The association of the population recruitment of gulf menhaden, Brevoortia patronus, with Mississippi River discharge

Gulf menhaden, Brevoortia patronus, which constitutes a major industrial reduction fishery in the USA, spawn across the northern Gulf of Mexico with a focus of spawning about the Mississippi Delta. This species is estuarine dependent; adults spawn over the continental shelf and their larvae are transported, by mechanisms that are presently not well understood, to estuarine nursery areas. Larval gulf menhaden, along with some other surface oriented larval fishes, appear to aggregate along the Mississippi River plume front, while evidence of the ecological consequences of this aggregation in terms of the feeding, growth, and survival of larvae is ambiguous. On an annual scale, Mississippi River discharge is negatively associated with numbers of half year old recruits. Discharge of the Mississippi River and the population recruitment of gulf menhaden may be plausibly linked through the action of the river's plume and its front on the shoreward transport of larvae. Greater river discharge results in an expansive plume that might project larvae farther offshore and prolong the shoreward transport of larvae. An indirect, decadal scale, positive response of recruitment and river discharge is possible, but not certain. Recruitment became elevated after 1975 when river discharge increased and became highly variable. This response might owe to enhanced primary and secondary production driven by nutrient influx from the Mississippi River.     

Biological effects of Mississippi River nitrogen on the northern gulf of Mexico—a review and synthesis

The Mississippi River currently delivers approximately 1.82 Tg N year⁻¹ (1.3×10¹¹ mol N year⁻¹) to the northern Gulf of Mexico. This large input dominates the biological processes of the region. The “new” nitrogen from the river stimulates high levels of phytoplankton production which in turn support high rates of bacterial production, protozoan and metazoan grazing, and fisheries production. A portion of the particulate organic matter produced in the pelagic food web sinks out of the euphotic zone where it contributes to high rates of oxygen consumption in the bottom waters of the inner shelf, resulting in the development of an extensive zone of hypoxia each summer. In spite of the significance of this river system to the coastal ocean of the northern gulf, we do not have an adequate understanding of the inputs, processing and ultimate fates of river nitrogen. Here we review available literature on this important system and propose a conceptual model showing how biological processes evolve in the river plume between the point of discharge and the point where plume waters are fully diluted by mixing with oceanic water.     

Nitrogenous discharges to the eastern Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea: Elemental flows, stable isotope signatures, and their estuarine modification

We studied the nutrient input to the Gulf of Finland via River Neva, the largest river discharging freshwater to the Baltic Sea, and characterised the isotopic signatures (¹⁵N, ¹⁸O, ¹³C) in dissolved and particulate substances (NO₃⁻, PON, POC, DIC) in the River Neva over two seasonal cycles, as well as in samples from St. Petersburg wastewater treatment plants (NO₃⁻, NH₄⁺, PON, POC). These riverine and municipal discharges account for 40% of terrestrial inorganic N loading to the Gulf of Finland, representing annually 7% of the total nitrogen pool in the water mass of the whole Gulf. To describe and evaluate the modification of these isotopic signals along a Gulf of Finland transect towards the Baltic Proper, two cruises were arranged, one in late spring after the annual maximum in River Neva runoff, and one in autumn, in the late phase of the annual growth season.River Neva nitrate signatures of ¹⁵N and ¹⁸O indicated major agricultural fertilizer origin of nitrogen, and the isotopic composition was clearly lighter (δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ mean of 2.4‰ air) than previously measured from more southern rivers discharging into the Baltic Sea. Because of the light composition of the River Neva N source, close to the ¹⁵N signatures of the open Gulf, as well as of the efficient depletion of the inorganic load already in the innermost estuary, straightforward end-member tracer analysis of the transport of N in the basin is problematic. St. Petersburg wastewater ammonium showed, however, high δ¹⁵N values (ca. 13‰), which gives a first estimate of 5.8‰ for δ¹⁵N of the easternmost estuarine total inorganic N source. The available sediment data from the basin (δ¹⁵N 6 to 8‰) somewhat exceeds the average source signature. This emphasizes the significance of biological transformation processes, most importantly assimilation of inorganic nitrogen, food web interactions and denitrification, which all involve isotopic fractionation, for the mass balance models describing the dynamics of the sources and sinks of the N cycle of the basin.     

Aquaculture Parks in the Coastal Zone: A Review of Legal and Policy Issues in the Gulf of Mexico State Waters

The goal of this study is to apply industrial park concepts to the development of aquaculture parks in public waters. The objectives are to identify the permitting process, relevant agencies, and legislation needed to facilitate development. Gulf of Mexico states are surveyed: private parks exist in Florida, but no public parks have developed yet; plans for parks exist in Mississippi, but lack of funding prevents development; no regulations prohibit parks in Alabama, although none currently exist; Texas regulations hinder development of parks; and an experimental park has been proposed in Louisiana, but regulatory gaps have delayed permit issuance.     

