A memoir on the Echinodermata of the Arctic sea to the west of Greenland.

Each plate accompanied by leaf with descriptive text.

Sedimentology of cores from the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctic

On the continental rise west of the Antarctic Peninsula there are nine large mounds interpreted as sediment drifts, separated by turbidity current channels. Drift 7 is 150 km long, 70 km wide and up to 700 m high and is asymmetric, with steep sides on the south-east (towards the continent) and south-west, and gentle slopes to north-west and north-east. Cores on the gentle sides of the drift show a cyclicity between brown, bioturbated, diatom-bearing mud with foraminifera and radiolarians, and grey, laminated, barren mud. Biostratigraphic evidence is consistent with a Late Quaternary age. Detailed lithostratigraphy and magnetic susceptibility data allow precise correlation over distances of tens of kilometres. On the basis of chemostratigraphy, the brown sediment is interpreted as interglacial (isotope stages 1 and 5) and the grey as glacial (stages 2-4 and 6). Sedimentation rates are 3.0-5.5 cm/ka. Cores on the steep sides of the drift recovered a condensed section with thinner cycles and hiatuses. Fine grain size, very poor sorting and the absence of a mode in the silt size range indicate deposition from suspension with only weak current activity, There is little evidence for cyclic changes in bottom current strength. Supply of sediment to the benthic nepheloid layer was by entrainment ofmud from turbidity currents, and by settling ofpelagic material (biogenic grains, IRD, sediment suspended in meltwater plumes). Cyclic changes in sediment supply include more biogenic supply in interglacials with less sea ice cover, more terrigenous supply from turbidites in glacials with ice sheets grounded to the shelf edge, and changes in IRD content.

Stable isotopes, radionuclides, and calculated sea surface temperature of two sediment cores in the Sicily Channel

The Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT) occurred in the Aegean Sea from 1988 to 1995 and is the most significant intermediate-to-deep Mediterranean overturning perturbation reported by instrumental records. The EMT was likely caused by accumulation of high salinity waters in the Levantine and enhanced heat loss in the Aegean Sea, coupled with surface water freshening in the Sicily Channel. It is still unknown whether similar transients occurred in the past and, if so, what their forcing processes were. In this study, sediments from the Sicily Channel document surface water freshening (SCFR) at 1910±12, 1812±18, 1725±25 and 1580±30 CE. A regional ocean hindcast links SCFR to enhanced deep-water production and in turn to strengthened Mediterranean thermohaline circulation. Independent evidence collected in the Aegean Sea supports this reconstruction, showing that enhanced bottom water ventilation in the Eastern Mediterranean was associated with each SCFR event. Comparison between the records and multi-decadal atmospheric circulation patterns and climatic external forcings indicates that Mediterranean circulation destabilisation occurs during positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and negative Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) phases, reduced solar activity and strong tropical volcanic eruptions. They may have recurrently produced favourable deep-water formation conditions, both increasing salinity and reducing temperature on multi-decadal time scales.

Survey on parasites of Rutilus frisii Kutum in South west of Caspian Sea with the emphasis of pathology of Dactylogyrus frisii and morphological identification of Paradiplozoon sp and Anisakis sp

Rutilus frisii Kutum is one of the most precious fish in the Caspian Sea. Investigation of the various aspects of its biocharactristics. Including its parasite fauna and ecological aspects are of prime importance. In this study the farmed kutum fry were on the focus of investigation in various seasons of the year and prior to their being released in the sea. This included also the study on the kutum spawners caught both from liver and the sea. The results were that 17 external and internal parasite species were distinct within different organs which were further identified down to genus and species. The single celled parasites identified included Ichthyophthirius multifilils, Chilodonella hexastica, Chilodonella pisicola, Trichodina sp Along with the monogene parasites that included Paradiplozoon chazaricum, D. rarissimus, D. turaliensis, D. nybelini, Dactylogyrus frisii. Meanwhile Diplostomum spathaceum constituted the single eyed parasites and the intestinal termatode were Aspidogaster limacoides, Asymphyoldora kubanicum as well as Bothriocephalus gowkongeniss as the sestads. The nematodes defrentiated were Raphidascaris acus, Dioctophyma renale, and Eustrongylides excisus followed by Lernaea cyprinacea as a crustacean. In this study, infestations by single celled parasites, crustaceans and sestod were found to be present only among the farmed kutum fry which varied in terms of percentage and intensity of infection as well as the parasite species and season of the year. The highest percentage of infection among kutum fry and spawners in both fresh water and in the sea during all seasons belonged to monogene parasites (33%). This was up to 100% among spawners. Infection caused by nematodes was exclusively detected among riverine spawners (7.5-5%) and the infection by Asymphyoldora kubanicum and Aspidogaster limacoides among Spawners caught at Sea and rivers varied within different seasons of the year. The infestation of Metacercer diplostomum spathaceum among kutum fry was 12% which compared to spawners was in slightly higher level. The study could identify Dioctophyma renale for the first time in the country and Eustrongylidis excisu was also detected among Rutilus frisii kutum.

