scholarly journals The role of sustained observations in tracking impacts of environmental change on marine biodiversity and ecosystems

2014 ◽  
Vol 372 (2025) ◽  
pp. 20130339 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Mieszkowska ◽  
H. Sugden ◽  
L. B. Firth ◽  
S. J. Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Multiple Stressor ◽  
Single Station ◽  
Shelf Seas ◽  
The Uk

Marine biodiversity currently faces unprecedented threats from multiple pressures arising from human activities. Global drivers such as climate change and ocean acidification interact with regional eutrophication, exploitation of commercial fish stocks and localized pressures including pollution, coastal development and the extraction of aggregates and fuel, causing alteration and degradation of habitats and communities. Segregating natural from anthropogenically induced change in marine ecosystems requires long-term, sustained observations of marine biota. In this review, we outline the history of biological recording in the coastal and shelf seas of the UK and Ireland and highlight where sustained observations have contributed new understanding of how anthropogenic activities have impacted on marine biodiversity. The contributions of sustained observations, from those collected at observatories, single station platforms and multiple-site programmes to the emergent field of multiple stressor impacts research, are discussed, along with implications for management and sustainable governance of marine resources in an era of unprecedented use of the marine environment.

scholarly journals Jelly surge in the Mediterranean Sea: threat or opportunity?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
CINZIA GRAVILI
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystem ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Fish Farms ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
The Mediterranean

  The rise in water temperature in the Mediterranean Sea, and associated migrations of temperate marine biota, are occurring in the context of a global warming causing an expansion of the tropical jellyfish range, exacerbating jellyfish outbreaks linked to coastal development, nutrient loading, and overfishing. The gelatinous component of plankton is considered as ‘the dark side of ecology’ capable of appearing and disappearing at unpredictable times. In the last decade an increasingly high number of gelatinous plankton blooms are occurring and this makes us wonder if ‘a Mediterranean Sea full of jellyfish is a probable future’. The reasons for rising jellyfish blooms are, probably, manifold. Current studies are aimed to highlight how climatic change is interacting with the Mediterranean ecosystem favouring entrance, abundances and success of alien species and triggering ‘regime shifts’ such as from fish to jellyfish. Jellyfish damage the economic success of power plants, fish farms, tourism, and affect fisheries consuming larvae of commercial fish species. On the other hand, several studies were also taken into account on uses for jellyfish as biofuels and foods but more experimentation is needed to improve the first encouraging results.

CRITICAL FACTORS OF WATER CONTENT FOR FISH STOCKS IN THE WATER RESERVOIRS OF KAZAKHSTAN

2017 ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Saule Zhangirovna Asylbekova ◽  
Kuanysh Baibulatovich Isbekov ◽  
Evgeniy Vyacheslavovich Kulikov
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Hydrological Regime ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Water Reservoirs ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Annual Fish ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Fish Stocks

The hydrological regime of water reservoirs in different years has a decisive impact on the abundance of commercial fish stocks and the quality of ichthyocenoses. In this connection in 2015-2016 there was conducted a retrospective analysis and ranking of hydrological regime impact on these factors. The paper gives evaluation of catches and fish stocks under different scenarios of water availability in the main fishing ponds of the Republic of Kazakhstan that give about 80% of the annual fish catch of the country (except the Caspian Sea). There were analyzed 2000 factors of hydrological regime (water level, annual discharge) and 1845 factors of fishing stocks (catches, abundance, fish biomass). The paper determines the critical characteristics of water availability for fish stocks. There have been proposed a number of administrative decisions and actions in case if water content would approach to the critical level. Among them: limitation of fish catches in the following year; widening zones restricted for fishing; intensification of safety measures of the fish young in residual ponds during arid periods; introduction of catch standards for a unit of fishing effort in low-water years, high-water years and years with normal water level in rivers.

