ALBERT

Description: The book presents multivariate statistical methods useful in geological analysis. The essential distinction between multivariate analysis as applied to full-space data (measurements on lengths, heights, breadths etc.) and compositional data is emphasized with particular reference to geochemical data. Each of the methods is accompanied by a practically oriented computer program and backed up by appropriate examples. The computer programs are provided on a compact disk together with trial data-sets and examples of the output. An important feature of this book is the graphical system developed by Dr. Savazzi which is entitled Graph Server.

Description: The sea-ice export out of the central Arctic through the Fram Strait is a key variable in the Arctic climate system. Satellite data provide the only basis for mapping ice features with a high spatial and temporal resolution in polar regions. An automatic drift algorithm has been employed and optimized to monitor the sea-ice drift velocity in the Greenland Sea with AVHRR data. The combination of the ice drift and the spatial ice distribution provides an insight into the ice transport processes along the coast of Greenland. The combination with sea-ice thickness measurements allows an estimation of the spatial distribution of the sea-ice mass flux. The seasonal and spatial variability of the mass flux allows further predictions of the meridional melting and freezing processes along the East Greenland Current. This investigation covers the years 1993 and 1994. Seasonal and spatial distributions of the sea-ice drift were derived. The derived absolute values in this study are in good agreement with estimates proposed by other authors.

Description: High-resolution Nd- and Pb-isotope time series for the last 8 Myr are reported for four Atlantic ferromanganese crusts, dated by 10Be/9Be chronology. These are compared to new high-resolution and high-precision Pb-isotope time series and recently published Nd-isotope time series for two previously studied crusts from the NW Atlantic Ocean. These records allow a more detailed examination of Atlantic deepwater variability over the time period of intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG). Changes in the Pb-isotope time series started after 3 Ma, but were most dramatic over the last 1.8 Myr, coinciding with changes of Pb-isotopes in the Arctic Ocean. This latter change post-dates the intensification of NHG at 3.1 to 2.5 Ma and reflects an increase in the input of material eroded from the Archean Shield of Canada and Greenland. Shifts in Nd- and Pb-isotope compositions in a crust from the Blake Plateau occur before ∼5 Ma and most prominent at ∼8 Ma suggest that water masses from either the Pacific or Southern Ocean influenced the isotope composition of this crust. The relatively high εNd values around 8 Ma recorded by the Blake Plateau crust are explained by a contribution of eastward flowing Pacific water through the Panama Gateway into the Caribbean Sea. This high εNd signal decreased between 8 and 5 Ma suggesting that the supply of Pacific water into the Caribbean became restricted. This is earlier than the Caribbean seawater salinity increase at 4.2 Ma deduced from δ18O data, and may indicate that there was only a surface water connection between the Caribbean and Pacific between ∼5 and 4.2 Ma. The closure of the Panama Gateway to intermediate and deep water exchange (〉200 m depth) apparently occurred much earlier than the intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation at 3.1–2.5 Ma, and cannot therefore have been a direct cause of this climatic change, but may, as recently argued, only have been a necessary precondition

Description: Mixed methane–sulfide hydrates and carbonates are exposed as a pavement at the seafloor along the crest of one of the accretionary ridges of the Cascadia convergent margin. Vent fields from which methane-charged, low-salinity fluids containing sulfide, ammonia, 4He, and isotopically light CO2 escape are associated with these exposures. They characterize a newly recognized mechanism of dewatering at convergent margins, where freshening of pore waters from hydrate destabilization at depth and free gas drives fluids upward. This process augments the convergence-generated overpressure and leads to local dewatering rates that are much higher than at other margins in the absence of hydrate. Discharge of fluids stimulates benthic oxygen consumption which is orders of magnitude higher than is normally found at comparable ocean depths. The enhanced turnover results from the oxidation of methane, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia by vent biota. The injection of hydrate methane from the ridge generates a plume hundreds of meters high and several kilometers wide. A large fraction of the methane is oxidized within the water column and generates δ13C anomalies of the dissolved inorganic carbon pool.

Description: Controversy surrounding the mechanisms and controls on argon diffusion in K-feldspar has led us to undertake direct diffusion measurements on a crystal with simple microtextures, over a range of temperatures. Measurements of argon diffusion profiles in a gem-quality iron-rich orthoclase heated in a cold seal apparatus, have been undertaken in situ using an ultra-violet laser ablation microprobe (UVLAMP) technique. The results agree very closely with the previously determined bulk values for Benson Mines orthoclase (activation energy ( E)=43.8±1 kcal mol -1) and vacuum furnace cycle-heating studies of K-feldspars ( E=46±6 kcal mol -1). However, instead of defining a single activation energy ( E) and diffusion coefficient ( Do), the data yield two sets of parameters: a low-temperature (550-720°C) array with an E of 47.2±2.5 kcal mol -1 (198.2±10.5 kJ mol -1) and a Do of 0.0374 +0.1123-0.0281 cm 2 s -1, and a high-temperature (725-1019°C) array with an E of 63.8±3.4 kcal mol -1 (268.0±14.3 kJ mol -1) and a Do of 55.0 +225.5-44.2 cm 2 s -1. The new results closely reproduce two sets of apparent activation energies previously measured in cycle-heating studies of Madagascar K-feldspar (40±3 and 57±3 kcal mol -1). Previous interpretations of the two arrays have included multiple domains with variable activation energies and fast track diffusion. However, the UV depth profile analyses indicate simple diffusion to the grain surface and importantly, diffusion radii calculated by combining the UVLAMP and cycle-heating data, are the same as the physical grain sizes used in the experiments, around 1 mm. Vacuum furnace stepped heating experiments on slowly cooled K-feldspars have been interpreted as showing diffusion radii of around 6 μm and indicate complex populations of sub-grains. This study indicates that Madagascar K-feldspar and thus probably all gem-quality K-feldspars act as single diffusion domains and that short-circuit (or pipe) diffusion was not an important loss mechanism. An apparent diffusion compensation relationship in the stepped heating data for Madagascar K-feldspar implies that similar relationships seen in other K-feldspars are a result of a range of diffusion mechanisms.

Description: Sediment proxy data from the Norwegian, Greenland, and Iceland seas (Nordic seas) are presented to evaluate surface water temperature (SST) differences between Holocene and Eemian times and to deduce from these data the particular mode of surface water circulation. Records from planktic foraminiferal assemblages, CaCO3 content, oxygen isotopes of foraminifera, and iceberg-rafted debris form the main basis of interpretation. All results indicate for the Eemian comparatively cooler northern Nordic seas than for the Holocene due to a reduction in the northwardly flow of Atlantic surface water towards Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, the cold polar water flow from the Arctic Ocean was less influencial in the southwestern Nordic seas during this time. As can be further deduced from the Eemian data, slightly higher Eemian SSTs are interpreted for the western Iceland Sea compared to the Norwegian Sea (ca. south of 70°N). This Eemian situation is in contrast to the Holocene when the main mass of warmest Atlantic surface water flows along the Norwegian continental margin northwards and into the Arctic Ocean. Thus, a moderate northwardly decrease in SST is observed in the eastern Nordic seas for this time, causing a meridional transfer in ocean heat. Due to this distribution in SSTs the Holocene is dominated by a meridional circulation pattern. The interpretation of the Eemian data imply a dominantly zonal surface water circulation with a steep meridional gradient in SSTs.

Description: The widespread view that scleractinian corals in cold and deep waters of high latitudes are slow growing organisms that do not form reefs is challenged by the discovery of a huge coral reef over 13 km in length, 10 to 35 m in height and up to 300 m in width formed by the coral Lophelia pertusa in water depths of 270 to 310 m at 64°N on the Sula Ridge, Mid-Norwegian Shelf. Cruises in 1994, 1995 and manned submersible operations in May 1997 provide data and observations from which the structure and development of the Sula Ridge coral reef have been determined. The Fennoscandian icesheet retreated from the Mid-Norwegian shelf prior to 12,000 years before present and modern oceanographic conditions were established at 8000 years before present. Coral growth since that time has resulted in a large deep-water shelf reef for which recent stable isotopic studies have demonstrated high growth rates for these azooxanthellate cold-water corals. Information on the geometry of deep-water coral reefs and their environmental controls is still fragmentary, controversial and raises issues of conservation in this area of active fishing and oil exploration. This paper reports on the discovery of what is probably one of the largest deep-water coral reefs existing in the northeast Atlantic and indicates that its siting is due to post-glacial structures (iceberg plough marks), events (the second Storegga Slide) and local conditions on the seafloor. Surprisingly, reef accumulation rates on the Sula Ridge are comparable with those measured on tropical coral reefs.

