Linking Stream Dissolved Oxygen with the Dynamic Environmental Drivers across the Pacific Coast of U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Araya, F. Z.; Abdul-Aziz, O. I.

2017-12-01

This study utilized a systematic data analytics approach to determine the relative linkages of stream dissolved oxygen (DO) with the hydro-climatic and biogeochemical drivers across the U.S. Pacific Coast. Multivariate statistical techniques of Pearson correlation matrix, principal component analysis, and factor analysis were applied to a complex water quality dataset (1998-2015) at 35 water quality monitoring stations of USGS NWIS and EPA STORET. Power-law based partial least squares regression (PLSR) models with a bootstrap Monte Carlo procedure (1000 iterations) were developed to reliably estimate the relative linkages by resolving multicollinearity (Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency, NSE = 0.50-0.94). Based on the dominant drivers, four environmental regimes have been identified and adequately described the system-data variances. In Pacific North West and Southern California, water temperature was the most dominant driver of DO in majority of the streams. However, in Central and Northern California, stream DO was controlled by multiple drivers (i.e., water temperature, pH, stream flow, and total phosphorus), exhibiting a transitional environmental regime. Further, total phosphorus (TP) appeared to be the limiting nutrient for most streams. The estimated linkages and insights would be useful to identify management priorities to achieve healthy coastal stream ecosystems across the Pacific Coast of U.S.A. and similar regions around the world. Keywords: Data analytics, water quality, coastal streams, dissolved oxygen, environmental regimes, Pacific Coast, United States.

Integrated Bird Conservation along the Pacific Coast of North America: An Action Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

Gregg Elliott; Bob Altman; Wendy Easton; Ricardo Estrella; Geoffrey Geupel; Mary Chase; Ellie Cohen; Ann Chrisney

2005-01-01

Scientists and managers representing the continental bird conservation plans explored the status of conservation planning and implementation for birds along the Pacific coast of North America. The theme of the session, "using common currencies to advance bird conservation," emphasized the components of bird conservation shared among the major initiatives,...

Far-Field Tsunami Hazard Assessment Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico by Historical Records and Numerical Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz-Huerta, Laura G.; Ortiz, Modesto; García-Gastélum, Alejandro

2018-03-01

Historical records of the Chile (22 May 1960), Alaska (27 March 1964), and Tohoku (11 March 2011) tsunamis recorded along the Pacific Coast of Mexico are used to investigate the goodness of far-field tsunami modeling using a focal mechanism consisting in a uniform slip distribution on large thrust faults around the Pacific Ocean. The Tohoku 2011 tsunami records recorded by Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) stations, and at coastal tide stations, were used to validate transoceanic tsunami models applicable to the harbors of Ensenada, Manzanillo, and Acapulco on the coast of Mexico. The amplitude resulting from synthetic tsunamis originated by M w 9.3 earthquakes around the Pacific varies from 1 to 2.5 m, depending on the tsunami origin region and on the directivity due to fault orientation and waveform modification by prominent features of sea bottom relief.

Far-Field Tsunami Hazard Assessment Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico by Historical Records and Numerical Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz-Huerta, Laura G.; Ortiz, Modesto; García-Gastélum, Alejandro

2018-04-01

Historical records of the Chile (22 May 1960), Alaska (27 March 1964), and Tohoku (11 March 2011) tsunamis recorded along the Pacific Coast of Mexico are used to investigate the goodness of far-field tsunami modeling using a focal mechanism consisting in a uniform slip distribution on large thrust faults around the Pacific Ocean. The Tohoku 2011 tsunami records recorded by Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) stations, and at coastal tide stations, were used to validate transoceanic tsunami models applicable to the harbors of Ensenada, Manzanillo, and Acapulco on the coast of Mexico. The amplitude resulting from synthetic tsunamis originated by M w 9.3 earthquakes around the Pacific varies from 1 to 2.5 m, depending on the tsunami origin region and on the directivity due to fault orientation and waveform modification by prominent features of sea bottom relief.

Postglacial recolonization and the biogeography of Palmaria mollis (Rhodophyta) along the Northeast Pacific coast

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lindstrom, S.C; Olsen, J.L.; Stam, W.T.

1997-01-01

We used random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to examine the distribution of genotypes of Palmaria mollis (Setchell et Gardner) van der Meer et Bird, a red alga. We sampled populations along the Northeast Pacific coast from northern Washington to southwestern Alaska, an area extensively

Seasonal levels of the Vibrio predator Bacteriovorax in Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coast Seawater

Science.gov (United States)

Bacteriovorax were quantified in US Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific seawater to determine baseline levels of these predatory bacteria and possible seasonal fluctuations in levels. Surface seawater was analyzed monthly for 1 year from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; the Gulf Coast of Alabama; and four sites along t...

Genetic signature analysis of Perkinsus marinus in Mexico suggests possible translocation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Ek-Huchim, Juan Pablo; Aguirre-Macedo, Ma Leopoldina; Améndola-Pimenta, Monica; Vidal-Martínez, Victor Manuel; Pérez-Vega, Juan Antonio; Simá-Alvarez, Raúl; Jiménez-García, Isabel; Zamora-Bustillos, Roberto; Rodríguez-Canul, Rossanna

2017-08-02

The protozoan Perkinsus marinus (Mackin, Owen & Collier) Levine, 1978 causes perkinsosis in the American oyster Crassostrea virginica Gmelin, 1791. This pathogen is present in cultured C. virginica from the Gulf of Mexico and has been reported recently in Saccostrea palmula (Carpenter, 1857), Crassostrea corteziensis (Hertlein, 1951) and Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) from the Mexican Pacific coast. Transportation of fresh oysters for human consumption and repopulation could be implicated in the transmission and dissemination of this parasite across the Mexican Pacific coast. The aim of this study was two-fold. First, we evaluated the P. marinus infection parameters by PCR and RFTM (Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium) in C. virginica from four major lagoons (Términos Lagoon, Campeche; Carmen-Pajonal-Machona Lagoon complex, Tabasco; Mandinga Lagoon, Veracruz; and La Pesca Lagoon, Tamaulipas) from the Gulf of Mexico. Secondly, we used DNA sequence analyses of the ribosomal non-transcribed spacer (rNTS) region of P. marinus to determine the possible translocation of this species from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mexican Pacific coast. Perkinsus marinus prevalence by PCR was 57.7% (338 out of 586 oysters) and 38.2% (224 out of 586 oysters) by RFTM. The highest prevalence was observed in the Carmen-Pajonal-Machona Lagoon complex in the state of Tabasco (73% by PCR and 58% by RFTM) and the estimated weighted prevalence (WP) was less than 1.0 in the four lagoons. Ten unique rDNA-NTS sequences of P. marinus [termed herein the "P. marinus (Pm) haplotype"] were identified in the Gulf of Mexico sample. They shared 96-100% similarity with 18 rDNA-NTS sequences from the GenBank database which were derived from 16 Mexican Pacific coast infections and two sequences from the USA. The phylogenetic tree and the haplotype network showed that the P. marinus rDNA-NTS sequences from Mexico were distant from the rDNA-NTS sequences of P. marinus reported from the USA. The ten r

Early Paleogene variations in the calcite compensation depth: new constraints using old borehole sediments from across Ninetyeast Ridge, central Indian Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Slotnick, B. S.; Lauretano, V.; Backman, J.; Dickens, G. R.; Sluijs, A.; Lourens, L.

2015-03-01

Major variations in global carbon cycling occurred between 62 and 48 Ma, and these very likely related to changes in the total carbon inventory of the ocean-atmosphere system. Based on carbon cycle theory, variations in the mass of the ocean carbon should be reflected in contemporaneous global ocean carbonate accumulation on the seafloor and, thereby, the depth of the calcite compensation depth (CCD). To better constrain the cause and magnitude of these changes, the community needs early Paleogene carbon isotope and carbonate accumulation records from widely separated deep-sea sediment sections, especially including the Indian Ocean. Several CCD reconstructions for this time interval have been generated using scientific drill sites in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; however, corresponding information from the Indian Ocean has been extremely limited. To assess the depth of the CCD and the potential for renewed scientific drilling of Paleogene sequences in the Indian Ocean, we examine lithologic, nannofossil, carbon isotope, and carbonate content records for late Paleocene - early Eocene sediments recovered at three sites spanning Ninetyeast Ridge: Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Sites 213 (deep, east), 214 (shallow, central), and 215 (deep, west). The disturbed, discontinuous sediment sections are not ideal, because they were recovered in single holes using rotary coring methods, but remain the best Paleogene sediments available from the central Indian Ocean. The δ13C records at Sites 213 and 215 are similar to those generated at several locations in the Atlantic and Pacific, including the prominent high in δ13C across the Paleocene carbon isotope maximum (PCIM) at Site 215, and the prominent low in δ13C across the early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) at both Site 213 and Site 215. The Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) and the K/X event are found at Site 213 but not at Site 215, presumably because of coring gaps. Carbonate content at both Sites 213 and

Potential impact of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and sea surface temperature in the tropical Indian Ocean-Western Pacific on the variability of typhoon landfall on the China coast

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lei; Chen, Sheng; Wang, Chunzai; Wang, Dongxiao; Wang, Xin

2017-12-01

The landfall activity of typhoons (TYs) along the coast of China during July-August-September (JAS) shows significant interdecadal variation during 1965-2010. We identify three sub-periods of TY landfall activity in JAS along the China coast in this period, with more TY landfall during 1965-1978 (Period I) and 1998-2010 (Period III), and less during 1982-1995 (Period II). We find that the interdecadal variation might be related to the combined effects of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) phase changes and sea surface temperature (SST) variation in the tropical Indian Ocean and Western Pacific (IO-WP). During the negative PDO phase in Periods I and III, a cyclonic anomaly is located in the western North Pacific (WNP), inducing easterly flow in its northern part, which favors TY landfall along the eastern China coast. Warm SST anomalies over the tropical IO-WP during Period III induce an anomalous anticyclonic circulation in the WNP through both the Gill-pattern response to the warm SST in the tropical IO and the anomalous meridional circulation induced by the warm SST in the tropical WNP. As a result, the northern South China Sea and WNP (10°-20° N) are dominated by southeasterly flow, which favors TYs making landfall on both the southern and eastern China coast. With both landfalling-favorable conditions satisfied, there are significantly more TYs making landfall along the China coast during Period III than during Period I, which shows cool SST anomalies in the tropical IO-WP.

Magnetic record of extreme marine inundation events at Las Salinas site, Jalisco, Mexican Pacific coast

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Černý, Jan; Ramírez-Herrera, M.-T.; Bógalo, M.-F.; Goguitchaichvili, A.; Castillo-Aja, R.; Morales, J.; Sanchez-Cabeza, J. A.; Ruiz-Fernandez, A. C.

2016-01-01

Roč. 58, č. 3 (2016), s. 342-357 ISSN 0020-6814 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) * rock magnetic properties * tsunami * thermomagnetic curves * Mexican Pacific coast * variability Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography Impact factor: 2.262, year: 2016

Sightings and behavioral observations of Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins Sousa chinensis (Osbeck, 1765 along Chennai coast, Bay of Bengal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Muralidharan

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Boat-based surveys were used to investigate the presence of Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins Sousa chinensis along the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Notes were collected on behavior, group size, coloration patterns and group composition on sighting cetaceans during the surveys. Four groups of Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins were sighted near-shore in the month of February 2011, between 10-25 m depth with an average group size of 20 individuals of which 10 individuals were photo-identifiable. Dominant group behavior was aerial display, feeding and traveling. This study gives a basic idea of presence, threats and habitat use of Humpback Dolphin areas along Chennai coast.

A preliminary spatial assessment of risk: Marine birds and chronic oil pollution on Canada's Pacific coast.

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, C H; O'Hara, P D; Bertazzon, S; Morgan, K; Underwood, F E; Paquet, P C

2016-12-15

Chronic oil pollution poses substantial risks to marine birds and other marine wildlife worldwide. On Canada's Pacific coast, the negative ecological consequences to marine birds and marine ecosystems in general remain poorly understood. Using information relating to oil spill probability of occurrence, areas of overall importance to marine birds, and the at-sea distribution and density of 12 marine bird species and seven bird groups, including multiple Species at Risk, we undertook a spatial assessment of risk. Our results identify two main areas important to marine birds potentially at higher risk of exposure to oil. For individual bird species or species groups, those predicted to have elevated bird densities near the mainland and the northeast coast of Vancouver Island were identified as being at higher potential risk of exposure. Our results, however, should be considered preliminary. As with other anthropogenic stressors, in order to better understand and subsequently mitigate the consequences of chronic oil pollution on marine birds, improved information relating to marine birds and the occurrence of oil spills on Canada's Pacific coast is needed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Helminths of hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santoro M.

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Parasitological examination of a stranded hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata from Pacific coast of Costa Rica revealed the presence of a rich digenean fauna including Carettacola stunkardi (Spirorchiidae, Enodiotrema reductum (Plagiorchiidae, Cricocephalus albus, Adenogaster serialis, Epi-bathra crassa, Pleurogonius lobatus, P. trigonocephalus, P. linearis, and Pyelosomum posterorchis (Pronocephalidae. All helminths except C. albus and P. lobatus represent new geographical records for Costa Rica. Carettacola stunkardi is reported for first time in an Eastern Pacific hawksbill turtle and its pathological changes are here described. Histologically, nodular lesions on the serosal surface of intestine revealed a mixed infiltrate of heterophils, lymphocytes, and histiocytes within necrotic debris. Granulomas with spirorchiid eggs were observed in the mucosa, sub-mucosa and muscular layers of stomach and intestine, gallbladder and liver.

76 FR 16045 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Critical Habitat for the Pacific Coast...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-22

... of conservation biology. Similar to the previous critical habitat designations for the Pacific Coast... micro-topographic relief offering refuge from high winds and cold weather and sites for nesting. Space... gravel bars, salt ponds and adjoining levees, and dredge spoil sites are areas that may provide micro...

Predicted radionuclide release from reactor-related unenclosed solid objects dumped in the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, east coast of Kamchatka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mount, M.E.; Lynn, N.M.; Warden, J.M.

1996-06-01

Between 1978 and 1991 reactor-related solid radioactive waste was dumped by the former Soviet Union as unenclosed objects in the Pacific Ocean, east coast of Kamchatka, and the Sea of Japan. This paper presented estimates for the current (1994) inventory of activation and corrosion products contained in the reactor-related unenclosed solid objects. In addition, simple models derived for prediction of radionuclide release from marine reactors dumped in the Kara Sea are applied to certain of the dumped objects to provide estimates of radionuclide release to the Pacific Ocean, east coast of Kamchatka, and Sea of Japan environments. For the Pacific Ocean, east coast of Kamchatka, total release rates start below 0.01 GBq yr -1 and over 1,000 years, fall to 100 Bq yr -1 . In the Sea of Japan, the total release rate starts just above 1 GBq yr - 1 , dropping off to a level less than 0.1 GBq yr -1 , extending past the year 4,000

Reassessment of the Paleogene position of the Chortis block relative to southern Mexico: hierarchical ranking of data and features

OpenAIRE

Morán-Zenteno, Dante J.; Keppie, Duncan J.; Martiny, Barbara; González-Torres, Enrique

2009-01-01

The Paleogene location of the Chortis block relative to southern Mexico is presently a hotly debated topic, with various types and qualities of data brought to bear on the topic. There are currently three competing Cenozoic reconstructions: (i) the traditional model that places the Chortis block adjacent to southern Mexico, (ii) the near in situ model in which the Chortis block is located relatively near to its present position, and (iii) the Pacific model that places the Chortis block WSW of...

Estimation of /sup 65/Zn background levels for marine coastal waters. [Data from northeast Pacific coast for August 1964

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alexander, G V; Rowland, R H

1966-04-09

Data are presented on Zn and /sup 65/Zn contents in tissues of marine animals collected along the Pacific coast near to and remote from the Columbia River. Specimens of barnacles, starfish, and mussels were collected during August of 1964. Tissues were dried by lyophilization and the radioisotope concentration was determined with a whole-body counter. To evaluate the background contamination level of /sup 65/Zn on the Pacific coast, /sup 54/Mn analyses were included to differentiate the contribution of fallout and /sup 51/Cr was determined to evaluate the contribution from the Columbia River. It was concluded that coastal /sup 65/Zn levels result essentially from fallout and that the present level in fallout is relatively constant at 0.05 to 2.7 pc /sup 65/Zn/mg Zn.

Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Analysis of the Pacific Coast of Mexico: Case Study Based on the 1995 Colima Earthquake Tsunami

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nobuhito Mori

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This study develops a novel computational framework to carry out probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment for the Pacific coast of Mexico. The new approach enables the consideration of stochastic tsunami source scenarios having variable fault geometry and heterogeneous slip that are constrained by an extensive database of rupture models for historical earthquakes around the world. The assessment focuses upon the 1995 Jalisco–Colima Earthquake Tsunami from a retrospective viewpoint. Numerous source scenarios of large subduction earthquakes are generated to assess the sensitivity and variability of tsunami inundation characteristics of the target region. Analyses of nine slip models along the Mexican Pacific coast are performed, and statistical characteristics of slips (e.g., coherent structures of slip spectra are estimated. The source variability allows exploring a wide range of tsunami scenarios for a moment magnitude (Mw 8 subduction earthquake in the Mexican Pacific region to conduct thorough sensitivity analyses and to quantify the tsunami height variability. The numerical results indicate a strong sensitivity of maximum tsunami height to major slip locations in the source and indicate major uncertainty at the first peak of tsunami waves.

Paleogene Seawater Osmium Isotope Records

Science.gov (United States)

Rolewicz, Z.; Thomas, D. J.; Marcantonio, F.

2012-12-01

Paleoceanographic reconstructions of the Late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic require enhanced geographic coverage, particularly in the Pacific, in order to better constrain meridional variations in environmental conditions. The challenge with the existing inventory of Pacific deep-sea cores is that they consist almost exclusively of pelagic clay with little existing age control. Pelagic clay sequences are useful for reconstructions of dust accumulation and water mass composition, but accurate correlation of these records to other sites requires improved age control. Recent work indicates that seawater Os isotope analyses provide useful age control for red clay sequences. The residence time of Os in seawater is relatively long compared to oceanic mixing, therefore the global seawater 187Os/188Os composition is practically homogeneous. A growing body of Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic data has constrained the evolution of the seawater Os isotopic composition and this curve is now a viable stratigraphic tool, employed in dating layers of Fe-Mn crusts (e.g., Klemm et al., 2005). Ravizza (2007) also demonstrated that the seawater Os isotopic composition can be extracted reliably from pelagic red clay sediments by analyzing the leached oxide minerals. The drawback to using seawater Os isotope stratigraphy to date Paleogene age sediments is that the compilation of existing data has some significant temporal gaps, notably between ~38 and 55 Ma. To improve the temporal resolution of the seawater Os isotope curve, we present new data from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 865 in the equatorial Pacific. Site 865 has excellent biostratigraphic age control over the interval ~38-55Ma. Preliminary data indicate an increase in the seawater composition from 0.427 at 53.4 Ma to 0.499 by 43 Ma, consistent with the apparent trend in the few existing data points. We also analyzed the Os isotopic composition recorded by oxide minerals at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1370

Early Stages of Morpho amathonte (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Morphinae and its Variation on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jim Córdoba-Alfaro

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The Southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica shows some local variations in its four Morpho species. The goal of this article is to compare the life cycle of M. amathonte from different areas in Costa Rica and South America. The immature stages were found on Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq. and then photographed and described so as to illustrate its morphology and behavior. It is clear, that M. amathonte from the South Pacific side of Costa Rica comes from one isolated population and demonstrates a cryptic nature between the two forms present in Costa Rica.

NCCOS Assessment: Groundfish biodiversity hotspots off the Pacific Coast of Oregon from 1971-09-05 to 2010-09-20 (NCEI Accession 0156467)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set comprises maps of predicted long-term groundfish biodiversity hotspot probabilities off the Pacific Coast of Oregon. Predicted hotspot probabilities...

Population assessment of the American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus (Crocodilia: Crocodylidae on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurie A. Mauger

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, is widely distributed in the American neotropics. It is endangered throughout most of its range and is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Natural Fauna and Flora (IUCN and on Appendix I of the Convention for the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES. Despite this listing, there are few published reports on population status throughout most of its range. We investigated the status of the C. acutus, at several locations along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. We carried out spotlight and nesting surveys from 2007-2009 along the Costa Rican Pacific coast in four distinct areas, coastal areas of Las Baulas (N=40 and Santa Rosa (N=9 National Parks and the Osa Conservation Area (N=13, and upriver in Palo Verde National Park (N=11. We recorded crocodile locations and standard environmental data at each observation. Encounter rates, population structure, distribution within each area and data on successful nesting (presence of hatchlings, nests, etc were determined. We attempted to capture all crocodiles to record standard morphometrics. A total of 586 crocodiles were observed along 185.8km of survey route. The majority of animals encountered (54.9% were either hatchlings (<0.5m or juveniles (0.5-1.25m. The average non-hatchling encounter rate per survey for the Pacific coast was 3.1 crocodiles/km, with individual encounter rates ranging from 1.2 crocodiles/km to 4.3 crocodiles/ km in Las Baulas National Park and the Osa Conservation Area respectively. Distribution of size classes within the individual locations did not differ with the exception of Santa Rosa and Las Baulas National Parks, where hatchlings were found in water with lower salinities. These were the first systematic surveys in several of the areas studied and additional work is needed to further characterize the American crocodile population in Costa Rica.

Rational reference levels for Pacific Coast radioactive pollution studies supplied by samples from northern Baja California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Folsom, T.R.

1974-01-01

Background levels of radioactivity in the marine environment along the Pacific Coast are at present extremely low. However, these certainly will rise along with the growth of coastal populations and with the increased use of nuclear energy. It would be desirable to anticipate where and how fast concentrations of artificial radioactivities may reach unacceptable levels in coastal water. Successful prediction of this sort requires knowing how the ocean responds, in given regions, to specific inputs. Fortunately, some of the fate of a large class of radioactive pollutants that must be faced in the future may be inferred from careful studies during the past 20 years of the behavior of certain constituents of nuclear fallout that have entered the ocean along the coasts of California and Baja California. (CH)

First record of Stibarobdella moorei (Annelida, Hirudinea, Piscicolidae a marine leech parasitizing Octopus bimaculatus (Mollusca: Octopodidae from the Mexican Pacific coast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

López-Peraza D. J.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The occurrence of the parasitic marine leech Stibarobdella moorei (Oka, 1910 (Hirudinea: Piscicolidae along the northwest Mexican Pacific coast is described for the first time. This ectoparasite was collected from the skin of the Octopus bimaculatus (Verril, 1983 (Mollusca: Octopodidae. Stibarobdella loricata (Hardig, 1924 is synonymized with S. moorei as this species resembles other species of the genus based on tubercle patterns and the presence of papillae and a marginal fringe on the oral sucker. The present finding throws new light on the biodiversity and host preference of the ectoparasite and suggests a successful migration to unusual host. The coast of the Pacific Ocean, particularly in the Bay of Los Angeles, Baja California, Mexico is a new geographical distribution area for S. moorei, and O. bimaculatus is a new host reported for this leech. The morphology of this ectoparasite is briefly described.

Concentrations and activity ratios of 228Ra and 226Ra in surface seawater along the Pacific coast of Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohta, T.; Mahara, Y.; Kubota, T.; Sato, J.; Gamo, T.

2011-01-01

We measured the 228 Ra/ 226 Ra activity ratios in surface seawater along the Pacific coast of Japan at five ports around the island of Izu-Oshima (n = 29), at Atami in Sagami Bay (n = 13), and at Umizuri Park in Tokyo Bay (n = 14). We also conducted these measurements along a transect from the open Pacific Ocean across the Kuroshio to the mouth of Tokyo Bay (n = 7). The activity ratios decreased with increasing salinity of the sampling sites. The 228 Ra/ 226 Ra activity ratios in surface seawater along the coast gradually decreased after at the end of autumn and were lowest in winter and the beginning of spring. The surface salinity along the coast decreased from summer into autumn and increased from winter to the beginning of spring. The activity ratios decreased with the increase of salinity. The variation in activity ratios at the three coastal sites is possibly caused by differing contributions of surface seawater from the Kuroshio and surrounding open ocean. The different patterns and ranges of variation in the 228 Ra/ 226 Ra activity ratios in surface seawater at Izu-Oshima, Atami, and Umizuri Park may reflect both the amount of water from the Kuroshio and vicinity, and the local bathymetry, because continental shelf sediment is the source of Ra isotopes in surface seawater. (orig.)

LOWER PALEOGENE BAUXITES OF VINIŠĆE, UGLJAN, SILBA AND OLIB

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Berislav Šebečić

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Bauxite Deposits of Lower Paleogene in the studied area are minor and rare. In these bauxites and bauxitic limestones oolitic textures and bochmite composition prevail as in other Lower Paleogene bauxites of Dinarides, however, with a difference that these bauxites more frequently have increased contents of kaolinite. Bauxites were created during the emergence wich lasted from the end of Senonian to the Upper Paleocene — Lower Eocene. The analyzed bauxites have the increased contents of silica and they differ in regard to the contents of Al2O3 and microelements. There are differences also in the degree of sphericity of ooides, while the degree of roundness is more or less equal. On the basis of investigations so far, it may be concluded that the most advantageous conditions for the formation of Lower Paleogene bauxites have been in Istria and Herzegovina. Less favourable condi¬tions have been in the area of today's islands of the Northern Adriatic. The most unfavourable were the areas of Southern Primorje and Northern Dalmatia, as shown in the example of Lower Paleogene deposits described here (the paper is published in Croatian.

Geochemistry of Dissolved Trace Metals in the Waters of Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Pacific Coast, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Suresh Babu, S.

2016-12-01

Forty two samples were acquired from the surface and bottom water profiles along 5 transects spread over Bahia Magdalena lagoon, Baja California Sur to assess the behavior of trace metals in a high influenced upwelling region on the Pacific coast. To elaborate the fate of metals, also the physico-chemical parameters (pH, temperature, salinity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen). Determination of the concentrations of trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Co, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cd As, Hg) were measured using Atomic absorption spectrometry. The results demonstrated high values of As, Ni and Co which is attributed to the local geology and phosphate deposits. Low values of Fe and Mn are attested to the oxic conditions of the lagoon which are responsible for the oxidation of Fe and Mn. The region witnesses raised temperatures (28.92ºC) and salinities of 35.2 PSU for its arid climatic conditions and high rates of evaporation. In general, the region presented minor quantities of dissolved trace metals due to dispersion and high intense interaction with the open sea. The results were also compared with other studies to understand the enrichment pattern in this side of the pacific coast which experiences various geothermal activities and upwelling phenomenon.

77 FR 75101 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 17 to the Salmon Fishery...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-19

.... 120813333-2647-01] RIN 0648-BC28 Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 17 to the Salmon Fishery Management Plan AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National.... SUMMARY: NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 17 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery...

76 FR 81851 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 16 to the Salmon Fishery...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-29

.... 101206604-1758-02] RIN 0648-BA55 Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 16 to the Salmon Fishery Management Plan AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National...) to implement Amendment 16 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan for Commercial and...

76 FR 65673 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 16 to the Salmon Fishery...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-24

.... 101206604-1620-01] RIN 0648-BA55 Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 16 to the Salmon Fishery Management Plan AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National... implement Amendment 16 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan for Commercial and Recreational...

78 FR 10557 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 17 to the Salmon Fishery...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-14

.... 120813333-3107-02] RIN 0648-BC28 Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 17 to the Salmon Fishery Management Plan AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National... implement Amendment 17 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan for Commercial and Recreational...

50 CFR 660.412 - EFH identifications and descriptions for Pacific salmon.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Pacific salmon. 660.412 Section 660.412 Wildlife and Fisheries FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT... COAST STATES West Coast Salmon Fisheries § 660.412 EFH identifications and descriptions for Pacific salmon. Pacific salmon essential fish habitat (EFH) includes all those water bodies occupied or...

Actinides detection in the Pacific Coast of Mexico; Deteccion de actinidos en el Litoral Pacifico de Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ordonez R, E.; Almazan T, M. G.; Cruz C, G. J.; Ramirez S, R., E-mail: eduardo.ordonez@inin.gob.mx [ININ, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

2013-10-15

In this work is evaluated the activity of the alpha emitters, uranium and plutonium, in sand samples and seawater coming from diverse points of the Mexican Pacific Coast (Baja California, Jalisco, Colima and Guerrero). The used techniques were: radiochemistry separation and alpha spectrometry, with these techniques could be observed that the sand contains natural uranium and trace quantities of {sup 239}Pu and {sup 240}Pu combinations. The biggest activity in Pu was found in Finisterra, Baja California Sur (0.13 Bq/kg) and the minor (0 Bq/kg) in Miramar, Colima. The relationship between the geographical localization and the Pu activity suggests that while there is more interaction of the site with the oceanic currents, more is the content of Pu in the sands of the coast. (Author)

Energy and raw material potentials of wood residue in the Pacific Coast States: a summary of a preliminary feasibility investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

John B. Grantham; Eldon Estep; John M. Pierovich; Harold Tarkow; Thomas C. Adams

1974-01-01

Results are reported of a preliminary investigation of feasibility of using wood residue to meet energy and raw material needs in the Pacific Coast States. Magnitude of needs was examined and volume of logging-residue and unused mill residue was estimated. Costs of obtaining and preprocessing logging residue for energy and pulp and particle board raw material were...

Pacific Hake - Growth and natal origin of Pacific hake from the Georgia Basin DPS

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) is an abundant species residing along the Pacific coast from the Gulf of California to the Strait of Georgia. It is the most...

Comparative morphometrics of two populations of Mugil curema (Pisces: Mugilidae on the Atlantic and Mexican Pacific coasts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Laura Ibáñez-Aguirre

2006-03-01

Full Text Available A population of Mugil curema in the Gulf of Mexico was compared with one in the Pacific Ocean using nine morphometric variables. The allometries of each measurement were estimated in relation to total length. Morphometric variations were analyzed using the normalization of the individuals of each group and two multivariate methods: correspondence analysis, used to explore the information, and discriminant analysis. Results indicated that the diameter of the eye differentiated the populations of both coasts, the Atlantic population showed a larger eye diameter. However, other than this and the body width (which can be strongly influenced by sexual maturation there was no difference between the shapes of both populations. We discuss the larger morphometric variability of the Atlantic population which may be due to the presence of more than one population unlike the Pacific population.

Planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotope analysis by ion microprobe technique suggests warm tropical sea surface temperatures during the Early Paleogene

Science.gov (United States)

Kozdon, Reinhard; Kelly, D. Clay; Kita, Noriko T.; Fournelle, John H.; Valley, John W.

2011-09-01

Cool tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are reported for warm Paleogene greenhouse climates based on the δ18O of planktonic foraminiferal tests. These results are difficult to reconcile with models of greenhouse gas-forced climate. It has been suggested that this "cool tropics paradox" arises from postdepositional alteration of foraminiferal calcite, yielding erroneously high δ18O values. Recrystallization of foraminiferal tests is cryptic and difficult to quantify, and the compilation of robust δ18O records from moderately altered material remains challenging. Scanning electron microscopy of planktonic foraminiferal chamber-wall cross sections reveals that the basal area of muricae, pustular outgrowths on the chamber walls of species belonging to the genus Morozovella, contain no mural pores and may be less susceptible to postdepositional alteration. We analyzed the δ18O in muricae bases of morozovellids from the central Pacific (Ocean Drilling Program Site 865) by ion microprobe using 10 μm pits with an analytical reproducibility of ±0.34‰ (2 standard deviations). In situ measurements of δ18O in these domains yield consistently lower values than those published for conventional multispecimen analyses. Assuming that the original δ18O is largely preserved in the basal areas of muricae, this new δ18O record indicates Early Paleogene (˜49-56 Ma) tropical SSTs in the central Pacific were 4°-8°C higher than inferred from the previously published δ18O record and that SSTs reached at least ˜33°C during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum. This study demonstrates the utility of ion microprobe analysis for generating more reliable paleoclimate records from moderately altered foraminiferal tests preserved in deep-sea sediments.

Larger miliolids of the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene seen through space and time

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Vlasta Ćosović

2002-12-01

Full Text Available Spatial and temporal occurrences of the larger (complex miliolids are discussed to give more light on biostratigraphy and paleobiogeographic provinces distribution. Seven generaand 47 species from the Late Cretaceous to Oligocene inhabited shallow marine settings in the Indo-Pacific, Tethyan and Caribbean regions. Of all genera only four (Idalina, Periloculina, Pseudolacazina, Lacazina widespread throughout Tethys in theLate Cretaceous and Paleogene. Single occurrence of Lacazina was recorded further to east (Moluccas. By now the Late Cretaceous genus Adrahentina is known only from the Spain. The newcomer’s Eocene genera were Fabularia and Lacazinella. Fabularia reachedhigh diversity in species term in the Central and Western Tethys and occured as unique genus in Caribbean realm, too. Conversely, during the same period, Lacazinella spread over the southern border of Neo-Tethys reaching New Guinea.On the Adriatic – Dinaric Carbonate Platform, larger miliolids occurred from the Late Cretaceous to Cuisian, having the same biostratigraphically trends and distribution as contemporaneous larger miliolids from the Tethys.

NCCOS Assessment: Predictive Mapping of Seabirds, Pinnipeds and Cetaceans off the Pacific Coast of Washington from 1995-07-21 to 2015-12-08 (NCEI Accession 0148762)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data collection comprises seasonal distribution maps and model outputs of selected seabird, pinniped and cetacean species off the Pacific coast of Washington....

Characterization of rock samples localized in some sites of the Mexican Pacific coast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pena, P.; Torre, J. de la; Falcon, T.; Segovia, N.; Azorin, J.

1999-01-01

Geophysical studies in zones of high seismicity have showed differences in the content of radioactive material that is used in the study of the geochemical behavior of the subsoil. In an emanometric mapping of radon in soil realized in the Mexican Pacific coast were finding distinct levels in zones with different lithology. With the finality to know the mineralization types in two zones of study which are localized in the Guerrero coast and they belonging to terrains named Guerrero and Xolapa it was determined the mineralogic characteristics in two types of rocks. The identification of the rocks was realized by X-ray diffraction and was determined the elemental chemical composition using a scanning electron microscope. It was indicated in the results obtained that in the two types of rocks were found minerals such as: quartz, albite, microcline anortite, ferroactinolite and biotite. However, it was found differences between them by the presence of their mineralogic compounds because in the rock belonging to Xolapa terrain were presented whereas in the rock localized in the Guerrero terrain were presented sodic and potassic feldspars. The analysis by the Elemental Chemical Composition technique (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) corroborated the results obtained by the X-ray diffraction technique. (Author)

K/Ar dating of the Eastern Rhodope Paleogene magmatism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lilov, P.; Yanev, Y.; Marchev, P.

1987-12-01

Paleogene magmatic rocks from the Eastern Rhodope Mountains have seldom been an object of radiogeochronological studies and very few data are available from the geological literature. Until now their dating relied heavily on paleontological data from fossil-bearing sediments, alternating with the lava flows. However, there are also many cross bodies (extrusions, dikes and intrusions) as well as volcanic areas of no sediments or of fossil-free sediments which require the combined use of both methods. This paper aims at characterizing geochronologically the Eastern Rhodope Paleogene volcanism. The K/Ar method was used to date reference volcanoes (mostly with well-defined positions in the Paleogene sequence) associated with the various phases of volcanic activity, as well as some separate intrusive bodies. Nomenclature of volcanics followed the classification of the Soviet Petrographic Commission and that of Peccerillo and Taylor as supplemented by Marchey. The paper characterizes only two of the three main volcanic districts, the Momcilgrad-Arda and the Borovica districts. The third one, Susica district, has restricted exposures near the state boundary between Bulgari and Greece and was excluded from the study. The results obtained are compared with the geochronological scales proposed by Odin and Cavelier and Pomerol which correlate radiogeochronological and paleontological data (nannoplancton data included).

Maturation and reproductive cycle of female Pacific cod in waters adjacent to the southern coast of Hokkaido, Japan

OpenAIRE

Hattori, Tsutomu; Sakurai, Yasunori; Shimazaki, Kenji

1992-01-01

The maturation process and reproductive cycle of female Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus were examined in the waters adjacent to the southern and southeastern coasts of Hokkaido, Japan, by collecting fish between April 1989 and September 1990. Histological examination was made of the ovaries. During the course of ovarian maturation, a portion of the oocytes became isolated from immature oocytes at the yolk vesicle stage (less than 0.3mm in diameter) and gradually developed into a group of y...

76 FR 6402 - Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-04

... Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat Review Committee... review of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) descriptions for Pacific Coast groundfish species. Major topics of...

Unearthing earthquakes and their tsunamis using multiple proxies: the 22 June 1932 event and a probable fourteenth-century predecessor on the Pacific coast of Mexico

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ramírez-Herrera, M.-T.; Corona, N.; Lagos, M.; Černý, Jan; Goguitchaichvili, A.; Goff, J.; Chaugé-Goff, C.; Machain, M. L.; Zawadzki, A.; Jacobsen, G.; Carranza-Edwards, A.; Lozano, S.; Blecher, L.

2014-01-01

Roč. 56, č. 13 (2014), s. 1584-1601 ISSN 0020-6814 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : tsunami deposits * palaeotsunami * tropical environment * multi-proxy approach * Pacific coast * México Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure Impact factor: 1.708, year: 2014

What should be learned from the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake to formulate the standard seismic motion of a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nozu, Atsushi

2017-01-01

Although inter plate earthquake is also taken into account in the formulation of standard seismic motion of a nuclear power plant, the lessons of the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake are not fully utilized in the evaluation of the strong motion record. This paper discussed the following three points. (1) During the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, sharp pulses generated from a narrow area (SPGA: strong motion pulse generation area) on the fault plane determined the maximum amplitude of the earthquake ground motion at the nuclear power plant. (2) In order to accurately calculate this pulse, the current SMGA model is insufficient. (3) The seismic motion evaluated on the assumption that the SPGA is close to a nuclear power plant can exceed the assumption made by power companies. From the studies so far, it is clear that the current SMGA model cannot accurately calculate pulse waves with a time width of 1 to 2 seconds that is technically important, and its causes are clear. For this reason, the SMGA model is not suitable as a seismic source model for establishing the standard seismic motion of a nuclear power plant. It is necessary to have a model that can reproduce the earthquake ground motion due to the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, in an accuracy of SPGA model or higher. Pulse waves with a time width of 1 to 2 seconds that simultaneously bring about large accelerations and speeds are likely accompany plasticization and cause major damage. (A.O.)

Multiple Paternity and Preliminary Population Genetics of Giant Pacific Octopuses, Enteroctopus dofleini, in Oregon, Washington and the Southeast Coast of Vancouver Island, BC

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Shawn Larson

2015-06-01

Full Text Available A total of 77 giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini, tissue samples were collected from the Oregon Coast (OR, Neah Bay Washington (NB, Puget Sound Washington (PS and the southeast coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada (BC for genetic analyses. A suite of eight variable microsatellite markers developed from giant Pacific octopuses were amplified in these samples to determine population diversity, structure, relatedness and paternity. The majority of loci met Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations within each population. We found moderate genetic diversity (average observed heterozygosity = 0.445, range = 0.307–0.515 and average expected heterozygosity = 0.567, range = 0.506–0.696 and moderate population structuring with distinct separation of groups (FST values ranged from 0.101 between BC and PS to 0.237 between BC and NB. Several egg strings from the BC population were collected from three female octopus dens for relatedness and paternity analyses. Results suggest strong support for multiple paternity within one egg clutch with progeny sired by between two to four males.

NOAA/WEST COAST AND ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER PACIFIC OCEAN RESPONSE CRITERIA

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Garry Rogers

2008-01-01

Full Text Available New West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WCATWC response criteria for earthquakes occurring in the Pacific basin are presented. Initial warning decisions are based on earthquake location, magnitude, depth, and - dependent on magnitude - either distance from source or pre- computed threat estimates generated from tsunami models. The new criteria will help limit the geographical extent of warnings and advisories to threatened regions, and complement the new operational tsunami product suite.Changes to the previous criteria include: adding hypocentral depth dependence, reducing geographical warning extent for the lower magnitude ranges, setting special criteria for areas not well-connected to the open ocean, basing warning extent on pre-computed threat levels versus tsunami travel time for very large events, including the new advisory product, using the advisory product for far-offshore events in the lower magnitude ranges, and specifying distances from the coast for on-shore events which may be tsunamigenic.This report sets a baseline for response criteria used by the WCATWC considering its processing and observational data capabilities as well as its organizational requirements. Criteria are set for tsunamis generated by earthquakes, which are by far the main cause of tsunami generation (either directly through sea floor displacement or indirectly by triggering of slumps. As further research and development provides better tsunami source definition, observational data streams, and improved analysis tools, the criteria will continue to adjust. Future lines of research and development capable of providing operational tsunami warning centers with better tools are discussed.

New observations and synthesis of paleogene heterosporous water ferns

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Collinson, M.E.; Smith, S.Y.; van Konijnenburg-van Cittert, J.H.A.; Batten, D.J.; Refidaff, C.; Barke, J.; Marone, F.

Premise of research. Reproductive structures of modern genera of heterosporous water ferns (Marsileaceae and Salviniaceae) are widespread and abundant in plant mesofossil assemblages from the Paleogene. For Salviniaceae, whole fertile fossil plants give a good understanding of morphology. These

Elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic geochemistry of Cretaceous to Early Paleogene granites and volcanic rocks in the Sikhote-Alin Orogenic Belt (Russian Far East): implications for the regional tectonic evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Pan; Jahn, Bor-ming; Xu, Bei

2017-09-01

The Sikhote-Alin Orogenic Belt in Russian Far East is an important Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic accretionary orogen related to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. This belt was generated by successive accretion of terranes made of accretionary prisms, turbidite basins and island arcs to the continental margin of northeastern Asia (represented by the Bureya-Jiamusi-Khanka Block) from Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. In order to study the tectonic and crustal evolution of this orogenic belt, we carried out zircon U-Pb dating, and whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic analyses on granites and volcanic rocks from the Primorye region of southern Sikhote-Alin. Zircon dating revealed three episodes of granitoid emplacement: Permian, Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous to Early Paleogene. Felsic volcanic rocks (mainly rhyolite, dacite and ignimbrite) that overlay all tectonostratigraphic terranes were erupted during 80-57 Ma, postdating the accretionary process in the Sikhote-Alin belt. The Cretaceous-Paleogene magmatism represents the most intense tectonothermal event in the Sikhote-Alin belt. Whole-rock major and trace elemental data show arc-like affinity for granitoids and volcanic rocks, indicating that they were likely generated in a supra-subduction setting. Their initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios range from 0.7048 to 0.7114, and εNd(t) values vary from +1.7 to -3.8 (mostly < 0). Thus, the elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic data suggest that the felsic magmas were generated by partial melting of source rocks comprising mantle-derived juvenile component and recycled crustal component. In addition to the occurrence in the Sikhote-Alin orogenic belt, Cretaceous to Early Paleogene magmatic rocks are also widespread in NE China, southern Korean peninsula, Japanese islands and other areas of Russian Far East, particularly along the coastal regions of the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. These rocks constitute an extended magmatic belt along the continental margin of NE Asia. The

PCB concentrations in intertidal sipunculan (Phylum Sipuncula) marine worms from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spongberg, Alison L.

2006-01-01

Specimens of the sipunculans Phascolosoma perlucens, Antillesoma antillarum, and Sipunculus nudus, were collected for PCB analysis in three coastal embayments of the Pacific coast of Costa Rica in October 2005. After collection the worms were kept in cool sea water and transferred to the laboratory for freeze drying. Half of the specimens of S. nudus were purified in filtered sea water for 72 h before freeze drying. The whole worm sample was ground, using a mortar and pestle prior to being extracted with dichloromethane solvent. The extract was cleaned using a florisil column and analyzed using a 6890 Hewlett-Packard gas chromatograph equipped with a mass selective detector. Recovery efficiencies averaged between 72 and 80 %. Data are not corrected for blank or recovery efficiencies. Concentration data were calculated based on comparison with standards for Arochlor 1221, 1242, 1248 and 1254 (Supelco, Inc.). No worm samples were identified with six of more chlorine atoms. However, the higher chlorinated congeners were identified in the standards. Therefore, the lack of chlorination in the worms was not an analytical artifact. The sum of identifiable PCBs ranged from a barely discernible 0.01 ng/g dry wt in an A. antillarum sample from Bahia de Culebra to 67.71 ng/g dry wt in a P. perlucens sample obtained near the Rio Rincon in the inner Golfo Dulce. S. nudus worm samples from the Cocorocas sand flat in the Golfo de Nicoya had relatively high concentrations of PCBs whether they were purified or not. The samples from Costa Rica are low in PCBs, especially compared to the marine sediment samples measured previously in Costa Rica. This was the first attempt to identify and quantify the presence of PCBs in any marine organisms from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. (author) [es

West Coast Regional Office Permits

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NOAA Fisheries implemented a license limitation program for the trawl and fixed gear sectors of Pacific Coast commercial groundfish fishery on January 1, 1993. The...

The marine ecosystems of the South Pacific coast of Costa Rica: state of knowledge and management perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quesada Alpizar, Marco A.; Cortes, Jorge

2006-01-01

A review of the existing scientific literature on marine ecosystems in the South Pacific of Costa Rica is presented. Most of the information generated to date concentrates on the Golfo Dulce area, a tropical fiord and only anoxic basin in the American pacific coast. Even thought there is a considerable amount of information available, there are still many aspects of the marine ecosystems of the region that remain unstudied. Among these, those concerning circulation patterns, mangrove dynamics, biodiversity of soft sediments and deep waters, and the ecology of commercially important species of mollusks, crustaceans and fish, stand out. Special attention should be placed on the study of Golfo Dulce, Isla del Cano and the Terraba-Sierpe mangrove system, give their biological importance and unique regional character. Coastal management in the region should be based on the best scientific information available integrating biological, social and economic criteria; and seeking the improvement of inter-institutional coordination in order to achieve integrative solutions to the existing threats to marine resources. (author) [es

Aspect of the 2011 off the Pacific coast Tohoku Earthquake, Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Aitaro

2012-01-01

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake (Tohoku-Oki), Japan, was the first magnitude (M) 9 subduction megathrust event to be recorded by a dense network of seismic, geodetic, and tsunami observations. I here review the Tohoku-Oki earthquake in terms of, 1) asperity model, 2) earthquake source observations, 3) precedent processes, 4) postseismic slip (afetrslip). Based on finite source models of the Tohoku-Oki mainshock, the coseismic fault slip exceeded 30 m at shallow part of the subduction zone off-shore of Miyagi. The rupture reached the trench axis, producing a large uplift therein, which was likely an important factor generating devastating tsunami waves. The mainshock was preceded by slow-slip transients propagating toward the initial rupture point, which may have caused substantial stress loading, prompting the unstable dynamic rupture of the mainshock. Furthermore, a sequence of M 7-class interplate earthquakes and subsequent large afterslip events, those occurred before the mainshock rupture, might be interpreted as preparation stage of the earthquake generation. Most of slip released by the postseismic deformation following the Tohoku-Oki mainshock is located in the region peripheral to the large coseismic slip area. (author)

First record of Stibarobdella moorei (Annelida, Hirudinea, Piscicolidae) a marine leech parasitizing Octopus bimaculatus (Mollusca: Octopodidae) from the Mexican Pacific coast

OpenAIRE

López-Peraza D. J.; Hernández-Rodríguez M.; Barón-Sevilla B.; Bückle-Ramírez L. F.; Grano-Maldonado M. I.

2017-01-01

The occurrence of the parasitic marine leech Stibarobdella moorei (Oka, 1910) (Hirudinea: Piscicolidae) along the northwest Mexican Pacific coast is described for the first time. This ectoparasite was collected from the skin of the Octopus bimaculatus (Verril, 1983) (Mollusca: Octopodidae). Stibarobdella loricata (Hardig, 1924) is synonymized with S. moorei as this species resembles other species of the genus based on tubercle patterns and the presence of papillae and a marginal fringe on the...

Paleoclimate records at high latitude in Arctic during the Paleogene

Science.gov (United States)

Salpin, Marie; Schnyder, Johann; Baudin, François; Suan, Guillaume; Labrousse, Loïc; Popescu, Speranta; Suc, Jean-Pierre

2015-04-01

Paleoclimate records at high latitude in Arctic during the Paleogene SALPIN Marie1,2, SCHNYDER Johann1,2, BAUDIN François1,2, SUAN Guillaume3, LABROUSSE Loïc1,2, POPESCU Speranta4, SUC Jean-Pierre1,4 1: Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7193, Institut des Sciences de la Terre Paris (iSTeP), F 75005, Paris, France 2: CNRS, UMR 7193, Institut des Sciences de la Terre Paris (iSTeP), F 75005 Paris, France 3: UCB Lyon 1, UMR 5276, LGLTPE, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France 4: GEOBIOSTRATDATA.CONSULTING, 385 Route du Mas Rillier 69140 Rillieux la Pape, France The Paleogene is a period of important variations of the Earth climate system either in warming or cooling. The climatic optima of the Paleogene have been recognized both in continental and marine environment. This study focus on high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, in the Arctic Basin. The basin has had an influence on the Cenozoic global climate change according to its polar position. Is there a specific behaviour of the Arctic Basin with respect to global climatic stimuli? Are there possible mechanisms of coupling/decoupling of its dynamics with respect to the global ocean? To answer these questions a unique collection of sedimentary series of Paleogene age interval has been assembled from the Laurentian margin in Northern Yukon (Canada) and from the Siberian margin (New Siberian Islands). Selected continental successions of Paleocene-Eocene age were used to study the response of the Arctic system to known global events, e.g. the climatic optima of the Paleogene (the so-called PETM, ETM2 or the Azolla events). Two sections of Paleocene-Eocene age were sampled near the Mackenzie delta, the so-called Coal Mine (CoMi) and Caribou Hills (CaH) sections. The aim of the study is to precise the climatic fluctuations and to characterise the source rock potential of the basin, eventually linked to the warming events. This study is based on data of multi-proxy analyses: mineralogy on bulk and clay

Invasion of the Indo-Pacific blenny Omobranchus punctatus (Perciformes: Blenniidae on the Atlantic Coast of Central and South America

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Oscar Lasso-Alcalá

Full Text Available We examined 308 specimens of the Indo-Pacific blenniid Omobranchus punctatus deposited in four museum collections, and analyzed data on their collection locations to assess its invasion on the Atlantic coast of Central and South America. This species occurs in shoreline estuarine and marine habitats in the Indo-West Pacific. Previous sampling and recent records in the Tropical West Atlantic from 1930 to 2004 produced 20 records for: Panamá, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Brazil. In this work, we provide data on 17 new records for the Gulfs of Venezuela and Paria in Venezuela, as well as four records for Maranhão and Pará states in NE Brazil. The temporal pattern of collections (1930 - 2009 and the proximity of most localities to ports and zones of ship traffic indicate that O. punctatus was initially introduced to the Atlantic by ships travelling from India to Trinidad. Within Brazil the introduction is linked to shipping connected to petroleum platforms. In Maranhão and Pará the introduction may have occurred as a result of fish sheltering in fouling on hulls of ships moving between ports around the mouth of the Amazon River. Alternatively, the spread of this species along of the American coast may reflect the expansion of the range of O. puntactus through larval dispersal in northward flowing currents. We recommend monitoring of this introduced species, and studies of its ecology in West Atlantic areas.

Proxy comparisons for Paleogene sea water temperature reconstructions

Science.gov (United States)

de Bar, Marijke; de Nooijer, Lennart; Schouten, Stefan; Ziegler, Martin; Sluijs, Appy; Reichart, Gert-Jan

2017-04-01

, indicates that the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the proxy relation to temperature remained constant. de Bar, M. W., et al. (2016), Constraints on the application of long chain diol proxies in the Iberian Atlantic margin, Org. Geochem., 101, 184-195. Hollis, C. J., et al. (2012), Early Paleogene temperature history of the Southwest Pacific Ocean: Reconciling proxies and models, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 349, 53-66. Sluijs, A., et al. (2011), Southern ocean warming, sea level and hydrological change during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum, Climate of the Past, 7(1), 47-61.

Arbutus menziesii Pursh. Pacific madrone

Science.gov (United States)

Philip M. McDonald

1990-01-01

Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii) is one of the most widely distributed tree species native to the Pacific coast. Named for its discoverer, Archibald Menzies, a 19th century Scottish physician and naturalist, the species is called arbutus in Canada, and madrone, madroña, or madroño in the United States. The latter name is...

The first dinosaur from Washington State and a review of Pacific coast dinosaurs from North America.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brandon R Peecook

Full Text Available We describe the first diagnostic dinosaur fossil from Washington State. The specimen, which consists of a proximal left femur, was recovered from the shallow marine rocks of the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian Cedar District Formation (Nanaimo Group and is interpreted as pertaining to a large theropod on the basis of its hollow medullary cavity and proximally placed fourth trochanter. The Washington theropod represents one of the northernmost occurrences of a Mesozoic dinosaur on the west coast of the United States and one of only a handful from the Pacific coast of Laramidia during the Cretaceous. Its isolated nature and preservation in marine rocks suggest that the element was washed in from a nearby fluvial system. If the femur pertains to a tyrannosauroid, which seems likely given its size and the widespread occurrence of the group across Laramidia during Late Cretaceous times, then it would represent an earlier occurrence of large body size than previously recognized (complete femur length estimated at 1.2 meters. Uncertainty surrounding the latitude of deposition of the Nanaimo Group (i.e., the Baja-British Columbia hypothesis precludes assigning the Washington theropod to either of the putative northern or southern biogeographic provinces of Laramidia.

The first dinosaur from Washington State and a review of Pacific coast dinosaurs from North America.

Science.gov (United States)

Peecook, Brandon R; Sidor, Christian A

2015-01-01

We describe the first diagnostic dinosaur fossil from Washington State. The specimen, which consists of a proximal left femur, was recovered from the shallow marine rocks of the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Cedar District Formation (Nanaimo Group) and is interpreted as pertaining to a large theropod on the basis of its hollow medullary cavity and proximally placed fourth trochanter. The Washington theropod represents one of the northernmost occurrences of a Mesozoic dinosaur on the west coast of the United States and one of only a handful from the Pacific coast of Laramidia during the Cretaceous. Its isolated nature and preservation in marine rocks suggest that the element was washed in from a nearby fluvial system. If the femur pertains to a tyrannosauroid, which seems likely given its size and the widespread occurrence of the group across Laramidia during Late Cretaceous times, then it would represent an earlier occurrence of large body size than previously recognized (complete femur length estimated at 1.2 meters). Uncertainty surrounding the latitude of deposition of the Nanaimo Group (i.e., the Baja-British Columbia hypothesis) precludes assigning the Washington theropod to either of the putative northern or southern biogeographic provinces of Laramidia.

Indo-Pacific echinoids in the tropical eastern Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Lessios, H. A.; Kessing, B. D.; Wellington, G. M.; Graybeal, A.

1996-06-01

The existing literature reports that only one species of Indo-Pacific echinoid ( Echinometra oblonga), occurs in the eastern Pacific. In this study we confirm the presence of this species at Islas Revillagigedo and also report the presence of two species of Echinothrix (a genus hitherto unknown outside the Indo-Pacific) at Isla del Coco and at Clipperton Island. We also present evidence from isozymes and from mitochondrial DNA sequences indicating that at least one individual of Diadema at Clipperton may belong to a maternal lineage characteristic of the west Pacific species D. savignyi. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the observed populations of Indo-Pacific echinoid species are recent arrivals to the eastern Pacific, as opposed to the view that they are relicts of Tethyan pan-tropical distributions. Echinothrix diadema, in particular, may have arrived at Isla del Coco during the 1982-1983 El Nifio. In addition to Indo-Pacific species, Clipperton, Isla del Coco and the Revillagigedos contain a complement of eastern Pacific echinoids. The echinoid faunas of these islands should, therefore, be regarded as mixtures of two biogeographic provinces. Though none of the Indo-Pacific species are known to have reached the coast of the American mainland, their presence at the offshore islands of the eastern Pacific suggests that, for some echinoids, the East Pacific Barrier is not as formidable an obstacle to migration as was previously thought.

California coast sablefish - Reproductive Life History Analysis of Sablefish Populations off the Washington and California Coasts

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) have a wide distribution along the Pacific coast, extending from Baja California to Alaska, the Bering Sea and through to the eastern...

Washington coast sablefish - Reproductive Life History Analysis of Sablefish Populations off the Washington and California Coasts

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) have a wide distribution along the Pacific coast, extending from Baja California to Alaska, the Bering Sea and through to the eastern...

A Breeding Population of the Western Pacific Crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Grapsidae) Established on the Atlantic Coast of North America.

Science.gov (United States)

McDermott, J J

1991-08-01

The west Pacific grapsid crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus was found in the United States for the first time in 1988. Additional crabs were recovered in 1990 from Townsends Inlet and Cape May Harbor, New Jersey (22 males, 16 females), and four of the females collected from June through September were ovigerous. Thus, H. sanguineus has now established itself in southern New Jersey, the first well-documented case of an exotic brachyuran becoming established along the east coast of the United States.

Possible Ballast Water Transfer of Lionfish to the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

MacIsaac, Hugh J; De Roy, Emma M; Leung, Brian; Grgicak-Mannion, Alice; Ruiz, Gregory M

2016-01-01

The Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish was first reported off the Florida coast in 1985, following which it has spread across much of the SE USA, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. Lionfish negatively impact fish and invertebrate assemblages and abundances, thus further spread is cause for concern. To date, the fish has not been reported on the Pacific coast of North or Central America. Here we examine the possibility of ballast water transfer of lionfish from colonized areas in the Atlantic Ocean to USA ports on the Pacific coast. Over an eight-year period, we documented 27 commercial vessel-trips in which ballast water was loaded in colonized sites and later discharged untreated into Pacific coast ports in the USA. California had the highest number of discharges including San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles-Long Beach. A species distribution model suggests that the probability of lionfish establishment is low for the western USA, Colombia and Panama, low to medium for Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, medium to high for mainland Ecuador, and very high for western Mexico, Peru and the Galapagos Islands. Given the species' intolerance of freshwater conditions, we propose that ballast water exchange be conducted in Gatún Lake, Panama for western-bound vessels carrying 'risky' ballast water to prevent invasion of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Possible Ballast Water Transfer of Lionfish to the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

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Hugh J MacIsaac

Full Text Available The Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish was first reported off the Florida coast in 1985, following which it has spread across much of the SE USA, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. Lionfish negatively impact fish and invertebrate assemblages and abundances, thus further spread is cause for concern. To date, the fish has not been reported on the Pacific coast of North or Central America. Here we examine the possibility of ballast water transfer of lionfish from colonized areas in the Atlantic Ocean to USA ports on the Pacific coast. Over an eight-year period, we documented 27 commercial vessel-trips in which ballast water was loaded in colonized sites and later discharged untreated into Pacific coast ports in the USA. California had the highest number of discharges including San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles-Long Beach. A species distribution model suggests that the probability of lionfish establishment is low for the western USA, Colombia and Panama, low to medium for Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, medium to high for mainland Ecuador, and very high for western Mexico, Peru and the Galapagos Islands. Given the species' intolerance of freshwater conditions, we propose that ballast water exchange be conducted in Gatún Lake, Panama for western-bound vessels carrying 'risky' ballast water to prevent invasion of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Comparative analysis of marine paleogene sections and biota from West Siberia and the Arctic Region

Science.gov (United States)

Akhmet'ev, M. A.; Zaporozhets, N. I.; Iakovleva, A. I.; Aleksandrova, G. N.; Beniamovsky, V. N.; Oreshkina, T. V.; Gnibidenko, Z. N.; Dolya, Zh. A.

2010-12-01

The analysis of the main biospheric events that took place in West Siberia and the Arctic region during the Early Paleogene revealed the paleogeographic and paleobiogeographic unity of marine sedimentation basins and close biogeographic relations between their separate parts. Most biotic and abiotic events of the first half of the Paleogene in the Arctic region and West Siberia were synchronous, unidirectional, and interrelated. Shelf settings, sedimentation breaks, and microfaunal assemblages characteristic of these basins during the Paleogene are compared. The comparative analysis primarily concerned events of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) and beds with Azolla (aquatic fern). The formation of the Eocene Azolla Beds in the Arctic region and West Siberia was asynchronous, although it proceeded in line with a common scenario related to the development of a system of estuarine-type currents in a sea basin partly isolated from the World Ocean.

Time scales of critical events around the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Renne, P.R.; Deino, A.L.; Hilgen, F.J.; Kuiper, K.F.; Mark, D.F.; Mitchell III, W.S.; Morgan, L.; Mundil, R.; Smit, J.

2013-01-01

Mass extinctions manifest in Earth's geologic record were turning points in biotic evolution. We present 40Ar/39Ar data that establish synchrony between the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary and associated mass extinctions with the Chicxulub bolide impact to within 32,000 years. Perturbation of the

Pacific Coast Groundfish Individual Fishing Quota Database

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — On January 11, 2011, NOAA Fisheries implemented a new fishery management system for the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program as specified in the...

First Indo-Pacific fish species from the Black Sea coast of Turkey: Shrimp scad Alepes djedaba (Forsskål, 1775 (Carangidae

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Cemal Turan

2017-11-01

Full Text Available One specimen of shrimp scad Alepes djedaba (Forsskål, 1775 was caught by using fish net at a depth of 30 m on 11 October 2017 from Sinop Bay, the West Black Sea. With the present study, A. djedaba is first lessepsian fish species in the Black Sea coast of Turkey. The migration of IndoPacific species to the Black Sea indicate that climate change is getting an important issue both for marine biodiversity and fisheries in the Black Sea.

78 FR 77658 - Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-24

... Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT... Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National.... Potential changes to management measures for the west coast drift gillnet fishery. 2. Developments to...

Sedimentology of the Paleogene succession at Calypsostranda, Svalbard

OpenAIRE

Poole, Louise Kristiansen

2018-01-01

The following study encompasses sedimentological investigations of the Calypsostranda Group. The Calypsostranda Group is comprised of Paleogene sediments where outcrops are well exposed in a coastal section at Renardodden (Calypsostranda area), on the southern shores of Bellsund in western Spitsbergen. The aim of the study is to: i) generate reliable depositional models for the evolution of the sediments of the Calypsostranda Group, through facies recognition and break-down ii) investigate an...

Impact and Recovery Pattern of a Spring Fire on a Pacific Coast Marsh - Observations and Implications for Endangered Species

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, L. N.; Willis, K. S.; Ambrose, R. F.; MacDonald, G. M.

2015-12-01

The flammability of California coastal marsh vegetation is highest in winter and spring when dominant high marsh plants such as Sarcocornia pacifica are dormant. With climate change the number of cool-season fires are increasing in the state, and marsh systems are becoming more vulnerable to fire disturbance. Very little information exists in peer-reviewed or grey literature on the presence of fire in Pacific Coast tidal marshes. In 1993, the Green Meadows fire in Ventura County, California burned a small portion of tidally influenced Sarcocornia­-dominated marsh at Point Mugu. After the May 2013 Springs Fire burned a similar portion of the salt marsh vegetation, we conducted a two-year vegetation recovery survey using transects of surface vegetation plots and MODIS derived NDVI remote sensing monitoring. Recovery during the first year was limited. Sixteen months into the recovery period, percent plant coverage reached an average of approximately 60% for all plots in the burned area, as opposed to an average of 100% in control plots, and remained at that level for the duration of the study. NDVI did not approach near pre-fire conditions until 19 months after the fire. While recovery may have been influenced by California's current extreme drought conditions, the recurrence of fire and rate of recovery raise many important questions as to the role of fire in Pacific coast tidal marshes. For example, the lack of Salicornia cover over more than an entire breeding season would be detrimental to protected species such as Rallus obsoletus. Fire adds new vulnerabilities on critical tidal marsh habitat already taxed by the threat of sea-level rise, coastal squeeze and invasive species.

Climate sensitivity to Arctic seaway restriction during the early Paleogene

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Christopher D.; LeGrande, Allegra N.; Tripati, Aradhna K.

2009-09-01

The opening and closing of ocean gateways affects the global distribution of heat, salt, and moisture, potentially driving climatic change on regional to global scales. Between 65 and 45 million years ago (Ma), during the early Paleogene, exchange between the Arctic and global oceans occurred through two narrow and shallow seaways, the Greenland-Norway seaway and the Turgai Strait. Sediments from the Arctic Ocean suggest that, during this interval, the surface ocean was warm, brackish, and episodically enabled the freshwater fern Azolla to bloom. The precise mechanisms responsible for the development of these conditions in the Paleogene Arctic remain uncertain. Here we show results from an isotope-enabled, atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, which indicate that Northern Hemisphere climate would have been very sensitive to the degree of oceanic exchange through the Arctic seaways. We also present modelled estimates of seawater and calcite δ18O for the Paleogene. By restricting these seaways, we simulate freshening of the surface Arctic Ocean to ~ 6 psu and warming of sea-surface temperatures by 2 °C in the North Atlantic and 5-10 °C in the Labrador Sea. Our results may help explain the occurrence of low-salinity tolerant taxa in the Arctic Ocean during the Eocene and provide a mechanism for enhanced warmth in the north western Atlantic. We propose that the formation of a volcanic land-bridge between Greenland and Europe could have caused increased ocean convection and warming of intermediate waters in the Atlantic. If true, this result is consistent with the theory that bathymetry changes may have caused thermal destabilisation of methane clathrates and supports a tectonic trigger hypothesis for the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).

