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1.
Offshore oil & gas industry is moving exploration and production activities into Arctic and deep water regions. Governmental regulations require environmental impact assessments before operations to evaluate the possible effects of accidental oil releases. These are often performed by numerical fate models, like the Oil Spill Contingency and Response (OSCAR) model, which has become an industry standard in Norway. In this model, biodegradation rates are adjusted to local conditions by temperature compensation according to a Q10 approach. Q10 is the multiplier by which rates of enzymatic reactions increase at a 10 °C temperature rise. Herein, this Q10 approach implemented in the OSCAR model is investigated based on published data and novel obtained results. Overall, biodegradation rate predictions calculated by temperature compensation are found to be questionable, and choosing one universal Q10 value is considered not feasible. The high variation in Q10 values is herein attributed to indirect effects of temperature. 相似文献
2.
Caprock has the most important role in the long term safety of formation gas storage. The caprocks trap fluid accumulated beneath, contribute to lateral migration of this fluid and impede its upward migration. The rapid upward passage of invasive plumes due to buoyancy pressure is prevented by capillary pressure within these seal rocks. In the present study, two main seal rocks, from the Zagros basin in the southwest of Iran, a shale core sample of Asmari formation and an anhydrite core sample of Gachsaran formation, were provided. Absolute permeabilities of shale and anhydrite cores, considering the Klinkenberg effect, were measured as 6.09 × 10−18 and 0.89 × 10−18 m2, respectively. Capillary sealing efficiency of the cores was investigated using gas breakthrough experiments. To do so, two distinct techniques including step by step and residual capillary pressure approaches were performed, using carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane gases at temperatures of 70 and 90 °C, under confining pressures in the range 24.13–37.92 MPa. In the first technique, it was found that capillary breakthrough pressure of the cores varies in the range from 2.76 to 34.34 MPa. Moreover, the measurements indicated that after capillary breakthrough, gas effective permeabilities lie in range 1.85 × 10−21 – 1.66 × 10−19 m2. In the second technique, the minimum capillary displacement pressure of shale varied from 0.66 to 1.45 MPa with the maximum effective permeability around 7.76 × 10−21 – 6.69 × 10−20 m2. The results indicate that anhydrite caprock of the Gachsaran formation provides proper capillary sealing efficacy, suitable for long term storage of the injected CO2 plumes, due to its higher capillary breakthrough pressure and lower gas effective permeability. 相似文献
3.
Military sonar has the potential to negatively impact marine mammals. To investigate factors affecting behavioral disruption in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), fifteen sea lions participated in a controlled exposure study using a simulated tactical sonar signal (1 s duration, 3250–3450 Hz) as a stimulus. Subjects were placed into groups of three and each group received a stimulus exposure of 125, 140, 155, 170, or 185 dB re: 1 μPa (rms). Each subject was trained to swim across an enclosure, touch a paddle, and return to the start location. Sound exposures occurred at the mid-point of the enclosure. Control and exposure sessions were run consecutively and each consisted of ten, 30-s trials. The occurrence and severity of behavioral responses were used to create acoustic dose–response and dose–severity functions. Age of the subject significantly affected the dose–response relationship, but not the dose–severity relationship. Repetitive exposures did not affect the dose–response relationship. 相似文献
4.
The central part of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt is characterized by a series of right-lateral and left-lateral transverse tear fault systems, some of them being ornamented by salt diapirs of the Late Precambrian–Early Cambrian Hormuz evaporitic series. Many deep-seated extensional faults, mainly along N–S and few along NW–SE and NE–SW, were formed or reactivated during the Late Precambrian–Early Cambrian and generated horsts and grabens. The extensional faults controlled deposition, distribution and thickness of the Hormuz series. Salt walls and diapirs initiated by the Early Paleozoic especially along the extensional faults. Long-term halokinesis gave rise to thin sedimentary cover above the salt diapirs and aggregated considerable volume of salt into the salt stocks. They created weak zones in the sedimentary cover, located approximately above the former and inactive deep-seated extensional faults. The N–S to NNE–SSW direction of tectonic shortening during the Neogene Zagros folding was sub-parallel with the strikes of the salt walls and rows of diapirs. Variations in thickness of the Hormuz series prepared differences in the basal friction on both sides of the Precambrian–Cambrian extensional faults, which facilitated the Zagros deformation front to advance faster wherever the salt layer was thicker. Consequently, a series of tear fault systems developed along the rows of salt diapirs approximately above the Precambrian–Cambrian extensional faults. Therefore, the present surface expressions of the tear fault systems developed within the sedimentary cover during the Zagros orogeny. Although the direction of the Zagros shortening could also potentially reactivate the basement faults as strike-slip structures, subsurface data and majority of the moderate-large earthquakes do not support basement involvement. This suggests that the tear fault systems are detached on top of the Hormuz series from the deep-seated Precambrian–Cambrian extensional faults in the basement. 相似文献
5.