Antimony and arsenic distribution and impacts at a derelict antimony mine in Scotland 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenka Mbadugha ◽  
Duncan Cowper ◽  
Sapar Dossanov ◽  
Graeme Paton
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Environmental Standards ◽  
Arsenic Distribution ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Ore Processing ◽  
Regulatory Limits ◽  
Derelict Mine ◽  
Historic Mining ◽  
The Uk

<p>Mining activities are acknowledged to introduce contaminants into localised environments and cause wider spread diffuse pollution. The concentration, distribution and fate of arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) were studied at the former metalliferous Louisa Mine at Glendinning, Scotland. The associated deposit is one of very few able to produce Sb in the UK and was mined for three brief periods between 1793 and 1922.  </p><p>The remnants of the mine consist of the ore processing area and two spoils. Soils withing these zones as well as around the mine were sampled and complemented by water samples from the adjacent stream, the Glennshanna Burn. All samples were subsequently analysed to map the distribution of contamination and identify pollution sources. The maximum concentrations of As and Sb, 15490 and 1504.2 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> respectively, were determined in soils associated with the ore processing area and spoil heaps. Anthropogenic activities also redistributed As and Sb within these mine zones and altered their relative ratios. The fractions of dissolved As and Sb in soils were < 1 and < 5% of total soil content, respectively, confirming findings of previous studies that As and Sb are relatively immobile. Yet, the concentrations of As and Sb released by soils exceeded regulatory limits.</p><p>Concentrations of As and Sb in surface water in the immediate vicinity of the mine were impacted by a gully discharge, but rapidly diluted. While the concentrations affected by the run-off waters did not exceed EU environmental standards for freshwater, the concentrations of As and Sb sharply increased to 11.43 ± 3.43 and 9.28 ± 0.59 μg l<sup>−1</sup>, respectively, approximately 100 m downstream of the mine site. The unaltered As to Sb ratios in water samples suggested a geogenic source of contamination.</p><p>While there is a justifiable concern about the soil pollution caused by the historic mining in the studied area, the Glenshanna Burn is affected more by indigenous geochemical processes than the derelict mine.</p>

scholarly journals Achieving sustainable coastal environment in Langkawi, Malaysia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazlin Mokhtar ◽  
Minhaz Farid Ahmed ◽  
Khai Ern Lee ◽  
Lubna Alam ◽  
Choo Ta Goh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Coastal Environment ◽  
Coastal Pollution ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Spanish Mackerel ◽  
Coastal Marine

Despite many good policies and institutions, the coastal environment of Langkawi continues to deteriorate. This could be due to lack of effective governance as well as unregulated waste discharge. Evidences collected from the literature during 1996 to 2013 also revealed a significant increase in the concentrations of Zn (R2 = 0.78) and Pb (R2 = 0.12) in the sediment. This appears to be the result of large volume of terrestrial runoff that brings these metals originating from extensive anthropogenic activities. It is a vital indicator of coastal pollution. It is a matter of concern that in many cases Pb concentration in the sediment exceeded the world average value 20 μg/g as well as Canadian Interim Sediment Quality Standard of 35 μg/g for the coastal areas. Similarly, the metal pollution index (MPI) measured over a period of 2007 to 2009 in fish also indicated an increasing trend of pollution in Langkawi. The maximum MPI value (4.87) was recorded in Spanish mackerel. Since pollution of coastal environment has serious implications for marine biodiversity and health of seafood consumers, measures are required to address this problem. Use of constructed wetland might be effective in reducing the coastal pollution as this will filter the effluent and waste before their mixing with the coastal water. Furthermore, enabling the stakeholders to play the environmental stewardship role will ensure better governance of coastal ecosystem and effective implementation of policies, envisaging an improved monitoring of waste/effluent discharge into the coastal marine environment. These measures are among the actions necessary for achieving a sustainable coastal environment of Langkawi.

scholarly journals North Sea cod recovery?

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 961-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Horwood ◽  
Carl O'Brien ◽  
Chris Darby
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Fishing Mortality ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Stock Assessments ◽  
Low Levels

AbstractRecovery of depleted marine, demersal, commercial fish stocks has proved elusive worldwide. As yet, just a few shared or highly migratory stocks have been restored. Here we review the current status of the depleted North Sea cod (Gadus morhua), the scientific advice to managers, and the recovery measures in place. Monitoring the progress of North Sea cod recovery is now hampered by considerable uncertainties in stock assessments associated with low stock size, variable survey indices, and inaccurate catch data. In addition, questions arise as to whether recovery targets are achievable in a changing natural environment. We show that current targets are achievable with fishing mortality rates that are compatible with international agreements even if recruitment levels remain at the current low levels. Furthermore, recent collations of data on international fishing effort have allowed estimation of the cuts in fishing mortality achieved by restrictions on North Sea effort. By the beginning of 2005, these restrictions are estimated to have reduced fishing mortality rates by about 37%. This is insufficient to ensure recovery of North Sea cod within the next decade.

