Small-boat surveys for coastal dolphins: line-transect surveys of Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori)

Management of coastal species of small cetaceans is often impeded by a lack of robust estimates of their abundance. In the Austral summers of 1997−98, 1998−99, and 1999−2000 we conducted line-transect surveys of Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) abundance off the north, east, and south coasts of the South Island of New Zealand. Survey methods were modified for the use of a 15-m sailing catamaran, which was equipped with a collapsible sighting platform giving observers an eye-height of 6 m. Eighty-six percent of 2061 km of survey effort was allocated to inshore waters (4 nautical miles [nmi] or 7.4 km from shore), and the remainder to offshore waters (4−10 nmi or 7.4–18.5 km from shore). Transects were placed at 45° to the shore and spaced apart by 1, 2, 4, or 8 nmi according to pre-existing data on dolphin density. Survey effort within strata was uniform. Detection functions for sheltered waters and open coasts were fitted separately for each survey. The effect of attraction of dolphins to the survey vessel and the fraction of dolphins missed on the trackline were assessed with simultaneous boat and helicopter surveys in January 1999. Hector’s dolphin abundance in the coastal zone to 4 nmi offshore was calculated at 1880 individuals (CV=15.7%, log-normal 95% CI=1384−2554). These surveys are the first line-transect surveys for cetaceans in New Zealand’s coastal waters.

Distribution, age, and growth of young-of-the year greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) associated with pelagic Sargassum

Patterns of distribution and growth were examined for young-of-the-year (YOY) greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) associated with pelagic Sargassum in the NW Gulf of Mexico. Seriola dumerili were collected off Galveston, Texas, from May to July over a two-year period (2000 and 2001) in both inshore (<15 nautical miles [nmi]) and offshore zones (15−70 nmi). Relative abundance of YOY S. dumerili (32−210 mm standard length) from purse-seine collections peaked in May and June, and abundance was highest in the offshore zone. Ages of S. dumerili ranged from 39 to 150 days and hatching-date analysis indicated that the majority of spawning events occurred from February to April. Average daily growth rates of YOY S. dumerili for 2000 and 2001 were 1.65 mm/d and 2.00 mm/d, respectively. Intra-annual differences in growth were observed; the late-season (April) cohort experienced the fastest growth in both years. In addition, growth was significantly higher for S. dumerili collected from the offshore zone. Mortality was approximated by using catch-curve analysis, and the predicted instantaneous mortality rate (Z) of YOY S. dumerili was 0.0045 (0.45%/d).

Simulating the Swissair flight 111 in-flight fire using the CFD fire simulation software SMARTFIRE

At 8.18pm on 2 September 1998, Swissair Flight 111 (SR 111), took off from New York’s JFK airport bound for Geneva, Switzerland. Tragically, the MD-11 aircraft never arrived. According to the crash investigation report, published on 27 March 2003, electrical arcing in the ceiling void cabling was the most likely cause of the fire that brought down the aircraft. No one on board was aware of the disaster unfolding in the ceiling of the aircraft and, when a strange odour entered the cockpit, the pilots thought it was a problem with the air-conditioning system. Twenty minutes later, Swissair Flight 111 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean five nautical miles southwest of Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, with the loss of all 229 lives on board. In this paper, the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of the in-flight fire that brought down SR 111 is described. Reconstruction of the wreckage disclosed that the fire pattern was extensive and complex in nature. The fire damage created significant challenges to identify the origin of the fire and to appropriately explain the heat damage observed. The SMARTFIRE CFD software was used to predict the “possible” behaviour of airflow as well as the spread of fire and smoke within SR 111. The main aims of the CFD analysis were to develop a better understanding of the possible effects, or lack thereof, of numerous variables relating to the in-flight fire. Possible fire and smoke spread scenarios were studied to see what the associated outcomes would be. This assisted investigators at Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada, Fire & Explosion Group in assessing fire dynamics for cause and origin determination.

