Temporal variability in the life history and reproductive biology of female dugongs in Torres Strait: The likely role of sea grass dieback     

Helene Marsh  Donna Kwan 《Continental Shelf Research》2008

The extensive sea grass meadows in Torres Strait enable it to be a globally important habitat for the dugong, Dugong dugon, a marine mammal of cultural and dietary significance to Torres Strait Islanders and the basis for the substantial island-based fishery in the Torres Strait Protected Zone. Torres Strait sea grass communities are subjected to episodic diebacks which are now believed to be largely natural events. Information on dugong life history was obtained from specimens obtained from female dugongs as they were butchered for food by Indigenous hunters at two major dugong hunting communities in Torres Strait: Daru (9.04°S, 143.21°E) in 1978–1982 (a time of sea grass dieback and recovery) and Mabuiag Island (9.95°S, 142.15°E) in 1997–1999 (when sea grasses were abundant). Dugongs sampled in 1997–1999 had their first calf at younger ages (minimum of 6 cf. 10 years), and more frequently (interbirth interval based on all possible pregnancies 2.6±0.4 (S.E.) yr cf. 5.8±1.0 yr) than the dugongs sampled in 1978–1982. Pregnancy rates increased monotonically during 1978–1982, coincident with sea grass recovery. The age distribution of the female dugongs collected in 1997–1999 also suggested a low birth rate between 1973 and 1983 and/or or a high level of mortality for animals born during this period. These results add to the evidence from other regions that the life history and reproductive rate of female dugongs are adversely affected by sea grass loss, the effect of which cannot be separated from a possible density-dependent response to changes in dugong population size. Many green turtles in Torres Strait were also in poor body condition coincident with the 1970s sea grass dieback. The impacts of future sea grass diebacks need to be anticipated when management options for the traditional Torres Strait fisheries for dugongs and green turtles are evaluated.  相似文献   

Multiple time-scale modelling of the circulation in Torres Strait—Australia     

Frederic Saint-Cast 《Continental Shelf Research》2008

Ocean circulation influences nearly all aspects of the marine ecosystem. This study describes the water circulation patterns on time scales from hours to years across Torres Strait and adjacent gulfs and seas, including the north of the Great Barrier Reef. The tridimensional circulation model incorporated realistic atmospheric and oceanographic forcing, including winds, waves, tides, and large-scale regional circulation taken from global model outputs. Simulations covered a hindcast period of 8 years (i.e. 01/03/1997–31/12/2004), allowing the tidal, seasonal, and interannual flow characteristics to be investigated. Results indicated that the most energetic current patterns in Torres Strait were strongly dominated by the barotropic tide and its spring-neap cycle. However, longer-term flow through the strait was mainly controlled by prevailing winds. A dominant westward drift developed in summer over the southeasterly trade winds season, which then weakened and reversed in winter over the northwesterly monsoon winds season. The seasonal flow through Torres Strait was strongly connected to the circulation in the north of the Great Barrier Reef, but showed little connectivity with the coastal circulation in the Gulf of Papua. Interannual variability in Torres Strait was highest during the monsoon period, reflecting variability in wind forcing including the timing of the monsoon. The characteristics of the circulation were also discussed in relation to fine sediment transport. Turbidity level in Torres Strait is expected to peak at the end of the monsoon, while it is likely to be at a low at the end of the trade season, eventually leading to a critically low bottom light level which constitutes a severe risk of seagrass dieback.  相似文献   

Spatial patterns of sub-tidal seagrasses and their tissue nutrients in the Torres Strait,northern Australia: Implications for management     

James K. Sheppard  Alex B. Carter  Len J. McKenzie  C. Roland Pitcher  Robert G. Coles 《Continental Shelf Research》2008

The distribution and nutritional profiles of sub-tidal seagrasses from the Torres Strait were surveyed and mapped across an area of 31,000 km². Benthic sediment composition, water depth, seagrass species type and nutrients were sampled at 168 points selected in a stratified representative pattern. Eleven species of seagrass were present at 56 (33.3%) of the sample points. Halophila spinulosa, Halophila ovalis, Cymodocea serrulata and Syringodium isoetifolium were the most common species and these were nutrient profiled. Sub-tidal seagrass distribution (and associated seagrass nutrient concentrations) was generally confined to northern-central and south-western regions of the survey area (<longitude 142.60), where mean water depth was relatively shallow (approximately 13 m below MSL) and where sediments were comprised primarily muddy sand to gravelly sand. Seagrass nitrogen and starch content, the most important nutrients for marine herbivores, were significantly correlated with species and with the plant component (above or below ground). For all seagrass species, the above-ground component (shoots and leaves) possessed greater nitrogen concentrations than the below-ground component (roots and rhizomes), which possessed greater starch concentrations. S. isoetifolium had the highest total nitrogen concentrations (1.40±0.05% DW). However, it also had higher fibre concentrations (38.2±0.68% DW) relative to the other four species. H. ovalis possessed the highest starch concentrations (2.76±0.12% DW) and highest digestibility (83.24±0.66% DW) as well as the lowest fibre (27.2±0.66% DW). The high relative abundance (found at 55% of the sites that had seagrass) and nutrient quality characteristics of H. ovalis make it an important source of energy to marine herbivores that forage sub-tidally in the Torres Strait. There were two regions in Torres Strait (north-central and south-western) where sub-tidal seagrass meadows were prevalent and of relatively higher nutritional value. This spatial and nutritional information can be used by local agencies to manage and to protect the ecological, economic and cultural values of the sub-tidal seagrass ecosystems and associated fisheries of the Torres Strait.  相似文献   