Long-term changes of inorganic nutrients in the Lagoon of Venice (Italy)

The paper aims at investigating the trends of the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorous in the Lagoon of Venice, Italy, in the last 35 years. The trend analysis of ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and reactive phosphorus (RP) yielded rather different results. The decrease in ammonia nitrogen concentration, in particular, in the basin influenced by severe industrial discharges, is accurately described by a negative exponential model. The nitrate concentration did not show significant interannual trends, while wide seasonal variations have been detected. Reactive phosphorus concentration increased until the end of the 1970s at the stations close to the industrial area as well as in those influenced by river discharges and by sewages of the city of Venice. The sudden decrease that followed was most likely related with environmental policies, namely the improvement of wastewater purification treatments and the regulation of phosphorus use in detergents.     

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.     

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.     

Inter-annual variability of hypoxic conditions in a shallow estuary

Water quality data from two monitoring programs in the Pamlico River Estuary (PRE) were analyzed for dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, temperature, and nutrient concentrations. Data were collected bi-weekly at 8 stations from 1997 to 2003 by East Carolina University and continuously at three stations from 1999 to 2003 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Hypoxic conditions were observed mostly in the upper to middle estuary, but the frequency of hypoxic events varied between years. During June to October in 1997–1999 (referred to as the oxic summers) bottom water hypoxia (DO < 2 mg l^− 1) was found in 8.7% of the observations. By contrast, during June to October in 2001–2003 (referred to as the hypoxic summers), 37.9% of the total measurements had DO concentrations less than 2 mg l^− 1. The more frequent and/or prolonged hypoxic conditions during the hypoxic summers were closely associated with stronger salinity stratification and greater loadings of nutrient and particulate matter.Salinity stratification appeared to be governed by patterns of freshwater discharge, and frequency of wind mixing events. The “oxic” summers were characterized by continuous low freshwater inflow (except one extremely high flow event due to hurricanes), stronger northeastward wind, and more frequent wind mixing events. In contrast, the hypoxic summers were characterized by frequent moderate freshwater inflow events, and fewer wind mixing events.The greater loadings of nutrient (nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate) and particulate matter during the hypoxic summers were primarily due to higher river discharges. At the head of the PRE, no significant differences were found in concentrations of nutrient and particulate nitrogen between the oxic and the hypoxic summers. In addition, chlorophyll a concentrations were averaged above 30 μg l^− 1 (maximum 167 μg l^− 1) during the hypoxic summers, significantly higher than those during the oxic summers (averaged around 15 μg l^− 1).     

Distribution and diet of larval and juvenile Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in the shallow Canadian Beaufort Sea

The distribution and diet of larval and juvenile Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) were studied during summer 2005 in the coastal Canadian Beaufort Sea. A total of 275 individuals were captured and the highest abundance was observed at station depths of 20–30 m. This corresponds well with the location of the frontal zone where the Mackenzie River plume water and open sea water meet. Diet examinations were performed on 220 Arctic cod, which were found undamaged from sampling. We observed a gradual decrease in prey number per fish and increase in prey size as larvae grew which corresponded to a shift from Rotifera and nauplii towards larger copepodid stages. However, at all sizes, the larvae remain generalists and feed on a broad range of organisms. Environmental changes due to climate warming could have a two-fold impact on fish larvae feeding in the studied region. First, the potential for increased primary production may lead to increased zooplankton production that may impact the feeding and nutrition positively. On the other hand, greater discharge of turbid water from the Mackenzie River may reduce light penetration in the water column that may negatively influence the ability of visual predators to successively forage.     

某锂电池模组不同工况放电性能研究

某锂电池模组以不同工况进行放电测试,通过测量放电过程中温度变化及放电容量,对该锂电池模组不同倍率、不同功率下的放电性能进行研究.结果发现:该锂电池模组3 C放电最高温度达到63.1℃,0.2C放电最高温度31.7℃,3 C放电容量为0.2 C放电容量的97.3％,表明随着放电倍率的增大,电池模组的温度上升,放电容量下降...     