Description: The possibilities of defining and computing an approximately neutral density variable are reexamined in this paper. There are three desirable properties that a neutral density variable should possess. Firstly, the isosurfaces of this variable should coincide with (approximately) neutral surfaces. This would facilitate the analysis of hydrographic data on the most appropriate mixing and spreading surfaces. Secondly, the horizontal gradients of the neutral density should agree with the gradients of the in situ density, and thirdly the vertical gradient of the neutral density variable should be proportional to the static stability of the water column. A density variable that approximates the latter two properties can be used in ocean circulation models based on layer coordinates, and would reduce substantial errors in present isopycnal models due to the use of a potential density variable. No variable can possess all the three properties simultaneously. The variable γn introduced by Jackett and McDougall (1997, J. Phys. Oceanogr. 27, 237–263) satisfies the first of the properties exactly but is not designed for the use in models. Based on climatological data in the North Atlantic, an alternative neutral density variable ν̃(S, Θ) is defined, which is shown to approximate the two gradient criteria much better than any potential density. We suggest that this neutral density variable may be useful in isopycnal ocean models as an alternative to potential density, since it could significantly reduce errors in thermal wind relation and vertical stability

Description: To investigate patch selectivity in aspidochirotide holothurians, individuals of five species (Holothuria (Halodeima) atra Jäger, H. (H.) edulis Lesson, H. (Microthele) nobilis Selenka, Stichopus chloronotus Brandt and S. variegatus Semper) were subjected to multiple choice experiments. As a food source, sediments were pre-cultivated in petri dishes under different light and nutrient regimes. This resulted in four sediment treatments with different levels of microalgal biomass (measured as chlorophyll a and phaeophytin concentrations). Only two sediment treatments were used for experiments with H. nobilis and S. variegatus. The sediments were offered simultaneously to individual holothurians (six per experiment), and the weights of the sediment in each petri dish at the start and after 48 h were used to calculate a selection index together with confidence intervals for each food type. In experiments with H. atra and H. edulis, the animals exhibited no preference for any food type. In contrast, S. chloronotus significantly selected sediments with the highest contents of microalgae and avoided the sediment with the lowest pigment concentrations. These results were supported by field collections of sediments found directly underneath holothurians. Sediment underneath H. edulis did not differ from the average sediment of the habitat, while H. atra was found on sediments only slightly higher in chlorophyll a. Chlorophyll a concentrations underneath S. chloronotus were distinctly higher than in the adjacent sediment and that underneath H. atra. H. nobilis showed only a weak preference for sediments with higher pigment concentrations in aquarium experiments, and no patch selectivity in this species was found in the field. Stichopus variegatus exhibited a very distinct patch selectivity towards sediments with more nutritional value in both aquaria experiments and field measurements. Thus members of the genus Holothuria had no, or only a weak, tendency to select their food source, whereas both Stichopus species appeared to carefully select the sediment patch to feed on.

Description: In an extended deep-sea study the response of the benthic community to seasonally varying sedimentation rates of organic matter were investigated at a fixed abyssal site in the NE Atlantic (BIOTRANS station or JGOFS station L2 at 47°N–20°W, water depth 〉4500 m) on four legs of METEOR expedition 21 between March and August 1992. The vertical flux at 3500 m depth and temporal variations in the chloroplastic pigment concentration, a measure of phytodetritus deposition, and of total adenylates and total phospholipids, measures of benthic biomass, and of activity of hydrolytic enzymes were observed. The flux patterns in moored sediment traps of total chlorophyll, POC and total flux showed an early sedimentation peak in March/April 1992, followed by low fluxes in May and intermediate ones from June to August. Thus 1992 differed from other years, in which one large flux peak after the spring phytoplankton bloom was observed. Unusually high concentrations of chloroplastic pigments were consistently observed in March 1992, reflecting the early sedimentation input. At the same time biomass of small benthic organisms (bacteria to meiobenthos) and activity of hydrolytic enzymes were higher compared to values from March 1985 and from the following months in 1992. In May and August 1992 pigment concentrations and biomass and activity parameters in the sediment were lower than during previously observed depositions of phytodetrital matter in summer. The data imply that the deep ocean benthic community reacts to small sedimentation events with transient increases in metabolic activity and only small biomass production. The coupling between pelagic and benthic processes is so close that interannual variability in surface water production is “mirrored” by deep-sea benthic processes.

Description: This is the first detailed investigation of the distribution and ecology of living (stained) shallow water (0–6 m) foraminifera along the Skagerrak–Kattegat coast, eastern North Sea. A total of 25 species (13 agglutinated; 12 calcareous) are common in the 169 sediment surface samples which were collected from 27 geographic areas. The sediment grain size and total organic carbon (TOC) content are strongly variable and the salinity and temperature ranges were 10–31‰ and 9–30°C, respectively, at the time of sampling (July to October) but temperatures down to freezing occur during the winter. The species are divided into six environmental categories of which the first five comprise euryhaline and the sixth essentially stenohaline taxa: (1) species associated only with marsh plants, (2) species basically, but not entirely, associated with marsh plants, (3) species basically, but not entirely, restricted to non-marsh areas, (4) species solely recorded in non-marsh intertidal to subtidal environments, (5) species restricted to subtidal areas, (6) species basically living in the most open marine areas. In this region, marshes have a patchy distribution and they are small and compressed due to low tidal ranges (〈40 cm). Balticammina pseudomacrescens (not reported here before) lives in the most elevated, landward, terrestrial parts of marshes and thus defines the uppermost limit of the influence of marine water. However, the marshes are generally dominated by Jadammina macrescens and Miliammina fusca at the landward and seaward sides, respectively. Jadammina macrescens is observed living epiphytically on decaying Carex leaf debris. The most widely distributed euryhaline species are Elphidium williamsoni, Miliammina fusca, Ammonia beccarii, and Haynesina germanica. The former two are common only in sediments with a mud content less than about 60%, whereas the latter two are common even in sediments with 〉80% mud. Ammoscalaria runiana is common only in coarse-grained sediments (〈20% mud) with low TOC (≤0.7%). There are no marked biogeographic boundaries within the Skagerrak–Kattegat area but 10 of the 25 commonly occurring species have not been reported from the adjacent Baltic Sea, probably partly due to the brackish character of the water there. The southern limits of distribution of the northern species, Elphidium albiumbilicatum, Ammotium cassis, and Ophthalmina kilianensis, are in the Kattegat–Baltic Sea.

Description: Although much of the deep sea is physically tranquil, some regions experience near-bottom flows that rework the surficial sediment. During periods of physical reworking, animals in the reworked layer risk being suspended, which can have both positive and negative effects. Reworking can also change the sediment in ecologically important ways, so the fauna of reworked sites should differ from that of quiescent locations. We combined data from two reworked, bathyal sites on the summit of Fieberling Guyot (32°27.631′N, 127°49.489′W; 32°27.581′N, 127°47.839′W) and compared the results with those of more tranquil sites. We tested for differences in the following parameters, which seemed likely to be sensitive to the direct or indirect effects of reworking: (1) the vertical distribution of the meiofauna in the sea bed, (2) the relative abundance of surface-living harpacticoids, (3) the proportion of the fauna consisting of interstitial harpacticoids, (4) the ratio of harpacticoids to nematodes. We found that the vertical distributions of harpacticoid copepods, ostracods, and kinorhynchs were deeper on Fieberling. In addition, the relative abundance of surface-living harpacticoids was less, the proportion of interstitial harpacticoids was greater, and the ratio of harpacticoids to nematodes was greater on Fieberling. These differences between Fieberling and the comparison sites suggest that physical reworking affects deep-sea meiofauna and indicate the nature of some of the effects.

Description: The percentage of the structural Fe(II) in clay minerals that is readily oxidized to Fe(III) upon contact with atmospheric oxygen was determined across the downcore tan–green color change in Peru Basin sediments. This latent fraction of reactive Fe(II) was only found in the green strata, where it proved to be large enough to constitute a deep reaction layer with respect to the pore water O2 and NO3−. Large variations were detected in the proportion of the reactive Fe(II) concentration to the organic matter content along core profiles. Hence, the commonly observed tan–green color change in marine sediments marks the top of a reactive Fe(II) layer, which may represent the major barrier to the movement of oxidation fronts in pelagic subsurface sediments. This is also demonstrated by numerical model simulations. The findings imply that geochemical barriers to pore water oxidation fronts form diagenetically in the sea floor wherever the stage of iron reduction is reached, provided that the sediments contain a significant amount of structural iron in clay minerals.