Spatial, seasonal and long-term fluctuations of plankton in relation to hydroclimatic features in the English Channel, Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay

Plankton collected by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey were investigated for the English Channel, Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay from 1979 to 1995. The main goal was to study the relationship between climate and plankton and to understand the factors influencing it. In order to take into account the spatial and temporal structure of biological data, a three-mode principal component analysis (PCA) was developed. It not only identified 5 zones characterised by their similar biological composition and by the seasonal and inter-annual evolution of the plankton, it also made species associations based on their location and year-to-year change. The studied species have stronger year-to-year fluctuations in abundance over the English Channel and Celtic Sea than the species offshore in the Bay of Biscay. The changes in abundance of plankton in the English Channel are negatively related to inter-annual changes of climatic conditions from December to March (North Atlantic Oscillation [NAO] index and air temperature). Thus, the negative relationship shown by Fromentin and Planque (1996; Mar Ecol Prog Ser 134:111-118) between year-to-year changes of Calanus finmarchicus abundance in the northern North Atlantic and North Sea and NAO was also found for the most abundant copepods in the Channel. However, the hypothesis proposed to explain the plankton/NAO relationship is different for this region and a new hypothesis is proposed. In the Celtic Sea, a relationship between the planktonic assemblage and the air temperature was detected, but it is weaker than for the English Channel. No relationship was found for the Bay of Biscay. Thus, the local physical environment and the biological composition of these zones appear to modify the relationship between winter climatic conditions and the year-to-year fluctuations of the studied planktonic species. This shows, therefore, that the relationship between climate and plankton is difficult to generalise.

Sea Level Variations during the Late Quaternary and Coastal Evolution along the Northern Kerala, South West of India

In the present investigation, an attempt is made to document various episodes of transgression and regression during the late Quaternary period from the study of coastal and shelf sequences extending from the inland across the beach to the shelf domain. Shore parallel beach ridges with alternating swales and occurrence of strand line deposits on the shelf make the northern Kerala coast an ideal natural laboratory for documenting the morpho-dynamic response of the coast to the changing sea level. The objectives of the study are lithographic reconstruction of environments of deposition from the coastal plain and shelf sequences; documentation of episodes of transgression and regression by studying different coastal plain sequences and shelf deposits and evolve a comprehensive picture of late Quaternary coastal evolution and sea level changes along the northern Kerala coast by collating morphological, lithological and geochronological evidences from the coastal plain and shelf sequences. The present study is confined to two shore-normal east-west trending transects, Viz. Punjavi and Onakkunnu, in the northern Kerala coast.

Studies on the benthose of the mud bank regions of the Kerala coast

There is very little information on the subtidal bottom fauna of the shelf regions in the seas around India. What little is known is restricted to macro benthos. The paucity of the work on bottom fauna and the importance of mud banks in the fishery of the South West Coast of India has initiated the present study. Attempts have been made to obtain a picture of the bottom fauna of a mud bank region of the Kerala Coast. The difficulties involved in the sampling and analysis, especially the availability of a suitable vessel during the S.W. Monsoon, resulted in the work being restricted mainly to the Narakal mud bank region 6 Km. north of Cochin Detailed sampling is conducted using grab, dredge and to a small extent beam trawl, to assess the qualitative and quantitative nature of the macro benthos. Important species contributing to the fauna are identified and the standing crop estimated for different seasons. The meiobenthos was studied using core samples taken from the grab. Animals were identified to the major taxa. Standing crop of meiobenthos and the quantitative importance of different groups were also studied. The data collected have been interpreted and discussed. As an understanding of the physico-chemical aspects of the environment is essential in order to obtain a true picture of the benthos, attempts were made in this direction. Environmental parameters such as temperature of the sediment, salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen in the overlying water were studied .during the period of benthos investigation. Monthly observations on the dissolved inorganic and organic phosphorus in the area of investigation have been made. The physico-chemical nature of the sediment was also studied. Influence of these ecological variables on the bottom fauna is discussed.

