scholarly journals Biogeography of acoustic biodiversity of NW Mediterranean coralligenous reefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Di Iorio ◽  
Manon Audax ◽  
Julie Deter ◽  
Florian Holon ◽  
Julie Lossent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
The North ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

AbstractMonitoring the biodiversity of key habitats and understanding the drivers across spatial scales is essential for preserving ecosystem functions and associated services. Coralligenous reefs are threatened marine biodiversity hotspots that are challenging to monitor. As fish sounds reflect biodiversity in other habitats, we unveiled the biogeography of coralligenous reef sounds across the north-western Mediterranean using data from 27 sites covering 2000 km and 3 regions over a 3-year period. We assessed how acoustic biodiversity is related to habitat parameters and environmental status. We identified 28 putative fish sound types, which is up to four times as many as recorded in other Mediterranean habitats. 40% of these sounds are not found in other coastal habitats, thus strongly related to coralligenous reefs. Acoustic diversity differed between geographical regions. Ubiquitous sound types were identified, including sounds from top-predator species and others that were more specifically related to the presence of ecosystem engineers (red coral, gorgonians), which are key players in maintaining habitat function. The main determinants of acoustic community composition were depth and percentage coverage of coralligenous outcrops, suggesting that fish-related acoustic communities exhibit bathymetric stratification and are related to benthic reef assemblages. Multivariate analysis also revealed that acoustic communities can reflect different environmental states. This study presents the first large-scale map of acoustic fish biodiversity providing insights into the ichthyofauna that is otherwise difficult to assess because of reduced diving times. It also highlights the potential of passive acoustics in providing new aspects of the correlates of biogeographical patterns of this emblematic habitat relevant for monitoring and conservation.

scholarly journals Inter-comparison of daily precipitation products for large-scale hydro-climatic applications over Canada

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 2163-2185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jefferson S. Wong ◽  
Saman Razavi ◽  
Barrie R. Bonsal ◽  
Howard S. Wheater ◽  
Zilefac E. Asong
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
The North ◽  
Global Precipitation Climatology Centre ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Central Canada ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Global Precipitation

Abstract. A number of global and regional gridded climate products based on multiple data sources are available that can potentially provide reliable estimates of precipitation for climate and hydrological studies. However, research into the consistency of these products for various regions has been limited and in many cases non-existent. This study inter-compares several gridded precipitation products over 15 terrestrial ecozones in Canada for different seasons. The spatial and temporal variability of the errors (relative to station observations) was quantified over the period of 1979 to 2012 at a 0.5° and daily spatio-temporal resolution. These datasets were assessed in their ability to represent the daily variability of precipitation amounts by four performance measures: percentage of bias, root mean square error, correlation coefficient, and standard deviation ratio. Results showed that most of the datasets were relatively skilful in central Canada. However, they tended to overestimate precipitation amounts in the west and underestimate in the north and east, with the underestimation being particularly dominant in northern Canada (above 60° N). The global product by WATCH Forcing Data ERA-Interim (WFDEI) augmented by Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) data (WFDEI [GPCC]) performed best with respect to different metrics. The Canadian Precipitation Analysis (CaPA) product performed comparably with WFDEI [GPCC]; however, it only provides data starting in 2002. All the datasets performed best in summer, followed by autumn, spring, and winter in order of decreasing quality. Findings from this study can provide guidance to potential users regarding the performance of different precipitation products for a range of geographical regions and time periods.