Differences in performance among four indices used to evaluate diversity in planktonic ecosystems

The performance of four common estimators of diversity are investigated using calanoid copepod data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey. The region of the North Atlantic and the North Sea was divided into squares of 400 nautical miles for each 2-month period. For each 144 possible cases, Pielou's pooled quadrat method was performed with the aims of determining asymptotic diversity and investigating the CPR sample-size dependence of diversity estimators. It is shown that the performance of diversity indices may greatly vary in space and time (at a seasonal scale). This dependence is more pronounced in higher diverse environments and when the sample size is small. Despite results showing that all estimators underestimate the `actual' diversity, comparison of sites remained reliable from a few pooled CPR samples. Using more than one CPR sample, the Gini coefficient appears to be a better diversity estimator than any other indices and spatial or temporal comparisons are highly satisfactory. In situations where comparative studies are needed but only one CPR sample is available, taxonomic richness was the preferred method of estimating diversity. Recommendations are proposed to maximise the efficiency of diversity estimations with the CPR data.

The CPR Survey (1948-1997): a gridded database browser of plankton abundance in the North Sea.

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey provides a unique multi- decadal dataset on the abundance of plankton in the North Sea and North Atlantic and is one of only a few monitoring programmes operating at a large spatio- temporal scale. The results of all samples analysed from the survey since 1946 are stored on an Access Database at the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) in Plymouth. The database is large, containing more than two million records (~80 million data points, if zero results are added) for more than 450 taxonomic entities. An open data policy is operated by SAHFOS. However, the data are not on-line and so access by scientists and others wishing to use the results is not interactive. Requests for data are dealt with by the Database Manager. To facilitate access to the data from the North Sea, which is an area of high research interest, a selected set of data for key phytoplankton and zooplankton species has been processed in a form that makes them readily available on CD for research and other applications. A set of MATLAB tools has been developed to provide an interpolated spatio-temporal description of plankton sampled by the CPR in the North Sea, as well as easy and fast access to users in the form of a browser. Using geostatistical techniques, plankton abundance values have been interpolated on a regular grid covering the North Sea. The grid is established on centres of 1 degree longitude x 0.5 degree latitude (~32 x 30 nautical miles). Based on a monthly temporal resolution over a fifty-year period (1948-1997), 600 distribution maps have been produced for 54 zooplankton species, and 480 distribution maps for 57 phytoplankton species over the shorter period 1958-1997. The gridded database has been developed in a user-friendly form and incorporates, as a package on a CD, a set of options for visualisation and interpretation, including the facility to plot maps for selected species by month, year, groups of months or years, long-term means or as time series and contour plots. This study constitutes the first application of an easily accessed and interactive gridded database of plankton abundance in the North Sea. As a further development the MATLAB browser is being converted to a user- friendly Windows-compatible format (WinCPR) for release on CD and via the Web in 2003.

An overview of plankton ecology in the North Sea

The purpose of this report is to give an overview of plankton ecology in the North Sea, and the processes that effect it, as derived from current research. The Sir Alister Hardy Foundation has extensive data for the North Sea area, and other sources have also been used to provide information for this report. Shortfalls in current research have also been highlighted. The information contained herein is to be contributed towards an information base for the Strategic Environmental Assessment. The North Sea is an extension of the North Atlantic that has an area of 574,980 km2. The deepest area is off the coast of Norway (660m), with a number of shallow areas, such as the Dogger Bank (15m). The North Sea represents a large source of hydrocarbons that have been exploited since the early 1970s. The aim of this study is to provide the Department of Trade and Industry with biological data on the planktonic community of the North Sea, as a contribution towards the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA 2). An overview of phyto- and zoo- plankton community composition, plankton blooms, Calanus, mero-, pico- and megaplankton, sensitivity to disturbance / contamination, phytodetritus and vertical fluxes and the resting stages of phytoplankton is made using the results of the survey database. Additional published literature has also been used, and gaps in available data have been highlighted. 1.3 The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey provides a unique long-term dataset of plankton abundance in the North Atlantic and North Sea (Warner and Hays 1994). The survey has been running for almost 70 years, using ‘ships of opportunity’ to tow CPRs on regular, and incidental routes, sampling at a depth of 10 m. Each sample represents 18 km of tow and approximately 3 m3 of filtered seawater. Over 400 taxa of plankton are routinely identified by a team of taxonomists. The samples are also compared to colour charts to give an indication of ‘greenness’, which provides a visual index of chlorophyll value. CPRs have been towed for over 4 million nautical miles, accumulating almost 200,000 samples. The design of the CPR has remained virtually unchanged since sampling started, thus providing a consistency of sampling that provides good historical comparisons. By systematically monitoring the plankton over a period, changes in abundance and long term trends can be distinguished. From this baseline data, inferences can be made, particularly concerning climate change and potentialanthropogenic impacts.