Description: A coulometrically-based SOMMA system for the determination of total dissolved carbon dioxide (TCO2) in a continuous mode was designed and tested at sea. The new continuous technique approached the same high accuracy and reliability associated with prior discrete TCO2 measurements. During three cruises encompassing more than 19 weeks and 6000 continuous TCO2 measurements none of the three different systems tested exhibited any hardware-related failures. We found that coulometer cell lifetimes can greatly exceed prior expectations with many of the titration cells in the continuous mode remaining accurate for up to 72 h at carbon ages exceeding 50 mg C. We suggest a practical definition based on the CRM analyses for changing coulometer cells in the continuous mode. Systematic deviations of the SOMMA pipette volume from a theoretical temperature dependence were identified both from field data comparisons and pipette calibrations. Hence pipettes should be kept at constant temperature or they must be gravimetrically calibrated over the expected temperature range. Comparison of the continuous TCO2 data together with simultaneously measured additional CO2 system parameters showed that the refitted “Mehrbach” dissociation constants for carbonic acid best-represent fCO2 when calculated from TCO2 and alkalinity over a wide range of sea-surface temperatures and salinities. Some remaining systematic differences of calculated–measured fCO2 of up to 9 μatm likely reflect uncertainty in the temperature-dependence of the “Mehrbach” constants as well as possible uncertainty in the alkalinity–salinity relationship used to estimate alkalinity in the consistency checks.

Description: An unrealistically high-salinity maximum is found to develop in a high-resolution model of the north and equatorial Atlantic below the shallow halocline in the Gulf of Guinea. The spurious water mass with salinities too high by as much as 1 psu is formed when the vertical advection is treated by the standard central-differencing advection scheme. The problem is considerably reduced either by increasing the vertical resolution of the numerical grid, or by switching to a higher-order upwind-weighted scheme for vertical advection. This note stresses the need for a careful consideration of vertical discretization even in typical high-resolution ocean general circulation models (OGCMs). Particular attention is needed for studying heat and salt budgets or transports of biogeochemical tracers.

Description: Data on the carbonate system of the Northwestern Indian Ocean obtained on a cruise of F.S. Meteor during SW monsoon in July/August 1995 were compared with those of George et al. [George, M.D., Kumar, M.D., Naqvi, S.W.A., Banerjee, S., Narvekar, P.V., de Sousa, S.N., Jayakumar, D.A., 1994. A study of the carbon dioxide system in the northern Indian Ocean during premonsoon. Mar. Chem. 47, 243–254] collected during intermonsoon. In general, deep water values agreed well between the two expeditions. Surface waters, however, showed a substantial increase in dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) in the coastal regions due to strong upwelling in the SW monsoon. This was also accompanied by very high CO2 partial pressures in surface waters. The north–south gradients in vertical profiles of the measured parameters in the Arabian Sea are discussed by comparing profiles from the oligotrophic equatorial region with those from the highly productive central Arabian Sea. The effect of denitrification on regenerated CT and AT is minor, with contributions of 〈9 and 〈8 μmol kg−1, respectively, to the total amount regenerated also utilizing oxygen. The dissolution of biogenic carbonates is discussed; different approaches to define the depth, where the dissolution starts (lysocline(s), carbonate critical depth (CCrD)), are compared together with the calculation of saturation depth from carbonate concentrations. It is shown, that small differences in measured CT and AT (found between our data and those measured during GEOSECS) and different calculation approaches to the CO2 system (different dissociation constants for species involved and taking into account phosphate and silicate concentrations) can produce pronounced differences in the calculated saturation depths. However, CT and AT data suggest substantial dissolution of biogenic carbonate in the water column even above the calcite lysocline, irrespective of the procedures followed to calculate this horizon.

Description: We compare the time series of major element geochemical and Pb- and Nd-isotopic composition obtained for seven hydrogenous ferromanganese crusts from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans which cover the last 60 Myr. Average crust growth rates and age-depth relationships were determined directly for the last about 10 Myr using Be-10/Be-9 profiles. In the absence of other information these were extrapolated to the base of the crusts assuming constant growth rates and constant initial Be-10/Be-9 ratios due to the lack of additional information. Co contents have also been used previously to estimate growth rates in Co-rich Pacific and Atlantic seamount crusts (Puteanus and Halbach, 1988). A comparison of Be-10/Be-9- and Co-based dating of three Co-rich crusts supports the validity of this approach and confirms the earlier chronologies derived from extrapolated Be-10/Be-9-based growth rates back to 60 Ma. Our data show that the flux of Co into Co-poor crusts has been considerably lower. The relationship between growth rate and Co content for the Co-poor crusts developed from these data is in good agreement with a previous study of a wider range of marine deposits (Manheim, 1986). The results suggest that the Co content provides detailed information on the growth history of ferromanganese crusts, particularly prior to 10-12 Ma where the Be-10-based method is not applicable. The distributions of Pb and Nd isotopes in the deep oceans over the last 60 Myr are expected to be controlled by two main factors: (a) variations of oceanic mixing patterns and flow paths of water masses with distinct isotopic signatures related to major paleogeographic changes and (b) variability of supply rates or provenance of detrital material delivered to the ocean, linked to climate change (glaciations) or major tectonic uplift. The major element profiles of crusts in this study show neither systematic features which are common to crusts with similar isotope records nor do they generally show coherent relationships to the isotope records within a single crust. Consequently, any interpretation of time series of major element concentrations of a single crust in terms of paleoceanograghic variations must be considered with caution. This is because local processes appear to have dominated over more basin wide paleoceanographic effects. In this study Co is the only element which shows a relationship to Pb and Nd isotopes in Pacific crusts. A possible link to changes of Pacific deep water properties associated with an enhanced northward advection of Antarctic bottom water from about 14 Ma is consistent with the Pb but not with the Nd isotopic results. The self-consistent profiles of the Pb and Nd isotopes suggest that postdepositional diagenetic processes in hydrogenous crusts, including phosphatization events, have been insignificant for particle reactive elements such as Pb, Be, and Nd. Isotope time series of Pb and Nd show no systematic relationships with major element contents of the crusts, which supports their use as tracers of paleo-seawater isotopic composition

Description: Variations of intensity and composition of biogenic particle flux at the northern boundary of the present PolarFrontal Zone in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean are indicators of major changes of paleoenvironmentalconditions on glacial/interglacial time scales during the Late Quaternary. In order to estimate those pastchanges, sediment accumulation patterns of two piston cores, one from just north and one just south of thepresent day position of the Subantarctic Front were reconstructed. Using the 230Thex method large contributionsof laterally supplied material were quantified and used to correct sediment accumulation rates. During the lastglacial focussing of biogenic opal-dominated material exceeded the original contribution from the surfacewater above by a maximum factor of 8.7. The initial activity ratio of 231Paex/230Thex was used as tracer forbiogenic particle flux and composition and indicates that during the glacial stages 2 and 4 the area of high opalproductivity was situated above the location of the southern core whereas the northern core has not beenreached by this northward shift during the last 130 kyr as shown by the pattern of focussing-corrected bulkaccumulation rates. If the position of the Antarctic Polar Front has remained at the northern boundary of thehigh opal productivity area during the last 130 kyr, the results suggest that was located exactly between thetwo core sites during glacial stages 2 and 4. A two-box modeling approach involving particle flux and boundaryscavenging intensity of 231Pa was applied to estimate the possible range of the 231Paex/230Thex ratio recordedin Southern Ocean sediments. Previous estimates on the export of 231Pa from the Atlantic into the SouthernOcean are corroborated but the model suggests a low sensitivity of the 231Paex/230Thex ratio in Southern Oceansediments to variations of the residence time of North Atlantic Deep Water in the Atlantic Ocean.

