a chemical disinfectant (PERACLEAN® Ocean). The land-based testing facility used natural sea water of high turbidity during the spring phytoplankton bloom. The mesozooplankton fraction was inspected with a standard binocular. Larger zooplankton were effectively removed with the filter; the smaller sized fraction containing larvae and nauplia were killed after chemical treatment. The phytoplankton component was monitored using flow cytometry. The huge colonies of the phytoplankton Phaeocystis globosa were disrupted in the hydrocyclone liberating the colony cells which passed as single cells through the filter. These cells remained viable but were finally killed in the secondary (chemical) step. Bacteria also passed all mechanical treatment steps unharmed but were killed in the final step. Viability tests with SYTOX Green, which were specifically designed for phytoplankton, showed that mechanical treatment did not affect the percentage of viable cells a short-term, but after several hours the viable cell counts dropped down to 70%. Phytoplankton cells recovered within a single day and formed a new dense bloom rapidly. The bacteriostatic component of the chemical disinfectant (H2O2) remained present for several days preventing regrowth of bacteria for up to 15 days after addition. In conclusion, the IMO standards were met using the modular ballast water treatment unit and the applied instruments and assays were effective and rapid tools to qualify and quantify the organisms present as well as their viability.

Beschreibung: The planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer (Brady) was cultured under two different light intensities and in continuous darkness. High light intensity (HLI = 4oo-soo einsteins/m2/s) resulted in a longer lifespan, a greater number of chambers formed, and a larger final shell size compared with individuals cultured under low light intensity (LLI = 20-50 einsteins/m2/s) or in continuous darkness. Shell growth rates were unaffected by increasing light intensity, but gametogenesis was delayed. Continuous darkness induced a rapid onset of gametogenesis in organisms with shell lengths larger than 250 m. Feeding frequency had a greater effect on growth and reproduction than light intensity under conditions of LLI and HLI, but continuous darkness had an overriding effect on growth and reproduction owing to the rapid onset of gametogenesis which terminated the life of the mother cell. Our previous data indicated that the longevity of G. sacculifer was dependent on feeding frequency, and that G. sacculifer cultured under LLI had a lifespan of approximately 2-4 weeks. Present results suggest that the lifespan can vary from a minimum of 8 days for organisms fed daily in continuous darkness to a maximum of 54 days for organisms fed once every 7 days and maintained in HLI. It is concluded that individual G. sacculifer attain a shell size greater than 6oo ,urn only if they maintain their position in the euphotic zone. Prolonged existence below the euphotic zone would result in premature death or gametogenesis following stunted shell growth.

Beschreibung: Sampling an intact sequence of oceanic crust through lavas, dikes, and gabbros is necessary to advance the understanding of the formation and evolution of crust formed at mid-ocean ridges, but it has been an elusive goal of scientific ocean drilling for decades. Recent drilling in the eastern Pacific Ocean in Hole 1256D reached gabbro within seismic layer 2, 1157 meters into crust formed at a superfast spreading rate. The gabbros are the crystallized melt lenses that formed beneath a mid-ocean ridge. The depth at which gabbro was reached confirms predictions extrapolated from seismic experiments at modern mid-ocean ridges: Melt lenses occur at shallower depths at faster spreading rates. The gabbros intrude metamorphosed sheeted dikes and have compositions similar to the overlying lavas, precluding formation of the cumulate lower oceanic crust from melt lenses so far penetrated by Hole 1256D.

Beschreibung: A simple method for initializing coupled general circulation models (CGCMs) using only sea surface temperature (SST) data is comprehensively tested in an extended set of ensemble hindcasts with the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) climate model, MPI-OM/ECHAM5. In the scheme, initial conditions for both atmosphere and ocean are generated by running the coupled model with SST nudged strongly to observations. Air–sea interaction provides the mechanism through which SST influences the subsurface. Comparison with observations indicates that the scheme is performing well in the tropical Pacific. Results from a 500-yr control run show that the model's El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability is quite realistic, in terms of strength, structure and period. The hindcasts performed were six months long, initiated four times per year, consisted of nine ensemble members, and covered the period 1969–2001. The ensemble was generated by only varying atmospheric initial conditions, which were sampled from the initialization run to capture intraseasonal variability. At six-month lead, the model is able to capture all the major ENSO extremes of the period. However, because of poor sampling of ocean initial conditions and model deficiencies, the ensemble-mean anomaly correlation skill for Niño3 SST is only 0.6 at six-month lead. None the less, the results presented here demonstrate the potential of such a simple scheme, and provide a simple method by which SST information may be better used in more complex initialization schemes.

Beschreibung: Meteorite impacts cause conversion of kinetic energy into thermal energy. Part of this thermal energy is used to form a melt sheet, part is dissipated to heat the target rocks and these together with the hot rocks that elastically rebound from the depth of several kilometres (central uplift) activate hydrothermal circulation. Impact-generated hydrothermal systems have been documented from several impact structures world-wide. Three Australian examples—Shoemaker, Woodleigh and Yarrabubba—provide evidence of hydrothermal fluid flow both within and around the structures. Field observations, and petrographic and geochemical data suggest a common evolutionary trend of post-impact hydrothermal activity from early high-temperature alkali metasomatism to a later lower temperature H + metasomatism, resulting in the overprinting by hydrous mineral assemblages. Hydrothermal systems activated by meteorite-impact events are important because they may also form economic mineral deposits, as is documented for several impact structures in the world. A working model of hydrothermal circulation in terrestrial impact structures posits two main stages: (i) initial high-temperature fluids percolate downward causing widespread alkali metasomatism of the shattered target rocks below the melt sheet, resulting in their modification to rocks of syenitic affinity; and (ii) inflow of meteoric water and progressive cooling of the melt sheet leads to a lower temperature stage, in which hydrothermal fluid flow tends to move upward, resulting in mineral assemblages and alteration patterns that resemble those of epithermal systems. In addition, these fluids can discharge at the surface as hot springs.

