Relationship between taxocenoses of decapod crustaceans and characteristics of coastal detritic bottoms in the east and southeast of the Spanish coast

Se ha estudiado la composición de las poblaciones de crustáceos decápodos en los fondos detríticos circalitorales del Este y Sureste ibérico, con relación a sus diferentes facies, efectuándose diferentes análisis estadísticos sobre la composición y diversidad. La taxocenosis de crustáceos decápodos muestra elevados valores de abundancia, riqueza y diversidad en las localidades identificadas como fondos detríticos costeros de aspecto típico. Por último, algunos grupos de especies podrían ser utilizados para caracterizar las biocenosis típica de fondos detríticos costeros, tales como: Paguristes eremita, Ebalia edwardsi, E. deshayesi, Eurynome aspera, Galathea intermedia, Parthenope massena, y Anapagurus hyndmani; la biocenosis del detrítico costero enfangada: Ebalia tuberosa, Atelecyclus rotundatus, Ethusa mascarone, y Liocarcinus zariquieyi; y la biocenosis de arenas fangosas: Upogebia deltaura, Goneplax rhomboides.

Bathymetric distribution of brachyuran crab (Crustacea, Decapoda) communities on coastal soft bottoms off southeastern Brazil

The communities of brachyuran crabs living on soft bottoms off Ubatuba in SE Brazil were studied with respect to their structure, bathymetric distribution, composition, diversity and indices of similarity. The data were analyzed using multivariate techniques of classification and ordination. Most of the individuals caught during summer were the swimming crab Portunas spinicarpus at the 35 m isobath, which contributed to the much-decreased diversity in this season and site. Multivariate analysis indicated that the species were distributed according to depth and also in relation to environmental gradients.

Skimmers: Their Development and Use in Coastal Louisiana

The origin, development, and utilization of the skimmer net is reviewed along with other historical shrimp gears used in coastal Louisiana. The skimmer was developed to catch white shrimp, Penaeus setiferus, observed jumping over the cork line (headrope) of trawls being worked in shallow waters. A description of the gear is presented including basic components and various frame designs used by fishermen during its development. The advantages of skimmers over bottom trawls include: multiple use as both trawl and butterfly net (wing net), ease of deployment, increased maneuverability, reduction and greater survivability of bycatch, and ability to cover more area due to increased speed and continuous fishing capability. Disadvantages may include compromising vessel stability when stored upright on the deck, possible damage to water bottoms when improperly rigged, and limitation to a 12-foot (3.6 m) maximum depth due to size restrictions. The growing popularity of the skimmer net is evident by its introduction into North Carolina and inquiries from other southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coast states.

Coastal development and pollution impact on the distribution of macrobenthic communities along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Suez (Egypt)

The configuration for the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez was studied over 241 km from Ras Mohammed to Ras Sudr including 35 station. Litters, tar balls and aged oil patches aggregated in considerable amounts on the beach and shore line of the middle part due to the oil spills from off-shore oil wells. A large reef flat in the shallow intertidal waters exists at stations 1 and 2 (Ras Mohammed, Protected area) and spars coral patches are less frequent at the Stations from 7 to 13. Density and diversity of marine benthos were higher on hard and cobble bottoms compared to muddy sand and sandy substrates. The assemblages of the benthic fauna are dominated by the gastropod Courmya (Thericium) vulgata; the bivalve Brachiodontes variabilis, and the barnacles Chthamalus stellatus, Balanus amphitrite and Tetraclita rubescens. The distribution of the algal cover in the intertidal region shows high abundance of the brown algae, Sargassum latifolium; padina pavonica and Cystoseira trinodis rather than the green and red algae. These species are found in both polluted and unpolluted areas. The changes in benthic structures in the study area depend not only on the state of pollution but also on the type of substrates.

Characterisation of physiological conditions and evaluation of well-being in two species of bivalve molluscs (Ruditapes philippinarum and Chamelea gallina) intensively exploited in coastal and lagoon areas of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Italy)

Tese de Doutoramento, Ecologia, Especialidade de Ecofisiologia, Faculdade de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Universidade do Algarve, 2007

Recruitment patterns and processes of coastal fish species in a temperate rocky reef

Tese de Doutoramento, Ciências do Mar, da Terra e do Ambiente, Ramo: Ciências do Mar, Especialização em Ecologia Marinha, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Can small MPAs protect local populations of a coastal flatfish, Solea senegalensis?

The benefits of protection of a small (4.3 km(2)) marine protected area (MPA) for Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis, were investigated through experimental fishing trials and long-term (up to 293days) passive acoustic telemetry. A total of 106 trammel net sets were carried out between 2007 and 2011. Significant differences in abundance and biomass of sole between bottom types/depths (sandy bottoms between 12 and 20m deep vs muddy bottoms between 35 and 45m deep) were found, but no significant differences were attributable to the implementation of the no-take area. Passive acoustic telemetry revealed that most Senegalese sole spent a large part of their time between first and last detections (average residency index=69%) inside a relatively small area (average 95%=1.2km(2)), during which they preferred sandy bottoms, the most common habitat inside the MPA. Results also demonstrated that Senegalese sole do regular excursions beyond reserve boundaries, eventually emigrating from the MPA. The results suggest that small coastal MPAs providing adequate habitat may protect individuals of this species while allowing for moderate levels of adult spillover to neighbouring areas.

