Integrated Environmental Modeling and Assessment of Coastal Ecosystems: Application for Aquaculture Management

This article presents an approach that couples coastal ecosystem modeling with integrated environmental assessment methodologies to support coastal management. The focus is to support the development of an ecosystem approach to aquaculture management including interactions with watershed substance loading. A Chinese bay, with intense aquaculture and multiple catchment uses, and where significant modeling efforts were undertaken is used as a case study. The ecosystem model developed for this bay is used to run scenarios that test the local management strategy for nutrient reduction. The corresponding ecological and economic impacts of the managers’ scenarios are analyzed by means of the Differential Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (ΔDPSIR) analysis. Emphasis is given to the analysis of the eutrophication process in the bay including present eutrophic condition and the expected changes due to the simulated scenarios. For this purpose, the Assessment of Estuarine Trophic Status (ASSETS) screening model is a valuable tool to interpret and classify the data and model outputs regarding eutrophication condition and to evaluate the manageable level of the nutrient loading entering in the bay.     

Carbon flux in ice–ocean–plankton systems of the Bellingshausen Sea during a period of ice retreat

Most analyses of marine microbial systems in the seasonally ice covered areas of the Southern Ocean have been based on data from the major embayment areas of the Ross and Weddell Seas. In this study data were collected at stations covering a range of regimes from full ice cover through to open water in the Bellingshausen Sea. A major feature of the production system was a rapid retreat of the ice-edge, which uncoupled the marginal ice zone from a phytoplankton bloom which remained associated with a frontal system. This bloom was maintained, and probably initiated, in an unusual environment generated by the interaction between the marginal ice zone and the front. Size-based analyses of the microbial system were derived for ice-covered, recently ice-covered and open water sites. Estimates of standing stocks and key rate processes were combined to produce a single food web network for each station. The under-ice system was one of low production and low recycling but apparently high retention. As the ice retreated the microbial systems to the north began to develop, but these were constrained by grazing pressure. The bloom in the area appeared to be sustained even though estimated losses were far higher than production, although the high sedimentation losses expected were not observed. The carbon flow networks are discussed in relation to the environmental changes and the interaction of the marginal ice zone and the frontal system appears crucial to the phytoplankton. Microzooplankton grazing is implicated as a major controlling factor. The local microbial dynamics are strongly influenced by material which was produced at an earlier time and somewhere else in the Southern Ocean.     

Nutrient biogeochemical cycles in the Gulf of Riga: scaling up field studies with a mathematical model

A box model has been implemented to understand the large-scale biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon in the Gulf of Riga. The large data sets collected within the international Gulf of Riga Project in 1993/1995 were used to validate the model. The comparison to data was useful in scaling up to the gulf-wide level and scrutinizing the conclusions based on short-term field surveys and experimental studies. The simulations indicate that the limiting role was passing from silicon to phosphorus to nitrogen over the seasons of organic production. However, on an annual scale, nutrient limitation was close to the “Redfield equilibrium”. Mass balance considerations, based on modeled coupled fluxes, disagree with the conclusions on low sediment denitrification and high phosphorus retention in the pelagic system, which were derived from isolated measurements.Nutrient budgets constructed with the model revealed the high buffer capacity of the Gulf of Riga. The nutrient residence times span a range from 6 years for N to 70 years for Si. The buffering arises from intensive internal recycling in the water body and by the bottom sediments. The budgets indicate that the Gulf retains about two-thirds of external nitrogen and silicon inputs, while phosphorus retention is only 10%.A slow response to external perturbations is demonstrated with numerical experiments run for 15 years under 50% reductions of terrestrial nutrient inputs. These experiments imply that the most effective is the N+P reduction scenario, which resulted in a 20% decrease of primary production after 12 years. A reduction of P resulted in only a 6% decrease of primary production; however, it yielded an 80% drop in the amount of nitrogen fixation.     

