Air Flow Land-Sea-Air Interface: Monterey Bay, California - 1971. Annual Report, Part 1, July 1972

Air flow at the land-sea-air interface influences to a large extent the atmospheric conditions that determine the transport, di lution, and trapping of natural and man-made air pollutants in the coastal areas of Monterey Bay and the Salinas Valley. Analysis of the hourly air flow on a daily and monthly basis indicates patterns of stagnation from midnight to noon of the fol lowing day with moderate to strong air flow during period 1300 to 2200. Throughout the year 1971 whenever flow is greater than 5 mph, the prevailing wind direction is onshore and from a westerly direction. Suggestions for urbanization and industrialization are made on the basis of an understanding of the atmospheric conditions which lead to trapping and dispersal of atmospheric waste. (27 page document)

Oogenesis and spawn formation in the invasive lionfish, Pterois miles and Pterois volitans

The Indo-Pacific lionfish, Pterois miles and P. volitans, have recently invaded the U.S. east coast and the Caribbean and pose a significant threat to native reef fish communities. Few studies have documented reproduction in pteroines from the Indo-Pacific. This study provides a description of oogenesis and spawn formation in P. miles and P. volitans collected from offshore waters of North Carolina, U.S.A and the Bahamas. Using histological and laboratory observations, we found no differences in reproductive biology between P. miles and P. volitans. These lionfish spawn buoyant eggs that are encased in a hollow mass of mucus produced by specialized secretory cells of the ovarian wall complex. Oocytes develop on highly vascularized peduncles with all oocyte stages present in the ovary of spawning females and the most mature oocytes placed terminally, near the ovarian lumen. Given these ovarian characteristics, these lionfish are asynchronous, indeterminate batch spawners and are thus capable of sustained reproduction throughout the year when conditions are suitable. This mode of reproduction could have contributed to the recent and rapid establishment of these lionfish in the northwestern Atlantic and Caribbean.