《Marine Policy》2017
Transition to low carbon sea transport is a logical response to the extreme dependency of the Pacific Islands region on imported fossil fuel, its significant vulnerability to the effects of climate change and the critical shipping needs of Pacific Island countries (PICs). Building on previous work in low carbon sea transport in the Pacific, this paper further considers the barriers to achieving such transition by assessing, through a ‘post-Paris Agreement’ lens, the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted by PICs and contrasting these to the near total lack of investment and planning for low carbon transition in the transport sector with the parallel occurrence in the electricity sector where ~USD 2 billion of donor investment is deployed or queued despite electricity using only ~20% of fossil fuel across the region. Consistent with recent international studies, inadequate and inappropriate financing and policy have been identified as dominant transition barriers for low carbon sea transport development in PICs. This paper further examines the regional level barriers to policy development, and finds them inhibited by the silo nature of the major regional actors. The implications that the Paris Agreement has for climate financing to support the essential research and capacity development needed to underpin a successful low carbon sea transport transition strategy at any useful scale and speed are also considered in this paper. 相似文献
6.
Ancient lacustrine storm-deposits that act as petroleum reservoirs are seldom reported. The Lijin Sag, which is located in the southeastern corner of the Bohai Bay Basin in East China, is a NE–SW trending Cenozoic half-graben basin. Some of its Eocene deposits (Bindong deposits) were interpreted as lacustrine tempestites. The Bindong tempestites, which developed in the lower part of the upper fourth member of the Shahejie Formation (Es41), constitute a new kind of petroleum reservoir and are novel petroleum exploration targets in the Bindong Area. However, the characteristics of the Es41 Bindong tempestite reservoirs and their controlling factors are poorly understood. Point-count analyses of thin sections, scanning electron microscope image analyses, X-ray diffractometry data, and the petrophysical parameters of the Bindong tempestite reservoirs were utilized to estimate the reservoir quality. The reservoirs have undergone significant diagenetic alteration, which can be divided into negative and positive aspects. The negative alteration includes compaction, authigenic minerals, and cementation such as carbonates, clay minerals and overgrowths of quartz and feldspar. The uneven distribution of carbonate cement increased the reservoir’s heterogeneity, with carbonate cement commonly precipitating along the sandstone-mudstone contacts. The primary porosity was severely reduced because of compaction and extensive carbonate cementation. Positive alteration includes dissolution, carbonate cementation, undercompaction and fractures. Carbonate cementation exhibited both positive and negative effects on the reservoir quality. Overall, the objective reservoir quality is quite poor. A quantitative evaluation of the reservoirs’ potential was conducted. The cutoff values of several of the reservoir’s parameters were calculated. The lower limits of the porosity and permeability are 8.35–5.85% and 1.2587–0.2753 × 10–3 μm2, respectively, depending on the depth. The upper limits of the carbonate and mud content are approximately 18.5% and 9–10%, respectively. A fundamental understanding of these characteristics will provide necessary information for extracting hydrocarbons from analogous subsurface reservoirs. 相似文献
7.
