scholarly journals Coastal Garbage Patches: Fronts Accumulate Plastic Films at Ashmore Reef Marine Park (Pulau Pasir), Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Hajbane ◽  
Bruna Calmanovici ◽  
Julia Reisser ◽  
Adam Jolly ◽  
Vyvyan Summers ◽  
...  

Millions of tons of buoyant plastic materials enter oceans annually, the majority originating from terrestrial sources and transported to oceans where oceanographic processes disperse or accumulate them. Some of these materials beach while others accumulate in convergent zones in coastal seas and the open ocean. Although accumulations associated with subtropical gyres, for example, the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (GPGP) are well-known, coastal accumulation zones have received less attention. Here we report quantities and characteristics of plastics accumulated in fronts encountered within the Ashmore Reef marine park (Pulau Pasir), northern Australia. These areas, as well as surrounding waters, were sampled using Manta trawls, drone, and snorkel surveys conducted in October 2018. With mean plastic concentrations of 523,146 pieces km−2 for plastics > 500 micron these hotpots contained plastic concentrations an order of magnitude higher than surrounding waters (16,561 pieces km−2) and comparable to the largest known accumulation zone: the GPGP. Furthermore, the mean mass within hotspots was 5,161 g km–2 vs. 9 g km–2 in surrounding waters. Therefore, we classify the features described in this study as types of “Coastal Garbage Patches” (CGPs). Importantly, the coastal fronts accumulating plastics in CGPs are key habitats for many marine species. Biomass outnumbered plastics by weight, with a ratio of 0.521 in CGPs and 0.016 in surrounding waters vs. 287.7 recorded in the GPGP. Polymer types found between the CGPs and GPGP were similar, but plastic films vastly dominated in the CGPs, whilst they were amongst the rarest types found in the GPGP. This study demonstrates the existence of CGPs coinciding with high priority conservation zones in coastal waters and highlights a need for further research into these environments.

1971 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 15-19
Author(s):  
George B. Rybicki

AbstractIt is shown that the time of relaxation by particle encounters of self-gravitating systems in the plane interacting by 1/r2 forces is of the same order of magnitude as the mean orbit time. Therefore such a system does not have a Vlasov limit for large numbers of particles, unless appeal is made to some non-zero thickness of the disk. The relevance of this result to numerical experiments on galactic structure is discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaoyu Yang ◽  
Haibin Ye

AbstractA coastal front was detected in the eastern Guangdong (EGD) coastal waters during a downwelling-favorable wind period by using the diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (Kd(490)). Long-term satellite data, meteorological data and hydrographic data collected from 2003 to 2017 were jointly utilized to analyze the environmental factors affecting coastal fronts. The intensities of the coastal fronts were found to be associated with the downwelling intensity. The monthly mean Kd(490) anomalies in shallow coastal waters less than 25 m deep along the EGD coast and the monthly mean Ekman pumping velocities retrieved by the ERA5 dataset were negatively correlated, with a Pearson correlation of − 0.71. The fronts started in October, became weaker and gradually disappeared after January, extending southwestward from the southeastern coast of Guangdong Province to the Wanshan Archipelago in the South China Sea (SCS). The cross-frontal differences in the mean Kd(490) values could reach 3.7 m−1. Noticeable peaks were found in the meridional distribution of the mean Kd(490) values at 22.5°N and 22.2°N and in the zonal distribution of the mean Kd(490) values at 114.7°E and 114.4°E. The peaks tended to narrow as the latitude increased. The average coastal surface currents obtained from the global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) showed that waters with high nutrient and sediment contents in the Fujian and Zhejiang coastal areas in the southern part of the East China Sea could flow into the SCS. The directions and lengths of the fronts were found to be associated with the flow advection.