Sea surface reconstruction of sediment cores off West Spitsbergen

Two sediment cores from the West Spitsbergen area, Euro-Arctic margin, MD99-2304 and MD99-2305, have been investigated for paleoceanographic proxies, including benthic and planktonic foraminifera, benthic foraminiferal stable isotopes and ice rafted debris. Core MD99-2304 is located on the upper continental margin, reflecting variations in the influx of Atlantic Water in the West Spitsbergen Current. Core MD99-2305 is located in Van Mijenfjord, picturing variations in tidewater glacier activity as well as fjord-ocean circulation changes. Surface water warmer than today, was present on the margin as soon as the Van Mijenfjord was deglaciated by 11,200 cal. years BP. Relatively warm water invaded the fjord bottom almost immediately after the deglaciation. A relatively warm early Holocene was followed by an abrupt cooling at 8800 cal. years BP on the continental margin. Another cooling in the fjord record, 8000-4000 cal. years BP, is documented by an increase in ice rafted debris and an increase in benthic foraminiferal delta18O. The IRD-record indicates that central Spitsbergen never was completely deglaciated during the Holocene. Relatively cool and stable conditions similar to the present were established about 4000 cal. years BP.

(Table 1) Chlorophyll a content and microalgae abundance and biovolume in pack ice in the Bellingshausen Sea

Pack ice in the Bellingshausen Sea contained moderate to high stocks of microalgal biomass (3-10 mg Chl a/m**2) spanning the range of general sea-ice microalgal microhabitats (e.g., bottom, interior and surface) during the International Polar Year (IPY) Sea Ice Mass Balance in the Antarctic (SIMBA) studies. Measurements of irradiance above and beneath the ice as well as optical properties of the microalgae therein demonstrated that absorption of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) by particulates (microalgae and detritus) had a substantial influence on attenuation of PAR and irradiance transmission in areas with moderate snow covers (0.2-0.3 m) and more moderate effects in areas with low snow cover. Particulates contributed an estimated 25 to 90% of the attenuation coefficients for the first-year sea ice at wavelengths less than 500 nm. Strong ultraviolet radiation (UVR) absorption by particulates was prevalent in the ice habitats where solar radiation was highest - with absorption coefficients by ice algae often being as large as that of the sea ice. Strong UVR-absorption features were associated with an abundance of dinoflagellates and a general lack of diatoms - perhaps suggesting UVR may be influencing the structure of some parts of the sea-ice microbial communities in the pack ice during spring. We also evaluated the time-varying changes in the spectra of under-ice irradiances in the austral spring and showed dynamics associated with changes that could be attributed to coupled changes in the ice thickness (mass balance) and microalgal biomass. All results are indicative of radiation-induced changes in the absorption properties of the pack ice and highlight the non-linear, time-varying, biophysical interactions operating within the Antarctic pack ice ecosystem.

(Table 1) Summary statistics of in situ sea-ice characteristics of Ice Station Belgica sites Fabra, Patria/Liège and Brussels in October 2007

Three ice type regimes at Ice Station Belgica (ISB), during the 2007 International Polar Year SIMBA (Sea Ice Mass Balance in Antarctica) expedition, were characterized and assessed for elevation, snow depth, ice freeboard and thickness. Analyses of the probability distribution functions showed great potential for satellite-based altimetry for estimating ice thickness. In question is the required altimeter sampling density for reasonably accurate estimation of snow surface elevation given inherent spatial averaging. This study assesses an effort to determine the number of laser altimeter 'hits' of the ISB floe, as a representative Antarctic floe of mixed first- and multi-year ice types, for the purpose of statistically recreating the in situ-determined ice-thickness and snow depth distribution based on the fractional coverage of each ice type. Estimates of the fractional coverage and spatial distribution of the ice types, referred to as ice 'towns', for the 5 km**2 floe were assessed by in situ mapping and photo-visual documentation. Simulated ICESat altimeter tracks, with spot size ~70 m and spacing ~170 m, sampled the floe's towns, generating a buoyancy-derived ice thickness distribution. 115 altimeter hits were required to statistically recreate the regional thickness mean and distribution for a three-town assemblage of mixed first- and multi-year ice, and 85 hits for a two-town assemblage of first-year ice only: equivalent to 19.5 and 14.5 km respectively of continuous altimeter track over a floe region of similar structure. Results have significant implications toward model development of sea-ice sampling performance of the ICESat laser altimeter record as well as maximizing sampling characteristics of satellite/airborne laser and radar altimetry missions for sea-ice thickness.