Impact of freshwater on a subarctic coastal ecosystem under seasonal sea ice (southeastern Hudson Bay, Canada). I. Interannual variability and predicted global warming influence on river plume dynamics and sea ice

Analysis of sea ice cover, runoff and air temperature observations in Hudson Bay shows marked interannual variability. This variability is thought to play a major role in determining overall productivity of the coastal ecosystem by changes to river plume extent, under-ice light conditions and nutrient levels during spring. Extensive field work off the Great Whale River in southeastern Hudson Bay has shown the importance of freshwater discharge, sea ice cover and meteorological forcing on the production of under-ice microalgae and the success of first feeding in fish larvae.Recent global climate model (GCM) results for a doubling of present atmospheric carbon dioxide indicate increases of both air temperature and precipitation in the Hudson Bay area. Predictions based on GCM results are used to estimate future changes to the sea ice and runoff regime. Sea ice breakup in the offshore is predicted to occur about one month earlier than presently. Estimates of the spring freshet in the Great Whale River indicate it will also advance by approximately one month. Onset of the spring freshet will occur about one month before Hudson Bay ice breakup, similar to present. A predicted reduction of about 35% in maximum sea ice thickness will lead to an increase in the ice-ocean interface irradiance and a decrease in melt water input to the Hudson Bay surface waters. These results are used in a discussion of potential effects of global climate change on northern coastal marine environments.     

乌江银盘水运枢纽最大通航流量

乌江银盘水运枢纽工程水头高36.5 m,由现行规范洪水频率法确定出的山区河流通航建筑物的最大通航流量标准过高。通过对洪水频率法的讨论及对山区河流通航建筑物最大通航流量确定方法的探讨,采用通航历时保证率法确定乌江银盘枢纽最大通航流量,得出的最大通航流量经济上合理,技术上可行。     

管窥美国密西西比河流域航运发展后的浅见和启示

密西西比河是河流资源综合利用开发的典范,其在平衡各种资源利用、保障河流生命力并使其资源可持续利用等方面做得较好,其中的航运资源得以较高程度的利用,对区域经济发展贡献度较大。我国目前正处在内河航运建设的高潮,密西西比河的成功经验值得借鉴。     

Summer hypoxia adjacent to the Changjiang Estuary

Changjiang, the third largest runoff in the world, empties into the East China Sea from Shanghai, the fastest developing area of China. With the increasing nutrient load from the river, a severe hypoxia zone was found to about 2  10⁴ km². The mechanism of hypoxia formation adjacent to the Changjiang Estuary receives more and more attention from both scientists and managers. This paper discusses the relationship between hypoxia and the water masses, primary production, particulate material transport and the density stratification in these areas according to data obtained from a cruise in September, 2003. Hypoxia is formed by organic detritus decay. The particulate organisms do not mainly come from the Changjiang river, or from the dead algal deposed locally, but from the local benthic algae or particles advected from the south. Maintenance of hypoxia is due to the large density stratification caused by the significant salinity difference between the fresh plume and salty water from Taiwan Strait. This applies also to other estuaries with large runoff and rapid economic growth drainage, such as the Pearl River. It is suggested that the hypoxic zone here is much more sensitive than that outside Mississippi River. More cruises over different weather and tide conditions are needed to prove this hypothesis. Interdisciplinary research should be further developed in the future.     

深海立管涡激振动疲劳损伤影响因素分析

根据我国南海、墨西哥湾和西非海域的流速沿深度方向的分布规律,利用涡激振动预报程序计算了立管在不同参数下的动力响应.在此基础上计算了立管沿长度方向涡激振动引起的疲劳损伤.分别讨论了立管顶部预张力、管内流体密度、管外流速分布、立管外径、立管壁厚等参数的变化对疲劳损伤的影响.结果显示立管顶部预张力、管外流速分布、立管外径对疲劳损伤的影响非常明显,而管内流体密度和立管壁厚因其变化范围有限,对疲劳损伤的影响没有上述三个参数显著.     

Initial results from long-term measurements of atmospheric humidity and related parameters in the marine boundary layer at two locations in the Gulf of Mexico