A spatially explicit ecosystem model of seston depletion in dense mussel culture

A fully-coupled biological–physical–chemical model of a coastal ecosystem was constructed to examine the impact of suspended mussel culture on phytoplankton biomass in Tracadie Bay, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Due to the extent of mussel culture there, we hypothesised that shellfish filtration would control the concentration and distribution of phytoplankton and other suspended particles in the bay. Circulation was delineated with a tidally-driven 2D numerical model and used to drive an ecosystem model with a focus on pelagic components including phytoplankton production, nutrients, detritus, and mussels. The benthos were treated as a sink. Nutrients and seston were forced by tidal exchange and river input, with phytoplankton additionally forced by light. Boundary conditions of seston and nutrients were derived from field studies with an emphasis on the contrast between spring (high river nutrients, low temperature) and summer (low river inputs and high temperatures). Model output was used to map phytoplankton carbon over the bay for each season and in the presence of mussels and river nutrient input. Results indicate severe depletion effects of mussel culture on overall phytoplankton biomass, but no spatial pattern that can be attributed to grazing alone. Primary production generated by nutrient-rich river water created a mid-bay spike in phytoplankton that dominated the spatial pattern of chlorophyll-based carbon. Model results were validated with surveys from a towed sensor array (Acrobat) that confirmed the river influence and indicated bay-wide depletion of 29% between high and low water. Our model results indicate that the farm-scale depletion emphasised in previous studies cannot simply be extrapolated to seston limitation at the ecosystem level.     

Strong bottom–up effects on phytoplankton community caused by a rainfall during spring and summer in Sagami Bay,Japan

To assess the consequences of bottom-up effects on phytoplankton community composition during the rainy season, phytoplankton levels and environmental factors were monitored daily from 12 April to 22 July 2003 in Sagami Bay, Japan. The relevant environmental factors were analyzed using cross-correlation analyses. Based on time-series analysis, low surface salinity conditions lasting 0 or 2 days after heavy rainfalls resulted in significant nutrient loading, such as dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), into the coastal area. Also, Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration frequently increased 2 and 6 days after rainfall. Based on the high total Chl-a concentration, the time was divided into three periods, from 1 to 11 May (Period A), 26 May to 9 June (Period B) and 30 June to 22 July (Period C). The phytoplankton assemblages during Period A were dominated by two dinoflagellates, Ceratium furca and Ceratium fusus. Prior to these species blooming, the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans was dominant. During Period B, the phytoplankton communities were dominated primarily by the diatoms Rhizosolenia delicatula, Hemiaulus sinensis and Navicula spp. Finally, Cerataulina dentata, Rhizosolenia spp., Lauderia borealis and Neodelphineis pelagica were dominant during Period C. After increases in phytoplankton abundance, available nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) were consumed and exhausted, which were considered a potential cause of the shift in the dominant organisms from large diatoms to pico- and nano-plankton in the low Chl-a environment. In particular, silicate (Si) was not a major limiting factor for phytoplankton production, since the Si:DIN and Si:P ratios clearly demonstrated that there were no any potential stoichiometric Si limitations, and almost all silicate concentrations were > 2.0 µM during this study. Our results reveal that nutrient sources supplied by river discharge are a main cue for strong bottom–up effects on algal bloom succession during the early summer season in Sagami Bay.     

Stakeholder Perceptions of Seaport Resilience Strategies: A Case Study of Gulfport (Mississippi) and Providence (Rhode Island)

Climate change is having and will continue to have a range of negative impacts on social–environmental systems. Many ports, with their coastal locations and essential roles in regional and national economies, face particular exposure to storm impacts that may worsen with climate change. Currently in the United States port resilience planning falls primarily on port operators. Engaging a wider range of stakeholders in long-term seaport functioning may reduce risks from disruptive and potentially irreversible impacts of climate change. This study uses empirical data gathered through two case studies of highly exposed U.S. ports, Gulfport (MS) and Providence (RI), to identify strategies that port planners and external stakeholders consider feasible for enhancing their port's resilience. This article categorizes these resilience strategies and suggests the potential role that different stakeholders could play in facilitation and implementation.     

