Biomass

The Biological Investigations of Marine Antarctic Systems and Stocks (BIOMASS) is a ten-year programme organized by various nongovernmental international organisations with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research being the key sponsors. The programme was initiated in 1976; its continuation beyond 1986 is presently under consideration. The general scope of BIOMASS is broadly directed towards a deeper understanding of the Antarctic marine ecosystem, but is focussed mainly on the krill populations. The most important achievement of BIOMASS is the development of international cooperation in the biological investigation of the Southern Ocean. The orientation towards quantitative assessments of krill stocks has led to multiship surveys and multinational efforts in data handling. BIOMASS contributed greatly to the development, standardisation, intercalibration and dissemination of methods and instrumentation. The communication within the BIOMASS programme by a wide range of meetings, workshops, and various types of publications helped to establish an international marine science community which has become the backbone for the work of the Scientific Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).     

The exploitation of Antarctic minerals

Exploitation of minerals either from continental shelves or land areas free of ice has yet to take place in the Antarctic. The paper considers pressures, commercial, strategic, and possible depletion of resources elsewhere that might encourage moves towards exploitation. A brief review is given of technical developments that will be required to allow minerals operators to establish themselves in the hostile Antarctic environment. Finally, the issues that arise in the control of mineral exploitation in a region not subject to conventional national authority are noticed and the necessary conditions for the supervision of such activity, and the protection of the Antarctic environment are outlined.     

Empirical and theoretical evidence concerning the response of the earth's ice and snow cover to a global temperature increase

As a guide to the possible effects of a CO₂-induced warming on the cryosphere, we review the effects of three warm periods in the past, and out theoretical understanding of fluctuations in mountain glaciers, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, ground ice, sea ice and seasonal snow cover. Between 1890 and 1940 A.D. the glaciated area in Switzerland was reduced by over 25%. In the Hypsithermal, at about 6000 BP, ground ice in Eurasia retreated northward by several hundred kilometres. In the interglacial Stage 5e, at about 120 000 BP, global sea-level rose by over 6 m. Fluctuations of mountain glaciers depend on mesoscale “weather” and on their mechanical response to it. Any melting of the Greenland ice sheet is likely to be slow in human terms. The West Antarctic ice sheet (its base below sea-level) is susceptible to an ungrounding, and such an event may have been the cause of the sea-level rise above. The East Antarctic ice sheet is susceptible to mechanical “surges”, which might be triggered by a warming at its margin. Both an ungrounding and a surge might occupy less than 100 yr, and are potetially the most important ice changes in human terms. Modelling studies suggest that a 5°C warming would remove the Arctic pack ice in summer, and this may be the most significant effect for further climatic change.     

开发南海是振兴海南经济的希望所在

海南是我国陆地面积最小而海洋面积最大的省份,其所属海域(含领海、大陆架和专属经济区)面积广达140多万平方公里。因而,突破狭隘的岛土意识,树立全新的大海南观和海洋意识,充分开发利用南海的资源,对于振兴海南的经济有着极其重要的意义。南海资源开发利用的途径和对策是:提高科技生产力水平;改革资源开发和管理体制;引进外资、开展国际合作。     

流域经济与海洋经济联动发展研究

陆海联动是发展海洋经济的新思维，也是解决沿海地区海陆经济发展和环境矛盾的一个有效措施，而流域是陆域上最接近海洋的部分，实施流域经济与海洋经济联动发展是实现陆海统筹发展的前提；促进流域 海洋联动发展、将内陆 流域 海洋互动作为区域经济发展思路是实现陆海联动的最佳途径。在分析流域经济与海洋经济联动发展的背景、意义、基础、效应等的基础上，以长江经济带为例，运用灰色关联分析方法，定量刻画了流域经济与海洋经济的关联程度，指出流域经济与海洋经济的关联度、海洋第三产业与流域第三产业关联度以及海洋主要产业与基本流域第二产业关联度等都非常高。最后从规划编制、建立流域 海洋互动产业网、发展海洋科技以及生态环境保护等方面，提出了促进流域经济与海洋经济联动发展的建议     