An investigation of nucleation events in a coastal urban environment in the southern hemisphere

The occurrence of and conditions favourable to nucleation were investigated at an industrial and commercial coastal location in Brisbane, Australia during five different campaigns covering a total period of 13 months. To identify potential nucleation events, the difference in number concentration in the size range 14-30 nm (N14-30) between consecutive observations was calculated using first-order differencing. The data showed that nucleation events were a rare occurrence, and that in the absence of nucleation the particle number was dominated by particles in the range 30-300 nm. In many instances, total particle concentration declined during nucleation. There was no clear pattern in change in NO and NO2 concentrations during the events. SO2 concentration, in the majority of cases, declined during nucleation but there were exceptions. Most events took place in summer, followed by winter and then spring, and no events were observed for the autumn campaigns. The events were associated with sea breeze and long-range transport. Roadside emissions, in contrast, did not contribute to nucleation, probably due to the predominance of particles in the range 50-100 nm associated with these emissions.

New particle formation and growth at a remote, sub-tropical coastal location

A month-long intensive measurement campaign was conducted in March/April 2007 at Agnes Water, a remote coastal site just south of the Great Barrier Reef on the east coast of Australia. Particle and ion size distributions were continuously measured during the campaign. Coastal nucleation events were observed in clean, marine air masses coming from the south-east on 65% of the days. The events usually began at ~10:00 local time and lasted for 1-4 hrs. They were characterised by the appearance of a nucleation mode with a peak diameter of ~10 nm. The freshly nucleated particles grew within 1-4 hrs up to sizes of 20-50 nm. The events occurred when solar intensity was high (~1000 W m-2) and RH was low (~60%). Interestingly, the events were not related to tide height. The volatile and hygroscopic properties of freshly nucleated particles (17-22.5 nm), simultaneously measured with a volatility-hygroscopicity-tandem differential mobility analyser (VH-TDMA), were used to infer chemical composition. The majority of the volume of these particles was attributed to internally mixed sulphate and organic components. After ruling out coagulation as a source of significant particle growth, we conclude that the condensation of sulphate and/or organic vapours was most likely responsible for driving particle growth during the nucleation events. We cannot make any direct conclusions regarding the chemical species that participated in the initial particle nucleation. However, we suggest that nucleation may have resulted from the photo-oxidation products of unknown sulphur or organic vapours emitted from the waters of Hervey Bay, or from the formation of DMS-derived sulphate clusters over the open ocean that were activated to observable particles by condensable vapours emitted from the nutrient rich waters around Fraser Island or Hervey Bay. Furthermore, a unique and particularly strong nucleation event was observed during northerly wind. The event began early one morning (08:00) and lasted almost the entire day resulting in the production of a large number of ~80 nm particles (average modal concentration during the event was 3200 cm-3). The Great Barrier Reef was the most likely source of precursor vapours responsible for this event.

Enriching relationships : community engagment toward sustainable coastal futures

Coastal communities face the social, cultural and environmental challenges of managing rapid urban and industrial development, expanding tourism, and sensitive ecological environments. Enriching relationships between communities and universities through a structured engagement process can deliver integrated options towards sustainable coastal futures. This process draws on the embedded knowledge and values of all participants in the relationship, and offers a wide and affordable range of options for the future. This paper reviews lessons learnt from two projects with coastal communities, and discusses their application in a third. Queensland University of Technology has formed collaborative partnerships with industry in Queensland's Wide Bay-Burnett region to undertake a series of planning and design projects with community engagement as a central process. Senior students worked with community and produced design and planning drawings and reports outlining future options for project areas. A reflective approach has been adopted by the authors to assess the engagement process and outcomes of each project to learn lessons to apply in the next. Methods include surveying community and student participants regarding the value they place on process and outcomes respectively in planning for a sustainable future. All project participants surveyed have placed high importance on the process of engagement, emphasising the value of developing relationships between all project partners. The quality of these relationships is central to planning for sustainable futures, and while the outcomes the students deliver are valued, it is as much for their catalytic role as for their contents. Design and planning projects through community engagement have been found to develop innovative responses to the challenges faced by coastal communities seeking direction toward sustainable futures. The enrichment of engagement relationships and processes has an important influence on the quality of these design and planning responses.

A method of lines approach for modelling saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifiers

The equations governing saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers are complex. Backward Euler time stepping approaches are often used to advance the solution to these equations in time, which typically requires that small time steps be taken in order to ensure that an accurate solution is obtained. We show that a method of lines approach incorporating variable order backward differentiation formulas can greatly improve the efficiency of the time stepping process.