Productivity,carbon assimilation and intra-annual change in tropical reef platform seagrass communities of the Torres Strait,north-eastern Australia     

Michael A. Rasheed  Kara R. Dew  Len J. McKenzie  Robert G. Coles  Simon P. Kerville  Stuart J. Campbell 《Continental Shelf Research》2008

Detailed data on seagrass distribution, abundance, growth rates and community structure information were collected at Orman Reefs in March 2004 to estimate the above-ground productivity and carbon assimilated by seagrass meadows. Seagrass meadows were re-examined in November 2004 for comparison at the seasonal extremes of seagrass abundance. Ten seagrass species were identified in the meadows on Orman Reefs. Extensive seagrass coverage was found in March (18,700 ha) and November (21,600 ha), with seagrass covering the majority of the intertidal reef-top areas and a large proportion of the subtidal areas examined. There were marked differences in seagrass above-ground biomass, distribution and species composition between the two surveys. Major changes between March and November included a substantial decline in biomass for intertidal meadows and an expansion in area of subtidal meadows. Changes were most likely a result of greater tidal exposure of intertidal meadows prior to November leading to desiccation and temperature-related stress.  相似文献   

丹麦海峡海洋锋时空变化特征研究          下载免费PDF全文

刘建斌  张永刚 《海洋学研究》2016,34(2):1-10

丹麦海峡海洋锋可为局地气候变化、海峡鱼类分布以及海峡中尺度涡等方面研究提供参考,在军事领域也具有较高应用价值。然而目前国内外缺乏对于丹麦海峡锋的系统研究。本文利用WOA13数据,对丹麦海峡锋位置、强度空间分布以及相应的季节变化进行了分析。结果显示,锋轴线位置在34°W以西150 m以浅相对稳定,34°W以东锋轴线随深度和季节均有摆动。锋强度在水平和垂直方向分布不均匀,水平方向上锋轴线最大值与最小值差值一般在3倍以上。垂直方向盐度锋主要集中在100 m以浅,且强度随深度不断减小;温度锋强度最大值在表层以下且在300 m以深随深度增加锋强度减小,但有一些区域如27°W和28°W附近,受到海底地形的影响温度锋强度随着深度的变化有大幅度增加的特点。  相似文献   

渤海海峡跨海通道建设前后区际城市群物流网络结构的时空演变   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

王泽东  张小林  孙东琪  孙海燕 《地理研究》2020,39(3):585-600

随着网络社会不断崛起,城市空间内涵发生了明显改变,已经成为人文地理学研究的新的重要内容。通过改进重力模型,基于有向加权网络分析方法以及BRIM算法,探讨了渤海海峡跨海通道建设前后山东半岛城市群与辽中南城市群物流网络结构的演变过程,研究发现：①渤海通道建设主要影响城市低等级物流联系,对高等级网络的影响局部集中在辽中南南部和山东半岛东部且自身物流规模较大的城市之间,其中大连、沈阳以及青岛、烟台、潍坊、济南等少数重点城市之间垄断了大量的物流资源;② 通道建设促进了“双通道双向合成流”格局形成,在各自城市群内部,物流结构将出现陆、海方向上的分离性变化,大连、烟台作为通道门户城市的地位逐渐确立;③ 首位离心流、向心流格局在演变过程中均表现出渤海通道指向性,仅有沈阳⇄济南、沈阳⇄淄博、大连⇄青岛、鞍山⇄潍坊等少数城市之间保持了常态化互惠关系,但互惠程度并不对称,辽中南地区城市的物流输出规模普遍高于具有互惠关系的山东半岛城市,前者表现为典型的“双核-边缘”结构,后者具有多极网络化特征;④ 通道建设前后山东半岛城市群的物流城市类型保持稳定,辽中南地区的向心流主导型城市则不断向铁岭、抚顺、本溪等东北部城市蔓延;⑤ 大连在渤海通道建设后首次与烟台、青岛等山东半岛城市群东部城市实现了同一子群结构衔接,总体上优化了山东半岛与辽中南城市群的物流空间格局。  相似文献   

Transports of Nordic Seas water masses and excess SF₆ through Fram Strait to the Arctic Ocean     

Marika Marnela  Bert Rudels  K. Anders Olsson  Leif G. Anderson  Daniel J. Torres  James H. Swift 《Progress in Oceanography》2008,78(1):1-11