Complicated malaria in children and adults from three settings of the Colombian Pacific Coast: A prospective study.

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Myriam Arévalo-Herrera

Full Text Available Complicated malaria remains an important public health problem, particularly in endemic settings where access to health services is limited and consequently malaria fatal outcomes occur. Few publications describing the clinical course and outcomes of complicated malaria in Latin America are found in the literature. This prospective study approached the clinical and laboratory characteristics of hospitalized patients with complicated malaria in different endemic areas of the Colombian Pacific Coast with the aim to provide epidemiological knowledge and guide to further reducing malaria severity and mortality.A prospective, descriptive hospital-based study was conducted in 323 complicated malaria patients (median age 20 years enrolled in Quibdó, Tumaco and Cali between 2014 and 2016. Clinical evaluation was performed and laboratory parameters were assessed during hospitalization. Plasmodium falciparum was the most common parasite species (70%, followed by P. vivax (28%, and mixed malaria (Pf/Pv; 1.9%. Overall, predominant laboratory complications were severe thrombocytopenia (43%, hepatic dysfunction (40%, and severe anaemia (34%. Severe thrombocytopenia was more common in adults (52% regardless of parasite species. Severe anaemia was the most frequent complication in children ≤10 years (72% and was most commonly related to P. vivax infection (p < 0.001; whereas liver dysfunction was more frequent in older patients (54% with P. falciparum (p < 0.001. Two deaths due to P. vivax and P. falciparum each were registered. Treatment provision before recruitment hindered qPCR confirmation of parasite species in some cases.The study identified a high prevalence of complicated malaria in the Pacific Coast, together with more frequent severe anaemia in children infected by P. vivax and hepatic dysfunction in adults with P. falciparum. Results indicated the need for earlier diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications development as well as more

Microplastics in tourist beaches of Huatulco Bay, Pacific coast of southern Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Retama, I.; Jonathan, M.P.; Shruti, V.C.; Velumani, S.; Sarkar, S.K.; Roy, Priyadarsi D.

2016-01-01

The presence and impacts of plastic marine debris (PMD) have been documented in the oceans worldwide, and they deserve special attention. This study is the first to report the presence of microplastics in tourist beaches located in Huatulco Bay, southern Mexico. A total of 70 beach sediment samples (for 2 distinct seasons) were collected from Huatulco Bay in April 2013 and December 2014. The samples were subsequently extracted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify the fibrous microplastics (diameter < 5 mm). The maximum number of fibrous materials was found in April 2013 and December 2014 in the Rincón Sabroso beach (48/30 g sediment) and the Cuatunalco beach (69/30 g sediment), respectively. Overall, a high amount of microplastics is present in the Conejos, Tangolunda, Santa Cruz, and San Agustin beaches. The microplastics are mainly derived from tourism-based activities and effluents discharged from the hotels and restaurants located along the beaches. - Highlights: • Microplastics were found in the coastal sediments, Pacific coast, Mexico. • Use of plastic materials by tourists and local municipal effluents • High density of microplastics reported based on density of tourist presence. • Risk to the food web structure and the health hazard for humans

Gestational and congenital syphilis epidemic in the Colombian Pacific Coast.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Adriana R; Castrillón, Maria Alejandra; Minotta, Alba Yadira; Rubiano, Luisa C; Castaño, Martha C; Salazar, Juan C

2013-10-01

Congenital syphilis (CS) is a major global public health problem. Buenaventura, a socioeconomically deprived municipality in the Colombian Pacific Coast, accounts for 6.6% of all CS cases in Colombia. To begin to understand the main reasons for the high rates of the disease in Buenaventura, we conducted a retrospective electronic health record analysis of all infants admitted with CS during the first 7 months of 2011 to the Hospital Departamental de Buenaventura, the city's main birthing hospital. The diagnosis of gestational syphilis and CS was based on a predefined Colombian public health service algorithm. Clinical, laboratory, and sociodemographic parameters for all infants studied, including maternal access to prenatal care, syphilis serologic diagnosis, and adequacy of penicillin treatment, were abstracted and analyzed. A total of 89 infants met the case definition for CS. Most mothers (80%) were affiliated with government-regulated or private health care insurance plans. While 64 (70%) of 92 attended at least 1 antenatal care visit and 59 of these 64 (84%) were screened for syphilis, only 5 (8%) of 59 received appropriate antibiotic therapy. Although most infants were asymptomatic at birth, prematurity (15/82) was common. Two infants died in the neonatal period, and 5 pregnancies ended in stillbirth. Our findings confirm that Buenaventura has a very high incidence of CS and demonstrate that existing antenatal care gestational syphilis programs are flawed. Prevention strategies should emphasize enhanced early syphilis screening in pregnancy, preferably through the implementation of point-of-care testing in the community and same-day treatment with at least 1 dose of penicillin.

[The red tide caused by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense in the Colombian Pacific coast (2001)].

Science.gov (United States)

García-Hansen, Ingrid; Cortés-Altamirano, Roberto; Sierra-Beltrán, Arturo P

2004-09-01

From April 26th to May 15th 2001, a large algae bloom was observed off Tumaco Bay on the Pacific coast of Colombia. This was the first harmful algae bloom (HAB) reported in the region, and reached Gorgona Island, about 120 km north. A year later, starting March 2002, an offshore HAB developed from Cabo Corrientes North to Solano Bay. The typical abundance during the blooms reached 7.5 x 10(6) cells l(-1) for the 2001 event and 1.6 x 10(6) cells l(-1) for the 2002 event. During both events, low temperature and high salinity were recorded. Typical measurements in the area are 27-27.5 degrees C and 30-31.5 psu. Values observed during the two events were 24-24.6 degrees C and 33-34 psu; 3 degrees C below normal and more than 2.5 psu above average values. These conditions are indicative of local upwelling processes at the time of the events. On both occasions, cells corresponding to the Alexandrium catenella/fundeyense/tamarense complex represented 99-100% of the biomass. It was difficult to differentiate the cells from A. catenella, but the presence of short chains of only 4 cells (single cells represented most of the biomass) was suggestive of A. tamarense. Shape, dimensions, and detailed structure of the apical pore complex, first apical plate, posterior sulcal plate, and position of the ventral pore on plate 1' of cells were consistent with the description of A. tamarense, which has not been reported in the tropical East Pacific. The Control Center of Pacific Contamination of the Maritime General Direction of the Colombian Navy has been monitoring the area since 1994 without finding this species or HABs. This leads us to consider the two events as caused by recently introduced species, where local upwelling processes favor permanent and cyclic HABs. However, during these two events, there were no reports of effects on marine biota or of human poisoning, probably because the blooms occurred some distance offshore and far from exploited shellfish beds.

PODs cruise - Pacific Orcinus Distrbution Survey

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Orcinus spp. occur in the Pacific Ocean throughout the West Coast of North America. Data concerning their precise locations and abundance are critical to...

Untangling cultural inheritance: language diversity and long-house architecture on the Pacific northwest coast

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Peter; O'Neill, Sean

2010-01-01

Many recent studies of cultural inheritance have focused on small-scale craft traditions practised by single individuals, which do not require coordinated participation by larger social collectives. In this paper, we address this gap in the cultural transmission literature by investigating diversity in the vernacular architecture of the Pacific northwest coast, where communities of hunter–fisher–gatherers constructed immense wooden long-houses at their main winter villages. Quantitative analyses of long-house styles along the coastline draw on a range of models and methods from the biological sciences and are employed to test hypotheses relating to basic patterns of macro-scale cultural diversification, and the degree to which the transmission of housing traits has been constrained by the region's numerous linguistic boundaries. The results indicate relatively strong branching patterns of cultural inheritance and also close associations between regional language history and housing styles, pointing to the potentially crucial role played by language boundaries in structuring large-scale patterns of cultural diversification, especially in relation to ‘collective’ cultural traditions like housing that require substantial inputs of coordinated labour. PMID:21041212

Paleogene events in Central Eurasia: their role in the flora and vegetation cover evolution, migration of phytochore boundaries, and climate changes

Science.gov (United States)

Akhmetiev, M. A.; Zaporozhets, N. I.

2014-05-01

The flora and vegetation of Central Eurasia evolved in the Paleogene to a significant extent in line with the scenario similar to the Late Cretaceous one. The position of high-rank phytochores was controlled by the global climatic zonality, while development stages of the flora depended on interaction between the Arctic and Tethyan water masses and direction of atmospheric flows and were determined by principal geological and paleogeographic events in the Paleogene history of Central Eurasia. Five main stages are definable in development of the Paleogene flora: (1) early-middle Danian with the wide distribution of temperate-thermophilic floras in the middle and high latitudes and their westward and southward expansion from the Pacific and Arctic regions of the Boreal realm; (2) Late Paleocene-Early Eocene with the maximal advancement of the Tethyan flora to the high latitudes and northward migration of phytochore boundaries in response to intense water exchange between the Tethys and Atlantic oceans with its trade currents and atmospheric heat transfer directly from the tropical zone in absence of the Alpine-Himalayan orogen; (3) Lutetian with development of subtropical monsoon-type floras under influence of the water mass exchange between the Arctic Basin and Peritethys with the monsoon-induced currents and atmospheric heat transfer from the Peritethys under conditions of the restricted connection between the Central Asia basins and Tethys; (4) (?) late Lutetian-Priabonian reflecting the climate inversion due to isolation of the West Siberian Sea from the Arctic Basin against the background of its continuing connection with the Peritethys; the formation of the semiclosed West Siberian Sea at that time was accompanied by development of a climate with humid winters, hot dry summers, and deficiency of average annual precipitation in the middle latitudes of Central Eurasia, where luxuriant subtropical Quercus-Laurus forests with Castanopsis that prevailed at the

Species composition and bathymetric distribution of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia on the Southern Mexican Pacific coast

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Rosalinda Abeytia

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Gorgonians are important components of coastal ecosystems, as they provide niches, natural compounds with medical applications and are used as bioindicators. Species composition and assemblage structure of gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia were studied along a bathymetric profile in the Southern Mexican Pacific coast. Species composition was based on specimens collected within a depth range of 0-70m in 15 sites. The relative abundance of species was determined in six sites at four depths (5, 10, 20 and 25m using three 10m2 transects at each depth level. Twenty-seven species of gorgonians belonging to six genera and three families were registered. The species composition varied with depth: 11 species were distributed between 0-25m depth, while 17 species were found between 40-70m depth interval. The shallow zone is characterized by a relatively large abundance of gorgonians, dominated by colonies of Leptogorgia cuspidata and L. ena. In contrast, the deepest zone was characterized by relatively low abundance of gorgonians, dominated by L. alba, the only species observed in both depth intervals. The similarity analysis showed differences in the composition and abundance of species by depth and site, suggesting that the main factor in determining the assemblage structure is depth. Results of this study suggest that the highest richness of gorgonian species in the study area may be located at depths of 40-70m, whereas the highest abundances are found between 5 and 10m depth. This study represents a contribution to the poorly known eastern Pacific gorgonian biota.

Structure and petroleum potential of the continental margin between Cross Sound and Icy Bay, northern Gulf of Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Bruns, T.R.

1982-01-01

Major structural features of the Yakutat segment, the segment of the continental margin between Cross Sound and Icy Bay, northern Gulf of Alaska, are delineated by multichannel seismic reflection data. A large structural high is centered on Fairweather Ground and lies generally at the edge of the shelf from Cross Sound to west of the Alsek Valley. A basement uplift, the Dangerous River zone, along which the seismic acoustic basement shallows by up to two kilometers, extends north from the western edge of Fairweather Ground towards the mouth of the Dangerous River. The Dangerous River zone separates the Yakutat segment into two distinct subbasins. The eastern subbasin has a maximum sediment thickness of about 4 km, and the axis of the basin is near and parallel to the coast. Strata in this basin are largely of late Cenozoic age (Neogene and Quaternary) and approximately correlate with the onshore Yakataga Formation. The western subbasin has a maximum of at least 9 km of sediment, comprised of a thick (greater than 4.5 km) Paleogene section overlain by late Cenozoic strata. The Paleogene section is truncated along the Dangerous River zone by a combination of erosion, faulting, and onlap onto the acoustic basement. Within the western subbasin, the late Cenozoic basin axis is near and parallel to the coast, but the Paleogene basin axis appears to trend in a northwest direction diagonally across the shelf. Sedimentary strata throughout the Yakutat shelf show regional subsidence and only minor deformation except in the vicinity of the Fairweather Ground structural high, near and along the Dangerous River zone, and at the shoreline near Lituya Bay. Seismic data across the continental slope and adjacent deep ocean show truncation at the continental slope of Paleogene strata, the presence of a thick (to 6 km) undeformed or mildly deformed abyssal sedimentary section at the base of the slope that in part onlaps the slope, and a relatively narrow zone along the slope or at

Chapter 9: The rock coast of the USA

Science.gov (United States)

Hapke, Cheryl J.; Adams, Peter N.; Allan, Jonathan; Ashton, Andrew; Griggs, Gary B.; Hampton, Monty A.; Kelly, Joseph; Young, Adam P.

2014-01-01

The coastline of the USA is vast and comprises a variety of landform types including barrier islands, mainland beaches, soft bluffed coastlines and hard rocky coasts. The majority of the bluffed and rocky coasts are found in the northeastern part of the country (New England) and along the Pacific coast. Rocky and bluffed landform types are commonly interspersed along the coastline and occur as a result of relative lowering of sea level from tectonic or isostatic forcing, which can occur on timescales ranging from instantaneous to millenia. Recent research on sea cliffs in the contiguous USA has focused on a broad range of topics from documenting erosion rates to identifying processes and controls on morphology to prediction modelling. This chapter provides a detailed synthesis of recent and seminal research on rocky coast geomorphology along open-ocean coasts of the continental United States (USA).

Insight into the Pacific Sea Surface Temperature- North American Hydroclimate Connection from an Eastern Tropical North Pacific Coral Record

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez, S. C.; Charles, C. D.; Carriquiry, J. D.

2015-12-01

The last few years of record-breaking climate anomalies across North America--a resilient atmospheric ridge and extreme drought over the West Coast, and severe winters across the Midwest and East Coast regions--have been linked to anomalous Pacific sea surface temperatures (Seager et al. 2014, Wang et al. 2014, Hartmann 2015). The synoptic associations prompt important questions on the relation between these unusual phenomena and extreme expressions of known Pacific decadal modes, such as the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO). These questions motivate our pursuit to document multiple realizations of decadal variability in the Pacific-North American region through periods of varied radiative forcing. Here we introduce a 178 year, seasonally resolved Porites coral record from Clarion Island (18N, 115W), the westernmost island of the Revillagigedo Archipelago, a region both highly influenced by NPGO SST and SSS variability and critical for NPGO tropical-extratropical communication via the Seasonal Footprinting Mechanism (Vimont et al. 2003). When coupled with tree ring records from the western United States (Griffin and Anchukaitis 2014, MacDonald and Case 2005) and coral records from the central tropical Pacific (Cobb et al. 2001), the δ18O signal from the Clarion coral offers an extended framework of coherent continental hydroclimate and oceanic variability across the Pacific basin beyond the instrumental record. Over the last 200 years, we find clear commonality in the timing, magnitude and spatial expression of variability (illustrated through the NADA Atlas, Cook et al. 2004) amongst the proxy records. The strong relationship between Northeastern Pacific Clarion and the Central Pacific Palmyra record with the North American hydroclimate records can be viewed within the mechanistic framework of the NPGO; this framework is then explored over the last millennium across intervals of varied radiative forcing.

Vitamin A and contaminant concentrations in surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) wintering on the Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, M.L.; Wilson, L.K.; Trudeau, S.F.; Elliott, J.E.

2007-01-01

Surf scoters are part of a community of sea ducks on the western coast of North America that have shown signs of long-term, unexplained declines in breeding bird numbers. Substantial numbers of scoters winter in the major harbours on the west coast, after breeding in the west-central northern boreal forest. To address the potential for contaminants to impact the health and survival of those birds, we investigated the condition and contamination of surf scoters during the winters of 1998-2001 at four foraging locations in the Strait of Georgia region of the Pacific coast of Canada. Vitamin A status was evaluated in liver and plasma samples collected from adults and juveniles, as part of a larger assessment of tissue contamination, body condition and biomarker responses. Individuals collected from a relatively contaminated site, Howe Sound, showed consistently low hepatic concentrations of retinol and retinyl palmitate forms of vitamin A, and gender-specific associations of retinyl palmitate with hepatic EROD activity. The relationship of hepatic retinol to retinyl palmitate was not constant across geographic locations, and a clear, linear relationship between the two forms of vitamin A was only evident in birds from the relatively uncontaminated site. This study also identified strong positive relationships between vitamin A and tissue burdens of cadmium and zinc. The positive association between hepatic retinyl palmitate and renal cadmium is similar to one observed in laboratory rats, in which a mechanism of interference with the controlled release of retinol from the liver was suggested

A complex rupture image of the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake revealed by the MeSO-net

Science.gov (United States)

Honda, Ryou; Yukutake, Yohei; Ito, Hiroshi; Harada, Masatake; Aketagawa, Tamotsu; Yoshida, Akio; Sakai, Shin'ichi; Nakagawa, Shigeki; Hirata, Naoshi; Obara, Kazushige; Kimura, Hisanori

2011-07-01

Strong ground motions from the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, the most powerful earthquake to have occurred in and around Japan after the installation of a modern seismic network, were recorded for more than 300 seconds by a dense and wide-span seismic network, the Metropolitan Seismic Observation Network (MeSO-net), installed around the Tokyo metropolitan area about 200 km away from the epicenter. We investigate the rupture process of the earthquake in space and time by performing semblance-enhanced stacking analysis of the waveforms in a frequency range of 0.05 to 0.5 Hz. By projecting the power of the stacked waveforms to an assumed fault plane, the rupture propagation image of the large and complex earthquake has been successfully obtained. The seismic energy was mainly generated from the off-shore areas of about 100 km away from the coast in Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures. The shallow and eastern part of the fault along the Japan trench off Miyagi Prefecture released strong seismic energy which might have been related to the excitation of gigantic tsunami. In contrast, the southern shallow part of the fault plane, off Ibaraki Prefecture, released only minor seismic energy. Our analysis suggests that the focal areas combining both the officially-forecasted Miyagi-oki earthquake and those of historical earthquakes that occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture in 1938 were broken, resulting in the 2011 great M 9 earthquake.

Regionalization and Evaluation of Impacts of Climate Change on Mexican Coasts

Science.gov (United States)

Nava-Sanchez, E. H.; Murillo-Jimenez, J. M.; Godinez-Orta, L.; Morales-Perez, R. A.

2009-04-01

Mexican coasts exhibit a high variety of geoforms and processes, and consequently, are exposed to a variability of types and impact levels of geological hazards. Tropical cyclones are the most devastating hazards for the Mexican coast, although, impact levels are higher on the southern coast of both Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The second dangerous geo-hazards are earthquakes and tsunamis, which affect all Pacific coast, causing more damage the earthquakes generated in the Cocos Trench. For seismic hazards, there is a regionalization of the Mexican territory, however, even though the high levels of damages caused by other natural hazards, there is a lack of initiatives for performing atlas of natural hazards or coastal management plans. Exceptions are the local scale atlas of natural hazards by the Mexican Geological Survey or some other local scale atlas made with several errors by non experience private consultant companies. Our work shows results of analyses of coastal geological hazards associated to global warming such as the sea level rise, and the increase in strength of some coastal processes. Initially, due to the high diversity in coastal environments for the Mexican coast, it was considered that, a regional characterization of the coastal zone, and the gathering of environmental data for determining levels of impact of the various coastal hazards, as an evaluation of coastal vulnerability. Thus, the basic criteria for defining Coastal Regions, in order of importance, were the following: geomorphology, climate, geology, tectonics, and oceanography. Also, some anthropogenic factors were taken in account for the coastal regionalization, such as civil construction along the coastline, land used and modification of the fluvial system. The analysis of such criteria, allows us to classify the Mexican coasts in 10 Coastal Regions. On the Pacific coast regions are: (I) Pacific Coast of Baja California, (II) Gulf Coast of Baja California, (III) Coastal Plain of

Alectorioid Morphologies in Paleogene Lichens: New Evidence and Re-Evaluation of the Fossil Alectoria succini Mägdefrau

Science.gov (United States)

Kaasalainen, Ulla; Heinrichs, Jochen; Krings, Michael; Myllys, Leena; Grabenhorst, Heinrich; Rikkinen, Jouko; Schmidt, Alexander R.

2015-01-01

One of the most important issues in molecular dating studies concerns the incorporation of reliable fossil taxa into the phylogenies reconstructed from DNA sequence variation in extant taxa. Lichens are symbiotic associations between fungi and algae and/or cyanobacteria. Several lichen fossils have been used as minimum age constraints in recent studies concerning the diversification of the Ascomycota. Recent evolutionary studies of Lecanoromycetes, an almost exclusively lichen-forming class in the Ascomycota, have utilized the Eocene amber inclusion Alectoria succinic as a minimum age constraint. However, a re-investigation of the type material revealed that this inclusion in fact represents poorly preserved plant remains, most probably of a root. Consequently, this fossil cannot be used as evidence of the presence of the genus Alectoria (Parmeliaceae, Lecanorales) or any other lichens in the Paleogene. However, newly discovered inclusions from Paleogene Baltic and Bitterfeld amber verify that alectorioid morphologies in lichens were in existence by the Paleogene. The new fossils represent either a lineage within the alectorioid group or belong to the genus Oropogon. PMID:26053106

77 FR 45508 - Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Trawl...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

... for species caught incidentally in the whiting fishery (including lingcod, Pacific cod, canary... allocations. The process of ``holding'' back sufficient QP is similar to the current process of starting the...

High-resolution ocean and atmosphere pCO2 time-series measurements from mooring WA_125W_47N in the North Pacific Ocean, US West Coast from 2006-06-23 to 2015-03-05 (NODC Accession 0115322)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NCEI Accession 0115322 includes chemical, meteorological, physical and time series data collected from MOORING_WA_125W_47N in the North Pacific Ocean, US West Coast...

Geographic distribution and environmental control of vertebral count in Ammodytes spp. along the northern Pacific coast of Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Aoyama, J; Yoshinaga, T; Tanaka, C; Ishii, K

2017-03-01

To examine species composition and population structures in sand lance (Ammodytidae) along the northern Pacific coast of Japan, genetic analysis were carried out for specimens collected in 2014 from Otsuchi Bay, Iwate, Ishinomaki Bay, Miyagi, off Soma, Fukushima and Ise-Mikawa Bays, Aichi. The samples consisted of Ammodytes japonicus and Ammodytes heian, of which the latter is a recently described species. Neither species exhibited significant genetic differences among localities. Only A. japonicus was found in the most southern locality at Aichi, but it decreased northward to heian with modes of 65 and 63, respectively, but this characteristic did not differ significantly within a locality (Iwate). This suggests that the vertebral counts of Ammodytes spp. in Japanese waters are probably strongly determined by the environment than by a species-specific genetic trait. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Source fault model of the 2011 off the pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, estimated from the detailed distribution of tsunami run-up heights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuta, Nobuhisa; Suzuki, Yasuhiro; Sugito, Nobuhiko; Nakata, Takashi; Watanabe, Mitsuhisa

2015-01-01

The distribution of tsunami run-up heights generally has spatial variations, because run-up heights are controlled by coastal topography including local-scale landforms such as natural levees, in addition to land use. Focusing on relationships among coastal topography, land conditions, and tsunami run-up heights of historical tsunamis—Meiji Sanriku (1896 A.D.), Syowa Sanriku (1933 A.D.), and Chilean Sanriku (1960 A.D.) tsunamis—along the Sanriku coast, it is found that the wavelength of a tsunami determines inundation areas as well as run-up heights. Small bays facing the Pacific Ocean are sensitive to short wavelength tsunamis, and large bays are sensitive to long wavelength tsunamis. The tsunami observed off Kamaishi during the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake was composed of both short and long wavelength components. We examined run-up heights of the Tohoku tsunami, and found that: (1) coastal areas north of Kamaishi and south of Yamamoto were mainly attacked by short wavelength tsunamis; and (2) no evidence of short wavelength tsunamis was observed from Ofunato to the Oshika Peninsula. This observation coincides with the geomorphologically proposed source fault model, and indicates that the extraordinary large slip along the shallow part of the plate boundary off Sendai, proposed by seismological and geodesic analyses, is not needed to explain the run-up heights of the Tohoku tsunami. To better understand spatial variations of tsunami run-up heights, submarine crustal movements, and source faults, a detailed analysis is required of coastal topography, land conditions, and submarine tectonic landforms from the perspective of geomorphology. (author)

Pacific Basin Heavy Oil Refining Capacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Hackett

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The United States today is Canada’s largest customer for oil and refined oil products. However, this relationship may be strained due to physical, economic and political influences. Pipeline capacity is approaching its limits; Canadian oil is selling at substantive discounts to world market prices; and U.S. demand for crude oil and finished products (such as gasoline, has begun to flatten significantly relative to historical rates. Lower demand, combined with increased shale oil production, means U.S. demand for Canadian oil is expected to continue to decline. Under these circumstances, gaining access to new markets such as those in the Asia-Pacific region is becoming more and more important for the Canadian economy. However, expanding pipeline capacity to the Pacific via the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and the planned Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is only feasible when there is sufficient demand and processing capacity to support Canadian crude blends. Canadian heavy oil requires more refining and produces less valuable end products than other lighter and sweeter blends. Canadian producers must compete with lighter, sweeter oils from the Middle East, and elsewhere, for a place in the Pacific Basin refineries built to handle heavy crude blends. Canadian oil sands producers are currently expanding production capacity. Once complete, the Northern Gateway pipeline and the Trans Mountain expansion are expected to deliver an additional 500,000 to 1.1 million barrels a day to tankers on the Pacific coast. Through this survey of the capacity of Pacific Basin refineries, including existing and proposed facilities, we have concluded that there is sufficient technical capacity in the Pacific Basin to refine the additional Canadian volume; however, there may be some modifications required to certain refineries to allow them to process Western Canadian crude. Any additional capacity for Canadian oil would require refinery modifications or

Predicting Waves in the Pacific Northwest of the US

Science.gov (United States)

Ozkan-Haller, H. T.; Oskamp, J. A.; Garcia, G.; Kassem, S.; McNutt, J.

2010-12-01

The Pacific Northwest region of the US is characterized by an energetic deep water wave climate with large swell and sea waves that can approach from multiple directions. As these waves propagate from the open ocean over the continental shelf towards shore, they are affected by the underwater topography (or bathymetry) of the shelf. The US West Coast shelf is characterized by complicated bathymetry with numerous canyons and large banks. Such features can at places focus wave energy and at others divert waves away. As a result the wave field near the coast (in 10-50m water depth) varies significantly along the coast. Although a comprehensive prediction and validation effort for waves exists for the California shoreline, it is currently lacking for the Pacific Northwest shorelines. Herein, we present comprehensive long-term wave model simulations for several regions within the Oregon coastline, show validation of the results with existing nearshore observations, and discuss the dominant dynamics responsible for the observed wave transformation.

Paleoenvironmental conditions in the late Paleogene, Sumatra, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

O'shea, Natalie; Arthur Bettis, E.; Zaim, Yahdi; Rizal, Yan; Aswan, Aswan; Gunnell, Gregg F.; Zonneveld, John-Paul; Ciochon, Russell L.

2015-11-01

A stratified paleosol sequence exposed in an open pit mine in central Sumatra provides a record of the paleoenvironmental conditions in the lower reaches of a large river system in the late Paleogene (latest Eocene or Oligocene). Morphological, geochemical, and stable isotope data suggest that the sequence represents a mosaic of local environmental conditions changing from estuarine to riverine up section. Weakly expressed soils formed on low-lying estuary surfaces, while more well expressed soils formed on higher, better drained surfaces. Peatlands (coal) with clayey subsoils were along the estuary margins. Well-expressed soils with evidence of clay translocation and chemical weathering become more common higher in the section where alluvial deposits associated with a meandering river are dominant. Stable carbon isotope ratios support a paleolandscape dominated by C3 plants with input by C4 vegetation limited to a few intervals. Finally, whole-rock geochemistry suggests moderate chemical weathering consistent with a tropical locality. This multi-proxy paleoenvironmental reconstruction suggests a highly productive lowland forest environment at this locality in the late Paleogene and provides the first direct examination of the terrestrial environment in Sumatra at this time. The limited fossil record in Island Southeast Asia during this time period is likely a result of poor bone and shell preservation in tropical forest environments combined with a general lack of systematic prospecting. However, our continuing work in this area has produced a relatively diverse assemblage of fossil vertebrates, now including fishes, amphibians, turtles, crocodiles, and mammals, as well as a growing diversity of fossil plants.

77 FR 47318 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-08

... Quinault Indian Nation for the exclusive right to harvest Pacific sardine in 2012 in their Usual and Accustomed Fishing Area off the coast of Washington State, pursuant to their rights to fish under the 1856... of Pacific sardine off of northern Baja Mexico, a significant amount of the Mexican catch referenced...

Frequency Domain Response at Pacific Coast Harbors to Major Tsunamis of 2005-2011

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Xiuying; Kou, Zhiqing; Huang, Ziyi; Lee, Jiin-Jen

2013-06-01

Tsunamis waves caused by submarine earthquake or landslide might contain large wave energy, which could cause significant human loss and property damage locally as well as in distant region. The response of three harbors located at the Pacific coast (i.e. Crescent City Harbor, Los Angeles/Long Beach Port, and San Diego Harbor) to six well-known tsunamis events generated (both near-field and far-field) between 2005 and 2011 are examined and simulated using a hybrid finite element numerical model in frequency domain. The model incorporated the effects of wave refraction, wave diffraction, partial wave reflection from boundaries, entrance and bottom energy dissipation. It can be applied to harbor regions with arbitrary shapes and variable water depth. The computed resonant periods or modes of oscillation for three harbors are in good agreement with the energy spectral analysis of the time series of water surface elevations recorded at tide gauge stations inside three harbors during the six tsunamis events. The computed wave induced currents based on the present model are also in qualitative agreement with some of the reported eye-witness accounts absence of reliable current data. The simulated results show that each harbor responded differently and significantly amplified certain wave period(s) of incident wave trains according to the shape, topography, characteristic dimensions and water depth of the harbor basins.

Diurnal tidal currents attributed to free baroclinic coastal-trapped waves on the Pacific shelf off the southeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, Hiroshi; Kusaka, Akira; Isoda, Yutaka; Honda, Satoshi; Ito, Sayaka; Onitsuka, Toshihiro

2018-04-01

To understand the properties of tides and tidal currents on the Pacific shelf off the southeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan, we analyzed time series of 9 current meters that were moored on the shelf for 1 month to 2 years. Diurnal tidal currents such as the K1 and O1 constituents were more dominant than semi-diurnal ones by an order of magnitude. The diurnal tidal currents clearly propagated westward along the coast with a typical phase velocity of 2 m s-1 and wavelength of 200 km. Moreover, the shape and phase of the diurnal currents measured by a bottom-mounted ADCP were vertically homogeneous, except in the vicinity of the bottom boundary layer. These features were very consistent with theoretically estimated properties of free baroclinic coastal-trapped waves of the first mode. An annual (semi-annual) variation was apparent for the phase (amplitude) of the O1 tidal current, which was correlated with density stratification (intensity of an along-shelf current called the Coastal Oyashio). These possible causes are discussed in terms of the propagation and generation of coastal-trapped waves.

USGS assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and state waters

Science.gov (United States)

Warwick, Peter D.; Coleman, James; Hackley, Paul C.; Hayba, Daniel O.; Karlsen, Alexander W.; Rowan, Elisabeth L.; Swanson, Sharon M.; Kennan, Lorcan; Pindell, James; Rosen, Norman C.

2007-01-01

This report presents a review of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 2007 assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata underlying the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain and state waters. Geochemical, geologic, geophysical, thermal maturation, burial history, and paleontologic studies have been combined with regional cross sections and data from previous USGS petroleum assessments have helped to define the major petroleum systems and assessment units. Accumulations of both conventional oil and gas and continuous coal-bed gas within these petroleum systems have been digitally mapped and evaluated, and undiscovered resources have been assessed following USGS methodology.The primary source intervals for oil and gas in Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs are coal and shale rich in organic matter within the Wilcox Group (Paleocene-Eocene) and Sparta Formation of the Claiborne Group (Eocene); in addition, Cretaceous and Jurassic source rocks probably have contributed substantial petroleum to Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs.For the purposes of the assessment, Paleogene strata have divided into the following four stratigraphic study intervals: (1) Wilcox Group (including the Midway Group and the basal Carrizo Sand of the Claiborne Group; Paleocene-Eocene); (2) Claiborne Group (Eocene); (3) Jackson and Vicksburg Groups (Eocene-Oligocene); and (4) the Frio-Anahuac Formations (Oligocene). Recent discoveries of coal-bed gas in Paleocene strata confirm a new petroleum system that was not recognized in previous USGS assessments. In total, 26 conventional Paleogene assessment units are defined. In addition, four Cretaceous-Paleogene continuous (coal-bed gas) assessment units are included in this report. Initial results of the assessment will be released as USGS Fact Sheets (not available at the time of this writing).Comprehensive reports for each assessment unit are planned to be released via the internet and distributed on CD-ROMs within the next year.

78 FR 56641 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Commercial...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-13

... rationalization program, including the shorebased IFQ program, was intended to increase net economic benefits, create individual economic stability, provide full utilization of the trawl sector allocation, consider..., Pacific cod and yellowtail rockfish and would likely have a favorable economic impact to groundfish...

Introduction of building vibration observation data of metropolitan area due to the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake: an Approach of the IT Kyoshin Seismometer for Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Takano, K.; Ito, T.

2011-12-01

In the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, many buildings were vibrated greatly also in the Tokyo metropolitan area where is far left from the hypocenter. We have developed the IT Kyoshin(strong motion) Seismometer for Building which is the observation system of the usual weak earthquake ground motion by installing a lot of acceleration sensors in building, and have been setting it up in some buildings of the University of Tokyo. By this February, we have set up IT Kyoshin Seismometers newly in four buildings of the two remote campus of the University of Tokyo. And we have opend to the public of these observed data. In this building vibration observation system, we can get a lot of building vibration observation data of the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake. We have made the building shaking to visible from the observation data of each building and the appearance of the shake of each building is shown plainly. Moreover, we can see how the vibration property in the usual building is changed by the large shaking. This analysis of the observation data of the building vibration at the earthquake is useful for the detection of the damaged part in the building by the earthquake and for the reinforcement measures in the weak buildings.

Evidence for Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary bolide "impact winter" conditions from New Jersey, USA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vellekoop, J.; Esmeray-Senlet, S.; Miller, K.G.; Browning, J.V.; Sluijs, A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/311474748; van de Schootbrugge, B.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/376758562; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/07401370X; Brinkhuis, H.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/095046097

2016-01-01

Abrupt and short-lived “impact winter” conditions have commonly been implicated as the main mechanism leading to the mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary (ca. 66 Ma), marking the end of the reign of the non-avian dinosaurs. However, so far only limited evidence has been

78 FR 3848 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Trawl Rationalization Program...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-17

... Rationalization Program; Emergency Rule Extension AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National... Coast Groundfish Fishery Trawl Rationalization Program (program) regulations. This emergency rule... trawl rationalization program. Background on this rule was provided in the proposed rule, published on...

Time scale controversy: Accurate orbital calibration of the early Paleogene

Science.gov (United States)

Roehl, U.; Westerhold, T.; Laskar, J.

2012-12-01

Timing is crucial to understanding the causes and consequences of events in Earth history. The calibration of geological time relies heavily on the accuracy of radioisotopic and astronomical dating. Uncertainties in the computations of Earth's orbital parameters and in radioisotopic dating have hampered the construction of a reliable astronomically calibrated time scale beyond 40 Ma. Attempts to construct a robust astronomically tuned time scale for the early Paleogene by integrating radioisotopic and astronomical dating are only partially consistent. Here, using the new La2010 and La2011 orbital solutions, we present the first accurate astronomically calibrated time scale for the early Paleogene (47-65 Ma) uniquely based on astronomical tuning and thus independent of the radioisotopic determination of the Fish Canyon standard. Comparison with geological data confirms the stability of the new La2011 solution back to 54 Ma. Subsequent anchoring of floating chronologies to the La2011 solution using the very long eccentricity nodes provides an absolute age of 55.530 ± 0.05 Ma for the onset of the Paleocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), 54.850 ± 0.05 Ma for the early Eocene ash -17, and 65.250 ± 0.06 Ma for the K/Pg boundary. The new astrochronology presented here indicates that the intercalibration and synchronization of U/Pb and 40Ar/39Ar radioisotopic geochronology is much more challenging than previously thought.

Decadal atmosphere-ocean variations in the Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Trenberth, Kevin E.; Hurrell, James W.

1994-03-01

Considerable evidence has emerged of a substantial decade-long change in the north Pacific atmosphere and ocean lasting from about 1976 to 1988. Observed significant changes in the atmospheric circulation throughout the troposphere revealed a deeper and eastward shifted Aleutian low pressure system in the winter half year which advected warmer and moister air along the west coast of North America and into Alaska and colder air over the north Pacific. Consequently, there were increases in temperatures and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) along the west coast of North America and Alaska but decreases in SSTs over the central north Pacific, as well as changes in coastal rainfall and streamflow, and decreases in sea ice in the Bering Sea. Associated changes occurred in the surface wind stress, and, by inference, in the Sverdrup transport in the north Pacific Ocean. Changes in the monthly mean flow were accompanied by a southward shift in the storm tracks and associated synoptic eddy activity and in the surface ocean sensible and latent heat fluxes. In addition to the changes in the physical environment, the deeper Aleutian low increased the nutrient supply as seen through increases in total chlorophyll in the water column, phytoplankton and zooplankton. These changes, along with the altered ocean currents and temperatures, changed the migration patterns and increased the stock of many fish species. A north Pacific (NP) index is defined to measure the decadal variations, and the temporal variability of the index is explored on daily, annual, interannual and decadal time scales. The dominant atmosphere-ocean relation in the north Pacific is one where atmospheric changes lead SSTs by one to two months. However, strong ties are revealed with events in the tropical Pacific, with changes in tropical Pacific SSTs leading SSTs in the north Pacific by three months. Changes in the storm tracks in the north Pacific help to reinforce and maintain the anomalous circulation in the

77 FR 28497 - Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-15

... decrease in estimated current abundance from the prior assessment. The SRG met in Seattle, Washington, from... that the current modeling approach, which implements a relatively simple base case in the Stock...[deg] N. lat. The 2012 allocations of Pacific Ocean perch, canary rockfish, darkblotched rockfish, and...

77 FR 75570 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Salmon

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-21

.... 120330244-2673-02] RIN 0648-BB77 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Salmon AGENCY... Plan for Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ off the Coast of Alaska (FMP). Amendment 12 comprehensively revises and updates the FMP to reflect the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) salmon...

Uppermost Cretaceous to middle Oligocene carbon and oxygen isotope stratigraphy of Southwest Pacific : holes 1121B and 1124C, ODP Leg 181

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, K.-Y.; Mii, H.-S.; Shu, I-T.; Lin, Y.-J.

2005-01-01

Oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios of bulk sediments from ODP Leg 181, holes 1121B and 1124C, in the Southwest Pacific were measured. The isotopic signals are mainly contributed by calcareous nannofossils with minimal diagenetic alteration. A complete section of the late Paleogene age between 60.7 and 57.5 Ma was recovered from Hole 1121B. However, the Paleogene sedimentary sequence of Hole 1124C was truncated by three major hiatuses: late Paleocene to middle Eocene (59-42 Ma), middle Eocene to early Oligocene (40-33.5 Ma), and early Oligocene to middle Oligocene (31.3-27.5 Ma). The middle Eocene shows the most negative δ 18 O values (c. -0.8 permille) compared to the early Paleocene (c. -0.2 to -0.3 permille) and Oligocene (c. 0.6-0.9 permille). The δ 18 O pattern is consistent with previous understanding of the Paleogene paleoclimate: a warmth optimum in the early-middle Eocene followed by a major glaciation in the early Oligocene at c. 34 Ma. The hiatus of 33.5-40 Ma indicates that the Tasmanian Gateway had deepened enough by 33.5 Ma, allowing the breakthrough of cold, bottom water and consequently the formation of the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC). With the aid of independent biochronological and magnetochronological markers, the Paleocene carbon isotopic profiles were correlated with that of DSDP 577 in the North Pacific. Both sites record the early part of the Paleocene carbon isotopic maximum event, while only Hole 1124C extends back to the early Paleocene and latest Cretaceous. A short hiatus of 60.5-62.5 Ma age may exist. Although the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary is not directly recorded, a significant cooling trend across the boundary is evident. The surface water became warmer after 64.5 Ma, and reached a stable warmth level during 64-59 Ma. A major cooling took place during c. 59-57 Ma in the late Paleocene. The temperature gradients between the two sites (ODP 1121 and 1124, paleolatitudes 64 degrees S versus 53 degrees S) are estimated to be c

Groundwater quality in the Northern Coast Ranges Basins, California

Science.gov (United States)

Mathany, Timothy M.; Belitz, Kenneth

2015-01-01

The Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit is 633 square miles and consists of 35 groundwater basins and subbasins (California Department of Water Resources, 2003; Mathany and Belitz, 2015). These basins and subbasins were grouped into two study areas based primarily on locality. The groundwater basins and subbasins located inland, not adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, were aggregated into the Interior Basins (NOCO-IN) study area. The groundwater basins and subbasins adjacent to the Pacific Ocean were aggregated into the Coastal Basins (NOCO-CO) study area (Mathany and others, 2011).

77 FR 29955 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Trawl...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-21

..., and for species caught incidentally in the whiting fishery (including lingcod, Pacific cod, canary..., depending on the formula used, there may be new QS permit owners, while some current QS permit owners who.... The current regulations give QS permit owners with excess QS two years after QS transfer begins to...

300 years of hydrological records and societal responses to droughts and floods on the Pacific coast of Central America

Science.gov (United States)

Guevara-Murua, Alvaro; Williams, Caroline A.; Hendy, Erica J.; Imbach, Pablo

2018-02-01

The management of hydrological extremes and impacts on society is inadequately understood because of the combination of short-term hydrological records, an equally short-term assessment of societal responses and the complex multi-directional relationships between the two over longer timescales. Rainfall seasonality and inter-annual variability on the Pacific coast of Central America is high due to the passage of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Here we reconstruct hydrological variability and demonstrate the potential for assessing societal impacts by drawing on documentary sources from the cities of Santiago de Guatemala (now Antigua Guatemala) and Guatemala de la Asunción (now Guatemala City) over the period from 1640 to 1945. City and municipal council meetings provide a rich source of information dating back to the beginning of Spanish colonisation in the 16th century. We use almost continuous sources from 1640 AD onwards, including > 190 volumes of Actas de Cabildo and Actas Municipales (minutes of meetings of the city and municipal councils) held by the Archivo Histórico de la Municipalidad de Antigua Guatemala (AHMAG) and the Archivo General de Centro América (AGCA) in Guatemala City. For this 305-year period (with the exception of a total of 11 years during which the books were either missing or damaged), information relating to Catholic rogation ceremonies and reports of flooding events and crop shortages were used to classify the annual rainy season (May to October) on a five-point scale from very wet to very dry. In total, 12 years of very wet conditions, 25 years of wetter than usual conditions, 34 years of drier conditions and 21 years of very dry conditions were recorded. An extended drier period from the 1640s to the 1740s was identified and two shorter periods (the 1820s and the 1840s) were dominated by dry conditions. Wetter conditions dominated the 1760s-1810s and possibly record more

75 FR 67809 - Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-03

... economic benefits, create individual economic stability, provide full utilization of the trawl sector... taken in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California... holistic alternatives relative to the biological and socio-economic environment and consistent with the...

West Coast Estuaries for Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Environmental Impact Statement

Data.gov (United States)

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission — These data depict the boundaries of estuaries along the West Coast of the United States. The estuary boundaries are delineated according to the U.S. Fish and...

Bolide impact and long- and short term environmental change across the cretaceous-paleogene boundary

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vellekoop, J.

2015-01-01

The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary mass extinction, ~66 million years ago, was one of the most devastating events in the history of life, marking the end of the dinosaur era. This mass extinction event is now widely acknowledged to be related to the global environmental consequences of the

Effect of temperature on growth and paralytic toxin profiles in isolates of Gymnodinium catenatum (Dinophyceae) from the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Band-Schmidt, Christine J; Bustillos-Guzmán, José J; Hernández-Sandoval, Francisco E; Núñez-Vázquez, Erick J; López-Cortés, David J

2014-11-01

The effects of temperature on growth, cell toxicity, toxin content, and profile of paralytic shellfish toxins was determined in eight isolates of Gymnodinium catenatum from several localities along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The isolates were cultivated in modified f/2 media with Se (10(-8) M), and a reduced concentration of Cu (10(-8) M), under a 12 h:12 h day-night cycle with an irradiance of 150 μE m(-2) s(-1). Isolates were progressively adapted for three generations to each of the temperatures (16, 19, 22, 24, 27, 30, and 33 °C). The cultures were grown in 125 mL Erlenmeyer flasks with 60 mL of media and harvested by filtration in late exponential growth. Toxins were analyzed by HPLC with a post-column oxidation and fluorescent detection (FLD). G. catenatum isolates tolerate temperatures between 16 and 33 °C, with maximum growth rates of 0.32 and 0.39 div day(-1) at 21 °C and 24 °C, respectively; maximum cell densities of 4700 and 5500 cells mL(-1) were obtained at 27 and 21 °C, respectively. No effect of toxicity per cell with temperature was observed, varying between 10.10 and 28.19 pgSXTeq cell(-1). Ten saxitoxin analogues were detected in all isolates, observing changes in the toxin profile with temperature. C1/2 toxins decreased from 80% mol at 16 °C to 20% mol at 33 °C, B1/2 toxins increased from 19% mol at 16 °C to 42% mol at 33 °C, and decarbamoyl toxins were more abundant at 21 °C. These results show that G. catenatum isolates from different regions of the Pacific coast of Mexico have a similar response to temperature and that this parameter can modify growth rate, cell density, and toxin profile of the species, particularly the decarbamoyl and sulfocarbamoyl toxins. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A pandemic Vibrio parahaemolyticus O3:K6 clone causing most associated diarrhea cases in the Pacific Northwest coast of Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucio De Jesus Hernández-Díaz

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Between September and October of 2004, more than 1230 cases of gastroenteritis due to pandemic O3:K6 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus were reported in the relatively small geographical area of Southern Sinaloa, a state located in Northwest Mexico. Since then, V. parahaemolyticus-associated gastroenteritis cases have gradually increased in prevalence spreading from south to north. The present study conducted an epidemiological surveillance of V. parahaemolyticus strains in both environmental and clinical samples along the Pacific coast of Sinaloa from 2011 to 2013. The genetic relatedness, serotype dominance and antibiotic resistance of isolates were investigated. A total of 46 strains were isolated from environmental samples (e.g., sediment, seawater and shrimp, whereas 249 strains were obtained from stools of patients with gastroenteritis. Nine different O serogroups and 16 serovars were identified. Serovars O3:K6 and O6:K46 were identified in both environmental and clinical strains. Whereas most environmental isolates carried the tdh gene (71.74%, 33/46, only three (6.52% belonged to pandemic clones (O3:K6, O3:KUT and OUT:KUT. In contrast, 81.1% (202/249 of clinical isolates belonged to pandemic serotypes, with O3:K6 (tdh, toxRS/new, and/or orf8 representing the predominant serovar (97%, 196/202. This prevalence of pathogenic (tdh and/or trh positive and O3:K6 pandemic V. parahaemolyticus isolates in this study were similar to those found from 2004-2010. As investigated by REP-PCR, genetic lineages of selected O3:K6 strains isolated in this study and some isolated earlier were nearly identical. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that most strains (93.8% were resistant to ampicillin but sensitive to chloramphenicol (98.8%. Multidrug resistance significantly increased from 8.6% (2004-2010 to 22.93% (2011-2013 (p< 0.05. Our data indicate that pandemic O3:K6 clone has endemically established in the Pacific Coast of

75 FR 78343 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendments 20...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-15

... increase net economic benefits, create individual economic stability, provide full utilization of the trawl... economic benefits and create individual economic stability. Response. Start dates for the Pacific whiting... net economic benefits, create economic stability, provide full utilization of the trawl sector...

Spatial and temporal variability in the trans-Pacific migration of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) revealed by archival tags

Science.gov (United States)

Fujioka, Ko; Fukuda, Hiromu; Tei, Yaoki; Okamoto, Suguru; Kiyofuji, Hidetada; Furukawa, Seishiro; Takagi, Junichi; Estess, Ethan; Farwell, Charles J.; Fuller, Daniel W.; Suzuki, Nobuaki; Ohshimo, Seiji; Kitagawa, Takashi

2018-03-01

Archival electronic tags were internally implanted in 713 age-0 Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) caught in their nursery waters off the southern coast of Japan and in the East China Sea over an extended study period (1995-2015) to clarify the spatial and temporal variability of their trans-Pacific migration. Two hundred twenty-five of these tagged tuna were recaptured by fisheries (31.6%), and we successfully retrieved tag data from 14 of 21 individuals recovered in the Eastern pacific. Furthermore, one archival tag recovered in the Western Pacific revealed that the individual had performed a trans-Pacific migration, so in total 21 tagged PBF were shown to have migrated to the Eastern Pacific (2.9% of the total tags released). We successfully downloaded data from 15 of these 21 archival tags, which revealed that some age-1 PBF migrate rapidly (123.9 ± 82.8 km day-1) and directly from waters offshore of Japan to the eastern Pacific (160.0°E to 130.0°W), a journey that takes an average of 2.5 months (ranging from 1.2 to 5.5 months) through relatively cool waters (14.7 ± 2.0 °C). All juvenile PBF began their trans-Pacific migration shortly after exposure to cooler water temperatures (physiological challenge for this age class. Three patterns were identified in the timing of the departure of juvenile PBF from the western Pacific: departing 12-14 months post-hatch (N = 7) in early summer (May-July), departing 17-19 months post-hatch (N = 7) in late autumn (October-December), and departing 21 months post-hatch (N = 1) in late winter (February). The PBF tagged along the southern coast of Japan (SCJ) arrived in the eastern Pacific earlier than those tagged in the East China Sea (ECS), most likely due to the shorter travel distance. Additionally, the PBF that began their trans-Pacific migration in the earlier period remained in an offshore foraging zone (the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition region) for shorter periods (2.8 months on average) and at lower latitudes (35.0�

33 CFR 110.235 - Pacific Ocean (Mamala Bay), Honolulu Harbor, Hawaii (Datum: NAD 83).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Pacific Ocean (Mamala Bay), Honolulu Harbor, Hawaii (Datum: NAD 83). 110.235 Section 110.235 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST... Pacific Ocean (Mamala Bay), Honolulu Harbor, Hawaii (Datum: NAD 83). (a) The anchorage grounds—(1...

New records of sabellids and serpulids (Polychaeta: Sabellidae, Serpulidae) from the Tropical Eastern Pacific

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rolando Bastida-Zavala, J.; Rodriguez Buelna, Alondra Sofia; Angel De Leon-Gonzalez, Jesus

2016-01-01

in the large expanse of the central and southern Mexican Pacific. Thus, sabellids and serpulids were collected from several shallow water habitats along the coast of Mexican Pacific, such as coastal lagoons, coral reefs, rocky shores and from man-made structures as marinas, piers and ships of several harbors...

Inspection and repair in JRR-3 after the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosoya, Toshiaki; Nagadomi, Hideki; Torii, Yoshiya

2014-01-01

In the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake, seismic intensity of 6 lower was observed at Tokai Village. However, the maximum acceleration of ground motion that was observed in the JRR-3 reactor facilities had exceeded the maximum response acceleration at the time of design. Therefore, to confirm whether the predetermined performance of the facility equipment of the reactor facilities had been maintained after the earthquake, soundness confirmation inspection was carried out. In the inspection, the soundness of equipment and facilities was evaluated from the results of the equipment inspection and seismic impact assessment, and the repair work was applied when necessary. As a result, it was confirmed that after the earthquake, the equipment of JRR-3 reactor facilities maintained the predetermined performance, and was possible to resume operation. The following item are reported here: (1) overview of JRR-3, (2) conditions of JRR-3 reactor facilities while earthquake occurrence, (3) basic principle for soundness evaluation of facilities, (4) soundness confirmation of buildings and structures, (5) contents of repair, and (6) soundness verification and comprehensive evaluation of each facility and equipment. (A.O.)

The age of the Takatika Grit, Chatham Islands, New Zealand

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hollis, Christopher J.; Stickley, Catherine E.; Bijl, Peter K.; Schiøler, Poul; Clowes, Christopher D.; Li, Xun; Campbell, Hamish

2017-01-01

The oldest Paleogene strata on Chatham Islands, east of New Zealand, are the phosphatized conglomerates and sandstones of the Takatika Grit that crops out on the northeastern coast at Tioriori and unconformably overlies the Chatham Schist. An intact Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary transition is not

Evidence for Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary bolide “impact winter” conditions from New Jersey, USA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vellekoop, J.; Esmeray-Senlet, S.; Miller, K.G.; Browning, J.V.; Sluijs, A.; van de Schootbrugge, B.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Brinkhuis, H.

2016-01-01

Abrupt and short-lived “impact winter” conditions have commonly been implicated as the main mechanism leading to the mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary (ca. 66 Ma), marking the end of the reign of the non-avian dinosaurs. However, so far only limited evidence has been

South-coast cyclone in Japan during El Niño-caused warm winters

Science.gov (United States)

Ueda, Hiroaki; Amagai, Yuusuke; Hayasaki, Masamitsu

2017-05-01

La Niña conditions during boreal winter sometimes brings excessive snowfall in Japan, especially on the East Sea/Sea of Japan coastal and mountain areas through intensified northwesterly cold winds caused by La-Niña related atmospheric teleconnection. Meanwhile, snowfall events also increase in the Pacific coast area of Japan during the El Niño state due to extratropical cyclones passing along the south coast of Japan (hereafter referred to as South-coast cyclone). In the present study, we investigated year-to-year snowfall/rainfall variations based on meteorological station data and cyclone tracks identified by using the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis. The result clearly indicates increase of the South-coast cyclone during El Niño-developing winters, which is consistent with excessive snow-fall in the northern part of the Pacific coast. Strong subtropical jet hampers cyclogenesis due to less vertical interaction through the trapping of upper-level eddies. During El Niño-developing winters, the subtropical jet is weakened over East Asia, indicating dynamic linkage to increased cyclone frequency. In addition to this, both the deepening of the upper-tropospheric trough over East Asia and anomalous low-tropospheric northwest anticyclones extending from the Philippines toward Japan are also consistent with the enhancement of cyclogenesis over the East China Sea as well as warm winter in Japan.

Petrology and geochemistry of a peridotite body in Central- Carpathian Paleogene sediments (Sedlice, eastern Slovakia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koppa Matúš

2014-10-01

Full Text Available We studied representative samples from a peridotite body situated NE of Sedlice village within the Central- Carpathian Paleogene sediments in the Central Western Carpathians. The relationship of the peridotite to the surrounding Paleogene sediments is not clear. The fractures of the brecciated peridotite margin are healed with secondary magnesite and calcite. On the basis of the presented bulk-rock and electron microprobe data, the wt. % amounts of mineral phases were calculated. Most of calculated “modal” compositions of this peridotite corresponds to harzburgites composed of olivine (∼70-80 wt. %, orthopyroxene (∼17-24 wt. %, clinopyroxene ( < 5 wt. % and minor spinel ( < 1 wt. %. Harzburgites could originate from lherzolitic protoliths due to a higher degree of partial melting. Rare lherzolites contain porphyroclastic 1-2 mm across orthopyroxene (up to 25 wt. %, clinopyroxene (∼ 5-8 wt. % and minor spinel ( < 0.75 wt. %. On the other hand, rare, olivine-rich dunites with scarce orthopyroxene porphyroclasts are associated with harzburgites. Metamorphic mineral assemblage of low-Al clinopyroxene (3, tremolite, chrysotile, andradite, Cr-spinel to chromite and magnetite, and an increase of fayalite component in part of olivine, indicate low-temperature metamorphic overprint. The Primitive Mantle normalized whole-rock REE patterns suggest a depleted mantle rock-suite. An increase in LREE and a positive Eu anomaly may be consequence of interactive metamorphic fluids during serpentinization. Similar rocks have been reported from the Meliatic Bôrka Nappe overlying the Central Western Carpathians orogenic wedge since the Late Cretaceous, and they could be a potential source of these peridotite blocks in the Paleogene sediments.

Boundary scavenging in the Pacific Ocean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, R.F.; Lao, Y.; Broecker, W.S.; Trumbore, S.E.; Hofmann, H.J.; Wolfli, W.

1990-01-01

Concentrations of U, Th, 231 Pa and 10 Be were measured in Holocene sediments from two cores collected off the west coast of South America, two cores from the East Pacific Rise, two from the equatorial Pacific and one from the south Pacific central gyre. Our results, together with data from 5 cores reported in the literature, show that boundary scavenging plays a major role in the removal of 10 Be from the Pacific Ocean. Deposition rates of 10 Be at three margin sites are more than an order of magnitude greater than at sites of red clay accumulation in the deep central Pacific. Deposition of 231 Pa is 4 to 5-fold greater at the margin sites. The residence time of 10 Be with respect to chemical scavenging, defined as its inventory in the water column divided by its rate of removal to the sediments, varies regionally from >1000 years at the red-clay sites in the deep central Pacific to ∝100 years at the margin sites. Different factors control boundary scavenging of Pa and Be. For example, scavenging of 231 Pa is enhanced by metal-oxide coatings of particles, whereas this seems to have little influence on the scavenging of 10 Be. (orig.)

210Pb-derived ages for the reconstruction of terrestrial contaminant history into the Mexican Pacific coast: Potential and limitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz-Fernandez, A.C.; Hillaire-Marcel, C.

2009-01-01

210 Pb is widely used for dating recent sediments in the aquatic environment; however, our experiences working in shallow coastal environments in the Pacific coast of Mexico have demonstrated that the potential of 210 Pb for reliable historical reconstructions might be limited by the low 210 Pb atmospheric fallout, sediment mixing, abundance of coarse sediments and the lack of 137 Cs signal for 210 Pb corroboration. This work discusses the difficulties in obtaining adequate sedimentary records for geochronological reconstruction in such active and complex settings, including examples of 210 Pb geochronologies based on sediment profiles collected in two contrasting areas coastal areas (mudflats associated to coastal lagoons of Sinaloa State and the continental shelf of the Gulf of Tehuantepec), in which geochemical data was used to support the temporal frame established and the changes in sediment supply recorded in the sediment cores which were related to the development of land-based activities during the last century.

Paleogene plate tectonic evolution of the Arabian and Eastern Somali basins

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Royer, J.-Y.; Chaubey, A.K.; Dyment, J.; Bhattacharya, G.C.; Srinivas, K.; Yatheesh, V.; Ramprasad, T.

with systemahyphenminus tic ridge propagation in both basins (Miles & Roest 1993: Chaubey er at. 1998. Dyment 1998). Ridge propagation explains the large spreading asymmetry between the Arabian and Eastern Somali basins. Between Chrons 26 and 25. c. 65% of the crust..., the differences be- tween the India-Somalia and Capricorn-Somalia motions in Paleogene time can be used to estimate and refine the Capricorn-India integral motion as suggested by Royer & Chang (1991). Such en- deavour would require an accurate assessment...

Scolelepis (Polychaeta: Spionidae from the Brazilian coast with a diagnosis of the genus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo Borges Rocha

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Five species of Scolelepis have been reported for the Brazilian coast. This study raises this number, with two new records: S. acuta Treadwell, 1914, originally from Eastern Pacific, and Scolelepis andradei Delgado-Blas, Díaz & Liñero-Arana, 2009, from the Caribbean Sea. Furthermore, two species were found to have an expanded geographic range along the Brazilian coast: Scolelepis lighti Delgado-Blas, 2006 and Scolelepis goodbodyi Jones, 1962.

Hydrology Affects Environmental and Spatial Structuring of Microalgal Metacommunities in Tropical Pacific Coast Wetlands.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Rojo

Full Text Available The alternating climate between wet and dry periods has important effects on the hydrology and therefore on niche-based processes of water bodies in tropical areas. Additionally, assemblages of microorganism can show spatial patterns, in the form of a distance decay relationship due to their size or life form. We aimed to test spatial and environmental effects, modulated by a seasonal flooding climatic pattern, on the distribution of microalgae in 30 wetlands of a tropical dry forest region: the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Three surveys were conducted corresponding to the beginning, the highest peak, and the end of the hydrological year during the wet season, and species abundance and composition of planktonic and benthic microalgae was determined. Variation partitioning analysis (as explained by spatial distance or environmental factors was applied to each seasonal dataset by means of partial redundancy analysis. Our results show that microalgal assemblages were structured by spatial and environmental factors depending on the hydrological period of the year. At the onset of hydroperiod and during flooding, neutral effects dominated community dynamics, but niche-based local effects resulted in more structured algal communities at the final periods of desiccating water bodies. Results suggest that climate-mediated effects on hydrology can influence the relative role of spatial and environmental factors on metacommunities of microalgae. Such variability needs to be accounted in order to describe accurately community dynamics in tropical coastal wetlands.

Hydrology Affects Environmental and Spatial Structuring of Microalgal Metacommunities in Tropical Pacific Coast Wetlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojo, Carmen; Mesquita-Joanes, Francesc; Monrós, Juan S; Armengol, Javier; Sasa, Mahmood; Bonilla, Fabián; Rueda, Ricardo; Benavent-Corai, José; Piculo, Rubén; Segura, M Matilde

2016-01-01

The alternating climate between wet and dry periods has important effects on the hydrology and therefore on niche-based processes of water bodies in tropical areas. Additionally, assemblages of microorganism can show spatial patterns, in the form of a distance decay relationship due to their size or life form. We aimed to test spatial and environmental effects, modulated by a seasonal flooding climatic pattern, on the distribution of microalgae in 30 wetlands of a tropical dry forest region: the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Three surveys were conducted corresponding to the beginning, the highest peak, and the end of the hydrological year during the wet season, and species abundance and composition of planktonic and benthic microalgae was determined. Variation partitioning analysis (as explained by spatial distance or environmental factors) was applied to each seasonal dataset by means of partial redundancy analysis. Our results show that microalgal assemblages were structured by spatial and environmental factors depending on the hydrological period of the year. At the onset of hydroperiod and during flooding, neutral effects dominated community dynamics, but niche-based local effects resulted in more structured algal communities at the final periods of desiccating water bodies. Results suggest that climate-mediated effects on hydrology can influence the relative role of spatial and environmental factors on metacommunities of microalgae. Such variability needs to be accounted in order to describe accurately community dynamics in tropical coastal wetlands.

Pacific Lamprey Research and Restoration Project : Annual Report 2001.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Close, David A.

2002-11-01

Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) has significantly declined along the Oregon coast and in the Columbia River Basin (Downey et al. 1993; Close and Jackson 2001). Declines in adults can be partially attributed to hydroelectric dams, which have impeded passage of adult Pacific lamprey in the Columbia and Snake rivers, thus effecting larval recruitment in the basin. Adult pacific lamprey also declined in numbers in the Umatilla River, a tributary of the Columbia River. In addition to hydro power dams in the Columbia River, habitat alterations and chemical treatments have been involved in the collapse of Pacific lamprey populations in the Umatilla River. To initiate the restoration effort, CTUIR began developing a restoration plan in 1998. The goal of the lamprey research and restoration project is to restore natural production of Pacific lampreys in the Umatilla River to self-sustaining and harvestable level. This report is summarizing the studies and restoration efforts concluded in 2001.

76 FR 2084 - North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-12

... Department of Fish & Game Report. International Pacific Halibut Commission Report. United States Coast Guard Report. United States Fish & Wildlife Service Report. Protected Species Report (including update on Steller Sea Lion (SSL); Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed salmon). American Fisheries Act (AFA...

Coastal upwelling along the southwest coast of India – ENSO modulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Muni Krishna

2008-06-01

Full Text Available An index of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO in the Pacific during pre monsoon season is shown to account for a significant part of the variability of coastal Sea Surface Temperature (SST anomalies measured a few months later within the wind driven southwest coast of India coastal upwelling region 7° N–14° N. This teleconnection is thought to result from an atmospheric bridge between the Pacific and north Indian Oceans, leading to warm (cold ENSO events being associated with relaxation (intensification of the Indian trade winds and of the wind-induced coastal upwelling. This ENSO related modulation of the wind-driven coastal upwelling appears to contribute to the connection observed at the basin-scale between ENSO and SST in the Arabian Sea. The ability to use this teleconnection to give warning of large changes in the southwest coast of India coastal upwelling few months in advance is successfully tested using data from 1998 and 1999 ENSO events.