Description of a flexible and extendable physical–biogeochemical model system for the water column

A modelling system for coupled physical–biogeochemical simulations in the water column is presented here. The physical model component allows for a number of different statistical turbulence closure schemes, ranging from simple algebraic closures to two-equation turbulence models with algebraic second-moment closures. The biogeochemical module consists of models which are based on a number of state variables represented by their ensemble averaged concentrations. Specific biogeochemical models may range from simple NPZ (nutrient–phytoplankton–zooplankton) to complex ecosystem models. Recently developed modified Patankar solvers for ordinary differential equations allow for stable discretisations of the production and destruction terms guaranteeing conservative and non-negative solutions. The increased stability of these new solvers over explicit solvers is demonstrated for a plankton spring bloom simulation. The model system is applied to marine ecosystem dynamics the Northern North Sea and the Central Gotland Sea. Two different biogeochemical models are applied, a conservative nitrogen-based model to the North Sea, and a more complex model including an oxygen equation to the Baltic Sea, allowing for the reproduction of chemical processes under anoxic conditions. For both applications, earlier model results obtained with slightly different model setups could be basically reproduced. It became however clear that the choice for ecosystem model parameters such as maximum phytoplankton growth rates does strongly depend on the physical model parameters (such as turbulence closure models or external forcing).     

Effect of mixing on microbial communities in the Rhone River plume

The biological processes involved during mixing of a river plume with the marine underlying water were studied off the Rhone River outlet. Samples of suspended and dissolved matter were collected while tracking a drifting buoy. Three trajectories were performed, at 2-day intervals, under different hydrological and meteorological situations. A biological uptake was evidenced from ammonium (NH₄) and phosphate (PO₄) shortage, indicating an early “NH₄-dependent” functioning occurring before the well-known “NO₃-based” cycle. The different ratios between NH₄, NO₃ and PO₄, as a function of salinity, were discussed to detail the preferential use in PO₄ and NH₄. Salinity zones with enhanced bacterial production, high chlorophyll a concentration, as well as DOC, NH₄ and PO₄ consumption were evidenced from 20 to 35 in salinity. It was shown that the successive abundance of bacteria and phytoplankton during transfer reflected the competition for PO₄ of both communities. On the Rhone River plume, the role played by temperature, light conditions and suspended matter upon biological activity seems relatively minor compared to salinity distribution and its related parameter: nutrient availability. It can be concluded that biological uptake in the Rhone River plume was closely related to the dilution mechanism, controlled itself by the dynamics of the plume. In windless conditions and close to the river mouth, the density gradient between marine and river water induced limited exchanges between the nutrient-rich freshwater and the potential consumers in the underlying marine water. Consequently, little biological activity is observed close to the river mouth. Offshore, mixing is enhanced and a balance is reached between salinity tolerance and nutrient availability to form a favourable zone for marine phytoplankton development. This can be quite far from the river mouth in case of a widely spread plume, corresponding to high river discharge. Under windy and wavy conditions, the plume freshwater is early and rapidly mixed, so that the extension of the “enhanced production zone” is drastically reduced and even bacteria could not benefit from the fast mixing regime induced.     

Inland transportation system planning by life cycle impact assessment: a case study

The comparison of land and inland water transportation from economical and ecological points of view is discussed. Required freight rates for trucks and ships are calculated and compared to find which has economic superiority. From the environmental impacts of these two transportation types, the comparative environmental destruction indices for two different time-durations are estimated. All these investigations were conducted for the Yokohama–Fukuoka route in Japan. Life cycle impact assessment, a very useful tool for quantitatively evaluating the environmental influence of a product, was used to compare the environmental burden imposed by these types of transportation. Finally, the way that these results can be used for inland transportation system planning is discussed. Received: January 21, 2000 / Accepted: June 27, 2000     

Influence of local and external processes on the annual nitrogen cycle and primary productivity on Georges Bank: A 3-D biological–physical modeling study

