The role of direct observation in predicting climatic change

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Ocean Analysis and Prediction (COAP) in Monterey, California, has assembled information to suggest how NOAA's facilities for observing the ocean and atmosphere might be applied to studies of paleoclimate. This effort resulted, indirectly, in several projects that combine direct observations of the ocean/atmosphere system with studies of past climate of the Pacific region. This article considers concepts that link the two kinds of investigations. It defines the thesis that direct observation of systems that generate paleoclimatic information is the nexus upon which understanding of climatic variability begins and upon which prediction of climate and global change depends.

A study on the lipid distribution pattern in muscles of two teleosts, Arius dussumieri and Ophiocephalus striatus

The muscles of the various regions and zones of the body of the two teleosts, A. dussumieri and O. striatus have been analyzed for lipid contents. There is a significant dorsum-ventral gradient in lipid concentration exhibited by both the fishes with higher lipid values in the ventral aspect of the body, especially the belly flaps. As regards the vertical series, both the fishes exhibit comparatively higher lipid contents at the dorsal aspects of the caudal region and at anterior portion of the dorsal fin area with lower lipid values at cephalic and middle portions of the body. The red muscle of Arius exhibits higher lipid content than the white muscle.

Histopathological studies of EUS affected shing, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) from a fish farm of Mymensingh, Bangladesh

An investigation was carried out to observe histopathological changes in liver and kidney of suspected epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS)-affected shing fish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) collected from the "Agro-3 fish farm" situated at Boilor, Trishal, Mymensingh. Focal necrosis, haemorrhages and atrophy of the sinusoidal region were observed in the liver tissue. Fungal granulomas were found both in liver and kidney. In some cases fatty depositions were observed in all over the hepatic tissue. Degeneration and necrosis of renal tubular epithelial cells were also occurred. Missing of glomerulus and necrosis surrounding the Bowman's capsule in the kidney tissue were found.

The study of ecological condition on productivity of Tajan River estuary in Mazandaran Province Caspian Sea

This project was done during a one-year period (2006-2007) with the aim of assessing and evaluating the susceptible and vulnerable habitat of Tajan River estuarine region as well as identifying its ecological features. This region consists of Tajan estuarine region as one of the sub-basins of the Caspian Sea basin which covers a surface of 2km2. In this assessment, 6 riverine estuarine and marine stations were chosen in which non-biotic parameters such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and nutrients, and biotic parameters such as variation, density, plankton, primary production by chlorophyll-a. Benthos variation density, silt and the organic materials of the sediments were sampled and measured monthly. The amount of chlorophyll-a concentration and primary production showed a lot of seasonal changes at these stations which ranged from0.3 to 96 mg/m3. The results from the primary productions indicated that the eastern station of the estuary had high concentrations of chlorophyll-a during all seasons (96mg/m3). The most important and dominant planktonic groups in this region included Bacillariophyta from plankton and copepoda from zooplankton. The most important Benthos communities consisted of Driessena polymorpha.Cerastoderma lamarki in estuarine region,Chironomus plumosus in riverine region and Hypaniola sp. In marine region. Assessing the annual variation in these three riverine, estuarine and marine regions, phytoplankton with 3.1, Zooplankton with 2.7 and Benthos with 1.9 Showed the most density in the estuarine region. Assessing the annual density, phytoplanktonic (6118967 no . in m3) and zooplanktonic (7272 no . in m3) communities showed the most density in the marine region. Assessing the statistical tests showed that the estuarine and riverine regions had a significant difference in planktonic density (p<0.005) compared with the marine region. Moreover, The zeoplanktonic density in the marine region had a significant difference (p<0.005) with estuarine and riverine regions. Tooki test and one-way variance Analysis showed that in assessing the planktonic groups (p<0.005) and Benthos (p<0.005), there was a significant difference in variation index between river with estuary, and estuary with the sea. The amount of the total annual live biomass of the Benthos resource in Tajan river estuarine region was estimated 757.66 g/m2.