Beschreibung: By amplifying the melanocortin type 1 receptor from the woolly mammoth, we can report the complete nucleotide sequence of a nuclear-encoded gene from an extinct species. We found two alleles and show that one allele produces a functional protein whereas the other one encodes a protein with strongly reduced activity. This finding suggests that mammoths may have been polymorphic in coat color, with both dark- and light-haired individuals co-occurring.

Beschreibung: We studied the formation of exocellular precipitates of struvite (Mg NH4PO4.6H2O) by 96 kinds of calcite‐pro‐ducing bacterial strains isolated from soil. We also studied the influence of calcium ions on struvite precipitation. The number of strains producing struvite was 20. Only four consistently formed large amounts. These results seem to indicate that the bacterial precipitation of struvite is not a general phenomenon. The strains studied were taxonomically identified, and no relationship was found between the production of struvite and the taxonomic identity of such strains. Calcium, supplied as Ca acetate in the culture medium, appeared to inhibit the biological precipitation of struvite.

Beschreibung: Sponges (phylum Porifera) are among the most ancient of the multicellular animals, or Metazoa, with a fossil record dating back at least 580 million years (1). Found both in marine and freshwater environments, they filter-feed by pumping water through their bodies, which can contain a remarkable number of microbial symbionts. Sponges lack many of the characteristics typical of animals, but recent genomic studies—including the report by Jackson et al. on page 1893 of this issue (2)—have shown that they possess many major metazoan gene families. Sponges are thus invaluable systems for studying the evolution of metazoans and their interactions with microorganisms. Furthermore, their highly stable skeletons are of interest to materials scientists. Biomineralization is an important feature of metazoan life. Animals including vertebrates, insects, mollusks, and sponges use minerals [such as calcium carbonate, iron, and silica] to form skeletal structures such as bones, seashells, and coral reefs (3). Biocalcification arose among many metazoan lineages during the “Cambrian explosion,” between 530 and 520 million years ago, when the ancestors of today's animals first appeared in the fossil record. Did these lineages share the same gene(s) for biocalcification, or did multiple independent evolutionary events give rise to the ability to biocalcify? Recent studies, including that by Jackson et al., are beginning to provide an answer to this question. Jackson et al. use the Indo- Pacific sponge Astrosclera willeyana to show that the last common ancestor of the metazoans possessed a precursor to the α-carbonic anhydrases. This gene family is used by animals today in a range of processes including ion transport, pH regulation, and biomineralization (4). By integrating molecular techniques ranging from protein sequencing to gene expression, the authors identified a group of closely related α-carbonic anhydrase sequences in A. willeyana. These sequences are similar to those recovered from a whole-genome project on another sponge, Amphimedon queenslandica (5). Together, the sponge α-carbonic anhydrases form a sister group to those of all other metazoans.

Beschreibung: Meteorite impacts cause conversion of kinetic energy into thermal energy. Part of this thermal energy is used to form a melt sheet, part is dissipated to heat the target rocks and these together with the hot rocks that elastically rebound from the depth of several kilometres (central uplift) activate hydrothermal circulation. Impact-generated hydrothermal systems have been documented from several impact structures world-wide. Three Australian examples—Shoemaker, Woodleigh and Yarrabubba—provide evidence of hydrothermal fluid flow both within and around the structures. Field observations, and petrographic and geochemical data suggest a common evolutionary trend of post-impact hydrothermal activity from early high-temperature alkali metasomatism to a later lower temperature H+ metasomatism, resulting in the overprinting by hydrous mineral assemblages. Hydrothermal systems activated by meteorite-impact events are important because they may also form economic mineral deposits, as is documented for several impact structures in the world. A working model of hydrothermal circulation in terrestrial impact structures posits two main stages: (i) initial high-temperature fluids percolate downward causing widespread alkali metasomatism of the shattered target rocks below the melt sheet, resulting in their modification to rocks of syenitic affinity; and (ii) inflow of meteoric water and progressive cooling of the melt sheet leads to a lower temperature stage, in which hydrothermal fluid flow tends to move upward, resulting in mineral assemblages and alteration patterns that resemble those of epithermal systems. In addition, these fluids can discharge at the surface as hot springs.

Beschreibung: The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC), which provides one-quarter of the global meridional heat transport, is composed of a number of separate flow components. How changes in the strength of each of those components may affect that of the others has been unclear because of a lack of adequate data. We continuously observed the MOC at 26.5°N for 1 year using end-point measurements of density, bottom pressure, and ocean currents; cable measurements across the Straits of Florida; and wind stress. The different transport components largely compensate for each other, thus confirming the validity of our monitoring approach. The MOC varied over the period of observation by ±5.7 × 106 cubic meters per second, with density-inferred and wind-driven transports contributing equally to it. We find evidence for depth-independent compensation for the wind-driven surface flow.

Beschreibung: Shells of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis remain free of fouling organisms as long as they possess an intact periostracum, and a multiple antifouling defence that comprises a ripple-like microtopography and the production of chemical antifouling compounds has been suggested previously. This study investigates the chemical defence strategy of blue mussels for the first time. Six crude extracts of the periostracum of intact shells were made using solvents of increasing polarity. These extracts were tested against common fouling organisms in laboratory based bioassays. Non-polar and moderately polar fractions showed the highest activities: the diethyl ether fraction strongly inhibited attachment of Balanus amphitrite cyprids and the marine bacteria Cobetia marina and Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus. Attachment of the benthic diatom Amphora coffeaeformis was significantly reduced by the dichloromethane extract, whereas both ethyl acetate and diethyl ether fractions slowed diatom growth. These results provide the first evidence of surface bound compounds that may moderate surface colonisation.