Description: Tens of thousands of synthetic substances are in existence today and hundreds of new compounds are being introduced every year. Because of the complexity of the physico-chemical interactions between pollutants and the marine environment, the potential toxicity of contaminants can be assessed adequately only by means of bioassays with living organisms. From a practical point of view, a bioassay needs to be sensitive and scientifically valid, yield rapid results at moderate cost, and the organism in question must be readily available. Ecotoxicological bioassays with bivalve embryos and larvae fulfil these criteria better than most other tests. They have increasingly come into use during the past three decades and are now commonly employed to ascertain the biological effects of pure chemicals, as well as to determine the quality of effluents, coastal waters and sediments sampled in the field. There do not appear to be very great differences between bivalve species with regard to larval sensitivity to toxicants. The principal species for bioassays are oysters (Crassostrea gigas and C. virginica), and mussels (Mytilus edulis and M. galloprovincialis). Bioassays are conducted with gametes and larvae of ail ages: sperm and unfertilized eggs, embryos, young D-larvae, intermediate umboned larvae, and pediveligers towards the end ofthe pelagic period. Embryos are usually the most sensitive stage. Recent advances now also permit bioassays on metamorphosing pediveligers, a method particularly suited to investigate the effects of adsorbate-contaminated surfaces. There are various criteria for the assessment oftoxic effects, including embryogenesis success (abnormalities), larval growth, mortality, physiology (e.g. feeding or swimming activity), and metamorphosis success. Chronic toxicity studies may be carried out over periods ofseveral weeks, but larval rearing in the laboratory requires considerable effort (e.g. cultivation of algal food). The method of choice for investigations of acute toxicity and for routine monitoring studies is the embryo bioassay because it is very sensitive, relatively simple, and produces results within 24 or 48 hours. The data obtained by different investigators are often difficult to compare, however, because of differences in methodology. There is no firmly established procedure, and further simplification and standardization of techniques is required. In bioassays with a single pollutant, the effective toxic concentration may span several orders of magnitude, depending on bioassay procedures, larval stage and choice of response. Tributyl-tin (TBT) is the most toxic compound ever bioassayed with bivalve larvae, with effective concentrations (EC50) as low as a few nanograms per litre (i.e. 10−3 ppb). Heavy metals (particularly mercury, silver and copper) are next in order of toxicity, with EC50 values between a few micrograms per litre (ppb) and several hundred ppb. Chlorine and some organochlorine pesticides may also have EC50 values of less than 100 ppb, while detergents and petroleum products are generally less toxic

Description: Sensitivities of cirrus cloud radiative forcing as well as solar albedo and infrared emittances to ice crystal size spectrum and ice crystal shape were examined using a coupled cloud-radiation model. The single- and bi-modal crystal size distribution were considered and simulated based on field measurements. Optical parameters of ice crystals shaped as hexagonal columns and random polycrystals (being frequently found in cirrus clouds) were calculated with a ray-tracing method. Both solar and infrared cirrus radiative forcing are influenced by the pattern of crystal size spectra. The net radiative forcing is lower for bi-modal than for single-modal spectra. The solar radiative forcing of cirrus cloud is reduced by nonspherical ice crystals, due to larger albedo effects of nonspherical crystals compared to those of equivalent spherical crystals. Moreover, this reduction in solar radiative forcing by random polycrystals is even larger than that by hexagonal column crystals. The cloud radiative forcing, solar albedo and infrared emittance are changed significantly as the mean crystal size approaches the smaller size end. Furthermore, net cloud radiative forcing is positive in most cirrus cases. Exceptions are cirrus clouds with a large number (〉107 m−3) of small (mean maximum dimension 〈30 μm) ice crystals and cirrus clouds with bi-modal crystal size distribution and large particle size for the second maximum peak.

Description: Colonization of new habitats, which have been established as a result of a catastrophic disturbance of the environment, is one of the characteristic repetitive events throughout the Phanerozoic. In recent years, much attention has been paid to investigations focusing on biological recovery of benthic habitats severely disturbed by human activity. In order to improve our environmental and stratigraphical interpretations of such events, we need a more thorough understanding of the processes involved in colonization by one of the most abundant and useful fossil groups, the benthic foraminifera. The present review focuses on processes governing benthic foraminiferal dispersion and colonization patterns in modern environments. For benthic foraminifera, the only active dispersal mechanism is through self-locomotion on or within the sediment and this is considered to be efficient over short distances only. Several passive dispersal methods have been suggested but two seem to be of more general importance. These are dispersal through release and transport of embryonic juveniles and passive suspension and transport of various growth stages. Both are probably important for most benthic foraminifera but the former is likely to be the main mechanism for attached, tubular and larger foraminifera, which are not easily entrained at a later life stage. The latter seems to be a more important dispersion mechanism for benthic foraminifera than previously realized. The colonization rate of soft-bottom substrates is closely related to the hydraulic regime in, and the transit time from, the source area inhabited by species capable of colonizing the new habitat (as long as food and other environmental characteristics are not limiting factors). The transit time depends on the speed of the transporting medium and the distance from the source area. There seems to be two end-processes which can operate during the colonization, depending on whether physically induced or biological processes are allowed to dominate. They are characterized by different colonization patterns. In high energy environments (bottom current velocities often 〉20 cm/s), a short transit time may cause the major components of the nearest ambient seafloor assemblages to colonize the new habitat within days. In this case the colonization is simply through a physical transfer of parts of the source community to the new habitat, allowing no time for pioneer, opportunistic assemblages to develop. In low energy environments (bottom current velocities generally 〈10 cm/s), the transit time is long for most species. Here, colonization follows the classic metazoan successional pattern with an initial, high abundance pioneer assemblage strongly dominated by small opportunists followed by development of assemblages with increasing numbers of specialized species and recovery can take from one to several years. Initial lack of food (e.g., volcanic ash) or `hostile' substrate properties (e.g., recently reoxygenated or severely contaminated sediments) may delay colonization by months or even years. Small, infaunal species (both calcareous and agglutinated) are among the first and most successful colonizers of soft bottom habitats from shallow waters to the deep sea. Throchospiral agglutinated taxa are among the most abundant colonizers on deep sea hard substrates.

Description: The excretion of siderophores and the reduction of organic iron-complexes at the cell surface are common reactions of terrestrial plants, fungi and bacteria in response to low availability of iron. However, there is much less evidence for the use of these strategies by marine phytoplankton. It has been argued that siderophore excretion is inefficient in an aquatic environment due to rapid diffusion. This study examines how diffusion and chemical reactions in the microenvironment of a phytoplankton cell influence the efficiency of both strategies to increase the bioavailability of iron and to reduce iron stress. A numerical model of the cell surroundings is presented that calculates the concentration distribution for different iron species and allows to study the effect of siderophores or surface reductases. It calculates the efficiency of these mechanisms, defined as the quotient between the increase in iron uptake rate and the excretion rate of siderophores or electrons, needed to obtain this increase. The dependence of this efficiency on rates of iron coordination reactions, on diffusivity, and on the kinetics of iron uptake is discussed with the aid of some analytical calculations.

Description: Laboratory feeding experiments were conducted to elucidate size-relationships in the seastar-mussel (Asterias rubens-Mytilus edulis) predator-prey interaction. This is one of the most well-known predator-prey relationships in marine benthic ecology and the dependence of seastar feeding rates and prey size selection are crucial for modelling. Moreover, the hypothesis should be tested that large individuals of M. edulis enjoy a size-refuge from seastar predation in the Baltic sea. Ingestion rates showed an allometric relationship to seastar size. They increased slightly more than cubically (b = 3.62) with the linear size of the seastars and slightly more than linearly (b = 1.27) with the body mass of the seastars. Somatic growth rates were linearly related to ingestion rates. Larger seastars tended to eat larger mussels. This relationship was significant for the largest size of mussels eaten and for the mean size of mussels eaten, but not for the minimal size. Size selection of seastars did not depend on the spatial arrangement of mussel sizes relative to the initial position of the seastars in the aquarium. Mussels of 〉 48 mm in length are safe from predation by the largest seastars found in the western Baltic sea.