Wind wake effects of large offshore wind farms, an underrated impact on the marine ecosystem?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Schrum ◽  
Naveed Akhtar ◽  
Nils Christiansen ◽  
Jeff Carpenter ◽  
Ute Daewel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Ocean Hydrodynamics

<p>The North Sea is a world-wide hot-spot in offshore wind energy production and installed capacity is rapidly increasing. Current and potential future developments raise concerns about the implications for the environment and ecosystem. Offshore wind farms change the physical environment across scales in various ways, which have the potential to modify biogeochemical fluxes and ecosystem structure. The foundations of wind farms cause oceanic wakes and sediment fluxes into the water column. Oceanic wakes have spatial scales of about O(1km) and structure local ecosystems within and in the vicinity of wind farms. Spatially larger effects can be expected from wind deficits and atmospheric boundary layer turbulence arising from wind farms. Wind disturbances extend often over muliple tenths of kilometer and are detectable as large scale wind wakes. Moreover, boundary layer disturbances have the potential to change the local weather conditions and foster e.g. local cloud development. The atmospheric changes in turn changes ocean circulation and turbulence on the same large spatial scales and modulate ocean nutrient fluxes. The latter directly influences biological productivity and food web structure. These cascading effects from atmosphere to ocean hydrodynamics, biogeochemistry and foodwebs are likely underrated while assessing potential and risks of offshore wind.</p><p>We present latest evidence for local to regional environmental impacts, with a focus on wind wakes and discuss results from observations, remote sensing and modelling.  Using a suite of coupled atmosphere, ocean hydrodynamic and biogeochemistry models, we quantify the impact of large-scale offshore wind farms in the North Sea. The local and regional meteorological effects are studied using the regional climate model COSMO-CLM and the coupled ocean hydrodynamics-ecosystem model ECOSMO is used to study the consequent effects on ocean hydrodynamics and ocean productivity. Both models operate at a horizontal resolution of 2km.</p>

scholarly journals Understanding Precipitation Changes in Iberia in Early Spring: Weather Typing and Storm-Tracking Approaches

2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Paredes ◽  
Ricardo M. Trigo ◽  
Ricardo Garcia-Herrera ◽  
Isabel Franco Trigo
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Circulation Changes ◽  
Precipitation Trends

Abstract March monthly accumulated precipitation in the central and western regions of the Iberian Peninsula presents a clear continuous decline of 50% during the 1960–97 period. A finer analysis using daily data reveals that this trend is exactly confined to the month of March. However, this is merely the most visible aspect of a larger phenomenon over the North Atlantic/European sector. The European precipitation trends in March for the period 1960–2000 show a clear distribution of increasing precipitation in the northern regions (the British Isles and parts of Scandinavia) together with decreasing trends throughout the western Mediterranean Basin. Relevant circulation changes over the North Atlantic and European sectors explain these precipitation trends. First, a regional Eulerian approach by means of a weather-type (WT) classification shows that the major rainfall contributors in March display significantly decreasing frequencies for the Iberian Peninsula, in contrast to the corresponding “wet” weather types for the U.K./Ireland sector, which display increasing frequencies. Within a larger context, a Lagrangian approach, based on the analysis of storm tracks over Europe and the North Atlantic region, reveals dramatic changes in the location of cyclones in the last four decades that coincide with the corresponding precipitation trends in Europe. The North Atlantic Oscillation is suggested to be the most important large-scale factor controlling both the circulation changes and the precipitation trends over the Euro–Atlantic area in March. Finally, the potential impact of reduced precipitation for rivers and water resources in the Iberian Peninsula is considered.

scholarly journals Climate and competition influence sockeye salmon population dynamics across the Northeast Pacific Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 943-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Connors ◽  
Michael J. Malick ◽  
Gregory T. Ruggerone ◽  
Pete Rand ◽  
Milo Adkison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The North

Pacific salmon productivity is influenced by ocean conditions and interspecific interactions, yet their combined effects are poorly understood. Using data from 47 North American sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations, we present evidence that the magnitude and direction of climate and competition effects vary over large spatial scales. In the south, a warm ocean and abundant salmon competitors combined to strongly reduce sockeye productivity, whereas in the north, a warm ocean substantially increased productivity and offset the negative effects of competition at sea. From 2005 to 2015, the approximately 82 million adult pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) produced annually from hatcheries were estimated to have reduced the productivity of southern sockeye salmon by ∼15%, on average. In contrast, for sockeye at the northwestern end of their range, the same level of hatchery production was predicted to have reduced the positive effects of a warming ocean by ∼50% (from a ∼10% to a ∼5% increase in productivity, on average). These findings reveal spatially dependent effects of climate and competition on sockeye productivity and highlight the need for international discussions about large-scale hatchery production.

