Revision of the family Ammodytidae (Perciformes) in the Mediterranean with the first record of Gymnammodytes semisquamatus

1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sabatés ◽  
M. Demestre ◽  
P. Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
First Record ◽  
Latitudinal Cline ◽  
Meristic Characters ◽  
The North ◽  
Meristic Counts ◽  
The Family ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Mediterranean

The study of the morphological and meristic characters of larval and adult sandeels (Gymnammodytes spp.) collected off the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean) has revealed the co-occurrence of G. cicerelus and G. semisquamatus in the Mediterranean. The geo-graphical distribution of G. semisquamatus had hitherto been thought to be limited to the European Atlantic coasts. The comparative analysis of specimens of G. semisquamatus from the Mediterranean and from the North Atlantic has demonstrated a marked latitudinal cline in the meristic counts. An exhaustive overview is presented of the bibliography referring to the Ammodytidae family in the Mediterranean, and the validity of the numerous references is discussed. Finally, it has been shown that the accepted description of G. cicerelus included the two species: G. cicerelus and G. semisquamatus. In the present paper an up-to-date diagnosis of both species is presented.

7000 years of paleostorm activity in the NW Mediterranean Sea in response to Holocene climate events

2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Sabatier ◽  
Laurent Dezileau ◽  
Christophe Colin ◽  
Louis Briqueu ◽  
Frédéric Bouchette ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Clay Mineralogy ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Storm Activity ◽  
The North ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Nw Mediterranean Sea

A high-resolution record of paleostorm events along the French Mediterranean coast over the past 7000 years was established from a lagoonal sediment core in the Gulf of Lions. Integrating grain size, faunal analysis, clay mineralogy and geochemistry data with a chronology derived from radiocarbon dating, we recorded seven periods of increased storm activity at 6300–6100, 5650–5400, 4400–4050, 3650–3200, 2800–2600, 1950–1400 and 400–50 cal yr BP (in the Little Ice Age). In contrast, our results show that the Medieval Climate Anomaly (1150–650 cal yr BP) was characterised by low storm activity.The evidence for high storm activity in the NW Mediterranean Sea is in agreement with the changes in coastal hydrodynamics observed over the Eastern North Atlantic and seems to correspond to Holocene cooling in the North Atlantic. Periods of low SSTs there may have led to a stronger meridional temperature gradient and a southward migration of the westerlies. We hypothesise that the increase in storm activity during Holocene cold events over the North Atlantic and Mediterranean regions was probably due to an increase in the thermal gradient that led to an enhanced lower tropospheric baroclinicity over a large Central Atlantic-European domain.

scholarly journals New Miocene Monachinae from the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland, USA)

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Rahmat ◽  
I. A. Koretsky ◽  
J. E. Osborne ◽  
A. A. Alford
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Low Salinity ◽  
The North ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
The Family ◽  
Western Shore ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract The Family Phocidae includes four subfamilies (Phocinae, Monachinae, Cystophorinae, and Devinophocinae) consisting of mediumto large-sized mammals that possess distinctive adaptations to semi-aquatic life. In the Miocene of the Chesapeake Group, only two subfamilies of the Family Phocidae were identified: Phocinae and Monachinae. Leptophoca, a representative of the subfamily Phocinae, appears on the eastern shore of the North Atlantic around 16 million years ago. Recently, two new monachine species, the larger Terranectes magnus (n. gen., n. sp.) and the medium-sized T. parvus (n. sp.), were recorded in the Upper Miocene of the Chesapeake Group in the Eastover Formation (7.0–6.0 Ma) and St. Marys Formation (10.0-8.0 Ma). These two distinct subfamilies of seals indicate a well-marked divergence between phocines and monachines, much earlier than 18 million years ago, as previously suggested. The Eastover Formation was deposited in a shallow embayment that covered southern Maryland, the coastal plain of Virginia, and the northeastern corner of North Carolina. The geologically older St. Marys Formation represents a tide-influenced coastal environment, with low-salinity estuaries. There was a sharp temperature decrease in the Late Miocene, indicated by a shift to a cooler-water fish fauna during St. Marys time. The Eastover Formation reflects warmer waters with relatively strong currents, significant shoals, barriers, and varied depths. Fossil evidence of earlier seals suggests that phocids originated in the North Atlantic and otarioids in the North Pacific. True seals diverged from ancient Carnivora in the early Oligocene (or earlier) in the Paratethyan / Mediterranean Basins, spread widely during the Middle Miocene and crossed westward across the Atlantic Ocean, before dispersing in the eastern United States by the Early Pliocene.

First record of the deep-water whalefish Cetichthys indagator (Actinopterygii: Cetomimidae) in the North Atlantic Ocean

2012 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 1133-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Vieira ◽  
B. Christiansen ◽  
S. Christiansen ◽  
J. M. S. Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
First Record ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

North Atlantic Oscillation-related impacts on precipitation over the Italian Peninsula during the 1979-2020 period

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Lorenzo Sánchez ◽  
Leonardo Aragão
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Italian Peninsula ◽  
The North ◽  
Nao Index ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Resolution Dataset