Beschreibung: The regional dust model system LM-MUSCAT-DES was developed in the framework of the SAMUM project. Using the unique comprehensive data set of near-source dust properties during the 2006SAMUMfield campaign, the performance of the model system is evaluated for two time periods in May and June 2006. Dust optical thicknesses, number size distributions and the position of the maximum dust extinction in the vertical profiles agree well with the observations. However, the spatio-temporal evolution of the dust plumes is not always reproduced due to inaccuracies in the dust source placement by the model. While simulated winds and dust distributions are well matched for dust events caused by dry synoptic-scale dynamics, they are often misrepresented when dust emissions are caused by moist convection or influenced by small-scale topography that is not resolved by the model. In contrast to long-range dust transport, in the vicinity of source regions the model performance strongly depends on the correct prediction of the exact location of sources. Insufficiently resolved vertical grid spacing causes the absence of inversions in the model vertical profiles and likely explains the absence of the observed sharply defined dust layers.

Beschreibung: Tropical cyclones (TC) under different climate conditions in the Northern Hemisphere have been investigated with the Max Planck Institute (MPI) coupled (ECHAM5/MPI-OM) and atmosphere (ECHAM5) climate models. The intensity and size of the TC depend crucially on resolution with higher wind speed and smaller scales at the higher resolutions. The typical size of the TC is reduced by a factor of 2.3 from T63 to T319 using the distance of the maximum wind speed from the centre of the storm as a measure. The full three-dimensional structure of the storms becomes increasingly more realistic as the resolution is increased. For the T63 resolution, three ensemble runs are explored for the period 1860 until 2100 using the IPCC SRES scenario A1B and evaluated for three 30 yr periods at the end of the 19th, 20th and 21st century, respectively. While there is no significant change between the 19th and the 20th century, there is a considerable reduction in the number of the TC by some 20% in the 21st century, but no change in the number of the more intense storms. Reduction in the number of storms occurs in all regions. A single additional experiment at T213 resolution was run for the two latter 30-yr periods. The T213 is an atmospheric only experiment using the transient sea surface temperatures (SST) of the T63 resolution experiment. Also in this case, there is a reduction by some 10% in the number of simulated TC in the 21st century compared to the 20th century but a marked increase in the number of intense storms. The number of storms with maximum wind speeds greater than 50 m s−1 increases by a third. Most of the intensification takes place in the Eastern Pacific and in the Atlantic where also the number of storms more or less stays the same. We identify two competing processes effecting TC in a warmer climate. First, the increase in the static stability and the reduced vertical circulation is suggested to contribute to the reduction in the number of storms. Second, the increase in temperature and water vapour provide more energy for the storms so that when favourable conditions occur, the higher SST and higher specific humidity will contribute to more intense storms. As the maximum intensity depends crucially on resolution, this will require higher resolution to have its full effect. The distribution of storms between different regions does not, at first approximation, depend on the temperature itself but on the distribution of the SST anomalies and their influence on the atmospheric circulation. Two additional transient experiments at T319 resolution where run for 20 yr at the end of the 20th and 21st century, respectively, using the same conditions as in the T213 experiments. The results are consistent with the T213 study. The total number of TC were similar to the T213 experiment but were generally more intense. The change from the 20th to the 21st century was also similar with fewer TC in total but with more intense cyclones.

Beschreibung: Screening for pathogenic micro-organisms is an essential component of translocation-based conservation management. While there are some data on pathogens in New Zealand passerines, little is known about the distribution and prevalence of pathogens infecting New Zealand Psittaciformes. We conducted a survey for pathogens of the vulnerable New Zealand endemic red-crowned parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae in two wild populations (Little Barrier Island and Raoul Island), and in a translocated population (Tiritiri Matangi Island). A total of 101 cloacal samples were tested for Salmonella and Yersinia. Of these, 82 samples were also tested for Campylobacter. None of these microorganisms were detected. Although our sampling effort was insufficient to detect a low prevalence of Campylobacter, modelling of minimum detectable prevalence of Salmonella and Yersinia indicates that these micro-organisms would have been detected if present as common or chronic conditions of red-crowned parakeets at these sites.

Beschreibung: Draining of a huge lake into the Northern Atlantic may have triggered a cold period ~12,900 years ago. The route taken by the flood waters remains unknown.

Beschreibung: Illex illecebrosus squid appear to have a species‐typical and internally organized spatial arrangement of their groups. Squid maintained an average angle of 25° with respect to their nearest neighbour, and mostly had angular deviations between 5° and 20°. They maintained distances to nearest, second and third neighbours in a ratio of 1:1.5:2. The distances were strongly affected by group size (4, 20, or 38), with larger groups maintaining closer distances. Interindividual distances were not affected by two variables, day‐night and presence of a current in the large pool in which they were kept. The similarity of this organization to that of fish schools is discussed.

Beschreibung: There are many kinds of squid and cuttlefish in the oceans of the world, and the stock sizes of some are presumed to be large. However, few attempts have been made to quantitatively assess standing stocks. In Japan, the commercial yield ranges from 400,000 to 900,000 metric tons annually, accounting for about 50 to 80% of the total cephalopod catch in the world. Jigging surveys have been conducted since 1971 in the Sea of Japan and since 1973 in the Pacific Ocean off Japan. Their purpose has been to assess the abundance of oceanic squid. The stock size index (N) and the density index (F) for Todarodes pacificus, Ommastrephes bartrami, and Onychoteuthis borealijaponica were calculated for the Pacific from 1968 to 1979 and for the Sea of Japan from 1971 to 1979. N and F correspond reasonably well to periodic changes in the annual yield (Y) of T. pacificus in the Pacific and the Sea of Japan. Since Y is presumed to correspond well to abundance, the results of these surveys give rough estimates of T. pacificus abundance. Changes in N and F for O. bartrami and O. borealijaponica do not show good correspondence with Y, probably because the study area covers only a part of the range of the two species.