During reservoir characterization all the geological uncertainties affecting the quantity and distribution of hydrocarbons should be captured to assess the risks affecting final recovery.In a typical modeling workflow the geological uncertainties are accounted for through the construction of a sufficiently large set of 3-D static models. Out of this set, a few representative models are selected and dynamically simulated so as to correlate the geological characteristics of the reservoir with its dynamic performance and to propagate the uncertainty onto the final recovery factors, yet maintaining the computational run time acceptable. In channelized depositional environments, which are strongly heterogeneous, the selection approach must also account for channel connectivity, which plays a key role in the possibility of efficiently draining the reservoir for a reasonable number of wells.This study can be seen as a step forward in the assessment of the risks associated to the development of channelized reservoirs under the assumption that a way to express the concept of channel connectivity is channel amalgamation. Channel amalgamation is here defined through amalgamation curves which are numerically described using a set of indexes whose combination provide spatial information of channel intersections. These indexes were calculated for a full set of 3-D geological models and used to steer the selection of a representative model sub-set for subsequent fluid flow simulations.The validity of the index-based selection was verified on different sets of synthetic reservoir models through the evaluation of the representativeness of the model sub-set in reproducing the uncertainty of the original dataset. Eventually, the existence of a strong correlation between channel amalgamation and production performance was proved. From a practical perspective, the possibility to include channel amalgamation in the assessment of the geological models can considerably improve the representativeness of the selected models for uncertainty propagation thus reducing significantly the number of geological models to be considered. 相似文献
8.
Deep water fold and thrust belts (DWFTBs) are sedimentary wedges that accommodate plate-scale deformation on both active and passive continental margins. Internally, these wedges consist of individual structures that strongly influence sediment dispersal, bathymetry and fluid migration. Most DWFTB studies investigate basin- and intra-wedge- scale processes using seismic reflection profiles, yet are inherently limited by seismic resolution. Of critical importance is strain distribution and its accommodation on discrete faults compared to distributed deformation. Recent studies have considered strain distribution by investigating regional reflection DWFTBs profiles within coupled systems, which contain down-dip compression and up-dip extension. There is broad agreement of a mis-balance in compression versus extension, with ∼5% excess in the latter associated with horizontal compaction, yet this remains unproven.Using two exceptionally well exposed outcrops in the Spanish Pyrenees we consider deformation of DWFTB at a scale comparable to, and beyond, seismic resolution for the first time. By coupling outcrop observations (decametre to hectometre scale) with a re-evaluation of seismic profiles from the Orange Basin, South Africa, which contains one of the best imaged DWFTBs globally, we provide a unique insight into the deformation from metre to margin scale. Our observations reveal hitherto unrecognised second order structures that account for the majority of the previously recognised missing strain. This re-evaluation implies that ∼5% missing strain should be accounted for in all DWFTBs, therefore existing studies using restorations of the sediment wedge will have underestimated crustal shortening in active margins, or sedimentary shortening in gravity driven systems by this amount. In contrast to previous studies, our observations imply that the majority of this strain is accommodated on discrete fault surfaces and this can explain the occurrence and location of a range of intra-wedge processes that are intimately linked to structures including sediment dispersal, fluid migration pathways and reservoir compartmentalisation. 相似文献
9.
Javier Cotin Manuel García-Tarrasón Carolina Sanpera Lluis Jover Xavier Ruiz 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2011
The Ebro catchment, the largest river basin in Spain, includes various heavily industrialized areas. Among these is the Flix site, where a chemical plant has been operating since the beginning of the 20th century. This extended operational period, together with the construction of a dam next to the factory around 1960, resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of heavily polluted sediments in the adjacent riverbed, many of which are contaminated by mercury. Pollutants from Flix are carried downstream by the Ebro River to its delta. In order to assess the transfer of mercury to the complex river estuary ecosystem, we studied the ecology of the tern community living there as these birds segregate into a range of habitats. For this purpose, first we used stable isotope analysis (SIA) (δ34S, δ13C, δ15N) of eggs to determine the trophic ecology and habitat partitioning of several tern species (Common, Sandwich, Little, Gull-Billed and Whiskered Tern) breeding sympatrically, in order to link their foraging ecology with habitat types. Next we measured mercury concentrations in eggs to monitor the input of this metal into the diverse habitats. With the exception of the Little Tern, the other terns used a restricted habitat range in the Ebro Delta, as shown by C and S isotopes; the Gull-Billed and Whiskered Tern foraged in freshwater habitats, while the Common and Sandwich Tern used marine habitats. This restricted feeding behavior of the Gull-Billed and Common Tern contrasts with previous reports in other breeding sites. The Little Tern, which showed a wide range of isotopic values, was found to be an opportunistic forager but fed mainly in saltpans, a feeding habitat not reported previously for this species in this area. We found that mercury concentrations are related to foraging habitat and diet, and are unexpectedly higher in species feeding on demersal prey in marine habitats and also higher in birds feeding in saltpans than in those feeding in freshwater habitats. The mercury concentrations found in the Little and Common Tern eggs sampled in “Punta de la Banya” may be sufficiently high to endanger breeding success. 相似文献
10.
