Compilation of Thunnus thynnus (bluefin tuna) catche in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean 1906-1949

The data have been extracted and compiled from various sources but mainly from the ICES data base. The ICES data are from catch databases downloaded from the ICES website on 2014-01-14. These data are resolved by ICES area, country and year. During inspection of these data, it was noted that Norwegian data for years before 1950 had not been entered into the catch database on the ICES website. ICES has been notified of this omission by B. R. MacKenzie. The Norwegian data from ICES Bulletins. Statistiques has been added. Additional historical bluefin tuna catch data from other fishery reports and sources have been included in the data file for years preceding those when countries started reported their landings officially to ICES. These additional data have been reported in the literature previously (MacKenzie and Myers 2007, Fisheries Research).

Biogenic and mineral composition and foraminiferal stratigraphy of sediment cores obtained in northern Germany

The Ratekau boring ended in clays of the so-called Asterigerina-Zone; these clays have shallow-water features in the uppermost samples. The clays are overlain by deep-water clays with pteropods; this formation is split into two parts by a shallow-water deposit. The fossiliferous series ends upward in sandy deposits with shallow-water fossils. The question is raised whether the two deep-water deposits might correspond to the Lower Doberg Beds (Eochattian) and the Upper Doberg Beds (Neochattian) at the Doberg hill, closer to the rim of the basin. All fossiliferous samples from this boring are thought to be of Late Oligocene age; the boundary towards the Middle Oligocene, however, could not be ascertained. The Vaale boring ended in rather typical Septaria clay of the Middle Oligocene. This clay is capped by some metres of unfossiliferous glauconite clays, which in turn are overlain by silts and silty clays with planktonic fossils identical to those found at Dingden locality. These deposits are tentatively dated as Early Miocene. The next higher series of samples consists of sands and clays deposited in shallower waters. They contain a rich fauna of benthic molluscs, which, according to the current notion in stratigraphy, would have a Reinbek Age. In addition, they contain a set of planktonic fossils which differs from the 'Lower Miocene' assemblages. These sands and clays are overlain by a thick series of marine sands very poor in fossils. Finally, four metres of clay with foraminifera, having Younger Miocene affinities, form the top of the fossiliferous sequence. The borings at Wulksfelde and Langenhorn were not far apart and their sediments are easily correlated. Both wells start below in continental 'Lignite Sands' and contain overlying shallow water sands and clays. These yielded Hemmoor benthic mollusca, supposed to indicate Lower Miocene in the relevant literature; however, we encountered their planktonic foraminifera in the uppermost Miocene as well. The same planktonic species were found in all samples of both borings. These deposits under discussion furthermore contain a particular pteropod species. They are overlain by a thick series of gypsiferous clays, with scarce fossils. The uppermost fossiliferous clays (probably Langenfelde Age) contain another pteropod species, not met with in other samples. The discrepancies between the plankton zonation and the traditional subdivision according to benthic molluscs in the borings of Vaale, Wulksfelde and Langenhorn (and in samples from Twistringen, Dingden and Antwerp localities as well) renders the time-stratigraphic value of the denominations Reinbek and Hemmoor rather doubtful. The samples of the Westerland boring can be placed in the Gram and Sylt stages of local chronostratigraphy on the strength of the Astarte series established by HINSCH. The Gram samples contain a typical pteropod species; both groups of samples contain the same planktonic foraminifera as the borings Wulksfelde and Langenhorn. Our material did not bring the problem of the Miocene-Pliocene boundary in this region any closer to a solution. In conclusion, it can be claimed that this investigation provides strong arguments that the usual recognition of Hemmoor and Reinbek does not correspond to well-defined chronostratigraphical units. A better chronostratigraphic subdivision has to be based on the examination of many more samples, and on a better understanding of the paleoecology of the fossils involved.

(Table 1) Pollen analysis of clay-gyttja layers obtained in 1966 near Hitzhusen, north Germany

Bereits im Jahre 1956 wurde bei Baugrund-Aufschlußbohrungen für das zweite Kurmittelhaus in Bad Bramstedt bei einer Serie von 11 Bohrungen - ausgeführt durch die Firma Fritz Eising K. G. in Hamburg - in drei benachbart gelegenen Bohrpunkten an der südlichen Ecke des Gebäudes in einer Teufe von ca. 10 m u. T. eine offensichtlich organogene Schicht von ca. 2 m Mächtigkeit erbohrt. Eines dieser Bohrprofile hat folgenden Aufbau: -5,8 m Fein-Mittelsand, -7,7 m Mittelsand, Fein-Mittelkies, -10,0 m Mittelsand, wenig Kies, -12,0 m Gyttja, -15,0 m Mittelsand, Grobsand. Die bereits wiedergegebene Teufenangabe ist insofern recht interessant, als im Jahre 1966 bei der Brücke über die Bramau bei Hitzhusen, demnach in der Talaue der Bramau in einer Teufe von 8,55 m ebenfalls eine Gyttja erbohrt wurde. Die Tiefenlagen beider Vorkommen scheinen sich demnach relativ zu entsprechen. Das gesamte Profil bei Hitzhusen ist in einigen Punkten abweichend ausgebildet und enthält vor allem noch ein zweites Gyttja-Band in 11,25 m Teufe. Im Einzelnen wurde hier durch die Bohrfirma Paul Hammers A. G., Hamburg, diese Schichtfolge angetroffen: -1.55 m Fein-Mittelsand, Humus, -3,10 m Mittel-Grobsand, Kies, Steine, etwas Lehm, -4,50 m Mittel-Grobsand, -7,20 m Mittel-Grobsand, Kies, -8,00 m Grobsand, -8,55 m Grobsand, Kies, -8,65 m Schluff-Gyttja, -9,70 m Fein-Grobsand, -10,25 m Mittel-Grobsand, Kies, -10,75 m Mittel-Grobsand, -11,25 m Mittel-Grobsand, Schluffstreifen, -11,40 m Schluff-Gyttja, -12,10 m Mittelsand, -12,30 m Mittel-Grobsand, Kies, -17,85 m Geschiebemergel. Die gewonnenen Proben der Schluff-Gyttjen wurden näher untersucht. Da es sich in beiden Fällen um geringmächtige Lagen handelt (0,1 m resp. 0,15 m), und das Material durchaus als stark feinsandig bis schluffig zu bezeichnen ist (das spricht für eine wesentlich schnellere Sedimentation, als die einer reinen biogenen Gyttja), ist der Effekt einer 'Mischprobe' weitgehend ausgeschlossen. Außerdem lagen die Proben - obgleich wahrscheinlich mit einem Ventilbohrer gefördert - als relativ ungestörte Brocken mit erhaltengebliebener Feinschichtung vor. Auf den Schichtflächen waren gröbere Pflanzenreste erkennbar (in der Tabelle angegeben). Der sehr hohe mineralische Anteil läßt zunächst den Verdacht auf sekundären Pollen aufkommen. Keines der beiden pollenanalytisch ermittelten Vegetationsbilder liefert dagegen irgendeine Bestätigung hierfür.

Sea ice physics from the southern Weddell Sea

During the German Antarctic Expedition 1979/80, the sea ice conditions in the Weddell Sea were studied along the ice shelf between Cape Fiske (root of the Antarctlc Peninsula) and Atka Bay. Most intensively was the sea ice investigated in an area about 100 km northwest of Berkner Island, where a suitable site for the German station was found. In addition to the drift conditions, ice thickness as weIl as temperature and salinity of the ice were measured and the mechanical properties established. Several ice cores were taken back to Germany, where the compressive strength was measured in respect to strain rate, salinity, depth and temperature.