Beschreibung: Growth is described from size-at-age data. Size-at-age was determined from counts of daily growth rings on the statoliths of 65 individuals. A mean growth rate of 2 mm/day was calculated for a dorsal mantle length range of 15-52 cm. The month in which each individual hatched was back-calculated from the age data. A histogram of the frequency of hatching through the year is presented and shows peaks in May and October.

Beschreibung: Cephalopods play a significant role in coastal and oceanic ecosystems, both as consumers of invertebrates and small fish and as the prey of some fish, seabirds and marine mammals and other large predators. Approximately 30 species of cephalopod have been recorded in the north-eastern Atlantic and adjacent waters, including 18 teuthid (squid), seven sepiolid (bobtail), three sepiid (cuttlefish) and 10 octopod (octopus) species. A number of these are exploited commercially and support important target and by-catch fisheries in Western Europe. During the past decade, annual landings of cephalopods from the north-eastern Atlantic (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea [ICES] area) have ranged from 40,000 to 55,000 t, including substantial catches of long-fin (loliginid) squid (7000–11,000 t per annum), short-fin (ommastrephid) squid (3000–10,000 t), cuttlefish (including sepiolids; 16,000–24,000 t) and octopods (12,000–18,000 t). The most important exploited species in the north-eastern Atlantic are Eledone cirrhosa, Illex coindetii, Loligo forbesi, Loligo vulgaris, Octopus vulgaris, Todarodes sagittatus, Todaropsis eblanae and Sepia officinalis. Other species including Alloteuthis subulata, Gonatus fabricii and certain sepiolids, appear to be abundant and may be marketable. Cephalopods tend to rapidly concentrate heavy metals and other toxic substances in their tissues and this plays an important role in the bioaccumulation of these pollutants in marine predators as well as having implications for human consumption. High levels of cadmium and mercury are often recorded in cephalopod tissues. Another important environmental issue concerns the potential impact of widespread human activity on cephalopod spawning areas, particularly bottom-fishing operations but also shipping, and oil exploration and production. In contrast to many finfish species that spawn annually over a number of years, most cephalopods live only 1–2 yr and die after spawning. Therefore, failure to reproduce and recruit adequately in any given year may seriously impact the long-term viability of cephalopod stocks. Climate change is expected to have a significant effect on many species in the north-eastern Atlantic. This review provides a detailed account of the zoogeography, biology and ecology of cephalopods in the north-eastern Atlantic, on a species-by-species basis. Important economic, ecological and conservation issues affecting cephalopods in this area are also discussed

Beschreibung: Greywacke, argillite, greyschist and hypabyssal igneous rocks have been obtained from an Ocean Drilling Program core on the Queensland Plateau and from xenoliths in a volcanic breccia dredged from the crest of the Lord Howe Rise. Low to intermediate detrital quartz contents, 260 – 240 Ma K – Ar ages, and only moderately radiogenic Sr and Nd isotope compositions, suggest a correlation with the New England Orogen of eastern Australia, rather than with Australia's Lachlan Orogen or other adjacent geological provinces. Our results indicate that the New England Orogen terranes continue towards New Zealand at least as far as the southern Lord Howe Rise. The projected offshore boundaries of the major east Australian orogens are now known with more confidence, and do not appear to require any major cross-orogen offsets.

Beschreibung: Sea level changes in the Baltic Sea are dominated by internal, short-term variations that are mostly caused by the ephemeral nature of atmospheric conditions over the Baltic area. Tides are small and their influence decreases from western parts of the Baltic Sea to the Baltic Proper. Superimposed to the large short-term sea level changes (up to few decimeters from day to day) are seasonal and interannual variations (centimeters to decimeters). This study focuses on the comparison of sea surface heights obtained from observations and from a high resolution oceanographic model of the Baltic Sea. From this comparison, the accuracy of the modeled sea surface variations is evaluated, which is a necessary precondition for the further use of the oceanographic model in geodetic applications. The model reproduces all observed Baltic sea level variations very reliably with an accuracy of 5 to 9 cm (rms) for short-term variations (up to 2 months) and 8 cm (rms) for long-term variations (〉2 months). An additional improvement of the model can be attained by including long-period sea level variations of the North Sea. The model performs well also in the case of extreme sea level events, as is shown for a major storm surge that occurred at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in November 1995.

Beschreibung: The open oceans comprise most of the biosphere, yet patterns and trends of species diversity there are enigmatic. Here, we derive worldwide patterns of tuna and billfish diversity over the past 50 years, revealing distinct subtropical "hotspots" that appeared to hold generally for other predators and zooplankton. Diversity was positively correlated with thermal fronts and dissolved oxygen and a nonlinear function of temperature (~25°C optimum). Diversity declined between 10 and 50% in all oceans, a trend that coincided with increased fishing pressure, superimposed on strong El Niño–Southern Oscillation–driven variability across the Pacific. We conclude that predator diversity shows a predictable yet eroding pattern signaling ecosystem-wide changes linked to climate and fishing.

Beschreibung: Ocean island volcanoes frequently develop local rift zones associated with flank movement and flank collapses. The ocean island El Hierro grew by coalescence and collapse of three volcanic edifices, which are an elongated topographic ridge (the Southern Ridge) and two semi-circular volcanic cones (Ti˜nor volcano, El Golfo volcano). During edifice growth and volcano coalescence, eruption fissures nucleated into rift zones that developed a complex triangle pattern. In scaled analogue experimentswe could successfully reproduce the geometry of rift zones and unstable flanks as observed on El Hierro. The experimental results suggest that the rift configuration on El Hierro is the result of gravitational volcano spreading over deformable basal substrata, rather than of deep-seated magma updoming as thought previously. This paper elucidates the importance of the basal substratum and gravitational spreading, and the relationship to rifting and flank instability on El Hierro Island, and may help in understanding similar volcano architectures elsewhere.