Description: The (87)Rb/(86)Sr and (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios of Laptev Sea sediments, of Arctic Ocean sediments and of suspended particulate matter (SPM) from Siberian rivers (Lena and Khatanga) form 'pseudo-isochrons' due to grain-size separation processes which are referred to as 'Lena Mixing Envelope' (LME) and as 'Flood Basalt Envelope' (FBE). At the land-ocean transition the reduction of the particle velocity causes a deposition of coarser grained material and the contact with saline water enhances a precipitation of finer-grained material. The coarse-grained material is enriched in Sr showing less radiogenic (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios whereas fine grained material is depleted in Sr relative to Rb showing more radiogenic (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios, The experimentally determined spread of the (87)Rb/(86)Sr and (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios as a function of grain size in one sediment sample is on the same order as the natural spread of the (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios observed in all samples from the Arctic Ocean. Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) for the Lena river SPM tend to confirm previous observations that chemical alteration is negligible in the Arctic environment. Thus, these 'pseudo-isochrons' reflect an average age and the average isotope composition in the river drainage area. Calculated apparent ages from the FBE reflect the age of the Siberian flood basalt of about 220 Ma and the initial ratio of 0.707(1) reflects their mantle origin. The age calculated from the LME of about 125 Ma reflects accidentally the Jurassic and Cretaceous age of the sediments drained by the Lena river and the initial ratio of 0.714(1) reflects the crustal origin of their source rocks. Comparison of geographical locations reveals that all samples from the eastern Laptev Sea (east of 120 degrees E) fall along the LME whereas all samples from the western Laptev Sea (west of 120 degrees E) fall between LME and FBE. Mixing calculations based on (143)Nd/(144)Nd measurements, not influenced by grain size, show that about 75% of the western Laptev Sea sediments originate from the Lena drainage area whereas about 25% of the sediments are delivered from the Siberian flood basalt province. Sediments from the central Arctic Ocean are isotopically related to the Lena drainage area and the Siberian flood basalt province. However, sediments from the Arctic Ocean margins close to Novaya Semlya, Greenland, the Fram Strait and Svalbard originate from sources not yet identified. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Description: The effect of the supply of chlorinated biphenyls by the river Oder into some adjacent areas of Baltic Sea was studied in nine sediment cores and in 10 suspended matter samples. Congener-specific analysis was carried out on 28 individual chlorobiphenyls (CBs). ∑CB concentrations in suspension ranged from 2.4 pg dm-3 in the southern Bornholm Basin to 986 pg dm-3 in the Achterwasser. ∑CB contents in surface sediment decreased with increasing distance from the river mouth. Highest contents were found in the Oderhaff (18 ng g-1 dw) decreasing to 2 ng g-1 dw in the Bornholm Basin. The ∑CB contents generally decreased more or less regularly with increasing depth. The compositions of the CB mixtures in surficial sediment and suspension samples were rather similar, suggesting a common source. Compositions of the CB mixtures in the sediment cores showed distinct differences. These may reflect variations in source strength over time. Mass balance considerations on the basis of the 28 CBs resulted in an estimation of a total storage of approximate 733±158 kg ∑CBs in the Oderhaff, Achterwasser, Greifswalder Bodden, Oder Rinne, Arkona Basin and Bornholm Basin in the past 65 years, covering the time period since CBs were first produced. Based on river data about 500 kg of ∑CBs were supplied during this time by river Oder, that may thus be the major source of these compounds for the southern Baltic Sea.

Description: Individual chlorinated biphenyls (CBs) and chlorinated pesticides (p,p′-DDT and metabolites, HCHs and HCB) were determined in blubber samples of 40 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) of different age and sex from the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and Greenland coastal waters. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were analysed in a selected group of animals. ΣCB concentrations (medians) in North Sea immature specimens were similar (14.9 μg/g lipid) to those from the Baltic Sea (17.0 μg/g lipid) and exceeding those in Greenland specimens by an order of magnitude (1.3 μg/g lipid). The median concentrations (μg/g lipid) of HCB, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD and γ-HCH were in the order Greenland〈North Sea〈Baltic Sea. The highest concentrations of α-HCH (0.14 μg/g lipid) were found in the Greenland population, and p,p′-DDT was detected only in this group. The North Sea and Baltic Sea populations were identified as distinctly separate on the basis of levels and compositions of these contaminants. The ecological risk associated with dioxin-like toxicity was dominated by the CB congeners 118 and 170; the PCDD/Fs were playing only a minor role.

Description: Progress in marine chemistry has been driven by improved sampling and sample handling techniques, and developments in analytical chemistry. Consequently, during the last 20 years our understanding of marine trace metal biogeochemistry has improved a great deal. Stripping voltammetric techniques (anodic stripping voltammetry and adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry) have made an important contribution to this understanding. The selectivity and extremely low detection limits have made stripping voltammetry a widely used technique for trace metal speciation and trace metal distribution measurements in seawater. Stripping voltammetry is very suitable for ship-board and in-situ applications because of the portability, low cost and capability for automation of the voltammetric instrumentation. Future developments in stripping voltammetry can be expected in the field of stand-alone submersible voltammetric analysers, capable of continuous trace metal measurements. Future applications of stripping voltammetry can be found in the interactions between trace metal speciation and growth and the functioning of organisms in pristine and metal polluted marine waters. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.

Description: The distribution of trace metals was determined in coastal waters around England during cruises in December 1993 (CH108), October 1994 (CH115), January 1995 (CH117) and April 1995 (CH118). Cu and Ni distributions were pronouncedly influenced by mixing of river waters with seawater during CH108 coinciding with seasonally enhanced freshwater inputs, but less so during the subsequent cruises. These seasonal variations indicate the importance of processes other than conservative mixing on the distributions of Cu and Ni: benthic and atmospheric inputs, removal by biological uptake and particle scavenging. This paper is one of the first to report on coastal dissolved Cr distributions. Non-conservative behaviour was observed for Cr (CH108), with generally low concentrations which were attributed to particle scavenging. Dissolved Zn exhibited a non-conservative behaviour during the spring and late summer cruises, suggesting that processes other than mixing between water masses was influencing its behaviour. Co showed non-conservative behaviour during the late summer cruise (CH115), which was attributed to the influence of benthic inputs and particle scavenging on its distribution.

Description: Two new neo-clerodane type diterpenoids, teulolin A (15,16-epoxy-6,7,18,19-tetrahydroxy-neo-cleroda-3(4),13(16),14-trien-20, 12(S)-olide, 1) and teulolin B (15,16-epoxy-3α, 6,7,18,19-tetrahydroxy-neo-cleroda-4(18),13(16),14- trien-20,12(S)-olide, 2) were isolated from the aerial parts of Teucrium polium. The structures of 1-2 were proposed on the basis of extensive NMR experiments and molecular modeling studies

Description: Nutrient (nitrate, phosphate, silica) and dissolved metal (Al, Cu, As, Cd, Ni, Zn, Fe, U) distributions were studied in the mixing zones of the Tinto and Odiel rivers which drain the South Iberian pyrite belt. Phosphate distribution is strongly influenced by discharges from the fertiliser industry, especially in the Tinto mixing zone. The increase of silica content in this zone is related to a release of biogenic silica from diatoms. Nitrate concentrations which are influenced by urban and industrial effluents showed an important maximum in the early stages of mixing in the Tinto (as do the metals). Compared to the Odiel river, the metal concentrations in the Tinto river reached higher values in relation to more intensive mining activities. Dissolved Fe, Mn, Al, Cu, Cd and Zn concentrations were correlated in the mixing zones of both rivers. This suggests that they have the same source and are subjected to the same controlling processes in the estuary. A maximum concentration for these metals was observed in the early stage of mixing in the Tinto and reflects a decrease of redox in a low pH (〈3) environment. Downstream in the Odiel system, metals showed a slight removal. Dissolved uranium, present at a low level (0.05 μmol l-1) in the rivers, is introduced by the phosphate fertiliser industry in the estuary and trapped in sedimentation areas. As a consequence, waters of the Gulf of Cadiz have a U content similar to that of the open seawater. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Description: Sorption of trace metals by suspended particulate matter (SPM) in estuarine systems has important implications for the fate of dissolved metals in these waters. This paper describes the development of a single extraction procedure for SPM-associated trace metals, using a ligand competition approach with EDTA as the added complexing ligand. The use of EDTA allows the determination of available particulate trace metals using well defined constraints with respect to the competition for trace metals between EDTA and the particles. Incubation experiments showed that equilibrium times between EDTA and particulate material of 72h were required to reach equilibrium for most of the metals studied (Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, Co, Al, Fe, Pb and Mg). Optimum conditions included a 0.05M EDTA concentration and the use of an extractant: particulate matter ratio of 200:1 (v:w). Kinetic calculations on data from the incubation experiments were used to calculate the apparent stability constants (K(MeS)) for the metal-particulate matter interaction and indicated values ranging from 10-2.1 for K(MgS) to 10-13.5 for K(CuS). Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.