2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (spe3) ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Igawa Martinez ◽  
Ana Júlia Fernandes Cardoso de Oliveira

Urban development in coastal areas is intense and leads to the increase of sewage outfall and other negative impacts as consequences. Thus, stringent regulations establishing limits to the microbiological contamination of water and seafood are needed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of Enterococci and Thermotolerant Coliform densities in the flesh of mussels Perna perna as an alternative tool for monitoring the microbiological quality of coastal waters. The study also considers allometric relations applied to clearance rates to understand rates of bacterial concentration. Bacterial loads obtained in mussels' flesh were from 50 to 4,300 times greater than in the water sampled in the vicinity of the mussels and some were considered inappropriate for consumption even when the water presented no restrictions. The mean clearance rate obtained for Enterococci retention was 317.7 ml h-1 and this rate (CR) is related to the mussels' size (L) by the equation CR = 28.3229L1.6421. The results showed that bacterial densities in the mussels' tissues may reflect chronic contamination of the environment and that clearance rates are important for taking the best decision in situations where, for example, it is desired to introduce mussels for aquaculture and the evaluation of the water concerned is required.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jean-Luc Menet

The implantation of wind turbines generally follows a wind potential study which is made using specific numerical tools; the generated expenses are only acceptable for great projects. The purpose of the present paper is to propose a simplified methodology for the evaluation of the wind potential, following three successive steps for the determination of (i) the mean velocity, either directly or by the use of the most occurrence velocity (MOV); (ii) the velocity distribution coming from the single knowledge of the mean velocity by the use of a Rayleigh distribution and a Davenport-Harris law; (iii) an appropriate approximation of the characteristic curve of the turbine, coming from only two technical data. These last two steps allow calculating directly the electric delivered energy for the considered wind turbine. This methodology, called the SWEPT approach, can be easily implemented in a single worksheet. The results returned by the SWEPT tool are of the same order of magnitude than those given by the classical commercial tools. Moreover, everybody, even a “neophyte,” can use this methodology to obtain a first estimation of the wind potential of a site considering a given wind turbine, on the basis of very few general data.


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 1331-1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Armstrong ◽  
S. M. Blumenfeld ◽  
C. G. Gray

Extensive measurements of the methane ν3 and ν4 fundamental vibration–rotation bands in CH4–He mixtures and the ν3 band in CH4–He, CH4–N2, and CD4–He mixtures have been carried out in infrared absorption at 295 °K to pressures of 3000 atm. Some profiles of the ν3 band in CH4–Ar mixtures and in pure CH4 have also been obtained. Rotational correlation functions, band moments, and intermolecular mean squared torques have been determined from the ν3 band profiles. Theoretical calculations of the mean squared torque due to anisotropic multipolar, induction and dispersion interactions have been carried out. The theoretical and experimental torques are in order-of-magnitude agreement for the CH4–N2 and CH4–CH4 systems; for CH4–He, CD4–He, and CH4–Ar the theoretical values are two to three orders of magnitude too small to account for the experimental values, indicating that in these cases the dominant contribution to the torques is given by the anisotropic overlap forces.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. S. Travkin ◽  
◽  
T. V. Belonenko ◽  

Purpose. The Lofoten Basin is one of the most energetic zones of the World Ocean characterized by high activity of mesoscale eddies. The study is aimed at analyzing different components of general energy in the basin, namely the mean kinetic and vortex kinetic energy calculated using the integral of the volume of available potential and kinetic energy of the Lofoten Vortex, as well as variability of these characteristics. Methods and Results. GLORYS12V1 reanalysis data for the period 2010–2018 were used. The mean kinetic energy and the eddy kinetic one were analyzed; and as for the Lofoten Vortex, its volume available potential and kinetic energy were studied. The mesoscale activity of eddies in winter is higher than in summer. Evolution of the available potential energy and kinetic energy of the Lofoten Vortex up to the 1000 m horizon was studied. It is shown that the vortex available potential energy exceeds the kinetic one by an order of magnitude, and there is a positive trend with the coefficient 0,23⋅1015 J/year. It was found that in the Lofoten Basin, the intermediate layer from 600 to 900 m made the largest contribution to the potential energy, whereas the 0–400 m layer – to kinetic energy. The conversion rates of the mean kinetic energy into the vortex kinetic one and the mean available potential energy into the vortex available potential one (barotropic and baroclinic instability) were analyzed. It is shown that the first type of transformation dominates in summer, while the second one is characterized by its increase in winter. Conclusions. The vertical profile shows that the kinetic energy of eddies in winter is higher than in summer. The available potential energy of a vortex is by an order of magnitude greater than the kinetic energy. An increase in the available potential energy is confirmed by a significant positive trend and by a decrease in the vortex Burger number. The graphs of the barotropic instability conversion rate demonstrate the multidirectional flows in the vortex zone with the dipole structure observed in a winter period, and the tripole one – in summer. The barotropic instability highest intensity is observed in summer. The baroclinic instability is characterized by intensification of the regime in winter that is associated with weakening of stratification in this period owing to winter convection.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Ismaïla NDIAYE ◽  
Alassane SARR ◽  
Alioune FAYE ◽  
Modou THIAW ◽  
Malick DIOUF ◽  
...  