English Channel towed sledge seabed images. Phase 2: Analysis of selected tow images

During the 1970s and 1980s, the late Dr Norman Holme undertook extensive towed sledge surveys in the English Channel and some in the Irish Sea. Only a minority of the resulting images were analysed and reported before his death in 1989 but logbooks, video and film material has been archived in the National Marine Biological Library (NMBL) in Plymouth. A study was therefore commissioned by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and as a part of the Mapping European Seabed Habitats (MESH) project to identify the value of the material archived and the procedure and cost to undertake further work (Phase 1 of the study reported here: Oakley & Hiscock, 2005). Some image analysis was undertaken as a part of Phase 1. Phase 2 (this report) was to further analyse selected images. Having determined in Phase 1 that only the 35 mm photographic transparencies provided sufficient clarity to identify species and biotopes, the tows selected for analysis were ones where 35mm images had been taken. The tows selected for analysis of images were mainly in the vicinity of Plymouth and especially along the area between Rame Head and the region of the Eddystone. The 35 mm films were viewed under a binocular microscope and the taxa that could be recognised recorded in note form. Twenty-five images were selected for inclusion in the report. Almost all of the images were of level sediment seabed. Where rocks were included, it was usually unplanned and the sled was hauled before being caught or damaged. The main biotopes or biotope complexes identified were: SS.SMU.CSaMu. Circalittoral sandy mud. Extensively present between the shore and the Eddystone Reef complex and at depths of about 48 to 52 m. At one site offshore of Plymouth Sound, the turret shell Turritella communis was abundant. In some areas, this biotope had dense anemones, Mesacmaea mitchelli and (more rarely) Cerianthus lloydii. Queen scallops, Aequipecten opercularis and king scallops, Pecten maximus, were sometimes present in small numbers. Hard substratum species such as hydroids, dead mens fingers Alcyonium digitatum and the cup coral Caryophyllia smithii occurred in a few places, probably attached to shells or stones beneath the surface. South of the spoil ground off Hilsea Point at 57m depth, the sediment was muddier but is still assigned to this biotope complex. It is notable that three small sea pens, most likely Virgularia mirabilis, were seen here. SS.SMx.CMx. Circalittoral mixed sediment. Further offshore but at about the same depth as SS.SMU.CSaMu occurred, coarse gravel with some silt was present. The sediment was characterised must conspicuously by small queen scallops, Aequipecten opercularis. Peculiarly, there were ‘bundles’ of the branching bryozoan Cellaria sp. – a species normally found attached to rock. It could not be seen whether these bundles of Cellaria had been brought-together by terebellid worms but it is notable that Cellaria is recorded in historical surveys. As with many other sediments, there were occasional brittle stars, Ophiocomina nigra and Ophiura ophiura. Where sediments were muddy, the burrowing anemone Mesacmaea mitchelli was common. Where pebbles or cobbles occurred, there were attached species such as Alcyonium digitatum, Caryophyllia smithii and the fleshy bryozoan Alcyonidium diaphanum. Undescribed biotope. Although most likely a part of SS.SMx.CMx, the biotope visually dominated by a terebellid worm believed to be Thelepus cincinnatua, is worth special attention as it may be an undescribed biotope. The biotope occurred about 22 nautical miles south of the latitude of the Eddystone and in depths in excess of 70 m. SS.SCS.CCS.Blan. Branchiostoma lanceolatum in circalittoral coarse sand with shell gravel at about 48m depth and less. This habitat was the ‘classic’ ‘Eddystone Shell Gravel’ which is sampled for Branchiostoma lanceolatum. However, no Branchiostoma lanceolatum could be seen. The gravel was almost entirely bare of epibiota. There were occasional rock outcrops or cobbles which had epibiota including encrusting calcareous algae, the sea fan Eunicella verrucosa, cup corals, Caryophyllia smithii, hydroids and a sea urchin Echinus esculentus. The variety of species visible on the surface is small and therefore identification to biotope not usually possible. Historical records from sampling surveys that used grabs and dredges at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century suggest similar species present then. Illustrations of some of the infaunal communities from work in the 1920’s is included in this report to provide a context to the epifaunal photographs.