汉江流域降水结构时空特征及影响因素分析

利用汉江流域32个气象站1961~2016年逐日降水资料,分析了汉江流域降水时空分布特征,并探讨了海温及大气环流对流域降水的影响。结果表明：雨量和雨日空间分布相似,小雨、中雨的雨量和雨日由西南向东北递减,降水中心位于西南和东南部;流域东北部大雨以上量级降水由偏少转为偏多,而雨强空间分布则没有明显规律。流域降水集中度自东南向西北逐渐增加,降水集中期逐渐推迟。海温对降水的影响存在季节差异,春季、夏季和秋季降水分别受前期南印度洋、热带北大西洋和热带中东太平洋海温影响,冬季降水则受海温影响不明显;大尺度大气环流对降水存在影响,冬季欧亚遥相关型和春季西太平洋遥相关型均引起冬季风强度变化来影响冬季和春季降水,夏季副高位置和乌山阻高以及秋季巴湖低槽和印缅槽强度则均通过冷空气和暖湿气流强度及交汇位置来影响夏季和秋季降水。     

Plutonium isotopes in the environment: some existing problems and some new ocean results

Marine sediments, terrestrial soils and polar glaciers yield different average values for the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu ratio resulting from the introduction of the actinide to the environment from weapons tests. The average value of the ratio in two sea water profiles from the North Pacific Ocean is 0·23, which is similar to that calculated from Arctic and Antarctic glaciers but differs considerably from the soil-derived average of 0·18. With the exception of near-surface waters, the sea water values of the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu ratio were nearly invariant with depth indicating that plutonium has been homogenized in the water column for a time period of decades. This contrasts with the glacial strata where there were systeamtic changes in the ratio with time of deposition.     

Spatial distribution of 3H, 90Sr, 137Cs and (239,240)Pu in surface waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans--GLOMARD database

The data stored in the IAEA's Global Marine Radioactivity Database (GLOMARD) developed in the framework of the IAEA's project "Worldwide Marine Radioactivity Studies (WOMARS)" have been evaluated for Pacific and Indian Ocean surface waters. Four anthropogenic radionuclides-- 3H, 90Sr, 137Cs and (239,240)Pu --have been chosen as the most representative of anthropogenic radioactivity in the marine environment, comprising beta, gamma and alpha-emitters which are the most frequently analysed in the marine environment and which have (with the exception of tritium) the highest potential contribution to radiation doses to humans via seafood consumption. For the purposes of this study, the Pacific and Indian Oceans were divided into latitudinal boxes for which average radionuclide concentrations were estimated for the year 2000. The highest concentrations have been observed in the Japan Sea/East Sea and the North-West Pacific Ocean, the lowest in the Southern Ocean.     

中国春季降水与南印度洋偶极子的关系研究

利用美国国家海洋和大气管理局海温资料和1951~2010年中国160站月降水量资料,分析了前期冬季（12~2月）印度洋海表温度与中国160站春季降水的关系及其影响机制。研究表明：冬季印度洋海温异常的空间模态主要有两种：符号一致的单极和东、西符号相反的南印度偶极。将第2模态的时间系数定义为南印度洋偶极子指数。该指数与中国次年春季降水关系较好,并利用NCEP/NCAR再分析资料进行机制分析,发现主要南印度洋偶极子通过以下途径影响中国春季降水：中高纬,SIOD的影响主要引起低纬度的海温及对流异常,通过中低纬度间的相互作用,在中高纬产生较强的遥响应,从而影响同期冬季欧亚大陆的环流变化,这种扰动在西风气流的作用下引起后期春季北太平洋地区对流活动异常,通过中低纬度间的相互作用,加强中高纬地区的遥响应,表现为欧亚大陆EUP波列;低纬,SIOD的影响主要引起南海-海洋性大陆的海温及对流异常,引发经向环流异常,导致黄河至长江中下游地区垂直运动异常和气流辐合异常     

(137)Cs concentrations in Atlantic and western Antarctic surface waters: results of the 7th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition, 2002