scholarly journals Decadal changes in hydrographic and ecological time-series in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean), identifying links between climate and zooplankton

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Luz Fernández de Puelles ◽  
Juan Carlos Molinero
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Atmospheric Variability ◽  
Survey Period ◽  
Climate Effect ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Balearic Sea

Abstract Fernández de Puelles, M. L., and Molinero, J. C. 2008. Decadal changes in hydrographic and ecological time-series in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean), identifying links between climate and zooplankton. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 311–317. We investigated possible relationships between climate, hydrography, and zooplankton abundance in the Balearic Sea (BS), during a 10-year survey period spanning January 1994 to December 2003. It was demonstrated that large-scale atmospheric variability in the North Atlantic (NA) Ocean acts as a driver of regional meteorological variations and hydrographic patterns in the BS. The results also revealed that the variability of copepods, appendicularians, cladocerans, siphonophores, doliolids, and ostracods is closely related to variations in water temperature recorded during strong anomalies of the NA climate (>1 s.d.). Although the time-series that we analysed cover a period that is relatively short for investigating climate effects on marine ecosystems, the statistical results reported were consistent enough to emphasize the NA’s climate effect on the BS. The cascade of links identified by these results should be considered and integrated into the assessment and modelling studies of pelagic ecosystem and biogeochemical fluxes in the western Mediterranean Sea.

scholarly journals Thalassobaculum salexigens sp. nov., a new member of the family Rhodospirillaceae from the NW Mediterranean Sea, and emended description of the genus Thalassobaculum

2010 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Urios ◽  
Valérie Michotey ◽  
Laurent Intertaglia ◽  
Françoise Lesongeur ◽  
Philippe Lebaron
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Reductase Activity ◽  
Fatty Acid Content ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Family ◽  
Emended Description ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

A novel Gram-negative bacteria, named CZ41_10aT, was isolated from coastal surface waters of the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Cells were motile, pleomorphic rods, 1.6 μm long and 0.7 μm wide and formed cream colonies on marine agar medium. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 65 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences placed the new isolate in the genus Thalassobaculum, a member of the family Rhodospirillaceae, class Alphaproteobacteria. Unlike Thalassobaculum litoreum CL-GR58T, its closest relative, strain CZ41_10aT was unable to grow anaerobically and did not exhibit nitrate reductase activity. On the basis of DNA–DNA hybridization, fatty acid content and physiological and biochemical characteristics, this isolate represents a novel species for which the name Thalassobaculum salexigens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CZ41_10aT (=DSM 19539T=CIP 109064T=MOLA 84T). An emended description of the genus Thalassobaculum is also given.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal variability in growth of juvenile sparid fishes from the Mediterranean littoral zone

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Planes ◽  
E. Macpherson ◽  
F. Biagi ◽  
A. Garcia-Rubies ◽  
J. Harmelin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Underwater Visual Census ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Diplodus Puntazzo ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
The Difference

Populations of three species of juvenile Sparidae (Diplodus puntazzo, Diplodus sargus and Diplodus vulgaris) were sampled at different spatial scales in the north-western Mediterranean Sea over two years to follow growth after settlement. Length–frequency distributions were collected each week for periods of six months following the arrival of off-shore larvae in inshore habitats. Data were collected by underwater visual census along permanent transects.Growth rate measured as the slope of the linear relationship between mean size and time varied between species. Diplodus puntazzo (0.160 mm d−1) and D. vulgaris (0.202 mm d−1), which are settling in winter experienced slower growth than D. sargus (0.567 mm d−1) which settles in summer. It is concluded that the difference was in part due to water temperature. Analysis of growth rate within each species also revealed significant differences among sites probably related to the currents and the water mass temperatures.