Evolution of the Paleogene succession of the western Himalayan foreland basin

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B.P. Singh

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The Paleogene succession of the Himalayan foreland basin is immensely important as it preserves evidence of India-Asia collision and related records of the Himalayan orogenesis. In this paper, the depositional regime of the Paleogene succession of the Himalayan foreland basin and variations in composition of the hinterland at different stages of the basin developments are presented. The Paleogene succession of the western Himalayan foreland basin developed in two stages, i.e. syn-collisional stage and post-collisional stage. At the onset, chert breccia containing fragments derived from the hanging walls of faults and reworked bauxite developed as a result of erosion of the forebulge. The overlying early Eocene succession possibly deposited in a coastal system, where carbonates represent barriers and shales represent lagoons. Up-section, the middle Eocene marl beds likely deposited on a tidal flat. The late Eocene/Oligocene basal Murree beds, containing tidal bundles, indicate that a mixed or semi-diurnal tidal system deposited the sediments and the sedimentation took place in a tide-dominated estuary. In the higher-up, the succession likely deposited in a river-dominated estuary or in meandering rivers. In the beginning of the basin evolution, the sediments were derived from the Precambrian basement or from the metasediments/volcanic rocks possessing terrains of the south. The early and middle Eocene (54.7–41.3 Ma succession of the embryonic foreland possibly developed from the sediments derived from the Trans-Himalayan schists and phyllites and Indus ophiolite of the north during syn-collisional stage. The detrital minerals especially the lithic fragments and the heavy minerals suggest the provenance for the late Eocene/Oligocene sequences to be from the recycled orogenic belt of the Higher Himalaya, Tethyan Himalaya and the Indus-suture zone from the north during post-collisional stage. This is also supported by the paleocurrent

Area West of the 700 fathom Depth Contour for Pacific Fishery Management Council's June 2005 Preferred Alternative, Groundfish EFH Final EIS

Data.gov (United States)

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission — These data depict area within the West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that is west of the 700 fathom isobath. This area was designated by the Pacific Fishery...

77 FR 67633 - North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-13

... subsistence) NOAA Enforcement Report United States Coast Guard (USCG) Report (including Aleutian Island Risk Assessment) United State Fish & Wildlife (USFWL) Report International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC... sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Gail Bendixen at (907) 271...

Magnetic signature of the 22 June 1932 tsunami deposits (Jalisco, Mexican Pacific coast)

Science.gov (United States)

Bógalo, M. F.; Ramírez-Herrera, M.-T.; Goguitchaichvili, A.; Rey, D.; Mohamed, K. J.; Calvo-Rathert, M.; Corona, N.

2017-06-01

Recent studies have demonstrated that rock-magnetic analysis may provide additional information to distinguish and characterize extreme marine inundation events such as tsunamis. Rock-magnetic proxies reinforce and improve the environmental evidences supplied by other methods, adding some decisive clues for the interpretation of the origin and genesis of the sedimentary deposits. Here we report rock-magnetic, XRD, and SEM microscopy results obtained in the Palo Verde estuary (Colima Pacific coast, Mexico) in order to enhance the tools for identification and reconstruction of two tsunami-induced deposits. The sedimentary sequence includes two sand units, a tsunami deposit (PV1) associated with the 22 June 1932 tsunami and a deeper sandy layer (PV2) related to a possible paleotsunami that occurred around 1300 C.E. Both sandy units are topped by finer grained units. Magnetic properties exhibit a significant correlation with the stratigraphy. High susceptibility (χ) and high saturation isothermal remanence (SIRM) values typical of high concentrations of (titano)magnetite are a distinctive feature of the most recent sandy tsunamigenic unit PV1 and the overlaying soil. The lower sandy tsunamigenic unit PV2 shows significantly lower χ and SIRM values, indicating lower concentration of (titano)magnetite in this unit and the overlaying clayey-silt unit. The latter also shows a higher coercivity component associated with (titano)hematite. Magnetic grain-size differences are also observed between PV1 and PV2 suggesting differences in hydraulic conditions at the time of deposition. The bulk mineralogical composition and sediment texture of these units also support the hypothesis of different provenances for each tsunamigenic unit as inferred from magnetic properties.

75 FR 4684 - Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Data Collection for the Trawl...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-29

... Coast groundfish fishery. The trawl rationalization program is intended to increase net economic benefits, create individual economic stability, provide full utilization of the trawl sector allocation... one time reporting will have a significant economic impact on small entities, as the estimated...

WAVE DIRECTION and Other Data from FIXED PLATFORM From North Pacific Ocean and Others from 19810817 to 19940323 (NODC Accession 9400105)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains Wave Energy (wave height and wave period) Data from Hawaiian coast collected over 13 years in North Pacific Ocean, NE Pacific (limit-180)....

Balancing conflicting values: ecosystem solutions in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Richard W. Haynes; Robert C. Szaro; Dennis P. Dykstra

2005-01-01

Ecosystem approaches to sustainable forest management in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada have arisen in response to significant changes that have occurred in these societies over the past century or so (Interagency Ecosystem Management Task Force, 1995). One such change as been rapid population growth along the Pacific Coast, where the mild...

Klippen Belt, Flysch Belt and Inner Western Carpathian Paleogene Basin Relations in the Northern Slovakia by Magnetotelluric Imaging

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Majcin, D.; Bezák, V.; Klanica, Radek; Vozár, J.; Pek, Josef; Bilčík, D.; Telecký, Josef

(2018) ISSN 0033-4553 Institutional support: RVO:67985530 Keywords : magnetotellurics * Western Carpathians * Klippen Belt * Flysch Belt * Inner Carpathian Paleogene Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography OBOR OECD: Physical geography Impact factor: 1.591, year: 2016

Time scales of critical events around the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.

Science.gov (United States)

Renne, Paul R; Deino, Alan L; Hilgen, Frederik J; Kuiper, Klaudia F; Mark, Darren F; Mitchell, William S; Morgan, Leah E; Mundil, Roland; Smit, Jan

2013-02-08

Mass extinctions manifest in Earth's geologic record were turning points in biotic evolution. We present (40)Ar/(39)Ar data that establish synchrony between the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary and associated mass extinctions with the Chicxulub bolide impact to within 32,000 years. Perturbation of the atmospheric carbon cycle at the boundary likely lasted less than 5000 years, exhibiting a recovery time scale two to three orders of magnitude shorter than that of the major ocean basins. Low-diversity mammalian fauna in the western Williston Basin persisted for as little as 20,000 years after the impact. The Chicxulub impact likely triggered a state shift of ecosystems already under near-critical stress.

Coastal Pacific Doctor Associates: Implementation of a Purchased System

Science.gov (United States)

Schwieger, Dana; McDonald, Michael

2015-01-01

Coastal Pacific Doctor Associates (CPDA) is a multi-physician medical practice located along the west coast. CPDA decided to replace their inadequate and outdated medical office system during a time of tremendous restructuring in the medical software industry. In their impatience, CPDA chose an electronic medical record (EMR) and practice…

300 years of hydrological records and societal responses to droughts and floods on the Pacific coast of Central America

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Guevara-Murua

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The management of hydrological extremes and impacts on society is inadequately understood because of the combination of short-term hydrological records, an equally short-term assessment of societal responses and the complex multi-directional relationships between the two over longer timescales. Rainfall seasonality and inter-annual variability on the Pacific coast of Central America is high due to the passage of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO. Here we reconstruct hydrological variability and demonstrate the potential for assessing societal impacts by drawing on documentary sources from the cities of Santiago de Guatemala (now Antigua Guatemala and Guatemala de la Asunción (now Guatemala City over the period from 1640 to 1945. City and municipal council meetings provide a rich source of information dating back to the beginning of Spanish colonisation in the 16th century. We use almost continuous sources from 1640 AD onwards, including > 190 volumes of Actas de Cabildo and Actas Municipales (minutes of meetings of the city and municipal councils held by the Archivo Histórico de la Municipalidad de Antigua Guatemala (AHMAG and the Archivo General de Centro América (AGCA in Guatemala City. For this 305-year period (with the exception of a total of 11 years during which the books were either missing or damaged, information relating to Catholic rogation ceremonies and reports of flooding events and crop shortages were used to classify the annual rainy season (May to October on a five-point scale from very wet to very dry. In total, 12 years of very wet conditions, 25 years of wetter than usual conditions, 34 years of drier conditions and 21 years of very dry conditions were recorded. An extended drier period from the 1640s to the 1740s was identified and two shorter periods (the 1820s and the 1840s were dominated by dry conditions. Wetter conditions dominated the 1760s–1810s and

Pacific Lamprey Research and Restoration Project, Annual Report 2002.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Close, David; Aronsuu, Kimmo; Jackson, Aaron

2003-07-01

Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) has significantly declined along the Oregon coast and in the Columbia River Basin (Downey et al. 1993, Close and Jackson 2001). Declines in adults can be partially attributed to hydroelectric dams, which have impeded passage of adult Pacific lamprey in the Columbia and Snake rivers (Moser et al. 2002), thus effecting larval recruitment in the basin (Moser and Close in press). Adult Pacific lamprey also declined in numbers in the Umatilla River, a tributary of the Columbia River (Close and Jackson 2001). In addition to hydro power dams in the Columbia River, habitat alterations and chemical treatments have been involved in the collapse of Pacific lamprey populations in the Umatilla River (Close 1999). To initiate the restoration effort, CTUIR began developing a restoration plan in 1998. The goal of the lamprey research and restoration project is to restore natural production of Pacific lampreys in the Umatilla River to self-sustaining and harvestable level. This report is summarizing the studies and restoration efforts concluded in 2002.

Tsunami Warning Services for the U.S. and Canadian Atlantic Coasts

Science.gov (United States)

Whitmore, P. M.; Knight, W.

2008-12-01

In January 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed a tsunami warning program for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Within a year, this program extended further to the Atlantic coast of Canada and the Caribbean Sea. Warning services are provided to U.S. and Canadian coasts (including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) by the NOAA/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WCATWC) while the NOAA/Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) provides services for non-U.S. entities in the Caribbean Basin. The Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSN) is also an active partner in the Caribbean Basin warning system. While the nature of the tsunami threat in the Atlantic Basin is different than in the Pacific, the warning system philosophy is similar. That is, initial messages are based strictly on seismic data so that information is provided to those at greatest risk as fast as possible while supplementary messages are refined with sea level observations and forecasts when possible. The Tsunami Warning Centers (TWCs) acquire regional seismic data through many agencies, such as the United States Geological Survey, Earthquakes Canada, regional seismic networks, and the PRSN. Seismic data quantity and quality are generally sufficient throughout most of the Atlantic area-of-responsibility to issue initial information within five minutes of origin time. Sea level data are mainly provided by the NOAA/National Ocean Service. Coastal tide gage coverage is generally denser along the Atlantic coast than in the Pacific. Seven deep ocean pressure sensors (DARTs), operated by the National Weather Service (NWS) National Data Buoy Center, are located in the Atlantic Basin (5 in the Atlantic Ocean, 1 in the Caribbean, and 1 in the Gulf of Mexico). The DARTs provide TWCs with the means to verify tsunami generation in the Atlantic and provide critical data with which to calibrate forecast models. Tsunami warning response criteria in the Atlantic Basin

Global Warming Attenuates the Tropical Atlantic-Pacific Teleconnection

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Fan; Wu, Lixin; Gan, Bolan; Cai, Wenju

2016-01-01

Changes in global sea surface temperature (SST) since the end of last century display a pattern of widespread warming intercepted by cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific and western coasts of the American continent. Studies have suggested that the cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific may be partly induced by warming in the North Atlantic. However, it remains unknown how stable this inter-tropical teleconnection will be under global warming. Here we show that the inter-tropical teleconnection from the tropical Atlantic to Pacific weakens substantially as the CO2 concentration increases. This reduced impact is related to the El Niño-like warming of the tropical Pacific mean state, which leads to limited seasonal migration of the Pacific inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and weakened ocean heat transport. A fast decay of the tropical Atlantic SST anomalies in a warmer climate also contributes to the weakened teleconnection. Our study suggests that as greenhouse warming continues, the trend in the tropical Pacific as well as the development of ENSO will be less frequently interrupted by the Atlantic because of this attenuation. The weakened teleconnection is also supported by CMIP5 models, although only a few of these models can capture this inter-tropical teleconnection. PMID:26838053

Global Warming Attenuates the Tropical Atlantic-Pacific Teleconnection.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Fan; Wu, Lixin; Gan, Bolan; Cai, Wenju

2016-02-03

Changes in global sea surface temperature (SST) since the end of last century display a pattern of widespread warming intercepted by cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific and western coasts of the American continent. Studies have suggested that the cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific may be partly induced by warming in the North Atlantic. However, it remains unknown how stable this inter-tropical teleconnection will be under global warming. Here we show that the inter-tropical teleconnection from the tropical Atlantic to Pacific weakens substantially as the CO2 concentration increases. This reduced impact is related to the El Niño-like warming of the tropical Pacific mean state, which leads to limited seasonal migration of the Pacific inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and weakened ocean heat transport. A fast decay of the tropical Atlantic SST anomalies in a warmer climate also contributes to the weakened teleconnection. Our study suggests that as greenhouse warming continues, the trend in the tropical Pacific as well as the development of ENSO will be less frequently interrupted by the Atlantic because of this attenuation. The weakened teleconnection is also supported by CMIP5 models, although only a few of these models can capture this inter-tropical teleconnection.

SOIL N AND C GEOGRAPHY OF THE SALMON RIVER WATERSHED AND THE OREGON COAST

Science.gov (United States)

To help establish restorative criteria of salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest, resource inventories on affected watersheds are a critical component of this process. Diverse soil and geology influence the rich terrestrial and aquatic biota of the Oregon Coast. We characterized ...

Air-sea interaction in the tropical Pacific Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, L. J.; Steranka, J.; Holub, R. J.; Hansen, J.; Godshall, F. A.; Prabhakara, C.

1972-01-01

Charts of 3-month sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean were produced for the period 1949 to 1970. The anomalies along the United States and South American west coasts and in the eastern tropical Pacific appeared to be oscillating in phase during this period. Similarly, the satellite-derived cloudiness for each of four quadrants of the Pacific Ocean (130 deg E to 100 deg W, 30 deg N to 25 deg S) appeared to be oscillating in phase. In addition, a global tropical cloudiness oscillation from 30 deg N to 30 deg S was noted from 1965 to 1970, by using monthly satellite television nephanalyses. The SST anomalies were found to have a good degree of correlation both positive and negative with the following monthly geophysical parameters: (1) satellite-derived cloudiness, (2) strength of the North and South Pacific semipermanent anticyclones, (3) tropical Pacific island rainfall, and (4) Darwin surface pressure. Several strong direct local and crossequatorial relationships were noted. In particular, the high degree of correlation between the tropical island rainfall and the SST anomalies (r = +0.93) permitted the derivation of SST's for the tropical Pacific back to 1905. The close occurrence of cold tropical SST and North Pacific 700-mb positive height anomalies with central United States drought conditions was noted.

Macrophthalmus graeffei A. Milne Edwards, 1873 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Macrophthalmidae: a new Indo-Pacific guest off Rhodes Island (SE Aegean Sea, Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.A. PANCUCCI-PAPADOPOULOU

2010-05-01

Full Text Available A new alien crab, the macrophthalmid Macrophthalmus graeffei, is reported from the eastern coastline of Rhodes Island. The species, of Indo-West Pacific origin, is known from muddy sediments up to about 80 m depth. In the Mediterranean, its presence has been observed along Levantine coasts as well as along the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea.Macrophthalmus graeffei increases to twelve the number of alien brachyurans present in the Hellenic SE Aegean Sea, ten of them having Indo-Pacific origin.

75 FR 2111 - North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-14

... bycatch alternatives; review preliminary Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) report (SSC only); review and adopt... of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Report d. International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) Report e. U.S. Coast Guard Report f. NMFS Enforcement Report/Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) Report g. U.S. Fish...

Rapid estimation of the moment magnitude of the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake from coseismic strain steps

Science.gov (United States)

Itaba, S.; Matsumoto, N.; Kitagawa, Y.; Koizumi, N.

2012-12-01

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake, of moment magnitude (Mw) 9.0, occurred at 14:46 Japan Standard Time (JST) on March 11, 2011. The coseismic strain steps caused by the fault slip of this earthquake were observed in the Tokai, Kii Peninsula and Shikoku by the borehole strainmeters which were carefully set by Geological Survey of Japan, AIST. Using these strain steps, we estimated a fault model for the earthquake on the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates. Our model, which is estimated only from several minutes' strain data, is largely consistent with the final fault models estimated from GPS and seismic wave data. The moment magnitude can be estimated about 6 minutes after the origin time, and 4 minutes after wave arrival. According to the fault model, the moment magnitude of the earthquake is 8.7. On the other hand, based on the seismic wave, the prompt report of the magnitude which the Japan Meteorological Agency announced just after earthquake occurrence was 7.9. Generally coseismic strain steps are considered to be less reliable than seismic waves and GPS data. However our results show that the coseismic strain steps observed by the borehole strainmeters, which were carefully set and monitored, can be relied enough to decide the earthquake magnitude precisely and rapidly. In order to grasp the magnitude of a great earthquake earlier, several methods are now being suggested to reduce the earthquake disasters including tsunami. Our simple method of using strain steps is one of the strong methods for rapid estimation of the magnitude of great earthquakes.

GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF PRAWN Macrobrachium tenellum IN EXPERIMENTAL CULTURES DURING SUMMER AND AUTUMN IN THE TROPICAL MEXICAN PACIFIC COAST.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Vega Villasante

2011-03-01

Full Text Available For aquaculture purposes, Macrobrachium tenellum is considered as a good candidate, is not aggressive nor presents cannibalism and can tolerate an ample interval of temperatures, salinities and oxygen concentrations. The present work evaluates the semi-intensive culture of M. tenellum under environmental conditions of summer and autumn with special attention to water temperature. The results of the experimental cultures in the tropical Mexican Pacific coast, suggest this species demonstrates better growth during the end of the spring, summer and the beginning of the autumn, time at which the average temperature of the water is near 30°C. The experimental cultures of end of autumn and beginnings of winter demonstrate minimum growth, with an average temperature of the culture water of 27°C.  Other parameters like pH, O2 concentration and turbidity in the culture water were similar in all the experimental cultures reason why temperature is suggested the factor was the determinant in the differences found in growth. Â

GEOMORPHOLOGY AND ANTHROPOGENIC INFLUENCES ON FISH AND AMPHIBIANS IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST COASTAL STREAMS

Science.gov (United States)

Physical habitat degradation has been implicated as a major contributor to the historic decline of salmonids in Pacific Northwest streams. Native aquatic vertebrate assemblages in the Oregon and Washington Coast Range consist primarily of coldwater salmonids, cottids, and amphib...

Geographical variation of shell thickness in the mussel Perumytilus purpuratus along the southeast Pacific coast.

Science.gov (United States)

Briones, Carolina; Rivadeneira, Marcelo M; Fernández, Miriam; Guiñez, Ricardo

2014-12-01

At broad geographical scales, the variation in bivalve shell thickness can be modulated by environmental factors that vary with latitude, such as sea surface temperature (SST), seawater pH, or calcium carbonate availability. Mussels usually form multilayered beds, and shell thickness is also expected to be affected by density and layering due to intraspecific competition. In this work, we explored the geographical variation of shell thickness in the intertidal mussel Perumytilus purpuratus between 18° and 42°S along the southeastern Pacific coast. We tested the hypothesis that there was a positive relationship between shell thickness and SST, and then we explored other variables that could have an effect on thickness, such as density, number of layers, and others environmental variables (pH and calcite concentration). The expected positive linear relationship between shell thickness and sea surface temperature was not found, but when the other population variables were included in the analysis, an unexpected inverse SST-thickness relationships appeared as significant, probably because this species could be adapted to colder and more acid seawater as are those of the tips of South America. Thickness was also negatively affected by density, which was expected for a gregarious species showing high intraspecific competition. Finally, our results highlight the importance of including density and crowding effects when macroscale patterns are explored, particularly in gregarious species, since these patterns could also be modulated by density-dependent processes, which might then override latitudinal trends of shell thickness when they are not included in the analyses. © 2014 Marine Biological Laboratory.

Molecular evidence for long-distance colonization in an Indo-Pacific seahorse lineage

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Teske, P.R.; Hamilton, H.; Palsboll, P.J.; Choo, C.K.; Gabr, H.; Lourie, S.A.; Santos, M.; Sreepada, R.A.; Cherry, M.I.; Matthee, C.A.

Island, Mozambique 2 Pemba, Tanzania* 1 H. kuda Tayabas Bay, Quezon, the Philippines 35(+3) (West Pacific lineage) Fiji 10 Taiwan* 1 H. fuscus Gulf of Suez, Red Sea, Egypt* 35 H. capensis Knysna Estuary, South Africa 35 Outgroup H. reidi Gulf of Mexico..., Mexico* 1 H. ingens East Pacific coast, Mexico* 1 H. hilonis Hawaii* 1 H. capensis (South Africa) H. kuda (South Africa) H. kuda (Mozambique) H. kuda (Tanzania) H. kuda (western India) H. kuda (southeastern India) H. kuda (Malaysia) H. kuda (Lombok) H...

Optimum Orientation of the Atmospheric River (AR) for Extreme Storms in Feather, Yuba, and American River Watersheds in the Pacific Coast of the US

Science.gov (United States)

Ohara, N.; Kavvas, M. L.; Anderson, M.; Chen, Z. Q.; Ishida, K.

2016-12-01

This study investigated physical maximum precipitation rates for the next generation of flood management strategies under evolving climate conditions using a regional atmospheric model. The model experiments using a non-hydrostatic atmospheric models, MM5, revealed the precipitation mechanism affected by topography and non-linear dynamics of the atmosphere in the Pacific Coast of the US during the Atmospheric River (AR) events. Significant historical storm events were identified based on the continuous weather simulations for the Feather, Yuba, and American river watersheds in California. For these historical storms, the basin precipitations were maximized by setting fully saturated atmospheric layers at the boundary of the outer nesting domain. It was found that maximizing the atmospheric moisture supply at the model boundary does not always increase the precipitation in Feather and Yuba River basins. The pattern of the precipitation increase and decrease by the maximization suggested the rain shadow effect of the Coast Range causing this unexpected precipitation reduction by the moisture maximization. The ground precipitation seems to be controlled by the AR orientation to the topography as well as the precipitable water. Finally, the steady-state precipitation experiments were performed to find an optimum AR orientation to yield the most significant continuous precipitation rate in the Feather, Yuba, and American River basins. This physically-based numerical experiment can potentially incorporate the climate change effects, explicitly.

Learning from California and the Pacific Rim

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tussing, A.R.

1993-01-01

Heavy oils are found in 10 of the 14 largest oilfields in Alaska and California. In the US west coast region, petroleum demand is dominated by light transport fuels, and there is a lack of a discrete and conspicuous heavy oil market. The structure and behavior of west coast petroleum markets, and their interactions with crude-oil and petroleum product markets elsewhere on the Pacific Rim are discussed with regard to how the market for growing volumes of western Canadian heavy oils might evolve. An analysis of crude oil prices versus API gravity demonstrates the price penalties on oil of low gravity, high sulfur, and high transport cost. Prices at the high gravity end tend to correlate closely with Asian light crude and unfinished gasoline prices. The heaviest crudes are priced in competition with other chemically similar residual oils for direct fuel use, blending, or refinery feedstock. The biggest component of the west coast heavy oil market is bunker fuel. The market value of heavy crudes in the west coast is thus determined by regional supply and demand for heavy hydrocarbon molecules, whatever the source. The west coast is not a promising market for Canadian heavy crudes, and exports to Asia would have to compete both with residual oils from Asia and the US west coast and with California heavy crudes. US west coast production peaked in 1989 and regional production can be expected to decline further in average gravity. New production from known but undeveloped heavy oil pools near Prudhoe Bay or in the California offshore could be expected to postpone the need for imports to the west coast and to depress prices. A removal of the Alaska crude oil export ban could improve the west coast heavy oil market. 5 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

Bathymetric Atlas of the North Pacific Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey provided nearshore from Novel Oceenoglphic Office neutical chert of various detils around islands and reefs. Nautical...Easter Islands , 1961. Middle America Trench: Topography and struc- Bernice P. Bishop Mus. Bull. 110, p. 1-44. ture, Geol. Sec. Amer. Bull., v. 72, p...of volcanic ash layers and turbidito% ini 1956. Clipperton fracture zone in the northeastern equa- the north Pacific, Gal. Soc. Amer. Bull., v. 80, p

Timber resource statistics for the North Coast resource area of California 1994.

Science.gov (United States)

Karen L. Waddell; Patricia M. Bassett

1996-01-01

This report is a summary of timber resource statistics for the North Coast Resource Area of California, which includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties. Data were collected by the Pacific Northwest Research Station as part of a State-wide multi-resource inventory. The inventory sampled private and public lands except reserved areas and National...

Escape tectonism in the Gulf of Thailand: Paleogene left-lateral pull-apart rifting in the Vietnamese part of the Malay Basin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fyhn, Michael B.W.; Boldreel, Lars Ole; Nielsen, Lars H

2010-01-01

The Malay Basin represents one of the largest rift basins of SE Asia. Based on a comprehensive 2-D seismic database tied to wells covering mainly Vietnamese acreage, the evolution of the Vietnamese part of the basin is outlined and a new tectonic model is proposed for the development of the basin....... The Vietnamese part of the Malay Basin comprises a large and deep Paleogene pull-apart basin formed through Middle or Late Eocene to Oligocene left-lateral strike-slip along NNW-trending fault zones. The Tho Chu Fault Zone constitutes a significant Paleogene left-lateral strike-slip zone most likely associated......–Strending faults in the central part of the basin. However, the lack of inversion in Vietnamese territory only seems to merit a few kilometers of dextral inversion....

Introduction to "Tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean: 2011-2012"

Science.gov (United States)

Rabinovich, Alexander B.; Borrero, Jose C.; Fritz, Hermann M.

2014-12-01

With this volume of the Pure and Applied Geophysics (PAGEOPH) topical issue "Tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean: 2011-2012", we are pleased to present 21 new papers discussing tsunami events occurring in this two-year span. Owing to the profound impact resulting from the unique crossover of a natural and nuclear disaster, research into the 11 March 2011 Tohoku, Japan earthquake and tsunami continues; here we present 12 papers related to this event. Three papers report on detailed field survey results and updated analyses of the wave dynamics based on these surveys. Two papers explore the effects of the Tohoku tsunami on the coast of Russia. Three papers discuss the tsunami source mechanism, and four papers deal with tsunami hydrodynamics in the far field or over the wider Pacific basin. In addition, a series of five papers presents studies of four new tsunami and earthquake events occurring over this time period. This includes tsunamis in El Salvador, the Philippines, Japan and the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. Finally, we present four new papers on tsunami science, including discussions on tsunami event duration, tsunami wave amplitude, tsunami energy and tsunami recurrence.

Description of two new associated infaunal decapod crustaceans (Axianassidae and Alpheidae from the tropical eastern Pacific

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arthur Anker

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Two new species of infaunal decapod crustaceans are described based on material collected in Bahía Málaga, Pacific coast of Colombia, in 2009. The mud-shrimp Axianassa darrylfelderi sp. nov. (Axianassidae appears to be most closely related to A. australis Rodrigues & Shimizu, 1992, A. canalis Kensley & Heard, 1990, and A. jamaicensis Kensley & Heard, 1990. The new species may be distinguished from each of them by a combination of morphological features, mainly on the uropodal exopod, antennal acicle, third maxilliped and first pleonite. The shrimp Leptalpheus canterakintzi sp. nov. (Alpheidae, associated with burrows of A. darrylfelderi sp. nov., undoubtedly represents the eastern Pacific sister species of the western Atlantic L. axianassae Dworschak & Coelho, 1999, which lives exclusively in burrows of A. australis. The two species are reliably distinguishable only by the proportions of the merus and propodus of the third pereiopod. Leptalpheus azuero Anker, 2011, previously known only from the Pacific coast of Panama, is reported for the first time from Bahía Málaga, Colombia.

Upper ocean circulation modulation by phytoplankton concentration in the Equatorial Pacific and the Indian Ocean

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Nakamoto, S.; PrasannaKumar, S.; Oberhuber, J.M.; Sammarco, P.; Muneyama, K.; Sato, T.; AjoyKumar, A.; Frouin, R.

gradient in the upper ocean. This strengthens the geostrophically balanced westward currents in both side of the equatorial wave-guide (within 5 degree bands). Once these currents reach the western Pacific coast, they feed the Equatorial undercurrent (EUC...

Oceanic influence on extreme rainfall trends in the north central coast of Venezuela: present and future climate assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lelys Guenni

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Extreme events are an important part of climate variability and their intensity and persistence are often modulated by large scale climatic patterns which might act as forcing drivers affecting their probability of occurrence. When the North Tropical Atlantic (NTA and the Equatorial Pacific (Ni\\~no 3 region sea surface temperature (SST anomalies are of opposite signs and the first one is positive while the second one is negative, the rainfall response is stronger in the northern coast of Venezuela as well as in the Pacific coast of Central America during the Nov-Feb period. The difference between these two SST anomaly time series (NTA-Ni\\~no3 is used in this analysis and it is called the Atlantic-Pacific Index or API. By fitting a dynamic generalized extreme value (GEV model to station based daily rainfall at different locations and to the Xie and Arkin dataset for the Vargas state, we found the API index to be an adequate index to explain the probabilistic nature of rainfall extremes in the northern Venezuelan coast for the months Nov-Feb. Dependence between the Atlantic-Pacific index and the probabilistic behavior of extreme rainfall was also explored for simulations from two global coupled General Circulation Models for the 20th century climate (20C3M experiment and the 21st century climate (SRES A2 experiment: the Echam5 model and the HadCM3 model. A significant dependence of extreme rainfall on the Atlantic-Pacific index is well described by the GEV dynamic model for the Echam5 20C3M experiment model outputs. When looking at future climates under the SRES A2 experiment, the dependence of extreme rainfall from the API index is still significant for the middle part of the 21st century (2046-2064, while this dependence fades off for the latest part of the century (2081-2099

Effects of terrestrial runoff on the coral communities in Santiago Bay, Colima, Mexican Pacific Coast.

Science.gov (United States)

Liñán-Cabello, Marco Agustín; Olivos-Ortiz, Aramis; Quijano-Scheggia, Sonia; Muñiz Anguiano, Daniela; Reséndiz-Flores, María Luisa; Ortega-Ortíz, Christian D

2016-09-01

the coastal zone, deforestation and erosion resulting from inappropriate development, and the runoff of nutrients from agricultural lands nearby the lagoon. All these significantly contributed to the nutrient-enriched waters of the lagoon, especially in summer, with negative effects on the coral community. Continued exposure to these factors, coupled with the lack of control over other anthropogenic components, has promoted the maintenance of a chronic stress state in the studied coral community. Our findings highlight the need for the development of appropriate coastal management and conservation policies for the coral reefs of the Mexican Pacific Coast.

77 FR 24634 - Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Biennial Specifications and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-25

... specifications and management measures for most species of the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery (75 FR 67810... mortality of overfished and target species are the result of management measures designed to achieve, to the... rebuilding of overfished stocks by remaining within their rebuilding ACLs. Limited Entry Fixed Gear Fishery...

Distribution of Iodine-129 in off the coast of Fukushima and North Pacific

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, A.; Yamagata, T.; Nagai, H.; Aoyama, M.; Matsuzaki, H.

2013-01-01

We measured "1"2"9I concentration in seawater samples which were collected in off Fukushima and North Pacific. High "1"2"9I concentrations were observed in samples from stations off Fukushima (BD02, 03) located 30 km away from Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (F1NPP). In these stations, "1"2"9I inventory down to 100 m water depth was not decrease since three month after the F1NPP accident. In adjacent stations off Fukushima (BD01, 04), "1"2"9I concentrations were almost identical to those observed in seawater collected in the Kuroshio region before the F1NPP accident. In the North Pacific (BD05∼17), "1"2"9I concentrations in surface seawater were 2 times higher than those in the Kuroshio region. (author)

Good practice at Tokai No. 2 Power Station at the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeuchi, Kimihito

2017-01-01

At Tokai No. 2 Power Station, one of the three seawater pumps for cooling the emergency diesel generator (D/G) became unusable due to the tsunami caused by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, and one of the functions of two residual heat removal systems was lost. However, due to the cooperation and accurate judgment of many power station staff, partner companies, and many stakeholders, cold shutdown was successfully achieved. This is the results of day-to-day power plant operation management and correct response to the tasks that occurred during response process. Good practice included the following items. (1) Continuous tsunami countermeasures: Although a serious accident was escaped by level raising work, the above mentioned seawater pump function loss occurred due to the incomplete part. (2) Judgment on core cooling at the time of D/G function loss. (3) Early securing of preliminary power and fuel. (4) Power securing for waste disposal system. (5) Reflection of precedent cases and experiences: Installation of seismic isolation building as emergency measures, fixation of fluorescent lamp louvers, and earthquake response drills at central control room. (6) Collaboration among departments: Arrangement of communicators other than operators, preparation of equipment/articles corresponding to large tsunami warnings, placement of monitoring personnel, placement of personnel for check of power interchange, and securing of a circulation bus for commuting. (A.O.)

700 fathom Depth Contour for Pacific Fishery Management Council's June 2005 Preferred Alternative, Groundfish EFH Final EIS

Data.gov (United States)

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission — These data depict the primary 700 fathom isobath within the West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The area to the west of this depth contour was designated by...

78 FR 26277 - Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Biennial Specifications and...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-06

... harvest as intended by the Council in fisheries that are important to coastal communities in a manner that... actions need to be in effect. For the actions to be implemented in this final rule, affording the time... of the Pacific Coast Groundfish FMP goals and objectives of preventing overfishing and rebuilding...

Application of laser ablation-ICP-MS to determine high-resolution elemental profiles across the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary at Agost (Spain)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sosa-Montes de Oca, Claudia; de Lange, Gert J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/073930962; Martínez-Ruiz, Francisca; Rodríguez-Tovar, Francisco J.

2018-01-01

A high-resolution analysis of the distribution of major and trace elements across a Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (KPgB) was done using Laser Ablation-Inductivity Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and was compared with traditional distinct sampling and analysis. At the Agost site (SE

Gymnothorax phalarus, a new eastern Pacific moray eel (Pisces: Muraenidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William A. Bussing

1998-06-01

Full Text Available Gymnothorax phalarus is described from 23 individuals taken in trawl and dredge collections made on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The new species is nearly always syntopic with a similar species, Gymnothorax equatorialis. The new moray is distinguished by its white-spotted pattern, uniserial, slightly serrated teeth in adults, four infraorbital pores and mean vertebral formula of 6-58-140. Of the total of 21 valid species of morays recorded from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, only the new species and G. equatorialis form part of the trawl fishery as the remainder are almost entirely restricted to nearshore rocky habitats. The known range of G. phalarus is from Baja California to Peru.Gymnothorax phalarus se describe con base en 23 individuos de colecciones hechas por redes de arrastre y dragas en la costa Pacífica de Costa Rica. La especie nueva es casi siempre sintópica con la especie similar, Gymnothorax equatorialis. La nueva morena se distingue por su patrón de puntos blancos, dientes ligeramente aserrados y uniseriales en adultos, cuatro poros infraorbitales y MVF (Fórmula de Vértebras de 6-58-140. México a Perú.

76 FR 33189 - Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Amendment 13 to the Coastal...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-08

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 660 RIN 0648-BA68 Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Amendment 13 to the Coastal... Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 13 to the Coastal Pelagic Species...

HPLC and ELISA analyses of larval bile acids from Pacific and western brook lampreys

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, S.-S.; Scott, A.P.; Bayer, J.M.; Seelye, J.G.; Close, D.A.; Li, W.

2003-01-01

Comparative studies were performed on two native lamprey species, Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) and western brook lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni) from the Pacific coast along with sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) from the Great Lakes, to investigate their bile acid production and release. HPLC and ELISA analyses of the gall bladders and liver extract revealed that the major bile acid compound from Pacific and western brook larval lampreys was petromyzonol sulfate (PZS), previously identified as a migratory pheromone in larval sea lamprey. An ELISA for PZS has been developed in a working range of 20pg-10ng per well. The tissue concentrations of PZS in gall bladder were 127.40, 145.86, and 276.96??g/g body mass in sea lamprey, Pacific lamprey, and western brook lamprey, respectively. Releasing rates for PZS in the three species were measured using ELISA to find that western brook and sea lamprey released PZS 20 times higher than Pacific lamprey did. Further studies are required to determine whether PZS is a chemical cue in Pacific and western brook lampreys. ?? 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Renewing "That Which Was Almost Lost or Forgotten": The Implications of Old Ethnologies for Present-Day Traditional Ecological Knowledge Among Canada's Pacific Coast Peoples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dianne C. Newell

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The pressure on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK to solve socio-economic issues globally begs the question: What is the state of TEK today, given the economic, social, and cultural ruptures it has endured during the past 200 years? The author traces how historical collaborative work between ethnographic pairings of “insiders” and “outsiders” created partnerships between some prominent anthropologists and local Indigenous research collaborators. Indeed, most of the ground-breaking anthropological work of Franz Boas and others concerning Canada’s Pacific Northwest coast culture area depended on collaborations with George Hunt and other trained Indigenous field workers. Much of their long-standing fieldwork data collection and writings involved their female relatives and anonymous women’s collaboration, lending an accumulated, but unacknowledged, thoroughness to present-day TEK. Future policy concerning collaboration between non-Indigenous academics and Indigenous communities should take into account the lessons to be learned from these historical practices.

Population assessment of the American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus (Crocodilia: Crocodylidae on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurie A. Mauger

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, is widely distributed in the American neotropics. It is endangered throughout most of its range and is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Natural Fauna and Flora (IUCN and on Appendix I of the Convention for the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES. Despite this listing, there are few published reports on population status throughout most of its range. We investigated the status of the C. acutus, at several locations along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. We carried out spotlight and nesting surveys from 2007-2009 along the Costa Rican Pacific coast in four distinct areas, coastal areas of Las Baulas (N=40 and Santa Rosa (N=9 National Parks and the Osa Conservation Area (N=13, and upriver in Palo Verde National Park (N=11. We recorded crocodile locations and standard environmental data at each observation. Encounter rates, population structure, distribution within each area and data on successful nesting (presence of hatchlings, nests, etc were determined. We attempted to capture all crocodiles to record standard morphometrics. A total of 586 crocodiles were observed along 185.8km of survey route. The majority of animals encountered (54.9% were either hatchlings (El cocodrilo americano, Crocodylus acutus, se encuentra ampliamente distribuido en el neotrópico Americano y hay pocos estudios publicados sobre el estado de sus poblaciones en la mayor parte de su rango de distribución. Investigamos el estado del Cocodylus acutus en varias ubicaciones a lo largo de la costa del Pacífico de Costa Rica. Se realizaron muestreos nocturnos y de anidación a lo largo de la Costa Pacífica de Costa Rica en cuatro áreas en particular desde 2007-2009,’áreas costeras en los Parque Nacionales de Las Baulas (N=40 y Santa Rosa (N=9, y en el Área de Conservación de la Osa (N=13 y en el curso alto del Parque Nacional de Palo Verde (N=11. Se

WindFloat Pacific Project, Final Scientific and Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Banister, Kevin [Principle Power, Inc., Emeryville, CA (United States)

2017-01-17

PPI’s WindFloat Pacific project (WFP) was an up to 30 MW floating offshore wind demonstration project proposed off the Coast of Oregon. The project was to be sited approximately 18 miles due west of Coos Bay, in over 1000 ft. of water, and is the first floating offshore wind array proposed in the United States, and the first offshore wind project of any kind proposed off the West Coast. PPI’s WindFloat, a semi-submersible foundation designed for high-capacity (6MW+) offshore wind turbines, is at the heart of the proposed project, and enables access to the world class wind resource at the project site and, equally, to other deep water, high wind resource areas around the country.

77 FR 21716 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Salmon

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-11

.... 120330244-2242-01] RIN 0648-BB77 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Salmon AGENCY... to the Fishery Management Plan for Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ off the Coast of Alaska (FMP). If... Management Council's (Council's) salmon management policy and to comply with Federal law. This proposed rule...

Carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation under continuous light: implications for paleoenvironmental interpretations of the High Arctic during Paleogene warming.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hong; Pagani, Mark; Briggs, Derek E G; Equiza, M A; Jagels, Richard; Leng, Qin; Lepage, Ben A

2009-06-01

The effect of low intensity continuous light, e.g., in the High Arctic summer, on plant carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionations is unknown. We conducted greenhouse experiments to test the impact of light quantity and duration on both carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions of three deciduous conifers whose fossil counterparts were components of Paleogene Arctic floras: Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Taxodium distichum, and Larix laricina. We found that plant leaf bulk carbon isotopic values of the examined species were 1.75-4.63 per thousand more negative under continuous light (CL) than under diurnal light (DL). Hydrogen isotope values of leaf n-alkanes under continuous light conditions revealed a D-enriched hydrogen isotope composition of up to 40 per thousand higher than in diurnal light conditions. The isotope offsets between the two light regimes is explained by a higher ratio of intercellular to atmospheric CO(2) concentration (C (i)/C (a)) and more water loss for plants under continuous light conditions during a 24-h transpiration cycle. Apparent hydrogen isotope fractionations between source water and individual lipids (epsilon(lipid-water)) range from -62 per thousand (Metasequoia C(27) and C(29)) to -87 per thousand (Larix C(29)) in leaves under continuous light. We applied these hydrogen fractionation factors to hydrogen isotope compositions of in situ n-alkanes from well-preserved Paleogene deciduous conifer fossils from the Arctic region to estimate the deltaD value in ancient precipitation. Precipitation in the summer growing season yielded a deltaD of -186 per thousand for late Paleocene, -157 per thousand for early middle Eocene, and -182 per thousand for late middle Eocene. We propose that high-latitude summer precipitation in this region was supplemented by moisture derived from regionally recycled transpiration of the polar forests that grew during the Paleogene warming.

Population Subdivision of Japanese Flounder Paralichthys olivaceus in the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Japan Detected by Means of Mitochondrial Phylogenetic Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuya Shigenobu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study deals with mitochondrial phylogenetic information of Japanese flounder in the Pacific coast of Tohoku Japan to estimate the genetic population subdivision that was undetectable by conventional population statistics. We determined complete sequences of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit-2 (ND2 and subunit-5 (ND5 genes for 151 individuals from northern (Aomori and Iwate prefectures, 40–41°N and southern (Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, 37–38°N waters. Samples from both waters showed high genetic diversity, including 126 haplotypes. These haplotypes were located at mixed and nested positions on an inferred phylogenetic tree, and traditional F-statistics indicated no significant population divergence (φST = −0.00335, p > 0.05, corroborating our previous study. Three variable sites, however, showed significant base composition heterogeneity between samples from the northern and southern waters (Fisher’s exact-test, p < 0.01. Nucleotide substitutions at the three sites converged on an apical clade, which consisted of the five southern individuals, whereas its sister clade consisted only of the three northern individuals. This phylogenetic information corroborates previous ecological studies indicating the presence of separate stocks in the northern and southern waters.

The phylogeny and life cycle of two species of Profilicollis (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) in marine hosts off the Pacific coast of Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, S M; D'Elía, G; Valdivia, N

2017-09-01

Resolving complex life cycles of parasites is a major goal of parasitological research. The aim of this study was to analyse the life cycle of two species of the genus Profilicollis, the taxonomy of which is still unstable and life cycles unclear. We extracted individuals of Profilicollis from two species of crustaceans (intermediate hosts) and four species of seagulls (definitive hosts) from sandy-shore and estuarine habitats along the south-east Pacific coast of Chile. Mitochondrial DNA analyses showed that two species of Profilicollis infected intermediate hosts from segregated habitats: while P. altmani larvae infected exclusively molecrabs of the genus Emerita from fully marine habitats, P. antarcticus larvae infected the crab Hemigrapsus crenulatus from estuarine habitats. Moreover, P. altmani completed its life cycle in four seagulls, Chroicocephalus maculipennis, Leucopheus pipixcan, Larus modestus and L. dominicanus, while P. antarcticus, on the other hand, completed its life cycle in the kelp gull L. dominicanus. Accordingly, our results show that two congeneric parasites use different and spatially segregated species as intermediate hosts, and both are capable of infecting one species of definitive hosts. As such, our analyses allow us to shed light on a complex interaction network.

Characterization of rock samples localized in some sites of the Mexican Pacific coast; Caracterizacion de muestras de rocas localizadas en algunos sitios de la costa del Pacifico Mexicano

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pena, P.; Torre, J. de la; Falcon, T.; Segovia, N. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, A.P. 18-1027, 11801 Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Azorin, J. [Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa C.P. 09340 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

1999-07-01

Geophysical studies in zones of high seismicity have showed differences in the content of radioactive material that is used in the study of the geochemical behavior of the subsoil. In an emanometric mapping of radon in soil realized in the Mexican Pacific coast were finding distinct levels in zones with different lithology. With the finality to know the mineralization types in two zones of study which are localized in the Guerrero coast and they belonging to terrains named Guerrero and Xolapa it was determined the mineralogic characteristics in two types of rocks. The identification of the rocks was realized by X-ray diffraction and was determined the elemental chemical composition using a scanning electron microscope. It was indicated in the results obtained that in the two types of rocks were found minerals such as: quartz, albite, microcline anortite, ferroactinolite and biotite. However, it was found differences between them by the presence of their mineralogic compounds because in the rock belonging to Xolapa terrain were presented whereas in the rock localized in the Guerrero terrain were presented sodic and potassic feldspars. The analysis by the Elemental Chemical Composition technique (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) corroborated the results obtained by the X-ray diffraction technique. (Author)

National assessment of shoreline change: historical shoreline change along the Pacific Northwest coast

Science.gov (United States)

Ruggerio, Peter; Kratzmann, Meredith G.; Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Reid, David; Allan, Jonathan; Kaminsky, George

2013-01-01

Beach erosion is a chronic problem along most open ocean shores of the United States. As coastal populations continue to increase and infrastructure is threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present trends and rates of shoreline movement. There is also a need for a comprehensive analysis of shoreline movement that is consistent from one coastal region to another. To meet these national needs, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting an analysis of historical shoreline changes along the open-ocean sandy shores of the conterminous United States and parts of Hawaii, Alaska, and the Great Lakes. One purpose of this work is to develop standard, repeatable methods for mapping and analyzing shoreline movement so that periodic, systematic, and internally consistent updates regarding coastal erosion and land loss can be made nationally. In the case of the analysis of shoreline change in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), the shoreline is the interpreted boundary between the ocean water surface and the sandy beach. This report on the PNW coasts of Oregon and Washington is the seventh in a series of regionally focused reports on historical shoreline change. Previous investigations include analyses and descriptive reports of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (Morton and others, 2004), the southeastern Atlantic (Morton and Miller, 2005), the sandy shorelines (Hapke and others, 2006) and coastal cliffs (Hapke and Reid, 2007) of California, the New England and mid-Atlantic coasts (Hapke and others, 2011), and parts of the Hawaii coast (Fletcher and others, 2012). Like the earlier reports in this series, this report summarizes the methods of analysis, interprets the results of the analysis, provides explanations regarding long- and short-term trends and rates of shoreline change, and describes how different coastal communities are responding to coastal erosion. This report differs from the early USGS reports in the series in that those

Lead concentration and isotopic composition in the Pacific sclerosponge (Acanthochaetetes wellsi) reflects environmental lead pollution

OpenAIRE

Ohmori, Kazuto; Watanabe, Tsuyoshi; Tanimizu, Masaharu; Shirai, Kotaro

2014-01-01

We measured Pb/Ca and Pb isotopes with high resolution in the high-Mg calcite skeleton of a Pacific sclerosponge (Acanthochaetetes wellsi) collected from the reef edge off the western coast of Kume Island (East China Sea), to investigate its potential to he used as a proxy for lead contamination in the environment, and atmospheric transportation and fallout over the last few decades. Skeletal Pb/Ca ranged from 58 to 1642 nmol/mol, 10x higher than that of the aragonite skeleton of Pacific cora...

A new species of Peltidium Philippi, 1839 (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Pacific coast of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez-Morales, Eduardo; Jarquín-González, Jani

2013-01-01

Abstract During the analysis of phytal meiobenthic samples collected from a rocky-sandy beach in the state of Nayarit, in the Mexican Pacific, several specimens of harpacticoid copepods were obtained and taxonomically examined. These specimens were found to represent an undescribed species of the peltidiid genus Peltidium Philippi, 1839. The new species, Peltidium nayarit sp. n. is described herein. It resembles Peltidium nichollsi Geddes and Peltidium lerneri Geddes from Bahamas but also the widespread Peltidium speciosum Thompson & Scott and Peltidium purpureum Philippi. The new species from the Mexican Pacific differs from its known congeners by its possession of a unique combination of characters, including a modified pectinate seta on the antennary exopod, three terminal setae on the second endopodal segment of leg 1, third exopodal segment of leg 1 with three elements, inner terminal claw twice as long as outer claw, female fifth leg with 5 exopodal setae, exopodal setae I-III stout, spinulose and seta IV being as long as seta V. This is the second species of the family known to be distributed in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and in Mexico. Pending additional data, the distribution of this species appears to be restricted to this area of the Mexican Pacific. PMID:24003319

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT ON WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM AND SEWERAGE SYSTEM AT THE 2011 OFF THE PACIFIC COAST OF TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE - CASE STUDY FOR THE DATA AT IBARAKI AND CHIBA PREFECTURES

Science.gov (United States)

Naba, Satoshi; Tsukiji, Takuya; Shoji, Gaku; Nagata, Shigeru

We evaluate the dependency of damage and restoration of water supply systems and sewerage system on the seismic hazards in the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku earthquake focusing on the damage at Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures. We use the damage data of the systems by carrying out field survey, interviews for related local government sectors and surveying the information in web sites. We quantify two damage ratios defined by the ratio of number of physical damage points Np with the related pipeline lengths L and that of disrupted lengths Ld with L. In addition, we discuss relation between restoration periods with the seismic hazards. Finally, we verify the fitting of the damage data with previous seismic fragility curves on sewerage pipelines.

Robustness of observation-based decadal sea level variability in the Indo-Pacific Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Nidheesh, A. G.; Lengaigne, M.; Vialard, J.; Izumo, T.; Unnikrishnan, A. S.; Meyssignac, B.; Hamlington, B.; de Boyer Montegut, C.

2017-07-01

We examine the consistency of Indo-Pacific decadal sea level variability in 10 gridded, observation-based sea level products for the 1960-2010 period. Decadal sea level variations are robust in the Pacific, with more than 50% of variance explained by decadal modulation of two flavors of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (classical ENSO and Modoki). Amplitude of decadal sea level variability is weaker in the Indian Ocean than in the Pacific. All data sets indicate a transmission of decadal sea level signals from the western Pacific to the northwest Australian coast through the Indonesian throughflow. The southern tropical Indian Ocean sea level variability is associated with decadal modulations of ENSO in reconstructions but not in reanalyses or in situ data set. The Pacific-independent Indian Ocean decadal sea level variability is not robust but tends to be maximum in the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean. The inconsistency of Indian Ocean decadal variability across the sea level products calls for caution in making definitive conclusions on decadal sea level variability in this basin.

78 FR 49258 - Fisheries in the Western Pacific; Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing Permit

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-13

... the Western Pacific; Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing Permit AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries... Reef Ecosystem Fishing Permit that would authorize Kampachi Farms, LLC, to culture and harvest a coral reef ecosystem management unit fish species in a floating pen moored about 5.5 nm off the west coast of...

Conservation challenges and research needs for Pacific lamprey in the Columbia River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Clemens, Benjamin J.; Beamish, Richard J.; Coates, Kelly C.; Docker, Margaret F.; Dunham, Jason B.; Gray, Ann E.; Hess, Jon E.; Jolley, Jeffrey C.; Lampman, Ralph T.; McIlraith, Brian J.; Moser, Mary L.; Murauskas, Joshua G.; Noakes, David L. G.; Schaller, Howard A.; Schreck, Carl B.; Starcevich, Steven J.; Streif, Bianca; van de Wetering, Stan J.; Wade, Joy; Weitkamp, Laurie A.; Wyss, Lance A.

2017-01-01

The Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus, an anadromous fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean and bordering freshwater habitats, has recently experienced steep declines in abundance and range contractions along the West Coast of North America. During the early 1990s, Native American tribes recognized the declining numbers of lamprey and championed their importance. In 2012, 26 entities signed a conservation agreement to coordinate and implement restoration and research for Pacific Lamprey. Regional plans have identified numerous threats, monitoring needs, and strategies to conserve and restore Pacific Lamprey during their freshwater life stages. Prime among these are needs to improve lamprey passage, restore freshwater habitats, educate stakeholders, and implement lamprey-specific research and management protocols. Key unknowns include range-wide trends in status, population dynamics, population delineation, limiting factors, and marine influences. We synthesize these key unknowns, with a focus on the freshwater life stages of lamprey in the Columbia River basin.

Population connectivity among geographic variants within the Lutjanidae (Pisces of the Mexican Pacific coast through fish scale shape recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana L. Ibáñez

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Fish scale shape was used to identify geographic variants among Lutjanidae (Lutjanus argentiventris, L. guttatus and L. peru. Specimens were collected from three different geographic areas, north to south of the tropical Pacific coast of Mexico: Puerto Vallarta (PV, Manzanillo (MA and Caleta de Campos (CC. Configuration of landmark coordinates of fish scales were scaled, translated and rotated using generalized procrustes analysis, followed by principal components analysis of resulting shape coordinates. Principal component scores were submitted to cross-validated discriminant analysis to determine the efficacy of scale landmarks for discrimination by geographic variants. This was done with shape and form (shape plus size. PV and MA were recognized as one population different from the CC sampling area. Using only shape (without size, identification rates predicted geographic variant membership much better than chance (91.3%, 70.6% and 85.4% for L. argentiventris, L. guttatus and L. peru, respectively, and taking size into account, classification is somewhat improved (90.6%, 80.1% and 87.5% for L. argentiventris, L. guttatus and L. peru, respectively. Consistency of the two populations for the three species shows non-fortuitous events. Population discrimination confirmed previous genetic studies that show a zoogeographic barrier between the North Equatorial Current and the California Current. The method is non-destructive, fast and less expensive than genetic analysis, thus allowing screening of many individuals for traceability of fish.

High-Prevalence and Low-Intensity Ichthyophonus Infections in Pacific Halibut.

Science.gov (United States)

Hershberger, Paul K; Gregg, Jacob L; Dykstra, Claude L

2018-03-01

Ichthyophonus occurred at high prevalence but low intensity in Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis throughout the West Coast of North America, ranging from coastal Oregon to the Bering Sea. Infection prevalence in adults was variable on spatial and temporal scales, with the lowest prevalence typically occurring on the edges of the geographic range and highest prevalence consistently occurring inside Prince William Sound, Alaska (58-77%). Additionally, intra-annual differences occurred at Albatross-Portlock, Alaska (71% versus 32% within 2012), and interannual differences occurred along coastal Oregon (50% in 2012 versus 12% in 2015). The infection prevalence was influenced by host age, increasing from 3% or less among the youngest cohorts (age ≤ 6) to 39-54% among age-9-17 cohorts, then decreasing to 27% among the oldest (age-18+) cohorts. There was little indication of significant disease impacts to Pacific Halibut, as the intensity of infection was uniformly low and length at age was similar between infected and uninfected cohorts. These results suggest that Ichthyophonus in Pacific Halibut currently represents a stable parasite-host paradigm in the North Pacific. © 2018 American Fisheries Society.

High‐prevalence and low‐intensity Ichthyophonus infections in Pacific Halibut

Science.gov (United States)

Hershberger, Paul; Gregg, Jacob L.; Dykstra, Claude L.

2018-01-01

Ichthyophonus occurred at high prevalence but low intensity in Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis throughout the West Coast of North America, ranging from coastal Oregon to the Bering Sea. Infection prevalence in adults was variable on spatial and temporal scales, with the lowest prevalence typically occurring on the edges of the geographic range and highest prevalence consistently occurring inside Prince William Sound, Alaska (58–77%). Additionally, intra‐annual differences occurred at Albatross–Portlock, Alaska (71% versus 32% within 2012), and interannual differences occurred along coastal Oregon (50% in 2012 versus 12% in 2015). The infection prevalence was influenced by host age, increasing from 3% or less among the youngest cohorts (age ≤ 6) to 39–54% among age‐9–17 cohorts, then decreasing to 27% among the oldest (age‐18+) cohorts. There was little indication of significant disease impacts to Pacific Halibut, as the intensity of infection was uniformly low and length at age was similar between infected and uninfected cohorts. These results suggest that Ichthyophonus in Pacific Halibut currently represents a stable parasite–host paradigm in the North Pacific.

On the finding of the Indo-Pacific fish Scomberomorus commerson in Rhodes (Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. CORSINI-FOKA

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The occurrence of the Indo-Pacific fish Scomberomorus commerson was observed for the first time in the Hellenic waters of the SE Aegean Sea during the spring 2008. The record may represent a first indication of a population expansion of this alien species along the southern coasts of the Aegean Sea.

Radiological assessment of coastal marine sediment and water samples, Karachi coast, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qureshi, R.M.; Mashiatullah, A.; Akram, M.; Sajjad, M.I.; Shafiq, M.; Javed, T.; Aslam, M.

1999-04-01

Concentrations of selective natural radionuclides (/sup 226/Ra, /sup 228/Ra, /sup 40/K) in shallow marine coastal sediments and sea water off Karachi coast, Pakistan, were measured with a hyper pure germanium (HPGe) gamma spectrometer. Sediment and water samples were collected from polluted Layari and Malire River downstream (pre-out fall), Gizri Creek, Layari River out fall in Karachi harbor, Karachi Harbor/ Manora Channel Mains, as well as from open sea (South-East Coast and North-West Coast) within the 10m depth contour. No artificial radionuclides (e.g. /sup 60/Co, /sup 137/Cs and /sup 134/Cs were detected in both water and sediment samples at any of these locations. The activity of /sup 226/Ra in coastal river sediments is found below its limit of detection (<18.35 Bqkg/sup -1/). Activity of /sup 228/Ra in sediments off Karachi Coast ranges between 11.80 +- 3.60 to 37.27+- 4.31 Bqkg/sup -1/. The highest activity was found south of Nuclear Power Station (KANUPP) and the lowest activity was found in the vicinity of Oyster Rocks (open sea). The /sup 226/Ra activity ranges from 19.40+- 5.88 to 67.14 +- 10.02 Bqkg/sup -1/. The activity of /sup 228/Ra in sediments of Manora Channel, South-east Coast of Karachi and the North west coast of Karachi are also in agreement with the IAEA marine sediment standard namely: IAEA-135 (/sup 228/Ra = 36.7 +- 3 Bqkg/sup -1/). The activity of /sup 226/Ra for the South East Coast of Karachi and the North west coast of Karachi are also in agreement with the IAEA marine sediment standard namely: IAEA 135(/sup 226/Ra=23.9 +- 1.1 Bqkg/sup -1/) and Pacific Ocean sediment standard namely: IAEA-368 (/sup 226/Ra=21.4+- 1.1 Bqkg/sup -1/). The /sup 40/K activity in sea sediments varies from 197.7+- 44.24 to 941.90 +- 39.00 Bqkg-1). The highest activity is observed in the vicinity of Oyster Rocks (open sea) along the Clifton coast (South-East Cost of Karachi) and the lowest activity is found south of Nuclear Power Station (KANUPP) along the

First Record of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) for the Brazilian Coast.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Carlos E L; Luiz, Osmar J; Floeter, Sergio R; Lucena, Marcos B; Barbosa, Moysés C; Rocha, Claudia R; Rocha, Luiz A

2015-01-01

The invasion of the northwestern Atlantic by the Indo-Pacific lionfish has developed extraordinarily fast, and is expected to cause one of the most negative ecological impacts among all marine invasions. In less than 30 years, lionfish have dramatically expanded their distribution range to an area encompassing the eastern coast of the USA, Bermuda, the entire Caribbean region and the Gulf of Mexico. The rapidity of the lionfish spread has raised concerns in other parts of the Atlantic that may be under the reach of the invasion. Despite the anticipation that lionfish would eventually extend their range throughout most of the eastern coast of South America, it had not been recorded in Brazil until now. Here we report the first lionfish appearance for the Brazilian coast and show that the individual collected by us is genetically linked to the invasive Caribbean population. Since small-range endemics are found in several locations in Brazil and are among the species that are most vulnerable to extinction, we recommend urgent control, management and education measures aimed at minimizing the effects of this impending invasion.

Massive settlements of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, in Scandinavia : Original paper

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wrange, Anna-Lisa; Valero, Johanna; Harkestad, Lisbeth S.

2010-01-01

The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is an important aquaculture species world-wide. Due to its wide environmental tolerance and high growth rate, it has also become a successful invader in many areas, leading to major ecosystem changes. Low water temperatures were previously believed to restri...... settlement in 2006, and in Norway, populations are established along the southwest coast to 60°N....

Massive settlements of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, in Scandinavia : Invasion note

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wrange, Anna-Lisa; Valero, Johanna; Harkestad, Lisbeth S.

2010-01-01

The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is an important aquaculture species world-wide. Due to its wide environmental tolerance and high growth rate, it has also become a successful invader in many areas, leading to major ecosystem changes. Low water temperatures were previously believed to restri...... settlement in 2006, and in Norway, populations are established along the southwest coast to 60A degrees N....

U.S. Pacific coastal wetland resilience and vulnerability to sea-level rise

Science.gov (United States)

Thorne, Karen M.; MacDonald, Glen M.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R.; Ambrose, Richard F.; Buffington, Kevin J.; Dugger, Bruce D.; Freeman, Chase; Janousek, Christopher; Brown, Lauren N.; Rosencranz, Jordan A.; Homquist, James; Smol, John P.; Hargan, Kathryn; Takekawa, John Y.

2018-01-01

We used a first-of-its-kind comprehensive scenario approach to evaluate both the vertical and horizontal response of tidal wetlands to projected changes in the rate of sea-level rise (SLR) across 14 estuaries along the Pacific coast of the continental United States. Throughout the U.S. Pacific region, we found that tidal wetlands are highly vulnerable to end-of-century submergence, with resulting extensive loss of habitat. Using higher-range SLR scenarios, all high and middle marsh habitats were lost, with 83% of current tidal wetlands transitioning to unvegetated habitats by 2110. The wetland area lost was greater in California and Oregon (100%) but still severe in Washington, with 68% submerged by the end of the century. The only wetland habitat remaining at the end of the century was low marsh under higher-range SLR rates. Tidal wetland loss was also likely under more conservative SLR scenarios, including loss of 95% of high marsh and 60% of middle marsh habitats by the end of the century. Horizontal migration of most wetlands was constrained by coastal development or steep topography, with just two wetland sites having sufficient upland space for migration and the possibility for nearly 1:1 replacement, making SLR threats particularly high in this region and generally undocumented. With low vertical accretion rates and little upland migration space, Pacific coast tidal wetlands are at imminent risk of submergence with projected rates of rapid SLR.

Hemocyte parameters of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas a year after the Hebei Spirit oil spill off the west coast of Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Donaghy, Ludovic; Hong, Hyun-Ki; Lee, Hee-Jung; Jun, Je-Cheon; Park, Young-Je; Choi, Kwang-Sik

2010-12-01

In marine bivalves, hemocytes support various physiological functions, including immune defense, nutrient transport, shell repair, and homeostatic maintenance. Although the effects of marine contaminants on the immunological functions of bivalves have been extensively investigated, the impacts of oil spills are not well understood. Therefore, we investigated hemocyte parameters in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas 13 months after the Hebei Spirit oil spill (December 2007) off the west coast of Korea. The parameters studied included hemocyte concentration and mortality, relative proportion of hemocyte populations, and immunological functions such as phagocytosis and oxidative activity using flow cytometry. These immune-related parameters in oysters damaged by the oil spill were also compared to control oysters that were collected from an area unaffected by the spill. The flow cytometry study indicated that granulocyte population, phagocytic capacity, and reactive oxygen species production in oysters exposed to crude oil 13 months prior were depressed compared to the unexposed control oysters. Our data suggest that immunocompetence in oysters affected by the oil spill had not fully recovered 1 year after the accident, although more detailed studies on the physiology and disease resistance should be performed.

Partial pressure (or fugacity) of carbon dioxide, salinity and other variables collected from Surface underway observations using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer, Shower head chamber equilibrator for autonomous carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement and other instruments from Marcus G. Langseth in the North Pacific Ocean, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and South China Sea from 2012-05-13 to 2012-08-26 (NCEI Accession 0144304)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NCEI Accession 0144304 includes Surface underway data collected from Marcus G. Langseth in the North Pacific Ocean, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and South...

Cretaceous-Paleogene ostracods from the Paraíba Basin, northeastern Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

de Lima Barros, Cecília; Piovesan, Enelise Katia; Oliveira Agostinho, Sonia Maria

2018-04-01

This work presents a detailed taxonomic study on the marine ostracods from the Paraíba Basin, northeastern Brazil, in wells from the wells Itamaracá-1IT-03-PE and Poty-1PO-01-PE, which record the Maastrichtian-Danian boundary. Besides the taxonomic data, this paper contributes to the paleoenvironmental knowledge of Cretaceous-Paleogene ostracods from the Paraíba Basin. The analysis of 98 samples of the well Itamaracá-1IT-03-PE and 59 samples of the Poty-1PO-01-PE resulted in the record of 34 ostracode species, all representative of a marine environment with normal salinity. Seven new species are proposed: Cytherella centrocompressa sp. nov.; Cytherella paraibensis sp. nov.; Neonesidea potyensis sp. nov.; Bythoceratina spinosa sp. nov.; Eucytherura ventrotuberculata sp. nov.; Langiella fauthi sp. nov. and Protobuntonia punctatum sp. nov.