<p>The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) has been widely recognized as one of the main patterns of atmospheric variability over the northern hemisphere, helping to understand variations on the North Atlantic Jet (NAJ) position and its influence on storm-tracks, atmospheric blocking and Rossby Wave breaking. Among several relevant teleconnection patterns identified through different timescales, the most prominent ones are found for northern Europe during winter months, when positive (negative) phases of NAO are related to wetter (drier) conditions. Although it is not well defined yet, an opposite connection is observed for the Mediterranean region, where negative NAO values are often associated with high precipitation. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to identify which regions and periods of the year are the most susceptible to abundant NAO-related precipitation throughout the Italian Peninsula. For doing so, the last 42 years period (1979-2020) was analysed using the Fifth Generation ECMWF Atmospheric ReAnalysis of the Global Climate (ERA5). The NAO index was calculated using the Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP) extracted from the nearest gridpoints to Reykjavik, Ponta Delgada, Lisbon and Gibraltar, with a time resolution of one hour and horizontal spatial resolution of 0.25ºx0.25º. Both NAO index and MSLP time series were validated for different timescales (hourly, daily, monthly and seasonal) using the Automated Surface Observing System data and the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) high-resolution dataset (based on measured data). High correlations, ranging from 0.92 to 0.98, were found for all stations, timescales and evaluated parameters. To quantify the influence of NAO over the Mediterranean region, the monthly averaged ERA5 ‘total precipitation’ data over the Italian Peninsula [35-48º N; 5-20º E] were used. As expected, the results concerning NAO x Precipitation presented the best correlations when analysed monthly, confirming some of the already known NAO signatures over the Italian Peninsula: higher correlations during winter and over the Tyrrhenian coast, and lower correlations during summer and over the Apennines, the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. On the other hand, the precipitation over the Alps and the Tunisian coast presented a remarkable signature of positive NAO values that, despite a lower statistical significance (85-90%), is in agreement with recent findings of observational studies. In addition, significant negative correlations were identified for the spring and autumn months over the Tyrrhenian area. Among those, the high correlations found during May are particularly interesting, as they follow the behaviour described in recent studies performed using the same high-resolution dataset (ERA5), which have identified an increased number of cyclones over the Mediterranean during this month. This connection suggests that NAO could also be used to explore the potential penetration of the North Atlantic depressions into the Mediterranean Basin. </p><p>Keywords: NAO; Teleconnections; ERA5; ReAnalysis; Mediterranean; Climatology.</p>

First record of the rare deep-sea polychaete Rhamphobrachium (Rhamphobrachium) agassizii (Annelida: Onuphidae) in European waters

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 719-724
Author(s):  
Andrés Arias ◽  
Hannelore Paxton
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
First Record ◽  
Polychaete Species ◽  
Azores Archipelago ◽  
The North ◽  
Deep Water Species ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Water Species

AbstractRhamphobrachium (Rhamphobrachium) agassizii is reported from the Cantabrian Sea, Spain, from depths of 925–1207 m. This is its first record off the Iberian Peninsula and in European waters, representing its northernmost distribution in the North Atlantic Ocean to date. Previous reports of R. (R.) agassizii from the eastern and western North Atlantic demonstrate its apparent amphi-Atlantic distribution, which appears consistent with the distribution of the main Atlantic currents. It is a typical deep-water species with its deepest record at 2165 m from the Azores archipelago. The specimens were collected singly at two stations, attesting to the rarity of the species in contrast to its congener R. (Spinigerium) brevibrachiatum which was the most dominant polychaete species in a previous study.

scholarly journals Cyclones causing wind storms in the Mediterranean: characteristics, trends and links to large-scale patterns

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1379-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Nissen ◽  
G. C. Leckebusch ◽  
J. G. Pinto ◽  
D. Renggli ◽  
S. Ulbrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Positive Phase ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Wind Storms ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Wind Events ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract. A climatology of cyclones with a focus on their relation to wind storm tracks in the Mediterranean region (MR) is presented. Trends in the frequency of cyclones and wind storms, as well as variations associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the East Atlantic/West Russian (EAWR) and the Scandinavian variability pattern (SCAND) are discussed. The study is based on the ERA40 reanalysis dataset. Wind storm tracks are identified by tracking clusters of adjacent grid boxes characterised by extremely high local wind speeds. The wind track is assigned to a cyclone track independently identified with an objective scheme. Areas with high wind activity – quantified by extreme wind tracks – are typically located south of the Golf of Genoa, south of Cyprus, southeast of Sicily and west of the Iberian Peninsula. About 69% of the wind storms are caused by cyclones located in the Mediterranean region, while the remaining 31% can be attributed to North Atlantic or Northern European cyclones. The North Atlantic Oscillation, the East Atlantic/West Russian pattern and the Scandinavian pattern all influence the amount and spatial distribution of wind inducing cyclones and wind events in the MR. The strongest signals exist for the NAO and the EAWR pattern, which are both associated with an increase in the number of organised strong wind events in the eastern MR during their positive phase. On the other hand, the storm numbers decrease over the western MR for the positive phase of the NAO and over the central MR during the positive phase of the EAWR pattern. The positive phase of the Scandinavian pattern is associated with a decrease in the number of winter wind storms over most of the MR. A third of the trends in the number of wind storms and wind producing cyclones during the winter season of the ERA40 period may be attributed to the variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation.

The reproductive biology of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the Strait of Gibraltar

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 649-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noureddine Abid ◽  
Amin Laglaoui ◽  
Abdelhay Arakrak ◽  
Mohammed Bakkali
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Mixing Rate ◽  
The North ◽  
Lower Jaw ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Maturity

During the period from April to September for the years 2014–2016, 998 swordfishes caught by the Moroccan artisanal longline fishery in the Strait of Gibraltar were sampled to study the reproduction of this species in this mixing area between the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic. The results showed that the sex ratio is slightly in favour of males for sizes smaller than 130 cm LJFL (Lower jaw-fork length), whereas females are more numerous in sizes larger than 140 cm LJFL. Fifty per cent of females were estimated to be mature at 170 cm LJFL, while for males, the size at first maturity was estimated to be 95 cm LJFL. The swordfish spawn from June to September, probably in the Mediterranean Sea. The findings of this study suggest that the reproductive characteristics of swordfish caught in the Strait of Gibraltar are similar to those of the Mediterranean swordfish, and a high mixing rate between the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic stocks occurs in the study area.

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