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Chemically Characterized Microplastics within the Protected Area of Pelagos Sanctuary (NW Mediterranean Sea): Focus on Natural and Urban Beaches

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3389
Author(s):  
Silvia Merlino ◽  
Marina Locritani ◽  
Gabriele Bernardi ◽  
Carlotta Como ◽  
Stefano Legnaioli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Expanded Polystyrene ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Polymeric Nature ◽  
The North ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

Data on the abundance and distribution of Anthropogenic Marine Debris (AMD) on the coastal areas of the northern Tyrrhenian coast are still scarce. The objective of this study is to characterize, in terms of size, color, morphology and polymeric nature, the Large Microplastics (LMPs), i.e., plastic objects within 1 and 5 mm, sampled on three beaches located within the coastal macro-area of the Pelagos Sanctuary, an international protected zone in the north-western Mediterranean. The beaches have similar morphological characteristics but different degrees of urbanization. LMPs were sampled seasonally for one year. The polymeric nature of a representative subsample of the collected LMPs was investigated using a portable Raman instrument, to assess the feasibility of in situ characterization. In this study, 26,486 items were sorted by typology (Expanded Polystyrene-EPS, fragments, and resin pellets), size, and for fragments and resin pellets, also by color and chemical nature. Statistical data on the quantity, density, type, spatial distribution, and seasonality of the sampled LMPs are presented. Differences in LMP abundance and composition were detected among sites. A seasonality trend emerges from our statistical analysis, depending on both LMP typology and urbanization degrees of the beaches. Our data do not show the existence of a relationship between the size of the investigated MPs and their color, while they suggest that the type of polymer influences the degree of fragmentation. This underlines the need to further investigate the mechanisms leading to the production and dispersion of MPs in coastal areas, taking into account both the urbanization of the beach, and therefore the possible sources of input, and the different types of MPs. Finally, a Raman portable instrument proved to be a valuable aid in performing in situ polymeric characterization of LMPs.

scholarly journals Relationship between winter orographic precipitation with synoptic and large-scale atmospheric circulation: The case of mount Olympus, Greece

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Nikolaos Styllas ◽  
Dimitrios Kaskaoutis
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns ◽  
The North

The relationship between the winter (DJFM) precipitation and the atmospheric circulation patterns is examined around Mount Olympus, Greece in order to assess the effects of orography and atmospheric dynamics over a small (less than 100 x 100 km) spatial domain. Winter accumulated rainfall datasets from 8 stations spread along the eastern (marine) and western (continental) sides of the Mount Olympus at elevations between 30 m and 1150 m are used during the period 1981 to 2000. Synoptic scale conditions of mean sea-level pressure and geopotential heights at 850 hPa and 500 hPa, were used to explain the multiyear rainfall variability. High pressure systems dominated over the central Mediterranean and most parts of central Europe during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, are associated with minimum winter rainfall along both sides of Mount Olympus. The winter of 1996 was associated with peak in rainfall along the marine side of the mountain and was characterized by enhancement of upper level trough over the western Mediterranean and increased low tropospheric depressions over the southern Adriatic and the Ionian Seas. This atmospheric circulation pattern facilitated a southeasterly air flow that affected more (less) the marine (continental) sides of the mountain. In contrast, dominance of low pressure systems with cores over the Gulf of Genoa and the Central Mediterranean affect the study area mostly from west/southwest revealing higher correlations with the precipitation in the continental side of the mountain (r= -0.80; Elassona station) and considerably lower correlations with the marine side (r = -0.67; Katerini station). This highlights the orographic barrier of the Mount Olympus revealing large differences between the upward and leeward sides. Large scale atmospheric patterns like the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Arctic Oscillation seem to influence the winter rainfall in the lowlands along the continental side of the mountain.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document