Paleogene radiation of a plant pathogenic mushroom.

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Martin P A Coetzee

Full Text Available The global movement and speciation of fungal plant pathogens is important, especially because of the economic losses they cause and the ease with which they are able to spread across large areas. Understanding the biogeography and origin of these plant pathogens can provide insights regarding their dispersal and current day distribution. We tested the hypothesis of a Gondwanan origin of the plant pathogenic mushroom genus Armillaria and the currently accepted premise that vicariance accounts for the extant distribution of the species.The phylogeny of a selection of Armillaria species was reconstructed based on Maximum Parsimony (MP, Maximum Likelihood (ML and Bayesian Inference (BI. A timeline was then placed on the divergence of lineages using a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock approach.Phylogenetic analyses of sequenced data for three combined nuclear regions provided strong support for three major geographically defined clades: Holarctic, South American-Australasian and African. Molecular dating placed the initial radiation of the genus at 54 million years ago within the Early Paleogene, postdating the tectonic break-up of Gondwana.The distribution of extant Armillaria species is the result of ancient long-distance dispersal rather than vicariance due to continental drift. As these finding are contrary to most prior vicariance hypotheses for fungi, our results highlight the important role of long-distance dispersal in the radiation of fungal pathogens from the Southern Hemisphere.

Oligocene termite nests with in situ fungus gardens from the rukwa rift basin, Tanzania, support a paleogene african origin for insect agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roberts, Eric M.; Todd, Christopher N.; Aanen, Duur K.; Nobre, Tania; Hilbert-Wolf, Hannah L.; O'Connor, Patrick M.; Tapanila, Leif; Mtelela, Cassy; Stevens, Nancy J.

2016-01-01

Based on molecular dating, the origin of insect agriculture is hypothesized to have taken place independently in three clades of fungus-farming insects: the termites, ants or ambrosia beetles during the Paleogene (66-24 Ma). Yet, definitive fossil evidence of fungus-growing behavior has been

Recovery of wild Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas in terms of reproduction and gametogenesis two-years after the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill Accident off the West Coast of Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Mondol, Mostafizur Rahman; Keshavmurthy, Shashank; Lee, Hee-Jung; Hong, Hyun-Ki; Park, Heung-Sik; Park, Sang-Rul; Kang, Chang-Keun; Choi, Kwang-Sik

2015-12-01

The Hebei Spirit oil spill in December 2007 at Taean off the west coast of Korea was the largest oil tanker accident in Korea. However, the impact of the spill on physiology of benthic animals remains largely unknown. Two-years after the accident, we compared reproductive effort and annual gametogenesis of the wild Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, residing at oil spill site with a control oyster population in Incheon Bay, North-West coast of Korea. Results showed that the oyster sampled from the oil spill site showed a significantly higher (279.0 mg standard animal-1, Pgametogenic pattern between the two populations, and most of the females of both populations spawned between August and September. During spawning season, egg mass of oysters determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) in the oil spill area was significantly higher (136.3 mg standard animal-1, P<0.05) than the control population (120.5 mg standard animal-1, P<0.05). The tissue protein level in the oysters at the contaminated area was significantly higher (102.6 mg standard animal-1, P<0.05) than the level measured from the control oysters (81.4 mg standard animal-1, P<0.05). The observed better biological performances of oysters at the contaminated site suggested their recovery of the physiological status to normal level after two years of the oil spill accident.

Gas export potential of Russia's East: Will it match Asia-Pacific markets?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khartukov, E.; Starostina, E.

2002-01-01

Russia's Far East and East Siberia are emerging as new major sources of gas supplies for East Asian energy markets. Thanks to ongoing and earmarked resource and infrastructure developments in Sakhalin, Yakutia (Sakha) and Irkutsk, by around 2020 these poorly developed but naturally endowed areas of the country's East can provide between 50 and 70 Bcm/yr (5-7 Bcfd) of natural gas, including up to 10 Mt/yr of LNG, available for exports to neighbouring Pacific countries (primarily to the PRC, Japan, South Korea as well as to Taiwan and the U.S. West Coast). This can noticeably reshape today's matrix of the Asia-Pacific energy flows and even destabilize the regional gas market. (author)

The Impact of Elevated Temperatures on Continental Carbon Cycling in the Paleogene

Science.gov (United States)

Pancost, R. D.; Handley, L.; Taylor, K. W.; Collinson, M. E.; Weijers, J.; Talbot, H. M.; Hollis, C. J.; Grogan, D. S.; Whiteside, J. H.

2010-12-01

Recent climate and biogeochemical modelling suggests that methane flux from wetlands and soils was greater during past greenhouse climates, due to a combination of higher continental temperatures, an enhanced hydrological cycle, and elevated primary production. Here, we examine continental environments in the Paleogene using a range of biomarker proxies (complemented by palaeobotanical approaches), including air temperatures derived from the distribution of soil bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (the MBT/CBT proxy), as well as evidence from wetland and lacustrine settings for enhanced methane cycling. Previously published and new MBT/CBT records parallel sea surface temperature records, suggesting elevated continental temperatures during the Eocene even at mid- to high latitudes (New Zealand, 20-28°C; the Arctic, 17°C; across the Sierra Nevada, 15-25°C; and SE England, 20-30°C). Such temperatures are broadly consistent with paleobotanical records and would have directly led to increased methane production via the metabolic impact of temperature on rates of methanogenesis. To test this, we have determined the distributions and carbon isotopic compositions of archaeal ether lipids and bacterial hopanoids in thermally immature Eocene lignites. In particular, the Cobham lignite, deposited in SE England and spanning the PETM, is characterised by markedly higher concentrations of both methanogen and methanotroph biomarkers compared to modern and Holocene temperate peats. Elevated temperatures, by fostering either stratification and/or decreased oxygen solubility, could have also led to enhanced methane production in Paleogene lakes. Both the Messel Shale (Germany) and Green River Formation, specifically the Parachute Creek oil shale horizons (Utah and Wyoming), are characterised by strongly reducing conditions (including euxinic conditions in the latter), as well as abundant methanogen and methanotroph biomarkers. Such results confirm model predictions

Identifying role of subtropical southeast Pacific SST anomalies on precipitation dynamics in Central Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Bozkurt, D.; Garreaud, R.

2014-12-01

Central Chile (CC, western South America coasts, 28°S- 38°S) is the heartland of Chile with the highest population and important economic activities. The region is characterized by semiarid Mediterranean climate with a marked precipitation gradient along the coast from north to south, mostly due to the positioning of the South Pacific Subtropical Anticyclone and the midlatitude westerlies belt. Although there are several diagnostic studies that focus on the impact of tropical Pacific SST on CC precipitation variability via atmospheric teleconnections, less attention has been placed on impacts of subtropical southeast (SE) Pacific SST on precipitation. The later region is immediately adjacent to CC and it interferes with the overpassing atmospheric systems. In particular we want to assess the impact of a consistent cooling over the SE Pacific during the last 30 years. This study is being tackled by a combination of observational and reanalysis datasets together with numerical simulations. Observational dataset includes gridded dataset of CRU, TRMM and GPCP. Moreover, Reynolds SST data V2 based on AVHRR infrared satellite SST data is used for analyzing spatial and temporal changes in SST. Current modelling experiment includes a control simulation, used as reference, and sensitivity simulation that involves perturbations to SST over subtropical SE Pacific for a normal year austral winter (2001) season. A number of simulations with different initial conditions have been carried out by employing ICTP-RegCM4. The domain for simulations was centered at 82oW and 32oW with 288x288 grid cells on 20 km spatial resolution. Preliminary results indicate that the response of precipitation in CC to SST anomalies in the subtropical SE Pacific exhibits more or less linear behavior. In the colder SST experiments, drier conditions dominate over CC, which is possibly related with the intensification of South Pacific Subtropical Anticyclone (SPSA) or a reduction in the available

Progress on the development of seismic resilient Tall CLT Buildings in the Pacific Northwest

Science.gov (United States)

Shiling Pei; Jeffrey Berman; Daniel Dolan; John van de Lindt; James Ricles; Richard Sause; Hans-Erik Blomgren; Marjan Popovski; Douglas Rammer

2014-01-01

As urban densification occurs in U.S. regions of high seismicity, there is a natural demand for seismically resilient tall buildings that are reliable, economically viable, and can be rapidly constructed. In urban regions on the west coast of the U.S., specifically the Pacific Northwest, there is significant interest in utilizing CLT in 8-20 story residential and...

Thyasirid bivalves from Cretaceous and Paleogene cold seeps

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Krzysztof Hryniewicz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We present a systematic study of thyasirid bivalves from Cretaceous to Oligocene seep carbonates worldwide. Eleven species of thyasirid bivalves are identified belonging to three genera: Conchocele, Maorithyas, and Thyasira. Two species are new: Maorithyas humptulipsensis sp. nov. from middle Eocene seep carbonates in the Humptulips Formation, Washington State, USA, and Conchocele kiritachiensis sp. nov. from the late Eocene seep deposit at Kiritachi, Hokkaido, Japan. Two new combinations are provided: Conchocele townsendi (White, 1890 from Maastrichtian strata of the James Ross Basin, Antarctica, and Maorithyas folgeri (Wagner and Schilling, 1923 from Oligocene rocks from California, USA. Three species are left in open nomenclature. We show that thyasirids have Mesozoic origins and appear at seeps before appearing in “normal” marine environments. These data are interpreted as a record of seep origination of thyasirids, and their subsequent dispersal to non-seep environments. We discuss the age of origination of thyasirids in the context of the origin of the modern deep sea fauna and conclude that thyasirids could have deep sea origins. This hypothesis is supported by the observed lack of influence of the Cretaceous and Paleogene Oceanic Anoxic Events on the main evolutionary lineages of the thyasirids, as seen in several other members of the deep sea fauna.

Chemical Evolution of Ozone and Its Precursors in Asian Pacific Rim Outflow During TRACE-P

Science.gov (United States)

Hamlin, A.; Crawford, J.; Olson, J.; Pippin, M.; Avery, M.; Sachse, G.; Barrick, J.; Blake, D.; Tan, D.; Sandholm, S.; Kondo, Y.; Singh, H.; Eisele, F.; Zondlo, M.; Flocke, F.; Talbot, R.

2002-12-01

During NASA's GTE/TRACE-P (Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific) mission, a widespread stagnant pollution layer was observed between 2 and 4 km over the central Pacific. In this region, high levels of O3 (70~ppbv), CO (210~ppbv), and NOx (130~pptv) were observed. Back trajectories suggest this airmass had been rapidly transported from the Asian coast near the Yellow Sea to the central Pacific where it underwent subsidence. The chemical evolution of ozone and its precursors for this airmass is examined using lagrangian photochemical box model calculations. Simulations are conducted along trajectories which intersect the flight path where predicted mixing ratios are compared to measurements. An analysis of the photochemical processes controlling the cycling of nitrogen oxides and ozone production and destruction during transport will be presented.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's Response to the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, S. A.; Becker, N. C.; Shiro, B.; Koyanagi, K. K.; Sardina, V.; Walsh, D.; Wang, D.; McCreery, C. S.; Fryer, G. J.; Cessaro, R. K.; Hirshorn, B. F.; Hsu, V.

2011-12-01

The largest Pacific basin earthquake in 47 years, and also the largest magnitude earthquake since the Sumatra 2004 earthquake, struck off of the east coast of the Tohoku region of Honshu, Japan at 5:46 UTC on 11 March 2011. The Tohoku earthquake (Mw 9.0) generated a massive tsunami with runups of up to 40m along the Tohoku coast. The tsunami waves crossed the Pacific Ocean causing significant damage as far away as Hawaii, California, and Chile, thereby becoming the largest, most destructive tsunami in the Pacific Basin since 1960. Triggers on the seismic stations at Erimo, Hokkaido (ERM) and Matsushiro, Honshu (MAJO), alerted Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) scientists 90 seconds after the earthquake began. Four minutes after its origin, and about one minute after the earthquake's rupture ended, PTWC issued an observatory message reporting a preliminary magnitude of 7.5. Eight minutes after origin time, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its first international tsunami message in its capacity as the Northwest Pacific Tsunami Advisory Center. In accordance with international tsunami warning system protocols, PTWC then followed with its first international tsunami warning message using JMA's earthquake parameters, including an Mw of 7.8. Additional Mwp, mantle wave, and W-phase magnitude estimations based on the analysis of later-arriving seismic data at PTWC revealed that the earthquake magnitude reached at least 8.8, and that a destructive tsunami would likely be crossing the Pacific Ocean. The earthquake damaged the nearest coastal sea-level station located 90 km from the epicenter in Ofunato, Japan. The NOAA DART sensor situated 600 km off the coast of Sendai, Japan, at a depth of 5.6 km recorded a tsunami wave amplitude of nearly two meters, making it by far the largest tsunami wave ever recorded by a DART sensor. Thirty minutes later, a coastal sea-level station at Hanasaki, Japan, 600 km from the epicenter, recorded a tsunami wave amplitude of

Integrated stratigraphy of the Smirra Core (Umbria-Marche Basin, Apennines, Italy) : A new early Paleogene reference section and implications for the geologic time scale

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Turtù, Antonio; Lauretano, Vittoria; Catanzariti, Rita; Hilgen, Frits J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/102639876; Galeotti, Simone; Lanci, Luca; Moretti, Matteo; Lourens, Lucas J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/125023103

2017-01-01

Pelagic sections of the Umbria-Marche Basin, in the Northern Apennines (Italy), have provided key geological archives for studying critical intervals of early Paleogene time. In addition to classical sections, the Smirra Coring project provides a new record of relatively undisturbed sediments (~ 120

Establishing demographic parameters for loggerhead turtles in the northeastern Pacific Ocean: growth rates, age determination, annual habitat use, and population connectivity

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Loggerhead turtles nesting in Japan (i.e. the source rookery for individuals along the U.S. West coast and Pacific Mexico) have recently been declared a Distinct...

First Record of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans for the Brazilian Coast.

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Carlos E L Ferreira

Full Text Available The invasion of the northwestern Atlantic by the Indo-Pacific lionfish has developed extraordinarily fast, and is expected to cause one of the most negative ecological impacts among all marine invasions. In less than 30 years, lionfish have dramatically expanded their distribution range to an area encompassing the eastern coast of the USA, Bermuda, the entire Caribbean region and the Gulf of Mexico. The rapidity of the lionfish spread has raised concerns in other parts of the Atlantic that may be under the reach of the invasion. Despite the anticipation that lionfish would eventually extend their range throughout most of the eastern coast of South America, it had not been recorded in Brazil until now. Here we report the first lionfish appearance for the Brazilian coast and show that the individual collected by us is genetically linked to the invasive Caribbean population. Since small-range endemics are found in several locations in Brazil and are among the species that are most vulnerable to extinction, we recommend urgent control, management and education measures aimed at minimizing the effects of this impending invasion.

High prevalence and low intensity Ichthyophonus infections in Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis).

Science.gov (United States)

Hershberger, Paul K; Gregg, Jacob L; Dykstra, Claude L

2017-10-13

Ichthyophonus occurred at high prevalence but low intensity in Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) throughout the west coast of North America, ranging from coastal Oregon to the Bering Sea. Infection prevalence in adults was variable on spatial and temporal scales, with the lowest prevalence typically occurring on the edges of the geographic range and highest prevalence consistently occurring inside Prince William Sound, AK (58-77%). Additionally, intra-annual differences occurred at Albatross - Portlock, AK (71% versus 32% within 2012) and inter-annual differences occurred along coastal Oregon (50% versus 12% from 2012 to 2015). The infection prevalence was influenced by host age, increasing from ≤ 3% among the youngest cohorts (≤age 6) to 39-54% among age 9-17 cohorts, then decreasing to 27% among the oldest (age 18+) cohorts. There was little indication of significant disease impacts to Pacific Halibut, as the intensity of infection was uniformly low and length-at-age was similar between infected and uninfected cohorts. These results suggest that Ichthyophonus in Pacific Halibut currently represents a stable parasite-host paradigm in the North Pacific. Received 04 May 2017 accepted 09 Oct 2017 revised 21 Sep 2017.

CONCEPTUAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PACIFIC, ATLANTIC AND ARCTIC TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEMS FOR CANADA

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T.S. Murty

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Canada has coastlines on three of the four oceans on the globe, namely, the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The Pacific and Atlantic oceans are connected to the Arctic Ocean in the north, but still they are three distinct oceans, and need three individual tsunami warning systems. Tsunamis in the Arctic Ocean are not as well documented as in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. From what is known, tsunamis in the Arctic Ocean are rare and probably are small in amplitude. Because of very low population density, around the Canadian Arctic, at present, there is no priority for a tsunami warning system for Arctic Canada. For the Pacific Ocean, a tsunami warning system is in existence since 1948. In at least one sense, the warning aspects of the tsunami warning system for the Pacific coast of Canada, is relatively simple and straight forward, because it involves only the federal government (PSEPC and the provincial government of British Columbia (PEP. For the Atlantic Ocean, A tsunami warning system is now being established. The warning aspects will be some what more complex for eastern Canada, since it not only involves the federal government, but also five provinces, namely, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. The Alaska tsunami warning center (ATWC in Palmer, Alaska, provides tsunami warnings for both Pacific and Atlantic Canada.

High spatial resolution geochemistry and textural characteristics of 'microtektite' glass spherules in proximal Cretaceous-Paleogene sections: Insights into glass alteration patterns and precursor melt lithologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Belza, J.; Goderis, S.; Smit, J.; Vanhaecke, F.; Baert, K.; Terryn, H.; Claeys, P.

2015-01-01

Using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), we have conducted spatially resolved trace element analysis on fresh, unaltered microtektite glasses linked to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary Chicxulub crater and on their surrounding alteration phases. This

What was the Paleogene latitude of the Lhasa terrane? A reassessment of the geochronology and paleomagnetism of Linzizong volcanic rocks (Linzhou basin, Tibet)

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wentao; Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume; Lippert, Peter C.; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; Dekkers, Mark J.; Waldrip, Ross; Ganerød, Morgan; Li, Xiaochun; Guo, Zhaojie; Kapp, Paul

2015-03-01

The Paleogene latitude of the Lhasa terrane (southern Tibet) can constrain the age of the onset of the India-Asia collision. Estimates for this latitude, however, vary from 5°N to 30°N, and thus, here, we reassess the geochronology and paleomagnetism of Paleogene volcanic rocks from the Linzizong Group in the Linzhou basin. The lower and upper parts of the section previously yielded particularly conflicting ages and paleolatitudes. We report consistent 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb zircon dates of 52 Ma for the upper Linzizong, and 40Ar/39Ar dates ( 51 Ma) from the lower Linzizong are significantly younger than U-Pb zircon dates (64-63 Ma), suggesting that the lower Linzizong was thermally and/or chemically reset. Paleomagnetic results from 24 sites in lower Linzizong confirm a low apparent paleolatitude of 5°N, compared to the upper part ( 20°N) and to underlying Cretaceous strata ( 20°N). Detailed rock magnetic analyses, end-member modeling of magnetic components, and petrography from the lower and upper Linzizong indicate widespread secondary hematite in the lower Linzizong, whereas hematite is rare in upper Linzizong. Volcanic rocks of the lower Linzizong have been hydrothermally chemically remagnetized, whereas the upper Linzizong retains a primary remanence. We suggest that remagnetization was induced by acquisition of chemical and thermoviscous remanent magnetizations such that the shallow inclinations are an artifact of a tilt correction applied to a secondary remanence in lower Linzizong. We estimate that the Paleogene latitude of Lhasa terrane was 20 ± 4°N, consistent with previous results suggesting that India-Asia collision likely took place by 52 Ma at 20°N.

Simulated overfishing and natural eutrophication promote the relative success of a non-indigenous ascidian in coral reefs at the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

KAUST Repository

Roth, Florian; Stuhldreier, Ines; Sá nchez-Noguera, Celeste; Carvalho, Susana; Wild, Christian

2017-01-01

Colonial ascidians of the genus Didemnum are common fouling organisms and are typically associated with degraded ecosystems and anthropogenic structures installed in the sea. In this study, however, the non-indigenous ascidian Didemnum cf. perlucidum Monniot F., 1983 was discovered in coral reef environments on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Its role in the succession of a benthic community and the impact on biogeochemical features (i.e. reef cementation) was assessed by deploying terracotta settlement tiles on the reef for 24 weeks. Predator exclusion in experimental plots and naturally elevated nutrient concentrations during seasonal coastal upwelling gave insights on how settlers of D. cf. perlucidum succeed under projected environmental change. Exclusion of larger predators and grazers caused an increase of D. cf. perlucidum coverage on tiles from 7 to > 80%. Due to its rapid proliferation, D. cf. perlucidum grew over calcifying reef organisms, such as barnacles, polychaetes, and crustose algae, and significantly decreased the accumulation of inorganic carbon on the settlement tiles by one order of magnitude (4.6 to 0.4 mg C cm). The combination of reduced predation and eutrophication revealed negative synergistic effects on the accumulation of inorganic carbon. The opportunistic reaction of D. cf. perlucidum to environmental changes was further evident by 2-fold increased growth rates that were positively correlated (r = 0.89) to seawater particulate organic matter (POM) concentration during coastal upwelling. These results suggest that D. cf. perlucidum is a strong spatial competitor in Eastern Tropical Pacific coral reefs that face changing environmental conditions, e.g. overfishing and eutrophication. The effects of this species on disturbed benthic communities, but also its potential role as a habitat modifier, is likely significant. Thus, a continuous monitoring of D. cf. perlucidum is recommended to better understand their effects on post

Simulated overfishing and natural eutrophication promote the relative success of a non-indigenous ascidian in coral reefs at the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

KAUST Repository

Roth, Florian

2017-11-20

Colonial ascidians of the genus Didemnum are common fouling organisms and are typically associated with degraded ecosystems and anthropogenic structures installed in the sea. In this study, however, the non-indigenous ascidian Didemnum cf. perlucidum Monniot F., 1983 was discovered in coral reef environments on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Its role in the succession of a benthic community and the impact on biogeochemical features (i.e. reef cementation) was assessed by deploying terracotta settlement tiles on the reef for 24 weeks. Predator exclusion in experimental plots and naturally elevated nutrient concentrations during seasonal coastal upwelling gave insights on how settlers of D. cf. perlucidum succeed under projected environmental change. Exclusion of larger predators and grazers caused an increase of D. cf. perlucidum coverage on tiles from 7 to > 80%. Due to its rapid proliferation, D. cf. perlucidum grew over calcifying reef organisms, such as barnacles, polychaetes, and crustose algae, and significantly decreased the accumulation of inorganic carbon on the settlement tiles by one order of magnitude (4.6 to 0.4 mg C cm). The combination of reduced predation and eutrophication revealed negative synergistic effects on the accumulation of inorganic carbon. The opportunistic reaction of D. cf. perlucidum to environmental changes was further evident by 2-fold increased growth rates that were positively correlated (r = 0.89) to seawater particulate organic matter (POM) concentration during coastal upwelling. These results suggest that D. cf. perlucidum is a strong spatial competitor in Eastern Tropical Pacific coral reefs that face changing environmental conditions, e.g. overfishing and eutrophication. The effects of this species on disturbed benthic communities, but also its potential role as a habitat modifier, is likely significant. Thus, a continuous monitoring of D. cf. perlucidum is recommended to better understand their effects on post

Re-Evaluating the Geological Evidence for Late Holocene Marine Incursion Events along the Guerrero Seismic Gap on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas A Bianchette

Full Text Available Despite the large number of tsunamis that impact Mexico's Pacific coast, stratigraphic studies focusing on geological impacts are scanty, making it difficult to assess the long-term risks for this vulnerable region. Surface samples and six cores were taken from Laguna Mitla near Acapulco to examine sedimentological and geochemical evidence for marine incursion events. Sediment cores collected from behind the beach barrier are dominated by intercalated layers of peat and inorganic sediments, mostly silt and clay, with little or no sand. Sand- and shell-rich clastic layers with high levels of sulfur, calcium, and strontium only occur adjacent to the relict beach ridge remnants near the center of the lagoon. With the exception of one thin fine sand layer, the absence of sand in the near-shore cores and the predominance of the terrigenous element titanium in the inorganic layers, evidently eroded from the surrounding hillslopes, suggests that these large-grained intervals do not represent episodic marine incursions, but rather were likely formed by the erosion and redeposition of older marine deposits derived from the beach ridge remnants when water levels were high. These results do not support the occurrence of a large tsunami event at Laguna Mitla during the Late Holocene.

Re-Evaluating the Geological Evidence for Late Holocene Marine Incursion Events along the Guerrero Seismic Gap on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Bianchette, Thomas A; McCloskey, Terrence A; Liu, Kam-Biu

2016-01-01

Despite the large number of tsunamis that impact Mexico's Pacific coast, stratigraphic studies focusing on geological impacts are scanty, making it difficult to assess the long-term risks for this vulnerable region. Surface samples and six cores were taken from Laguna Mitla near Acapulco to examine sedimentological and geochemical evidence for marine incursion events. Sediment cores collected from behind the beach barrier are dominated by intercalated layers of peat and inorganic sediments, mostly silt and clay, with little or no sand. Sand- and shell-rich clastic layers with high levels of sulfur, calcium, and strontium only occur adjacent to the relict beach ridge remnants near the center of the lagoon. With the exception of one thin fine sand layer, the absence of sand in the near-shore cores and the predominance of the terrigenous element titanium in the inorganic layers, evidently eroded from the surrounding hillslopes, suggests that these large-grained intervals do not represent episodic marine incursions, but rather were likely formed by the erosion and redeposition of older marine deposits derived from the beach ridge remnants when water levels were high. These results do not support the occurrence of a large tsunami event at Laguna Mitla during the Late Holocene.

Reproductive traits of the symbiotic pea crab Austinotheres angelicus (Crustacea, Pinnotheridae living in Saccostrea palmula (Bivalvia, Ostreidae, Pacific coast of Costa Rica

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Carolina Salas-Moya

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Pea crabs of the family Pinnotheridae exhibit a symbiotic life style and live associated with a variety of different marine organisms, especially bivalves. Despite the fact that pea crabs can cause serious problems in bivalve aquaculture, the available information about the ecology of these crabs from Central America is extremely limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to describe different reproductive features of the pinnotherid crab Austinotheres angelicus associated with the oyster Saccostrea palmula in the Golfo de Nicoya, Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Monthly sampling was conducted from April to December 2012. Average carapace width (CW of the 47 analyzed ovigerous females was 7.62 mm. The species produced on average 2677 ± 1754 recently -extruded embryos with an average volume of 0.020 ± 0.003 mm3; embryo volume increased during embryogenesis by 21%, but did not vary significantly between developmental stages. Brood mass volume varied greatly (between 11.7 and 236.7 mm3, and increased significantly with female CW. Females invested on average 76.7% (minimum: 21.7%; maximum: 162.8% of their body weight in brood production, which confirms a substantially higher energy allocation for embryo production in pinnotherid crabs compared to free-living decapods.

The MeSO-net (Metropolitan Seismic Observation network) confronts the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake, Japan (Mw 9.0)

Science.gov (United States)

Kasahara, K.; Nakagawa, S.; Sakai, S.; Nanjo, K.; Panayotopoulos, Y.; Morita, Y.; Tsuruoka, H.; Kurashimo, E.; Obara, K.; Hirata, N.; Aketagawa, T.; Kimura, H.

2011-12-01

On April 2007, we have launched the special project for earthquake disaster mitigation in the Tokyo Metropolitan area (Fiscal 2007-2011). As a part of this project, construction of the MeSO-net (Metropolitan Seismic Observation network) has been completed, with about 300 stations deployed at mainly elementary and junior-high schools with an interval of about 5 km in space. This results in a highly dense network that covers the metropolitan area. To achieve stable seismic observation with lower surface ground noise, relative to a measurement on the surface, sensors of all stations were installed in boreholes at a depth of about 20m. The sensors have a wide dynamic range (135dB) and a wide frequency band (DC to 80Hz). Data are digitized with 200Hz sampling and telemetered to the Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo. The MeSO-net that can detect and locate most earthquakes with magnitudes above 2.5 provides a unique baseline in scientific and engineering researches on the Tokyo metropolitan area, as follows. One of the main contributions is to greatly improve the image of the Philippine Sea plate (PSP) (Nakagawa et al., 2010) and provides an accurate estimation of the plate boundaries between the PSP and the Pacific plate, allowing us to possibly discuss clear understanding of the relation between the PSP deformation and M7+ intra-slab earthquake generation. Also, the latest version of the plate model in the metropolitan area, proposed by our project, attracts various researchers, comparing with highly-accurate solutions of fault mechanism, repeating earthquakes, etc. Moreover, long-periods ground motions generated by the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake (Mw 9.0) were observed by the MeSO-net and analyzed to obtain the Array Back-Projection Imaging of this event (Honda et al., 2011). As a result, the overall pattern of the imaged asperities coincides well with the slip distribution determined based on other waveform inversion

New specimens and records of chondrichthyan fishes (Vertebrata: Chondrichthyes off the Mexican Pacific coast Nuevos ejemplares y nuevos registros de peces cartilaginosos (Vertebrata: Chondrichthyes de la costa del Pacífico mexicano

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Gorgonio Ruiz-Campos

2010-08-01

Full Text Available New specimens and new records of occurrence for 10 species of chondrichthyan (elasmobranch and chimaeroid fishes previously unknown or little documented for the continental shelf of the Mexican Pacific are reported. This contribution provides the first record of Centroscyllium nigrum, Isurus paucus, and Bathyraja trachura for the Mexican Pacific, as well as new specimens of Hydrolagus colliei, Hexanchus griseus, Echinorhinus cookei, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai, and Raja velezi for the western coast of the Baja California Peninsula, including the intermediate record within the known distribution range for Apristurus kampae, and the southernmost record for Raja inornata.Se reportan nuevos ejemplares y nuevos registros de concurrencia para 10 especies de elasmobranquios previamente desconocidos o con muy poca documentación en aguas del Pacífico mexicano. Esta contribución ofrece el primer registro de Centroscyllium nigrum, Isurus paucus, y Bathyraja trachura en el Pacífico mexicano; así como nuevos ejemplares de Hydrolagus colliei, Hexanchus griseus, Echinorhinus cookei, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai y Raja velezi en la costa occidental de la península de Baja California, con la inclusión del registro intermedio en el ámbito de distribución conocida para Apristurus kampae, y el registro más meridional para Raja inornata.

Malaria vectors in ecologically heterogeneous localities of the Colombian Pacific region.

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Nelson Naranjo-Díaz

Full Text Available The Colombian Pacific region is second nationally in number of malaria cases reported. This zone presents great ecological heterogeneity and Anopheles species diversity. However, little is known about the current spatial and temporal distribution of vector species. This study, conducted in three ecologically different localities of the Pacific region, aimed to evaluate the composition and distribution of Anopheles species and characterize transmission intensity. A total of 4,016 Anopheles mosquitoes were collected representing seven species. The composition and dominant species differed in each locality. Three species were infected with malaria parasites: Anopheles darlingi and An. calderoni were infected with Plasmodium falciparum and An. nuneztovari with Plasmodium vivax VK210 and VK247. Annual EIRs varied from 3.5-7.2 infective bites per year. These results confirm the importance of the primary vector An. nuneztovari in areas disturbed by human interventions, of An. darlingi in deforested margins of humid tropical rainforest and An. albimanus and the suspected vector An. calderoni in areas impacted by urbanization and large-scale palm oil agriculture close to the coast. This constitutes the first report in the Colombia Pacific region of naturally infected An. darlingi, and in Colombia of naturally infected An. calderoni. Further studies should evaluate the epidemiological importance of An. calderoni in the Pacific region.

A tale of two seagrasses: Comparing the science and management of Zostera marina and Zostera japonica in the Pacific Northwest

Science.gov (United States)

On the Pacific coast of North America, at least two congeners of Zostera occur: native Zostera marina, and introduced, Z. japonica. Z. japonica is considered “invasive” and therefore, ecologically and economically harmful by some, while others consider it benign or perhaps benef...

Will the balance of power shift among native eastern Pacific estuary ecosystem engineers with the introduced bopyrid isopod parasite orthione griffenis?

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The blue mud shrimp, Upogebia pugettensis, the bay ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, and eelgrass, Zostera marina are endemic ecosystem engineers that define the ecological structure and function of estuaries along the Pacific coast of the US as significantly as do marshes...

Distribution and seasonal differences in Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp eDNA across 18 Puget Sound watersheds

Science.gov (United States)

Ostberg, Carl O.; Chase, Dorothy M.; Hayes, Michael C.; Duda, Jeffrey J.

2018-01-01

Lampreys have a worldwide distribution, are functionally important to ecological communities and serve significant roles in many cultures. In Pacific coast drainages of North America, lamprey populations have suffered large declines. However, lamprey population status and trends within many areas of this region are unknown and such information is needed for advancing conservation goals. We developed two quantitative PCR-based, aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) assays for detection of Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and Lampetra spp, using locked nucleic acids (LNAs) in the probe design. We used these assays to characterize the spatial distribution of lamprey in 18 watersheds of Puget Sound, Washington, by collecting water samples in spring and fall. Pacific Lamprey and Lampetraspp were each detected in 14 watersheds and co-occurred in 10 watersheds. Lamprey eDNA detection rates were much higher in spring compared to fall. Specifically, the Pacific Lamprey eDNA detection rate was 3.5 times higher in spring and the Lampetra spp eDNA detection rate was 1.5 times higher in spring even though larval lamprey are present in streams year-round. This significant finding highlights the importance of seasonality on eDNA detection. Higher stream discharge in the fall likely contributed to reduced eDNA detection rates, although seasonal life history events may have also contributed. These eDNA assays differentiate Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp across much of their range along the west coast of North America. Sequence analysis indicates the Pacific Lamprey assay also targets other Entosphenus spp and indicates the Lampetra spp assay may have limited or no capability of detecting Lampetra in some locations south of the Columbia River Basin. Nevertheless, these assays will serve as a valuable tool for resource managers and have direct application to lamprey conservation efforts, such as mapping species distributions, occupancy modeling, and monitoring

Zoogeography of the San Andreas Fault system: Great Pacific Fracture Zones correspond with spatially concordant phylogeographic boundaries in western North America.

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Gottscho, Andrew D

2016-02-01

The purpose of this article is to provide an ultimate tectonic explanation for several well-studied zoogeographic boundaries along the west coast of North America, specifically, along the boundary of the North American and Pacific plates (the San Andreas Fault system). By reviewing 177 references from the plate tectonics and zoogeography literature, I demonstrate that four Great Pacific Fracture Zones (GPFZs) in the Pacific plate correspond with distributional limits and spatially concordant phylogeographic breaks for a wide variety of marine and terrestrial animals, including invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These boundaries are: (1) Cape Mendocino and the North Coast Divide, (2) Point Conception and the Transverse Ranges, (3) Punta Eugenia and the Vizcaíno Desert, and (4) Cabo Corrientes and the Sierra Transvolcanica. However, discussion of the GPFZs is mostly absent from the zoogeography and phylogeography literature likely due to a disconnect between biologists and geologists. I argue that the four zoogeographic boundaries reviewed here ultimately originated via the same geological process (triple junction evolution). Finally, I suggest how a comparative phylogeographic approach can be used to test the hypothesis presented here. © 2014 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Presumed drowning of Aleutian Canada geese on the Pacific coast of California and Oregon

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Springer, Paul F.; Lowe, Roy W.; Stroud, Richard K.; Gullett, Patricia A.

1989-01-01

Carcasses of 42 and 17 Aleutian Canada geese (Branta canadensis leucopareia), a federally listed endangered species, were found on ocean beaches near Crescent City, California, and near Pacific City, Oregon, respectively, following severe storms. Necropsies and other information suggest that the birds were flushed during the storms and somehow entered the water where they were washed into the surf and drowned.

Geochemistry of soils along a transect from Central Mexico to the Pacific Coast: a pilot study for continental-scale geochemical mapping

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Chiprés, J.A.; de la Calleja,; Tellez, J.I.; Jiménez, F.; Cruz, Carlos; Guerrero, E.G.; Castro, J.; Monroy, M.G.; Salinas, J.C.

2009-01-01

The Mexican Geological Survey (SGM), the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics (INEGI) and the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi (UASLP) have established a multidisciplinary team with the objective of creating a national program of geochemical mapping of soils in Mexico. This is being done as part of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project in partnership with the US Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Canada. As the first step, a pilot study was conducted over a transect that extends from the Mexico–US border near Ciudad Juarez in the north to the Pacific Ocean in the south. This pilot transect was conducted in two phases, and this paper presents results from the first phase, which sampled soils at about a 40-km spacing along a 730-km transect beginning in Central Mexico and ending at the Pacific Coast. Samples were collected from the A and C horizons at each site and 60 elements were analyzed. This pilot study demonstrates that geochemical mapping based on a 40-km spacing is adequate to identify broad-scale geochemical patterns. Geologic influence (i.e., soil parent material) was the most important factor influencing the distribution of elements along the transect, followed by the influence of regional mineralization. The study also showed that influence by human activities over the transect is minimal except possibly in large mining districts. A comparison of element abundance in the A horizon with the environmental soil guidelines in Mexico showed that the natural concentrations of the studied soils were lower than the established threshold for soil restoration with the exception of V and As. The former had a median value (75 mg/kg) approximately equal to the value established in Mexico for soil restoration in agricultural and residential lands (78 mg/kg), and the latter had three values higher than the 22 mg/kg threshold for soil restoration in agricultural and residential lands. These cases demonstrate

Macro-Scale Patterns in Upwelling/Downwelling Activity at North American West Coast.

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Romeo Saldívar-Lucio

Full Text Available The seasonal and interannual variability of vertical transport (upwelling/downwelling has been relatively well studied, mainly for the California Current System, including low-frequency changes and latitudinal heterogeneity. The aim of this work was to identify potentially predictable patterns in upwelling/downwelling activity along the North American west coast and discuss their plausible mechanisms. To this purpose we applied the min/max Autocorrelation Factor technique and time series analysis. We found that spatial co-variation of seawater vertical movements present three dominant low-frequency signals in the range of 33, 19 and 11 years, resembling periodicities of: atmospheric circulation, nodal moon tides and solar activity. Those periodicities might be related to the variability of vertical transport through their influence on dominant wind patterns, the position/intensity of pressure centers and the strength of atmospheric circulation cells (wind stress. The low-frequency signals identified in upwelling/downwelling are coherent with temporal patterns previously reported at the study region: sea surface temperature along the Pacific coast of North America, catch fluctuations of anchovy Engraulis mordax and sardine Sardinops sagax, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, changes in abundance and distribution of salmon populations, and variations in the position and intensity of the Aleutian low. Since the vertical transport is an oceanographic process with strong biological relevance, the recognition of their spatio-temporal patterns might allow for some reasonable forecasting capacity, potentially useful for marine resources management of the region.

Ecological and Cultural Importance of a Species at Risk of Extinction, Pacific Lamprey, 1964-2002 Technical Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Close, David A.

2002-07-01

The cultural and ecological values of Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) have not been understood by Euro-Americans and thus their great decline has almost gone unnoticed except by Native Americans, who elevated the issue and initiated research to restore its populations, at least in the Columbia Basin. They regard Pacific lamprey as a highly valued resource and as a result ksuyas (lamprey) has become one of their cultural icons. Ksuyas are harvested to this day as a subsistence food by various tribes along the Pacific coast and are highly regarded for their cultural value. Interestingly, our review suggests that the Pacific lamprey plays an important role in the food web, may have acted as a buffer for salmon from predators, and may have been an important source of marine nutrients to oligotrophic watersheds. This is very different from the Euro-American perception that lampreys are pests. We suggest that cultural biases affected management policies.

76 FR 5144 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for U.S. Navy F-35C West Coast...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-28

... CONTACT: U.S. Navy F-35C West Coast Homebasing EIS Project Manager; Naval Facilities Engineering Command... (from January 28, 2011 through March 14, 2011). All comments will receive the same attention and... Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest (Code EV21/AK); 1220 Pacific Highway, Bldg. 1, San Diego, CA 92132...

Wave direction and other data from fixed platform from TOGA Area - Pacific (30 N to 30 S) from 19931027 to 19950531 (NODC Accession 9500087)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains two Wave Energy (wave height and wave period) Data files from Hawaiian coast (Kahului and Mauai islands) collected in TOGA Area - Pacific (30...

A tale of two seagrasses: Comparing the science and management of Zostera marina and Zostera japonica in the Pacific Northwest - CERF

Science.gov (United States)

On the Pacific coast of North America, at least two congeners of Zostera occur: native Z. marina, and introduced, Z. japonica. Z. marina is protected by State and Federal laws as essential fish habitat. Z. japonica is considered “invasive” and therefore, ecologicall...

Common Observations for Near-Source Ground Motions and Seismo-Traveling Ionosphere Disturbances Following the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake, Japan

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Bor-Shouh Huang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The time history and spatial dependence of seismic-wave propagation on the ground surface and through the ionosphere following the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake were reconstructed from dense seismic networks and from Global Positioning System (GPS array observations, respectively. Using total electron content (TEC data recorded by a dense GPS receiver network, the near-source ionosphere perturbations induced by this giant earthquake were analyzed and high-resolution images of seismic-wave propagation in the ionosphere are presented. Similar spatial images of ground motions were reconstructed from observations by a dense seismic array. Observations of this event provide, for the first time, the opportunity to compare near-source ground motions with the near-field seismo-traveling ionosphere disturbance (STID excited by the ground motions. Based on the results, the nature of the source rupture and seismic-wave propagation are discussed. Both seismic and ionosphere observations indicate that seismic energy propagated radially outward initially from the hypocenter, but that the circular shape of the propagation front became gradually distorted as the source rupture became extended. Coherent wavefronts from the two analyses show contrasting patterns during the later stage of propagation, possibly due to different patterns of spatial variations in the physical properties of the solid earth and of the ionosphere.

Post-Glacial Expansion and Population Genetic Divergence of Mangrove Species Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn and Rhizophora mangle L. along the Mexican Coast

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoval-Castro, Eduardo; Dodd, Richard S.; Riosmena-Rodríguez, Rafael; Enríquez-Paredes, Luis Manuel; Tovilla-Hernández, Cristian; López-Vivas, Juan Manuel; Aguilar-May, Bily; Muñiz-Salazar, Raquel

2014-01-01

Mangrove forests in the Gulf of California, Mexico represent the northernmost populations along the Pacific coast and thus they are likely to be source populations for colonization at higher latitudes as climate becomes more favorable. Today, these populations are relatively small and fragmented and prior research has indicated that they are poor in genetic diversity. Here we set out to investigate whether the low diversity in this region was a result of recent colonization, or fragmentation and genetic drift of once more extensive mangroves due to climatic changes in the recent past. By sampling the two major mangrove species, Rhizophora mangle and Avicennia germinans, along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Mexico, we set out to test whether concordant genetic signals could elucidate recent evolution of the ecosystem. Genetic diversity of both mangrove species showed a decreasing trend toward northern latitudes along the Pacific coast. The lowest levels of genetic diversity were found at the range limits around the Gulf of California and the outer Baja California peninsula. Lack of a strong spatial genetic structure in this area and recent northern gene flow in A. germinans suggest recent colonization by this species. On the other hand, lack of a signal of recent northern dispersal in R. mangle, despite the higher dispersal capability of this species, indicates a longer presence of populations, at least in the southern Gulf of California. We suggest that the longer history, together with higher genetic diversity of R. mangle at the range limits, likely provides a gene pool better able to colonize northwards under climate change than A. germinans. PMID:24699389

Measured wind speed trends on the west coast of Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Tuller, Stanton E.

2004-09-01

Trends in measured wind speed are discussed for four stations on the west coast of Canada. Periods of record vary with the station. They begin in the late 1940s or the 1950s and run through to the early to mid 1990s. The most prominent feature of the time series was a decline in mean annual and winter wind speeds at Cape St James, Victoria International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport during the middle portion of the record. Declines in mean annual wind speed are matched by increases in the percentage of calms and decreases in high wind speed observations. The pressure gradient between Victoria, Vancouver and Comox, the Pacific North American index, the Pacific decadal oscillation index, and other climate elements in British Columbia and the northwestern USA show trends at roughly the same time, indicating a natural cause of the wind speed decrease. Comox Airport mean wind speeds increased, however, perhaps the result of reduced friction in the vicinity of the anemometer outweighing the decrease in the regional pressure gradient.

Public comment draft : the stakeholder workgroup review of planning and response capabilities for a marine oil spill on the U.S/Canadian transboundary areas of the Pacific coast project report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-12-01

This stakeholder review discussed the planning and response capabilities for marine oil spills on the United States and Canadian transboundary areas of the Pacific coast. An overview of the transboundary area was presented, as well as details of the area's climate, demographics, and economics. Historical and cultural features of the region were discussed, and the environmental impacts of actual and potential oil spills were evaluated. Risks related to increased marine traffic and development of new harbours and inland railways were discussed along with issues related to First Nations groups in the region. This document also reviewed spill notification procedures and presented oil spill response recommendations. It also outlined transboundary coordination procedures and incident investigation procedures. Issues related to fisheries were also discussed, with particular reference to oil spill response training procedures and available oil spill response software. Response funding regimes were also discussed. refs., tabs., figs.

Dynamics of the Pacific Northwest Lithosphere and Asthenosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Humphreys, E.

2013-12-01

Seismic imaging resolves a complex structure beneath the Pacific Northwest (PNW) that is interpreted as: an high-velocity piece of accreted (~50 Ma) Farallon lithosphere that deepens from being exposed (at coast, where it is called Siletzia) to lower crust in SE Washington and then descending vertically to ~600 km as a 'curtain' beneath central Idaho; a stubby Juan de Fuca slab (to directed tractions on the Cascadia mega-thrust average ~4 TN per meter of along-strike fault length, or probably a shear stress of ~40 MPa over much of the locked mega-thrust (i.e., much more shear stress than the typical earthquake stress drop of 1-10 MPa). Normal to the coast, southern Cascadia is relatively tensional (where margin-normal compression is less than typical ridge push by ~4 TN/m of along-strike fault length) whereas northern Cascadia is compressional. This indicates that the southern Cascadia mega-thrust is more weakly coupled than the northern mega-thrust. Southern Cascadia slab rollback and extension of the Cascade graben and Basin-and-Range are enabled by the weak coupling, in conjunction with high gravitational potential energy of the southern Oregon arc and back-arc. Juan de Fuca-Gorda lithosphere experiences the same stress on its eastern margin as North America does on the PNW Cascadia margin (by stress continuity), although current models of the individual plates do not show this continuity. Gorda plate is strongly compressed across the Mendocino transform by the north-moving Pacific Plate. Development of the NW-trending Blanco transform has created a fault that avoids this strong compression.

Diversity of mosquitoes and the aquatic insects associated with their oviposition sites along the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, J Guillermo; Casas-Martínez, Mauricio; Quiroz-Martínez, Humberto; Novelo-Gutiérrez, Rodolfo; Marina, Carlos F; Ulloa, Armando; Orozco-Bonilla, Arnoldo; Muñoz, Miguel; Williams, Trevor

2014-01-22

The abundance, richness and diversity of mosquitoes and aquatic insects associated with their oviposition sites were surveyed along eight states of the Pacific coast of Mexico. Diversity was estimated using the Shannon index (H'), similarity measures and cluster analysis. Oviposition sites were sampled during 2-3 months per year, over a three year period. Field collected larvae and pupae were reared and identified to species following adult emergence. Aquatic insects present at oviposition sites were also collected, counted and identified to species or genus. In total, 15 genera and 74 species of mosquitoes were identified: Anopheles pseudopunctipennis, An. albimanus and Aedes aegypti were the most abundant and widely-distributed species, representing 47% of total mosquito individuals sampled. New species records for certain states are reported. Anopheline diversity was lowest in Sinaloa state (H' = 0.54) and highest in Chiapas (H' = 1.61) and Michoacán (H' = 1.56), whereas culicid diversity was lowest in Michoacán (H' = 1.93), Colima (H' = 1.95), Sinaloa (H' = 1.99) and Jalisco (H' = 2.01) and highest in Chiapas (H' = 2.66). In total, 10 orders, 57 families, 166 genera and 247 species of aquatic insects were identified in samples. Aquatic insect diversity was highest in Chiapas, Oaxaca and Michoacán (H' = 3.60-3.75). Mosquito larval/pupal abundance was not correlated with that of predatory Coleoptera and Hemiptera. This represents the first update on the diversity and geographic distribution of the mosquitoes and aquatic insects of Mexico in over five decades. This information has been cataloged in Mexico's National Biodiversity Information System (SNIB-CONABIO) for public inspection.

Coast Salish and U.S. Geological Survey 2009 Tribal Journey water quality project

Science.gov (United States)

Akin, Sarah K.; Grossman, Eric E.

2010-01-01

The Salish Sea, contained within the United States and British Columbia, Canada, is the homeland of the Coast Salish Peoples and contains a diverse array of marine resources unique to this area that have sustained Coast Salish cultures and traditions for millennia. In July 2009, the Coast Salish People and U.S. Geological Survey conducted a second water quality study of the Salish Sea to examine spatial and temporal variability of environmental conditions of these surface waters as part of the annual Tribal Journey. Six canoes of approximately 100 towed multi parameter water-quality sondes as the Salish People traveled their ancestral waters during the middle of summer. Sea surface temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity were measured simultaneously at ten-second intervals, and more than 54,000 data points spanning 1,300 kilometers of the Salish Sea were collected. The project also synthesized Coast Salish ecological knowledge and culture with scientific monitoring to better understand and predict the response of coastal habitats and marine resources. Comparisons with data collected in 2008 reveal significantly higher mean surface-water temperatures in most subbasins in 2009 linked to record air temperatures that affected the Pacific Northwest in July 2009. Through large-scale spatial measurements collected each summer, the project helps to identify patterns in summer water quality, areas of water-quality impairment, and trends occurring through time.

Chemical composition of cloudwater collected along the California coast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoffmann, M.R.; Collett, J.; Daube, B.; Munger, J.W.

1986-04-01

Nocturnal fogs and low-lying clouds are frequent seasonal occurences along the California coast. During the summer, their frequency may exceed 50% at coastal sites. These clouds form at the base of the Pacific High inversion. Ventilation along the coast is further reduced by land/sea breeze systems, which recirculate the same air parcels several times across the coastline. During the past four years the authors have collected fog water at both urban and nonurban coastal sites. The locations and collection procedures are described. With the exception of one fog event in Morro Bay, all the fog-water sampled has been acidic. The highly acid samples were associated with large concentrations of SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ and NO/sub 3//sup -/. Ammonia concentrations were comparatively low in the most acidic samples. The marine, continental, and anthropogenic contributions to the loading of solutes in fogwater were estimated using a step-wise fitting method. The sites in and around Los Angeles were most affected by anthropogenic sources. On an equivalent basis, NO/sub 3//sup -/ derived from secondary aerosol, was 2 to 3 times higher than SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ in the Los Angeles basin. Substantial influences from continental and anthropogenic sources were observed even at the remote coastal sites. Because emissions of NH/sub 3/ and calcareous dust are slight along the coast, acid-neutralizing capacities in coastal air are insufficient to neutralize even small acid inputs.

Constraints on sediment transfer from the Andes to the coast of northern Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Binnie, Steven; Liermann, Ariane; Dunai, Tibor; Dewald, Alfred; Heinze, Stefan

2013-04-01

While rates of denudation have been suggested as having the potential to link tectonic processes with climate in many settings, the roles that sediment transport must also play have been largely neglected. It is the transport, or not, of eroded material, not necessarily the rate at which that material is produced which is the critical factor in many models of tectonic-climatic interactions. The notable lack of sediment in sections of the Peru-Chile trench has been implicated as a key control of subduction zone processes and consequently Andean mountain building, but little empirical data on sediment transport in the region exists. Here, we present the initial results of a study aiming to constrain the westward transfer of sediment from the Andes Mountains to the Pacific Coast of northern Chile by using in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides. Fluvial sediments were collected at the mouths of several large catchments between 19° S and 26° S, where they drain into the Pacific, and also from upstream locations within each catchment. Sample sites were selected in order to investigate the cosmogenic nuclide derived basin-averaged denudation rates of the western flank of the Andes, and to compare this with the cosmogenic nuclide concentrations of fluvial sediments further downstream where the catchments exit to the coast. A simplistic interpretation of the cosmogenic 10Be concentrations as denudation rates gives results varying between ~10 and 300 m/Myr. We would expect the most rapid erosion to occur on the steeper, wetter western Andean flank and for slower erosion to be recorded from the more gentle sloping, hyperarid/arid regions between the foothills of the Andes and the Pacific coast. This pattern is observed in some basins but in others the nuclide concentrations imply the opposite, with several-fold higher erosion rates measured for the large catchments sampled at the coast in comparison to their mountainous Andean headwaters. One explanation for this unusual

Biogeochemical controls on the oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur distributions in the water column of Golfo Dulce: an anoxic basin on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferdelman, Timothy G.; Thamdrup, Bo; Canfield, Donald E.; Noehr Glud, Ronnie; Kuever, Jan; Lillebaek, Rolf; Birger Ramsing, Niels; Wawer, Cathrin

2006-01-01

Chemical distributions, respiration rates, and bacterial distributions were measured in 1994 in the water column and sediments of a small, tropical, anoxic basin (Golfo Dulce, Pacific coast of Costa Rica) to examine the biogeochemical controls on anoxia, sulfide, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and organic carbon consumption. As reported previously, the deepest 100 m of the water column were anoxic, and sulfide concentrations in the bottom waters were less than 7 μM and then only transiently. Both free-swimming sulfide-oxidizing bacteria and Beggiatoa sp. (containing large vacuoles) were observed in the anoxic bottom waters or at the sediment-water interface. Aerobic respiration dominated the decomposition of organic matter in the surface waters and pycnocline, whereas sulfate reduction was principally restricted to the sediments. Bacteria were distributed in discrete zones and exhibited the highest densities where oxygen decreased below 1 μM around 100 m depth, and near the sediment-water interface. The sub-oxic, sub-pycnocline water column was characterized by a dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) deficit of 2.9 mole m -2 . With a water residence time of 35 - 57 d, estimated from a salt balance, this deficit corresponded to a DIN loss of 51 - 85 mmol m -2 d -1 , comparable to the sub-pycnocline oxygen consumption. Sulfide in the water column was maintained at low concentrations by frequent inputs of oxygenated water from the Pacific Ocean. Sulfide production in the sediments due to bacterial sulfate reduction was scavenged by frequent deposition of iron-rich turbidites. Based on 210 Pb distributions, the most recent emplacement of a turbidite in the basin sediments was determined to have occurred between 1989 and 1992. (author) [es

Physiological mechanisms of imprinting and homing migration in Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp.

Science.gov (United States)

Ueda, H

2012-07-01

After several years of feeding at sea, salmonids have an amazing ability to migrate long distances from the open ocean to their natal stream to spawn. Three different research approaches from behavioural to molecular biological studies have been used to elucidate the physiological mechanisms underpinning salmonid imprinting and homing migration. The study was based on four anadromous Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta, sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka and masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou, migrating from the North Pacific Ocean to the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, as well as lacustrine O. nerka and O. masou in Lake Toya, Hokkaido, where the lake serves as the model oceanic system. Behavioural studies using biotelemetry techniques showed swimming profiles from the Bering Sea to the coast of Hokkaido in O. keta as well as homing behaviours of lacustrine O. nerka and O. masou in Lake Toya. Endocrinological studies on hormone profiles in the brain-pituitary-gonad axis of O. keta, and lacustrine O. nerka identified the hormonal changes during homing migration. Neurophysiological studies revealed crucial roles of olfactory functions on imprinting and homing during downstream and upstream migration, respectively. These findings are discussed in relation to the physiological mechanisms of imprinting and homing migration in anadromous and lacustrine salmonids. © 2012 The Author. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Floating Marine Debris in waters of the Mexican Central Pacific.

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Díaz-Torres, Evelyn R; Ortega-Ortiz, Christian D; Silva-Iñiguez, Lidia; Nene-Preciado, Alejandro; Orozco, Ernesto Torres

2017-02-15

The presence of marine debris has been reported recently in several oceans basins; there is very little information available for Mexican Pacific coasts, however. This research examined the composition, possible sources, distribution, and density of Floating Marine Debris (FMD) during nine research surveys conducted during 2010-2012 in the Mexican Central Pacific (MCP). Of 1820 floating objects recorded, 80% were plastic items. Sources of FMD were determined using key objects, which indicated that the most were related to the presence of the industrial harbor and of a growing fishing industry in the study area. Densities were relatively high, ranging from 40 to 2440objects/km 2 ; the highest densities were recorded in autumn. FMD were distributed near coastal regions, mainly in Jalisco, influenced by river outflow and surface currents. Our results seem to follow worldwide trends and highlight the need for further studies on potential ecological impacts within coastal waters of the MCP. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shifting climate, altered niche, and a dynamic conservation strategy for yellow-cedar in the North Pacific coastal rainforest

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Paul E. Hennon; David V. D' Amore; Paul G. Schaberg; Dustin T. Wittwer; Colin S. Shanley

2012-01-01

The extensive mortality of yellow-cedar along more than 1000 kilometers of the northern Pacific coast of North America serves as a leading example of climate effects on a forest tree species. In this article, we document our approaches to resolving the causes of tree death, which we explain as a cascade of interacting topographic, forest-structure, and microclimate...

An approach to study the effect of harvest and wildfire on watershed hydrology and sediment yield in a coast redwood forest

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Christopher G. Surfleet; Arne Skaugset; Brian Dietterick

2012-01-01

The Little Creek watershed, within California State Polytechnic University’s Swanton Pacific Ranch, is the location of a paired and nested watershed study to investigate the watershed effects of coast redwood forest management. Streamflow, suspended sediment, and stream turbidity have been collected during storms at two locations on the North Fork Little Creek and at...

Multiple distant origins for green sea turtles aggregating off Gorgona Island in the Colombian eastern Pacific.

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Diego F Amorocho

Full Text Available Mitochondrial DNA analyses have been useful for resolving maternal lineages and migratory behavior to foraging grounds (FG in sea turtles. However, little is known about source rookeries and haplotype composition of foraging green turtle aggregations in the southeastern Pacific. We used mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to identify the haplotype composition of 55 green turtles, Chelonia mydas, captured in foraging grounds of Gorgona National Park in the Colombian Pacific. Amplified fragments of the control region (457 bp revealed the presence of seven haplotypes, with haplotype (h and nucleotide (π diversities of h = 0.300±0.080 and π = 0.009±0.005 respectively. The most common haplotype was CMP4 observed in 83% of individuals, followed by CMP22 (5%. The genetic composition of the Gorgona foraging population primarily comprised haplotypes that have been found at eastern Pacific rookeries including Mexico and the Galapagos, as well as haplotypes of unknown stock origin that likely originated from more distant western Pacific rookeries. Mixed stock analysis suggests that the Gorgona FG population is comprised mostly of animals from the Galapagos rookery (80%. Lagrangian drifter data showed that movement of turtles along the eastern Pacific coast and eastward from distant western and central Pacific sites was possible through passive drift. Our results highlight the importance of this protected area for conservation management of green turtles recruited from distant sites along the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Multiple distant origins for green sea turtles aggregating off Gorgona Island in the Colombian eastern Pacific.

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Amorocho, Diego F; Abreu-Grobois, F Alberto; Dutton, Peter H; Reina, Richard D

2012-01-01

Mitochondrial DNA analyses have been useful for resolving maternal lineages and migratory behavior to foraging grounds (FG) in sea turtles. However, little is known about source rookeries and haplotype composition of foraging green turtle aggregations in the southeastern Pacific. We used mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to identify the haplotype composition of 55 green turtles, Chelonia mydas, captured in foraging grounds of Gorgona National Park in the Colombian Pacific. Amplified fragments of the control region (457 bp) revealed the presence of seven haplotypes, with haplotype (h) and nucleotide (π) diversities of h = 0.300±0.080 and π = 0.009±0.005 respectively. The most common haplotype was CMP4 observed in 83% of individuals, followed by CMP22 (5%). The genetic composition of the Gorgona foraging population primarily comprised haplotypes that have been found at eastern Pacific rookeries including Mexico and the Galapagos, as well as haplotypes of unknown stock origin that likely originated from more distant western Pacific rookeries. Mixed stock analysis suggests that the Gorgona FG population is comprised mostly of animals from the Galapagos rookery (80%). Lagrangian drifter data showed that movement of turtles along the eastern Pacific coast and eastward from distant western and central Pacific sites was possible through passive drift. Our results highlight the importance of this protected area for conservation management of green turtles recruited from distant sites along the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Endosymbiont interference and microbial diversity of the Pacific coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis, in San Diego County, California

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Nikos Gurfield

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The Pacific coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis Marx, is found throughout California and can harbor agents that cause human diseases such as anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and rickettsiosis 364D. Previous studies have demonstrated that nonpathogenic endosymbiotic bacteria can interfere with Rickettsia co-infections in other tick species. We hypothesized that within D. occidentalis ticks, interference may exist between different nonpathogenic endosymbiotic or nonendosymbiotic bacteria and Spotted Fever group Rickettsia (SFGR. Using PCR amplification and sequencing of the rompA gene and intergenic region we identified a cohort of SFGR-infected and non-infected D. occidentalis ticks collected from San Diego County. We then amplified a partial segment of the 16S rRNA gene and used next-generation sequencing to elucidate the microbiomes and levels of co-infection in the ticks. The SFGR R. philipii str. 364D and R. rhipicephali were detected in 2.3% and 8.2% of the ticks, respectively, via rompA sequencing. Interestingly, next generation sequencing revealed an inverse relationship between the number of Francisella-like endosymbiont (FLE 16S rRNA sequences and Rickettsia 16S rRNA sequences within individual ticks that is consistent with partial interference between FLE and SFGR infecting ticks. After excluding the Rickettsia and FLE endosymbionts from the analysis, there was a small but significant difference in microbial community diversity and a pattern of geographic isolation by distance between collection locales. In addition, male ticks had a greater diversity of bacteria than female ticks and ticks that weren’t infected with SFGR had similar microbiomes to canine skin microbiomes. Although experimental studies are required for confirmation, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that FLEs and, to a lesser extent, other bacteria, interfere with the ability of D. occidentalis to be infected with

[Community structure of zooxanthellate corals (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) in Carrizales coral reef, Pacific coast, Mexico].

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Reyes-Bonilla, Hector; Escobosa-González, Laura Elena; Cupul-Magaña, Amilcar L; Medina-Rosas, Pedro; Calderón-Aguilera, Luis E

2013-06-01

Coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific and notably those of the continental coastline of Colima state are still poorly studied. Fortunately, recent efforts have been carried out by researchers from different Mexican institutions to fill up these information gaps. The aim of this study was to determine the ecological structure of the rich and undisturbed coral building communities of Carrizales by using the point transect interception method (25m-long). For this, three survey expeditions were conducted between June and October 2005 and September 2006; and for comparison purposes, the reef was subdivided according to its position in the bay, and depth (0 to 5 m, and 6 to 10 m). Thirteen coral species were observed in the area, with Pocillopora verrucosa as the most abundant, contributing up to 32.8% of total cover, followed by Porites panamensis and Pocillopora capitata with 11% and 7%, respectively. Other species, Pocillopora damicornis, Pavona gigantea, Pocillopora eydouxi and Pocillopora inflata accounted for 1.5% to 2% of coral cover whereas the remaining five species had cover of less than 1%. Seven of the observed species represented new records for Colima state coastline: Pocillopora eydouxi, P inflata, P meandrina, Pavona duerdeni, P varians, Psammocora stellata and P contigua. This last species is a relevant record, because it has never been observed before in the Eastern Pacific. Although there was no significant difference (ANOVA, p = 0.478) neither in the abundance between the sides of the bay, nor between the depths considered, and the shallow zone observed the higher coral cover. Live coral cover was up to 61%, one of the highest ever reported for the Mexican Pacific, including the Gulf of California. The observed values of diversity (H' = 0.44 +/- 0.02), uniformity (J' = 0.76 +/- 0.02), and taxonomic distinctness index (delta* = 45.87 +/- 3.16), showed that currently this is the most important coral reef of Colima coastline. Currently, this region does not

The Indian scad (Decapterus russelli, (Osteichtyes: Carangidae, a new Indo-Pacific fish invader of the eastern Mediterranean

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Daniel Golani

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The Indian scad, Decapterus russelli, is recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean. The presence of this Indo-Pacific species on the Mediterranean coast of Israel is evidently due to migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. The collection of six specimens in the Mediterranean suggests that this species is well established in the Levant.

Novel species interactions: American black bears respond to Pacific herring spawn.