The latitudinal distribution of (137)Cs in the Atlantic--western Antarctic surface waters was studied during the 7th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition in January--May 2002. The (137)Cs concentrations have also been measured in the upper ice of the coastal glacier Woozle Hill located near the Ukrainian Antarctic station "Akademik Vernadsky" (western Antarctica, 65 degrees 15' S-64 degrees 16' W). Comparison of these data with results of previous same-route expeditions SWEDARP (Swedish Antarctic Research Expedition, 1988/1989) and the French R/V "Jeanne d'Arc" (1992/1993), has shown practically parallel changes of (137)Cs surface concentrations between 40 degrees N and 20 degrees S, pointing to decrease of (137)Cs radioactivity at these latitudes with an apparent half-life of 10--15 years (12.5+/-2.1 years on average). This suggests that decrease of (137)Cs surface concentration within this latitude band is controlled, besides the radioactive decay of (137)Cs (half-life=30 years), by vertical mixing of the upper water masses. South of 20 degrees S, the (137)Cs concentrations in surface water have decreased more rapidly because of the influence of the less contaminated Antarctic waters. At 50--60 degrees S and near the Antarctic coast, the (137)Cs activity in 2002 was similar to those measured during the SWEDARP and "Jeanne d'Arc" expeditions, suggesting an additional input of (137)Cs to these waters from the melted ice from the adjacent glaciers.     

Anthropogenic-driven changes with focus on the coastal zone of Mauritius, south-western Indian Ocean

Some 44% of the world's population lives within 150 km of the coast and mass migration towards the coast will continue in the decades ahead. Degrading and exhaustive uses of land, water and other coastal resources and disruption of environmental processes through degradation of environmental quality and loss of critical terrestrial and aquatic habitats can lead to serious deleterious impacts on the health and productivity of coastal ecosystems. Following the Arusha Resolution (1993), the Seychelles Statement (1996) and the Colombo CZM Workshop (1999), the need for integrated coastal zone management has become critical because of the limited land resources and unproportional domination of coastal areas in the wider Caribbean and Indian Ocean/ Pacific island states. The coastal zone of Mauritius (1,850 km², 20°S, 58°E, south-western Indian Ocean, 1.12 million inhabitants) was redefined in 1997 in the Environmental Protection Act of 1991 [Part VII (Act 34)] to include all islets within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ; 1.7 million km²). During the 1980s, the Mauritian economy underwent major structural changes successfully, with a rapid phase of industrialization diversifying into two major activities, textiles and tourism. Existing reports and data in a common framework have to be synthesized and organized to fill existing gaps in knowledge with data collection and scientific inquiries, to identify social and economic drivers and to relate socioeconomic change to demands for environmental resources (land use, water resources, marine systems) and environmental impacts as proposed under the MERMAID (Mauritius Environmental Resource Management and Industrial Development) project. Nutrient flux and sediment trace metal contamination studies are currently underway to investigate different watersheds impacted by agricultural, urban and industrial activities in the north-west of the island. There is a pressing need to integrate the natural sciences with socioeconomic disciplines as proposed by the International Human Dimensions Program (IHDP) for an integrated management of coastal zones. Three integrated pilot projects in the Pacific-Indian Ocean and wider Caribbean as identified by Land Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) in the future, including current status and changes in material fluxes from drainage basins, transboundary impacts from the ocean and atmospheric inputs, could elucidate the land–sea interactions and human dimensions of change on small islands. The sustainability of marine resources and the conservation of biological diversity will depend on a critical understanding of linkages between human activities and ecological responses and upon a citizenry that assumes ownership of these regions. Case studies would also help in investigating how humans affect transport pathways and biogeochemical cycles in small island states. Electronic Publication     

The impact of phosphate loading activities on near marine environment: the Syrian coast.

The impact of loading cargoes of phosphate ore into ships on the near marine environment at the Syrian coast has been evaluated. Results have shown a significant enhancement of 210Po, 210Pb and other natural radionuclides in sediment and surface water inside the port area. The highest 210Po and 210Pb concentrations observed in sediment were found to be 170 and 64 Bq kg(-1) respectively, while 210Pb and 210Po concentrations in surface water ranged from 5 to 20 mBq l(-1) and 0.93 to 3.23 mBq l(-1). In addition, comparable values of 210Po and 210Pb for all marine organisms (algae, crab and fish) suggest that their use as indicators for phosphate pollution is not recommended. However, the effect of loading cargoes on the port marine environment of Tartous was found to be mainly related to wind direction where radioactive air particulate are either being dispersed to land or sea.     