Georges Bank is one of the world's most highly productive marine areas, but the mechanisms of nutrient supply to support such high productivity remain poorly understood. Intrusions of nutrient-poor Labrador Slope Water (LSW) into the Gulf of Maine (NAO-dependent) potentially can reduce nutrient delivery to the bank, but this mechanism has not been quantitatively examined. In this paper, we present the first whole-year continuous model simulation results using a biological–physical model developed for the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank region. This high-resolution three-dimensional coupled model consists of the Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) and a Nitrogen–Phytoplankton–Zooplankton–Detritus (NPZD) model, and was used to examine the influences of local and external processes on nitrogen and phytoplankton dynamics on Georges Bank. The model captured the general pattern of spatial-temporal distributions of nitrogen and phytoplankton and provided a diagnostic analysis of different processes that control nitrogen fluxes on Georges Bank. Specifically, numerical experiments were conducted to examine seasonal variation in nitrogen transport into the central bank (new nitrogen supply) versus nitrogen regenerated internally in this region. Compared with previous observation-based studies, the model provided a quantitative estimate of nitrogen flux by integrating the transport over a longer time period and a complete spatial domain. The results suggest that, during summer months, internal nitrogen regeneration is the major nitrogen source for primary production on the central bank, while nitrogen supply through physical transport (e.g. tidal pumping) contributes about 1/5 of the total nitrogen demand, with an estimated on-bank nitrogen transport at least 50% less than previous estimates. By comparing the model runs using different nitrogen concentrations in deep Slope Water, the potential influence of NAO-dependent intrusions of LSW was examined. The results suggest that the change of nitrogen concentration in the deep Slope Water may not have a significant impact on nitrogen and phytoplankton dynamics on the well-mixed central bank, largely due to limited nutrient exchange across the tidal mixing front and enhanced near-frontal nutrient uptake. However, relatively more significant impact was observed in the model simulations if both well-mixed and seasonally-stratified areas (inside 100 m isobath of the bank) were considered in flux calculations.     

Observations on colony formation by the cosmopolitan phytoplankton genus Phaeocystis

Few marine phytoplankton have heteromorphic life cycles and also often dominate the ecosystems in which they occur. The class Prymnesiophyceae contains a notable exception: the genus Phaeocystis includes three species that form gelatinous colonies but also occur within their ranges as solitary cells. Phaeocystis antarctica and P. pouchetii are exclusively high latitude taxa, and are notable for regionally tremendous blooms of the colony stage. P. globosa occurs circumglobally, yet its colony blooms primarily are confined to colder waters within its range. Three additional species are warm water forms that have been reported only as solitary cells or loose aggregations that bear little resemblance to the organized colonies of the other taxa. Interpretation of existing data indicates that resource availability (light, temperature and nutrients) by itself is not sufficient to explain this distinction between cold-water colony-forming taxa and warm water solitary cell taxa, nor why colony development in P. globosa is essentially a spatially restricted phenomenon within a much broader geographic range. Colony development by P. globosa in situ has been observed at temperatures ≥20 °C, but only rarely and generally under conditions of seasonally or anthropogenically elevated nutrient supply. Data presented here demonstrate colony development at 20–22 °C in natural plankton communities from oligotrophic waters that were pre-screened through 63 μm mesh (i.e. lacking mesozooplankton and large microzooplankton), but not in unscreened communities containing microzooplankton and >63 μm zooplankton. Reduction of colony proliferation at higher temperatures by mesozooplankton grazing remains as an intriguing possibility that is consistent with available evidence to help explain differences in latitudinal extent of in situ colony development. These data are interpreted within a theoretical framework regarding the potential advantages and disadvantages of the two life cycle stages.     

Primary productivity and export fluxes on the Canadian shelf of the Beaufort Sea: A modelling study

We present a coupled sea ice–ocean-biological (including ice algae) model in the Arctic Ocean. The 1D model was developed and implemented on the Canadian Beaufort Sea shelf to examine the importance of different physical processes in controlling the timing and magnitude of primary production and biogenic particle export over an annual cycle (1987). Our results show that the snow and sea ice cover melt and/or break-up controls the timing of the phytoplankton bloom but primary producers (ice algae and phytoplankton) on the outer shelf are essentially nutrient limited. The total annual primary production (22.7 to 27.7 g-C m^? 2) is thus controlled by nutrient “pre-conditioning” in the previous fall and winter and by the depth of wind mixing that is controlled in part by the supply of fresh water at the end of spring (ice melt or runoff). The spring bloom represents about 40% of the total annual primary production and occurs in a period of the year when sampling is often lacking. Time interpolation of observed values to obtain total annual primary production, as done in many studies, was shown to lead to an underestimation of the actual production. Our simulated ratios of export to primary production vary between 0.42 and 0.44.     