Beschreibung: This paper documents the arrival of Diplosoma listerianum into a habitat with no previously known history of the species. Once established, D. listerianum exploited rapid growth rates relative to the other fouling species present, to quickly become the dominant species in a local fouling assemblage. Most resident macrofoulers were out-competed for space and overgrown, although some resistance to overgrowth was demonstrated by the bryozoan Umbonula littoralis and the tunicate Ascidiella aspersa. In this instance, traits traditionally considered to be relevant for community resistance towards invasion, such as diversity, richness, dominant species identity and open space were not important in controlling the spread of D. listerianum

Beschreibung: The properties of the body surface play a crucial role in most interactions of marine organisms. Critical ecological properties such as drag, morphology, uptake and release of radiation and organic matter are linked to the body surface of an aquatic organism. The properties and functions of this interface may be modified substantially by the presence and activities of epibiotic communities. This, in turn, may lead to substantial modulation of the interactions between the organism bearing epiphytes and its environment, with consequences for the relative fitness of the host organism (basibiont) and its interactors, and ultimately, the structure and functioning of the assemblage. Epibiosis may act as an ecological lever via these indirect effects, greatly amplifying or buffering biotic and abiotic stress.

Beschreibung: Modern antifouling coatings use heavy metals and toxic organic molecules to prevent biofouling, the undesirable growth of marine organisms on man-made substrata. In an ongoing survey of deep-sea microorganisms aimed at finding low toxic antifouling metabolites, an actinomycete bacterium was isolated from the Pacific sediment at the depth of about 5000 m. The bacterium was closely related to Streptomyces fungicidicus (99% similarity) according to 16S ribosomal RNA sequence information. The spent culture medium of this bacterium inhibited barnacle larval attachment. Bioassay-guided fractionation was employed to isolate antifouling compounds. The ethyl acetate extract was fractionated by using an open silica gel column. Active fractions were further purified on a HPLC C18 column. Five diketopiperazines, cyclo-(L-Leu-L-Pro), cyclo-(L-Phe-L-Pro), cyclo-(L-Val-L-Pro), cyclo-(L-Trp-L-Pro), and cyclo-(L-Leu-L-Val) were isolated for the first time from a deep sea bacterium, and the structures of the compounds were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The pure diketopiperazines were tested for antilarval activity using the barnacle Balanus amphitrite. Effective concentrations that inhibited 50% larval attachment (EC50) after 24 h ranged from 0.10- 0.27 mM. The data suggest that diketopiperazines and other compounds from deep-sea bacteria may be used as novel antifoulants.

Beschreibung: The SAMUM field campaign in southern Morocco in May/June 2006 provides valuable data to study the emission, and the horizontal and vertical transports of mineral dust in the Northern Sahara. Radiosonde and lidar observations show differential advection of air masses with different characteristics during stable nighttime conditions and up to 5-km deep vertical mixing in the strongly convective boundary layer during the day. Lagrangian and synoptic analyses of selected dust periods point to a topographic channel from western Tunisia to central Algeria as a dust source region. Significant emission events are related to cold surges from the Mediterranean in association with eastward passing upper-level waves and lee cyclogeneses south of the Atlas Mountains. Other relevant events are local emissions under a distinct cut-off low over northwestern Africa and gust fronts associated with dry thunderstorms over the Malian and Algerian Sahara. The latter are badly represented in analyses from the European Centre for Medium–Range Weather Forecasts and in a regional dust model, most likely due to problems with moist convective dynamics and a lack of observations in this region. This aspect needs further study. The meteorological source identification is consistent with estimates of optical and mineralogical properties of dust samples.

Beschreibung: The vigor of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is thought to be vulnerable to global warming, but its short-term temporal variability is unknown so changes inferred from sparse observations on the decadal time scale of recent climate change are uncertain. We combine continuous measurements of the MOC (beginning in 2004) using the purposefully designed transatlantic Rapid Climate Change array of moored instruments deployed along 26.5°N, with time series of Gulf Stream transport and surface-layer Ekman transport to quantify its intra-annual variability. The year-long average overturning is 18.7 ± 5.6 sverdrups (Sv) (range: 4.0 to 34.9 Sv, where 1 Sv = a flow of ocean water of 106 cubic meters per second).

Beschreibung: From September to October 2002, shallow drilling, using the submersible (5 m) Rockdrill of the British Geological Survey and the German R/V Sonne revealed critical information on the subsurface nature of two distinct hydrothermal systems in the New Ireland fore-arc and the Manus Basin of Papua New Guinea. Drilling at Conical Seamount significantly extends the known surface extent of the previously discovered vein-style gold mineralization (up to 230 g/t Au) at this site. Drilling the conventional PACMANUS volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit recovered complexly textured massive sulfide with spectacular concentrations of gold in several core sections including 0.5 m @ 28 g/t Au, 0.35 m @ 30 g/t Au, and 0.20 m @ 57 g/t Au. Shallow drilling is a fast and cost efficient method that bridges the gap between surface sampling and deep (ODP) drilling and will become a standard practice in the future study of seafloor hydrothermal systems and massive sulfide deposits.

Beschreibung: Calcareous tube polychaetes (family Serpulidae) are notorious biofoulers that are easily transported and introduced to allochthonous habitats. Here we report the recent introduction of Hydroides dianthus (Verrill, 1873) to eastern Japan as its first occurrence in East Asia, probably from European or American coasts. Specimens had been found on artificial hard substrata together with congeners H. ezoensis, H. exaltatus and H. fusicolus in Tokyo Bay, Japan in 2006. The origin, vector, source of introduction and possible impact of H. dianthus on Japanese coasts is discussed from a perspective based on worldwide Hydroides transport.