Description: On April 25, 1998, a spill at the Los Frailes mine in southern Spain resulted in a very high input of metals (including Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Tl and Zn) into the river Guadiamar. Calculations indicate that the discharges into the Guadiamar of Cu (5100t), Pb (24,700t), Zn (26,200t) and Ag (138t, based on mud only) were higher than the annual production by the Los Frailes mine for Ag and Pb, and ca. two times less for Cu and Zn. For many metals, the increase in concentration in the affected river (Guadiamar), 2days after the initial discharge, was by several orders of magnitude. However, 6months after the incident, no evidence of the spill could be observed in the plume of the river (Guadalquivir) which discharged the mine waters into the coastal waters of the Gulf of Cadiz. This observation can possibly be explained by low rainfall, natural metal removal processes in the river and estuarine environments and by human interventions. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. On April 25, 1998, a spill at the Los Frailes mine in southern Spain resulted in a very high input of metals (including Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Tl and Zn) into the river Guadiamar. Calculations indicate that the discharges into the Guadiamar of Cu (5100 t), Pb (24,700 t), Zn (26,200 t) and Ag (138 t, based on mud only) were higher than the annual production by the Los Frailes mine for Ag and Pb, and ca. two times less for Cu and Zn. For many metals, the increase in concentration in the affected river (Guadiamar), 2 days after the initial discharge, was by several orders of magnitude. However, 6 months after the incident, no evidence of the spill could be observed in the plume of the river (Guadalquivir) which discharged the mine waters into the coastal waters of the Gulf of Cadiz. This observation can possibly be explained by low rainfall, natural metal removal processes in the river and estuarine environments and by human interventions.

Description: The compositionally zoned San Juan eruption on La Palma emanated from three eruptive centers located along a north–south-trending rift zone in the south of the island. Seismic precursors began weakly in 1936 and became strong in March 1949, with their foci progressing from the north of the rift zone towards its south. This suggests that magma ascended beneath the old Taburiente shield volcano and moved southward along the rift. The eruption began on June 24, 1949, with phreatomagmatic activity at Duraznero crater on the ridgetop (ca. 1880 m above sea level), where five vents erupted tephritic lava along a 400-m-long fissure. On June 8, the Duraznero vents shut down abruptly, and the activity shifted to an off-rift fissure at Llano del Banco, located at ca. 550 m lower elevation and 3 km to the northwest. This eruptive center issued initially tephritic aa and later basanitic pahoehoe lava at high rates, producing a lava flow that entered the sea. Two days after basanite began to erupt at Llano del Banco, Hoyo Negro crater (ca. 1880 m asl), located 700 m north of Duraznero along the rift, opened on July 12 and produced ash and bombs of basanitic to phonotephritic composition in violent phreatomagmatic explosions (White and Schmincke, 1999). Llano del Banco and Hoyo Negro were simultaneously active for 11 days and showed a co-variance of their eruption rates indicating a shallow hydraulic connection. On July 30, after 3 days of quiescence at all vents, Duraznero and Hoyo Negro became active again during a final eruptive phase. Duraznero issued basanitic lava at high rates for 12 h and produced a lava flow that descended towards the east coast. The lava contains ca. 1 vol.% crustal and mantle xenoliths consisting of 40% tholeiitic gabbros from the oceanic crust, 35% alkaline gabbros, and 20% ultramafic cumulates. The occurrence of xenoliths almost exclusively in the final lava is consistent with their origin by wall-rock collapse at depth near the end of the eruption. The volcanic evolution of the 1949 eruption is typical of La Palma eruptions generally. Considerable shallow magma migration prior to and during eruption is manifested by strong seismicity, intense faulting, and the almost unpredictable opening of specific vents which can be spaced three or more km apart.

Description: Processes generating block and ash flows by gravitational dome collapse (Merapi-type pyroclastic flow) were observed in detail during the 1990–1995 eruption of Unzen volcano, Japan. Two different types were identified by analysis of video records and observations during helicopter flights. Most of the block and ash flows erupted during the 1991–1993 exogenous dome growth stage initially involved crack propagation due to cooling and flowage of the dome lava lobes. The mass around the crack became unstable, locally decreasing in tensile strength. Finally, a slab separated from the lobe front, fragmented progressively from the base to the top within a few seconds, and became a block and ash flow. Rock falls immediately followed, in response to local instability of the lobe front. Clasts in these rock falls fragmented and merged with the preceding flow. In contrast, block and ash flows during the endogenous dome growth stage in 1994 were generated due to local bulge of the dome. Unstable lava blocks collapsed and subsequently fragmented to produce block and ash flows.

Description: The Coastal Batholith of central Chile between 31 and 34°S represents a locus of long-lived (c. 200 Ma) plutonic activity. It is composed of four plutonic complexes: Santo Domingo, Limarı́, Papudo–Quintero and Illapel. These complexes, which occur as north-trending discontinuous belts that decrease in age eastward, were emplaced during four major episodes of arc magmatism. The Santo Domingo Complex (Carboniferous) comprises hornblende–biotite bearing tonalites and granodiorites with abundant mafic enclaves, and enclave-free granites. The association of enclave-bearing granitoids and enclave-free granites resulted from different degrees of mixing of crustal- and mantle-derived magmas. The Limarı́ Complex (Lower Jurassic) is a bimodal association of crustal leucogranites and mantle-derived gabbros. The lithology of the Papudo–Quintero Complex (Middle Jurassic) varies from hornblende–pyroxene diorite to biotite granite. The main rock types, namely tonalites and granodiorites, commonly contain mafic enclaves. The granitoids and the enclaves have remarkably similar REE patterns and are similar in Sr–Nd isotope composition, which suggest that they represent a cogenetic suite of mantle origin. The Illapel Complex (Cretaceous) consists of hornblende bearing tonalites, trondhjemites and granodiorites that resemble the rocks of TTG suites. The εNd values and initial ratios (Sri) for the mafic rocks of the Carboniferous Complex (εNd: −2.0 and −3.5; Sri: c. 0.7057) differ markedly from those of the Mesozoic mafic rocks (εNd: +1.9 to +5.4; Sri: 0.7033 to 0.7039), the Cretaceous rocks being the most depleted with regard to Sr–Nd. A change from Carboniferous lithosphere-dominated sources to Mesozoic asthenosphere-dominated sources of the magmas that started in the Early Jurassic is recognized. Slab components can be recognized in the source of the Cretaceous rocks. The crustal source of the Lower Jurassic leucogranites was more isotopically depleted and refractory than that of the Carboniferous granites. On the other hand, no crustal participation in the origin of the Middle Jurassic and Cretaceous felsic granitoids is recognized; they are differentiated from mantle-derived magmas. Progressive removal of old lithospheric mantle during the Mesozoic due to a process of lithospheric delamination would explain the profound change in the subcrustal source, as well as the melting and modification towards a more refractory nature of the continental crust.

Description: Resolving the time–space (and compositional) evolution of volcanism along long-lived South Atlantic hotspot trails is important to understanding the connection between hotspot volcanism and mantle plumes. 40Ar/39Ar ages are reported here for rocks dredged from a line of five individual seamounts along an ∼290 km northeast to southwest line extending from the vicinity of Saint Helena Island, and also for Circe Seamount. These seamounts were created in a midplate setting and could have formed rapidly (≤1 Myr). The St. Helena Seamount ages reveal a remarkably linear migration rate of volcanism of 20±1 mm/yr for at least the past 19 Myr, which is interpreted as the absolute motion of the African plate. Because this is much slower than estimated for earlier African plate migration it also represents the first evidence based on seamount ages for a significant deceleration (∼33%) of the African plate since at least 19 Ma. However, this change could have occurred as early as 30 Ma when the limited data for the Tristan/Gough hotspot chain are also considered. This deceleration supports a relationship between African plate speed and the upsurge of hotspot volcanism on the African continent at ∼25 Ma. We suggest that the increased number of oceanic African hotspots between ∼19 and 30 Ma points to a link also between major changes in plate motion and the onset and continuation of oceanic hotspot volcanism. Our study supports the assumption that chains of individual, rapidly (?) formed seamounts have considerably more potential of providing clear insights into how mantle plumes interact with overriding lithosphere than do those consisting of uninterrupted, more massive lines of hotspot volcanism.