To determine the exchanges between the Nordic Seas and the Arctic Ocean through Fram Strait is one of the most important aspects, and one of the major challenges, in describing the circulation in the Arctic Mediterranean Sea. Especially the northward transport of Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW) from the Nordic Seas into the Arctic Ocean is little known. In the two-ship study of the circulation in the Nordic Seas, Arctic Ocean - 2002, the Swedish icebreaker Oden operated in the ice-covered areas in and north of Fram Strait and in the western margins of Greenland and Iceland seas, while RV Knorr of Woods Hole worked in the ice free part of the Nordic Seas. Here two hydrographic sections obtained by Oden, augmented by tracer and velocity measurements with Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (LADCP), are examined. The first section, reaching from the Svalbard shelf across the Yermak Plateau, covers the region north of Svalbard where inflow to the Arctic Ocean takes place. The second, western, section spans the outflow area extending from west of the Yermak Plateau onto the Greenland shelf. Geostrophic and LADCP derived velocities are both used to estimate the exchanges of water masses between the Nordic Seas and the Arctic Ocean. The geostrophic computations indicate a total flow of 3.6 Sv entering the Arctic on the eastern section. The southward flow on the western section is found to be 5.1 Sv. The total inflow to the Arctic Ocean obtained using the LADCP derived velocities is much larger, 13.6 Sv, and the southward transport on the western section is 13.7 Sv, equal to the northward transport north of Svalbard. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) originating from a tracer release experiment in the Greenland Sea in 1996 has become a marker for the circulation of AIW. From the geostrophic velocities we obtain 0.5 Sv and from the LADCP derived velocities 2.8 Sv of AIW flowing into the Arctic. The annual transport of SF₆ into the Arctic Ocean derived from geostrophy is 5 kg/year, which is of the same magnitude as the observed total annual transport into the North Atlantic, while the LADCP measurements (19 kg/year) imply that it is substantially larger. Little SF₆ was found on the western section, confirming the dominance of the Arctic Ocean water masses and indicating that the major recirculation in Fram Strait takes place farther to the south.  相似文献   

Numerical study of baroclinic tides in Luzon Strait   总被引：6，自引：1，他引：5  

Sen Jan  Ren-Chieh Lien  Chi-Hua Ting 《Journal of Oceanography》2008,64(5):789-802

The spatial and temporal variations of baroclinic tides in the Luzon Strait (LS) are investigated using a three-dimensional tide model driven by four principal constituents, O₁, K₁, M₂ and S₂, individually or together with seasonal mean summer or winter stratifications as the initial field. Barotropic tides propagate predominantly westward from the Pacific Ocean, impinge on two prominent north-south running submarine ridges in LS, and generate strong baroclinic tides propagating into both the South China Sea (SCS) and the Pacific Ocean. Strong baroclinic tides, ∼19 GW for diurnal tides and ∼11 GW for semidiurnal tides, are excited on both the east ridge (70%) and the west ridge (30%). The barotropic to baroclinic energy conversion rate reaches 30% for diurnal tides and ∼20% for semidiurnal tides. Diurnal (O₁ and K₁) and semidiurnal (M₂) baroclinic tides have a comparable depth-integrated energy flux 10–20 kW m⁻¹ emanating from the LS into the SCS and the Pacific basin. The spring-neap averaged, meridionally integrated baroclinic tidal energy flux is ∼7 GW into the SCS and ∼6 GW into the Pacific Ocean, representing one of the strongest baroclinic tidal energy flux regimes in the World Ocean. About 18 GW of baroclinic tidal energy, ∼50% of that generated in the LS, is lost locally, which is more than five times that estimated in the vicinity of the Hawaiian ridge. The strong westward-propagating semidiurnal baroclinic tidal energy flux is likely the energy source for the large-amplitude nonlinear internal waves found in the SCS. The baroclinic tidal energy generation, energy fluxes, and energy dissipation rates in the spring tide are about five times those in the neap tide; while there is no significant seasonal variation of energetics, but the propagation speed of baroclinic tide is about 10% faster in summer than in winter. Within the LS, the average turbulence kinetic energy dissipation rate is O(10⁻⁷) W kg^{− 1} and the turbulence diffusivity is O(10⁻³) m²s⁻¹, a factor of 100 greater than those in the typical open ocean. This strong turbulence mixing induced by the baroclinic tidal energy dissipation exists in the main path of the Kuroshio and is important in mixing the Pacific Ocean, Kuroshio, and the SCS waters.  相似文献   

Contribution of a pathway through the Arctic Ocean to the re cent reduction in the ice cover     

Motoyoshi Ikeda 《极地研究(英文版)》2008,19(2):212-217

The sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has been reducing and hit the low record in the summer of 2007. The anomaly was extremely large in the Pacific sector. The sea level height in the Bering Sea vs. the Greenland Sea has been analyzed and compared with the current meter data through the Bering Strait. A recent peak existed as a consequence of atmospheric circulation and is considered to contribute to inflow of the Pacific Water into the Arctic Basin. The timing of the Pacific Water inflow matched with the sea ice reduction in the Pacific sector and suggests a significant increase in heat flux. This component should be included in the model prediction for answering the question when the Arctic sea ice becomes a seasonal ice cover.  相似文献   

Using acoustic backscatter from a sidescan sonar to explain fish and invertebrate distributions: a case study in Bristol Bay, Alaska     

Yeung  Cynthia; McConnaughey  Robert A. 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》2008,65(2):242-254

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