The construction of wind farms introduces artificial hard substrates in sandy sediments. As Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and pouting (Trisopterus luscus) tend to aggregate in order to feed around these reefs, energy profiling and trophic markers were applied to study their feeding ecology in a wind farm in the Belgian part of the North Sea. The proximate composition (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids) differed significantly between liver and muscle tissue but not between fish species or between their potential prey species. Atlantic cod showed to consume more energy than pouting. The latter had a higher overall energy reserve and can theoretically survive twice as long on the available energy than cod. In autumn, both fish species could survive longer on their energy than in spring. Polyunsaturated fatty acids were found in high concentrations in fish liver. The prey species Jassa and Pisidia were both rich in EPA while Jassa had a higher DHA content than Pisidia.Energy profiling supported the statement that wind farm artificial reefs are suitable feeding ground for both fish species. Sufficient energy levels were recorded and there is no indication of competition. 相似文献
11.
J.P. Coelho M. Nunes M. Dolbeth M.E. Pereira A.C. Duarte M.A. Pardal 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008
The annual total and organic mercury bioaccumulation pattern of Scrobicularia plana and Hediste diversicolor was assessed to evaluate the potential mercury transfer from contaminated sediments to estuarine food webs. S. plana was found to accumulate more total and organic mercury than H. diversicolor, up to 0.79 mg kg−1 and 0.15 mg kg−1 (wet weight) respectively, with a maximum annual uptake of 0.21 mg kg−1 y−1, while for methylmercury the annual accumulation was similar between species and never exceeded 0.045 mg kg−1 y−1. The higher organic mercury fraction in H. diversicolor is related to the omnivorous diet of this species. Both species increase methylmercury exposure by burrowing activities and uptake in anoxic, methylmercury rich sediment layers. Integration with the annual biological production of each species revealed mercury incorporation rates that reached 28 μg m−2 y−1, and to extract as much as 11.5 g Hg y−1 (of which 95% associated with S. plana) in the 0.4 km2 of the most contaminated area, that can be transferred to higher trophic levels. S. plana is therefore an essential vector in the mercury biomagnification processes, through uptake from contaminated sediments and, by predation, to transfer it to economically important and exploited estuarine species. 相似文献
12.
We examined the bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of mercury in two marine finfish species, striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and tautog (Tautoga onitis), collected from the Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island, USA). For each of these target fish, white muscle tissue was analyzed for total mercury (Hg) and results were evaluated relative to fish age, body size, and Hg content of preferred prey. Dietary and stable isotope analysis was also used to elucidate the effect of trophic processes on Hg concentrations in fish. The Hg content of muscle tissue was positively correlated with fish age and length for both species, although striped bass accumulated Hg faster than tautog. Accelerated Hg bioaccumulation in striped bass is consistent with its high trophic level (trophic level = 4.07) and Hg-enriched prey (forage fish and macrocrustaceans; mean Hg content = 0.03 mg Hg kg wet wt?1). In contrast, tautog maintain a lower trophic status (trophic level = 3.51) and consume prey with lower Hg levels (mussels and crabs; mean Hg content = 0.02 mg Hg kg wet wt?1). Despite differences in Hg bioaccumulation between target fish, the mean Hg concentration of tautog exceeded levels in striped bass (0.24 and 0.16 mg Hg kg wet wt?1, respectively) due to a disparity in age-at-catch between sampled groups (mean age of tautog and bass = 11.3 and 4.3 yr, respectively). Taking into account legal minimum catch lengths further revealed that 75.0% of legal-size striped bass (>70.2 cm TL; n = 4) and 44.8% of tautog (>40.6 cm TL; n = 29) had Hg levels beyond the US EPA regulatory threshold of 0.3 mg Hg kg wet wt?1. Moreover, Hg-length relationships suggest that each target fish meets this threshold near their minimum legal catch length. Our findings reiterate the value of species ecology to improve predictions of fish Hg and permit better management of human contamination by this important dietary source. 相似文献
13.
14.