A 60-year ocean colour data set from the continuous plankton recorder

The phytoplankton colour index (PCI) of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey is an in situ measure of ocean colour, which is considered a proxy of the phytoplankton biomass. PCI has been extensively used to describe the major spatiotemporal patterns of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean and North Sea since 1931. Regardless of its wide application, the lack of an adequate evaluation to test the PCI's quantitative nature is an important limitation. To address this concern, a field trial over the main production season has been undertaken to assess the numerical values assigned by previous investigations for each category of the greenness of the PCI. CPRs were towed across the English Channel from Roscoff to Plymouth consecutively for each of 8 months producing 76 standard CPR samples, each representing 10 nautical miles of tow. The results of this experiment test and update the PCI methodology, and confirm the validity of this long-term in situ ocean colour data set. In addition, using a 60-year time series of the PCI of the western English Channel, a comparison is made between the previous and the current revised experimental calculations of PCI.

D3.1 Benefits Analysis of the Initial Operational Cruiser-Feeder Concept

The REsearch on a CRuiser Enabled Air Transport Environment (RECREATE) project is considers the introduction and airworthiness of cruiser-feeder operations for civil aircraft. Cruiser-feeder operations are investigated as a promising pioneering idea for the air transport of the future. The soundness of the concept of cruiser-feeder operations for civil aircraft can be understood, taking air-to-air refueling operations as an example. For this example, a comprehensive estimate of the benefits can be made, which shows a fuel burn reduction potential and a CO2 emission reduction of 31% for a typical 6000 nautical miles flight with a payload of 250 passengers. This reduction potential is known to be large by any standard. The top level objective of the RECREATE project is to demonstrate on a preliminary design level that cruiser-feeder operations (as a concept to reduce fuel burn and CO2 emission levels) can be shown to comply with the airworthiness requirements for civil aircraft. The underlying Scientific and Technological (S&T) objectives are to determine and study airworthy operational concepts for cruiser-feeder operations, and to derive and quantify benefits in terms of CO2 emission reduction but also other benefits.

Work Package (WP) 3 has the objective to substantiate the assumed benefits of the cruiser/feeder operations through refined analysis and simulation. In this report, initial benefits evaluation of the initial RECREATE cruiser/feeder concepts is presented. The benefits analysis is conducted in delta mode, i.e. comparison is made with a baseline system. Since comparing different aircraft and air transport systems is never a trivial task, appropriate measures and metrics are defined and selected first. Non-dimensional parameters are defined and values for the baseline system derived.

The impact of cruiser/feeder operations such as air-to-air refueling are studied with respect to fuel-burn (or carbon-dioxide), noise and congestion. For this purpose, traffic simulations have been conducted.
Cruiser/feeder operations will have an impact on dispatch reliability as well. An initial assessment of the effect on dispatch reliability has been made and is reported.

