Oceanographic results during VERTEX particle interceptor trap experiment 17 August to 8 September 1980

This report presents oceanographic data supporting the detailed chemical studies in the VERTEX Particle Interceptor Trap (PIT) experiment off the central California coast. Prior to the deployment of the PITs, an oceanographic survey of the intended study area was made on R/V CAYUSE from 17 to 21 August 1980. During this cruise, twenty CTD stations (Fig. 1) were occupied in a grid centered about the PIT site selected earlier based on archival oceanographic data. During the second leg of the VERTEX experiment from 25 August to 3 September, CTO profiles were taken as time permitted. In addition, a short survey near the PITs was made on 2 September. The intent of the pre-deployment cruise was to obtain data characterizing the vertical and horizontal variability of physical and chemical properties and to map the geostrophic flow field. Toward this end, vertical profiles of salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen were made using a Plessey 9040 CTOa profiler. Considerable effort was expended to make vertical beam attenuation profiles to

Oceanographic results from the VERTEX 3 Particle Interceptor Trap Experiment off central Mexico,October-December,1982

In this report, we present oceanographic results from VERTEX 3 Particle Interceptor Trap (PIT) experiment conducted off the western-coast of Mexico during October to November 1982. The oceanographic data presented here were obtained during three cruise legs by Moss Landing Marine Laboratory scientists aboard R/V Cayuse while the detailed chemical studies were done by other scientists aboard R/V Wecoma. Only the oceanographic data will be presented in this report. (PDF contains 82 pages)

Experimental culture of algal balls (Cladophora sauteri). Retention of original shape [Translation from: Bull.Jap.Soc.Phycol. Vol. 10, (1), p. 23-27, 1962]

It was on July 1960 when 10 algal balls were acquired for exhibition at Suma Aquarium, Kobe. Permission to remove the specimens from the Lake Akan Reserve was given by the National Nature Reserve Committee. Algal balls, as a rule, lose their natural beauty when they are kept in an ordinary tank for a certain length of time. In an effort to retain the natural beauty it was decided to exhibit them in culture. This paper summarises the findings of this experiments with Cladophora sauteri. The author concludes that serious consideration has to be given as to the intensity of light, the sunlight, the water temperature and the nutrition for algal balls in culture in order to retain the natural beauty and shape.

A comparison of phytoplankton and total particle counts

Phytoplankton counts made under the light microscope were compared to counts using an electronic dimensional particle counter. Counts were made on a monthly basis, on water samples taken from one station in the Sanyati Basin. Neither total particle numbers nor total particle volume compare closely with phytoplankton numbers. Total particle numbers were of the order of one and a half to two times greater than the phytoplankton numbers.

A preliminary investigation of Elastomer Visible Implant (EVI)tag retention rates and the effect of tagging on the growth and survival of barbel (Barbus barbus L.).

The Elastomer Visible Implant system (EVI) is a relatively new technique for batch marking fish. The aim of this study was to assess retention rates and the possible effects of tagging on the growth and mortality of barbel, Barbus barbus, (81-197mm, fork length) over approximately 2 months using a syringe injection system.

Effect of towing speed on retention of zooplankton in bongo nets

Long-term time series of zooplankton data provide invaluable information about the fluctuations of species abundance and the stability of marine community structure. These data have demonstrated that environmental variability have a profound effect on zooplankton communities across the Atlantic basin (Beaugrand et al., 2002; Frank et al., 2005; Pershing et al., 2005). The value of these time series increases as they lengthen, but so does the likelihood of changes in sampling or processing methods. Sam-pling zooplankton with nylon nets is highly selective and biased because of mesh selectivity, net avoidance, and damage to fragile organisms. One sampling parameter that must be standardized and closely monitored is the speed of the net through the water column. Tow speed should be as fast as possible to minimize net avoid-ance by the organisms, but not so fast as to damage soft bodied zooplankters or extrude them through the mesh (Tranter et al., 1968; Anderson and Warren, 1991).

Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, Retention Rates in Different Trap Meshes

Percent escapements of blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, by size and sex were determined for commercially available 38.1 mm square and hexagonal meshes and for five experimental squares. Commercial trap mesh sizes retained excessive numbers of sublegal blue crabs. Based on the criteria of maximizing sublegal crab escapement without an unacceptable loss of legal blue crabs, the 44.4 mm square (as measured from the inside of adjacent corners) was optimum and superior to either trap mesh used by fishermen.

Sediment flux at selected coastal sites: proposed time series measurment by particle traps

Particle flux in the ocean reflects ongoing biological and geological processes operating under the influence of the local environment. Estimation of this particle flux through sediment trap deployment is constrained by sampler accuracy, particle preservation, and swimmer distortion. Interpretation of specific particle flux is further constrained by indeterminate particle dispersion and the absence of a clear understanding of the sedimentary consequences of ecosystem activity. Nevertheless, the continuous and integrative properties of the particle trap measure, along with the logistic advantage of a long-term moored sampler, provide a set of strategic advantages that appear analogous to those underlying conventional oceanographic survey programs. Emboldened by this perception, several stations along the coast of Southern California and Mexico have been targeted as coastal ocean flux sites (COFS).