The interaction of tidal advection, diffusion and mussel filtration in a tidal channel

Time series measurements of flow and pigment concentrations (Chl) in the Menai Strait have revealed that the strong residual flow in a tidal channel ( 500 m³ s^− 1) transports phytoplankton from the open sea into the channel where much of it is consumed by suspension feeders, mainly in commercial beds of Mytilus edulis. The progressive depletion of phytoplankton along the channel results in a strong horizontal gradient of plankton and hence Chl. Tidal displacement of this gradient causes large (± 50% of mean) oscillations of Chl in the vicinity of the mussel beds. Vertical mixing by the strong tidal flows is sufficiently vigorous for most of the tidal cycle to ensure that downward diffusion can resupply the near-bed layer although there are indications of some transient depletion around slack water.This paradigm of the interaction of advection, diffusion and filtration determining the distribution of plankton and its supply to mussels has been encapsulated in a series of simple models forced only by boundary values. In the first, a 1-D model of tidal flow in the channel reproduces the principal features of the observed currents including the unusually large spatial change in phase of the currents and the variation of the residual transport with tidal range. The flow field from this physical model is used to drive a second model based on the advection diffusion equation for Chl with a source at the Irish Sea boundary and a sink over the mussel bed. This model illustrates the formation of a strong Chl gradient along the channel and simulates the amplitude and phase of the M₂ oscillations of Chl and the development of the M₄ variation apparent in the observations. This second model has been extended to 2-D over the mussel beds to allow investigation of the effects of water column mixing. The model indicates that only for a short period ( 30 min), close to slack water, is mixing sufficiently reduced to permit the development of a depletion boundary layer and then only within  1 m from the bottom, a result which is consistent with the observations.     

Wind-triggered events of phytoplankton downward flux in the Northeast Water Polynya

Phytoplankton carbon fluxes were studied in the Northeast Water (NEW) Polynya, off the eastern coast of Greenland (79° to 81°N, 6° to 17°W), during summer 1993. The downward flux of organic particles was determined during 54 days using a sediment trap moored at a fixed location, below the pycnocline (130 m). The hypothesis of the present study is that wind events were ultimately responsible for the events of diatoms downward flux recorded in the trap.Wind conditions can influence the vertical transport of phytoplankton by affecting (1) the environmental conditions (e.g. hydrostatic pressure, nutrient concentrations, and irradiance) encountered by phytoplankton during their vertical excursion, and (2) the aggregation and disaggregation of phytoplankton flocs. The first mechanism affects the physiological regulation of buoyancy, whereas the second one affects the size and shape of settling particles.Using field data (wind velocity, density profiles and phytoplankton abundance), we assessed the potential aggregation and the vertical excursion of phytoplankton in surface waters. The results show that, upstream from the trap, wind and hydrodynamic conditions were sometimes favourable to the downward export of phytoplankton. Lag-correlation between time series of wind and phytoplankton downward flux shows that flux events lagged wind events by ca. 16 days. Given that the average current velocity in the top 100 m was ca. 10 cm s⁻¹, a lag of 16 days corresponded to a lateral transport of ca. 130 km, upstream from the sediment trap, where phytoplankton production was lower than at the location of the trap. According to that scenario, 21% to 60% of primary production was exported to depth during wind events. If we had assumed instead a tight spatial coupling between the material collected in the trap and the relatively high phytoplankton production at the location of the trap, we would have concluded that <7% of primary production was exported to depth. The difference between the two scenarios has great implications for the fate of phytoplankton. Our results stress the importance of investigating the spatial coupling between surface and trap data before assessing the pathways of phytoplankton carbon cycling.     

大治河西枢纽二线船闸工程总体布置

受已建建筑物、用地指标、外河无锚地、内河有跨河桥梁等因素限制,大治河西枢纽二线船闸工程布置条件较为复杂。通过综合考虑枢纽水流条件、船闸通航条件、设计船型特殊性、停泊条件、相邻建筑物安全及施工条件等方面因素,确定合理的船闸横、纵轴线布置方案,得出合适的闸首、闸室、引航道设计尺度,采取内外引航道非对称布置形式,避免节制闸引排水对船闸通航安全的影响,解决外河无锚地条件下船闸进出闸停泊锚泊需求,实现了节约用地与减轻施工影响的目标。     