Measurements of boundary layer moisture have been acquired from Rotronic MP-100 sensors deployed on two NDBC buoys in the northern Gulf of Mexico from June through November 1993. For one sensor, which was retrieved approximately 8 months after deployment, the post- and precalibrations agreed closely and fell well within WMO specifications for accuracy. The second sensor operated continuously from June 1993 to February 1997 (3.5 years). Buoy observations of relative humidity and supporting data were used to calculate specific humidity and the surface fluxes of latent and sensible heat. Specific humidities from the buoys were compared with observations of moisture obtained from nearby ship reports, and the correlations were generally high (0.7–0.9). Surface gravity wave spectra were also acquired. The time series of specific humidity and the other buoy parameters revealed three primary scales of variability, small (h), synoptic (days), and seasonal (months). The synoptic variability was clearly dominant and occurred primarily during September, October, and November. Most of the synoptic variability was due to frontal systems that dropped down into the Gulf of Mexico from the continental US followed by air masses which were cold and dry. Cross-correlation analyses of the buoy data indicated that: (1) the moisture field was highly coherent over distances of 800 km or more in the northern Gulf of Mexico; and (2) both specific humidity and air temperature served as tracers of the motion associated with propagating atmospheric disturbances. These correlation analyses also revealed that the prevailing weather systems generally entered the buoy domain from the South prior to September, but primarily from the North thereafter. Spectra of the various buoy parameters indicated strong diurnal and semidiurnal variability for barometric pressure and sea surface temperature (SST) and lesser variability for air temperature, wind speed and significant wave height. The surface fluxes of latent and sensible heat were dominated by the synoptic events which took place from September through November with the transfer of latent heat being primarily from the ocean to the atmosphere. Finally, an analysis of the surface wave observations from each buoy, which included calculations of wave age and estimates of surface roughness, indicate that major heat and moisture flux events coincide with periods of active wave growth, although the data were insufficient to identify any causal relationships.     

半潜式平台结构疲劳特征研究

本文研究2种典型结构形式半潜平台在不同海域结构应力长期分布特征。对比中国南海典型波浪散布与墨西哥湾典型波浪散布特征,计算两海域平台结构应力响应,得到平台结构应力范围长期Weibull分布形状参数。中国南海典型环境条件对于双下浮体式半潜平台结构波浪应力长期Weibull分布形状参数不大于1,对于环形浮箱半潜平台结构波浪应力长期Weibull分布形状参数不大于1.05,为针对中国南海应用简化疲劳分析方法分析半潜式平台结构疲劳寿命提供依据。同时,计算得到两类典型半潜式平台在墨西哥湾典型环境条件下结构波浪应力长期Weibull分布形状参数值不大于0.8的结论,证实对于半潜式平台的疲劳设计,南海疲劳海况较墨西哥湾海况更恶劣。     

Picophytoplankton and nanophytoplankton abundance and distribution in the southeastern Beaufort Sea (Mackenzie Shelf and Amundsen Gulf) during Fall 2002

The distribution of picophytoplankton (0.2–2 µm) and nanophytoplankton (2–20 µm) in the Beaufort Sea–Mackenzie Shelf and Amundsen Gulf regions during autumn, 2002 is examined relative to their ambient water mass properties (salinity, temperature and nutrients: nitrate + nitrite, phosphate, and silicate) and to the ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence, Fv/Fm. Total phytoplankton and cell abundances (< 20 µm) were mainly correlated with salinity. Significant differences in picophytoplankton cell numbers were found among waters near the mouth of the Mackenzie River, ice melt waters and the underlying halocline water masses of Pacific origin. Picophytoplankton was the most abundant phytoplankton fraction during the autumnal season, probably reflecting low nitrate concentrations (surface waters average ~ 0.65 µM). The ratio Fv/Fm averaged 0.44, indicating that cells were still physiologically active, even though their concentrations were low (max Chl a = 0.9 mg m^− 3). No significant differences in Fv/Fm were evident in the different water masses, indicating that rate limiting conditions for photosynthesis and growth were uniform across the whole system, which was in a pre-winter stage, and was probably already experiencing light limitation as a result of shortening day lengths.     

State ocean policy initiatives in Florida

Abstract

A territorial sea comprising 6.7 million acres of offshore lands extending three geographic miles into the Atlantic Ocean three marine leagues (nine geographic miles) into the Gulf of Mexico makes Florida the second largest “oceanowning”; state in the contiguous United States. Florida's history, climate, economic development, and worldwide reputation have evolved from the state's relationship with the sea. The state is now becoming aware that aggressive management of its ocean resources is necessary to preserve the future of that relationship. The purpose of this article is to present some of Florida's recent legal and policy initiatives that have been directed toward better understanding and management of ocean resources and uses.     

Assessment of Vulnerability and Integrated Management of Coastal Dunes in Veracruz,Mexico

Dune systems are essential to the ecological balance and sediment inputs of coastal environments and they provide numerous environmental services; however, their existence is threatened by natural and human stressors that contribute to their degradation. Future impacts are expected to be greater because of global climate change in association with further rises in sea level. Beaches and dune systems occupy large areas along the coastline of the state of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. The aim of this study is to establish the intrinsic vulnerability of nine dune fields in Veracruz to current and future impacts and to assess their integrated management status. These dune–beach systems are more vulnerable to the effects of economic activities and land use change than to those induced by natural forces. Results show that six of these dune systems have medium vulnerability and an ecological conservation policy should be adopted; the other three, with high or very high vulnerability, are candidates for a restoration policy.