Beschreibung: The importance of crustal fluid chemical composition in driving the marine deep subseafloor biosphere was examined in northeast Pacific ridge-flank sediments. At IODP Site U1301, sulfate from crustal fluids diffuses into overlying sediments, forming a transition zone where sulfate meets in situ-produced methane. Enhanced cell counts and metabolic activity suggest that sulfate stimulates microbial respiration, specifically anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to sulfate reduction. Cell counts and activity are also elevated in basement-near layers. Owing to the worldwide expansion of the crustal aquifer, we postulate that crustal fluids may fuel the marine deep subseafloor biosphere on a global scale.

Beschreibung: One of the mysteries regarding Earth’s climate system response to variations in solar output is how the relatively small fluctuations of the 11-year solar cycle can produce the magnitude of the observed climate signals in the tropical Pacific associated with such solar variability. Two mechanisms, the top-down stratospheric response of ozone to fluctuations of shortwave solar forcing and the bottom-up coupled ocean-atmosphere surface response, are included in versions of three global climate models, with either mechanism acting alone or both acting together. We show that the two mechanisms act together to enhance the climatological off-equatorial tropical precipitation maxima in the Pacific, lower the eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures during peaks in the 11-year solar cycle, and reduce low-latitude clouds to amplify the solar forcing at the surface.

Beschreibung: Barnacle cypris larvae respond to many cues when selecting a settlement site. The settlement of over a million larvae on tiles of different textures, orientations and densities of incumbent settlers was measured on the rocky intertidal at Great Cumbrae, Scotland. Half of the tiles were replaced every tide whereas the others simultaneously accumulated settlers. Factor effects varied on each tide, and converged in the accumulating deployment. Increasing incumbent density led to net loss of settlement, which was less probable on the textures on which fastest settlment occurred ('very fine'), and more probable on those on which settlement was slowest ('smooth'). More settlement occurred on down-facing orientations during daylight and vice versa. Cue ranks were non-linear, so a path analysis model quantified the relative influence of each factor. Gregariousness was the most influential cue measured, although unmeasured factors had greater effects, highlighting the complexity of settlement influences in this species.

Beschreibung: Fluorescence excitation-emission matrices showed the spectral signature of dissolved organic matter (DOM) downstream in the River Tet at all seasons corresponding to humic substances with maximum fluorescence emission em=420-460nm for excitations of ex=340-360nm and the occasional presence of tryptophan, tracer of anthropogenic pressure, spectroscopically identified by ex/em=310/350nm. A factorial discriminant analysis, performed using the parameters selected (ex/em pairs of wavelength), succeeded in a better discrimination of seasons than stations, and clearly showed the presence of two fluorophores. Fluorophore 1, with two absorption bands: ex=260-320nm and 330-390nm for em=440-500nm, and Fluorophore 2, with one absorption band: ex=300-360nm for em=410nm, which are attributed to humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA), respectively. Variations of DOM relative contents downstream in the River Tet, according to seasons and stations, showed high amounts of DOM (pedogenic character) along the river in the humid period, with the highest value obtained in the mountain section. In contrast, in summer, the DOM contents were low (aquagenic character). Moreover, DOM presents a relatively constant composition with a percentage of FA ranging from 40% at the mountain station to 48% at the mouth river, whatever the season.

Beschreibung: The oceans are a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Historically, observations have been too sparse to allow accurate tracking of changes in rates of CO2 uptake over ocean basins, so little is known about how these vary. Here, we show observations indicating substantial variability in the CO2 uptake by the North Atlantic on time scales of a few years. Further, we use measurements from a coordinated network of instrumented commercial ships to define the annual flux into the North Atlantic, for the year 2005, to a precision of about 10%. This approach offers the prospect of accurately monitoring the changing ocean CO2 sink for those ocean basins that are well covered by shipping routes.

Beschreibung: During an almost yearlong period of observations made with a current meter in the fracture zone between the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia, several overflow events were recorded at a depth of 3000 meters carrying cold bottom water from the Scotia Sea into the Argentine Basin. The outflow bursts of Scotia Sea bottom water, a mixing product of Weddell Sea and eastern Pacific bottom water, were associated with typical speeds of more than 28 centimeters per second toward the northwest and characteristic temperatures below 0.6°C. The maximum 24-hour average speed of 65 centimeters per second, together with a temperature of 0.29°C, was encountered on 14 November 1980 at a water depth of 2973 meters, 35 meters above the sea floor.

Beschreibung: Five hundred and twenty-eight specimens of Loligo forbesi Steenstrup, from landings in Horta, Faial, Azores, during the year 1 March 1980 to 28 February 1981, were tudied; 59·3 % were males, 40·7 % females. Of the males 80·2 % were sexually mature, of the females 91·6 %, both sexes showing the highest degree of maturity in spring and he lowest in autumn. The mean dorsal mantle length of the mature males was 56·5 cm, or females 33·5 cm. A weight-length relationship was calculated. he stomachs of 622 specimens were sampled, of which 306 contained food. The prey omponents were studied qualitatively. The main prey was fish (82·0%), of which 0·5 % were horse mackerel, Trachurus picturatus, this being the most important food rganism. Preliminary results of statolith readings are given.

Beschreibung: Three large data sets on cephalopods are critically examined with respect to several sources of error: day-night avoidance, net size, mode of fishing, and patchiness. Catches are low and variable and results only suggest problems with present sampling techniques. Specific field sampling is suggested to quantify several of these sources of error. Volume filtered and time fished are compared as measures of "effort." Variability of volume filtered and net speed within a single tow are examined.