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Fox, Caroline Hazel; Paquet, Paul Charles; Reimchen, Thomas Edward

2015-05-26

In addition to the decline and extinction of the world's species, the decline and eventual loss of species interactions is one of the major consequences of the biodiversity crisis. On the Pacific coast of North America, diminished runs of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) drive numerous marine-terrestrial interactions, many of which have been intensively studied, but marine-terrestrial interactions driven by other species remain relatively unknown. Bears (Ursus spp.) are major vectors of salmon into terrestrial ecosystems, but their participation in other cross-ecosystem interactions is similarly poorly described. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), a migratory forage fish in coastal marine ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean and the dominant forage fish in British Columbia (BC), spawn in nearshore subtidal and intertidal zones. Spawn resources (eggs, milt, and spawning adults) at these events are available to coastal predators and scavengers, including terrestrial species. In this study, we investigated the interaction between American black bears (Ursus americanus) and Pacific herring at spawn events in Quatsino Sound, BC, Canada. Using remote cameras to monitor bear activity (1,467 camera days, 29 sites, years 2010-2012) in supratidal and intertidal zones and a machine learning approach, we determined that the quantity of Pacific herring eggs in supratidal and intertidal zones was a leading predictor of black bear activity, with bears positively responding to increasing herring egg masses. Other important predictors included day of the year and Talitrid amphipod (Traskorchestia spp.) mass. A complementary analysis of black bear scats indicated that Pacific herring egg mass was the highest ranked predictor of egg consumption by bears. Pacific herring eggs constituted a substantial yet variable component of the early springtime diet of black bears in Quatsino Sound (frequency of occurrence 0-34%; estimated dietary content 0-63%). Other major dietary items included

Tectonic erosion and consequent collapse of the Pacific margin of Costa Rica: Combined implications from ODP leg 170, seismic offshore data, and regional geology of the Nicoya Peninsula

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Vannucchi, P.; Scholl, D. W.; Meschede, M.; McDougall-Reid, K.

2001-01-01

The convergent margin off the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica exhibits evidence for subduction erosion caused by the underthrusting Cocos plate. Critical evidence for efficacy of this process was recovered at the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) drilling Site 1042 (Leg 170), positioned ???7 km landward of the Middle America trench axis off the Nicoya Peninsula. The primary drilling objective at this site was to identify the age and origin of a regionally extensive and prominent seismic discontinuity, the so-called base-of-slope sediment (BOSS) horizon or surface. The BOSS horizon, which can be traced landward from near the trench to the Nicoya coastal area and parallel to it for hundreds of kilometers, separates a low-velocity (??? 2.0-2.5 km s-1) sequence of slope sediment, from an underlying sequence of much higher-velocity (> 4-4.5 km s-1) rock. Site 1042 reached the acoustically defined BOSS horizon at a below sea level depth of ??? 3900 m and yielded a carbonate-cemented calcarenitic breccia of early-middle Miocene age. Sedimentological, geochemical, paleontological, and cement paragenesis data document that the breccia accumulated in a shallow water depositional environment. On the basis of coastal exposures, the BOSS horizon, as a margin-wide geologic interface, can be temporally and lithostratigraphically correlated to a regional angular unconformity. This unconformity, known as the Mal Pais unconformity, separates Neogene and younger shelf-to-littoral beds from the underlying mafic units of the Mesozoic Nicoya Complex and Cretaceous and early Tertiary sedimentary sequences. At Site 1042 it is inferred that tectonism caused the vertical subsidence of the early Neogene breccia from a shallow to a deep water setting. The Mal Pais unconformity of the BOSS horizon thus connects the rock fabric of the outermost part of margin to that of coastal Nicoya and implies that in the early Neogene the Nicoya shelf extended seaward to near the present

Northerly surface winds over the eastern North Pacific Ocean in spring and summer

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Taylor, S.V.; Cayan, D.R.; Graham, N.E.; Georgakakos, K.P.

2008-01-01

Persistent spring and summer northerly surface winds are the defining climatological feature of the western coast of North America, especially south of the Oregon coast. Northerly surface winds are important for upwelling and a vast array of other biological, oceanic, and atmospheric processes. Intermittence in northerly coastal surface wind is characterized and wind events are quantitatively defined using coastal buoy data south of Cape Mendocino on the northern California coast. The defined wind events are then used as a basis for composites in order to explain the spatial evolution of various atmospheric and oceanic processes. Wind events involve large-scale changes in the three-dimensional atmospheric circulation including the eastern North Pacific subtropical anticyclone and southeast trade winds. Composites of QSCAT satellite scatterometer wind estimates from 1999 to 2005 based on a single coastal buoy indicate that wind events typically last 72-96 h and result in anomalies in surface wind and Ekman pumping that extend over 1000 kin from the west coast of North America. It may be useful to consider ocean circulation and dependent ecosystem dynamics and the distribution of temperature, moisture, and aerosols in the atmospheric boundary layer in the context of wind events defined herein. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Ocean-scale patterns in community respiration rates along continuous transects across the Pacific Ocean.

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Wilson, Jesse M; Severson, Rodney; Beman, J Michael

2014-01-01

Community respiration (CR) of organic material to carbon dioxide plays a fundamental role in ecosystems and ocean biogeochemical cycles, as it dictates the amount of production available to higher trophic levels and for export to the deep ocean. Yet how CR varies across large oceanographic gradients is not well-known: CR is measured infrequently and cannot be easily sensed from space. We used continuous oxygen measurements collected by autonomous gliders to quantify surface CR rates across the Pacific Ocean. CR rates were calculated from changes in apparent oxygen utilization and six different estimates of oxygen flux based on wind speed. CR showed substantial spatial variation: rates were lowest in ocean gyres (mean of 6.93 mmol m(-3) d(-1)±8.0 mmol m(-3) d(-1) standard deviation in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre) and were more rapid and more variable near the equator (8.69 mmol m(-3) d(-1)±7.32 mmol m(-3) d(-1) between 10°N and 10°S) and near shore (e.g., 5.62 mmol m(-3) d(-1)±45.6 mmol m(-3) d(-1) between the coast of California and 124°W, and 17.0 mmol m(-3) d(-1)±13.9 mmol m(-3) d(-1) between 156°E and the Australian coast). We examined how CR varied with coincident measurements of temperature, turbidity, and chlorophyll concentrations (a proxy for phytoplankton biomass), and found that CR was weakly related to different explanatory variables across the Pacific, but more strongly related to particular variables in different biogeographical areas. Our results indicate that CR is not a simple linear function of chlorophyll or temperature, and that at the scale of the Pacific, the coupling between primary production, ocean warming, and CR is complex and variable. We suggest that this stems from substantial spatial variation in CR captured by high-resolution autonomous measurements.

Ocean-scale patterns in community respiration rates along continuous transects across the Pacific Ocean.

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Jesse M Wilson

Full Text Available Community respiration (CR of organic material to carbon dioxide plays a fundamental role in ecosystems and ocean biogeochemical cycles, as it dictates the amount of production available to higher trophic levels and for export to the deep ocean. Yet how CR varies across large oceanographic gradients is not well-known: CR is measured infrequently and cannot be easily sensed from space. We used continuous oxygen measurements collected by autonomous gliders to quantify surface CR rates across the Pacific Ocean. CR rates were calculated from changes in apparent oxygen utilization and six different estimates of oxygen flux based on wind speed. CR showed substantial spatial variation: rates were lowest in ocean gyres (mean of 6.93 mmol m(-3 d(-1±8.0 mmol m(-3 d(-1 standard deviation in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and were more rapid and more variable near the equator (8.69 mmol m(-3 d(-1±7.32 mmol m(-3 d(-1 between 10°N and 10°S and near shore (e.g., 5.62 mmol m(-3 d(-1±45.6 mmol m(-3 d(-1 between the coast of California and 124°W, and 17.0 mmol m(-3 d(-1±13.9 mmol m(-3 d(-1 between 156°E and the Australian coast. We examined how CR varied with coincident measurements of temperature, turbidity, and chlorophyll concentrations (a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, and found that CR was weakly related to different explanatory variables across the Pacific, but more strongly related to particular variables in different biogeographical areas. Our results indicate that CR is not a simple linear function of chlorophyll or temperature, and that at the scale of the Pacific, the coupling between primary production, ocean warming, and CR is complex and variable. We suggest that this stems from substantial spatial variation in CR captured by high-resolution autonomous measurements.

Use of high resolution satellite images for tracking of changes in the lineament structure, caused by earthquakes, situated nearly the Pacific coast of the North and South America.

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Arellano-Baeza, A. A.; Garcia, R. V.; Trejo-Soto, M.

The Pacific coast of the North and South America is one of the most seismically and volcanically active regions in the world forming part of the so-called Ring of Fire More than 10 earthquakes with the Richter scale magnitude 4 5 were analyzed They were located in the regions with small seasonal variations and limited vegetation to facilitate the tracking of features associated with the seismic activity only High resolution Aster satellite images were used to extract the principal lineaments using The Lineament Extraction and Stripes Statistic Analysis LESSA software package It was found that the number and orientation of lineaments changed significantly about one month before an earthquake approximately and a few months later the system returns to its initial state This effect increases with the earthquake magnitude and it is much more easily detectable in case of convergent plate boundaries for example Nasca and South American plates The results obtained open the possibility to develop a methodology able to evaluate the seismic risk in the regions with similar geological conditions

85 million years of pelagic ecosystem evolution: Pacific Ocean deep-sea ichthyolith records reveal fish community dynamics and a long-term decline in sharks

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Sibert, E. C.; Norris, R. D.; Cuevas, J. M.; Graves, L. G.

2015-12-01

The structure and productivity of open ocean consumers has undergone major changes over the past 85 million years. Here, we present the first long-term detailed records of pelagic fish and sharks utilizing the record of ichthyoliths (teeth and dermal scales) from the deep Pacific Ocean. While the North and South Pacific Oceans show similar patterns throughout the 85 million year history, the North Pacific ichthyolith accumulation is significantly higher than the South Pacific, suggesting that the basin has been a more productive region for tens of millions of years. Fish and sharks were not abundant in the Pacific gyres until ~75 million years ago (Ma) suggesting that neither group was quantitatively important in oligotrophic pelagic food webs prior to the latest Cretaceous. Relative to ray-finned fish, sharks were common in the ancient ocean. Most ichthyolith assemblages have >50% shark dermal scales (denticles), but denticle abundance has been declining in both absolute and relative abundance since the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) mass extinction. The accumulation rate of ichthyoliths of both sharks and ray-finned fish was highest in the Early Eocene, during the peak of the Cenozoic 'greenhouse' climate where production of shark dermal denticles and fish teeth increased almost five times over Paleocene production rates. Ichthyolith fluxes fell with cooler climates in the later Eocene and Oligocene, but fish production is almost always higher than in the Cretaceous and Paleocene reflecting the expanded ecological roles and importance of pelagic fish in marine ecosystems. Shark denticle production fell to less than half that of the Cretaceous by 20 Ma when it dropped abruptly to near-zero levels. Currently denticles make up sharks appear to be falling as major pelagic consumers over the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic, and particularly over the past 20 Ma, perhaps reflecting demographic changes in shark and fish communities, or the rise of resource competition from

Growth of the Pacific jack Caranx caninus (Pisces: Carangidae from the coast of Colima, México

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Elaine Espino Barr

2008-03-01

Full Text Available The Pacific jack Caranx caninus is a common species fished by artisanal fishermen off the coast of Colima, México. During 2002, monthly samples of morphometric data and otoliths were taken to determine age and growth. Seven age groups were identified. The highest growth, 14.4 cm, takes place during the first year of life. During the second year, C. caninus grows 11.76 cm; the third year 9.61 cm; the fourth 7.85 cm; the fifth 6.41 cm and sixth year 5.24 cm. The constants of von Bertalanffy´s growth equation were: L∞ = 83.26 cm, W∞ = 18.138 g, K = 0.202, t o = -0.283 and A0.95 = 15 years. Growth curves of other species of the same genus were calculated in order to compare them with the one obtained in the present work. The gonadosomatic index presented higher values during November and May. The periods of more intensive feeding are from August to February. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (1: 171-179. Epub 2008 March 31.El jurel Caranx caninus es una especie común que se captura en la pesca artesanal frente a las costas de Colima, México. Mensualmente, durante 2002, se tomaron datos morfométricos y muestras de otolitos para determinar la edad y el crecimiento. Se encontraron siete grupos de edad; durante el primer año de vida se da el mayor crecimiento, hasta 14.4 cm. Durante el segundo año, C. caninus crece 11.76 cm; el tercero 9.61 cm; el cuarto 7.85 cm; el quinto 6.41 cm y el último año crece 5.24 cm. Las constantes de la ecuación de crecimiento de von Bertalanffy fueron: L∞ = 83.26 cm, W∞ = 18.138 g, K = 0.202, to = -0.283 y la longevidad A0.95 = 15 años. Las curvas de crecimiento de otras especies del mismo género se compararon con las obtenidas en el presente trabajo. El índice gonadosomático presentó valores más altos durante noviembre y mayo. Los periodos de tiempo de alimentación más intensa son de agosto a febrero.

The impact of the 2009-10 El Niño Modoki on U.S. West Coast beaches

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Barnard, Patrick L.; Allan, Jonathan; Hansen, Jeff E.; Kaminsky, George M.; Ruggiero, Peter; Doria, André

2011-01-01

High-resolution beach morphology data collected along much of the U.S. West Coast are synthesized to evaluate the coastal impacts of the 2009-10 El Nio. Coastal change observations were collected as part of five beach monitoring programs that span between 5 and 13 years in duration. In California, regional wave and water level data show that the environmental forcing during the 2009-10 winter was similar to the last significant El Nio of 1997-98, producing the largest seasonal shoreline retreat and/or most landward shoreline position since monitoring began. In contrast, the 2009-10 El Nio did not produce anomalously high mean winter-wave energy in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington), although the highest 5% of the winter wave-energy measurements were comparable to 1997-98 and two significant non-El Nio winters. The increase in extreme waves in the 2009-10 winter was coupled with elevated water levels and a more southerly wave approach than the long-term mean, resulting in greater shoreline retreat than during 1997-98, including anomalously high shoreline retreat immediately north of jetties, tidal inlets, and rocky headlands. The morphodynamic response observed throughout the U.S. West Coast during the 2009-10 El Nio is principally linked to the El Nio Modoki phenomena, where the warm sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly is focused in the central equatorial Pacific (as opposed to the eastern Pacific during a classic El Nio), featuring a more temporally persistent SST anomaly that results in longer periods of elevated wave energy but lower coastal water levels. ?? 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Application of the positive matrix factorization approach to identify heavy metal sources in sediments. A case study on the Mexican Pacific Coast.

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González-Macías, C; Sánchez-Reyna, G; Salazar-Coria, L; Schifter, I

2014-01-01

During the last two decades, sediments collected in different sources of water bodies of the Tehuantepec Basin, located in the southeast of the Mexican Pacific Coast, showed that concentrations of heavy metals may pose a risk to the environment and human health. The extractable organic matter, geoaccumulation index, and enrichment factors were quantified for arsenic, cadmium, copper, chromium, nickel, lead, vanadium, zinc, and the fine-grained sediment fraction. The non-parametric SiZer method was applied to assess the statistical significance of the reconstructed metal variation along time. This inference method appears to be particularly natural and well suited to temperature and other environmental reconstructions. In this approach, a collection of smooth of the reconstructed metal concentrations is considered simultaneously, and inferences about the significance of the metal trends can be made with respect to time. Hence, the database represents a consolidated set of available and validated water and sediment data of an urban industrialized area, which is very useful as case study site. The positive matrix factorization approach was used in identification and source apportionment of the anthropogenic heavy metals in the sediments. Regionally, metals and organic matter are depleted relative to crustal abundance in a range of 45-55 %, while there is an inorganic enrichment from lithogenous/anthropogenic sources of around 40 %. Only extractable organic matter, Pb, As, and Cd can be related with non-crustal sources, suggesting that additional input cannot be explained by local runoff or erosion processes.

Did the Bering Sea Form as a Cenozoic Backarc Basin?

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Stern, R. J.; Barth, G. A.; Scheirer, D. S.; Scholl, D. W.

2012-12-01

Understanding the origins of Bering Sea marginal basins (Aleutian, Bowers, and Komandorsky basins; AB, BB, KB) is key for reconstructing N. Pacific tectonic and magmatic evolution. New acquisitions and recompilations of MCS, OBS, and potential field data (Barth et al. poster. this session) for USGS Extended Continental Shelf project and selection of Aleutians as GeoPrisms Subduction Cycles and Deformation focus site stimulate reconsideration of BB, KB, and especially AB origins. AB has long been regarded as N. Pacific crust trapped when the Aleutian subduction began ~45-50 Ma. BB and KB probably formed together as Miocene backarc basins. Presence of Oligo-Miocene arc volcanics on Bowers and Shirshov ridges suggests that these are remnant arcs, orphaned by AB and KB opening. Seven lines of evidence suggest that AB formed as a Paleogene backarc basin: 1) AB heatflow suggests an age of about 44 Ma (Langseth et al 1980 JGR). 2) Formation of NNW-trending rift basins on Bering shelf (Navarin, Pribilof, and St. George basins) in Paleogene time indicate extension at this time. 3) The early Paleogene "red unconformity" of the Beringian margin could indicate uplift, erosion, and subsidence associated with AB opening. 4) ~N-S magnetic anomalies in AB contrasts with E-W Kula anomalies on N. Pacific, indicating that the two tracts of oceanic crust formed at different spreading ridges. 5) Thicker sediment in AB (2-4 km) vs. BB and KB (oceanic crust.ectonic scenario for formation of Aleutian Arc and Bering Sea basins. Green = present land; yellow = shelf; AB = Aleutian Basin; KB = Komandorsky Basin; BB = Bowers Basin; SR = Shirshov Ridge, BR = Bowers Ridge; Red = active volcanism and spreading ; Blue = extinct volcanism and spreading

75 FR 57058 - Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Habitat Conservation Plan Along the Pacific Coast in...

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2010-09-17

..., Newport, OR 97365; South Tillamook Branch Library, 6200 Camp St., Pacific City, OR 97135; Port Orford Public Library, 555 W. 20th St., Port Orford, Oregon 97465; Reedsport Branch Library, 395 Winchester Ave... Use e. Other Dry Sand Activities 2. Beach Management a. Public Safety b. Law Enforcement c. Boat and...

Intraseasonal variability of upper-ocean currents and photosynthetic primary production along the U.S. west coast associated with the Madden-Julian Oscillation

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Barrett, B.; Davies, A. R.; Steppe, C. N.; Hackbarth, C.

2017-12-01

In the first part of this study, time-lagged composites of upper-ocean currents from February to May of 1993-2016 were binned by active phase of the leading atmospheric mode of intraseasonal variability, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Seven days after the convectively active phase of the MJO enters the tropical Indian Ocean, anomalously strong south-southeastward upper-ocean currents are observed along the majority of U.S. west coast. Seven days after the convectively active phase enters the tropical western Pacific Ocean, upper-ocean current anomalies reverse along the U.S. west coast, with weaker southward flow. A physical pathway to the ocean was found for both of these: (a) tropical MJO convection modulates upper-tropospheric heights and circulation over the Pacific Ocean; (b) those anomalous atmospheric heights adjust the strength and position of the Aleutian Low and Hawaiian High; (c) surface winds change in response to the adjusted atmospheric pressure patterns; and (d) those surface winds project onto upper-ocean currents. In the second part of this study, we investigated if the MJO modulated intraseasonal variability of surface wind forcing and upper-ocean currents projected onto phytoplankton abundance along the U.S. west coast. Following a similar methodology, time-lagged, level 3 chlorophyll-a satellite products (a proxy for photosynthetic primary production) were binned by active MJO phase and analyzed for statistical significance using the Student's t test. Results suggest that intraseasonal variability of biological production along the U.S. west coast may be linked to the MJO, particularly since the time scale of the life cycle of phytoplankton is similar to the time scale of the MJO.

Examining the Utility of Coral Ba/Ca as a Paleo-Proxy for Interannual River Discharge Variability Along the Pacific Coast of Panamá

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Brenner, L. D.; Linsley, B. K.; Dunbar, R. B.

2016-02-01

Climate along the Pacific coast of Panamá is largely dictated by seasonal N/S shifts in the Intertropical Convergence zone (ITCZ) and the consequent oscillations in precipitation. During the Panamanian wet season (May-Nov.) river discharge (Q) reaches its maximum and serves as a potential source of trace elements, such as Ba, to reefs. Near shore corals can record the waterborne trace metal history in their aragonite skeletons, which can then be exploited as a paleo-proxy for river discharge. We present two high-resolution Ba/Ca records from nearby Porites corals in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panamá in an effort to better understand the long-term discharge and precipitation history of the region. Both corals record similar annual average Ba/Ca values throughout the time series' (R=0.55) suggesting that they are faithfully recording water column Ba levels at a large scale. A monthly composite average of both coral Ba/Ca records is positively correlated to an average of all available river discharge data (n= 5) (R=0.42). While instrumental data are relatively sparse and discontinuous, there is a significant relationship between the two variables producing a Ba/Ca-discharge relationship where Q (m3/s)= Ba/Ca(μmol/mol)×49.97(μmol/mol)(m3/s)-1-190.85. The Ba/Ca peaks correspond to the annual minima in our paired near-monthly resolved coral δ18O measurements, further supporting that maximum Q in the Gulf is concurrent with the annual salinity minima and precipitation maximum. Coral Ba/Ca in the Gulf of Chiriquí indicates that annual average river Q into the Gulf has varied from 50 to 133 m3/s over from 1966 to 1983. As inferred from our Ba/Ca data, interannual variability of river Q accounts for 25% of total variance (after removing the seasonal cycle) and a long-term secular trend of increasing river Q accounts for 30%. Our Porites coral Ba/Ca records from the Pacific side of Panamá provide an opportunity to supplement the limited instrumental river discharge data

Occurrence of the Indo-Pacific freshwater prawn Macrobrachium equidens Dana 1852 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae on the coast of Brazilian Amazonia, with notes on its reproductive biology

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Cristiana R Maciel

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The freshwater prawn Macrobrachium equidens, which is native species of the Indo-Pacific Region, was recorded for the first time on the Amazon coast of Brazil. This species was found to inhabit the same environment as two native Macrobrachium species, M. amazonicum and M. acanthurus, and is morphologically very similar to the latter. The identification of the species was confirmed by the genetic analysis of sequences of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase (COI gene. A detailed description of the morphological features and reproductive biology of M. equidens in this new environment is presented.O camarão de água doce Macrobrachium equidens, nativo da região do Indo-Pacífico, foi registrada pela primeira vez na costa da Amazônia Brasileira. Esta espécie foi encontrada habitando o mesmo ambiente que duas espécies nativas do gênero Macrobrachium: M. amazonicum e M. acanthurus, e é morfologicamente muito similar à última. A identificação dessa espécie foi confirmada pela análise da seqüência genética do gene mitocondrial Citocromo Oxidase (COI. Uma descrição detalhada das características morfológicas e biologia reprodutiva de M. equidens neste novo ambiente é apresentada.

Frequency and origin of haplotypes associated with the beta-globin gene cluster in individuals with trait and sickle cell anemia in the Atlantic and Pacific coastal regions of Colombia.

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Fong, Cristian; Lizarralde-Iragorri, María Alejandra; Rojas-Gallardo, Diana; Barreto, Guillermo

2013-12-01

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease with high prevalence in people of African descent. There are five typical haplotypes associated with this disease and the haplotypes associated with the beta-globin gene cluster have been used to establish the origin of African-descendant people in America. In this work, we determined the frequency and the origin of haplotypes associated with hemoglobin S in a sample of individuals with sickle cell anemia (HbSS) and sickle cell hemoglobin trait (HbAS) in coastal regions of Colombia. Blood samples from 71 HbAS and 79 HbSS individuals were obtained. Haplotypes were determined based on the presence of variable restriction sites within the β-globin gene cluster. On the Pacific coast of Colombia the most frequent haplotype was Benin, while on the Atlantic coast Bantu was marginally higher than Benin. Eight atypical haplotypes were observed on both coasts, being more diverse in the Atlantic than in the Pacific region. These results suggest a differential settlement of the coasts, dependent on where slaves were brought from, either from the Gulf of Guinea or from Angola, where the haplotype distributions are similar. Atypical haplotypes probably originated from point mutations that lost or gained a restriction site and/or by recombination events.

Explained and unexplained tissue loss in corals from the Tropical Eastern Pacific

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Rodriguez-Villalobos, Jenny Carolina; Work, Thierry M.; Calderon-Aguilera, Luis Eduardo; Reyes-Bonilla, Hector; Hernández, Luis

2015-01-01

Coral reefs rival rainforest in biodiversity, but are declining in part because of disease. Tissue loss lesions, a manifestation of disease, are present in dominant Pocillopora along the Pacific coast of Mexico. We characterized tissue loss in 7 species of Pocillopora from 9 locations (44 sites) spanning southern to northern Mexico. Corals were identified to species, and tissue loss lesions were photographed and classified as those explainable by predation and those that were unexplained. A focal predation study was done concurrently at 3 locations to confirm origin of explained lesions. Of 1054 cases of tissue loss in 7 species of corals, 84% were associated with predation (fish, snails, or seastar) and the remainder were unexplained. Types of tissue loss were not related to coral density; however there was significant geographic heterogeneity in type of lesion; one site in particular (Cabo Pulmo) had the highest prevalence of predator-induced tissue loss (mainly pufferfish predation). Crown-of-thorns starfish, pufferfish, and snails were the most common predators and preferred P. verrucosa, P. meandrina, and P. capitata, respectively. Of the 9 locations, 4 had unexplained tissue loss with prevalence ranging from 1 to 3% with no species predilection. Unexplained tissue loss was similar to white syndrome (WS) in morphology, indicating additional study is necessary to clarify the cause(s) of the lesions and the potential impacts to dominant corals along the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Direct evidence for impact winter following the Cretaceous-Paleogene bolide impact

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Vellekoop, J.; Sluijs, A.; Smit, J.; Schouten, S.; Sinninghe Damsté, J. S.; Brinkhuis, H.

2012-12-01

The Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary, ~65.5 Ma, marks a mass-extinction event related the impact of a large asteroid on the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. Model scenarios predict that the explosive injection of dust and sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere blocked incoming solar radiation, resulting in a cooling pulse of months to several decades, a so-called 'impact winter', but thus far, proxy records lack sufficient resolution to evaluate this hypothesis. We report on a major, short-lived drop in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) recorded in an unusually well preserved and stratigraphically expanded K/Pg boundary site in Texas, USA, based on TEX86 paleothermometry. Critically, the cooling directly post-dates impact-related tsunami deposits, and coincides with the deposition of extraterrestrial iridium representing aerosol fall out, restricting the age of the cooling to the first months to decades after impact. We interpret this cooling to reflect the first direct evidence for the "impact winter" at the K/Pg boundary. The combination of darkness and cooling must have been a key contributory element in the extinctions of many biological clades, including the dinosaurs, flying reptiles and marine reptiles.

PATHOGENIC LEPTOSPIRA SEROVARS IN FREE-LIVING SEA LIONS IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA AND ALONG THE BAJA CALIFORNIA COAST OF MEXICO.

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Avalos-Téllez, Rosalía; Carrillo-Casas, Erika M; Atilano-López, Daniel; Godínez-Reyes, Carlos R; Díaz-Aparicio, Efrén; Ramírez-Delgado, David; Ramírez-Echenique, María F; Leyva-Leyva, Margarita; Suzán, Gerardo; Suárez-Güemes, Francisco

2016-04-28

The California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ), a permanent inhabitant of the Gulf of California in Mexico, is susceptible to pathogenic Leptospira spp. infection, which can result in hepatic and renal damage and may lead to renal failure and death. During summer 2013, we used the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) to investigate the prevalence of anti-Leptospira antibodies in blood of clinically healthy sea lion pups from seven rookery islands on the Pacific Coast of Baja California (Pacific Ocean) and in the Gulf of California. We also used PCR to examine blood for Leptospira DNA. Isolation of Leptospira in liquid media was unsuccessful. We found higher antibody prevalence in sea lions from the rookery islands in the gulf than in those from the Pacific Coast. Antibodies against 11 serovars were identified in the Gulf of California population; the most frequent reactions were against serovars Bataviae (90%), Pyrogenes (86%), Wolffi (86%), Celledoni (71%), and Pomona (65%). In the Pacific Ocean population, MAT was positive against eight serovars, where Wolffi (88%), Pomona (75%), and Bataviae (70%) were the most frequent. Serum samples agglutinated with more than one Leptospira serovar. The maximum titer was 3,200. Each island had a different serology profile, and islands combined showed a distinct profile for each region. We detected pathogenic Leptospira DNA in 63% of blood samples, but we found no saprophytic Leptospira. Positive PCR results were obtained in blood samples with high and low MAT titers. Together, these two methods enhance the diagnosis and interpretation of sea lion leptospirosis. Our results may be related to human activities or the presence of other reservoirs with which sea lions interact, and they may also be related to sea lion stranding.

First record of the Indo-Pacific species Iphione muricata Savigny in Lamarck, 1818 (Polychaeta: Iphionidae from the Mediterranean Sea, Israel

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L. GOREN

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The Indo-Pacific scaleworm Iphione muricata was observed and caught in the Mediterranean Sea along the coast of Israel. Morphological and molecular diagnostic characters of the species are discussed. This is the first record of this alien species in the Mediterranean Sea, and its previous reports in the Suez Canal suggest its introduction via Lessepsian migration.

Immunohistochemical localization of CYP1A, vitellogenin and Zona radiata proteins in the liver of swordfish (Xiphias gladius L.) taken from the Mediterranean Sea, South Atlantic, South Western Indian and Central North Pacific Oceans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desantis, S.; Corriero, A.; Cirillo, F.; Deflorio, M.; Brill, R.; Griffiths, M.; Lopata, A.L.; Serna, J.M. de la; Bridges, C.R.; Kime, D.E.; De Metrio, G.

2005-01-01

Cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) monoxygenase, vitellogenin (Vtg) and Zona radiata proteins (Zrp) are frequently used as biomarkers of fish exposure to organic contaminants. In this work, swordfish liver sections obtained from the Mediterranean Sea, the South African coasts (South Atlantic and South Western Indian Oceans) and the Central North Pacific Ocean were immunostained with antisera against CYP1A, Zrp, and Vtg. CYP1A induction was found in hepatocytes, epithelium of the biliary ductus and the endothelium of large blood vessels of fish from the Mediterranean Sea and South African waters, but not from the Pacific Ocean. Zrp and Vtg were immunolocalized in hepatocytes of male swordfish from the Mediterranean Sea and from South African waters. Plasma Dot-Blot analysis, performed in Mediterranean and Pacific specimens, revealed the presence of Zrp and Vtg in males from Mediterranean but not from Pacific. These results confirm previous findings about the potential exposure of Mediterranean swordfish to endocrine, disrupting chemicals and raise questions concerning the possible presence of xenobiotic contaminants off the Southern coasts of South Africa in both the South Atlantic and South Western Indian Oceans

Glacial vicariance in the Pacific Northwest: evidence from a lodgepole pine mitochondrial DNA minisatellite for multiple genetically distinct and widely separated refugia.

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Godbout, Julie; Fazekas, Aron; Newton, Craig H; Yeh, Francis C; Bousquet, Jean

2008-05-01

The Canadian side of the Pacific Northwest was almost entirely covered by ice during the last glacial maximum, which has induced vicariance and genetic population structure for several plant and animal taxa. Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex. Loud.) has a wide latitudinal and longitudinal distribution in the Pacific Northwest. Our main objective was to identify relictual signatures of glacial vicariance in the population structure of the species and search for evidence of distinct glacial refugia in the Pacific Northwest. A maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA minisatellite-like marker was used to decipher haplotype diversity in 91 populations of lodgepole pine located across the natural range. Overall population differentiation was sizeable (G(ST) = 0.365 and R(ST) = 0.568). Four relatively homogeneous groups of populations, possibly representative of as many genetically distinct glacial populations, were identified for the two main subspecies, ssp. latifolia and ssp. contorta. For ssp. contorta, one glacial lineage is suggested to have been located at high latitudes and possibly off the coast of mainland British Columbia (BC), while the other is considered to have been located south of the ice sheet along the Pacific coast. For ssp. latifolia, two genetically distinct glacial populations probably occurred south of the ice sheet: in the area bounded by the Cascades and Rocky Mountains ranges, and on the eastern side of the Rockies. A possible fifth refugium located in the Yukon may have also been present for ssp. latifolia. Zones of contact between these ancestral lineages were also apparent in interior and northern BC. These results indicate the role of the Queen Charlotte Islands and the Alexander Archipelago as a refugial zone for some Pacific Northwest species and the vicariant role played by the Cascades and the American Rocky Mountains during glaciation.

Viral gametocytic hypertrophy caused by a papova-like virus infection in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Dong Lim; Lee, Nam-Sil; Choi, Hee Jung; Park, Myoung-Ae; McGladdery, Sharon E; Park, Mi Seon

2004-06-11

During a routine survey of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in Tongyoung (previously Chungmu) on the southern coast of Korea, basophilic inclusions were observed in the gonadal tissues. They were detected from March to May at a prevalence rate of 3.3 to 7.1%. The inclusion bodies were Feulgen-positive and stained orange-red with phloxine tartrazine. Electron microscopic observation revealed non-enveloped, icosahedral particles 40 to 45 nm in diameter. These morphological characteristics resemble those of papova virus-like inclusions previously described from Pacific and eastern (American) oysters C. virginica in North America. Although many mitochondrial bodies and intact sperm cells were observed around the inclusion body, no host reaction, such as hemocytic infiltration, was detected.

Estimating Limit Reference Points for Western Pacific Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea in the U.S. West Coast EEZ.

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K Alexandra Curtis

Full Text Available Biological limit reference points (LRPs for fisheries catch represent upper bounds that avoid undesirable population states. LRPs can support consistent management evaluation among species and regions, and can advance ecosystem-based fisheries management. For transboundary species, LRPs prorated by local abundance can inform local management decisions when international coordination is lacking. We estimated LRPs for western Pacific leatherbacks in the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone (WCEEZ using three approaches with different types of information on local abundance. For the current application, the best-informed LRP used a local abundance estimate derived from nest counts, vital rate information, satellite tag data, and fishery observer data, and was calculated with a Potential Biological Removal estimator. Management strategy evaluation was used to set tuning parameters of the LRP estimators to satisfy risk tolerances for falling below population thresholds, and to evaluate sensitivity of population outcomes to bias in key inputs. We estimated local LRPs consistent with three hypothetical management objectives: allowing the population to rebuild to its maximum net productivity level (4.7 turtles per five years, limiting delay of population rebuilding (0.8 turtles per five years, or only preventing further decline (7.7 turtles per five years. These LRPs pertain to all human-caused removals and represent the WCEEZ contribution to meeting population management objectives within a broader international cooperative framework. We present multi-year estimates, because at low LRP values, annual assessments are prone to substantial error that can lead to volatile and costly management without providing further conservation benefit. The novel approach and the performance criteria used here are not a direct expression of the "jeopardy" standard of the U.S. Endangered Species Act, but they provide useful assessment information and could help guide

Archaeofaunal insights on pinniped-human interactions in the northeastern Pacific

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Gifford-Gonzales, D; Newsome, S; Koch, P; Guilderson, T; Snodgrass, J; Burton, R

2004-02-07

Human exploitation of pinnipeds has considerable antiquity but shows increasing impacts on population numbers in the Holocene. Pinnipeds are a rich source of fat as well as protein. A few well-documented cases of regional extirpation of seals and sea lions by non-industrial peoples exist. The northeastern Pacific region, from southern California to Alaska, has yielded archaeological evidence for distributions and abundances of eared seals that differs markedly from historically documented biogeography. This is especially true of the northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus), among the most common pinnipeds in many archaeological sites from the Santa Barbara Channel area through to Kodiak Islands. This chapter reviews contemporary eared seal biogeography, evidence for the earlier timing and extent, of occurrence of northern fur seals along the northeastern Pacific coast, zooarchaeological and isotopic evidence for their foraging and probable maintenance of rookeries in lower latitudes, and for their disappearance from the southernmost part of their ancient distribution well before European contact. It also reviews ongoing debates over the behavioral ecology of ancient fur seals and over humans role in contributing to their disappearance.

Orthopyroxene-enrichment in the lherzolite-websterite xenolith suite from Paleogene alkali basalts of the Poiana Ruscă Mountains (Romania)

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Nédli, Zsuzsanna; Szabó, Csaba; Dégi, Júlia

2015-12-01

In this paper we present the petrography and geochemistry of a recently collected lherzolite-websterite xenolith series and of clinopyroxene xenocrysts, hosted in Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene basanites of Poiana Ruscă (Romania), whose xenoliths show notable orthopyroxene-enrichment. In the series a slightly deformed porphyroclastic-equigranular textured series could represent the early mantle characteristics, and in many cases notable orthopyroxene growth and poikilitic texture formation was observed. The most abundant mantle lithology, Type A xenoliths have high Al and Na-contents but low mg# of the pyroxenes and low cr# of spinel suggesting a low degree (Dacia block.

Recycling of Amazonian detrital zircons in the Mixteco terrane, southern Mexico: Paleogeographic implications during Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and Paleogene times

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Silva-Romo, Gilberto; Mendoza-Rosales, Claudia Cristina; Campos-Madrigal, Emiliano; Morales-Yáñez, Axél; de la Torre-González, Alam Israel; Nápoles-Valenzuela, Juan Ivan

2018-04-01

In the northeastern Mixteco terrane of southern Mexico, in the Ixcaquixtla-Atzumba region, the recycling of Amazonian detrital zircons records the paleogeography during the Mesozoic period in the context of the breakup of Pangea, a phenomenon that disarticulated the Sanozama-La Mora paleo-river. The clastic units of southern Mexico in the Ayuquila, Otlaltepec and Zapotitlán Mesozoic basins, as well as in the Atzumba Cenozoic basin, are characterized by detrital zircon contents with ages specific to the Amazonian craton, ranging between 3040 and 1278 Ma. The presence of zircons of Amazonian affinity suggests a provenance by recycling from carrier units such as the La Mora Formation or the Ayú Complex. In the area, the Ayú and Acatlán complexes form the Cosoltepec block, a paleogeographic element that during Early Cretaceous time acted as the divide between the slopes of the paleo-Gulf of Mexico and the paleo-Pacific Ocean. The sedimentological characteristics of the Jurassic-Cenozoic clastic successions in the Ixcaquixtla-Atzumba region denote relatively short transport in braided fluvial systems and alluvial fans. In this way, several basins are recognized around the Cosoltepec block. At the southeastern edge of the Cosoltepec block, the Ayuquila and Tecomazúchil formations accumulated in the Ayuquila continental basin on the paleo-Pacific Ocean slope. On the other hand, within the paleo-Gulf of Mexico slope, in the Otlaltepec continental basin, the Piedra Hueca and the Otlaltepec formations accumulated. The upper member of the Santa Lucía Formation accumulated in a transitional environment on the southwestern shoulder of the Zapotitlán basin, as well as on the paleo-Gulf of Mexico slope. In the Ayuquila basin, a marine transgression is recognized that advanced from south to north during the Late Jurassic. At the northeastern edge of the Cosoltepec block, we propose that the Santa Lucía formation attests to a transgression from the paleo-Gulf of Mexico

Reclassification of the Indo-Pacific Hawkfish Cirrhitus pinnulatus (Forster).

Science.gov (United States)

Gaither, Michelle R; Randall, John E

2013-01-04

The hawkfish Cirrhitus pinnulatus Forster (in Bloch & Schneider 1801) was regarded as one wide-ranging Indo-Pacific species, from the Red Sea and east coast of Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and the islands of French Polynesia. Schultz (1950) resurrected the name C. alternatus Gill for the population in the Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll, and described the Red Sea population as a new species, C. spilotoceps, based on morphological data. Randall (1963) confirmed the differences that Schultz used to separate Cirrhitus pinnulatus into three species, but preferred to regard them as subspecies. We examined more specimens, colour photographs, and used genetic comparisons to determine the validity of the three species recognized by Schultz (1950). Combining mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome b sequence data from specimens of C. pinnulatus pinnulatus from the Indo-Pacific, C. spilotoceps from the Red Sea, and C. pinnulatus maculosus from Hawai'i, we detected levels of sequence divergence (5-12%) that support the species-level designation of C. spilotoceps. We detected no genetic differentiation but maintain the subspecies designation of the Hawaiian form based on morphological and colour differences. We found a third genetic lineage in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific that is 5% divergent from C. spilotoceps. We refrain from designating this group as a separate subspecies until further morphological and genetic study can be completed.

Morphology and distribution of a deep-water Narcomedusa (Solmarisidae from the northeast Pacific

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Mary Needler Arai

2000-12-01

Full Text Available Specimens of Solmaris sp. (Solmarisidae, Narcomedusae with only four tentacles were collected in the northeast Pacific. The majority were collected in Canadian Pacific waters by Tucker trawl from stations outside the 500-m contour off the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, at depths of 300-700 m. Six were collected in vertical hauls at Station P (50oN, 145oW. The oral stomach wall contains three prominent rings of tissue. There is a peripheral ring of aggregates of gonadal tissue. Nematogenic areas with three types of nematocysts form an intermediate ring closer to the mouth than the gonads, and they also overlie the gonadal position where nematogenic tissue extends out to the base of each tentacle. Immediately surrounding the mouth, the epithelium of the oral stomach wall is greatly thickened, and this central ring contains large numbers of secretory cells.

Physical trajectory profile data from glider clark deployed by Teledyne Webb Research Corporation in the North Pacific Ocean from 2013-08-22 to 2013-10-05 (NCEI Accession 0145721)

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Test deployment of a Slocum 1000m thermal glider off the West coast of Hawai'i, Hawaii in preparation for a cross Pacific Ocean deployment. The National Centers for...

Contribution of Tropical Cyclones to the North Pacific Climatological Rainfall as Observed from Satellites.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, Edward B.; Adler, Robert F.; Pierce, Harold F.

2000-10-01

Tropical cyclone monthly rainfall amounts are estimated from passive microwave satellite observations for an 11-yr period. These satellite-derived rainfall amounts are used to assess the impact of tropical cyclone rainfall in altering the geographical, seasonal, and interannual distribution of the North Pacific Ocean total rainfall during June-November when tropical cyclones are most important.To estimate these tropical cyclone rainfall amounts, mean monthly rain rates are derived from passive microwave satellite observations within 444-km radius of the center of those North Pacific tropical cyclones that reached storm stage and greater. These rain-rate observations are converted to monthly rainfall amounts and then compared with those for nontropical cyclone systems.The main results of this study indicate that 1) tropical cyclones contribute 7% of the rainfall to the entire domain of the North Pacific during the tropical cyclone season and 12%, 3%, and 4% when the study area is limited to, respectively, the western, central, and eastern third of the ocean; 2) the maximum tropical cyclone rainfall is poleward (5°-10° latitude depending on longitude) of the maximum nontropical cyclone rainfall; 3) tropical cyclones contribute a maximum of 30% northeast of the Philippine Islands and 40% off the lower Baja California coast; 4) in the western North Pacific, the tropical cyclone rainfall lags the total rainfall by approximately two months and shows seasonal latitudinal variation following the Intertropical Convergence Zone; and 5) in general, tropical cyclone rainfall is enhanced during the El Niño years by warm SSTs in the eastern North Pacific and by the monsoon trough in the western and central North Pacific.

Sea otters in the northern Pacific Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Bodkin, James L.; Jameson, Ronald J.; Estes, James A.; LaRoe, Edward T.; Farris, Gaye S.; Puckett, Catherine E.; Doran, Peter D.; Mac, Michael J.

1995-01-01

About 250 years ago sea otters (Enhydra lutris) were distributed continuously from central Baja California, north and west along the Pacific Rim to Machatka Peninsula in Russia, and south along the Kuril Island to northern Japan (Kenyon 1969; Fig. 1a). Several hundred thousand sea otters may have occurred in the north Pacific region when commercial hunting began in the 18th century (Riedman and Estes 1990).At least two attributes of the sea otter have influenced humans, likely for as long as they have resided together along the coast of the north Pacific Ocean. First, sea otters rely on a dense fur, among the finest in the world, for insulation in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. The demand for sea otter fur led to their near extinction in the 19th century. The fur harvest, begun about 1740 and halted by international treaty in 1911, left surviving colonies, each likely numbering less than a few hundred animals, in California, south-central Alaska, and the Aleutian, Medney, and Kuril Islands (Fig. 1a). These individuals provided the nucleus for the recovery of the species. Today more than 100,000 sea otters occur throughout about 75% of their original range (fig. 1b). Immigration has resulted in near-complete occupation of the Aleutian and Kuril archipelagos and the Alaska peninsula. Successful translocations have resulted in viable populations in southeast Alaska, Washington, and British Columbia. Large amounts of unoccupied habitat remain along the coasts of Russia, Canada, the United States, and Mexico.The second potential source of conflict between sea otters and humans is that sea otters prey on and often limit some benthic invertebrate populations. Because some of these invertebrates are aso used by humans (Estes and VanBlaricom 1985), human perceptions about the effects of sea otter foraging on invertebrates sometimes differ. By limiting populations of herbivorous invertebrates (e.g., sea urchins [Echinoidea]) otters help maintain the integrity of kelp

Regional sea level projections with observed gauge, altimeter and reconstructed data along China coast

Science.gov (United States)

Du, L.; Shi, H.; Zhang, S.

2017-12-01

Acting as the typical shelf seas in northwest Pacific Ocean, regional sea level along China coasts exhibits complicated and multiscale spatial-temporal characteristics under circumstance of global change. In this paper, sea level variability is investigated with tide gauges records, satellite altimetry data, reconstructed sea surface height, and CMIP simulation fields. Sea level exhibits the interannual variability imposing on a remarkable sea level rising in the China seas and coastal region, although its seasonal signals are significant as the results of global ocean. Sea level exhibits faster rising rate during the satellite altimetry era, nearly twice to the rate during the last sixty years. AVISO data and reconstructed sea surface heights illustrate good correlation coefficient, more than 0.8. Interannual sea level variation is mainly modulated by the low-frequency variability of wind fields over northern Pacific Ocean by local and remote processes. Meanwhile sea level varies obviously by the transport fluctuation and bimodality path of Kuroshio. Its variability possibly linked to internal variability of the ocean-atmosphere system influenced by ENSO oscillation. China Sea level have been rising during the 20th century, and are projected to continue to rise during this century. Sea level can reach the highest extreme level in latter half of 21st century. Modeled sea level including regional sea level projection combined with the IPCC climate scenarios play a significant role on coastal storm surge evolution. The vulnerable regions along the ECS coast will suffer from the increasing storm damage with sea level variations.

Lagrangian Photochemical Box-Model Calculations of Asian Pacific Rim Outflow During TRACE-P

Science.gov (United States)

Hamlin, A.; Crawford, J.; Olson, J.; Avery, M.; Sachse, G.; Barrick, J.; Blake, D.; Tan, D.; Sandholm, S.; Kondo, Y.; Singh, H.; Eisele, F.; Zondlo, M.; Flocke, F.; Talbot, R.

2006-12-01

NASA's TRACE-P (TRAnsport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific) mission was conducted over the northwestern Pacific February-April, 2001. During two transit flights across the Pacific, extensive pollution was observed from an Asian outflow event that split into two branches over the central Pacific, one subsiding and moving southward over the central Pacific and the other continuing eastward in the upper troposphere. The subsiding branch was observed as a widespread stagnant pollution layer between 2 and 4 km over the central Pacific during transit flights from Kona, HI to Guam. In this region, high levels of O3 (70 ppbv), CO (217 ppbv), and NOx (114 pptv) were well in excess of typical values observed during TRACE-P along the Asian coast. Evidence suggests that the subsiding branch experienced extensive photochemical processing compared to the branch that remained at altitude. To examine the processes controlling the chemical evolution of ozone and its precursors in this outflow event, data collected during the TRACE-P mission have been combined with lagrangian photochemical box model calculations. One of the largest sources of uncertainty in these calculations was associated with predicted water vapor levels along the transport trajectories calculated using the HYSPLIT model. Water vapor levels predicted by HYSPLIT trajectory calculations in the subsiding layer ranged from 3390 to 4880 ppm, while the median level observed in the pollution layer was only 637 ppm. Simulations of ozone production and associated radical chemistry differed dramatically when using water vapor levels based on trajectory calculations versus observed water vapor levels. Levels of PAN and HO2NO2, NOx reservoir species, are also influenced by uncertainties in temperature along the trajectories. These results highlight the importance of accurately representing the humidification and warming of subsiding air masses in 3-D chemical- transport models.

Continuous Earthquake Observation using pop-up Ocean Bottom Seismographs (OBSs) in Suruga Bay at the Pacific Coast of Shizuoka, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Baba, H.; Ichinose, S.; HIrata, K.; Yamazaki, A.; Tsushima, H.; Nakata, K.; Nishiimiya, T.; Nagao, T.

2017-12-01

Tokai University and Meteorological Research Institute have been conducting seismic observation using pop-up type OBSs in the Suruga Bay since 2012. Suruga Bay is located in the Pacific coast of central Honshu, Japan, where large thrust earthquake along the Suruga trough expected to occur (Ishibashi, 1981) and often referred to as the Tokai Earthquake. OBSs deployment and retrieval have been repeated every three months at three or four sites continually. Seismicity has become active after the moderate earthquakes (M6.5 in 2009 and M6.2 in 2011) occurred in the Suruga Bay. From land based network observations, these earthquakes are thought to have occurred with related to subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate, and the depth of these moderate earthquakes were not determined with enough accuracy due to the lack of observation points in the sea areas. We will report the results of OBSs observation and the local seismicity in Suruga Bay in terms of frequency of earthquakes and hypocenter distribution. As a result of the observation, the followings have become clear. (1) Earthquakes were occurring frequently beneath Senoumi Bank in the Suruga Bay. It is thought these seismic activities might be the aftershocks of the earthquakes of M6.5 in 2009, and M6.2 in 2011. These aftershocks were located west side of the Suruga Trough axis. (2) Most of these earthquakes occurred at depths shallower than 25km, and were smaller than M2.0, and they were not detected by land based network. (3) It is clear that many earthquakes were occurring along the plate subduction zone. (4) It is conceivable that most of the determined hypocenters might be in the subducting Philippine plate because hypocenter along the plate boundary were not determined in the northern area of the Suruga Bay.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in pinnipeds stranded along the southern California coast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng Xiangzhou [Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, 3535 Harbor Blvd, Suite 110, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (United States); Blasius, Mary Ellen; Gossett, Richard W. [Institute for Integrated Research in Materials, Environments and Society (IIRMES), California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840 (United States); Maruya, Keith A., E-mail: keithm@sccwrp.or [Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, 3535 Harbor Blvd, Suite 110, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (United States)

2009-10-15

Little to no information exists for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in marine mammals frequenting the highly urbanized southern California (USA) coast. Fourteen PBDE congeners were determined by GC-ECNI-MS in blubber of pinnipeds stranded locally between 1994 and 2006. Total PBDE concentrations (SIGMAPBDE) in California sea lion (n = 63) ranged from 0.04 to 33.7 mug/g wet weight (mean: 5.24 mug/g). To our knowledge, these are the highest reported PBDE levels in marine mammals to date. By comparison, mean SIGMAPBDE in Pacific harbor seals (n = 9) and northern elephant seals (n = 16) were 0.96 and 0.09 mug/g, respectively. PBDEs in adult males were higher than for adult females, however, no age class differences or temporal trends were observed. As the first PBDE data reported for marine mammals in this region, the elevated levels underscore the need for additional studies on the sources, temporal trends, and potential effects of PBDEs in highly urbanized coastal zones. - Levels of PBDEs in pinnipeds found stranded along the southern California coast (USA) between 1994 and 2006 are the highest reported to date for marine mammals.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in pinnipeds stranded along the southern California coast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng Xiangzhou; Blasius, Mary Ellen; Gossett, Richard W.; Maruya, Keith A.

2009-01-01

Little to no information exists for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in marine mammals frequenting the highly urbanized southern California (USA) coast. Fourteen PBDE congeners were determined by GC-ECNI-MS in blubber of pinnipeds stranded locally between 1994 and 2006. Total PBDE concentrations (ΣPBDE) in California sea lion (n = 63) ranged from 0.04 to 33.7 μg/g wet weight (mean: 5.24 μg/g). To our knowledge, these are the highest reported PBDE levels in marine mammals to date. By comparison, mean ΣPBDE in Pacific harbor seals (n = 9) and northern elephant seals (n = 16) were 0.96 and 0.09 μg/g, respectively. PBDEs in adult males were higher than for adult females, however, no age class differences or temporal trends were observed. As the first PBDE data reported for marine mammals in this region, the elevated levels underscore the need for additional studies on the sources, temporal trends, and potential effects of PBDEs in highly urbanized coastal zones. - Levels of PBDEs in pinnipeds found stranded along the southern California coast (USA) between 1994 and 2006 are the highest reported to date for marine mammals.

Asian-Pacific markets : a new strategy for Alberta oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laureshen, C.J.; Du Plessis, D.; Xu, C.M.; Chung, K.H.

2004-01-01

Alberta's oil sands contain an estimated crude bitumen-in-place of nearly 2.5 trillion barrels. Production has increased to the point where it has overtaken non-conventional sources, and is expected to reach more than 2 million barrels per day by 2012, and over 5 million barrels per day by 2030. Although it is assumed that most of this production will be marketed in the United States, the industry is facing many constraints that could affect potential crude oil production and existing market share. The Asian-Pacific region is an obvious new market for Canadian heavy oil and bitumen due to an increasing demand for petroleum products in that region and the potential for reaching the California market with the same pipeline. This paper examined the following three criteria that will determine the success of any initiative to move Canadian crude oil to Asian-Pacific markets: (1) a sustainable supply of crude from Alberta; a pipeline to transport the crude to a deepwater port on the west coast; and, a guaranteed market at the other end. The feasibility of marketing Alberta heavy oil and bitumen to Asia was also discussed. 12 refs., 1 tab., 8 figs

Subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization in man-made strata around Tokyo bay, Japan: from geological survey on damaged part at the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Kazaoka, O.; Kameyama, S.; Shigeno, K.; Suzuki, Y.; Morisaki, M.; Kagawa, A.; Yoshida, T.; Kimura, M.; Sakai, Y.; Ogura, T.; Kusuda, T.; Furuno, K.

2015-11-01

Geological disaster by liquefaction-fluidization happened on southern part of the Quaternary Paleo-Kanto submarine basin at the 2011 Earthquake off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku. Liquefaction-fluidization phenomena occurred mainly in man-made strata over shaking 5+ intensity of Japan Meteorological Agency scale. Many subsided spots, 10-50 m width, 20-100 m length and less than 1 m depth, by liquefaction-fluidization distributed on reclaimed land around northern Tokyo bay. Large amount of sand and groundwater spouted out in the terrible subsided parts. But there are little subsidence and no jetted sand outside the terrible subsided part. Liquefaction-fluidization damaged part at the 1987 earthquake east off Chiba prefecture re-liquefied and fluidized in these parts at the 2011 great earthquake. The damaged area were more wide on the 2011 earthquake than the 1987 quake. Detailed classification maps of subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization on the 2011 grate earthquake were made by fieldwork in Chiba city around Tokyo bay. A mechanism of subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization in man-made strata was solved by geological survey with continuous large box cores on the ACE Liner and large relief peals of the cores at a typical subsided part.

Further evidence for the invasion and establishment of Pterois volitans (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) along the Atlantic Coast of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Meister, H.S.; Wyanski, D.M.; Loefer, J.K.; Ross, Steve W.; Quattrini, A.M.; Sulak, K.J.

2005-01-01

We document the continued population expansion of red lionfish, Pterois volitans, the first documented successful introduction of an invasive marine fish species from the western Pacific to Atlantic coastal waters of the United States. Red lionfish are indigenous to the Indo-Pacific and have apparently established one or more breeding populations on reefs off the southeastern United States. Fifty-nine specimens, most presumably adult red lionfish, were documented or collected on live-bottom reefs off North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, and on a manmade structure off Georgia. Observation/collection depths and bottom water temperatures for these fish ranged from 40-99 m and 13.8-24.4??C, respectively. Eleven juvenile lionfish, believed to be expatriated from southeastern waters, were collected in estuaries along the coast of Long Island, NY, at depths of 0-5 m and water temperatures ranging from 13.8-16.5??C. Twelve of the total 70 specimens collected or observed were positively identified as red lionfish. Based on histological assessment of gonad tissue, two reproductively-active males and one immature female were collected. The life history of red lionfish, especially their reproductive biology and food habits, should be investigated along the east coast of the US to determine the potential impacts of this species on ecosystems they have invaded.

Teleconnections of the tropical Atlantic to the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. A review of recent findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Chunzai [NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab., Miami, FL (United States); Kucharski, Fred; Barimalala, Rondrotiana [The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Earth System Physics, Section Trieste (Italy); Bracco, Annalisa [School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Georgia, Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States)

2009-08-15

Recent studies found that tropical Atlantic variability may affect the climate in both the tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean basins, possibly modulating the Indian summer monsoon and Pacific ENSO events. A warm tropical Atlantic Ocean forces a Gill-Matsuno-type quadrupole response with a low-level anticyclone located over India that weakens the Indian monsoon circulation, and vice versa for a cold tropical Atlantic Ocean. The tropical Atlantic Ocean can also induce changes in the Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs). especially along the coast of Africa and in the western side of the Indian basin. Additionally, it can influence the tropical Pacific Ocean via an atmospheric teleconnection that is associated with the Atlantic Walker circulation. Although the Pacific El Nino does not contemporaneously correlate with the Atlantic Nino, anomalous warming or cooling of the two equatorial oceans can form an inter-basin SST gradient that induces surface zonal wind anomalies over equatorial South America and other regions in both ocean basins. The zonal wind anomalies act as a bridge linking the two ocean basins, and in turn reinforce the inter-basin SST gradient through the atmospheric Walker circulation and oceanic processes. Thus, a positive feedback seems to exist for climate variability of the tropical Pacific-Atlantic Oceans and atmospheric system, in which the inter-basin SST gradient is coupled to the overlying atmospheric wind. (orig.)

The January 1989 Nestucca oil spill on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, J.C.

1990-01-01

This paper reports that at the beginning of January 1989, bunker C oil from the barge Nestucca began coming ashore on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, necessitating a major environmental assessment and clean-up response on the part of a number of Canadian agencies, volunteers, Native groups and concerned Parties. The oil impacted the exposed outer coastline, including the recreational beaches of Pacific Rim National Park, and caused concerns with respect to harvesting the shellfish and other marine life, the important salmon and herring resources of the area, marine mammals including two colonies of sea otters and also with respect to seabird mortality. This spill, coupled wit public sensitivity to the Exxon Valdez spill and the transportation of oil and hazardous substances along the West Coast, led to several public inquiry processes as well as internal reviews of agency response, preparedness and other issues and generated considerable public outcry and criticism

Reflection of block neotectonics in geological structure of paleogene strata of Chornobyl exclusion zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skvortsov, V.V.; Oleksandrova, N.V.; Khodorovs'kij, A.Ya.

2014-01-01

Neotectonic block differentiation of Chernobyl Exclusion zone area was fixed by the results of the geological and structure analysis of paleogene strata in complex with the space survey data interpretation. Structural plan of the latest tectonic movements had a block character; it was shown by the fracture systems, which represent the components of known regional tectonic zones of various trends and are found in the features of phanerozoic rock mass structure. The territory under study is divided into two parts - the northern one, where in the neotectonic movements are generally more intensive with manifestation practically all over the fracture zones, and the southern part, where in the newest breaks belong mainly to submeridional also to south-western regional fracture zones. The southern part of the Exclusion zone, as a whole, holds the greatest promise by comparison with the northern one in the view of neotectonic criteria regarding the geological repository siting for radioactive waste disposal

Rosaceous Chamaebatiaria-like foliage from the Paleogene of western North America

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, Jack A.; Wehr, Wesley

1988-01-01

Chamaebatiaria and Chamaebatia, two characteristic genera of the Californian floristic province, are traditionally placed in different subfamilies of Rosaceae, Spiraeoideae and Rosoideae, respectively. Analysis of the foliar and reproductive characters of the extant species of these genera indicates that the two genera could be closely related and the assignment of Chamaebatia to Rosoideae invalid. Fossil leaves of lineages of both genera occur in the Paleogene montane floras of the Rocky Mountain region and provide evidence that the two lineages diverged from a common ancestor in the Eocene. The common ancestor probably was adapted to sunny habitats in mesic coniferous forest, and, during the post-Eocene, the two lineages were able to adapt to progressively drier climates. A third extant genus, the east Asian Sorbaria, also appears to be closely related to the California genera and to have been derived from the same common ancestor. New taxa and combinations proposed are: St onebergia columbiana. n. gen. and n. sp.; Salmonensea prefoliolosa (R. W. Br.), n. gen. and n. comb.; Stockeya creedensis (R. W. Br.), n. gen. and n. comb.; Stockeya montana, n. sp.; and Sorbaria wahrhaftigii, n. sp.

Orthopyroxene-enrichment in the lherzolite-websterite xenolith suite from Paleogene alkali basalts of the Poiana Ruscă Mountains (Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nédli Zsuzsanna

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present the petrography and geochemistry of a recently collected lherzolite-websterite xenolith series and of clinopyroxene xenocrysts, hosted in Upper Cretaceous–Paleogene basanites of Poiana Ruscă (Romania, whose xenoliths show notable orthopyroxene-enrichment. In the series a slightly deformed porphyroclastic-equigranular textured series could represent the early mantle characteristics, and in many cases notable orthopyroxene growth and poikilitic texture formation was observed. The most abundant mantle lithology, Type A xenoliths have high Al and Na-contents but low mg# of the pyroxenes and low cr# of spinel suggesting a low degree (< 10 % of mafic melt removal. They are also generally poor in overall REE-s (rare earth elements and have flat REY (rare earth elements+ Y patterns with slight LREE-depletion. The geochemistry of the Type A xenoliths and calculated melt composition in equilibrium with the xenolith clinopyroxenes suggests that the percolating melt causing the poikilitization can be linked to a mafic, Al-Na-rich, volatile-poor melt and show similarity with the Late Cretaceous–Paleogene (66–72 Ma subduction-related andesitic magmatism of Poiana Ruscă. Type B xenoliths, with their slightly different chemistry, suggest that, after the ancient depletion, the mantle went through a slight metasomatic event. A subsequent passage of mafic melts in the mantle, with similar compositions to the older andesitic magmatism of Poiana Ruscă, is recorded in the pyroxenites (Fe-rich xenoliths, whereas the megacrysts seem to be cogenetic with the host basanite. The Poiana Ruscă xenoliths differ from the orthopyroxene-enriched mantle xenoliths described previously from the Carpathian-Pannonian Region and from the Dacia block.

Seasonal signatures in the physical properties of a tropical estuary in the central america pacific

OpenAIRE

Brenes, C. L.; Benavides, R.; Ballestero, D.

2013-01-01

A hydrographic survey was carried out in the Jaltepeque estuary in the Pacific coast of El Salvador. From September 2005 to March 2006, 10 sampling stations were occupied to measure temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. Surface temperatures between 27 and 30.6 °C were observed during the survey, with extreme temporal variations close to 3°C. Minimum temperatures occur in October and February. Surface salinity shows a clear seasonal cycle, with values greater than 30 o/oo duri...

MORPHOLOGICAL HIT-OR-MISS TRANSFORM BASED APPROACH FOR BUILDING DAMAGE ESTIMATION FROM VHR AIRBORNE IMAGERY IN 2011 PACIFIC COAST OF TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. D. K. Parape

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The very high resolution (VHR airborne images offer the opportunity to recognize features such as road, vegetation, buildings and other kind of infrastructures. The advantage of remote sensing and its applications made it possible to extract damaged, undamaged building and vulnerability assessment of wide urban areas due to a natural disaster. In this paper, we focus on an automatic building detection method which is helpful to optimizing, recognizing, rescuing, recovery and management tasks in the event of a disaster. Objective of this study is to develop techniques for tsunami damaged building extraction, based on very high resolution (VHR airborne images acquired before and after the 2011 East coastline of Japan among Tohoku area and to carry out a damage assessment of building and vulnerable area mapping. This paper presents a methodology and results of evaluating damaged buildings detection algorithm using an object recognition task based on Mathematical Morphological (MM operators for Very High Resolution (VHR remotely sensed airborne images. The proposed approach involves several advanced morphological operators among which an adaptive hit-or-miss transform with varying size and shape of the structuring elements. VHR airborne images consisting of pre and post 2011 Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake and Tsunami site of the Ishinomaki, Miyagi area in Japan were used. The extracted results of building were compared with ground truth data giving 76% and 88% in accuracy before and after the Tsunami event.