The top-down effects of predators on ecosystem structure and dynamics have been studied increasingly. However, the nature and consequence of trophic interactions between upper-trophic-level predators have received considerably less attention. This is especially the case in marine systems due to the inherent challenges of studying highly mobile marine species. Here we describe the first documentation of asymmetrical intraguild predation by a pinniped predator on a mid-sized predatory shark. The report is based on direct observations in South African waters, in which free-swimming blue sharks Prionace glauca were captured and partially consumed by Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus. These observations are important not just for understanding the interactions between these two species but more broadly for their implications in understanding the trophic ecology of pinnipeds, many populations of which have increased while numerous shark populations have declined. 相似文献
15.
Broad-scale movements (10s–100s km) of highly migratory species, such as sharks, present unique management challenges as fish migrate across international boundaries, thereby exposing them to different levels of anthropogenic pressure. Lemon sharks and blacktip sharks are well-studied throughout their range in the western North Atlantic, but broad-scale movements in the Caribbean region are largely unknown. Utilizing 10 years (2004–2014) of acoustic and conventional tagging data, this study presents the post-nursery movements of young of the year (YOY) and juvenile blacktip (n = 198) and lemon (n = 130) sharks tagged in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). A total of five (2.5%) blacktip sharks were recaptured by recreational and commercial fishers in the greater Caribbean and as far north as the southeastern coast of the United States, moving between 2 and 2,200 km and crossing a minimum of six international boundaries. Of the acoustically tagged blacktip (n = 88) and lemon (n = 45) sharks, 28 (32%) and 16 (24%), respectively, were detected outside the boundaries of the nursery area in which they were tagged, dispersing throughout the USVI territory; blacktip sharks were acoustically detected beyond territorial waters as far as Florida, United States (1,881 km). Both species transited through local marine protected areas but did not establish residency resulting in little protection. This is the first study to examine connectivity between blacktip shark populations of the USVI and the east coast of the United States. 相似文献
16.
Multiple stable isotope analyses were used to examine the trophic shifts at faunal assemblages within the invading macroalga Caulerpa racemosa in comparison to established communities of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. Sampling of macrobenthic invertebrates and their potential food sources of algal mats and seagrass meadows in Mallorca (NW Mediterranean) showed differences in species composition of faunal and primary producers among seagrass and C. racemosa. Accordingly, changes in food web structure and trophic guilds were observed, not only at species level but also at community level. The carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures of herbivores, detritivores and deposit feeders confirmed that the seagrass provided a small contribution to the macrofaunal organisms. δ13C at the P. oceanica seagrass and at the C. racemosa assemblages differed, ranging from −6.19 to −21.20‰ and −2.67 to −31.41‰, respectively. δ15N at the Caulerpa mats was lower (ranging from 2.64 to 10.45‰) than that at the seagrass meadows (3.51–12. 94‰). Significant differences in isotopic signatures and trophic level among trophic guilds at P. oceanica and C. racemosa were found. N fractionation at trophic guild level considerable differed between seagrass and macroalgae mats, especially for detritivores, deposit feeders, and herbivores. Filter feeders slightly differed with a relatively lower N signal at the seagrass and CR values at community level and at trophic guild level were higher in the C. racemosa invaded habitats indicating an increase in diversity of basal resource pools. C. racemosa did seem to broaden the niche diversity of the P. oceanica meadows it colonised at the base of the food web, may be due to the establishment of a new basal resource. The extent of the effects of invasive species on ecosystem functioning is a fundamental issue in conservation ecology. The observed changes in invertebrate and macrophytic composition, stable isotope signatures of concomitant species and consequent trophic guild and niche breadth shifts at invaded Caulerpa beds increase our understanding of the seagrass systems. 相似文献
17.
Total mercury concentrations were determined in surficial sediments, eleven species of benthic organisms and six species of fish from Haifa Bay, Israel. The results show that essentially all of the shallow water zone of the Bay receives anthropogenic mercury. A mercury-cell chlor-alkali plant was identified as the source of pollution. Surficial sediments in the vicinity of the plant, containing up to 0·99 μg Hg/g dry weight, were up to 157 times enriched in mercury relative to an unpolluted area. Mercury levels in the benthic organisms reflected the levels in the sediments. Maximal concentrations reaching 38·7 and 18·2 μg Hg/g dry weight were found in the carnivorous gastropod molluscs Arcularia circumcinta and Arcularia gibbosula, respectively. In all fish species, specimens caught in Haifa Bay had higher mercury concentrations in the muscle tissue than specimens caught south of the Bay. A maximal value of 1·66 μg Hg/g wet weight was recorded in Diplodus sargus. 相似文献
18.