scholarly journals Opportunity for marine fisheries reform in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Cao ◽  
Yong Chen ◽  
Shuanglin Dong ◽  
Arthur Hanson ◽  
Bo Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Marine Fisheries ◽  
Marine Resource ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Marine Resource Management

China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, launched in March 2016, provides a sound policy platform for the protection of marine ecosystems and the restoration of capture fisheries within China’s exclusive economic zone. What distinguishes China among many other countries striving for marine fisheries reform is its size—accounting for almost one-fifth of global catch volume—and the unique cultural context of its economic and resource management. In this paper, we trace the history of Chinese government priorities, policies, and outcomes related to marine fisheries since the 1978 Economic Reform, and examine how the current leadership’s agenda for “ecological civilization” could successfully transform marine resource management in the coming years. We show how China, like many other countries, has experienced a decline in the average trophic level of its capture fisheries during the past few decades, and how its policy design, implementation, and enforcement have influenced the status of its wild fish stocks. To reverse the trend in declining fish stocks, the government is introducing a series of new programs for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, with greater traceability and accountability in marine resource management and area controls on coastal development. As impressive as these new plans are on paper, we conclude that serious institutional reforms will be needed to achieve a true paradigm shift in marine fisheries management in China. In particular, we recommend new institutions for science-based fisheries management, secure fishing access, policy consistency across provinces, educational programs for fisheries managers, and increasing public access to scientific data.

scholarly journals Comparison of the biophysical and trophic characteristics of the Bering and Barents Seas

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1245-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
George L. Hunt ◽  
Bernard A. Megrey
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Walleye Pollock ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Shelf Seas ◽  
Bottom Waters

Abstract The eastern Bering Sea and the Barents Sea share a number of common biophysical characteristics. For example, both are seasonally ice-covered, high-latitude, shelf seas, dependent on advection for heat and for replenishment of nutrients on their shelves, and with ecosystems dominated by a single species of gadoid fish. At the same time, they differ in important respects. In the Barents Sea, advection of Atlantic Water is important for zooplankton vital to the Barents Sea productivity. Advection of zooplankton is not as important for the ecosystems of the southeastern Bering Sea, where high levels of diatom production can support production of small, neritic zooplankton. In the Barents Sea, cod are the dominant gadoid, and juvenile and older fish depend on capelin and other forage fish to repackage the energy available in copepods. In contrast, the dominant fish in the eastern Bering Sea is the walleye pollock, juveniles and adults of which consume zooplankton directly. The southeastern Bering Sea supports considerably larger fish stocks than the Barents. In part, this may reflect the greater depth of much of the Barents Sea compared with the shallow shelf of the southeastern Bering. However, walleye pollock is estimated to occupy a trophic level of 3.3 as compared to 4.3 for Barents Sea cod. This difference alone could have a major impact on the abilities of these seas to support a large biomass of gadoids. In both seas, climate-forced variability in advection and sea-ice cover can potentially have major effects on the productivity of these Subarctic seas. In the Bering Sea, the size and location of pools of cold bottom waters on the shelf may influence the likelihood of predation of juvenile pollock.

scholarly journals Maintaining standing stones benefits biodiversity in lowland heathland

Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Shepheard-Walwyn ◽  
Shonil A. Bhagwat
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Cultural Landscapes ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Landscape Matrix ◽  
Sacred Sites ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe exploitation of natural resources by people generally has detrimental effects on nature but in some cases anthropogenic activities can result in changes to the natural environment that produce new habitats and increase biodiversity. Understanding and supporting such cultural aspects of land use is an important part of effective conservation strategies. The UK has a range of cultural landscapes that contribute to the landscape matrix and are often important for biodiversity. However, little research has been conducted on the relationship between various types of cultural landscapes or their effects on biodiversity. We examined the interaction between semi-natural sacred sites and lowland heathland in Cornwall, and the contribution these sites make to the overall biodiversity within the habitat. We found that semi-natural sacred sites had significantly higher levels of biodiversity compared to surrounding heathland; the existence and use of the sites created new and important habitats for rare and threatened heathland species; and the spiritual and cultural use of the sites aids the management of heathland. Promoting the use of semi-natural sacred sites could therefore contribute to biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, the cultural and spiritual importance of such sites potentially increases the availability of volunteer resources for their management. We highlight the importance of an integrated management approach for achieving effective biodiversity conservation in areas containing multiple types of cultural landscapes.

scholarly journals Natural vs. Anthropic Influence on the Multidecadal Shoreline Changes of Mediterranean Urban Beaches: Lessons from the Gulf of Cagliari (Sardinia)

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3578
Author(s):  
Manuela Biondo ◽  
Carla Buosi ◽  
Daniele Trogu ◽  
Hannah Mansfield ◽  
Matteo Vacchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Temporal Shift ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Urban Beaches

Urban Mediterranean beaches are often characterized by a fragile and unstable equilibrium that can be easily altered by ongoing climate change and by the increase in human pressure. This may pose serious threats to the survival of beach systems that cannot accommodate these modifications. In this paper, the spatio-temporal shift of the shoreline was investigated along two urban beaches in the Gulf of Cagliari (Poetto and Giorgino; southern Sardinia, western Mediterranean Sea) across a time frame of 62 years (1954–2016). The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) ArcGIS™ extension was used to extract different statistical parameters which allowed us to quantify the erosion and accretion rates. These data were further examined in relation to a number of anthropic and natural forcings in order to disentangle the factors controlling shoreline evolution. Eight sectors with interchanging net erosive and accretion trends were identified along the Poetto and Giorgino beaches. In six decades, some sectors of the two study sites appeared to have undergone great shoreline modification as a result of the intense anthropogenic activities impacting these coastal areas. The westernmost portions of both beaches were found to be the most vulnerable to erosion processes; such conditions were likely controlled by the interplaying of local hydrodynamics and by the intense coastal development which affected these sectors. The highest retreat rates (mean end point rate (EPR) = −0.51/year) were recorded in the western limit of Giorgino beach. Along the western limit of Poetto beach, EPR erosion rates (mean EPR = −2.92/year) considerably increased in the years after the artificial beach nourishment carried out in 2002, suggesting that the majority of the nourished material was lost offshore or partly redistributed along the beach. Coastal structures, urban development, river catchment modification, industrial and port activities, beach cleaning and touristic and recreational activities have been identified as the ongoing causes of coastal alteration. If these factors remain constant, under projected climate change scenarios, these beaches are at risk of further increased flooding and erosion. In this context, the application of DSAS appeared as an essential tool, supporting a monitoring system able to provide understanding and, potentially, predictions of the short- to long-term evolution of these beach systems.

scholarly journals Marine Biota and Biodiversity: A Sustainable Tourism Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Ni Ketut Supasti Dharmawan ◽  
Made Sarjana
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Sustainable Environment ◽  
The Republic

Protection and conservation of marine biodiversity and their utilization based on sustainable environment, balance, and fairness play an important role in the context of sustainable tourism. The importance of protecting the availability of a healthy environment, which not only focuses on the present, but also a sustainable environment for future generations, is regulated under several provisions such as: Law of the Republic of  Indonesia Number 27 Year 2007 on the Management of Coastal Areas and Small  Islands, Law No. 32 of 2009 on the Environmental Protection and Management, Law No. 10 Year 2009 on Tourism, Law No. 5 Year 1990 on the Conservation of Biological Diversity and Ecosystems,  the UN WTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. In order to protect and conserve marine biodiversity, it is considered relevant to use deep ecology approach in realizing the presence of marine biota and sustainable biodiversity for the entire ecosystem of life, including human life ecosystems in the development of tourism activities. States and all stakeholders have responsibility for the protection and conservation of biodiversity, including sustainable development of marine biota and its diversity for tourism activities.Keywords: Biodiversity, Protection, Conservation, Responsibility, Sustainable Tourism

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