Mercury in tunas and blue marlin in the North Pacific Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Drevnick, Paul E; Brooks, Barbara A

2017-05-01

Models and data from the North Pacific Ocean indicate that mercury concentrations in water and biota are increasing in response to (global or hemispheric) anthropogenic mercury releases. In the present study, we provide an updated record of mercury in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) caught near Hawaii that confirms an earlier conclusion that mercury concentrations in these fish are increasing at a rate similar to that observed in waters shallower than 1000 m. We also compiled and reanalyzed data from bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) caught near Hawaii in the 1970s and 2000s. Increases in mercury concentrations in bigeye tuna are consistent with the trend found in yellowfin tuna, in both timing and magnitude. The data available for blue marlin do not allow for a fair comparison among years, because mercury concentrations differ between sexes for this species, and sex was identified (or reported) in only 3 of 7 studies. Also, mercury concentrations in blue marlin may be insensitive to modest changes in mercury exposure, because this species appears to have the ability to detoxify mercury. The North Pacific Ocean is a region of both relatively high rates of atmospheric mercury deposition and capture fisheries production. Other data sets that allow temporal comparisons in mercury concentrations, such as pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in Alaskan waters and albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) off the US Pacific coast, should be explored further, to aid in understanding human health and ecological risks and to develop additional baseline knowledge for assessing changes in a region expected to respond strongly to reductions in anthropogenic mercury emissions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1365-1374. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Late quaternary uplift and subsidence of the west coast of Tanna, south Vanuatu, southwest Pacific: U-Th ages of raised coral reefs in the Median Sedimentary Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neef, G.; Zhao, J.X.; Collerson, K.D.; Zhang, F.S.

2003-01-01

Twelve Late Quaternary TIMS U-Th ages are reported here from 10 coral samples collected in situ from five transgressive coral/algal raised reefs (height: max. 113m, min. 8m) and two raised lagoonal deposits (height: max. 18 m, min. 8 m) along and near the west coast of Tanna, which lies in the Median Sedimentary Basin of South Vanuatu, southwest Pacific. These reefs and raised lagoonal deposits represent several age groups: (i) 215ka (marine oxygen-isotope stage 7) penultimate interglacial (highest elevation and oldest); (ii) one lagoonal deposit of ca 127 ka (marine oxygen-isotope stage 5e); (iii) three last interglacial reefs with ages 102, 89 and 81 ka (representing marine oxygen-isotope stages 5c, 5b and 5a, respectively, of the latter part of the last interglacial); (iv) a lagoonal deposit with a 92 ka age (5b); and (v) a Holocene reef (age >5.7-5.0 ka) (lowest elevation and youngest). A ca 4.9 ka regressive reef (at elevation of 1.5 m above sea-level) is consistent with an island-wide 6.5m uplift (probably largely coseismic), and a probable further island-wide uplift-occurred in the late Holocene. The U-series ages taken together with the heights of transgressive reefs show that uplift since 215 ka was, on average, at -0.52 mm/y, although since 5 ka the uplift rate was, on average, ∼1.6 mm/y (the assumption being that a 1.5 m above sea-level reef has a coseismic origin) Elevation of transgressive reefs 5a, 5b and 5c and their ages indicates an island-wide subsidence during the period ?124-89 ka (i.e. Late Quaternary uplift/subsidence was jerky). Late Quaternary uplift/subsidence on the northwest coast of Tanna is considered to be due to irregular thickness of crust being subducted beneath Tanna. Copyright (2003) Geological Society of Australia

Biology, ecology, control and management of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish: An updated integrated assessment

OpenAIRE

Morris, Jr., James A.; Whitfield, Paula E.

2009-01-01

Venomous Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois miles and P. volitans) are now established along the Southeast U.S.A. and parts of the Caribbean and pose a serious threat to reef fish communities of these regions. Lionfish are likely to invade the Gulf of Mexico and potentially South America in the near future. Introductions of lionfish were noted since the 1980s along south Florida and by 2000 lionfish were established off the coast of North Carolina. Lionfish are now one of the more numerous predat...

Observations of long-period waves in the nearshore waters of central west coast of India during the fall inter-monsoon period

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Amrutha, M.M.; SanilKumar, V.; Jesbin, G.

variability in both long period waves and short period waves need more detailed study. Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge the Earth System Science Organization, Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi for providing the financial support to conduct part... Geraldton. Proceedings of the 2009 Pacific Coasts and Ports Conference, Wellington, New Zealand. Mehta, A. V., & Krishnamurti, T. N., 1988. Interannual variability of the 30 to 50 day wave motions. Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 66...

Environmental disturbance and conservation of marine and shoreline birds on the west coast of Vancouver Island

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, K.H.; Butler, R.W.; Vermeer, R.W.

1992-01-01

Loss of habitat and oiling of birds represent two major threats to marine and shoreline bird populations on Vancouver Island's west coast, since their effects are widespread and cumulative. Offshore tanker traffic and local inshore shipments of petroleum products expose the coast to high risks of oiling. Large numbers of birds are most at risk when concentrated in relatively small areas, such as highly productive feeding areas, at communal roosting sites, and around nesting colonies. Logging of mature and old-growth forests has led to destruction of the nesting habitat of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), while industrial development of estuaries, mudflats, and spawning grounds of Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi) has diminished feeding habitats for other marine and shoreline birds. Fisheries operations, human disturbance of colonies, and introduced predators, notably the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and mink (Mustela vison), have impacted upon local populations. Management actions and research needs to mitigate these threats are addressed. 40 refs

Molecular identification of erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV) from the blood of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)

Science.gov (United States)

Emmenegger, Eveline J.; Glenn, Jolene A.; Winton, James R.; Batts, William N.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Hershberger, Paul K.

2014-01-01

Viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) is a condition affecting the red blood cells of more than 20 species of marine and anadromous fishes in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. Among populations of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) on the west coast of North America the disease causes anemia and elevated mortality in periodic epizootics. Presently, VEN is diagnosed by observation of typical cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in stained blood smears from infected fish. The causative agent, erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV), is unculturable and a presumed iridovirus by electron microscopy. In vivo amplification of the virus in pathogen-free laboratory stocks of Pacific herring with subsequent virus concentration, purification, DNA extraction, and high-throughput sequencing were used to obtain genomic ENV sequences. Fragments with the highest sequence identity to the family Iridoviridae were used to design four sets of ENV-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers. Testing of blood and tissue samples from experimentally and wild infected Pacific herring as well as DNA extracted from other amphibian and piscine iridoviruses verified the assays were specific to ENV with a limit of detection of 0.0003 ng. Preliminary phylogenetic analyses of a 1448 bp fragment of the putative DNA polymerase gene supported inclusion of ENV in a proposed sixth genus of the family Iridoviridae that contains other erythrocytic viruses from ectothermic hosts. This study provides the first molecular evidence of ENV's inclusion within the Iridoviridae family and offers conventional PCR assays as a means of rapidly surveying the ENV-status of wild and propagated Pacific herring stocks.

Changes in abundance and composition of anthropogenic marine debris on the continental slope off the Pacific coast of northern Japan, after the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goto, Tomoaki; Shibata, Haruka

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Benthic marine debris on continental slope off northeastern Japan quantified. • Low density of sea-base sourced debris dominant until 2011 Tohoku earthquake. • Increase in marine debris after the earthquake indicated by post-2011 tsunami survey. • Much increase in land-base sourced debris mainly due to 2011 tsunami. • Additional sources of land-based debris during post-tsunami survey implied. - Abstract: Abundance and composition of anthropogenic marine debris were assessed on the basis of six bottom trawl surveys conducted on the continental slope off Iwate Prefecture, Pacific coast of northern Japan, in 2003, 2004 and 2011, and the temporal changes due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 evaluated. In 2003 and 2004, 54–94 items km −2 of marine debris, dominated by sea-base sourced items mainly comprising fishing gear and related items from adjacent fishing grounds on the continental shelf, were quantified. In the post-earthquake period, the density increased drastically to 233–332 items km −2 , due to an increase in land-base sourced items generated by the tsunami. However, a major increase in abundance after the disaster, compared to the total amount of tsunami debris swept into the sea, was not found. Additional sources of land-based debris from the adjacent continental shelf are suggested in the present waters

Trematodes of fishes of the Indo-west Pacific: told and untold richness.

Science.gov (United States)

Cribb, Thomas H; Bray, Rodney A; Diaz, Pablo E; Huston, Daniel C; Kudlai, Olena; Martin, Storm B; Yong, Russell Q-Y; Cutmore, Scott C

2016-03-01

The Indo-west Pacific is a marine bioregion stretching from the east coast of Africa to Hawaii, French Polynesia and Easter Island. An assessment of the literature from the region found reports of 2,582 trematode species infecting 1,485 fish species. Reports are concentrated in larger fishes, undoubtedly reflecting the tendency for larger hosts to be infected by more species of parasites as well as a collecting bias. Many hundreds of fish species, including many from families known to be rich in trematodes, have yet to be reported as hosts. Despite some areas (the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii and the waters off China, India and Japan) receiving sustained attention, none can be considered to be comprehensively known. Several regions, most importantly in East Africa, French Polynesia and the Coral Triangle, are especially poorly known. The fauna of the Indo-west Pacific has been reported so unevenly that we consider it impossible to predict the true trematode richness for the region. We conclude that the greatest gap in our understanding is of the geographical distribution of species in the Indo-west Pacific. This is highlighted by the fact that 87% of trematodes in the region have been reported no more than five times. The reliable recognition of species is a major problem in this field; molecular approaches offer prospects for resolution of species identification but have been little adopted to date.

CalWater 2 - Precipitation, Aerosols, and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Spackman, J. R.; Ralph, F. M.; Prather, K. A.; Cayan, D. R.; DeMott, P. J.; Dettinger, M. D.; Fairall, C. W.; Leung, L. R.; Rosenfeld, D.; Rutledge, S. A.; Waliser, D. E.; White, A. B.

2014-12-01

Emerging research has identified two phenomena that play key roles in the variability of the water supply and the incidence of extreme precipitation events along the West Coast of the United States. These phenomena include the role of (1) atmospheric rivers (ARs) in delivering much of the precipitation associated with major storms along the U.S. West Coast, and (2) aerosols—from local sources as well as those transported from remote continents—and their modulating effects on western U.S. precipitation. A better understanding of these processes is needed to reduce uncertainties in weather predictions and climate projections of extreme precipitation and its effects, including the provision of beneficial water supply. This presentation summarizes the science objectives and strategies to address gaps associated with (1) the evolution and structure of ARs including cloud and precipitation processes and air-sea interaction, and (2) aerosol interaction with ARs and the impact on precipitation, including locally-generated aerosol effects on orographic precipitation along the U.S. West Coast. Observations are proposed for multiple winter seasons as part of a 5-year broad interagency vision referred to as CalWater 2 to address these science gaps (http://esrl.noaa.gov/psd/calwater). In January-February 2015, a field campaign has been planned consisting of a targeted set of aircraft and ship-based measurements and associated evaluation of data in near-shore regions of California and in the eastern Pacific. In close coordination with NOAA, DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program is also contributing air and shipborne facilities for ACAPEX (ARM Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Experiment), a DOE-sponsored study complementing CalWater 2. Ground-based measurements from NOAA's HydroMeteorological Testbed (HMT) network in California and aerosol chemical instrumentation at Bodega Bay, California have been designed to add important near surface-level context for the

Temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and other variables collected from profile observations using CTD and other instruments from NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER and R/V POINT SUR in the West Coast of the United States from 5 Aug to 2013-08-28 (NODC Accession 0119491)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains the CTD measurements collected by Dr. Gregory C. Johnson of the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory during the West Coast Ocean...

Paleogene reworked foraminifera in Recent sediments off Daman, Western India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Nigam, R.; Setty, M.G.A.P.

The first record of reworked foraminiferal species in the Recent sediments off the coast of Daman is reported. Among others, @iQuadrimorphina advena, Uvigerina minuta, Gyroidinoides soldani, Bulimina aguafrescanensis@@ and @iAlabamina atlantisae...

The Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea as the region of natural aquaculture: Organochlorine pesticides in Pacific salmon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsygankov, Vasiliy Yu.; Lukyanova, Olga N.; Khristoforova, Nadezhda K.

2016-01-01

Kuril Islands of the Sea of Okhotsk and the western part of the Bering Sea are an area of natural feeding of Pacific salmon, and the catch area of ones for food market. Food safety of products is an important task of aquaculture. Сoncentrations of HCHs (α-, β-, γ-) and DDT and its metabolites (DDD and DDE) were determined in organs of the pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), chum (O. keta), chinook (O. tshawytscha), and sockeye (O. nerka), which caught from the natural aquaculture region of Russia (near the Kuril Islands (the northern-western part of the Pacific Ocean), the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea). The average total concentration of OCPs in organs of salmon from Western Pacific is lower than that in salmon from the North Pacific American coast and the Atlantic Ocean. The region can be used to grow smolts, which will be later released into the ocean. - Highlights: • The study area is area of natural feeding of Pacific salmon, and the catch area of ones for food market. • ΣOCPs in salmon muscle increases in the following: chum ≤ pink < chinook < sockeye. • ΣOCPs in salmon from study area is lower than that in ones from the Atlantic Ocean. • The salmon, which feeding in the study area, did not accumulate higher OCPs content.

Faunal evidence for reduced productivity and uncoordinated recovery in Southern Hemisphere Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary sections

Science.gov (United States)

Aberhan, Martin; Weidemeyer, Sven; Kiessling, Wolfgang; Scasso, Roberto A.; Medina, Francisco A.

2007-03-01

The mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary is generally explained by a severe crisis in primary productivity, following a catastrophic bolide impact. Consistent with this scenario, Danian mollusk-dominated benthic shelf ecosystems of southern middle paleolatitudes (Neuquén Basin, Argentina) are characterized by (1) a stratigraphically limited low in macrofossil abundances; (2) an increase in starvation-resistant, nonplanktotrophic deposit feeders and chemosymbionts; (3) a reduction in the average body size of individuals; and (4) individuals with inactive lifestyles being more common than in the late Maastrichtian. Return to pre-extinction conditions of the various synecological attributes occurred over unequal time spans, indicating that recovery was uncoordinated with respect to ecological traits. Global comparison of ecological patterns suggests that reduced food supply (1) was a controlling factor in both hemispheres; (2) affected macrobenthic marine faunas at various distances from the Chicxulub impact site; and (3) was more effective in siliciclastic environments as compared to oligotrophic carbonate settings.

Subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization in man-made strata around Tokyo bay, Japan: from geological survey on damaged part at the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Kazaoka

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Geological disaster by liquefaction-fluidization happened on southern part of the Quaternary Paleo-Kanto submarine basin at the 2011 Earthquake off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku. Liquefaction-fluidization phenomena occurred mainly in man-made strata over shaking 5+ intensity of Japan Meteorological Agency scale. Many subsided spots, 10–50 m width, 20–100 m length and less than 1 m depth, by liquefaction-fluidization distributed on reclaimed land around northern Tokyo bay. Large amount of sand and groundwater spouted out in the terrible subsided parts. But there are little subsidence and no jetted sand outside the terrible subsided part. Liquefaction-fluidization damaged part at the 1987 earthquake east off Chiba prefecture re-liquefied and fluidized in these parts at the 2011 great earthquake. The damaged area were more wide on the 2011 earthquake than the 1987 quake. Detailed classification maps of subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization on the 2011 grate earthquake were made by fieldwork in Chiba city around Tokyo bay. A mechanism of subsidence by liquefaction-fluidization in man-made strata was solved by geological survey with continuous large box cores on the ACE Liner and large relief peals of the cores at a typical subsided part.

Ocean transport and variability studies of the South Pacific, Southern, and Indian Oceans

Science.gov (United States)

Church, John A.; Cresswell, G. R.; Nilsson, C. S.; Mcdougall, T. J.; Coleman, R.; Rizos, C.; Penrose, J.; Hunter, J. R.; Lynch, M. J.

1991-01-01

The objectives of this study are to analyze ocean dynamics in the western South Pacific and the adjacent Southern Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean. Specifically, our objectives for these three regions are, for the South Pacific Ocean: (1) To estimate the volume transport of the east Australian Current (EAC) along the Australian coast and in the Tasman Front, and to estimate the time variability (on seasonal and interannual time scales) of this transport. (2) To contribute to estimating the meridional heat and freshwater fluxes (and their variability) at about 30 deg S. Good estimates of the transport in the western boundary current are essential for accurate estimates of these fluxes. (3) To determine how the EAC transport (and its extension, the Tasman Front and the East Auckland Current) closes the subtropical gyre of the South Pacific and to better determine the structure at the confluence of this current and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. (4) To examine the structure and time variability of the circulation in the western South Pacific and the adjacent Southern Ocean, particularly at the Tasman Front. For the Indian Ocean: (5) To study the seasonal interannual variations in the strength of the Leeuwin Current. (6) To monitor the Pacific-Indian Ocean throughflow and the South Equatorial and the South Java Currents between northwest Australia and Indonesia. (7) To study the processes that form the water of the permanent oceanic thermocline and, in particular, the way in which new thermocline water enters the permanent thermocline in late winter and early spring as the mixed layer restratifies. For the Southern Ocean: (8) To study the mesoscale and meridional structure of the Southern Ocean between 150 deg E and 170 deg E; in particular, to describe the Antarctic frontal system south of Tasmania and determine its interannual variability; to estimate the exchanges of heat, salt, and other properties between the Indian and Pacific Oceans; and to investigate the

Continuous GPS observations in Tohoku University and recovery effort after the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Demachi, T.; Miura, S.; Ohta, Y.; Tachibana, K.; Ueki, S.; Sato, T.; Ohzono, M.; Umino, N.

2012-04-01

The nation-wide GPS observation network which is named GPS Earth Observation Network System (GEONET) has been established by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) (Miyazaki et al., 1997). The network composed more than 1,200 stations with baseline length is about 20-25 km. Tohoku University has also conducted continuous GPS observations since 1987 in the Tohoku district, Northeastern Japan (Miura et al., 1993). Recently, to investigate short-length crustal deformations such as volcanic deformation, co- and post-seismic deformation of M6-7 class earthquakes and inter-seismic deformations, we have deployed continuous GPS observation stations to complement the location of GEONET stations (Miura et al. 2000, 2002, and 2004). We installed GPS receiver, PC for data logging (ALIX series, PC Engines GmbH) and re-booter (e.g., WATCH BOOT nino, Meikyo Electric Co., Ltd.) in each station. We have secure and stable online access to each station from our university (Sendai city, Japan) using IP-VPN over fixed telephone lines (FLET'S Office service, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp.). Through this network, the data are transferred to our university and we can restart the devices if the devices hang up. Since 2010, we have tried to use on-line system through internet by prepaid mobile data-communication (b-mobile3G and b-mobileSIM U300, Japan Communications Inc.) in eight observation stations. Compared with the FLET'S Office service, we can conveniently and inexpensively establish wherever the mobile phone service is provided. The two stations are located in volcanoes, we activate the network system for an hour in every day using motor time switch, because of these devices are operated by limited DC power supplies through solar cell. In other six stations, we can use commercial AC power supplies, so that data connections are always available. On March 11, 2011, the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake (Mw 9.0) occurred and a huge tsunami caused

Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters - a comparison of the Fukushima impact with global fallout

Science.gov (United States)

Povinec, P. P.; Aoyama, M.; Biddulph, D.; Breier, R.; Buesseler, K.; Chang, C. C.; Golser, R.; Hou, X. L.; Ješkovský, M.; Jull, A. J. T.; Kaizer, J.; Nakano, M.; Nies, H.; Palcsu, L.; Papp, L.; Pham, M. K.; Steier, P.; Zhang, L. Y.

2013-08-01

Radionuclide impact of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident on the distribution of radionuclides in seawater of the NW Pacific Ocean is compared with global fallout from atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons. Surface and water column samples collected during the Ka'imikai-o-Kanaloa (KOK) international expedition carried out in June 2011 were analyzed for 134Cs, 137Cs, 129I and 3H. The 137Cs, 129I and 3H levels in surface seawater offshore Fukushima varied between 0.002-3.5 Bq L-1, 0.01-0.8 μBq L-1, and 0.05-0.15 Bq L-1, respectively. At the sampling site about 40 km from the coast, where all three radionuclides were analyzed, the Fukushima impact on the levels of these three radionuclides represents an increase above the global fallout background by factors of about 1000, 50 and 3, respectively. The water column data indicate that the transport of Fukushima-derived radionuclides downward to the depth of 300 m has already occurred. The observed 137Cs levels in surface waters and in the water column are compared with predictions obtained from the ocean general circulation model, which indicates that the Kuroshio Current acts as a southern boundary for the transport of the radionuclides, which have been transported from the Fukushima coast eastward in the NW Pacific Ocean. The 137Cs inventory in the water column is estimated to be about 2.2 PBq, what can be regarded as a lower limit of the direct liquid discharges into the sea as the seawater sampling was carried out only in the area from 34 to 37° N, and from 142 to 147° E. About 4.6 GBq of 129I was deposited in the NW Pacific Ocean, and 2.4-7 GBq of 129I was directly discharged as liquid wastes into the sea offshore Fukushima. The total amount of 3H released and deposited over the NW Pacific Ocean was estimated to be 0.1-0.5 PBq. These estimations depend, however, on the evaluation of the total 137Cs activities released as liquid wastes directly into the sea, which should improve when more data are

Analysis of recordings from underwater controlled sources in the Pacific Ocean received by the International Monitoring System (IMS) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Tomoaki; Zampolli, Mario; Haralabus, Georgios; Heaney, Kevin; Prior, Mark; Isse, Takeshi

2016-04-01

Controlled impulsive scientific underwater sound sources in the Northwestern Pacific were observed at two IMS hydroacoustic stations in the Pacific Ocean. Although these experiments were conducted with the aim of studying the physical properties of the plate boundaries inside the Earth, they are also suitable for the investigation of long range underwater acoustic detections. In spite of the fact that the energy of these controlled impulsive scientific sources is significantly smaller than that of nuclear explosions, the signals were obtained by IMS hydrophone stations thousands of kilometres away and also by distant ocean bottom instruments operated by various Institutes, such as the Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo. These experiments provide calibrated (yield, time, location) long-range acoustic transmissions, which enable one to examine the physics of long-range acoustic propagation and to verify the capabilities of the CTBTO IMS network to detect even small explosions.The two IMS stations used are H03 (Juan Fernandez Island, Chile) off the coast of Chile in the Southeastern Pacific and H11 (Wake Island, USA) in the Western Pacific. Both stations consist of two triplets of hydrophones in the SOFAR channel, which monitor the oceans for signs of nuclear explosions. H03 detected low-yield explosions above flat terrain at distances of 15,000 km across the Pacific as well as explosions above the landward slope off the coast of Japan at distances above 16,000 km across the Pacific. These records showed that source signatures, such as short duration and bubble pulses, were preserved over the long propagation distances. It was found that the observed maximum amplitudes from each source exhibit order of magnitude variations even when the yield and detonation depth are the same. The experimental data and transmission loss simulations suggest that bathymetric features around the sources and between the sources and the receivers are the main causes for

Paralytic toxin profile of the marine dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum Graham from the Mexican Pacific as revealed by LC-MS/MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Bustillos-Guzmán, José J; Band-Schmidt, Christine J; Durán-Riveroll, Lorena M; Hernández-Sandoval, Francisco E; López-Cortés, David J; Núñez-Vázquez, Erick J; Cembella, Allan; Krock, Bernd

2015-01-01

The paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) profiles of Gymnodinium catenatum Graham have been reported for several strains from the Pacific coast of Mexico cultured under different laboratory conditions, as well as from natural populations. Up to 15 saxitoxin analogues occurred and the quantity of each toxin depended on the growth phase and culture conditions. Previous analysis of toxin profiles of G. catenatum isolated from Mexico have been based on post-column oxidation liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FLD), a method prone to artefacts and non-specificity, leading to misinterpretation of toxin composition. We describe, for the first time, the complete toxin profile for several G. catenatum strains from diverse locations of the Pacific coast of Mexico. The new results confirmed previous reports on the dominance of the less potent sulfocarbamoyl toxins (C1/2); significant differences, however, in the composition (e.g., absence of saxitoxin, gonyautoxin 2/3 and neosaxitoxin) were revealed in our confirmatory analysis. The LC-MS/MS analyses also indicated at least seven putative benzoyl toxin analogues and provided support for their existence. This new toxin profile shows a high similarity (> 80%) to the profiles reported from several regions around the world, suggesting low genetic variability among global populations.

Validation of Satellite Estimates (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, TRMM for Rainfall Variability over the Pacific Slope and Coast of Ecuador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bolívar Erazo

2018-02-01

Full Text Available A dense rain-gauge network within continental Ecuador was used to evaluate the quality of various products of rainfall data over the Pacific slope and coast of Ecuador (EPSC. A cokriging interpolation method is applied to the rain-gauge data yielding a gridded product at 5-km resolution covering the period 1965–2015. This product is compared with the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC dataset, the Climatic Research Unit–University of East Anglia (CRU dataset, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM/TMPA 3B43 Version 7 dataset and the ERA-Interim Reanalysis. The analysis reveals that TRMM data show the most realistic features. The relative bias index (Rbias indicates that TRMM data is closer to the observations, mainly over lowlands (mean Rbias of 7% but have more limitations in reproducing the rainfall variability over the Andes (mean Rbias of −28%. The average RMSE and Rbias of 68.7 and −2.8% of TRMM are comparable with the GPCC (69.8 and 5.7% and CRU (102.3 and −2.3% products. This study also focuses on the rainfall inter-annual variability over the study region which experiences floods that have caused high economic losses during extreme El Niño events. Finally, our analysis evaluates the ability of TRMM data to reproduce rainfall events during El Niño years over the study area and the large basins of Esmeraldas and Guayas rivers. The results show that TRMM estimates report reasonable levels of heavy rainfall detection (for the extreme 1998 El Niño event over the EPSC and specifically towards the center-south of the EPSC (Guayas basin but present underestimations for the moderate El Niño of 2002–2003 event and the weak 2009–2010 event. Generally, the rainfall seasonal features, quantity and long-term climatology patterns are relatively well estimated by TRMM.

Meteorological characteristics and overland precipitation impacts of atmospheric rivers affecting the West coast of North America based on eight years of SSM/I satellite observations

Science.gov (United States)

Neiman, P.J.; Ralph, F.M.; Wick, G.A.; Lundquist, J.D.; Dettinger, M.D.

2008-01-01

The pre-cold-frontal low-level jet within oceanic extratropical cyclones represents the lower-tropospheric component of a deeper corridor of concentrated water vapor transport in the cyclone warm sector. These corridors are referred to as atmospheric rivers (ARs) because they are narrow relative to their length scale and are responsible for most of the poleward water vapor transport at midlatitudes. This paper investigates landfalling ARs along adjacent north- and south-coast regions of western North America. Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/ I) satellite observations of long, narrow plumes of enhanced integrated water vapor (IWV) were used to detect ARs just offshore over the eastern Pacific from 1997 to 2005. The north coast experienced 301 AR days, while the south coast had only 115. Most ARs occurred during the warm season in the north and cool season in the south, despite the fact that the cool season is climatologically wettest for both regions. Composite SSM/I IWV analyses showed landfalling wintertime ARs extending northeastward from the tropical eastern Pacific, whereas the summertime composites were zonally oriented and, thus, did not originate from this region of the tropics. Companion SSM/I composites of daily rainfall showed significant orographic enhancement during the landfall of winter (but not summer) ARs. The NCEP-NCAR global reanalysis dataset and regional precipitation networks were used to assess composite synoptic characteristics and overland impacts of landfalling ARs. The ARs possess strong vertically integrated horizontal water vapor fluxes that, on average, impinge on the West Coast in the pre-cold-frontal environment in winter and post-cold-frontal environment in summer. Even though the IWV in the ARs is greater in summer, the vapor flux is stronger in winter due to much stronger flows associated with more intense storms. The landfall of ARs in winter and north-coast summer coincides with anomalous warmth, a trough offshore, and

Coast Guard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-09-01

The 11-million gallon Exxon Valdez oil spill highlighted deficiencies in the nation's ability to contain and recover spilled oil. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 represents a major effort by Congress to address these deficiencies and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the private sector and the federal government in preventing, preparing for, and responding to oil spills. This report examines the Coast Guard's efforts to avoid unnecessary and wasteful duplication by coordinating with the private sector and others, including federal and state agencies, its plans to buy oil spill response equipment and the new responsibilities the act places on the private sector and the Coast Guard and if these responsibilities call for a shift in emphasis in Coast Guard oil spill response activities

Wintertime pytoplankton bloom in the Subarctic Pacific supportedby continental margin iron

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lam, Phoebe J.; Bishop, James K.B.; Henning, Cara C.; Marcus,Matthew A.; Waychunas, Glenn A.; Fung, Inez

2004-06-08

Heightened biological activity was observed in February 1996in the high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) subarctic North PacificOcean, a region that is thought to beiron-limited. Here we provideevidence supporting the hypothesis that Ocean Station Papa (OSP) in thesubarctic Pacific received a lateral supply of particulate iron from thecontinental margin off the Aleutian Islands in the winter, coincidentwith the observed biological bloom. Synchrotron X-ray analysis was usedto describe the physical form, chemistry, and depth distributions of ironin size fractionated particulate matter samples. The analysis revealsthat discrete micron-sized iron-rich hotspots are ubiquitous in the upper200m at OSP, more than 900km from the closest coast. The specifics of thechemistry and depth profiles of the Fe hot spots trace them to thecontinental margins. We thus hypothesize that iron hotspots are a markerfor the delivery of iron from the continental margin. We confirm thedelivery of continental margin iron to the open ocean using an oceangeneral circulation model with an iron-like tracer source at thecontinental margin. We suggest that iron from the continental marginstimulated a wintertime phytoplankton bloom, partially relieving the HNLCcondition.

The Impacts of Wind Speed Trends and 30-Year Variability in Relation to Hydroelectric Reservoir Inflows on Wind Power in the Pacific Northwest.

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Benjamin D; Kohfeld, Karen E; Bailey, Joseph; Cooper, Andrew B

2015-01-01

In hydroelectric dominated systems, the value and benefits of energy are higher during extended dry periods and lower during extended or extreme wet periods. By accounting for regional and temporal differences in the relationship between wind speed and reservoir inflow behavior during wind farm site selection, the benefits of energy diversification can be maximized. The goal of this work was to help maximize the value of wind power by quantifying the long-term (30-year) relationships between wind speed and streamflow behavior, using British Columbia (BC) and the Pacific Northwest (PNW) as a case study. Clean energy and self-sufficiency policies in British BC make the benefits of increased generation during low streamflow periods particularly large. Wind density (WD) estimates from a height of 10m (North American Regional Reanalysis, NARR) were correlated with cumulative usable inflows (CUI) for BC (collected from BC Hydro) for 1979-2010. The strongest WD-CUI correlations were found along the US coast (r ~0.55), whereas generally weaker correlations were found in northern regions, with negative correlations (r ~ -0.25) along BC's North Coast. Furthermore, during the lowest inflow years, WD anomalies increased by up to 40% above average values for the North Coast. Seasonally, high flows during the spring freshet were coincident with widespread negative WD anomalies, with a similar but opposite pattern for low inflow winter months. These poorly or negatively correlated sites could have a moderating influence on climate related variability in provincial electricity supply, by producing greater than average generation in low inflow years and reduced generation in wet years. Wind speed and WD trends were also analyzed for all NARR grid locations, which showed statistically significant positive trends for most of the PNW and the largest increases along the Pacific Coast.

Petroleum system elements within the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene sediments of Nigeria's inland basins: An integrated sequence stratigraphic approach

Science.gov (United States)

Dim, Chidozie Izuchukwu Princeton; Onuoha, K. Mosto; Okeugo, Chukwudike Gabriel; Ozumba, Bertram Maduka

2017-06-01

Sequence stratigraphic studies have been carried out using subsurface well and 2D seismic data in the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene sediments of Anambra and proximal onshore section of Niger Delta Basin in the Southeastern Nigeria. The aim was to establish the stratigraphic framework for better understanding of the reservoir, source and seal rock presence and distribution in the basin. Thirteen stratigraphic bounding surfaces (consisting of six maximum flooding surfaces - MFSs and seven sequence boundaries - SBs) were recognized and calibrated using a newly modified chronostratigraphic chart. Stratigraphic surfaces were matched with corresponding foraminiferal and palynological biozones, aiding correlation across wells in this study. Well log sequence stratigraphic correlation reveals that stratal packages within the basin are segmented into six depositional sequences occurring from Late Cretaceous to Early Paleogene age. Generated gross depositional environment maps at various MFSs show that sediment packages deposited within shelfal to deep marine settings, reflect continuous rise and fall of sea levels within a regressive cycle. Each of these sequences consist of three system tracts (lowstand system tract - LST, transgressive system tract - TST and highstand system tract - HST) that are associated with mainly progradational and retrogradational sediment stacking patterns. Well correlation reveals that the sand and shale units of the LSTs, HSTs and TSTs, that constitute the reservoir and source/seal packages respectively are laterally continuous and thicken basinwards, due to structural influences. Result from interpretation of seismic section reveals the presence of hanging wall, footwall, horst block and collapsed crest structures. These structural features generally aid migration and offer entrapment mechanism for hydrocarbon accumulation. The combination of these reservoirs, sources, seals and trap elements form a good petroleum system that is viable

Observations of the boundary layer, cloud, and aerosol variability in the southeast Pacific coastal marine stratocumulus during VOCALS-REx

OpenAIRE

X. Zheng; B. Albrecht; H. H. Jonsson; D. Khelif; G. Feingold; P. Minnis; K. Ayers; P. Chuang; S. Donaher; D. Rossiter; V. Ghate; J. Ruiz-Plancarte; S. Sun-Mack

2011-01-01

Aircraft observations made off the coast of northern Chile in the Southeastern Pacific (20° S, 72° W; named Point Alpha) from 16 October to 13 November 2008 during the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study-Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx), combined with meteorological reanalysis, satellite measurements, and radiosonde data, are used to investigate the boundary layer (BL) and aerosol-cloud-drizzle variations in this region. The BL at Point Alpha was typical of a non-drizzling stratocumulus-t...

The Eurasia-North Pacific Oscillation in atmospheric mass variations independent of both IHO and AO and its possible impacts on winter climate

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qian; Guan, Zhaoyong; Li, Minggang

2017-09-01

Using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, we have investigated the features of migrations of atmospheric mass (AM) between land and ocean in Eurasia-North Pacific domain in boreal winter after having both signals of Inter-hemispheric Oscillation and Arctic Oscillation removed from the physical quantities. It is found that there is a Eurasia-North Pacific Oscillation (ENPO) in surface air pressure anomalies. This ENPO pattern characterizes with two oppositely signed anomalous surface pressure centers over Eurasia and North Pacific respectively, indicating strong connections between Siberian high and Aleutian low during period 1979-2012. The maintenance of this ENPO teleconnection is significantly associated with three factors including the anomalous AM flows and zonal circulation cell over Eurasia-North Pacific domain, the Rossby wave energy propagations, and the thermal forcing contrasts near the surface between Eurasia and North Pacific during boreal winter. The variations of both wintertime rainfall and temperature over Eurasia may be strongly affected by ENPO. When the ENPO index is positive (negative), there occurs the AM accumulation (depletion) over Eurasia with simultaneous depletion (accumulation) over mid-latitude North-Pacific. Correspondingly, this anomalous surface pressure pattern along with the related circulation anomalies at different isobaric levels possibly results in winter precipitation decreases (increases) over Siberian Plain and East China, whereas increases (decreases) over southeastern Europe, Xinjiang of China, and the west coast of Sea of Okhotsk. On the other hand, surface air temperature decreases (increases) over large areas of Eurasia. These results are helpful for our better understanding the mechanisms behind circulation and winter climate variations over Eurasia-North Pacific region.

The Eurasia-North Pacific Oscillation in atmospheric mass variations independent of both IHO and AO and its possible impacts on winter climate

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qian; Guan, Zhaoyong; Li, Minggang

2018-06-01

Using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, we have investigated the features of migrations of atmospheric mass (AM) between land and ocean in Eurasia-North Pacific domain in boreal winter after having both signals of Inter-hemispheric Oscillation and Arctic Oscillation removed from the physical quantities. It is found that there is a Eurasia-North Pacific Oscillation (ENPO) in surface air pressure anomalies. This ENPO pattern characterizes with two oppositely signed anomalous surface pressure centers over Eurasia and North Pacific respectively, indicating strong connections between Siberian high and Aleutian low during period 1979-2012. The maintenance of this ENPO teleconnection is significantly associated with three factors including the anomalous AM flows and zonal circulation cell over Eurasia-North Pacific domain, the Rossby wave energy propagations, and the thermal forcing contrasts near the surface between Eurasia and North Pacific during boreal winter. The variations of both wintertime rainfall and temperature over Eurasia may be strongly affected by ENPO. When the ENPO index is positive (negative), there occurs the AM accumulation (depletion) over Eurasia with simultaneous depletion (accumulation) over mid-latitude North-Pacific. Correspondingly, this anomalous surface pressure pattern along with the related circulation anomalies at different isobaric levels possibly results in winter precipitation decreases (increases) over Siberian Plain and East China, whereas increases (decreases) over southeastern Europe, Xinjiang of China, and the west coast of Sea of Okhotsk. On the other hand, surface air temperature decreases (increases) over large areas of Eurasia. These results are helpful for our better understanding the mechanisms behind circulation and winter climate variations over Eurasia-North Pacific region.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in native South American Atlantic coast populations of smooth shelled mussels: hybridization with invasive European Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zbawicka, Małgorzata; Trucco, María I; Wenne, Roman

2018-02-22

Throughout the world, harvesting of mussels Mytilus spp. is based on the exploitation of natural populations and aquaculture. Aquaculture activities include transfers of spat and live adult mussels between various geographic locations, which may result in large-scale changes in the world distribution of Mytilus taxa. Mytilus taxa are morphologically similar and difficult to distinguish. In spite of much research on taxonomy, evolution and geographic distribution, the native Mytilus taxa of the Southern Hemisphere are poorly understood. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been used to clarify the taxonomic status of populations of smooth shelled mussels from the Pacific coast of South America. In this paper, we used a set of SNPs to characterize, for the first time, populations of smooth shelled mussels Mytilus from the Atlantic coast of South America. Mytilus spp. samples were collected from eastern South America. Six reference samples from the Northern Hemisphere were used: Mytilus edulis from USA and Northern Ireland, Mytilus trossulus from Canada, and Mytilus galloprovincialis from Spain and Italy. Two other reference samples from the Southern Hemisphere were included: M. galloprovincialis from New Zealand and Mytilus chilensis from Chile. Fifty-five SNPs were successfully genotyped, of which 51 were polymorphic. Population genetic analyses using the STRUCTURE program revealed the clustering of eight populations from Argentina (Mytilus platensis) and the clustering of the sample from Ushuaia with M. chilensis from Chile. All individuals in the Puerto Madryn (Argentina) sample were identified as M. platensis × M. galloprovincialis F2 (88.89%) hybrids, except one that was classified as Mediterranean M. galloprovincialis. No F1 hybrids were observed. We demonstrate that M. platensis (or Mytilus edulis platensis) and M. chilensis are distinct native taxa in South America, which indicates that the evolutionary histories of Mytilus taxa along the

Numerical tsunami simulations in the western Pacific Ocean and East China Sea from hypothetical M 9 earthquakes along the Nankai trough

Science.gov (United States)

Harada, Tomoya; Satake, Kenji; Furumura, Takashi

2017-04-01

We carried out tsunami numerical simulations in the western Pacific Ocean and East China Sea in order to examine the behavior of massive tsunami outside Japan from the hypothetical M 9 tsunami source models along the Nankai Trough proposed by the Cabinet Office of Japanese government (2012). The distribution of MTHs (maximum tsunami heights for 24 h after the earthquakes) on the east coast of China, the east coast of the Philippine Islands, and north coast of the New Guinea Island show peaks with approximately 1.0-1.7 m，4.0-7.0 m，4.0-5.0 m, respectively. They are significantly higher than that from the 1707 Ho'ei earthquake (M 8.7), the largest earthquake along the Nankai trough in recent Japanese history. Moreover, the MTH distributions vary with the location of the huge slip(s) in the tsunami source models although the three coasts are far from the Nankai trough. Huge slip(s) in the Nankai segment mainly contributes to the MTHs, while huge slip(s) or splay faulting in the Tokai segment hardly affects the MTHs. The tsunami source model was developed for responding to the unexpected occurrence of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, with 11 models along the Nanakai trough, and simulated MTHs along the Pacific coasts of the western Japan from these models exceed 10 m, with a maximum height of 34.4 m. Tsunami propagation was computed by the finite-difference method of the non-liner long-wave equations with the Corioli's force and bottom friction (Satake, 1995) in the area of 115-155 ° E and 8° S-40° N. Because water depth of the East China Sea is shallower than 200 m, the tsunami propagation is likely to be affected by the ocean bottom fiction. The 30 arc-seconds gridded bathymetry data provided by the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO-2014) are used. For long propagation of tsunami we simulated tsunamis for 24 hours after the earthquakes. This study was supported by the"New disaster mitigation research project on Mega thrust earthquakes around Nankai

A report on radioactivity measurements of fish samples from the west coast of Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Jing; Cooke, Michael W.; Mercier, Jean-Francois; Ahier, Brian; Trudel, Marc; Workman, Greg; Wyeth, Malcolm; Brown, Robin

2015-01-01

Even though many studies have shown that radioactive caesium levels in fish caught outside of Japan were below experimental detection limits of a few Bq kg -1 , significant public concern has been expressed about the safety of consuming seafood from the Pacific Ocean following the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident. To address the public concerns, samples of commonly consumed salmon and groundfish harvested from the Canadian west coast in 2013 were analysed for radioactive caesium. None of the fish samples analysed in this study contained any detectable levels of 134 Cs and 137 Cs under given experimental setting with the average detection limit of ∼2 Bq kg -1 . Using a conservative worst-case scenario where all fish samples would contain 137 Cs exactly at the detection limit level and 134 Cs at half of the detection limit level (to account for much shorter half-life of 134 Cs), the resulting radiation dose for people from consumption of this fish would be a very small fraction of the annual dose from exposure to natural background radiation in Canada. Therefore, fish, such as salmon and groundfish, from the Canadian west coast are of no radiological health concern. (authors)

Re-assessment of the Conservation Status of the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis) Using the IUCN Red List Criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Jefferson, Thomas A; Smith, Brian D

2016-01-01

The IUCN Red List designation of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is re-assessed in light of its newly recognized taxonomic status (it has recently been separated into three species) and findings that humpback dolphins along the coast of Bangladesh, and possibly eastern India, are phylogenetically distinct from other members of the Sousa genus. Sousa chinensis is found in Southeast/South Asia (in both the Indian and Pacific oceans), from at least the southeastern Bay of Bengal east to central China, and then south to the Indo-Malay Archipelago. There are no global population estimates, and the sum of available abundance estimates add up to about 5700 individuals, although only a portion of the range has been covered by surveys. This species occurs in shallow (Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins to stop apparent declines, and to lower the species' extinction risk. Sousa chinensis meets the IUCN Red List requirements for Vulnerable (under criteria A4cd), with fisheries bycatch and habitat loss/degradation being the main pervasive threats. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Main factors determining bioerosion patterns on rocky cliffs in a drowned valley estuary in the Colombian Pacific (Eastern Tropical Pacific)

Science.gov (United States)

Cobo-Viveros, Alba Marina; Cantera-Kintz, Jaime Ricardo

2015-10-01

Bioerosion is an important process that destroys coastal rocks in the tropics. However, the rates at which this process occurs, the organisms involved, and the dynamics of rocky cliffs in tropical latitudes have been less studied than in temperate and subtropical latitudes. To contribute to the knowledge of the bioerosion process in rocky cliffs on the Pacific coast of Colombia (Eastern Tropical Pacific) we compared: 1) boring volume, 2) grain size distribution of the rocks, and 3) rock porosity, across three tidal zones of two cliffs with different wave exposure; these factors were related to the bioeroding community found. We observed that cliffs that were not exposed to wave action (IC, internal cliffs) exhibited high percentages of clays in their grain size composition, and a greater porosity (47.62%) and perforation (15.86%) than exposed cliffs (EC, external cliffs). However, IC also exhibited less diversity and abundance of bioeroding species (22 species and 314 individuals, respectively) compared to the values found in EC (41.11%, 14.34%, 32 and 491, respectively). The most abundant bioeroders were Petrolisthes zacae in IC and Pachygrapsus transversus in EC. Our findings show that the tidal zone is the common factor controlling bioerosion on both cliffs; in addition to the abundance of bioeroders on IC and the number of bioeroding species on EC. The integration of geology, sedimentology, and biology allows us to obtain a more comprehensive view of the patterns and trends in the process of bioerosion.

Fukushima Daiichi - delivery of contaminated water into the Pacific ocean and possible consequences for the marine ecosystem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nies, Hartmut

2015-01-01

The nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi is sited at the coast of the Japanese island Honshu. Most of the cooling water for the three destroyed reactors units 1-3 and the nuclear fuel in the spent fuel pool of unit-4 were uncontrolled delivered into the groundwater and the Pacific Ocean. As a consequence high concentrations of I-131, Cs-134 and Cs-137 in the coastal waters have to be assumed. The contribution analyzed the possible consequences for the marine ecosystem. A drift time of 5 to 7 years toward the coast of North America is expected. The planning of the marine monitoring program MEXT is described. Radiation measurements in the coastal water up to 200 km distance from Daiichi were performed. The highest radionuclide concentrations of Cs-137 and Cs-134 were found in the fine grained sediments. No increased radioactivity in seafood is expected.

Main Introduction Way of Indo-Pacific and Red Sea Originated Benthic Foraminifers to the Eastern Mediterranean

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Engin MERİÇ

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Majority of the alien foraminifers recorded in the eastern Mediterranean are Indo-Pacific originated and entered the Mediterranean via Suez Canal. In this study, current literature on the alien benthic foraminiferal fauna of the eastern Mediterranean was reviewed and the main dispersal pathways are determined. Distribution patterns of the alien species suggests that most of the species are introduced via Suez Canal and expand their range of distributions in a counter-clockwise manner by the general surface currents of the eastern Mediterranean. However, not all, but some of the species have also been dispersed westwards along the North African coast and reached central Mediterranean. Locally abundant records of Euthymonacha polita (Chapman, Coscinospira acicularis (Batsch and Amphistegina lobifera in the Aegean Sea indicates that Suez Canal may not be the only vector for the Indo-Pacific species to enter eastern Mediterranean and submarine springs help these thermophilic species to form establish populations in cool waters of the northern Aegean and the Sea of Marmara

Marine Mammals and Climate Change in the Pacific Arctic: Impacts & Resilience

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, S. E.

2014-12-01

Extreme reductions in Arctic sea ice extent and thickness have become a hallmark of climate change, but impacts to the marine ecosystem are poorly understood. As top predators, marine mammals must adapt to biological responses to physical forcing and thereby become sentinels to ecosystem variability and reorganization. Recent sea ice retreats have influenced the ecology of marine mammals in the Pacific Arctic sector. Walruses now often haul out by the thousands along the NW Alaska coast in late summer, and reports of harbor porpoise, humpback, fin and minke whales in the Chukchi Sea demonstrate that these temperate species routinely occur there. In 2010, satellite tagged bowhead whales from Atlantic and Pacific populations met in the Northwest Passage, an overlap thought precluded by sea ice since the Holocene. To forage effectively, baleen whales must target dense patches of zooplankton and small fishes. In the Pacific Arctic, bowhead and gray whales appear to be responding to enhanced prey availability delivered both by new production and advection pathways. Two programs, the Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) and the Synthesis of Arctic Research (SOAR), include tracking of marine mammal and prey species' responses to ecosystem shifts associated with sea ice loss. Both programs provide an integrated-ecosystem baseline in support of the development of a web-based Marine Mammal Health Map, envisioned as a component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). An overarching goal is to identify ecological patterns for marine mammals in the 'new' Arctic, as a foundation for integrative research, local response and adaptive management.

A New U.S. West Coast Network of Atmospheric River Observatories

Science.gov (United States)

White, A. B.; Wilczak, J. M.; Ayers, T. E.; King, C. W.; Jordan, J. R.; Shaw, W. J.; Flaherty, J. E.; Morris, V. R.

2015-12-01

The West Coast of North America is the gateway to winter storms forming over the Pacific Ocean that deliver most of the precipitation and water supply to the region. Satellites are capable of detecting the concentrated water vapor in these storms (a.k.a. atmospheric rivers) over the oceans, but because of the complex emissivity of land surfaces, fail to do so over land. In addition, these storms often are accompanied by a baroclinically induced low-level jet that drives the moisture up the windward slopes of coastal and inland mountain ranges and produces orographically enhanced precipitation. To date, satellites cannot resolve this important feature. NOAA's Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT; hmt.noaa.gov) has developed the concept of an atmospheric river observatory (ARO); a collection of ground-based instruments capable of detecting and monitoring the water vapor transport in the low-level jet region. With funding provided by the California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Department of Energy, HMT has installed a picket fence of AROs along the U.S. West Coast. In addition, HMT has developed an award-winning water vapor flux tool that takes advantage of the data collected by the AROs to provide situational awareness and decision support for end users. This tool recently has been updated to include operational weather prediction output. The ARO network and water vapor flux tool will be described in this presentation.

Observations of the boundary layer, cloud, and aerosol variability in the southeast Pacific near-coastal marine stratocumulus during VOCALS-REx

OpenAIRE

Zheng, X.; Albrecht, B.; Jonsson, H. H; Khelif, D.; Feingold, G.; Minnis, P.; Ayers, K.; Chuang, P.; Donaher, S.; Rossiter, D.; Ghate, V.; Ruiz-Plancarte, J.; Sun-Mack, S.

2011-01-01

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-9943-2011 Aircraft observations made off the coast of northern Chile in the Southeastern Pacific (20° S, 72° W; named Point Alpha) from 16 October to 13 November 2008 during the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud- Atmosphere-Land Study- Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx), combined with meteorological reanalysis, satellite measurements, and radiosonde data, are used to investigate the boundary layer (BL) ...

New eastern Pacific Ocean record of the rare deep-water fish, Psychrolutes phrictus (Scorpaeniformes: Psychrolutidae)

OpenAIRE

Aguirre-Villaseñor, Hugo; Cruz-Acevedo, Edgar; Salas-Singh, Carolina

2016-01-01

Abstract: Psychrolutes phrictus is a benthic deep sea fish known from the eastern North Pacific. On 30 March 2008, a specimen of the blob sculpin P. phrictus (297 mm LT) was caught off the Guerrero coast, Mexico (17°45′24″N, 101°59′04″W). The blob sculpin was taken at a depth of 1,100 m within a temperature range of 3.88-4.25 °C, where hypoxic (0.57-0.39 mg/l) conditions prevailed; the specimen was captured over a muddy bottom using a benthic sledge. Representatives of this species had never ...

Do trans-Pacific air masses deliver PBDEs to coastal British Columbia, Canada?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noel, Marie; Dangerfield, Neil; Hourston, Roy A.S.; Belzer, Wayne; Shaw, Pat; Yunker, Mark B.; Ross, Peter S.

2009-01-01

In order to distinguish between 'local' and 'background' sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in coastal British Columbia (Canada) air, we collected samples from two sites: a remote site on western Vancouver Island, and a near-urban site in the Strait of Georgia. Seasonally-integrated samples of vapor, particulate, and rain were collected continuously during 365 days for analysis of 275 PCB and PBDE congeners. While deposition of the legacy PCBs was similar at both sampling sites, deposition of PBDEs at the remote site amounted to 42% (10.4 mg/ha/year) of that at the near-urban site. Additional research into atmospheric circulation in the NE Pacific Ocean will provide more insight into the transport and fate of priority pollutants in this region, but trans-Pacific delivery of PBDEs to the west coast of North America may underlie in part our observations. For example, approximately 40% of >12,000 ten-day back trajectories calculated for the remote site originated over Asia, compared to only 2% over North America. - Legacy PCBs and current-use PBDEs are dispersed through atmospheric processes in coastal British Columbia, Canada.

Otolith patterns of rockfishes from the northeastern Pacific.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuset, Victor M; Imondi, Ralph; Aguado, Guillermo; Otero-Ferrer, José L; Santschi, Linda; Lombarte, Antoni; Love, Milton

2015-04-01

Sagitta otolith shape was analysed in twenty sympatric rockfishes off the southern California coast (Northeastern Pacific). The variation in shape was quantified using canonical variate analysis based on fifth wavelet function decomposition of otolith contour. We selected wavelets because this representation allow the identifications of zones or single morphological points along the contour. The entire otoliths along with four subsections (anterior, ventral, posterodorsal, and anterodorsal) with morphological meaning were examined. Multivariate analyses (MANOVA) showed significant differences in the contours of whole otolith morphology and corresponding subsection among rockfishes. Four patterns were found: fusiform, oblong, and two types of elliptic. A redundancy analysis indicated that anterior and anterodorsal subsections contribute most to define the entire otolith shape. Complementarily, the eco-morphological study indicated that the depth distribution and strategies for capture prey were correlated to otolith shape, especially with the anterodorsal zone. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pacific walrus coastal haulout database, 1852-2016— Background report

Science.gov (United States)

Fischbach, Anthony S.; Kochnev, Anatoly A.; Garlich-Miller, Joel L.; Jay, Chadwick V.

2016-01-01

Walruses are large benthic predators that rest out of water between foraging bouts. Coastal “haulouts” (places where walruses rest) are formed by adult males in summer and sometimes by females and young when sea ice is absent, and are often used repeatedly across seasons and years. Understanding the geography and historical use of haulouts provides a context for conservation efforts. We summarize information on Pacific walrus haulouts from available reports (n =151), interviews with coastal residents and aviators, and personal observations of the authors. We provide this in the form of a georeferenced database that can be queried and displayed with standard geographic information system and database management software. The database contains 150 records of Pacific walrus haulouts, with a summary of basic characteristics on maximum haulout aggregation size, age-sex composition, season of use, and decade of most recent use. Citations to reports are provided in the appendix and as a bibliographic database. Haulouts were distributed across the coasts of the Pacific walrus range; however, the largest (maximum >10,000 walruses) of the haulouts reported in the recent 4 decades (n=19) were concentrated on the Russian shores in regions near the Bering Strait and northward into the western Chukchi Sea (n=17). Haulouts of adult female and young walruses primarily occurred in the Bering Strait region and areas northward, with others occurring in the central Bering Sea, Gulf of Anadyr, and Saint Lawrence Island regions. The Gulf of Anadyr was the only region to contain female and young walrus haulouts, which formed after the northward spring migration and prior to autumn ice formation.

Radioactive zinc ( sup 65 Zn), zinc, cadmium, and mercury in the Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus (Ayres), off the West Coast of the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naidu, J.R.

1974-06-01

The Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus (Ayers) was used to monitor the waters off Puget Sound and the West Coast of the US for zinc(Zn), cadmium(Cd), mercury(Hg) and {sup 65}Zn. The Columbia River is not the source of Zn, Cd or Hg contamination, but is the source of {sup 65}Zn, with the concentration in the Hake reflecting the position of the Columbia River plume. Zn and Cd accumulation in the Hake were fit to the equation Y=B{sub 1}+B{sub 2}e{sup B}{sub 3}X where Y is the concentration of the element and X is the length or weight of the fish. Biological attributes were assigned to the other parameters as follows: B{sub 1} is the asymptotic value for Zn or Cd at chemical maturity; B{sub 2} is the location of the curve with respect to the length or weight of the fish; and B{sub 3} is a constant pertaining to the rate of change of Zn or Cd. Although Zn, Cd and Hg are all Group 2B elements, only the concentrations of Zn and Cd were correlated for all locations; Hg concentrations varied as a function of location. Zn and Cd concentrations increase with fish size and approach an asymptotic value at maturity, while Hg concentrations were linear and the slope is a function of sampling location. Zn and Cd levels are regulated in the adult, while Hg continues to increase with age. It may be significant that the age distribution of fish caught commercially coincides with the maximum concentration of Zn and Cd. 195 refs., 30 figs., 10 tabs. (MHB)

Extraction of two tsunamis signals generated by earthquakes around the Pacific rim

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chu Yonghai

2014-05-01

Full Text Available As one of the ocean sudden natural disasters, the tsunami is not easily to differentiate from the ocean variation in the open ocean due to the tsunami wave amplitude is lees than one meter with hundreds of kilometers wavelength. But the wave height will increases up to tens of meters with enormous energy when the tsunami aarives at the coast. It would not only devastate entire cities near coast, but also kill miilions of people. It is necessary to forecast and make warning before the tsunami aariving for many countries and regions around the Pacific rim. Two kinds of data were used in this study to extract the signals of 2011 Tohoku tsunami and 2014 Iquique tsunami. Wave undulations from DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis buoys and SLA from altimetry could extract the tsunami signals generated by this two earthquake. The signals of Tohoku tsunami were stronger than that of Iquique tsunami probably due to the 2011 Tohoku tsunami was generated by a magnitude 9. 0 earthquake and the 2014 Iquique tsunami was triggered by a magnitude 8. 2 earthquake.

Rare earth element composition of Paleogene vertebrate fossils from Toadstool Geologic Park, Nebraska, USA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grandstaff, D.E., E-mail: grand@temple.edu [Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122 (United States); Terry, D.O. [Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122 (United States)

2009-04-15

Fossil bones and teeth from terrestrial environments encode unique rare earth and trace element (REE and TE) signatures as a function of redox conditions, pH, concentrations of complexing ligands, and water-colloid interactions. This signature is set early in the fossilization process and serves as a paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic proxy. These signatures can also be used to interpret temporal and spatial averaging within vertebrate accumulations, and can help relocate displaced fossil bones back into stratigraphic context. Rare earth elements in vertebrate fossils from upper Eocene and Oligocene strata of Toadstool Geologic Park, northwestern Nebraska, record mixing and evolution of Paleogene vadose or groundwaters and variations in paleoenvironments. REE signatures indicate that HREE-enriched alkaline groundwater reacted with LREE- and MREE-enriched sediments to produce 3-component mixtures. REE signatures become increasingly LREE- and MREE-enriched toward the top of the studied section as the paleoenvironment became cooler and drier, suggesting that REE signatures may be climate proxies. Time series analysis suggests that REE ratios are influenced by cycles of ca. 1050, 800, 570, 440, and 225 ka, similar to some previously determined Milankovitch astronomical and climate periodicities.

Longshore sediment transport along the Indian coast

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Chandramohan, P.; Nayak, B.U.

Coast. Maharashtra Coast and the part between Pondicherry and Point Calimere in Tamilnadu, show negligible order of annual net transport. Annual net transport along the east coast is in north and along the west coast in south but for South Gujarat Coast....

Impact of multiple stressors on juvenile fish in estuaries of the northeast Pacific.

Science.gov (United States)

Toft, Jason D; Munsch, Stuart H; Cordell, Jeffery R; Siitari, Kiira; Hare, Van C; Holycross, Brett M; DeBruyckere, Lisa A; Greene, Correigh M; Hughes, Brent B

2018-05-01

A key step in identifying global change impacts on species and ecosystems is to quantify effects of multiple stressors. To date, the science of global change has been dominated by regional field studies, experimental manipulation, meta-analyses, conceptual models, reviews, and studies focusing on a single stressor or species over broad spatial and temporal scales. Here, we provide one of the first studies for coastal systems examining multiple stressor effects across broad scales, focused on the nursery function of 20 estuaries spanning 1,600 km of coastline, 25 years of monitoring, and seven fish and invertebrate species along the northeast Pacific coast. We hypothesized those species most estuarine dependent and negatively impacted by human activities would have lower presence and abundances in estuaries with greater anthropogenic land cover, pollution, and water flow stress. We found significant negative relationships between juveniles of two of seven species (Chinook salmon and English sole) and estuarine stressors. Chinook salmon were less likely to occur and were less abundant in estuaries with greater pollution stress. They were also less abundant in estuaries with greater flow stress, although this relationship was marginally insignificant. English sole were less abundant in estuaries with greater land cover stress. Together, we provide new empirical evidence that effects of stressors on two fish species culminate in detectable trends along the northeast Pacific coast, elevating the need for protection from pollution, land cover, and flow stressors to their habitats. Lack of response among the other five species could be related to differing resistance to specific stressors, type and precision of the stressor metrics, and limitations in catch data across estuaries and habitats. Acquiring improved measurements of impacts to species will guide future management actions, and help predict how estuarine nursery functions can be optimized given anthropogenic

Volatile halogenated hydrocarbons over the western Pacific between 43° and 4°N

Science.gov (United States)

Quack, Birgit; Suess, Erwin

1999-01-01

A spectrum of halogenated hydrocarbon compounds in marine air masses were surveyed over an area in the western Pacific between 43°N, 150°E and 4°N, 113°E in September 1994. The ship's track between northern Japan and Singapore traversed three climatic zones of the northern hemisphere. Recently polluted air, clean marine air derived from the central Pacific Ocean from different latitudes, and marine air from the Indonesian archipelago were collected. Tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene of anthropogenic origin, brominated halocarbons as tribromomethane, dibromochloromethane and bromodichloromethane of anthropogenic and natural sources, and other trace gases were measured in the air samples. Very sparse data on the distribution of these compounds exist for the western Pacific atmosphere. The distribution patterns of the compounds were related to synoptic-scale meteorology, spatial conditions, and origin of the air masses. Anthropogenic and natural sources for both chlorinated and brominated substances were identified. Tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene concentrations and their ratios identify anthropogenic sources. Their mixing ratios were quite low compared to previously published data. They are in agreement with expected low concentrations of photochemically active substances during autumn, with an overall decrease in concentrations toward lower latitudes, and with a decrease of emissions during recent years. Strong evidence for a natural source of trichloroethene was discovered in the tropical region. The concentrations of naturally released brominated species were high compared to other measurements over the Pacific. Gradients toward the coasts and elevated concentrations in air masses influenced by coastal emissions point to significant coastal sources of these compounds. The trace gas composition of anthropogenic and natural compounds clearly identified the air masses which were traversed during the cruise.

Floristic account of the marine benthic algae from Jarvis Island and Kingman Reef, Line Islands, Central Pacific

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vroom, P.S.

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The marine benthic algae from Jarvis Island and Kingman Reef were identified from collections obtained from the Whippoorwill Expedition in 1924, the Itasca Expedition in 1935, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Taney in 1938, the Smithsonian Institution’s Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program in 1964 and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006. A total of 124 species, representing 8 Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae, 82 Rhodophyta (red algae, 6 Heterokontophyta (brown algae and 28 Chlorophyta (green algae, are reported from both islands. Seventy-nine and 95 species of marine benthic algae are recorded from Jarvis Island and Kingman Reef, respectively. Of the 124 species, 77 species or 62% (4 blue-green algae, 57 red algae, 2 brown algae and 14 green algae have never before been reported from the 11 remote reefs, atolls and low islands comprising the Line Islands in the Central Pacific.

The parasite Ichthyophonus sp. in Pacific herring from the coastal NE Pacific.

Science.gov (United States)

Hershberger, P K; Gregg, J L; Hart, L M; Moffitt, S; Brenner, R; Stick, K; Coonradt, E; Otis, E O; Vollenweider, J J; Garver, K A; Lovy, J; Meyers, T R

2016-04-01

The protistan parasite Ichthyophonus occurred in populations of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii Valenciennes throughout coastal areas of the NE Pacific, ranging from Puget Sound, WA north to the Gulf of Alaska, AK. Infection prevalence in local Pacific herring stocks varied seasonally and annually, and a general pattern of increasing prevalence with host size and/or age persisted throughout the NE Pacific. An exception to this zoographic pattern occurred among a group of juvenile, age 1+ year Pacific herring from Cordova Harbor, AK in June 2010, which demonstrated an unusually high infection prevalence of 35%. Reasons for this anomaly were hypothesized to involve anthropogenic influences that resulted in locally elevated infection pressures. Interannual declines in infection prevalence from some populations (e.g. Lower Cook Inlet, AK; from 20-32% in 2007 to 0-3% during 2009-13) or from the largest size cohorts of other populations (e.g. Sitka Sound, AK; from 62.5% in 2007 to 19.6% in 2013) were likely a reflection of selective mortality among the infected cohorts. All available information for Ichthyophonus in the NE Pacific, including broad geographic range, low host specificity and presence in archived Pacific herring tissue samples dating to the 1980s, indicate a long-standing host-pathogen relationship. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Endemicity, biogeograhy, composition, and community structure on a northeast pacific seamount.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Craig R McClain

Full Text Available The deep ocean greater than 1 km covers the majority of the earth's surface. Interspersed on the abyssal plains and continental slope are an estimated 14000 seamounts, topographic features extending 1000 m off the seafloor. A variety of hypotheses are posited that suggest the ecological, evolutionary, and oceanographic processes on seamounts differ from those governing the surrounding deep sea. The most prominent and oldest of these hypotheses, the seamount endemicity hypothesis (SMEH, states that seamounts possess a set of isolating mechanisms that produce highly endemic faunas. Here, we constructed a faunal inventory for Davidson Seamount, the first bathymetric feature to be characterized as a 'seamount', residing 120 km off the central California coast in approximately 3600 m of water (Fig 1. We find little support for the SMEH among megafauna of a Northeast Pacific seamount; instead, finding an assemblage of species that also occurs on adjacent continental margins. A large percentage of these species are also cosmopolitan with ranges extending over much of the Pacific Ocean Basin. Despite the similarity in composition between the seamount and non-seamount communities, we provide preliminary evidence that seamount communities may be structured differently and potentially serve as source of larvae for suboptimal, non-seamount habitats.