Beschreibung: This is a study of larval abundance and distributional pattern of the winter population of the Japanese common squid, Todarodes pacificus Steenstrup, based on plankton net collections made by the R/V Soyo-Maru during January to March (1959–1976) in the seas extending from the south of Kyushu to the Pacific coast of central and eastern Honshu. The larval abundance index (LI) was compared with CPUE (catch per boat day), an index of recruitment of adult stock size. The main spawning ground of this population is located to the southwest of Kyushu. The larvae (rhynchoteuthion) grow while they are advected by the Kuroshio Current to the northeast. Hence early larvae are more abundant in the west, while advanced larvae are more abundant in the east. Mortality seems to be highest for stages up to several millimeters DML than for later stages. The stock size of the Pacific winter population has fluctuated greatly. It declined since the peak 1960 year class to very low levels. The decrease of the stock size took place in three phases. 1960–1963: While the stock size (CPUE) of the 1960 year class was large, the larval population (LI) produced by this year class was very low, resulting in a decrease of recruitment (CPUE) in following years. 1964–1969: The larval abundance for the 1964 year class was second highest (next to 1960) but the recruitment was remarkably low, probably because of unfavorable conditions for survival during the period between larval and advanced stages. This failure caused a further decrease of larval abundance for the 1965 and subsequent year classes. 1970–1976: The larval abundance remains at a very low level and CPUE has declined since 1970. Because of the short life-span (one year) of this squid, abrupt decreases of larval abundance and/or recruitment have a serious effect on stock size. The future recovery of the stock will depend on biotic and physical conditions that are favorable for the survival of early stages south of Kyushu. A significant positive correlation between catch per effort of adults and the abundance of larvae (LI) in the following year indicates that larval abundance can be used to assess the size of the spawning stock of the winter population of T. pacificas.

Beschreibung: Since early 2008, an increasing number of countries have ratified an international treaty to ban the application of antifouling (AF) coatings based on organotin compounds (eg tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin). As a result, the demand for environmentally friendly, non-toxic or low-toxicity AF compounds and technologies (green AF agents) has become an urgent reality. Marine coatings based on Cu2O and various other biocides have a negative impact on the environment and they must eventually be replaced by new, effective, and environmentally friendly AF compounds. This mini-review describes important AF compounds discovered from a variety of organisms from 2004 until mid 2009, and discusses recent and general trends in the discovery of AF compounds. Finally, a perspective on the future of AF compound development is presented. The discussion is aimed at updating scientists and engineers on the current challenges facing AF research.

Beschreibung: An examination of the knowledge about sampling Loligo opalescens populations leads to two general conclusions regarding the assessment of their abundance. First, it is suggested that studies concentrate on spawning ground organisms, since they aggregate during spawning, are commercially fished at this time, and their numbers can be assessed using a combination of data from market catch, adult and egg case densities, acoustic sensing, and perhaps larval densities. Second, it is suggested that large-scale acoustic surveys coupled with large midwater trawling activities be used to qualitatively assess adult organisms off the spawning grounds.

Beschreibung: The distribution of benthic foraminifera in Miocene deposits of the continental margin of southeastern South America is compared with that in the Recent. The comparison indicates that Miocene zoogeographic boundaries were located in higher latitudes than at present, suggesting that the climate at that time was warmer than now. In the Pliocene, temperatures were lower than at present. This signifies that a considerable decrease in water temperature took place in the latest Miocene or at the Miocene/Pliocene boundary in the southwestern Atlantic. The main reason for this drop in temperature was the opening of the Drake Passage and the establishment of the Circumpolar Antarctic Current and a branch — the Malvin Current. The opening resulted from strong orogenic movements, in the latest Miocene, which created the main part of the Andes. Prior to the opening of the passage, the anticyclonic (counterclockwise) gyre of surface currents in the South Atlantic was much larger and warm Brazilian waters reached higher latitudes. The Austral Strait, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, may have existed from the Cretaceous in the southern part of South America, but its location and character did not permit the establishment of the true Circumpolar Antarctic Current. The Austral Strait was closed simultaneously with the opening of the Drake Passage.

Beschreibung: Symbiotic luminous bacteria have been described in, and cultured from, a number of species offish and cephalopod. Indeed only in these two groups are extracellular luminous bacteria believed to be utilized as a source of light (see Buchner (1965) and Herring (1978) for references). Despite several earlier investigations of such symbioses in cephalopods the bacteria in these animals have not been adequately identified, nor has the extent of their role been clarified. The ultrastructural relationships between bacteria and the tissues of the squid accessory nidamental gland have been investigated in the non-luminous species Loligo pealei (Lesueur) (Bloodgood, 1977) and Sepia officinalis L. (Van den Branden et al. 1979) but no comparative work on luminous species has been undertaken apart from that on Heteroteuthis dispar (Rüppell), whose photophore does not contain typical luminous bacteria (Dilly & Herring, 1978; cf. Leisman, Cohn & Nealson, 1980). The order Sepioidea contains five families, among which are the two families Sepiolidae and Spirulidae. Though the presence of luminous bacteria is known in some sepiolids (as well as in certain loliginids (order Teuthoidea)) some doubt remains about the source of light in the photophore of Spirula spirula Hoyle. The steady luminescence of this species has prompted speculation that bacteria may be involved (Harvey, 1952). In this paper we compare the anatomy and ultrastructure of the photophores of both Sepiola and Spirula in order to clarify some of these problems.

Beschreibung: This is the first detailed analysis of cephalopod beaks from the stomach of a northern bottlenosed whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus (Forster, 1770). The digestive action of many predators barely affects the chitinous beaks of cephalopods and some cetaceans accumulate the beaks in considerable numbers in their stomachs. The present beaks are clean and unbroken. Identification of cephalopod beaks from stomachs of predators such as sperm whales (see Clarke, 1977), seals (Clarke & Trillmich, 1980) and albatrosses (Clarke, Croxall & Prince, 1980) throws considerable light on the biology and relative ecological importance of the species of cephalopods concerned as well as providing useful information on the diet of the predators.