Finally, a considerable effort has been made to create the infrastructure for economic delta analysis of the cruiser/feeder concept of operation. First results of the cost analysis have been obtained.

A institucionalização do ensino da náutica em Portugal (1779-1807)

Tese de doutoramento, História (História dos Descobrimentos e da Expansão), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2014

Projecto do núcleo de recreio náutico do porto de S. Roque: Ilha do Pico

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil - Área de especialização de Hidráulica

From the portolan chart of the mediterranean to the latitude chart of the atlantic

Thesis submitted to the Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão de Informação da Universidade Nova de Lisboa in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Management – Geographic Information Systems

Yacht charter in Portugal- developing a business model for a sailing charter company

Given the signals that Portugal can be a great destination for charter sailing, the purpose of this work is to disprove this. Thereby the model of Porter’s five forces has been used to analyze the Portuguese yacht charter market, whereas a SWOT analysis should give an overview and compare the Portuguese market with the well running charter market of Croatia. The research outcome on the supply side as well as on the demand side should then serve as a foundation for establishing a model of a sailing charter company in Portugal, explained with the aid of the Canvas model.

Variabilidad espacial de la pesquería de Dosidicus gigas (d’Orbigny, 1835) calamar gigante del 2004 al 2012

Se efectuó un análisis de la distribución espacial de operaciones de pesca de la flota calamarera industrial dentro y fuera de la zona económica exclusiva peruana (ZEE) con relación a la temperatura superficial de mar (TSM) y concentración de clorofila-a (Cl-a) para el periodo 2004-2012. La data de operaciones de pesca se dividió en tres periodos en función a distancia a la costa considerando regulaciones de pesca, de enero 2004 a octubre 2010, de noviembre 2010 a diciembre 2011 y 2012. Durante el primer periodo, se identificaron dos patrones mensuales de distribución espacial, de enero a julio fue a lo largo del litoral desde Paita (5°S) hasta San Juan de Marcona (15°22’S) y de agosto a diciembre entre Chimbote y Paita. En el segundo periodo, las operaciones de pesca formaron pequeñas concentraciones y puntos de pesca dispersas debido a la restricción de pesca dentro de las 80 millas náuticas desde noviembre del 2010. Durante el 2012 la flota se localizó fuera de la ZEE. Las mayores concentraciones de la flota se ubicaron entre 30 a 90 millas náuticas de la costa. Mayores concentraciones de pesca se localizaron en Paita-Chimbote (5°-9°S) y Callao- San Juan de Marcona (12°03’-15°22’S). Las faenas de pesca se realizaron en un rango amplio de TSM entre 14,1 y 26,8 °C, con mayor incidencia en temperaturas entre 18,4 a 22 °C, con tendencia a localizarse en áreas de mayor temperatura durante los últimos años. Respecto a la clorofila-a, la flota faenó entre concentraciones de clorofila-a de 0 a 9,5 mg/m3 dentro de la ZEE, y entre 0,2 y 0,5 mg/m3 fuera de la ZEE. Se observó un patrón de distribución de flota, asociado a las anomalías de temperatura superficial de mar del área El Niño 1+2, a la distribución latitudinal y una variabilidad cíclica mensual de la TSM.

Les quais de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent, 1870-1930 : une étude en archéologie historique

On trouve sur les côtes de l’estuaire du Saint-Laurent des vestiges de quai dont la ressemblance mutuelle suggère leur contemporanéité. Les vestiges de ces «quais du gouvernement » relatent une importante conjoncture (1870-1930) caractérisée par l'intégration des localités côtières dans une économie interrégionale. Le quai, autrefois lieu d'interface entre la ruralité et le cabotage, devient pour l'archéologue une occasion de retracer les éléments entrant dans sa conception et sa réalisation. L’observation des éléments architecturaux permet de distinguer les traits architecturaux associés aux quais du gouvernement parmi l’ensemble des techniques de construction déjà employées dans l’estuaire au XIXe siècle.