In this study, a total of 1068 specimens Sardinella aurita of which 553 females and 515 males were examined. The objectif of this study was to determine the reproductive parameters of Sardinella aurita. The sex ratio was significantly in favor of females (55%). The size at first sexual maturity was estimated at 18.9 cm for females and 18.0 cm for males. The monthly variation of sexual maturity stages and gonado-somatic index (GSI) allowed to locate the reproduction periods from February to June and from September to December. The mean absolute fecundity was estimated at 110.794 ± 7582 oocytes whereas relative fecundity was about 422 ± 26 oocytes per gram of female.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 1765-1780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikihiko Kai ◽  
James T. Thorson ◽  
Kevin R. Piner ◽  
Mark N. Maunder

We develop a length-disaggregated, spatiotemporal, delta-generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) and apply the method to fishery-dependent catch rates of shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) in the North Pacific. The spatiotemporal model may provide an improvement over conventional time-series and spatially stratified models by yielding more precise and biologically interpretable estimates of abundance. Including length data may provide additional information to better understand life history and habitat partitioning for marine species. Nominal catch rates were standardized using a GLMM framework with spatiotemporal and length composition data. The best-fitting model showed that most hotspots for “immature” shortfin mako occurred in the coastal waters of Japan, while hotspots for “subadult and adult” occurred in the offshore or coastal waters of Japan. We also found that size-specific catch rates provide an indication that there has been a recent increasing trend in stock abundance since 2008.


The propagation and fluctuation of sound have been studied in shallow coastal waters off the British Isles. The environment and the special environmental measurements are described. Acoustic measurements were made for various ranges between about 2 and 137 km, with bottom-laid transducers. Frequencies used were mainly 1, 2 and 3 kHz, most often transmitted continuously but sometimes pulsed. The investigations have extended over several years, and amplitude and phase fluctuations have been found with periods ranging from a year to less than a second. The nine fluctuation mechanisms which have been identified may be summarized as: ( a ) seasonal in amplitude, (seasonal in phase, ( c ) attenuation due to fish which sometimes causes a greatly reduced amplitude at night when the shoals break up, ( d ) storm effects, (e) tidal changes in depth which sweep an interference pattern past the receiver, ( f ) tidal changes in the shear flow or the water structure which also affect the interference pattern, ( g ) phase effects due to tidal changes in the mean streaming velocity, ( h ) fluctuations of a minutes period, some due to fish, ( i ) surface wave effects, which depend critically on the position in the tidal interference cycle. The above nine effects are really all subjects in their own right, and here large advances are described for seven of them. Most of the effects are both new and important, to be measured in many tens of decibels and in hundreds of phase cycles, but perhaps special attention should be drawn to the significance of the work on fish.


1966 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1348-1351
Author(s):  
A. Lodding

A theoretical treatment is given of the recently discovered thermotransport effect in pure liquid metals. The isotope effect is related to the diffusive mass flow by a proportionality factor familiar from electrotransport. The mass flow is given primarily by the temperature dependence of the mean size or amount of density fluctuations in the liquid. Very little activation energy is required for diffusive motion, which takes place by cooperative position adjustments of neighbor atoms. The mean displacement length of the diffusing cluster is by an order of magnitude smaller than the effective cluster diameter. The liquid model suggested is coherent with models based on evidence from other experimental methods.


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