76 FR 33641 - Safety Zone; The Pacific Grove Feast of Lanterns, Fireworks Display, Pacific Grove, CA

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-09

...-AA00 Safety Zone; The Pacific Grove Feast of Lanterns, Fireworks Display, Pacific Grove, CA AGENCY... support of the Pacific Grove Feast of Lanterns Fireworks Display. This safety zone is established to... Purpose Pacific Grove Feast of Lanterns will sponsor the Pacific Grove Feast of Lanterns Fireworks Display...

Coast Guard Compass

Science.gov (United States)

looks on as Adm. Charles Ray thanks Adm. Chuck Michel for his service as the 30th vice commandant of the commandant Adm. Charles W. Ray relieved Adm. Charles D. Michel as vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard by . Following graduation and commissioning as an officer in the Coast Guard, Wright will be heading to the

Asia Pacific energy derivatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fusaro, P.C.

1997-09-01

Asia Pacific Energy Derivatives, from FT Energy, is the first report of its kind to examine the growth of energy derivatives within Asia Pacific and their increasing importance within this region. It provides a comprehensive overview of the subject, including analysis of: deregulation as a market driver; the impact of privatisation; the future for energy risk management tools; the unique characteristics of the Asia Pacific energy market; the role of futures exchanges in Asia; existing indexes and their performance; the differences between the Asia Pacific markets and their more mature counterparts in London and New York; non-oil derivatives, project finance and cross commodity arbitrage; the thriving Pacific Rim Over the Counter (OTC) markets. (author)

Mortalities of Eastern and Pacific oyster Larvae caused by the pathogens Vibrio coralliilyticus and Vibrio tubiashii.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Gary P; Watson, Michael A; Needleman, David S; Church, Karlee M; Häse, Claudia C

2015-01-01

Vibrio tubiashii is reported to be a bacterial pathogen of larval Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and has been associated with major hatchery crashes, causing shortages in seed oysters for commercial shellfish producers. Another bacterium, Vibrio coralliilyticus, a well-known coral pathogen, has recently been shown to elicit mortality in fish and shellfish. Several strains of V. coralliilyticus, such as ATCC 19105 and Pacific isolates RE22 and RE98, were misidentified as V. tubiashii until recently. We compared the mortalities caused by two V. tubiashii and four V. coralliilyticus strains in Eastern and Pacific oyster larvae. The 50% lethal dose (LD50) of V. coralliilyticus in Eastern oysters (defined here as the dose required to kill 50% of the population in 6 days) ranged from 1.1 × 10(4) to 3.0 × 10(4) CFU/ml seawater; strains RE98 and RE22 were the most virulent. This study shows that V. coralliilyticus causes mortality in Eastern oyster larvae. Results for Pacific oysters were similar, with LD50s between 1.2 × 10(4) and 4.0 × 10(4) CFU/ml. Vibrio tubiashii ATCC 19106 and ATCC 19109 were highly infectious toward Eastern oyster larvae but were essentially nonpathogenic toward healthy Pacific oyster larvae at dosages of ≥1.1 × 10(4) CFU/ml. These data, coupled with the fact that several isolates originally thought to be V. tubiashii are actually V. coralliilyticus, suggest that V. coralliilyticus has been a more significant pathogen for larval bivalve shellfish than V. tubiashii, particularly on the U.S. West Coast, contributing to substantial hatchery-associated morbidity and mortality in recent years. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Latitudinal variation in nematode diversity and ecological roles along the Chinese coast.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jihua; Chen, Huili; Zhang, Youzheng

2016-11-01

To test changes in the phylogenetic relatedness, niche breadth, and life-history strategies of nematodes along a latitudinal gradient. Sixteen wetland locations along the Pacific coast of China, from 20°N to 40°N. Linear regression was used to relate nematode phylogenetic relatedness (average taxonomic distinctness (AvTD) and average phylogenetic diversity [AvPD]), life-history group (based on " c - p " colonizer-persister group classification), and dietary specificity (based on guild classification of feeding selectivity) to latitude. Wetland nematode taxonomic diversity (richness and Shannon diversity indices) decreased with increasing latitude along the Chinese coast. Phylogenetic diversity indices (AvTD and AvPD) significantly increased with increasing latitude. This indicates that at lower latitudes, species within the nematode community were more closely related. With increasing latitude, the nematode relative richness and abundance decreased for selective deposit feeders but increased for nonselective deposit feeders. The proportion of general opportunists decreased with increasing latitude, but persisters showed the opposite trend. The annual temperature range and the pH of sediments were more important than vegetation type in structuring nematode communities. Nematode niche breadth was narrower at lower latitudes with respect to dietary specificity. Higher latitudes with a more variable climate favor r over K life-history strategists. Nematode communities at lower latitudes contained more closely related species.

High-resolution Atmospheric pCO2 Reconstruction across the Paleogene Using Marine and Terrestrial δ13C records

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Y.; Schubert, B.

2016-02-01

The early Paleogene (63 to 47 Ma) is considered to have a greenhouse climate1 with proxies suggesting atmospheric CO2 levels (pCO2) approximately 2× pre-industrial levels. However, the proxy based pCO2 reconstructions are limited and do not allow for assessment of changes in pCO2 at million to sub-million year time scales. It has recently been recognized that changes in C3 land plant carbon isotope fractionation can be used as a proxy for pCO2 with quantifiable uncertainty2. Here, we present a high-resolution pCO2 reconstruction (n = 597) across the early Paleogene using published carbon isotope data from both terrestrial organic matter and marine carbonates. The minimum and maximum pCO2 values reconstructed using this method are broad (i.e., 170 +60/-40 ppmv to 2000 +4480/-1060 ppmv) and reflective of the wide range of environments sampled. However, the large number of measurements allows for a robust estimate of average pCO2 during this time interval ( 400 +260/-120 ppmv), and indicates brief (sub-million-year) excursions to very high pCO2 during hyperthermal events (e.g., the PETM). By binning our high-resolution pCO2 data at 1 million year intervals, we can compare our dataset to the other available pCO2 proxies. Our result is broadly consistent with pCO2 levels reconstructed using other proxies, with the exception of paleosol-based pCO2 estimates spanning 53 to 50 Ma. At this timescale, no proxy suggests pCO2 higher than 2000 ppmv, whereas the global surface ocean temperature is considered to be >10 oC warmer than today. Recent climate modeling suggests that low atmospheric pressure during this time period could help reconcile the apparent disconnect between pCO2 and temperature and contribute to the greenhouse climate3. References1. Huber, M., Caballero, R., 2011. Climate of the Past 7, 603-633. 2. Schubert, B.A., Jahren, A.H., 2015. Geology 43, 435-438. 3. Poulsen, C.J., Tabor, C., White, J.D., 2015. Science 348, 1238-1241.

Pacific Equatorial Transect

OpenAIRE

Pälike, Heiko; Nishi, Hiroshi; Lyle, Mitch; Raffi, Isabella; Klaus, Adam; Gamage, Kusali

2009-01-01

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 320/321, "Pacific Equatorial Age Transect" (Sites U1331–U1338), was designed to recover a continuous Cenozoic record of the paleoequatorial Pacific by coring above the paleoposition of the Equator at successive crustal ages on the Pacific plate. These sediments record the evolution of the paleoequatorial climate system throughout the Cenozoic. As we gained more information about the past movement of plates and when in Earth's history "critical" cli...

The parasite Ichthyophonus sp. in Pacific herring from the coastal NE Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Hershberger, Paul K.; Gregg, Jacob L.; Hart, Lucas M.; Moffitt, Steve; Brenner, Richard L.; Stick, K.; Coonradt, Eric; Otis, E. O.; Vollenweider, Johanna J.; Garver, Kyle A.; Lovy, Jan; Meyers, T.R.

2016-01-01

The protistan parasite Ichthyophonus occurred in populations of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii Valenciennes throughout coastal areas of the NE Pacific, ranging from Puget Sound, WA north to the Gulf of Alaska, AK. Infection prevalence in local Pacific herring stocks varied seasonally and annually, and a general pattern of increasing prevalence with host size and/or age persisted throughout the NE Pacific. An exception to this zoographic pattern occurred among a group of juvenile, age 1+ year Pacific herring from Cordova Harbor, AK in June 2010, which demonstrated an unusually high infection prevalence of 35%. Reasons for this anomaly were hypothesized to involve anthropogenic influences that resulted in locally elevated infection pressures. Interannual declines in infection prevalence from some populations (e.g. Lower Cook Inlet, AK; from 20–32% in 2007 to 0–3% during 2009–13) or from the largest size cohorts of other populations (e.g. Sitka Sound, AK; from 62.5% in 2007 to 19.6% in 2013) were likely a reflection of selective mortality among the infected cohorts. All available information for Ichthyophonus in the NE Pacific, including broad geographic range, low host specificity and presence in archived Pacific herring tissue samples dating to the 1980s, indicate a long-standing host–pathogen relationship.

A decadal tropical Pacific condition unfavorable to central Pacific El Niño

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Wenxiu; Zheng, Xiao-Tong; Cai, Wenju

2017-08-01

The frequency of central Pacific (CP) El Niño events displays strong decadal variability but the associated dynamics are unclear. The Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) and the tropical Pacific decadal variability (TPDV) are two dominant modes of tropical Pacific decadal variability that can interact with high-frequency activities. Using a 500 year control integration from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Earth System Model, we find that the difference in mean state between the low-frequency and high-frequency CP El Niño periods is similar to the decadal background condition concurrently contributed by a negative IPO and a positive TPDV. This decadal state features strengthened trade winds west of the International Date Line and anomalous cool sea surface temperatures across the central tropical Pacific. As such, positive zonal advection feedback is difficult to be generated over the central to western tropical Pacific during the CP El Niño developing season, resulting in the low CP El Niño frequency.

Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters – a comparison of the Fukushima impact with global fallout

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. P. Povinec

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Radionuclide impact of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident on the distribution of radionuclides in seawater of the NW Pacific Ocean is compared with global fallout from atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons. Surface and water column samples collected during the Ka'imikai-o-Kanaloa (KOK international expedition carried out in June 2011 were analyzed for 134Cs, 137Cs, 129I and 3H. The 137Cs, 129I and 3H levels in surface seawater offshore Fukushima varied between 0.002–3.5 Bq L−1, 0.01–0.8 μBq L−1, and 0.05–0.15 Bq L−1, respectively. At the sampling site about 40 km from the coast, where all three radionuclides were analyzed, the Fukushima impact on the levels of these three radionuclides represents an increase above the global fallout background by factors of about 1000, 50 and 3, respectively. The water column data indicate that the transport of Fukushima-derived radionuclides downward to the depth of 300 m has already occurred. The observed 137Cs levels in surface waters and in the water column are compared with predictions obtained from the ocean general circulation model, which indicates that the Kuroshio Current acts as a southern boundary for the transport of the radionuclides, which have been transported from the Fukushima coast eastward in the NW Pacific Ocean. The 137Cs inventory in the water column is estimated to be about 2.2 PBq, what can be regarded as a lower limit of the direct liquid discharges into the sea as the seawater sampling was carried out only in the area from 34 to 37° N, and from 142 to 147° E. About 4.6 GBq of 129I was deposited in the NW Pacific Ocean, and 2.4–7 GBq of 129I was directly discharged as liquid wastes into the sea offshore Fukushima. The total amount of 3H released and deposited over the NW Pacific Ocean was estimated to be 0.1–0.5 PBq. These estimations depend, however, on the evaluation of the total 137Cs activities released as liquid wastes directly into the sea, which

Chemical and geochemical studies off the coast of Washington. Report of progress, May 1974--May 1975

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, R.

1975-05-01

Results are reported from studies on the chemical, geological, and geochemical effects of the Columbia River in the northeast Pacific Ocean from May 1974 to May 1975. The studies followed three main lines of investigation: surface chemical studies of the scavenging of various species dissolved in sea water, especially lead-210, by well characterized natural particulates; studies of uptake and transfer of several isotopes, starting with polonium-210, by particularly well defined parts of the marine food web; and studies of the behavior of lead-210 and polonium-210 in sediments off the Washington coast and the application of lead-210 dating to determine sediment accumulation rates over the past 100 years in the coastal zone

Population structure of Pacific Common Eiders breeding in Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, M.R.; Flint, P.L.

2002-01-01

We used satellite telemetry to study the migration routes and wintering areas of two allopatric breeding populations of Pacific Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) in Alaska: the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and the western Beaufort Sea coast. Only 6% (2 of 36) of females wintered within the wintering area of the other breeding population. Both breeding populations wintered in the closest available ice-free habitat, perhaps to minimize migratory distance. Two Beaufort Sea females wintered in areas used by Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta females, implying potential gene flow among breeding areas. Yet, we conclude that these two populations are largely geographically isolated throughout the annual cycle and the environmental factors influencing survival and reproduction likely differ between these groups of birds. Thus, regardless of the potential gene flow among breeding populations, we suggest that birds from these two breeding areas should be managed as separate populations. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2002.

Changes in atmospheric rivers and moisture transport over the Northeast Pacific and western North America in response to ENSO diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hye-Mi; Zhou, Yang; Alexander, Michael A.

2017-03-01

The year-to-year changes in atmospheric rivers (ARs) and moisture transport over the northeast Pacific and western North America are investigated during December to February (DJF) from 1979/80 to 2015/16. Changes in AR frequency, intensity, and landfall characteristics are compared between three ENSO phases: central Pacific El Niño (CPEN), eastern Pacific El Niño (EPEN), and La Niña (NINA). During EPEN events, the subtropical jet extends to the south and east with an anomalous cyclonic flow around a deeper Aleutian Low. More moisture is transported towards North America and AR frequency is increased over western North America. In CPEN events, the Aleutian low shifts further southward relative to its position in EPEN, resulting in an increase in the frequency and intensity of landfalling ARs over the southwestern US. In NINA events, the landfalling AR frequency is reduced associated with anomalous anticyclonic circulation over the eastern North Pacific. We diagnose the contribution of multiple factors to the seasonal mean moisture transport using moisture budgets. During the three ENSO phases, the change in low-frequency circulation (dynamical process) is the leading contributor to the seasonal mean moisture flux divergence, while the contributions of the synoptic anomalies and the change in moisture anomaly (thermodynamic process) are not significant along the west coast of North America.

Small protohistoric sites (fishing villages?) on the saurashtra coast, West Coast of India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Gaur, A.S.; Sundaresh

During the maritime archaeological explorations a few sites of protohistoric in nature have been noticed along the saurashtra coast. the trial excavations of a few sites namely Bet Dwarka and Bhokhira on the western saurashtra coast yielded...

Coast Live Oak Thinning Study in the Central Coast of California

Science.gov (United States)

Norman H. Pillsbury; Michael J. DeLasaux; Timothy R. Plumb

1987-01-01

Abstract: Along-term thinning study was established in ten stands of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia N in the Central Coast of California. Information about diameter, basal area, and volume growth and yield is being obtained from unthinned control plots and from plots thinned to 50 and 100 square feet of basal area per acre. Descriptive information was also collected...

Future Developments for the Earthquake Early Warning System following the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, M.; Mori, J. J.

2011-12-01

The 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake (Mw9.0) caused significant damage over a large area of northeastern Honshu. An earthquake early warning was issued to the public in the Tohoku region about 8 seconds after the first P-arrival, which is 31 seconds after the origin time. There was no 'blind zone', and warnings were received at all locations before S-wave arrivals, since the earthquake was fairly far offshore. Although the early warning message was properly reported in Tohoku region which was the most severely affected area, a message was not sent to the more distant Tokyo region because the intensity was underestimated. . This underestimation was because the magnitude determination in the first few seconds was relatively small (Mj8.1)., and there was no consideration of a finite fault with a long length. Another significant issue is that warnings were sometimes not properly provided for aftershocks. Immediately following the earthquake, the waveforms of some large aftershocks were contaminated by long-period surface waves from the mainshock, which made it difficult to pick P-wave arrivals. Also, correctly distinguishing and locating later aftershocks was sometimes difficult, when multiple events occurred within a short period of time. This masinhock begins with relatively small moment release for the first 10 s . Since the amplitude of the initial waveforms is small, most methods that use amplitudes and periods of the P-wave (e.g. Wu and Kanamori, 2005) cannot correctly determine the size of the4 earthquake in the first several seconds. The current JMA system uses the peak displacement amplitude for the magnitude estimation, and the magnitude saturated at about M8 1 minute after the first P-wave arrival. . Magnitudes of smaller earthquakes can be correctly identified from the first few seconds of P- or S-wave arrivals, but this M9 event cannot be characterized in such a short time. The only way to correctly characterize the size of the Tohoku

Species profiles: Life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Pacific Northwest)--ghost and blue mud shrimp

Science.gov (United States)

Hornig, S.; Sterling, A.; Smith, Styles

1989-01-01

Geographic range: The ghost shrimp is found in intertidal areas along the west coast of North America from Mutiny Bay, Alaska, to the mouth of the Tijuana River, San Diego County, California; MacGinitie (1934) and Ricketts and Calvin (1968) reported finding specimens as far south as El Estuario de Punto Banda, Baja California Norte, Mexico. The blue mud shrimp is found from southeastern Alaska to San Quentin Bay (Bahia de San Quentin) in Baja California Norte. The general distribution of the two species in the Pacific Northwest is identical (Figure 3).

Using Detrital Zircon Geochronology to Constrain Paleogene Provenance and Its Relationship to Rifting in the Zhu 1 Depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Ye, Jiaren; Bidgoli, Tandis; Yang, Xianghua; Shi, Hesheng; Shu, Yu

2017-11-01

Paleogene syn-rift successions in the South China Sea are poorly understood and systematic provenance analysis, which could provide clues to their history, is lacking. Here we report 409 new concordant U-Pb ages from detrital zircons separated from the Paleogene Wenchang, Enping, and Zhuhai formations in the Zhu 1 depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin. The new data, combined with the published age data from the region, document changes in the provenance of syn-rift successions. Detrital zircons from the Eocene Wenchang Formation are unimodal, with Jurassic-Cretaceous (180-80 Ma) ages making up >80% of grains. The ages are consistent with the geochronology of intrabasinal highs, dominated by igneous rocks emplaced during the Yanshanian orogeny, and suggest local provenance. By contrast, detrital zircons from the upper Eocene to lower Oligocene Enping Formation form three well-recognized age-clusters, with peaks at 150, 254, and 438 Ma that match documented tectonomagmatism in South China Block (SCB). Combined with increasing numbers of Precambrian zircons, the data suggest increasing influence of regional provenance of the SCB. Similar age peaks are also recognized from the limited number of zircons analyzed from the upper Oligocene Zhuhai Formation and comparability with modern shelf and river sediment indicates the unit was mainly sourced from the SCB and likely transported by a paleo-Pearl River. We infer that the change in provenance, from local uplifts within the Zhu 1 to the SCB, is related to distinct phases of PRMB rift development; however, later changes are best explained by SCB drainage evolution.

Evaluating controls on fluvial sand-body clustering in the Ferris Formation (Cretaceous/Paleogene, Wyoming, USA)

Science.gov (United States)

Hajek, E. A.; Heller, P.

2009-12-01

A primary goal of sedimentary geologists is to interpret past tectonic, climatic, and eustatic conditions from the stratigraphic record. Stratigraphic changes in alluvial-basin fills are routinely interpreted as the result of past tectonic movements or changes in climate or sea level. Recent physical and numerical models have shown that sedimentary systems can exhibit self-organization on basin-filling time scales, suggesting that structured stratigraphic patterns can form spontaneously rather than as the result of changing boundary conditions. The Ferris Formation (Upper Cretaceous/Paleogene, Hanna Basin, Wyoming) exhibits stratigraphic organization where clusters of closely-spaced channel deposits are separated from other clusters by intervals dominated by overbank material. In order to evaluate the role of basinal controls on deposition and ascertain the potential for self-organization in this ancient deposit, the spatial patterns of key channel properties (including sand-body dimensions, paleoflow depth, maximum clast size, paleocurrent direction, and sediment provenance) are analyzed. Overall the study area lacks strong trends sand-body properties through the stratigraphic succession and in cluster groups. Consequently there is no indication that the stratigraphic pattern observed in the Ferris Formation was driven by systematic changes in climate or tectonics.

Reproductive dynamics of Pacific sanddab, Citharichthys sordidus, off the central coast of California

Science.gov (United States)

Lefebvre, Lyndsey S.; Payne, Amber M.; Field, John C.

2016-01-01

Female Pacific sanddab were collected from the Monterey Bay, California to describe their reproductive strategy and annual reproductive cycle, as well as to estimate length at maturity, fecundity, spawning fraction (SF), and spawning interval (SI). Captive females were held to examine degradation of spawning markers and confirmed the biological spawning capabilities of the species. The reproductive season extended from May through January, as determined through macroscopic and histological examination of ovaries. Oocyte development was asynchronous, and an indeterminate fecundity pattern was displayed. Absolute and relative batch fecundity values were variable (means = 6663 eggs and 54 eggs g- 1 somatic weight, respectively) and significantly related to maternal length. During the period of highest reproductive activity, SF ranged from 0.42 to 0.98, suggesting some females were spawning on a daily basis. Monthly SF and SI were related to length, with smaller females having a truncated season and lower SF compared to larger females. Lengths at 50% (119 mm) and 95% (149 mm) maturity showed a downward shift relative to the 1940s, though the magnitude and cause of this shift remain unknown. This study highlights the importance of considering demographic shifts and size-related dynamics when modeling a stock's reproductive potential.

North America and Asia Pacific LNG markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pirie, J.D.

1997-01-01

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) export opportunities in the Asia Pacific market were reviewed. Some of the differences that affect a North American LNG projects compared to more typical LNG projects were also outlined. The two main aspects of the LNG market in North America include the establishment of LNG import terminals on the east and southern coasts of the United States and the development of export oriented LNG projects. The Pac-Rim LNG project calls for initial delivery to South Korea of 4.0 MTPA by the end of 2000. A large LNG project has also been proposed for the year 2005 which would use Prudhoe Bay gas. Generally, in North America, there is little use for large scale LNG import projects because of the vast pipeline network that delivers gas reliably and at low cost anywhere in North America. However, LNG remains a good alternative for the Asia Pacific region because of the lack of a pipeline network. Also, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, the three main centers for LNG demand, have no domestic energy supplies and rely on imported energy sources. China is another major market opportunity for LNG. The Pac-Rim LNG project differs from others of its kind in that usually, an LNG project is based on the availability of large reservoirs of natural gas owned by state governments and involves production agreements with multi-national oil and gas companies. This scenario is simply not possible in Canada's deregulated environment. In contrast, the existence of upstream facilities, technical expertise, and low capital costs, hence reduced risks and time to develop an LNG project, gives Canada significant advantages. 3 tabs., 3 figs

Tectonic map of the Circum-Pacific region, Pacific basin sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Scheibner, E.; Moore, G.W.; Drummond, K.J.; Dalziel, Corvalan Q.J.; Moritani, T.; Teraoka, Y.; Sato, T.; Craddock, C.

2013-01-01

Circum-Pacific Map Project: The Circum-Pacific Map Project was a cooperative international effort designed to show the relationship of known energy and mineral resources to the major geologic features of the Pacific basin and surrounding continental areas. Available geologic, mineral, and energy-resource data are being complemented by new, project-developed data sets such as magnetic lineations, seafloor mineral deposits, and seafloor sediment. Earth scientists representing some 180 organizations from more than 40 Pacific-region countries are involved in this work. Six overlapping equal-area regional maps at a scale of 1:10,000,000 form the cartographic base for the project: the four Circum-Pacific Quadrants (Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast), and the Antarctic and Arctic Sheets. There is also a Pacific Basin Sheet at a scale of 1:17,000,000. The Base Map Series and the Geographic Series (published from 1977 to 1990), the Plate-Tectonic Series (published in 1981 and 1982), the Geodynamic Series (published in 1984 and 1985), and the Geologic Series (published from 1984 to 1989) all include six map sheets. Other thematic map series in preparation include Mineral-Resources, Energy-Resources and Tectonic Maps. Altogether, more than 50 map sheets are planned. The maps were prepared cooperatively by the Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey and are available from the Branch of Distribution, U. S. Geological Survey, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225, U.S.A. The Circum-Pacific Map Project is organized under six panels of geoscientists representing national earth-science organizations, universities, and natural-resource companies. The six panels correspond to the basic map areas. Current panel chairmen are Tomoyuki Moritani (Northwest Quadrant), R. Wally Johnson (Southwest Quadrant), Ian W.D. Dalziel (Antarctic Region), vacant. (Southeast Quadrant), Kenneth J. Drummond (Northeast Quadrant), and

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) East Pacific/ North Pacific Teleconnection Pattern Index

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Monthly tabulated index of the East Pacific/ North Pacific teleconnection pattern. The data spans the period 1950 to present. The index is derived from a rotated...

X-ray fluorescent analysis on Indo-Pacific glass beads from Sungai Mas archaeological sites, Kedah, Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuliskandar Ramli; Nik Hassan Shuhaimi; Nik Abdul Rahman; Abdul Latif Samian

2011-01-01

Sungai Mas was an ancient port-kingdom located on West Coast of Peninsula Malaysia in a district of Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah, Malaysia. The port-kingdom evolved as an entrepot since fifth century AD and continuously visited by international trader from India, China, Middle East and Europe until eighteenth century AD. Sungai Mas was also one of the Indo-Pacific beads making centers in Southeast Asia since sixth to thirteenth century AD and also produced pottery and brick. X-ray fluorescent analysis (XRF) on Sungai Mas Indo-Pacific beads is carried out to determine whether the glass beads originated from Arikamedu, India or locally made by community in Sungai Mas. Totally, twenty-two samples of beads and beads materials assayed by XRF were chosen. Contents of nine major elements and nine trace elements, which might be present of flux, stabilizer, colorants or opacifier were examined. The elements Si, Na, K, Ca, Fe, Al, Ti, Mn, Mg, Cu, Pb, Zr, Sr, Ba, La, U, Ni and Cr were detectable in all samples. The concentration of elements found are discussed in terms of flux, silica or lead base glass, color and/or opacity of the glass beads and glass samples. The result showed that Sungai Mas produced their own Indo-Pacific beads from sixth to thirteenth century AD. (author)

Wintertime phytoplankton bloom in the Subarctic Pacific supported by continental margin iron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lam, Phoebe J.; Bishop, James K.B.; Henning, Cara C.; Marcus, Matthew A.; Waychunas, Glenn A.; Fung, Inez

2004-01-01

Heightened biological activity was observed in February 1996 in the high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) subarctic North Pacific Ocean, a region that is thought to be iron-limited. Here we provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that Ocean Station Papa (OSP) in the subarctic Pacific received a lateral supply of particulate iron from the continental margin off the Aleutian Islands in the winter, coincident with the observed biological bloom. Synchrotron X-ray analysis was used to describe the physical form, chemistry, and depth distributions of iron in size fractionated particulate matter samples. The analysis reveals that discrete micron-sized iron-rich hotspots are ubiquitous in the upper 200m at OSP, more than 900km from the closest coast. The specifics of the chemistry and depth profiles of the Fe hot spots trace them to the continental margins. We thus hypothesize that iron hotspots are a marker for the delivery of iron from the continental margin. We confirm the delivery of continental margin iron to the open ocean using an ocean general circulation model with an iron-like tracer source at the continental margin. We suggest that iron from the continental margin stimulated a wintertime phytoplankton bloom, partially relieving the HNLC condition

Five Sarsiellidae ostracods (Crustacea: Myodocopida) from the South Coast of Korea (East China Sea).

Science.gov (United States)

Karanovic, Ivana; Soh, Ho-Young

2015-04-17

The East China Sea is part of the Warm Temperate Northwest Pacific zoogeographic province and, as such, has a high biodiversity and many tropical and subtropical biotic elements. Nevertheless, many invertebrate groups from this area remain poorly studied. Ostracods are one of them, especially those belonging to the subclass Myodocopa. In this paper we provide the first data on a diverse myodocopid family, Sarsiellidae, not only for the East China Sea, but also for Korea. Five species are reported in this paper from three Korean islands (Jeju, Chuja, and Maemul), and they are only a part of the ostracods collected during this study, indicating a high diversity of the group in this region. Three new species, Eurypylus koreanus sp. nov., Eusarsiella hanguk sp. nov., and Sarsiella nereis sp. nov., clearly stand apart from their respective congeners, mostly by prominent shell characters but also by details of the soft part morphology. Their affinity though clearly indicates a close connection of the region with the more southern zoogeographical realms, especially Central Indo Pacific and partly Temperate Australasia. Two species previously known from Japan (north part of the Sea of Japan and southeastern part of the Pacific Coast of Japan), Sarsiella japonica Hiruta, 1977 and S. misakiensis Kajiyama, 1912, are redescribed. Based on 11 newly obtained COI sequences we construct a preliminary phylogenetic tree, which supports previous hypotheses based on the morphological data, that Eusarsiella Cohen & Kornicker, 1975 is a polyphyletic taxon. With the maps of species distribution provided for each of the three genera, we give an overview of their current zoogeography, and clearly indicate areas that have no data, mostly due to the lack of investigation.

Phytoplankton blooms induced/sustained by cyclonic eddies during the Indian Ocean Dipole event of 1997 along the southern coasts of Java and Sumatra

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, P. Rahul Chand; Salvekar, P. S.

2008-09-01

The Indonesian archipelago is the gateway in the tropics connecting two oceans (Pacific and the Indian Ocean) and two continents (Asia and Australia). During the Indian Ocean Dipole 1997, record anomalous and unanticipated upwelling had occurred along the southern coasts of Java and Sumatra causing massive phytoplankton blooms. But the method/mode/process for such anomalous upwelling was not known. Using monthly SeaWifs chlorophyll-a anomalies, TOPEX Sea Surface Height (SSH) anomalies, Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) and currents from a state-of-the-art OGCM, we report the presence of a series of cyclonic eddies along southern coasts of Sumatra and Java during November, December 1997 and January 1998. Upwelling caused by these cyclonic eddies, as also supported by the SSH and SST anomalies, has been responsible for the phytoplankton blooms to persist and dissipate during the 3 months (November, December 1997 and January 1998).

Cranial anatomy of Paleogene Micromomyidae and implications for early primate evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Bloch, Jonathan I; Chester, Stephen G B; Silcox, Mary T

2016-07-01

Paleogene micromomyids are small (∼10-40 g) euarchontan mammals with primate-like molars and postcrania suggestive of committed claw-climbing positional behaviors, similar to those of the extant arboreal treeshrew, Ptilocercus. Based primarily on evidence derived from dental and postcranial morphology, micromomyids have alternately been allied with plesiadapiforms, Dermoptera (colugos), or Primatomorpha (Primates + Dermoptera) within Euarchonta. Partial crania described here of Paleocene Dryomomys szalayi and Eocene Tinimomys graybulliensis from the Clarks Fork Basin of Wyoming are the first known for the family Micromomyidae. The cranium of D. szalayi exhibits a distinct, small groove near the lateral extreme of the promontorium, just medial to the fenestra vestibuli, the size of which suggests that the internal carotid artery was non-functional, as has been inferred for paromomyid and plesiadapid plesiadapiforms, but not for Eocene euprimates, carpolestids, and microsyopids. On the other hand, D. szalayi is similar to fossil euprimates and plesiadapoids in having a bullar morphology consistent with an origin that is at least partially petrosal, unlike that of paromomyids and microsyopids, although this interpretation will always be tentative in fossils that lack exhaustive ontogenetic data. Micromomyids differ from all other known plesiadapiforms in having an inflated cochlear part of the bony labyrinth and a highly pneumatized squamosal and mastoid region with associated septa. Cladistic analyses that include new cranial data, regardless of how bullar composition is coded in plesiadapiforms, fail to support either Primatomorpha or a close relationship between micromomyids and dermopterans, instead suggesting that micromomyids are among the most primitive known primates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial distribution of fall out 137Cs in the marine environment of Kudankulam and its comparison with Indian and Asia Pacific Regional sea water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vijayakumar, B.; Thomas, G.; Selvi, B.S.; Ravi, P.M.; Tripathi, R.M.

2017-01-01

Benchmarking the fallout 137 Cs in the coastal marine environment assumes significance in view of expansion of nuclear power plants in India and the Asia-Pacific region. This paper presents a snapshot of 137 Cs activity in marine coastal water samples collected around Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant site across a 50 km stretch from Kanyakumari to Uvari and attempts to compare with the 137 Cs concentration observed across Indian coastal region and Asia Pacific regional sea water. 137 Cs activity of the Kudankulam coast ranges from ≤ 0.40 - 1.92 mBq/L with a GM value of 1.0 mBq/L. In general, 137 Cs activity in sea water of the entire Indian coastal region varies from 0.30 - 1.25 mBq/L, which may be considered as global fallout. (author)

Morfología y distribución de Porphyra hollenbergii (Bangiaceae, Rhodophyta en la costa del Pacífico de México Morphology and distribution of Porphyra hollenbergii (Bangiaceae, Rhodophyta in the Pacific coast of México

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R Aguilar-Rosas

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Resumen Se registra la presencia y estacionalidad de Porphyra hollenbergii (Bangiaceae, Rhodophyta para la costa del Pacífico de México, con base en material recolectado durante el periodo de enero a mayo del 2003 y un análisis de ejemplares depositados en herbarios nacionales y extranjeros. Se describen en forma detallada los caracteres morfológicos y reproductores de los talos, así como su hábitat y distribución geográfica en el área de estudio. La estacionalidad de la fase macroscópica de P. hollenbergii comprende de febrero a mayo (invierno-primavera.Occurrence and seasonality of Porphyra hollenbergii (Bangiaceae, Rhodophyta is reported for the Pacific coast of Mexico, based on sampling conducted in 2003 and those deposited in national and foreign herbarium. We describe details of morphology and reproductive characters of the thallus, as well as its habitat and geographic distribution. We determined that P. hollenbergii is a seasonal species in its macroscopic phase from February to May (winter - spring.

Transport and Thermohaline Structure in the Western Tropical North Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Schonau, Martha Coakley

Transport and thermohaline structure of water masses and their respective variability are observed and modeled in the western tropical North Pacific using autonomous underwater gliders, Argo climatology and a numerical ocean state estimate. The North Equatorial Current (NEC) advects subtropical and subpolar water masses into the region that are transported equatorward by the Mindanao Current (MC). Continuous glider observations of these two currents from June 2009 to December 2013 provide absolute geostrophic velocity, water mass structure, and transport. The observations are compared to Argo climatology (Roemmich and Gilson, 2009), wind and precipitation to assess forcing, and annual and interannual variability. Observations are assimilated into a regional ocean state estimate (1/6°) to examine regional transport variability and its relationship to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation phenomena (ENSO). The NEC, described in Chapter 1, is observed along 134.3°E, from 8.5°N to 16.5°N. NEC thermocline transport is relatively constant, with a variable subthermocline transport that is distinguished by countercurrents centered at 9.6°N and 13.1°N. Correlation between thermocline and subthermocline transport is strong. Isopycnals with subducted water masses, the North Pacific Tropical Water and North Pacific Intermediate Water, have the greatest fine-scale thermohaline variance. The NEC advects water masses into the MC, described in Chapter 2, that flows equatorward along the coast of Mindanao. Gliders observed the MC at a mean latitude of 8.5°N. The Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC) persists in the subthermocline offshore of the MC, with a net poleward transport of intermediate water typical of South Pacific origin. The variable subthermocline transport in the MC/MUC has an inverse linear relationship with the Nino 3.4 index and strongly impacts total transport variability. For each the MC and NEC, surface salinity and thermocline depth have a strong relationship with ENSO

Recent Progresses in Impacts of Indo-Western Pacific Ocean on East Asian Monsoon

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Li, Jianping

2016-04-01

Some progresses in impacts of Western Pacific Ocean (WPO) on East Asian monsoon and stratosphere climate are reviewed from the following aspects. (1) Impact of the IPOD (a cross-basin dipole pattern of SSTA variability between the Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) and North Pacific Ocean) on the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM).The IPOD exhibits a considerable correlation with the EASM. In summers with a positive IPOD phase, the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) weakens and shrinks with WPSH ridge moving northwards, which favours an intensified EASM and a decrease in summer rainfall in the Yangtze River valley, and vice versa. (2) TheIndo-Western Pacific convection oscillation (IPCO),which is an out-of-phase fluctuation in convection anomalies between the north Indian Ocean and the western North Pacific region,is closely related to the EASM.Negative IPCO phases, which exhibit an enhanced convection over the north Indian Ocean and a suppressed convection over the western North Pacific, favor a weakened EASM and an increase of summer rainfall in the Yangtze River valley with the joint actions of the stronger than normal Ural and Okhotsk blocking highs and the subtropical western Pacific high, and vice versa.(3) Asymmetric influence of the two types of ENSO on summer rainfall in China. The two types of ENSO have asymmetric impacts on summer rainfall over the Yangtze River Valley. The relation between summer rainfall over this valley and the cold tongue (CT) El Niño is significantly positive, while the relation with the CT La Niña is not significant. The negative phase of the warm pool (WP) ENSO has a significant positive influence, whereas no significant relation with the positive phase. They indicated that this asymmetric response of the EASM is likely to be linked to the different spatial patterns of the two types of ENSO.(4) Linkage between recent winter precipitation increase in the middle-lower Yangtze River valley (MLY) since the late 1970s andwarming in the

Spatial Reconnaissance : Technical Report ComCoast

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhagen, H.J.; Ahlhorn, F.

2005-01-01

ComCoast (Combined Functions in Coastal Defence Zones) is an INTERREG IIIB project funded by the EU. ComCoast aims to develop and demonstrate innovative solutions for flood protection in coastal areas. In ComCoast, five countries from the North Sea Region are involved: Belgium, Denmark, The

Iridium anomaly in the cretaceous-paleogene boundary at Højerup (Stevns Klint, Denmark and Woodside Creek (New Zealand: The question of an enormous proportion of extraterrestrial component

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Premović Pavle I.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary clays at Højerup and Woodside Creek show anomalous enrichments of iridium compared with the marine sedimentary rocks. For the average iridium content of 465 ppb in CI chondrite the estimate of the carbonaceous chondritic proportions in the decarbonated iridium-rich boundary layers, based on the integrated iridium fluencies, is about 26% at Højerup and 65% at Woodside Creek. These proportions are most likely too high due to a significant Ir influx from the nearby marine or continental site to these sections.

Modeling (137)Cs bioaccumulation in the salmon-resident killer whale food web of the Northeastern Pacific following the Fukushima Nuclear Accident.

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Alava, Juan José; Gobas, Frank A P C

2016-02-15

To track the long term bioaccumulation of (137)Cs in marine organisms off the Pacific Northwest coast of Canada, we developed a time dependent bioaccumulation model for (137)Cs in a marine mammalian food web that included fish-eating resident killer whales. The model outcomes show that (137)Cs can be expected to gradually bioaccumulate in the food web over time as demonstrated by the increase of the apparent trophic magnification factor of (137)Cs, ranging from 0.76 after 1 month of exposure to 2.0 following 30 years of exposure. (137)Cs bioaccumulation is driven by relatively rapid dietary uptake rates, moderate depuration rates in lower trophic level organisms and slow elimination rates in high trophic level organisms. Model estimates of the (137)Cs activity in species of the food web, based on current measurements and forecasts of (137)Cs activities in oceanic waters and sediments off the Canadian Pacific Northwest, indicate that the long term (137)Cs activities in fish species including Pacific herring, wild Pacific salmon, sablefish and halibut will remain well below the current (137)Cs-Canada Action Level for consumption (1000 Bq/kg) following a nuclear emergency. Killer whales and Pacific salmon are expected to exhibit the largest long term (137)Cs activities and may be good sentinels for monitoring (137)Cs in the region. Assessment of the long term consequences of (137)Cs releases from the Fukushima aftermath should consider the extent of ecological magnification in addition to ocean dilution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pu isotopes in the western North Pacific Ocean before the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, M.; Zheng, J.; Aono, T.

2011-12-01

Anthropogenic radionuclides such as Pu-239 (half-life: 24100 yr), Pu-240 (half-life: 6560 yr) and Pu-241 (half-life: 14.325 yr) mainly have been released into the environment as the result of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. In the North Pacific Ocean, two distinct sources of Pu isotopes can be identified; i.e., the global stratospheric fallout and close-in tropospheric fallout from nuclear weapons testing at the Pacific Proving Grounds in the Marshall Islands. The atom ratio of Pu-240/Pu-239 is a powerful fingerprint to identify the sources of Pu in the ocean. The Pu-240/Pu-239 atom ratios in seawater and marine sediment samples collected in the western North Pacific before the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station will provide useful background data for understanding the process controlling Pu transport and for distinguishing future Pu sources. The atom ratios of Pu-240/Pu-239 in water columns from the Yamato and Tsushima Basins in the Japan Sea were significantly higher than the mean global fallout ratio of 0.18; however, there were no temporal variation of atom ratios during the period from 1984 to 1993 in the Japan Sea. The total Pu-239+240 inventories in the whole water columns were approximately doubled during the period from 1984 to 1993 in the two basins. The atom ratio of Pu-240/Pu-239 in surface water from Sagami Bay, western North Pacific Ocean, was 0.224 and showed no notable variation from the surface to the bottom with the mean atom ratio being 0.234. The atom ratios for the Pacific coast, near the Rokkasho nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, were approximately the same as the 0.224 ratio obtained from Sagami Bay, western North Pacific margin. The atom ratios in the surficial sediments from Sagami Bay ranged from 0.229 to 0.247. The mean atom ratio in the sediment columns in the East China Sea ranged from 0.248 for the Changjiang estuary to 0.268 for the shelf edge. The observed atom ratios were significantly higher than the mean

Gridded multibeam bathymetry of Howland Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Gridded bathymetry at 40m resolution surrounding Howland Island, within the Pacific Remote Island Areas - Central Pacific Ocean. Bottom coverage was achieved in...

Lionfish abundance, size structure and spatial distribution along the Venezuelan coast (Pterois volitans, Pteroinae: Scorpaenidae

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Esteban A. Agudo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The recent invasion of lionfish (Pterois volitans in the Atlantic is considered a new threat to benthic and fish communities in the Caribbean region. This species was first reported in Venezuela in 2009 at various sites. Increasing reports in the past five years suggest lionfish has expanded its range of distribution and habitats. Nevertheless, this information is mostly anecdotal and extensive surveys aimed to determine its abundance, size structure and other ecological aspects encompassing wider spatial scales are necessary to understand the actual role of this species on sub-tidal marine communities in Venezuela. We determined its density and population size structure through visual census along the Venezuelan coast. Visual censuses were made following strip transects at a depth between 5 and 20m and in daylight time, at 19 sites in five localities. Average density ranged between 7 to 55 individuals per hectare among sites. Most individuals were adults and most were found in caves, coexisting with other lionfish or with different species, while others were actively preying. The fish Pterois volitans seems to be well-established along the Venezuelan coast in densities that in some sites appear to be higher than in their Pacific native range but lower than in some invaded localities of the Atlantic.

Gridded multibeam bathymetry of Baker Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Central Pacific

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Gridded bathymetry at 40m resolution surrounding Baker Island, within the Pacific Remote Island Areas - Central Pacific Ocean. Bottom coverage was achieved in depths...

33 CFR 23.10 - Coast Guard emblem.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Coast Guard emblem. 23.10 Section... DISTINCTIVE MARKINGS FOR COAST GUARD VESSELS AND AIRCRAFT § 23.10 Coast Guard emblem. (a) The distinctive emblem of the Coast Guard shall be as follows: On a disc the shield of the Coat of Arms of the United...

Isotopic signatures of otoliths and the stock structure of canary rockfish along the Washington and Oregon coast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Yongwen; Svec, Russell A.; Wallace, Farron R.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Otoliths of 120 canary rockfish were analyzed for δ 18 O and δ 13 C. ► δ 18 O and δ 13 C values of the otoliths ranged from −0.2‰ to +1.7‰ and −5.4‰ to −1.4‰. ► No separation was observed from the isotopic data and δ 18 O vs. δ 13 C correlation. ► No significant difference was computed between WA and OR samples especially in δ 13 C. ► Canary rockfish may belong to a single spawning stock or population coast-wide. - Abstract: Canary rockfish are one of the commercially important rockfish species along the US Pacific coast. Yet little is known about their life history and stock structure. In this study 120 canary rockfish otoliths were collected from waters off the Washington and Oregon coast and subjected to stable O and C isotope (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) analyses. One powder sample was taken from the nucleus of each otolith, and the other from the 5th annual ring. Data from otolith nuclei can provide information on the natal sources and spawning stock separations, while data from age-1 to age-5 may indicate changes in fish habitat. Overall the δ 18 O values in otoliths of canary rockfish ranged from −0.2‰ to +1.7‰, whereas δ 13 C values of the same samples ranged from −5.4‰ to −1.4‰. The isotopic data and correlation of δ 18 O versus δ 13 C did not show clear separation between Washington and Oregon samples, similar to those for a previous study on yelloweye rockfish from the same region. These results suggest that canary rockfish may belong to a single spawning stock or population along the Washington and Oregon coast

Late Paleogene-early Neogene dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy of the eastern Equatorial Atlantic

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Awad, Walaa K.; Oboh-Ikuenobe, Francisca E.

2018-04-01

Six dinoflagellate cyst biozones (zone 1-zone 5, subzones 1a and 1b) are recognized in the late Paleogene-early Neogene interval of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 959 (Hole 959 A), Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Transform Margin in the eastern Equatorial Atlantic. The biozones are based on palynological analysis of 30 samples covering a 273.2-m interval with generally fair preservation and good to poor recovery. We propose a new age of Late Eocene (Priabonian) for subunit IIB as opposed to the previously published mid-Early Oligocene age (middle Rupelian). This age assignment is mainly based on the presence of Late Eocene marker taxa, such as Hemiplacophora semilunifera and Schematophora speciosa in the lower part of the studied interval. We also document for the first time a hiatus event within dinoflagellate cyst zone 3, based on the last occurrences of several taxa. This interval is assigned to an Early Miocene age and is barren of other microfossils. Furthermore, we propose new last occurrences for two species. The last occurrence of Cerebrocysta bartonensis is observed in the late Aquitanian-early Burdigalian in this study vs. Priabonian-early Rupelian in mid and high latitude regions. Also, the last occurrence of Chiropteridium galea extends to the latest Early Miocene (Burdigalian) in ODP Hole 959 A; this event was previously identified in other studies as Chattian in equatorial regions, and Aquitanian in the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes. We suspect that these differences are due to physical (offshore vs. nearshore) and latitudinal locations of the areas studied.

Petrography of the Paleogene Volcanic Rocks of the Sierra Maestra, Southeastern Cuba

Science.gov (United States)

Bemis, V. L.

2006-12-01

This study is a petrographic analysis of over 200 specimens of the Paleogene volcanic rocks of the Sierra Maestra (Southerneastern Cuba), a key structure in the framework of the northern Caribbean plate boundary evolution. The purpose of this study is to understand the eruptive processes and the depositional environments. The volcanic sequence in the lower part of the Sierra Maestra begins with highly porphyritic pillow lavas, topped by massive tuffs and autoclastic flows. The presence of broken phenocrystals, palagonitic glass and hyaloclastites in this section of the sequence suggests that the prevalent mode of eruption was explosive. The absence of welding in the tuffs suggests that the rocks were emplaced in a deep submarine environment. Coherent flows, much less common than the massive tuffs, show evidence of autoclastic fracturing, also indicating low temperature-submarine environments. These observations support the hypothesis that the Sierra Maestra sequence may be neither part of the Great Antilles Arc of the Mesozoic nor any other fully developed volcanic arc, rather a 250 km long, submarine eruptive system of dikes, flows and sills, most likely a back-arc structure. The volcanic rocks of the upper sequence are all very fine grained, reworked volcaniclastic materials, often with the structures of distal turbidities, in mode and texture similar to those drilled on the Cayman Rise. This study suggests that the Sierra Maestra most likely records volcanism of diverse sources: a local older submarine source, and one or more distal younger sources, identifiable with the pan-Caribbean volcanic events of the Tertiary.

Early Paleogene Orbital Variations in Atmospheric CO2 and New Astronomical Solutions

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Zeebe, R. E.

2017-12-01

Geologic records across the globe show prominent variations on orbital time scales during numerous epochs going back hundreds of millions of years. The origin of the Milankovic cycles are variations in orbital parameters of the bodies of the Solar System. On long time scales, the orbital variations can not be computed analytically because of the chaotic nature of the Solar System. Thus, numerical solutions are used to estimate changes in, e.g., Earth's orbital parameters in the past. The orbital solutions represent the backbone of cyclostratigraphy and astrochronology, now widely used in geology and paleoclimatology. Hitherto only two solutions for Earth's eccentricity appear to be used in paleoclimate studies, provided by two different groups that integrated the full Solar System equations over the past >100 Myr. In this presentation, I will touch on the basic physics behind, and present new results of, accurate Solar System integrations for Earth's eccentricity over the past hundred million years. I will discuss various limitations within the framework of the present simulations and compare the results to existing solutions. Furthermore, I will present new results from practical applications of such orbital solutions, including effects of orbital forcing on coupled climate- and carbon cycle variations. For instance, we have recently revealed a mechanism for a large lag between changes in carbon isotope ratios and eccentricity at the 400-kyr period, which has been observed in Paleocene, Oligocene, and Miocene sections. Finally, I will present the first estimates of orbital-scale variations in atmospheric CO2 during the early Paleogene.

Changes on the coastline of buenaventura bay (colombian pacific) and its relationship with the climatic conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Coca-Domínguez, Oswaldo; Ricaurte-Villota, Constanza; Andres Ordoñez, Silvio

2016-04-01

Some authors point out that the variability of a coastal system is the response of physical factors (climate, waves, currents, wind, etc.) or combination of some of them, for example long-term variations in the relationship between climate and supply of sedimentary material. For Colombian Pacific coast it has been said that the regimen of meso-tidal is one of the agents that contribute to changes in the morphology of the littoral zone. Between 2012-2015 was conducted a research in the mouth of Buenaventura Bay (Colombia Pacific coast), using two stations: Soldado point (southern point of the bay) and Bazan point (the northern point of the bay), for those stations the digital elevation model (DEM) was performed using a DGPS with technology GNSS the recent evolution of the coastline and changes in volume of sand from beaches for two scalar approaches were determined: annual and intra-annual. The use of ArcGIS 3D Analyst in the DEMs allowed to calculate the cubic area between the raised surfaces each month. Changes in the coastline were made using Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) an ARCGIS extension. We used zonal and meridional components of the wind data near the coast from WindSat, rainfall and sea level anomaly data from the database AVISO (Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic), and sea level pressure (SLP) from NCEP/NCAR (National Center for Environmental Prediction/ National Center for Atmospheric Research), in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Finally, climatic variables were correlated with the rates of coastal erosion and changes in sand volume of the beaches, because wind and precipitation are some of the factors in sediment transport. The study showed erosion rates with negative values in 2014 and 2015 that represent loss of land, the intra-annual variability in September and October were the highest loss of land, this coincides with the values of the highest tides of the

Monitoring of the Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of the Floods in the Guayas Watershed (Ecuadorian Pacific Coast Using Global Monitoring ENVISAT ASAR Images and Rainfall Data

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Frédéric Frappart

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The floods are an annual phenomenon on the Pacific Coast of Ecuador and can become devastating during El Niño years, especially in the Guayas watershed (32,300 km2, the largest drainage basin of the South American western side of the Andes. As limited information on flood extent in this basin is available, this study presents a monitoring of the spatio-temporal dynamics of floods in the Guayas Basin, between 2005 and 2008, using a change detection method applied to ENVISAT ASAR Global Monitoring SAR images acquired at a spatial resolution of 1 km. The method is composed of three steps. First, a supervised classification was performed to identify pixels of open water present in the Guayas Basin. Then, the separability of their radar signature from signatures of other classes was determined during the four dry seasons from 2005 to 2008. In the end, standardized anomalies of backscattering coefficient were computed during the four wet seasons of the study period to detect changes between dry and wet seasons. Different thresholds were tested to identify the flooded areas in the watershed using external information from the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. A value of −2.30 ± 0.05 was found suitable to estimate the number of inundated pixels and limit the number of false detection (below 10%. Using this threshold, monthly maps of inundation were estimated during the wet season (December to May from 2004 to 2008. The most frequently inundated areas were found to be located along the Babahoyo River, a tributary in the east of the basin. Large interannual variability in the flood extent is observed at the flood peak (from 50 to 580 km2, consistent with the rainfall in the Guayas watershed during the study period.

Redescription of the poorly known planktonic copepod Pontellopsis lubbockii (Giesbrecht, 1889) (Pontellidae) from the Eastern Tropical Pacific with a key to species

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez-Morales, Eduardo; Kozak, Eva

2012-01-01

Abstract During a survey of the epipelagic zooplankton carried out off the coast of the Mexican states of Jalisco and Colima, in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, female and male specimens of the poorly known calanoid copepod Pontellopsis lubbockii (Giesbrecht, 1889) were collected. Because previous descriptions and illustrations are largely incomplete and have caused some taxonomical confusion, this species is fully redescribed from specimens from the Mexican Pacific. The species has some characters that have been overlooked, but those related to the female genital double-somite are the most striking, it has two conical dorsal protuberances and a long ventral spiniform process unique of this species. The mouthparts of this species have not been hitherto described and figured, the flexible terminal setae of legs 3 and 4 is noteworthy. The male general morphology agrees in general with previous data, but new details of the leg 5 and geniculate antennule are added. Its mouthparts, with strong, serrate setae on the maxillae and maxillules, and a strong mandibular edge, suggest that this is a predator form. A dichotomous key for the identification of males and females of the species of Pontellopsis known from the Eastern Tropical Pacific is included. PMID:23372406

Fossil plotopterid seabirds from the Eo-Oligocene of the Olympic Peninsula (Washington State, USA: descriptions and functional morphology.

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Gareth J Dyke

Full Text Available The plotopterids (Aves, Plotopteridae were a group of extinct wing-propelled marine birds that are known from Paleogene-aged sediments (Eocene to Miocene, mostly around the Pacific Rim (especially Japan and the northwest coast of North America. While these birds exhibit a strikingly similar wing morphology to penguins (Spheniscidae, they also share derived characters with pelecaniform birds that are absent in penguins and exhibit apparently superficial similarities with auks (Alcidae: Charadriiformes. Despite quite an abundant fossil record, these birds have been little studied, and in particular their functional morphology remains little understood. Here we present osteological overviews of specimens from the northwest coast of Washington state (USA. We give an amended diagnosis for the well-represented North American genus, Tonsala Olson, 1980, describe a new large species, and examine the functional morphology of plotopterids showing that the ratio of humeral strength to femoral strength is quite low in one well-represented species Tonsala buchanani sp.nov., relative to both extant penguins and alcids. While the femoral strength of Tonsala buchanani is 'penguin-grade', its humeral strength is more 'alcid-grade'. These results have implications for understanding the mode-of-locomotion of these extinct marine birds. Although not related to Spheniscidae, our descriptions and functional results suggest that Tonsala buchanani sustained similar loads in walking, but slightly lower humeral loads during swimming, than a modern penguin. This suggests a swimming mode that is more similar to living alcids, than to the highly-specialised locomotor strategy of living and fossil penguins.

Rhadinorhynchus oligospinosus n. sp. (Acanthocephala, Rhadinorhynchidae) from mackerels in the Pacific Ocean off Peru and related rhadinorhynchids in the Pacific, with notes on metal analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Amin, Omar M; Heckmann, Richard A

2017-01-01

Specimens of a new species of Rhadinorhynchus Lühe, 1911 are described from the chub mackerel Scomber japonicus (Scombridae) and the Chilean Jack mackerel Trachurus murphyi (Carangidae) (possibly a subspecies of Trachurus symmetricus) from the Pacific Ocean off the Peruvian coast at the Port of Chicama, La Libertad. Specimens of Rhadinorhynchus oligospinosus n. sp. are somewhat small having 11-14 rows of alternating proboscis hooks with 20-22 hooks each with posteriormost hooks in a continuous ring. Ventral hooks are robust with prominent roots but dorsal hooks are slender and shorter with discoid roots. Trunk spines are in two zones separated by a non-spiny region. Anterior trunk spines are in 2-3 complete circles but posterior spines are only ventral and lateral, and do not extend posterior to the level of the posterior end of the proboscis receptacle in both sexes. The new species is closest to Rhadinorhynchus seriolae (Yamaguti, 1963) Golvan, 1969 found in Japanese and Australian waters, but not as close to 19 other species found in the same Pacific waters off Australia, Japan, and Vietnam. In R. seriolae, posterior trunk spines extend well past the receptacle in females, among other diagnostic differences. Proboscis hooks of the new species were analyzed for chemical elements using X-ray in conjunction with EDAX (energy-dispersive analysis for X-ray) software; sulfur had a higher concentration at the edge than the middle of cut hooks. © O.M. Amin et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2017.

The 2011 Tohoku-oki Earthquake related to a large velocity gradient within the Pacific plate

Science.gov (United States)

Matsubara, Makoto; Obara, Kazushige

2015-04-01

We conduct seismic tomography using arrival time data picked by the high sensitivity seismograph network (Hi-net) operated by National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED). We used earthquakes off the coast outside the seismic network around the source region of the 2011 Tohoku-oki Earthquake with the centroid depth estimated from moment tensor inversion by NIED F-net (broadband seismograph network) as well as earthquakes within the seismic network determined by Hi-net. The target region, 20-48N and 120-148E, covers the Japanese Islands from Hokkaido to Okinawa. A total of manually picked 4,622,346 P-wave and 3,062,846 S-wave arrival times for 100,733 earthquakes recorded at 1,212 stations from October 2000 to August 2009 is available for use in the tomographic method. In the final iteration, we estimate the P-wave slowness at 458,234 nodes and the S-wave slowness at 347,037 nodes. The inversion reduces the root mean square of the P-wave traveltime residual from 0.455 s to 0.187 s and that of the S-wave data from 0.692 s to 0.228 s after eight iterations (Matsubara and Obara, 2011). Centroid depths are determined using a Green's function approach (Okada et al., 2004) such as in NIED F-net. For the events distant from the seismic network, the centroid depth is more reliable than that determined by NIED Hi-net, since there are no stations above the hypocenter. We determine the upper boundary of the Pacific plate based on the velocity structure and earthquake hypocentral distribution. The upper boundary of the low-velocity (low-V) oceanic crust corresponds to the plate boundary where thrust earthquakes are expected to occur. Where we do not observe low-V oceanic crust, we determine the upper boundary of the upper layer of the double seismic zone within high-V Pacific plate. We assume the depth at the Japan Trench as 7 km. We can investigate the velocity structure within the Pacific plate such as 10 km beneath the plate boundary since the

Partial pressure (or fugacity) of carbon dioxide, salinity and other variables collected from time series observations using Bubble type equilibrator for autonomous carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement, carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and other instruments from the Mooring LaPush_125W_48N in the North Pacific Ocean from 2010-07-16 to 2015-11-19 (NODC Accession 0100072)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NODC Accession 0100072 includes chemical, physical and time series data collected from MOORINGS in the North Pacific Ocean and Olympic Coast National Marine...

Water column (CTD) profiles taken off the Oregon coast during the 2007 International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) setline survey (NODC Accession 0042046)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The U.S. West Coast has experienced a hypoxic event every year since 2002. This low dissolved oxygen condition clearly impacts the organisms living there, but it is...

Interannual to multidecadal climate forcings on groundwater resources of the U.S. West Coast

Science.gov (United States)

Velasco, Elzie M.; Gurdak, Jason J.; Dickinson, Jesse; Ferré, T.P.A.; Corona, Claudia

2017-01-01

Study regionThe U.S. West Coast, including the Pacific Northwest and California Coastal Basins aquifer systems.Study focusGroundwater response to interannual to multidecadal climate variability has important implications for security within the water–energy–food nexus. Here we use Singular Spectrum Analysis to quantify the teleconnections between AMO, PDO, ENSO, and PNA and precipitation and groundwater level fluctuations. The computer program DAMP was used to provide insight on the influence of soil texture, depth to water, and mean and period of a surface infiltration flux on the damping of climate signals in the vadose zone.New hydrological insights for the regionWe find that PDO, ENSO, and PNA have significant influence on precipitation and groundwater fluctuations across a north-south gradient of the West Coast, but the lower frequency climate modes (PDO) have a greater influence on hydrologic patterns than higher frequency climate modes (ENSO and PNA). Low frequency signals tend to be preserved better in groundwater fluctuations than high frequency signals, which is a function of the degree of damping of surface variable fluxes related to soil texture, depth to water, mean and period of the infiltration flux. The teleconnection patterns that exist in surface hydrologic processes are not necessarily the same as those preserved in subsurface processes, which are affected by damping of some climate variability signals within infiltrating water.

Phylogeography in Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns, 1848 along Two Biogeographical Provinces in the Chilean Coast.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio A González-Wevar

Full Text Available Major geologic and climatic changes during the Quaternary exerted a major role in shaping past and contemporary distribution of genetic diversity and structure of aquatic organisms in southern South America. In fact, the northern glacial limit along the Pacific coast, an area of major environmental changes in terms of topography, currents, and water salinity, represents a major biogeographic transition for marine and freshwater species. We used mitochondrial DNA sequences (D-loop to investigate the consequences of Quaternary glacial cycles over the pattern of genetic diversity and structure of G. maculatus (Pisces: Galaxiidae along two biogeographical provinces in the Chilean coast. Extreme levels of genetic diversity and strong phylogeographic structure characterize the species suggesting a low amount of influence of the last glacial cycle over its demography. However, we recognized contrasting patterns of genetic diversity and structure between main biogeographical areas here analyzed. Along the Intermediate Area (38°-41° S each estuarine population constitutes a different unit. In contrast, Magellanic populations (43°-53° S exhibited low levels of genetic differentiation. Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity and structure recorded in the species between the analyzed biogeographic areas are consistent with the marked differences in abiotic factors (i.e., different coastal configurations, Quaternary glacial histories, and oceanographic regimes and to inherent characteristics of the species (i.e., salt-tolerance, physiology, and reproductive behavior.

Phylogeography in Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns, 1848) along Two Biogeographical Provinces in the Chilean Coast

Science.gov (United States)

González-Wevar, Claudio A.; Salinas, Pilar; Hüne, Mathias; Segovia, Nicolás I.; Vargas-Chacoff, Luis; Astorga, Marcela; Cañete, Juan I.; Poulin, Elie

2015-01-01

Major geologic and climatic changes during the Quaternary exerted a major role in shaping past and contemporary distribution of genetic diversity and structure of aquatic organisms in southern South America. In fact, the northern glacial limit along the Pacific coast, an area of major environmental changes in terms of topography, currents, and water salinity, represents a major biogeographic transition for marine and freshwater species. We used mitochondrial DNA sequences (D-loop) to investigate the consequences of Quaternary glacial cycles over the pattern of genetic diversity and structure of G. maculatus (Pisces: Galaxiidae) along two biogeographical provinces in the Chilean coast. Extreme levels of genetic diversity and strong phylogeographic structure characterize the species suggesting a low amount of influence of the last glacial cycle over its demography. However, we recognized contrasting patterns of genetic diversity and structure between main biogeographical areas here analyzed. Along the Intermediate Area (38°–41° S) each estuarine population constitutes a different unit. In contrast, Magellanic populations (43°–53° S) exhibited low levels of genetic differentiation. Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity and structure recorded in the species between the analyzed biogeographic areas are consistent with the marked differences in abiotic factors (i.e., different coastal configurations, Quaternary glacial histories, and oceanographic regimes) and to inherent characteristics of the species (i.e., salt-tolerance, physiology, and reproductive behavior). PMID:26161896

Pacific Hake Characteristics Affecting the Conduct of an Acoustic Clutter Experiment off the West Coast of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-04

Blois , L. C. Hufnagle, A. R. Kronlund, J. A. Holmes, and C. D. Wilson, "The 2003 Integrated Acoustic and Trawl Survey of Pacific Hake, Merluccius...Center, Seattle, WA, 2005. 17. Fleischer, G. W., K. D. Cooke, P. H. Ressler, R. E. Thomas, S. K. de Blois , and L. C. Hufnagle, "The 2005 Integrated...Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, 2008. 18. de Blois , S. K., D. Chu, and K. D. Cooke, "Results of the 2007

Atmospheric Mercury Deposition to a Remote Islet in the Subtropical Northwest Pacific Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Sheu, G.; Lin, N.

2013-12-01

Thirty-four weekly rainwater samples were collected in 2009 at Pengjiayu, a remote islet in the subtropical Northwest (NW) Pacific Ocean with an area of 1.14 km^2, to study the distribution of rainwater mercury (Hg) concentrations and associated wet deposition fluxes. This is the first study concerning wet Hg deposition to the subtropical NW Pacific Ocean downwind of the East Asian continent, which is the major source region for Hg emissions worldwide. Sample Hg concentrations ranged from 2.25 to 22.33 ng L^-1, with a volume-weighted mean (VWM) concentration of 8.85 ng L^-1. The annual wet Hg deposition flux was 10.18 μg m^-2, about 2.5 times the fluxes measured at sites on the Pacific coast of the USA, supporting the hypothesis that deposition is higher in the western than in the eastern Pacific. Seasonal VWM concentrations were 7.23, 11.58, 7.82, and 9.84 ng L^-1, whereas seasonal wet deposition fluxes were 2.14, 3.45, 2.38, and 2.21 μg m^-2, for spring, summer, fall and winter, respectively. Higher summer wet Hg deposition was a function of both higher rainwater Hg concentration and greater rainfall. The seasonal pattern of rainwater Hg concentrations was the opposite of the general seasonal pattern of the East Asian air pollutant export. Since there is no significant anthropogenic Hg emission source on the islet of Pengjiayu, the observed high summertime rainwater Hg concentration hints at the importance of Hg(0) oxidation and/or scavenging of upper-altitude reactive gaseous Hg (RGM) by deep convection. Direct anthropogenic RGM emissions from the East Asian continent may not contribute significantly to the rainwater Hg concentrations, but anthropogenic Hg(0) emissions could be transported to the upper troposphere or marine boundary layer where they can be oxidized to produce RGM, which will then be effectively scavenged by cloud water and rainwater.