Anna Soler-Membrives Sergio Rossi Toms Munilla 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2011,92(4):819-597
Fatty acid analysis has proved valuable in determining seasonal trophic links and the feeding behavior in organisms in which these diet and trophic links cannot be inferred from stomach content analyses. Seasonal variations in total free fatty acid content (TFFA) and fatty acid composition of seston (<250 μm), the brown macroalgae Stypocaulon spp., polychaetes (Nereididae) and the pycnogonid Ammothella longipes have been used to establish their trophic links, with particular focus on seasonality and feeding ecology of A. longipes. Samples were collected in a coastal environment (NW Mediterranean Sea) at 7–10 m depth, in five different periods (August and October 2008, February, June and September 2009). Seston and Stypocaulon spp. samples did not show significant seasonal variations in TFFA content, while nereids showed a significant variation. Analysis of fatty acid profile showed high similarities of fatty acid composition between seston and Stypocaulon spp. Nereids were closer to seston and Stypocaulon spp. than A. longipes, which seemed to follow a seasonal trend. The results of this study reveal that A. longipes may change its feeding behavior depending on the season and available food. This pycnogonid species appears to be carnivore during spring and early summer but seems to feed on detritus when availability of prey diminishes during winter. Notable high amounts of odd-chain fatty acids are found in summer–autumn for this species, which may come from bacteria acquired from the detrital diet or from de novo biosynthesis from propionate. The results obtained provide new and valuable data on the understudied feeding biology of pycnogonids in general, and contribute to the understanding of their functioning of Mediterranean shallow oligotrophic systems and their trophic links. 相似文献
19.
Deep-water sharks are considered highly vulnerable species due to their life characteristics and very low recovery capacity against overfishing. However, there is still limited information on the ecology or population connectivity of these species. The aim of this study was to investigate if the species Centrophorus squamosus could make long displacements and thus confirm the existence of connectivity between different deep-water areas. In addition, the study was the first attempt to use tagging techniques on deep-water sharks, since it has never been undertaken before. Five C. squamosus were tagged with satellite tags (PAT) in the El Cachucho Marine Protected Area (Le Danois Bank) located in waters of the North of Spain, Cantabrian Sea (NE Atlantic). Data from four of these tags were recovered. One of the sharks travelled approximately 287 nm toward the north east (French continental shelf) hypothetically following the continental slope at a mean depth of 901±109 m for 45 days. Two other sharks spent almost 4 months traveling, in which time they moved 143 and 168 nm, respectively, to the west (Galician coast). Finally, another leafscale gulper shark travelled to the NW (Porcupine Bank) during a period of 3 months at a mean depth of 940±132 m. Depth and temperature preferences for all the sharks are discussed. Minimum and maximum depths recorded were 496 and 1848 m, respectively. The temperature range was between 6.2 and 11.4 °C, but the mean temperature was approximately 9.9±0.7 °C. The sharks made large vertical displacements throughout the water column with a mean daily depth range of 345±27 m. These preliminary results support the suggestion of a whole population in the NE Atlantic and confirm the capacity of this species to travel long distances. 相似文献
20.
Masashi Taguchi Kenji Yasuda Shozo Toda Makoto Shimizu 《Marine environmental research》1979,2(3):239-249
Concentrations of Hg, Zn, Fe, Cd and Cu in the muscle tissues of a dogfish, Squalus mitsukurii, were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and found to be in the ranges of f0·019–2·13, 1·8–3·6, 1·5–5·7, 0·001–0·018 and 0·12–0·70 μg/g wet weight, respectively. The frequency distributions of concentrations, with the exception of mercury, were found to be log-normal. The correlation coefficient between mercury content and total length was positive and large and statistically highly significant. For other metals negative correlations were observed. Mercury concentration in the muscle was found to increase in proportion to the total length cubed. Regression of mercury concentration on age of sharks was shown to be linear. Analysis of covariance showed that the difference between sexes was not statistically significant, either in slope or in height. The concentration of mercury in the muscle tissues of embryos was considerably lower, Cd roughly the same and Zn and Fe higher than those of mothers. The concentrations of Zn, Fe and Cu are higher in the embryonic stage and immediately after birth than in later stages of growth. 相似文献