Coastal Ecosystems and Agricultural Land Use: New Challenges on California's Central Coast

This article uses the Central Coast region of California as a case study to examine the challenges of protecting coastal ecosystems near areas of intensive agricultural production. Coastal water quality and biodiversity are greatly impacted by regional land use. Agricultural land use can have significant impacts on water quality through erosion and the runoff of agricultural chemicals. While the Central Coast region of California is a center for intensive agricultural production, it is also home to the largest marine sanctuary in the United States. This combination has resulted in intensive efforts from government agencies and conservation organizations to reduce pollution associated with agriculture. Efforts have focused on education and incentives, but are recently facing increasing challenges stemming from new standards created by the produce industry in response to food safety concerns. Personal interviews with crop growers were used to explore these challenges and to better understand the range of possible environmental impacts resulting from new food safety standards. Results indicate that substantial management changes are taking place that are likely to impact regional water quality and wildlife. This case study also explores the role of policy networks in shaping management decisions and illustrates how certain approaches to addressing agricultural pollution may be vulnerable to external policy changes.     

Study of the seasonal cycle of the biogeochemical processes in the Ligurian Sea using a 1D interdisciplinary model

A one-dimensional coupled physical–biogeochemical model has been built to study the pelagic food web of the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean Sea). The physical model is the turbulent closure model (version 1D) developed at the GeoHydrodynamics and Environmental Laboratory (GHER) of the University of Liège. The ecosystem model contains 19 state variables describing the carbon and nitrogen cycles of the pelagic food web. Phytoplankton and zooplankton are both divided in three size-based compartments and the model includes an explicit representation of the microbial loop including bacteria, dissolved organic matter, nano-, and microzooplankton. The internal carbon/nitrogen ratio is assumed variable for phytoplankton and detritus, and constant for zooplankton and bacteria. Silicate is considered as a potential limiting nutrient of phytoplankton's growth. The aggregation model described by Kriest and Evans in (Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci., Earth Planet. Sci. 109 (4) (2000) 453) is used to evaluate the sinking rate of particulate detritus. The model is forced at the air–sea interface by meteorological data coming from the “Côte d'Azur” Meteorological Buoy. The dynamics of atmospheric fluxes in the Mediterranean Sea (DYFAMED) time-series data obtained during the year 2000 are used to calibrate and validate the biological model. The comparison of model results within in situ DYFAMED data shows that although some processes are not represented by the model, such as horizontal and vertical advections, model results are overall in agreement with observations and differences observed can be explained with environmental conditions.     

椭圆余弦波浅水变形实用计算法（I）——对《海港水文规范》的一个补充

尽管线性波浪理论不适宜应用在近岸浅水海域,但我国《海港水文规范》中波浪浅水变形的计算方法仍是建立在线性波浪理论的基础上,且没有考虑外界因素（如风和海底摩擦）的影响。为弥补上述不足,基于波浪传播过程中能量守恒的原理建立了一个波浪浅水变形的数值模型,该模型采用椭圆余弦波假定,并考虑了风和海底摩擦对波能的增加和损耗作用。在该数值模型基础上,分析大量工况下的计算结果,提出了便于工程设计初期用于确定近岸波浪要素的浅水变形实用计算方法（PCM）     

Nutrient Assimilation Services for Water Quality Credit Trading Programs: A Comparative Analysis with Nonpoint Source Credits

Water quality trading programs allow regulated point sources to meet some nutrient control requirements by buying nutrient reduction credits from other pollutant sources. Reduction credits can be created when agricultural land managers implement best management practices and regulators predict that those practices will result in water quality conditions equivalent to controlling discharges at the regulated source. However, natural variability in runoff combines with model and data limitations to make predictions of water quality equivalence uncertain. Nutrient assimilation credits can be created by increasing the capacity of the ecosystem to assimilate nutrients through investments in aquatic plant biomass creation and harvest, shellfish aquaculture, stream restoration, and wetlands restoration and creation. Nutrient assimilation credits and agricultural nonpoint source reduction credits are evaluated based on a number of water quality criteria including service quantification certainty, temporal matching, additionality, and leakage. Nutrient assimilation credits can provide greater certainty than agricultural best management practices in producing equivalent water quality outcomes and should be an option in trading programs.