Description: Cephalopods are highly visual animals; the importance of chemical perception to these complex mollusks is less well understood. In this experiment, ventilation rate was used to measure the perception of chemical stimuli by cultured juvenile cuttlefish. The test tank had opaque sides and top to visually isolate the cuttlefish. A clear bottom permitted direct observation of funnel movements associated with ventilation. Cuttlefish cannot see beneath them when resting on the bottom; trials began once cuttlefish had remained calmly on the bottom for at least 15 min. The chemical stimulus was placed in a tank located upstream from the test tank containing a single cuttlefish; the cuttlefish's ventilation cycles were measured by direct observation. Ventilation rate increased significantly after exposure to ink from a conspecific, water containing food, water containing a conspecific, novel seawater and water that had contained sea turtles, potential predators. Results were obtained despite any background chemicals remaining within the closed sea water system, suggesting findings are probably robust to the conditions cuttlefish would normally experience in the ocean. Results are consistent with those obtained using visual stimuli and extend previous research indicating that cephalopods are capable of using chemical cues to detect salient environmental features.

Description: A total of 6171 specimens of Octopus mimus was collected from the commercial small-scale fishery in northern Chilean waters (off Iquique) between January 1991 and March 1992. The animals were grouped by sex, size and month for modal progression analysis (MPA). Total length of the animals ranged from 24 (66 g) to 107 cm (4358 g) for males and from 28 (63 g) to 115 cm (3714 g) for females. There were no significant differences in the length–weight relationship between sexes except in summer. The size structure of the exploited population of O. mimus is rather complex and MPA indicated six sub-annual cohorts for males and five for females. Instantaneous relative growth rate (G) in total body weight varied from 0.29% to 1.37% d−1 and from 0.23% to 1.78% d−1 for males and females, respectively. Seasonality and water temperature affected G in both sexes. Differences in G among sub-annual cohorts within the same season were found and it was observed that G tended to decrease with size.

Description: Basic biological parameters of cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, in the English Channel are described from samples of commercial and research vessel landings made between April 1994 and September 1995. There was a significant difference between the length–weight relationship of male and female cuttlefish. Growth of both sexes was rapid and seasonal during the last 12 months of life. Males grew faster than females, and reached larger overall lengths and weights. Most males reached maturity before the start of their second winter, although the testis continued to develop until spawning took place the following spring. Female maturation began later and was more prolonged such that it was completed towards the end of the second winter. Adults of both sexes spawned after the second winter between late March and July. Commercial landings data showed spawning cuttlefish initially arrived on inshore grounds in the western Channel, but slightly later and in greater numbers on the inshore grounds of the middle and eastern Channel. The weight and value of cuttlefish landings made by UK vessels in the Channel increased greatly between the mid 1980s and the mid 1990s such that cuttlefish are now a major part of the earnings for several fisheries. The most important fisheries were the offshore beam trawls, and inshore otter trawls and nets. The exploitation pattern of each fishery is described from quarterly samples of commercial landings taken between April 1994 and March 1996. Each exploitation pattern is shown to be a function of the region fished, the catching gear employed, and the growth and migrations of the cuttlefish population. Some implications for stock management are discussed.

Description: NA and protein concentrations, and the RNA to protein ratio, were measured in four species of cephalopods, to evaluate sources of variation and the potential for using RNA concentration and the RNA to protein ratio as growth indices. In field samples of Loligo forbesi and Eledone cirrhosa, RNA concentrations and the RNA to protein ratio were higher in immature animals than in mature animals. In Loligo forbesi, values were also higher in males than in females and higher in smaller individuals than in large individuals. Both these trends are consistent with expected differences in growth rate, i.e. RNA is higher in faster growing animals. Mature female Eledone cirrhosa, a species in which the female is larger and presumably grows faster, had higher RNA concentrations than mature males. However, no such difference between the sexes was seen for immature E. cirrhosa or Todarodes sagittatus. Methods for transport and maintenance of Loligo forbesi in captivity in the Azores are described. Many of the captive squid showed poor growth and survival but results from these animals nevertheless confirmed that RNA concentrations were higher in males than in females and higher in animals with smaller gonads than in animals with large gonads. Higher protein concentrations were found in males than in females, and protein concentration was also positively correlated with feeding rate and digestive gland indices. Octopus vulgaris held in captivity grew rapidly and consistently and RNA concentrations were lower in bigger animals than in smaller animals. Neither experiment provided direct support for the hypothesis that RNA concentration or the RNA to protein ratio is directly related to growth rate. Systematic variation in protein concentration, e.g. in relation to recent feeding, leads us to suggest that protein concentration (mg/g fresh body weight) is likely to provide a more reliable index than the RNA to protein ratio.

Description: Laboratory rearing of 19 Octopus mimus from 40 to 589 g at 20.1±1.8°C (September to December 1991) provided information on the growth pattern and variation in instantaneous relative growth rate (G) of this Chilean littoral octopus. The three smallest specimens (ranging from 40 to 49.8 g) attained an average weight of 558 g in 70 days. Growth of this species had two phases. Growth was exponential during the first 40 days of culture with an average G of 5.33%. It slowed and became logarithmic when the animals attained weights ranging from 326.6 to 439 g. Instantaneous relative growth rate decreased from 2.25% to 0.99% during the logarithmic phase. A similar pattern was found for the 16 larger specimens (61.4–406.4 g initial weight). The change in growth pattern observed between the exponential and logarithmic phases occurred at body weights ranging from 326.6 to 454.2 g. No differences in growth were found between sexes in O. mimus. The growth pattern of this species is discussed and compared to other small-egged octopus species raised in captivity.

Description: Results are presented from particle flux studies using sediment trap and current meter moorings along a transect at the European continental margin at 49°N within the EU-funded Ocean Margin Exchange (OMEX) project. Two moorings were placed, at the mid- and outer slope in water depths of 1500 and 3660 m, with traps at 600 and 1050 m and at 580, 1440 and 3220 m, respectively. Residual currents at the mid-slope follow the slope contour, whereas seasonal off-slope flow was registered at the outer slope. At 600 m on the slope fluxes are similar to those in the abyssal North Atlantic. The flux of all components (bulk dry weight, particulate organic and inorganic carbon, lithogenic matter and opal) increased with water depth. Highest fluxes were recorded at 1440 m at the outer slope, where off-slope residual currents mediate particle export. The injection of biogenic and lithogenic particles below the depth of winter mixing results in the export of particles from shallower waters. Calculated lateral fluxes of particulate organic carbon exceed the primary flux by over a factor of 2 at 1440 m on the outer slope. Estimated lateral fluxes of suspended particulate matter in the water column and intermediate nepheloid layers at the outer slope are potentially large compared to sinking fluxes measured by sediment traps. A comparison is made of particle flux at three continental margin sites and two sites in the adjacent open North Atlantic, from which it is seen that bulk and organic matter flux increases exponentially with proximity to the shelf break. The percentage contribution of particulate organic carbon to biogenic fluxes increases from a mean of 5.7% in the abyssal N. Atlantic to 13.9% at the continental margins

Description: Effects of moderate hypoxia and oscillating oxygen conditions on growth of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) were investigated. Groups of four to six sea bass (initial weights 40–90 g) were exposed to one of three oxygen regimes (40% air saturation; oscillations between 40–86% with a period of 770 min; 86% as a control) at 22°C and a salinity of 37 for 1 month. All fish survived and gained weight, but relative to the controls, the sea bass exposed to hypoxic conditions consumed significantly less food, exhibited a reduced growth, and had a lower condition factor. Oscillating groups were intermediate, and not statistically distinguishable from either normoxic or hypoxic treatments. Feed conversion efficiency and variation in body size were not significantly affected by oxygen conditions. Growth was correlated with feed intake, suggesting that reduced growth under moderate hypoxic or oscillating oxygen conditions is primarily due to reduced appetite and not a consequence of a decrease in feed conversion efficiency.

Description: We show how to represent changes in the distribution of size and sinking speed of marine particles by a two-parameter model. In contrast to fully size-resolved models, this representation holds promise for constructing ocean biogeochemical models with detailed spatial resolution and seasonally varying sinking speed. We treat the mass and number of particles as separate state variables, each obeying its own conservation law. Average size and sinking speed of particles change as particles aggregate or the largest particles sink out. The distribution of particle sizes is assumed to follow a power law, whose exponent changes as a function of average particle size. Compared to biogeochemical models with constant particle sinking speed, our approach imposes a modest increase in computational cost and produces important effects like more rapid sinking immediately following a phytoplankton bloom. Compared to models that use hundreds of size classes to represent the detailed evolution of particle size distribution, our approach offers a major reduction in computational cost, while maintaining realistic behaviour like the sudden onset of significant aggregation when particles are sufficiently abundant.