Screening ecological risk assessment of persistent organic pollutants in Mediterranean sea sediments

A screening ecological risk assessment (ERA) was conducted for the first time in the Mediterranean basin in order to assess the toxicity posed to the benthic community by PCBs, DDTs and HCB in marine sediments. The characterization of the exposure was conducted by means of an extensive literature survey, generating a database with more than 2000 samples. The effects were assessed by the adoption of guidelines previously developed in the literature, because ecotoxicological information about persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Mediterranean sediments was lacking. Existing sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for the target pollutants were compiled and consensus values were calculated for three different categories of toxicity, namely threshold effect concentration (TEC), probable effect concentration (PEC) and extreme effect concentration (EEC). The combination of exposure and effects characterization enabled the identification of some areas of concern in the vicinity of industrial and urban locations and in the mouths of the main Mediterranean rivers. Beyond the Mediterranean continental shelf, the level of toxicity for the benthic community was generally low. The evaluation of the toxicity induced by the mixture of the target pollutants spotted the importance of DDT contamination in the Mediterranean sediments, despite the fact that main inputs to the sea have been significantly reduced during the last decades.     

High (210)Po atmospheric deposition flux in the subtropical coastal area of Japan

Bulk atmospheric deposition fluxes of (210)Po and (210)Pb were measured at three coastal regions of Japan, the Pacific Ocean coastal area of the Japanese mainland (Odawa Bay), the Chinese continental side of Japanese coastal area (Tsuyazaki), and an isolated island near Okinawa (Akajima). Wet and dry fallout collectors were continuously deployed from September 1997 through August 1998 for periods of 3 to 31 days depending on the frequency of precipitation events. Annual (210)Pb deposition fluxes at Odawa Bay (35 degrees N 139 degrees E), Tsuyazaki (33 degrees N 130 degrees E) and Akajima (26 degrees N 127 degrees E) were 73.3+/-8.0, 197+/-35 and 78.5+/-8.0 Bqm(-2)y(-1), respectively. Higher (210)Pb deposition was observed at the Chinese continental side of Japanese coast than at the Pacific Ocean coastal site. The high (210)Pb atmospheric flux at the Chinese continental side coast was thought to be attributable to (222)Rn-rich air-mass transport from the Chinese continent during the winter monsoon. In contrast, the annual (210)Po deposition fluxes at the three study sites were 13.0+/-2.3 (Odawa Bay), 21.9+/-4.4 (Tsuyazaki) and 58.4+/-7.7 (Akajima)Bqm(-2)y(-1), respectively, indicating unusual high (210)Po deposition at Akajima during winter. Anomalous unsupported (210)Po input was observed during summer 1997, suggesting unknown source of (210)Po at this area.     

ENSO事件对汉江上游暴雨洪水影响的研究

对汉江上游1951～2010年降水量、洪水与ENSO事件进行χ2检验和对照分析。结果表明:在El Nino事件年,汉江上游年降水量显著减少;与非La Nina年相比,La Nina年降水量略有增多,但没有达到显著变化水平;汉江上游洪水与ENSO事件关系密切：在上一年年底或本年年初有较强El Nino,且当年为El Nino向La Nina转换的年份,发生洪水的概率最大,相关性超过极显著水平,且洪峰大,成灾重,可能会发生最大流量20 000 m3/s以上的大洪水甚至超过30 000 m3/s(安康站)的特大洪水;在非El Nino也非La Nina事件发生的年份,大洪水的发生概率较低;发生El Nino事件或La Nina事件的当年,发生大洪水的频次也不高,相对于El Nino事件年,La Nina事件年,尤其是连续发生La Nina事件的年份,发生洪水的概率略大。这些结果对于指导汉江上游农业生产、水资源开发和防洪减灾具有重要的意义     

Impacts of predicted sea level rise on land use/land cover categories of the adjacent coastal areas of Mumbai megacity,India

Physical and ecological responses of the coastal areas in the vicinity of Mumbai, India, due to relative sea level rise are examined by different inundation scenarios. Evaluation of potential habitat loss under sea level rise was made by incorporating the land use/land cover (LULC) adopted from the digital elevation model with the satellite imagery. LULC categories overlaid on 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 m coastal elevation showed that the coastal areas of Mumbai were mostly covered by vegetation followed by barren land, agricultural land, urban areas and water bodies. For the relative sea level rise scenarios of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 m, the tidal inundation areas were estimated to be 257.85, 385.58, 487.56 and 570.63 km², respectively, using GIS techniques. The losses of urban areas were also estimated at 25.32, 41.64, 54.61 and 78.86 km² for the 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 m relative sea level rise, respectively, which is most alarming information for the most populated city on the eastern coast of India. The results conclude that relative sea level rise scenario will lead profound impacts on LULC categories as well as on coastal features and landforms in the adjoining part of Mumbai. The sea level rise would also reduce the drainage gradients that promote flooding condition to rainstorms and subsequently increase saltwater intrusion into coastal regions. Alterations in the coastal features and landforms correlated with inundation characteristics that make the coastal region more vulnerable in the coming decades due to huge development activities and population pressures in Mumbai.     