Beschreibung: The presented study assessed the heavy metal contamination risk in a former sludge deposit field of the River Ruhr in Essen, Germany. Therefore, the temporal and spatial distribution in soils and plants, chemical fractionation, mobilization potential, and transfer characteristics have been investigated. Soil samples, roots and shoots of rushes (Juncus sp.), and stem wood disks of willows (Salix sp.) were analyzed for Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd. Plant available and mobile heavy metal portions have been determined using a sequential extraction procedure. The results show that the soils and the rushes are highly contaminated, although there is a considerable decrease compared to initial concentrations some 20 years ago. The willows show only small heavy metal enrichment. pH induced mobilization potential in soil is high for Cd, Zn and Ni. Additionally, these elements contain high portions of plant-available fractions. High transfer rates from soil to roots and very high rates from roots to shoots of rushes have been determined for Cd and Zn, indicating an accumulation of these elements in shoots of rushes. The rushes reflect the temporal and spatial heavy metal distribution in soil and might thus be used as a bioindicator or for phytoremediation.

Beschreibung: Improved monitoring of non-CO2 greenhouse gases in air samples is presented, achieved using a new analytical system based on preconcentration, gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry. In addition to the major HFCs, HCFCs and CFCs, the new observations include the first in situ time series of the C1–C3 PFCs (CF4, C2F6 and C3F8) and the more volatile of the HFCs (CHF3, CH2F2, CH3CF3) alongside SF6, all of which are now monitored routinely as part of the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE). Observed trends in newly monitored species are shown, obtained from 1–2 years continuous in situ air analyses at remote monitoring sites at Mace Head (Ireland) and Cape Grim (Australia). Observed deviations in the air background for these gas species are linked to modelled trajectories of air masses arriving at the monitoring stations to indicate potential source regions for emissions in Europe and Australia. In addition, preliminary estimates of 2004 mixing ratio growth rates of compounds are deduced from the observations, which highlight the importance of continuous atmospheric monitoring for verification of consumption-based emission estimates of non-CO2 greenhouse gases.

Beschreibung: Development of microbial biofilms and the recruitment of propagules on the surfaces of man-made structures in the marine environment cause serious problems for the navies and for marine industries around the world. Current antifouling technology is based on the application of toxic substances that can be harmful to the natural environment. For this reason and the global ban of tributyl tin (TBT), there is a need for the development of “environmentally-friendly” antifoulants. Marine microbes are promising potential sources of non-toxic or less-toxic antifouling compounds as they can produce substances that inhibit not only the attachment and/or growth of microorganisms but also the settlement of invertebrate larvae and macroalgal spores. However, so far only few antilarval settlement compounds have been isolated and identified from bacteria. In this review knowledge about antifouling compounds produced by marine bacteria and diatoms are summarised and evaluated and future research directions are highlighted.

Beschreibung: The measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in seawater are key in global change and coastal eutrophication studies. Nowadays, the high-temperature combustion (HTC) technique is a widely used method for DOC and TDN analysis. However, uncertainties exist about the operation of the catalyst in the conversion process of DOC and TDN in the HTC method. In this study, five different 'catalyst' materials were tested for their blanks, calibration slopes, and conversion efficiency of DOC and TDN using the Shimadzu TOC 5000A total organic carbon analyser coupled to a Sievers NCD 255 nitrogen chemiluminescence detector. The materials included four metallic catalysts (Shimadzu and Johnson 0.5 Pt-alumina, 13 Cu(II)O-alumina, 0.5 Pd-alumina) and quartz beads. The results indicated that DOC blank signals for the HTC approach using metallic catalysts with an alumina support are higher compared with quartz beads, as a result of the amphoteric nature of the alumina. However, the slopes of the standard calibration graphs were lowest for DOC and TDN determinations on the quartz beads. The DOC recoveries for the metallic catalysts were close to 100 for all compounds tested, with the exception of ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. Using quartz beads, poor recoveries were obtained for a range of organic compounds, including the commonly used calibration compounds potassium hydrogen phthalate and glycine. The TDN recoveries for all compounds were typically >90, with the exception of NaNO2. Furthermore, analysis using the CuO-alumina and Pd-alumina catalysts and quartz beads showed low recoveries for NH4Cl. This study showed that catalyst performance should be verified on a regular basis using model compounds and blank checks made during every run, and that the Shimadzu 0.5 Pt-alumina material was an efficient catalyst for DOC and TDN analyses using the coupled total organic carbon-nitrogen chemiluminescence detector (TOC-NCD) analyser. © 2007 Taylor & Francis.

Beschreibung: The annual cycle of sedimentation in Kiel Bight is described from data collected over 3 years with multisample sediment traps. Settling matter was collected from 2 depths (15 and 18 m) in a 20 m water column at 2-4 day intervals. The pattern of sedimentation was alike each year, although considerable differences in the quantity collected were present. Resuspended sediment and primary settling matter originating from the pelagic system (phytoplankton cells, detritus) were the main contributors to the particulate material collected by the traps. High sedimentation rates from November to March were due to resuspended sediment. The composition of this material differed from that of bulk surface sediment due to the selective effect of water movement during resuspension. Peaks in sedimentation of primary material were observed in spring and autumn when the pelagic food web is poorly developed. From May to August sedimentation rates were low although this is the period of high primary production with large standing stocks of plankton. Apparently, organic substance produced here is consumed within the pelagic food web, as herbivore and carnivore populations are well developed and turnover time of particles is short. Sedimentation rates of primary material are estimated to be in the range of 50-65 g C · m-2 · yr-', but in reality year to year differences are probably greater than indicated by this range.