Description: Periphyton with different biomass levels were grown in-situ in the Kiel Fjord and used for short-term laboratory experiments to study the grazing of the periwinkle Littorina littorea. Ingestion rates increased with biomass in a saturating function as described by Holling's type II functional response model, with a maximal ingestion rate of ca. 260 μg chlorophyll day−1 for 2 cm periwinkles. The half saturation constant of the ingestion rate was ca. 2 μg chlorophyll cm−2. At subsaturating food levels, L. littorea increased the area grazed per time but not intensity of grazing within that area. L. littorea is a moderately selective periphyton grazer. It fed on all algal species present, but the tube-dwelling diatoms Amphipleura rutilans and Haslea crucigera suffered significantly smaller grazing losses than the other species. However, the relative protection of those diatoms against periwinkle grazing decreased with higher biomass and with a higher load of easily ingestible epiphytes.

Description: The Mediterranean Sea has been investigated intensively since the early nineties, using modern techniques and collaborative approaches. This overview summarizes some of the resulting advances that were made concerning the physical oceanography of the western Mediterranean. The water mass formation processes are now much better understood and have been quantified to a large extent. The boundary conditions of the system in terms of surface fluxes and strait transports can be determined with improved accuracy, thus enabling future investigation of interannual variability. The dynamics of the surface and intermediate layers have revealed a variety of eddy and mesoscale processes that are important for the circulation and spreading of water masses. The deep circulation is being investigated with Lagrangian techniques (tracers and floats). First results show a large component of the deep water originating from the Tyrrhenian Sea and intense cyclonic and anticyclonic eddy flows.

Description: The aim of this paper is to study the dependence of reflection, absorption, and transmission of light by optically thick, weakly absorbing disperse media on the shape of constituent particles. Single scattering by nonspherical particles is calculated in the framework of the Rayleigh and geometrical optics approximations. The ratio of the average volume to the average surface of particles and their volumetric concentration are kept constant. Thus, the extinction coefficient and the optical thickness of different media under consideration are the same. Calculations are performed for ice particles at wavelengths of 0.645, 1.24, 1.64, and 2.13 μm. The respective refractive indices range from 1.3082–i1.325×10−8 (weak absorption) to 1.2674–i5.65×10−4 (moderate absorption). The radiative characteristics are calculated in the framework of approximate analytical formulae valid for optically thick, weakly absorbing media.

Description: Here we present the first high precision 231Protactinium measurements in a manganese crust applying thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) using the double filament technique. The detection limit using TIMS is at least one order of magnitude lower, the statistical uncertainty 6–8 times better than for α-spectrometry. Thus, older sections of manganese crust VA13/2 from the Northern Equatorial Pacific could be measured precisely for their 231Pa activity. Our results reveal significant variations in 231Paxs activity for the last 150 ka which corroborate existing α-spectrometric data. If the growth rate was constant between 0 and 450 ka, the protactinium flux from the water column into manganese encrustations must have been variable. Thus, 231Paxs is not suitable for dating marine Mn/Fe deposits.

Description: Stable carbon isotope fractionation (εp) was measured in four marine diatom and one dinoflagellate species of different cell sizes. Monospecific cultures were incubated under high-light and nutrient-replete conditions at 16 h : 8 h and 24 h : 0 h light/dark cycles in dilute batch cultures at six CO2 concentrations, [CO2,aq], ranging from ca. 1 to 38 μmol kg−1. In all species, εp increased with increasing [CO2,aq]. Among the diatoms, the degree of CO2-related variability in εp was inversely correlated with cell size. Isotopic fractionation in the dinoflagellate differed in several aspects from that of the diatoms, which may reflect both morphological and physiological differences between taxa. Daylength-related changes in instantaneous growth rate, defined as the rate of C assimilation during the photoperiod, affected εp to a similar or greater extent than differences in experimental [CO2,aq] in three of the species tested. In contrast, the irradiance cycle had no effect on εp in 2 other species. With the exception of Phaeodactylum tricornutum, growth rate of all species declined below a critical [CO2,aq]. At these concentrations, we observed a reversal in the CO2-related εp trend, which we attribute to a decline in carbon assimilation efficiency. Although uncatalyzed passive diffusion of CO2 into the cell was sufficient to account for gross carbon uptake in most treatments, our results indicate that other processes contribute to inorganic carbon acquisition in all species even at [CO2,aq] 〉 10 μmol kg−1. These processes may include active C transport and/or catalyzed conversion of HCO3− to CO2 by carbonic anhydrase. A comparison of our results with data from the literature indicates significant deviations from previously reported correlations between εp and μ/[CO2,aq], even when differences in cellular carbon content and cell geometry are accounted for.

Description: A two-dimensional vertically averaged flow model was applied to study the circulation patterns in Lake Belau (Northern Germany). The lake is north–south oriented, with a maximum extension of 2.2 km and is situated in a dead ice hole with steep slopes on the east and west coasts. A part of the coastal area is covered with forest, creating a strong shelter from prevailing south-westerly winds. The system of shallow water equations is discretized with the modified Utnes (1990) scheme which is characterized by a semi-decoupling algorithm. The continuity equation is rearranged to Helmholtz equation form. The upwinding Tabata (1977) method is used to approximate convective terms. Extensive wind (more than 60 observations) and current measurements (5 points) conducted all over the lake enabled us to verify the simulation results with observations. Under spatially homogeneous wind conditions the model predicts a two cell circulation system, that covers most part of the lake. Taking the spatial variation of wind speed due to shelter into account, the flow field changes drastically. The two cell system is replaced by one large cell, with a strong reverse jet along the western shore. The sheltering effect of the surrounding hills and vegetation have a pronounced effect on the circulation pattern. It appears that in general this fact cannot be neglected in numerical lake flow simulations.

Description: The Laptev Sea, as a part of the world’s widest continental shelves surrounding the Arctic Ocean, is a key area for understanding the land–ocean interaction in high latitude regions. With a yearly freshwater input of 511 km3, the Lena River—one of the eight major world rivers—has an influencing control over the environment of this Arctic marginal sea, which is ice-covered during most of the year. In this paper, the first measurements are presented of the major and trace element distribution within the 〈20 μm grain size fraction of surficial sediments and of particulate matter in new and young ice from the Laptev Sea (Siberian Arctic). The concentration and distribution of major and trace elements have been determined in 51 surficial sediment samples covering the whole Laptev Sea shelf south of the 50 m isobath. Thirty-one samples of particulate matter in newly formed ice were taken during the freeze-up period in 1995. Median concentration levels of heavy metals in surficial sediments (Ni (46 μg g−1), Cu (26 μg g−1), Zn (111 μg g−1) and Pb (21 μg g−1) are within the concentration range of marine unpolluted sediments. Also the sediment-laden ice showed no indication of anthropogenic perturbation of the trace metal inventory. Spatial distribution patterns of heavy metals are mainly determined by variation of mineral composition and different fluvial sediment sources in the eastern and western Laptev Sea. The Laptev Sea shelf is cut by five north–south trending submarine valleys. Enrichment of manganese in the oxic surficial sediment layer within these valleys and the occurrence of small ferromanganese nodules are caused by a high input of dissolved and particulate Mn from the Lena River and a strong diagenetic cycling of Mn on the Laptev Sea shelf. Evidence is given that the content of As in surficial sediments is also strongly affected by diagenetic cycling. This causes surficial sediment As concentrations of more than 100 μg g−1. Enrichment of Mn and As was mainly observed in the submarine valleys distant from the major river mouth. The sediment dilution due to higher sedimentation rates near the river outlets and a strong sediment re-working by ice gouging in the shallow areas are the principle causes for the absence of diagenetic accumulation in this region. During the formation of new ice scavenging of riverine suspended matter and resuspension of sediments followed by an incorporation of particles into the ice are important processes for the river–shelf–ocean transport of particulate trace elements. It could be shown that particle-loaded ice posseses the same geochemical signatures as the suspended matter and surficial seafloor sediments in the area of ice origin. This has also strong implications for the contaminant transport on the Arctic shelves and allows to use the geochemical signature of sea ice for the reconstruction of ice drift pattern within the Arctic Ocean.

Description: A standard, universally useful classification scheme for deepwater habitats needs to be established so that descriptions of these habitats can be accurately and efficiently applied among scientific disciplines. In recent years many marine benthic habitats in deep water have been described using geophysical and biological data. These descriptions can vary from one investigator to another, which makes it difficult to compare habitats and associated biological assemblages among geographic regions. Using geophysical data collected with a variety of remote sensor systems and in situ biological and geologic observations, we have constructed a classification scheme that can be used in describing marine benthic habitats in deep water.