The status and conservation of Antarctic seals and seabirds: A review

Present threats to Antarctic seabirds and seals when ashore include disturbance and habitat destruction (some directly caused by humans; most through the introduction of rabbits and other grazers; also seal damage to seabird habitats) and serious predation by introduced rats and cats at sub-Antarctic islands. In the marine environment threats are posed by pesticides (widespread but at low levels), pollution (mainly a potential problem associated with oil exploration), incidental takes (trivial now, except perhaps for some albatrosses) and competition with commercial fisheries, which is reviewed in detail. Even in areas where harvesting of fish may be exceeding sustainable yield, predator-prey interaction data are inadequate to assess the level, or significance, of the effect on predators. Present krill harvests are small but likely to increase, especially in favoured areas; species of potential vulnerability are noted. Existing legislation offers excellent protection for wildlife, but formally protected areas by no means cover the major breeding concentrations of seabirds and especially seals in all sectors and zones. There is a need for a comprehensive review, which in some areas will require extensive survey work. Programmes for the control and elimination of alien predators need proper planning and major support. Marine reserves may be of limited benefit to pelagic seals and seabirds, and further research in some key areas is needed. Realistic environmental impact assessments will require more detailed information on predator distribution and movements than is available now; appropriate surveys and research need starting. Sensitive management of marine fisheries is difficult with the present level of quantitative data on predator-prey interactions (though this is better than in many other pelagic systems). Difficulties in monitoring aspects of predator biology as indices of the state of prey stocks are reviewed.     

A high-resolution climatological study on the comparison between surface explosive and ordinary cyclones in the Mediterranean

The dynamic and kinematic characteristics of surface explosive cyclones in the Mediterranean are examined and compared to those of ordinary cyclones. The cyclone detection is performed with the tracking algorithm developed in the University of Melbourne, using the 1° × 1° ERA-40 mean sea level pressure dataset for a 40 year period. It is verified that the explosive cyclogenesis in the Mediterranean is mainly a maritime phenomenon, occurring along the northern Mediterranean coast during the cold season. On the contrary, the ordinary cyclogenesis exhibits significant maxima in both continental and maritime environments throughout the year. The explosive cyclones are characterized by longer lifetime and greater propagation speed. They are larger and deeper in the eastern Mediterranean, whereas the ordinary cyclones are deeper in the western and larger in the eastern Mediterranean. The trend analysis revealed that both explosive and ordinary cyclones become less frequent in the Mediterranean basin, while there is a tendency for deeper ordinary cyclones over North Africa and shallower over the Aegean Sea and Cyprus.     

Seasonal and spatial variation of atmospheric 210Pb and 7Be deposition: features of the Japan Sea side of Japan

Monthly depositional fluxes of (210)Pb and (7)Be at Tatsunokuchi, Japan which faces the Japan Sea were studied over a 12-year period from 1991 to 2002. The data were compared with the spatial variability of these fluxes at Taejon in Korea and at 11 other sites in Japan from Ishigaki of the southern islands of Okinawa to Wakkanai of the northern end of Hokkaido over a 2-year period from 2000 to 2001. The monthly depositions of both (210)Pb and (7)Be at Tatsunokuchi revealed very similar seasonal variations with a single peak; both depositions were high in winter and low in summer. This phenomenon was found to be not transient but stationary. The deposition of these nuclides was much greater on the Japan Sea side of Japan than on the Pacific Ocean side. The cause for high deposition of (210)Pb and (7)Be in winter might be explained by a combination of a series of the following processes: blowing out of air masses with a high (210)Pb concentration near the surface layer over the continent by strong winter monsoons, additional flow of cold air masses with high (7)Be concentration at high latitude, well-mixing with generation of ascending current and convection clouds over the Japan Sea, and heavy snowfalls accompanying them.