Paleogene volcanism in Central Afghanistan: Possible far-field effect of the India-Eurasia collision

Science.gov (United States)

Motuza, Gediminas; Šliaupa, Saulius

2017-10-01

A volcanic-sedimentary succession of Paleogene age is exposed in isolated patches at the southern margin of the Tajik block in the Ghor province of Central Afghanistan. The volcanic rocks range from basalts and andesites to dacites, including adakites. They are intercalated with sedimentary rocks deposited in shallow marine environments, dated biostratigraphically as Paleocene-Eocene. This age corresponds to the age of the Asyābēd andesites located in the western Ghor province estimated by the 40Ar/39Ar method as 54 Ma. The magmatism post-dates the Cimmerian collision between the Tajik block (including the Band-e-Bayan block) and the Farah Rod block located to the south. While the investigated volcanic rocks apparently bear geochemical signatures typical to an active continental margin environment, it is presumed that the magmatism was related to rifting processes most likely initiated by far-field tectonics caused by the terminal collision of the Indian plate with Eurasia (Najman et al., 2017). This event led to the dextral movement of the Farah Rod block, particularly along Hari Rod (Herat) fault system, resulting in the development of a transtensional regime in the proximal southern margin of the Tajik block and giving rise to a rift basin where marine sediments were interbedded with pillow lavas intruded by sheeted dyke series.

Late Pliocene Depositional History and Paleoclimate Reconstructions of the Southwest Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Royce, B.; Patterson, M. O.; Pietras, J.

2017-12-01

Drift deposits off the eastern margin of New Zealand are important archives for the paleoclimate and paleoceanographic history of the southwest Pacific. Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1123 is located on the North Chatham rise drift just North of the westerly wind driven Subtropical Front (STF) and provides a record of near continuous sediment deposition since the Miocene along the southwest Pacific deep western boundary current (DWBC). While the Miocene and Late Pleistocene portion of this record have been well studied, the Late Pliocene record is less well developed. Southern Ocean geological records demonstrate that Late Pliocene cooling is the transient time bracketing the warmer than present Early Pliocene and bipolar glaciation at 2.7 Ma. A newly developed, robust, and astronomically tuned long-term record of benthic δ13C from ODP Site 1123 spanning the Early to Late Pliocene implies a reduction in Southern Ocean ventilation and lowering of preformed values from waters sourced along the Antarctic margin during the Late Pliocene. Thus, Late Pliocene Southern Hemisphere cooling and sea ice expansion may have drastically reduced outgassing and increased the burial of heat into the deep ocean. South Atlantic records off the west coast of Africa demonstrate an increase in the flux of iron to the open ocean during this time potentially enhancing surface ocean productivity and providing an additional cooling mechanism. Currently, atmospheric transport of dust to the Southern Ocean is dominated by persistent mid-latitude circumpolar westerly winds; this is particularly relevant for dust sourced from New Zealand. The Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene uplift of the North Island axial ranges and South Island southern alps potentially provided a greater amount of not only sediment to the deep ocean, but also wind blow dust to the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. We will present a detailed high-resolution sedimentological study on the development of the Chatham

South Oregon Coast Reinforcement.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1998-05-01

The Bonneville Power Administration is proposing to build a transmission line to reinforce electrical service to the southern coast of Oregon. This FYI outlines the proposal, tells how one can learn more, and how one can share ideas and opinions. The project will reinforce Oregon`s south coast area and provide the necessary transmission for Nucor Corporation to build a new steel mill in the Coos Bay/North Bend area. The proposed plant, which would use mostly recycled scrap metal, would produce rolled steel products. The plant would require a large amount of electrical power to run the furnace used in its steel-making process. In addition to the potential steel mill, electrical loads in the south Oregon coast area are expected to continue to grow.

Circulation, eddies, oxygen, and nutrient changes in the eastern tropical South Pacific Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Czeschel, R.; Stramma, L.; Weller, R. A.; Fischer, T.

2015-06-01

A large subsurface oxygen deficiency zone is located in the eastern tropical South Pacific Ocean (ETSP). The large-scale circulation in the eastern equatorial Pacific and off the coast of Peru in November/December 2012 shows the influence of the equatorial current system, the eastern boundary currents, and the northern reaches of the subtropical gyre. In November 2012 the equatorial undercurrent (EUC) is centered at 250 m depth, deeper than in earlier observations. In December 2012, the equatorial water is transported southeastward near the shelf in the Peru-Chile undercurrent (PCUC) with a mean transport of 1.4 Sv. In the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), the flow is overlaid with strong eddy activity on the poleward side of the OMZ. Floats with parking depth at 400 m show fast westward flow in the mid-depth equatorial channel and sluggish flow in the OMZ. Floats with oxygen sensors clearly show the passage of eddies with oxygen anomalies. The long-term float observations in the upper ocean lead to a net community production estimate at about 18° S of up to 16.7 mmol C m-3 yr-1 extrapolated to an annual rate and 7.7 mmol C m-3 yr-1 for the time period below the mixed layer. Oxygen differences between repeated ship sections are influenced by the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO), by the phase of El Niño, by seasonal changes, and by eddies, and hence have to be interpreted with care. At and south of the Equator the decrease in oxygen in the upper ocean since 1976 is related to an increase in nitrate, phosphate, and in part silicate.

Fiji in the South Pacific.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Rosalind; Semaan, Leslie

This text introduces Fiji and other island nations located in the Pacific, the world's largest ocean. Cut off from the world by vast expanses of water, these people developed a unique culture. Contents include: Teacher Overview, Geography of the South Pacific Islands, History of the South Pacific, Fiji, Traditional Village Life, Yaquna Ceremony,…

Indian Ocean coasts, coastal ecology

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Ingole, B.S.

stream_size 9 stream_content_type text/plain stream_name Encycl_Coast_Sci_2005_546.pdf.txt stream_source_info Encycl_Coast_Sci_2005_546.pdf.txt Content-Encoding ISO-8859-1 Content-Type text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 ...

Association of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) with thermo-biological frontal systems of the eastern tropical Pacific.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, John P; Green, Jonathan R; Espinoza, Eduardo; Hearn, Alex R

2017-01-01

Satellite tracking of 27 whale sharks in the eastern tropical Pacific, examined in relation to environmental data, indicates preferential occupancy of thermo-biological frontal systems. In these systems, thermal gradients are caused by wind-forced circulation and mixing, and biological gradients are caused by associated nutrient enrichment and enhanced primary productivity. Two of the frontal systems result from upwelling, driven by divergence in the current systems along the equator and the west coast of South America; the third results from wind jet dynamics off Central America. All whale sharks were tagged near Darwin Island, Galápagos, within the equatorial Pacific upwelling system. Occupancy of frontal habitat is pronounced in synoptic patterns of shark locations in relation to serpentine, temporally varying thermal fronts across a zonal expanse > 4000 km. 80% of shark positions in northern equatorial upwelling habitat and 100% of positions in eastern boundary upwelling habitat were located within the upwelling front. Analysis of equatorial shark locations relative to thermal gradients reveals occupancy of a transition point in environmental stability. Equatorial subsurface tag data show residence in shallow, warm (>22°C) water 94% of the time. Surface zonal current speeds for all equatorial tracking explain only 16% of the variance in shark zonal movement speeds, indicating that passive drifting is not a primary determinant of movement patterns. Movement from equatorial to eastern boundary frontal zones occurred during boreal winter, when equatorial upwelling weakens seasonally. Off Peru sharks tracked upwelling frontal positions within ~100-350 km from the coast. Off Central America, the largest tagged shark (12.8 m TL) occupied an oceanic front along the periphery of the Panama wind jet. Seasonal movement from waning equatorial upwelling to productive eastern boundary habitat is consistent with underlying trophic dynamics. Persistent shallow residence in

Increasing ozone in marine boundary layer inflow at the west coasts of North America and Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. D. Parrish

2009-02-01

Full Text Available An effective method is presented for determining the ozone (O₃ mixing ratio in the onshore flow of marine air at the North American west coast. By combining the data available from all marine boundary layer (MBL sites with simultaneous wind data, decadal temporal trends of MBL O₃ in all seasons are established with high precision. The average springtime temporal trend over the past two decades is 0.46 ppbv/yr with a 95% confidence limit of 0.13 ppbv/yr, and statistically significant trends are found for all seasons except autumn, which does have a significantly smaller trend than other seasons. The average trend in mean annual ozone is 0.34±0.09 ppbv/yr. These decadal trends at the North American west coast present a striking comparison and contrast with the trends reported for the European west coast at Mace Head, Ireland. The trends in the winter, spring and summer seasons compare well at the two locations, while the Mace Head trend is significantly greater in autumn. Even though the trends are similar, the absolute O₃ mixing ratios differ markedly, with the marine air arriving at Europe in all seasons containing 7±2 ppbv higher ozone than marine air arriving at North America. Further, the ozone mixing ratios at the North American west coast show no indication of stabilizing as has been reported for Mace Head. In a larger historical context the background boundary layer O₃ mixing ratios over the 130 years covered by available data have increased substantially (by a factor of two to three, and this increase continues at present, at least in the MBL of the Pacific coast region of North America. The reproduction of the increasing trends in MBL O₃ over the past two decades, as well as the difference in the O₃ mixing ratios between the two coastal regions will present a significant challenge for global chemical transport models. Further, the ability of the models to at least semi

ENSO dynamics and seasonal cycle in the tropical Pacific as simulated by the ECHAM4/OPYC3 coupled general circulation model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bacher, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany); Oberhuber, J.M. [Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum (DKRZ), Hamburg (Germany); Roeckner, E. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany)

1996-07-01

The new version of the atmospheric general circulation model, ECHAM4, at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, has been coupled to the OPYC3 isopycnic global ocean general circulation and sea ice model (Oberhuber 1993) in a multi-century present-day climate simulation. Nonseasonal constant flux adjustment for heat and freshwater was employed to ensure a long-term annual mean state close to present day climatology. This paper examines the simulated upper ocean seasonal cycle and interannual variability in the tropical Pacific for the first 100 years. The coupled model`s seasonal cycle of tropical Pacific SSTs is in good agreement with the observations with respect to both the warm pool variation and the Central and Eastern Pacific, with significant errors (up to -2 K) only in the cold tongue around April. The cold phase cold tongue extent and strength is as observed, and for this the heat flux adjustment does not play the decisive role; corrections beyond {+-}40 Wm{sup -2} are rare and only occupy small areas, such as near coasts. A well established south Pacific convergence zone is characteristic for the new AGCM version. Apart from extending the south-east trades seasonal maximum to midbasin, windstress pattern and strength are well captured. The subsurface structure is overall consistent with the observed, with a realistically sharp thermocline at about 150 m depth in the west and rising to the surface from 160 W to 100 W.

Movements and diving behavior of internesting green turtles along Pacific Costa Rica.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco, Gabriela S; Morreale, Stephen J; Seminoff, Jeffrey A; Paladino, Frank V; Piedra, Rotney; Spotila, James R

2013-09-01

Using satellite transmitters, we determined the internesting movements, spatial ecology and diving behavior of East Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting on Nombre de Jesús and Zapotillal beaches along the Pacific coast of northwestern Costa Rica. Kernel density analysis indicated that turtles spent most of their time in a particularly small area in the vicinity of the nesting beaches (50% utilization distribution was an area of 3 km(2) ). Minimum daily distance traveled during a 12 day internesting period was 4.6 ± 3.5 km. Dives were short and primarily occupied the upper 10 m of the water column. Turtles spent most of their time resting at the surface and conducting U-dives (ranging from 60 to 81% of the total tracking time involved in those activities). Turtles showed a strong diel pattern, U-dives mainly took place during the day and turtles spent a large amount of time resting at the surface at night. The lack of long-distance movements demonstrated that this area was heavily utilized by turtles during the nesting season and, therefore, was a crucial location for conservation of this highly endangered green turtle population. The unique behavior of these turtles in resting at the surface at night might make them particularly vulnerable to fishing activities near the nesting beaches. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd, ISZS and IOZ/CAS.

A systematic health assessment of indian ocean bottlenose (Tursiops aduncus and indo-pacific humpback (Sousa plumbea dolphins incidentally caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily P Lane

Full Text Available Coastal dolphins are regarded as indicators of changes in coastal marine ecosystem health that could impact humans utilizing the marine environment for food or recreation. Necropsy and histology examinations were performed on 35 Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus and five Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea incidentally caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa, between 2010 and 2012. Parasitic lesions included pneumonia (85%, abdominal and thoracic serositis (75%, gastroenteritis (70%, hepatitis (62%, and endometritis (42%. Parasitic species identified were Halocercus sp. (lung, Crassicauda sp. (skeletal muscle and Xenobalanus globicipitis (skin. Additional findings included bronchiolar epithelial mineralisation (83%, splenic filamentous tags (45%, non-suppurative meningoencephalitis (39%, and myocardial fibrosis (26%. No immunohistochemically positive reaction was present in lesions suggestive of dolphin morbillivirus, Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella spp. The first confirmed cases of lobomycosis and sarcocystosis in South African dolphins were documented. Most lesions were mild, and all animals were considered to be in good nutritional condition, based on blubber thickness and muscle mass. Apparent temporal changes in parasitic disease prevalence may indicate a change in the host/parasite interface. This study provided valuable baseline information on conditions affecting coastal dolphin populations in South Africa and, to our knowledge, constitutes the first reported systematic health assessment in incidentally caught dolphins in the Southern Hemisphere. Further research on temporal disease trends as well as disease pathophysiology and anthropogenic factors affecting these populations is needed.

A Systematic Health Assessment of Indian Ocean Bottlenose (Tursiops aduncus) and Indo-Pacific Humpback (Sousa plumbea) Dolphins Incidentally Caught in Shark Nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, Emily P.; de Wet, Morné; Thompson, Peter; Siebert, Ursula; Wohlsein, Peter; Plön, Stephanie

2014-01-01

Coastal dolphins are regarded as indicators of changes in coastal marine ecosystem health that could impact humans utilizing the marine environment for food or recreation. Necropsy and histology examinations were performed on 35 Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) and five Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) incidentally caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa, between 2010 and 2012. Parasitic lesions included pneumonia (85%), abdominal and thoracic serositis (75%), gastroenteritis (70%), hepatitis (62%), and endometritis (42%). Parasitic species identified were Halocercus sp. (lung), Crassicauda sp. (skeletal muscle) and Xenobalanus globicipitis (skin). Additional findings included bronchiolar epithelial mineralisation (83%), splenic filamentous tags (45%), non-suppurative meningoencephalitis (39%), and myocardial fibrosis (26%). No immunohistochemically positive reaction was present in lesions suggestive of dolphin morbillivirus, Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella spp. The first confirmed cases of lobomycosis and sarcocystosis in South African dolphins were documented. Most lesions were mild, and all animals were considered to be in good nutritional condition, based on blubber thickness and muscle mass. Apparent temporal changes in parasitic disease prevalence may indicate a change in the host/parasite interface. This study provided valuable baseline information on conditions affecting coastal dolphin populations in South Africa and, to our knowledge, constitutes the first reported systematic health assessment in incidentally caught dolphins in the Southern Hemisphere. Further research on temporal disease trends as well as disease pathophysiology and anthropogenic factors affecting these populations is needed. PMID:25203143

Detection of Multiple Budding Yeast Cells and a Partial Sequence of 43-kDa Glycoprotein Coding Gene of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis from a Case of Lacaziosis in a Female Pacific White-Sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens).

Science.gov (United States)

Minakawa, Tomoko; Ueda, Keiichi; Tanaka, Miyuu; Tanaka, Natsuki; Kuwamura, Mitsuru; Izawa, Takeshi; Konno, Toshihiro; Yamate, Jyoji; Itano, Eiko Nakagawa; Sano, Ayako; Wada, Shinpei

2016-08-01

Lacaziosis, formerly called as lobomycosis, is a zoonotic mycosis, caused by Lacazia loboi, found in humans and dolphins, and is endemic in the countries on the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean of Japanese coast. Susceptible Cetacean species include the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus), and the estuarine dolphin (Sotalia guianensis); however, no cases have been recorded in other Cetacean species. We diagnosed a case of Lacaziosis in a Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) nursing in an aquarium in Japan. The dolphin was a female estimated to be more than 14 years old at the end of June 2015 and was captured in a coast of Japan Sea in 2001. Multiple, lobose, and solid granulomatous lesions with or without ulcers appeared on her jaw, back, flipper and fluke skin, in July 2014. The granulomatous skin lesions from the present case were similar to those of our previous cases. Multiple budding and chains of round yeast cells were detected in the biopsied samples. The partial sequence of 43-kDa glycoprotein coding gene confirmed by a nested PCR and sequencing, which revealed a different genotype from both Amazonian and Japanese lacaziosis in bottlenose dolphins, and was 99 % identical to those derived from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis; a sister fungal species to L. loboi. This is the first case of lacaziosis in Pacific white-sided dolphin.

Obesity and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders

Science.gov (United States)

... Population Profiles > Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander > Obesity Obesity and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders Native Hawaiians/Pacific ... youthonline . [Accessed 08/18/2017] HEALTH IMPACT OF OBESITY People who are overweight are more likely to ...

Cabira rangarajani n. sp. (Polychaeta: Pilargidae) from the Goa coast, central west coast of India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Mandal, Sumit; Harkantra, S.N.; Salazar-Vallejo, S.I.

Cabira rangarajani n. sp., is described from the Goa coast, in central west coast of India. It differs from C. brevicirris (Rangarajan, 1964), by having a single type of neurochaetae while the other species has three types. The new species also...

Temporal trends of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in eggs of coastal and offshore birds: Increasing PFAS levels associated with offshore bird species breeding on the Pacific coast of Canada and wintering near Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Aroha; Elliott, John E; Elliott, Kyle H; Lee, Sandi; Cyr, Francois

2015-08-01

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) such as perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs) have become virtually ubiquitous throughout the environment, and, based on laboratory studies, have known toxicological consequences. Various national and international voluntary phase-outs and restrictions on these compounds have been implemented over the last 10 to 15 years. In the present study, we examine trends (1990/1991-2010/2011) in aquatic birds (ancient murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus [2009 only]; Leach's storm-petrels, Oceanodroma leucorhoa; rhinoceros auklets, Cerorhinca monocerata; double-crested cormorants, Phalacrocorax auritus; and great blue herons, Ardea herodias). The PFCA, PFSA, and stable isotope (δ(15) N and δ(13) C) data collected from these species from the Pacific coast of Canada, ranging over 20 to 30 years, were used to investigate temporal changes in PFAS coupled to dietary changes. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), the dominant PFSA compound in all 4 species, increased and subsequently decreased in auklet and cormorant eggs in line with the manufacturing phase-out of PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), but concentrations continuously increased in petrel eggs and remained largely unchanged in heron eggs. Dominant PFCA compounds varied between the offshore and coastal species, with increases seen in the offshore species and little or variable changes seen in the coastal species. Little temporal change was seen in stable isotope values, indicating that diet alone is not driving observed PFAS concentrations. © 2015 SETAC.

Exploring Jordan's rule in Pacific three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, M R J; Petrovitch, E; Bowles, E; Jamniczky, H A; Rogers, S M

2017-08-01

Coastal marine Gasterosteus aculeatus were captured from seven locations along the Pacific coast of North America, ranging across 21·8° latitude to test Jordan's rule, i.e. that vertebral number should increase with increasing latitude for related populations of fish. Vertebral number significantly increased with increasing latitude for both total and caudal vertebral number. Increasing length with latitude (sensu Bergmann's rule) was also supported, but the predictions for Jordan's rule held when controlling for standard length. Pleomerism was weakly evidenced. Gasterosteus aculeatus exhibited sexual dimorphism for Jordan's rule, with both sexes having more vertebrae at higher latitudes, but only males showing a positive association between latitude and the ratio of caudal to abdominal vertebrae. The number of dorsal- and anal-fin rays and basals increased with increasing latitude, while pectoral-fin ray number decreased. This study reinforces the association between phenotypic variation and environmental variation in marine populations of G. aculeatus. © 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

COAST code conversion from Cyber to HP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hae Cho

1996-04-01

The transient thermal hydraulic behavior of reactor coolant system in a nuclear power plant following loss of coolant flow is analyzed by use of COAST digital computer code. COAST calculates individual loop flow rates and steam generator pressure drops is a function of time following coast-down of any number of reactor coolant pumps. This report firstly describes detailed work carried out for installation of COAST on HP 9000/700 series and code validation results after installation. Secondly, a series of work is also describes in relation to installation of COAST on Apollo DN10000 series as well as relevant code validation results. Attached is a report on software verification and validation results. 7 refs. (Author) .new

Cordilleran Ice Sheet meltwater delivery to the coastal waters of the northeast Pacific Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Hendy, I. L.; Taylor, M.; Gombiner, J. H.; Hemming, S. R.; Bryce, J. G.; Blichert-Toft, J.

2014-12-01

Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS) delivered meltwater to the NE Pacific Ocean off BC and WA via glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), ice rafting and subglacial meltwater discharge. A deglacial glaciomarine sedimentation record is preserved in the well dated ~50-kyr core MD02-2496 (48˚58.47' N, 127˚02.14' W, water depth 1243 m), collected off Vancouver Island. To understand the history of the relationship between the CIS, climate and meltwater discharge, high resolution, multi-proxy geochemical records from the interval that captures the Fraser Glaciation (~30-10 ka) were generated. These proxies include Mg/Ca temperatures and δ18Oseawater from planktonic foraminiferal sp. N. pachyderma and G. bulloides, elemental and organic carbon (Corg) geochemistry of bulk sediments, ɛNd and K/Ar dating of the rose by > 3°C to 10-12°C in association with an additional IRD event at ~14.8 ka sourced from a ~75 Ma felsic volcanic source, likely the Southern Coast Plutonic Complex. At no point in the δ18Oseawater reconstruction is an obvious meltwater isotopic signature recorded despite the sedimentary evidence for both ice rafting and outburst flooding. Thus CIS meltwater likely entered the NE Pacific Ocean via hyperpycnal flow.

Status and conservation of coral reefs in Costa Rica.

Science.gov (United States)

Cortés, Jorge; Jiménez, Carlos E; Fonseca, Ana C; Alvarado, Juan José

2010-05-01

Costa Rica has coral communities and reefs on the Caribbean coast and on the Pacific along the coast and off-shore islands. The Southern section of the Caribbean coast has fringing and patch reefs, carbonate banks, and an incipient algal ridge. The Pacific coast has coral communities, reefs and isolated coral colonies. Coral reefs have been seriously impacted in the last 30 years, mainly by sediments (Caribbean coast and some Pacific reefs) and by El Niño warming events (both coasts). Monitoring is being carried out at three sites on each coast. Both coasts suffered significant reductions in live coral cover in the 1980's, but coral cover is now increasing in most sites. The government of Costa Rica is aware of the importance of coral reefs and marine environments in general, and in recent years decrees have been implemented (or are in the process of approval) to protect them, but limited resources endanger their proper management and conservation, including proper outreach to reef users and the general public.

Temporal variability and annual budget of inorganic dissolved matter in Andean Pacific Rivers located along a climate gradient from northern Ecuador to southern Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Moquet, Jean-Sébastien; Guyot, Jean-Loup; Morera, Sergio; Crave, Alain; Rau, Pedro; Vauchel, Philippe; Lagane, Christelle; Sondag, Francis; Lavado, Casimiro Waldo; Pombosa, Rodrigo; Martinez, Jean-Michel

2018-01-01

In Ecuador and Peru, geochemical information from Pacific coastal rivers is limited and scarce. Here, we present an unedited database of major element concentrations from five HYBAM observatory stations monitored monthly between 4 and 10 years, and the discrete sampling of 23 Andean rivers distributed along the climate gradient of the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Pacific coasts. Concentration (C) vs. discharge (Q) relationships of the five monitored basins exhibit a clear dilution behavior for evaporites and/or pyrite solutes, while the solute concentrations delivered by other endmembers are less variable. Spatially, the annual specific fluxes for total dissolved solids (TDS), Ca2+, HCO3-, K+, Mg2+, and SiO2 are controlled on the first order by runoff variability, while Cl-, Na+ and SO42- are controlled by the occurrence of evaporites and/or pyrite. The entire Pacific basin in Ecuador and Peru exported 30 Mt TDS·yr-1, according to a specific flux of ∼70 t·km-2·yr-1. This show that, even under low rainfall conditions, this orogenic context is more active, in terms of solute production, than the global average.

Paleo-tsunami history along the northern Japan Trench: evidence from Noda Village, northern Sanriku coast, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Taiga; Goto, Kazuhisa; Nishimura, Yuichi; Watanabe, Masashi; Iijima, Yasutaka; Sugawara, Daisuke

2017-12-01

Throughout history, large tsunamis have frequently affected the Sanriku area of the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region, Japan, which faces the Japan Trench. Although a few studies have examined paleo-tsunami deposits along the Sanriku coast, additional studies of paleo-earthquakes and tsunamis are needed to improve our knowledge of the timing, recurrence interval, and size of historical and pre-historic tsunamis. At Noda Village, in Iwate Prefecture on the northern Sanriku coast, we found at least four distinct gravelly sand layers based on correlation and chronological data. Sedimentary features such as grain size and thickness suggest that extreme waves from the sea formed these layers. Numerical modeling of storm waves further confirmed that even extremely large storm waves cannot account for the distribution of the gravelly sand layers, suggesting that these deposits are highly likely to have formed by tsunami waves. The numerical method of storm waves can be useful to identify sand layers as tsunami deposits if the deposits are observed far inland or at high elevations. The depositional age of the youngest tsunami deposit is consistent with the AD 869 Jogan earthquake tsunami, a possible predecessor of the AD 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami. If this is the case, then the study site currently defines the possible northern extent of the AD 869 Jogan tsunami deposit, which is an important step in improving the tsunami source model of the AD 869 Jogan tsunami. Our results suggest that four large tsunamis struck the Noda site between 1100 and 2700 cal BP. The local tsunami sizes are comparable to the AD 2011 and AD 1896 Meiji Sanriku tsunamis, considering the landward extent of each tsunami deposit.

Surf zone dynamics along the south Karnataka Coast between Bhatkal and Ullal, west coast of India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Chandramohan, P.; SanilKumar, V.; Nayak, B.U.; Raju, N.S.N.

stronger in June, and relatively low and steady during the rest of the year. Coast between Padubidri and Ullal experienced relatively stronger longshore currents than the coast between Maravanthe and Malpe. Longshore sediment transport rate was relatively...

Commonwealth Local Government Forum Pacific Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terry Parker

2008-04-01

Full Text Available The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF Pacific Project works with local government and other stakeholders in nine Pacific Island countries – Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. It seeks to strengthen local democracy and good governance, and to help local governments deal with the increasing challenges of service delivery and urban management in the unique Pacific environment. Human settlement patterns in the region are changing rapidly. The Pacific has traditionally been a rural agricultural/subsistence society, but this is no longer the case. The accelerated pace of urbanisation has impacted significantly on Pacific nations and in the very near future the majority of Pacific Islanders will be found in urban areas. Already over 50% of Fiji’s population are urban dwellers. Rapid urbanisation brings with it unique challenges and opportunities. Local governments are at the forefront of this phenomenon, with the responsibility to manage urban development and the transition from rural areas to cities and towns. Their success or failure to manage urbanisation and provide the required levels of physical and social infrastructure will affect many lives in a new urban Pacific. The project now has three components – the main Pacific Regional Project and two country-specific programmes: the Honiara City Council Institutional Capacity Building Project and the Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme in Papua New Guinea.

46 CFR 50.10-25 - Coast Guard Symbol.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Coast Guard Symbol. 50.10-25 Section 50.10-25 Shipping... Definition of Terms Used in This Subchapter § 50.10-25 Coast Guard Symbol. (a) The term Coast Guard Symbol... impression of the Coast Guard Symbol for stamping nameplates and specimens is shown in Figure 50.10-25(b...

Training on Eastern Pacific tropical cyclones for Latin American students

Science.gov (United States)

Farfán, L. M.; Raga, G. B.

2009-05-01

Tropical cyclones are one of the most impressive atmospheric phenomena and their development in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins has potential to affect several Latin-American and Caribbean countries, where human resources are limited. As part of an international research project, we are offering short courses based on the current understanding of tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific basin. Our main goal is to train students from higher-education institutions from various countries in Latin America. Key aspects are tropical cyclone formation and evolution, with particular emphasis on their development off the west coast of Mexico. Our approach includes lectures on tropical cyclone climatology and formation, dynamic and thermodynamic models, air-sea interaction and oceanic response, ocean waves and coastal impacts as well as variability and climate-related predictions. In particular, we use a best-track dataset issued by the United States National Hurricane Center and satellite observations to analyze convective patterns for the period 1970-2006. Case studies that resulted in landfall over northwestern Mexico are analyzed in more detail; this includes systems that developed during the 2006, 2007 and 2008 seasons. Additionally, we have organized a human-dimensions symposium to discuss socio-economic issues that are associated with the landfall of tropical cyclones. This includes coastal zone impact and flooding, the link between cyclones and water resources, the flow of weather and climate information from scientists to policy- makers, the role of emergency managers and decision makers, impact over health issues and the viewpoint of the insurance industry.

A longshore sediment transport estimation for the Indian coast

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Nayak, B.U.; Chandramohan, P.

in Tamilnadu, and the Maharashtra Coast experience negligible annual net transport. The direction of annual net transport along the east coast is towards north and along the west coast towards south except at south Gujarat Coast...

Interannual variability of western North Pacific SST anomalies and its impact on North Pacific and North America

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jae-Heung; An, Soon-Il; Kug, Jong-Seong

2017-12-01

In this study, the interannual variability of sea surface temperature (SST) and its atmospheric teleconnection over the western North Pacific (WNP) toward the North Pacific/North America during boreal winter are investigated. First, we defined the WNP mode as the first empirical orthogonal function (EOF) mode of SST anomalies over the WNP region (100-165°E, 0-35°N), of which the principle component time-series are significantly correlated with several well-known climate modes such as the warm pool mode which is the second EOF mode of the tropical to North Pacific SST anomalies, North Pacific oscillation (NPO), North Pacific gyre oscillation (NPGO), and central Pacific (CP)-El Niño at 95% confidence level, but not correlated with the eastern Pacific (EP)-El Niño. The warm phase of the WNP mode (sea surface warming) is initiated by anomalous southerly winds through reduction of wind speed with the background of northerly mean winds over the WNP during boreal winter, i.e., reduced evaporative cooling. Meanwhile, the atmospheric response to the SST warming pattern and its diabatic heating further enhance the southerly wind anomaly, referred to the wind-evaporation-SST (WES) feedback. Thus, the WNP mode is developed and maintained through winter until spring, when the northerly mean wind disappears. Furthermore, it is also known that anomalous upper-level divergence associated with WNP mode leads to the NPO-like structure over the North Pacific and the east-west pressure contrast pattern over the North America through Rossby wave propagation, impacting the climate over the North Pacific and North America.

Chilean jagged lobster, Projasus bahamondei, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean: current state of knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricio M Arana

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The Chilean jagged lobster (Projasus bahamondei is a deep-water crustacean (175-550 m occurring in certain areas of the southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the Nazca Ridge, Desventuradas Islands, the Juan Fernandez archipelago and ridge, and the continental slope off the central coast of Chile. This review describes the taxonomic status, geographical and bathymetric distribution, some biological aspects and habitat characteristics of this species. Additionally, both artisanal and industrial exploitation attempts made within the region are detailed, as well as fishing operation results, chemical composition, different elaboration procedures and the destination of the catch. The main objectives of this review are to contribute to the knowledge of P. bahamondei as a component of the deep-sea ecosystem and to highlight its importance as a potential fishery resource.

Deccan volcanism induced high-stress environment during the Cretaceous-Paleogene transition at Zumaia, Spain: Evidence from magnetic, mineralogical and biostratigraphic records

Science.gov (United States)

Font, Eric; Adatte, Thierry; Andrade, Mariana; Keller, Gerta; Mbabi Bitchong, André; Carvallo, Claire; Ferreira, Joana; Diogo, Zenaida; Mirão, José

2018-02-01

We conducted detailed rock magnetic, mineralogical and geochemical (mercury) analyses spanning the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (KPB) at Zumaia, Spain, to unravel the signature of Deccan-induced climate and environmental changes in the marine sedimentary record. Our biostratigraphic results show that Zumaia is not complete, and lacks the typical boundary clay, zone P0 and the base of zone P1a(1) in the basal Danian. Presence of an unusual ∼1m-thick interval spanning the KPB is characterized by very low detrital magnetite and magnetosome (biogenic magnetite) contents and by the occurrence of akaganéite, a very rare mineral on Earth in oxidizing, acidic and hyper-chlorinated environments compatible with volcanic settings. These benchmarks correlate with higher abundance of the opportunist Guembelitria cretacea species. Detrital magnetite depletion is not linked to significant lithological changes, suggesting that iron oxide dissolution by acidification is the most probable explanation. The concomitant decrease in magnetosomes, produced by magnetotactic bacteria at the anoxic-oxic boundary, is interpreted as the result of changes in seawater chemistry induced by surficial ocean acidification. Mercury peaks up to 20-50 ppb are common during the last 100 kyr of the Maastrichtian (zone CF1) but only one significant anomaly is present in the early Danian, which is likely due to the missing interval. Absence of correlation between mercury content (R2 = 0.009) and total organic carbon (R2 = 0.006) suggest that the former originated from the Deccan Traps eruptions. No clear relation between the stratigraphic position of the mercury peaks and the magnetite-depleted interval is observed, although the frequency of the mercury peaks tends to increase close to the KPg boundary. In contrast to Bidart (France) and Gubbio (Italy), where magnetite depletion and akaganéite feature within a ∼50cm-thick interval located 5 cm below the KPg boundary, the same benchmarks are

21 CFR 161.170 - Canned Pacific salmon.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Canned Pacific salmon. 161.170 Section 161.170... § 161.170 Canned Pacific salmon. (a) Identity. (1) Canned Pacific salmon is the food prepared from one... forms of canned Pacific salmon are processed from fish prepared by removing the head, gills, and tail...

78 FR 7385 - Western Pacific Fisheries; Fishing in the Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands, and Rose Atoll...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

...-BA98 Western Pacific Fisheries; Fishing in the Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands, and Rose Atoll... Presidential proclamations that created the Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands, and Rose Atoll Marine..., 2009). Proclamation 8337 of January 6, 2009, ``Establishment of the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument...

Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters - a comparison of the Fukushima impact with global fallout

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Povinec, P. P.; Aoyama, M.; Biddulph, D.

2013-01-01

Radionuclide impact of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident on the distribution of radionuclides in seawater of the NW Pacific Ocean is compared with global fallout from atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons. Surface and water column samples collected during the Ka’imikai-o-Kanaloa ......Radionuclide impact of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident on the distribution of radionuclides in seawater of the NW Pacific Ocean is compared with global fallout from atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons. Surface and water column samples collected during the Ka......-derived radionuclides downward to the depth of 300m has already occurred. The observed 137Cs levels in surface waters and in the water column are compared with predictions obtained from the ocean general circulation model, which indicates that the Kuroshio Current acts as a southern boundary for the transport...... the coast, where all three radionuclides were analyzed, the Fukushima impact on the levels of these three radionuclides represents an increase above the global fallout background by factors of about 1000, 50 and 3, respectively. The water column data indicate that the transport of Fukushima...

Widespread functional anoxia in the oxygen minimum zone of the Eastern South Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Thamdrup, Bo; Dalsgaard, Tage; Revsbech, Niels Peter

Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) as found in the Eastern Pacific and Indian Ocean are biogeochemical hot spots with a disproportionately large role in the marine nitrogen cycle, and they are important components of the highly productive ecosystems in which they occur. Although the oxygen-depleted waters have been known for a century, oxygen levels inside them are not well constrained and the regulation of their anaerobic processes by oxygen is poorly understood. We deployed highly sensitive STOX oxygen sensors with a detection limit of 10 nmol kg-1 in combination with conventional hydrographic oxygen sensors along a cruise track transecting the Eastern South Pacific OMZ from South to North along the coast of Chile and Peru. Oxygen was below the detection limit throughout the ˜200 m thick OMZ core in most casts with STOX sensors. The only exception was an offshore location off Peru where oxygen was 10-50 nmol kg-1 in the core, likely as the result of a transient intrusion. Oxygen was also not detected in the OMZ core in further casts with conventional sensors, which had a detection limit of 90 nmol kg-1 after STOX-based zero calibration. Our measurements tighten the constraints on typical oxygen concentrations in the inner part of the OMZ by at least an order of magnitude relative to previous reports. Nitrite only accumulated when oxygen was depleted below 50 nmol kg-1, which indicates that nitrogen cycling is much more sensitive to oxygen than previously estimated. We argue that extreme oxygen depletion to low nanomalar or even picomolar concentrations is a normal condition in the South Pacific OMZ, and suggest that the OMZ core is in fact functionally anoxic over wide regions for extended periods. Our results further indicate that oxygen dynamics in the low nanomolar range play an important role in OMZ biogeochemistry.

Helminth parasite communities of spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus from the Mexican Pacific

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morales-Serna F. N.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The helminth communities of L. guttatus from Mazatlan Bay (MB and Banderas Bay (BB, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, were studied during two consecutive years. A total of 536 fish were collected and 19 parasite taxa registered (six digeneans, two cestodes, nine nematodes, and two monogeneans. Infection levels of common helminth species (Helicometrina nimia, Siphodera vinaledwardsii, Tetraphyllidea gen. sp., Pseudoterranova sp., Ancyrocephalidae gen. sp. and Microcotyloides incisa as well as the infracommunity indices varied significantly between MB and BB, and among dry and rainy seasons; however, no clear seasonal patterns were observed. Pseudoterranova larvae appeared frequently in MB, possibly because of the presence of the California sea lion in this locality. Similarity analysis did not show a clear separation of parasite species composition between both localities, which suggest that fish samples came from a single population of L. guttatus.

Paleoactaea gen. nov. (Ranunculaceae) fruits from the Paleogene of North Dakota and the London Clay.

Science.gov (United States)

Pigg, Kathleen B; Devore, Melanie L

2005-10-01

Paleoactea nagelii Pigg & DeVore gen. et sp. nov. is described for a small, ovoid ranunculaceous fossil fruit from the Late Paleocene Almont and Beicegel Creek floras of North Dakota, USA. Fruits are 5-7 mm wide, 4.5-6 mm high, 10-13 mm long, and bilaterally symmetrical, containing 10-17 seeds attached on the upper margin in 2-3 rows. A distinctive honeycomb pattern is formed where adjacent seeds with prominent palisade outer cell layers abut. Seeds are flattened, ovoid, and triangular. To the inside of the palisade cells, the seed coat has a region of isodiametric cells that become more tangentially elongate toward the center. The embryo cavity is replaced by an opaline cast. This fruit bears a striking resemblance to extant Actaea, the baneberry (Ranunculaceae), an herbaceous spring wildflower of North Temperate regions. A second species, Paleoactaea bowerbanki (Reid & Chandler) Pigg & DeVore nov. comb., is recognized from the Early Eocene London Clay flora, based on a single fruit. This fruit shares most of the organization and structure of P. nagelii but is larger and has a thicker pericarp. This study documents a rare Paleocene occurrence of a member of the buttercup family, a family that is today primarily herbaceous, and demonstrates a North Atlantic connection for an Actaea-like genus in the Paleogene.

Modeling 137Cs bioaccumulation in the salmon–resident killer whale food web of the Northeastern Pacific following the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alava, Juan José; Gobas, Frank A.P.C.

2016-01-01

To track the long term bioaccumulation of 137 Cs in marine organisms off the Pacific Northwest coast of Canada, we developed a time dependent bioaccumulation model for 137 Cs in a marine mammalian food web that included fish-eating resident killer whales. The model outcomes show that 137 Cs can be expected to gradually bioaccumulate in the food web over time as demonstrated by the increase of the apparent trophic magnification factor of 137 Cs, ranging from 0.76 after 1 month of exposure to 2.0 following 30 years of exposure. 137 Cs bioaccumulation is driven by relatively rapid dietary uptake rates, moderate depuration rates in lower trophic level organisms and slow elimination rates in high trophic level organisms. Model estimates of the 137 Cs activity in species of the food web, based on current measurements and forecasts of 137 Cs activities in oceanic waters and sediments off the Canadian Pacific Northwest, indicate that the long term 137 Cs activities in fish species including Pacific herring, wild Pacific salmon, sablefish and halibut will remain well below the current 137 Cs-Canada Action Level for consumption (1000 Bq/kg) following a nuclear emergency. Killer whales and Pacific salmon are expected to exhibit the largest long term 137 Cs activities and may be good sentinels for monitoring 137 Cs in the region. Assessment of the long term consequences of 137 Cs releases from the Fukushima aftermath should consider the extent of ecological magnification in addition to ocean dilution. - Highlights: • A food web bioaccumulation model to assess the biomagnification of 137 Cs is developed. • Cesium 137 exhibits bioaccumulation over time as simulated by the model. • Predicted activities in marine biota are below 137 Cs-food consumption benchmarks. • Long-term monitoring of 137 Cs in the ocean will improve the model predictions.

Interactions between tropical cyclones and mid-latitude systems in the Northeastern Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Lugo, A.; Abarca, S. F.; Raga, G. B.; Vargas, D. C.

2014-12-01

Major challenges in tropical meteorology include the short-term forecast of tropical cyclone (TC) intensity, which is defined as the maximum tangential wind. Several efforts have been made in order to reach this goal over the last decade: Among these efforts, the study of lightning in the TC inner core (the region inside a disc of 100 km radius from the center) as a proxy to deep convection, has the potential to be used as a predictor to forecast intensity (DeMaria et al, 2012, Mon. Wea. Rev., 140, 1828-1842).While most studies focus their objectives in studying the lightning flash density in the inner core, we study the probability of flash occurrence for intensifying and weakening cyclones. We have analyzed the trajectories of the observed 62 tropical cyclones that developed in the basin from 2006 to 2009, and classified them into separate clusters according to their trajectories. These clusters can broadly be described as having trajectories mostly oriented: East-West, towards the central Pacific, NW far from the Mexican coast, parallel to the Mexican coast and recurving towards the Mexican coast.We estimate that probability of inner core lightning occurrence increases as cyclones intensify but the probability rapidly decrease as the systems weaken. This is valid for cyclones in most of the clusters. However, the cyclones that exhibit trajectories that recurve towards the Mexican coast, do not present the same relationship between intensity and inner-core lightning probability, these cyclones show little or no decrease in the lightning occurrence probability as they weaken.We hypothesize that one of the reasons for this anomalous behavior is likely the fact that these cyclones interact with mid-latitude systems. Mid-latitude systems are important in determining the recurving trajectory but they may also influence the TC by advecting mid-level moisture towards the TC inner core. This additional supply of moisture as the system is approaching land may enhance deep

Zooplankton along the Tamil Nadu coast

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Santhakumari, V.; Saraswathy, M.

Zooplankton abundance along two sectors at Cape Comorin and Tuticorin of Tamil Nadu Coast, southeast coast of India was studied. High biomass contributed by Ostracods, Salps, Chaetognaths etc., were observed along Tuticorin transect. In the Cape...

Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Congress established the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) to monitor the restoration and conservation of Pacific salmon and steelhead populations and...

Chronic Liver Disease and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders

Science.gov (United States)

... Cancer Asian/Pacific Islander Women Non-Hispanic White Women Asian/Pacific Islander/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio All Sites ... Cancer Asian/Pacific Islander Women Non-Hispanic White Women Asian/Pacific Islander/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio Liver & IBD* ...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Boom Coast to

Science.gov (United States)

Coast Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Boom Coast to Coast to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Boom Coast to Coast on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Boom Coast to Coast on Twitter Bookmark Alternative

Dating the Indo-Asia collision in NW Himalaya: constraints from Sr-Nd isotopes and detrital zircon (U-Pb) and Hf isotopes of Paleogene-Neogene rocks in the Katawaz basin, NW Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuang, Guangsheng; Najman, Yani; Millar, Ian; Chauvel, Catherine; Guillot, Stephane; Carter, Andrew

2015-04-01

The time of collision between the Indian and Asian plates is key for understanding the convergence history and the impact on climatic systems and marine geochemistry. Despite much active research, the fundamental questions still remain elusive regarding when and where the Indian plate collided with the Asian plate. Especially in the west Himalaya, the questions become more complex due to disputes on the amalgamation history of interoceanic Kohistan-Ladakh arcs (KLA) with Karakoram of the Asian plate and the Indian plate. Here, we present a result of multiple-isotopic geochemistry and geochronology study in the Katawaz Basin in NW Pakistan, a remnant oceanic basin on the western Indian plate which was the repository for the sediments eroded from the west Himalaya ( Qayyum et al., 1996, 1997a, 1997b, 2001; Carter et al., 2010), to evaluate the time and character of collision in this region. In this study, we analyzed 22 bulk mudstone samples for Sr-Nd isotopes and 11 medium-grained sandstones for detrital zircon (U-Pb) geochronology and Hf isotopes. We constructed the Cenozoic chronology in the Katawaz Basin based on our newly collected detrital zircon U-Pb ages and fission track ages. We present the first record of Katawaz chronology that constrained the Khojak Formation to be current study revealed that the Katawaz sedimentary sequence ranges in age from Eocene to the earliest Miocene. The samples from the Nisai Formation show the 87Sr/86Sr - ɛNd values overlapping those of the end member of the Karakoram of Asian origin, revealing the arrival of Asian detritus on the Indian plate prior to 50 Ma. There are two parallel lines of evidence supporting this conclusion: (1) young zircon grains (Journal of the Geological Society 154, 753-756. Qayyum, M., Lawrence, R.D., Niem, A.R., 1997b. Molasse-Delta-flysch continuum of the Himalayan orogeny and closure of the Paleogene Katawaz Remnant Ocean, Pakistan. International geology review 39, 861-875. Qayyum, M., Niem, A

Indian Ocean warming modulates Pacific climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Jing-Jia; Sasaki, Wataru; Masumoto, Yukio

2012-11-13

It has been widely believed that the tropical Pacific trade winds weakened in the last century and would further decrease under a warmer climate in the 21st century. Recent high-quality observations, however, suggest that the tropical Pacific winds have actually strengthened in the past two decades. Precise causes of the recent Pacific climate shift are uncertain. Here we explore how the enhanced tropical Indian Ocean warming in recent decades favors stronger trade winds in the western Pacific via the atmosphere and hence is likely to have contributed to the La Niña-like state (with enhanced east-west Walker circulation) through the Pacific ocean-atmosphere interactions. Further analysis, based on 163 climate model simulations with centennial historical and projected external radiative forcing, suggests that the Indian Ocean warming relative to the Pacific's could play an important role in modulating the Pacific climate changes in the 20th and 21st centuries.

FutureCoast: "Listen to your futures"

Science.gov (United States)

Pfirman, S. L.; Eklund, K.; Thacher, S.; Orlove, B. S.; Diane Stovall-Soto, G.; Brunacini, J.; Hernandez, T.

2014-12-01

Two science-arts approaches are emerging as effective means to convey "futurethinking" to learners: systems gaming and experiential futures. FutureCoast exemplifies the latter: by engaging participants with voicemails supposedly leaking from the cloud of possible futures, the storymaking game frames the complexities of climate science in relatable contexts. Because participants make the voicemails themselves, FutureCoast opens up creative ways for people to think about possibly climate-changed futures and personal ways to talk about them. FutureCoast is a project of the PoLAR Partnership with a target audience of informal adult learners primarily reached via mobile devices and online platforms. Scientists increasingly use scenarios and storylines as ways to explore the implications of environmental change and societal choices. Stories help people make connections across experiences and disciplines and link large-scale events to personal consequences. By making the future seem real today, FutureCoast's framework helps people visualize and plan for future climate changes. The voicemails contributed to FutureCoast are spread through the game's intended timeframe (2020 through 2065). Based on initial content analysis of voicemail text, common themes include ecosystems and landscapes, weather, technology, societal issues, governance and policy. Other issues somewhat less frequently discussed include security, food, industry and business, health, energy, infrastructure, water, economy, and migration. Further voicemail analysis is examining: temporal dimensions (salient time frames, short vs. long term issues, intergenerational, etc.), content (adaptation vs. mitigation, challenges vs. opportunities, etc.), and emotion (hopeful, resigned, etc. and overall emotional context). FutureCoast also engaged audiences through facilitated in-person experiences, geocaching events, and social media (Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube). Analysis of the project suggests story

9th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference. Nuclear energy, science and technology - Pacific partnership. Proceedings Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-04-01

The theme of the 9th Pacific Basin Nuclear conference held in Sydney from 1-6 May 1994, embraced the use of the atom in energy production and in science and technology. The focus was on selected topics of current and ongoing interest to countries around the Pacific Basin. The two-volume proceedings include both invited and contributed papers. They have been indexed separately. This document, Volume 1 covers the following topics: Pacific partnership; perspectives on nuclear energy, science and technology in Pacific Basin countries; nuclear energy and sustainable development; economics of the power reactors; new power reactor projects; power reactor technology; advanced reactors; radioisotope and radiation technology; biomedical applications

South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-03-01

On 8 August 1986 the Protocols to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty were adopted by the South Pacific Forum at its 17 th session, in Suva. The attached texts of the Protocols were formally communicated to the Director General by the Director of the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation (SPEC) and are herewith being circulated to all Member States for their information pursuant to a request made by the Director of SPEC. Following the deposit of the eighth instrument of ratification, the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty entered into force on 11 December 1986 [es

Facies Architecture and Paleogeography of the Battfjellet Formation, Rypefjellet, Spitsbergen

OpenAIRE

Skarpeid, Silje Skorve

2010-01-01

The shallow marine sandstones of the Battfjellet Fm are part of a regressive mega-sequence that represent the last stages of infilling of the Paleogene Central Basin in Spitsbergen. The Battfjellet Fm is believed to be of Eocene age and was deposited in a foreland basin that developed in front of the West Spitsbergen Orogen, a fold-and-thrust belt that formed along the western coast of Svalbard as a response to the northward spreading of the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. ...

Multinational tagging efforts illustrate regional scale of distribution and threats for east pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas agassizii).

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Catherine E; Blanco, Gabriela S; Coyne, Michael S; Delgado-Trejo, Carlos; Godley, Brendan J; Jones, T Todd; Resendiz, Antonio; Seminoff, Jeffrey A; Witt, Matthew J; Nichols, Wallace J

2015-01-01

To further describe movement patterns and distribution of East Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas agassizii) and to determine threat levels for this species within the Eastern Pacific. In order to do this we combined published data from existing flipper tagging and early satellite tracking studies with data from an additional 12 satellite tracked green turtles (1996-2006). Three of these were tracked from their foraging grounds in the Gulf of California along the east coast of the Baja California peninsula to their breeding grounds in Michoacán (1337-2928 km). In addition, three post-nesting females were satellite tracked from Colola beach, Michoacán to their foraging grounds in southern Mexico and Central America (941.3-3020 km). A further six turtles were tracked in the Gulf of California within their foraging grounds giving insights into the scale of ranging behaviour. Turtles undertaking long-distance migrations showed a tendency to follow the coastline. Turtles tracked within foraging grounds showed that foraging individuals typically ranged up to 691.6 km (maximum) from release site location. Additionally, we carried out threat analysis (using the cumulative global human impact in the Eastern Pacific) clustering pre-existing satellite tracking studies from Galapagos, Costa Rica, and data obtained from this study; this indicated that turtles foraging and nesting in Central American waters are subject to the highest anthropogenic impact. Considering that turtles from all three rookeries were found to migrate towards Central America, it is highly important to implement conservation plans in Central American coastal areas to ensure the survival of the remaining green turtles in the Eastern Pacific. Finally, by combining satellite tracking data from this and previous studies, and data of tag returns we created the best available distributional patterns for this particular sea turtle species, which emphasized that conservation measures in key areas may have

Influence of hydrography of Central Mexican Pacific in the spatial variation of inorganic nutrients during 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Olivos-Ortiz, A.; Gaviño-Rodríguez, J. H.; Quijano-Scheggia, S.; Pelayo-Martinez, G.; Torres-Orozco, E.; Calva-Chavez, M.

2014-12-01

The Mexican Central Pacific (MCP) is considered an oligotrophic area that holds important populations of different species with ecological and economic importance like marine mammals, billfish and tunas. Hydrographic mechanisms are responsible to interplay with the biogeochemical cycles of nutrients to support primary productivity for these food webs. It is argued that seasonal upwelling of bottom waters rich in nutrients generates distributed in patches of high-productivity, which are also linked to topographic continental forcing. The goal of this study is determine the presence of water masses, depth of the mixed layer, temperature, salinity, patterns of geostrophic currents and their influence on the spatiotemporal variability of inorganic nutrients. For that pupose, three oceanographic cruises were conducted in January, May-June, and October of 2010 off the coast of the MCP. Each campaign consisted of 15 stations in five perpendicular transects with stations at 2, 50 and 100 nm offshore. At each station samples were taken to determine the concentration of NO3-+ NO2-, NH4+, PO43- and SiO2 at 0, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 m depth. CTD casts were made up to 500m to obtain profiles of salinity, temperature, water masses, and identify geostrophic currents (direction and intensity). Identified water masses were: Pacific Tropical Surface Water (PTSW), Pacific Equatorial Surface Water (PESW), Equatorial Pacific Water (EPW), California Current Water (CCW), Subtropical Subsurface Water (STSsW), and Pacific Intermediate Water (PIT); these water masses were present in all three seasons being more clear the presence of CCW during autumn and PTSW in winter. The interaction between coastal topography, geostrophic circulation, and the depth of the mixed layer (55m oceanic part in January and 10m coastal area in October) were the factors that determined the location of areas of high concentration of nutrients. The distribution of nutrients was heterogeneous

The Structure of Genetic Diversity in Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) along the North Pacific and Bering Sea Coasts of Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Talbot, Sandra L.; Sage, Kevin; Rearick, Jolene; Fowler, Megan C.; Muñiz-Salazar, Raquel; Baibak, Bethany; Wyllie-Echeverria, Sandy; Cabello-Pasini, Alehandro; Ward, David H.

2016-01-01

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) populations occupying coastal waters of Alaska are separated by a peninsula and island archipelago into two Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs). From populations in both LMEs, we characterize genetic diversity, population structure, and polarity in gene flow using nuclear microsatellite fragment and chloroplast and nuclear sequence data. An inverse relationship between genetic diversity and latitude was observed (heterozygosity: R2 = 0.738, P < 0.001; allelic richness: R2 = 0.327, P = 0.047), as was significant genetic partitioning across most sampling sites (θ = 0.302, P < 0.0001). Variance in allele frequency was significantly partitioned by region only in cases when a population geographically in the Gulf of Alaska LME (Kinzarof Lagoon) was instead included with populations in the Eastern Bering Sea LME (θp = 0.128–0.172; P < 0.003), suggesting gene flow between the two LMEs in this region. Gene flow among locales was rarely symmetrical, with notable exceptions generally following net coastal ocean current direction. Genetic data failed to support recent proposals that multiple Zostera species (i.e. Z. japonica and Z. angustifolia) are codistributed with Z. marina in Alaska. Comparative analyses also failed to support the hypothesis that eelgrass populations in the North Atlantic derived from eelgrass retained in northeastern Pacific Last Glacial Maximum refugia. These data suggest northeastern Pacific populations are derived from populations expanding northward from temperate populations following climate amelioration at the terminus of the last Pleistocene glaciation.

The structure of genetic diversity in eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) along the North Pacific and Bering Sea coasts of Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Talbot, Sandra L.; Sage, Kevin; Rearick, Jolene; Fowler, Megan C.; Muñiz-Salazar, Raquel; Baibak, Bethany; Wyllie-Echeverria, Sandy; Cabello-Pasini, Alehandro; Ward, David H.

2016-01-01

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) populations occupying coastal waters of Alaska are separated by a peninsula and island archipelago into two Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs). From populations in both LMEs, we characterize genetic diversity, population structure, and polarity in gene flow using nuclear microsatellite fragment and chloroplast and nuclear sequence data. An inverse relationship between genetic diversity and latitude was observed (heterozygosity: R2 = 0.738, P < 0.001; allelic richness: R2 = 0.327, P = 0.047), as was significant genetic partitioning across most sampling sites (θ = 0.302, P < 0.0001). Variance in allele frequency was significantly partitioned by region only in cases when a population geographically in the Gulf of Alaska LME (Kinzarof Lagoon) was instead included with populations in the Eastern Bering Sea LME (θp = 0.128–0.172; P < 0.003), suggesting gene flow between the two LMEs in this region. Gene flow among locales was rarely symmetrical, with notable exceptions generally following net coastal ocean current direction. Genetic data failed to support recent proposals that multiple Zostera species (i.e. Z. japonica and Z. angustifolia) are codistributed with Z. marina in Alaska. Comparative analyses also failed to support the hypothesis that eelgrass populations in the North Atlantic derived from eelgrass retained in northeastern Pacific Last Glacial Maximum refugia. These data suggest northeastern Pacific populations are derived from populations expanding northward from temperate populations following climate amelioration at the terminus of the last Pleistocene glaciation.

Diabetic Retinopathy in the Asia-Pacific.

Science.gov (United States)

Chua, Jacqueline; Lim, Claire Xin Ying; Wong, Tien Yin; Sabanayagam, Charumathi

2018-01-01

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the most common complication of diabetes mellitus, is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in middle-aged and elderly in the Asia-Pacific. It has been estimated that 51% of all those with blindness due to DR globally (n = 424,400) and 56% of those with visual impairment due to DR (2.1 million) come from the Asia-Pacific. Prevalence of DR among those with diabetes ranged from 10% in India to 43% in Indonesia within the Asia-Pacific. Awareness of DR among persons with diabetes ranged from 28% to 84%. Most common modifiable risk factors for DR in the Asia-Pacific were hyperglycemia, blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Implementation of systematic screening programs for DR and advancement in telemedicine screening methods have increased patient coverage and cost-effectiveness, though there are still numerous factors impeding screening uptake in the low-middle income regions of the Asia-Pacific. Management and treatment of DR in the Asia-Pacific is mainly limited to traditional laser retinopexy, but it is suboptimal despite new clinical approaches such as use of intravitreal anti.vascular endothelial growth factor and steroids due to limited resources. Further research and data are required to structure a more cost-effective public healthcare program and more awareness-building initiatives to increase the effectiveness of DR screening programs. Copyright 2017 Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology.

Response to UVB radiation and oxidative stress of marine bacteria isolated from South Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Matallana-Surget, S; Villette, C; Intertaglia, L; Joux, F; Bourrain, M; Lebaron, P

2012-12-05

Marine bacterial strains isolated from South Pacific and Mediterranean Sea were studied for their resistance to UVB radiation, their repair capacity under photoreactivating light, as well as their oxidative stress response using concentrated hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), as an oxidizer. A total of 30 marine bacteria were isolated from the hyper-oligotrophic waters of the South Pacific Gyre to the eutrophic waters of the Chilean coast during the BIOSOPE cruise (2004), and 10 strains from surface Mediterranean coastal waters. One third of bacteria presented a high resistance to UVB and almost all isolates presented an efficient post-irradiation recovery. Only few strains showed cell survival to high concentration of H(2)O(2). No correlation between the sampling sites and the bacterial UVB resistance was observed. Two marine bacteria, Erythrobacter flavus and Ruegeria mobilis, were of particular interest, presenting a good response to the three parameters (UVB and H(2)O(2) resistance/efficient repair). Unexpectedly, two resistant strains were again identified as Ruegeria species underlining that this geographically widespread genus, resist to UVB regardless the environment from which the isolates originate. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Migration for Environmentally Displaced Pacific Peoples: Legal Options in the Pacific Rim

OpenAIRE

Tabucanon, Gil Marvel

2012-01-01

This paper explores the complex relationship between the environment and migration, namely the various protection options available for environmentally-displaced Pacific peoples under the laws of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It seeks to ascertain whether flexibility exists in these countries' domestic laws for environmental migrants from neighboring Pacific countries. It asks if humanitarian and ministerial discretion admissions and preferential admission schemes suf...

South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-02-01

The full text of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty with its Annexes endorsed on 6 August 1985 by the South Pacific Forum (a body comprising the independent and self-governing countries of the South Pacific, namely Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Nive, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa) is presented

South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-02-01

On 6 August 1985 the South Pacific Forum, a body comprising the independent and self-governing countries of the South Pacific (Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa), endorsed the text of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty and opened it for signature [es

South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-02-01

On 6 August 1985 the South Pacific Forum, a body comprising the independent and self-governing countries of the South Pacific (Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa), endorsed the text of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty and opened it for signature [ru

Tsunami impacts on morphology of beaches along south Kerala coast, west coast of India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Rasheed, K.A.A.; Das, V.K.; Revichandran, C.; Vijayan, P.R.; Thottam, T.J.

TSUNAMI IMPACTS ON MORPHOLOGY OF BEACHES ALONG SOUTH KERALA COAST, WEST COAST OF INDIA K. A. Abdul Rasheed *, V. Kesava Das, C. Revichandran, P. R. Vijayan and Tony. J. Thottam National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Regional Centre (RC... large waves of height 11 to 11.5m in Kutch region (Pendse 1945). Most of the tsunamis are generated by the earthquake-initiated seabed displacements. Landslides (including underwater landslides), volcanic eruptions, impact of large objects (such...

Revealing the distinct habitat ranges and hybrid zone of genetic sub-populations within Pseudo-nitzschia pungens (Bacillariophyceae) in the West Pacific area.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jin Ho; Wang, Pengbin; Park, Bum Soo; Kim, Joo-Hwan; Patidar, Shailesh Kumar; Han, Myung-Soo

2018-03-01

Genetic sub-populations (clades) of cosmopolitan marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia pungens might have distinct habitats, and their hybrid zone is suspected in higher latitude area of the West Pacific area, however, it is still unrevealed because of technical difficulties and lack of evidences in natural environments. The aim of this study is to investigate the habitat characteristics of each clade of P. pungens on geographical distribution with the habitat temperature ranges of each clade and to reveal their hybrid zone in the West Pacific area. We employed the 137 number of nucleotide sequences of P. pungens and its sampling data (spatial and temporal scale) originated from the West Pacific area, and used field application of qPCR assay for intra-specific level of P. pungens. Only two genotypes, clade I and III, were identified in the West Pacific area. Clade I was distributed from 39 to 32.3°N, and clade III were from 1.4 to 34.4°N. The estimated habitat temperature for the clade I and clade III ranges were 8.1-26.9 °C and 24.2-31.2 °C, respectively. The latitudinal distributions and temperature ranges of each clade were significantly different. The qPCR assay employed, and results suggested that the hybrid zone for clade I and III has been observed in the southern Korean coasts, and clade III might be introduced from the Southern Pacific area. The cell abundances of clade III were strongly related with the higher seawater temperature and warm current force. This study has defined distinct habitat characteristics of genetically different sub-populations of P. pungens, and revealed its hybrid zone in natural environment for the first time. We also provided strong evidences about dispersion of the population of clade III to higher latitude in the West Pacific area. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cretaceous – Paleogene boundary Fish Clay at Højerup (Stevns Klint, Denmark: Zn, Pb and REE in kerogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MILOS G. DJORDJEVIC

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Geochemical analyses of Zn, Pb and rare earth elements (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb and Lu in the kerogen of the black marl at the Cretaceous – Paleogene boundary Fish Clay at Højerup were performed. Substantial proportions of the Zn, Pb and rare earths were probably contained in terrestrial humic substances (the kerogen precursor arriving at the marine sedimentary site. This is in accord with a previous hypothesis that kerogen is mainly derived from humic acids of an oxic soil in of the adjacent coastal areas of eastern Denmark. It is also suggested that humics enriched in Zn, Pb and rare earth elements were transported mainly through fluvial transport into the deposition site of the Fish Clay. Local weathering/leaching of the impact–eject fallout on the land surface and local terrestrial rocks by impact-induced? acid surface waters perhaps played an important role in providing Zn, Pb and rare earths to these humic substances. Apparently, chondritic and non-chondritic Zn originated from the impact fallout; Pb and rare earth elements were most likely sourced by exposed rocks in the coastal areas of eastern Denmark.

US west coast

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Aerial surveys are conducted along the US west coast to determine distribution and abundance of endangered leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), loggerhead...

The Pacific Ventilated Thermocline and its Influence on the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and Global Warming

Science.gov (United States)

Kuntz, L.; Schrag, D. P.

2017-12-01

Over the past century, global surface temperatures have warmed episodically despite relatively steady increases in radiative forcing. Coincident with these transitions, we identify changes in the structure of the ventilated thermocline in the Pacific as well as changes in the intensity of the equatorial undercurrent. We propose a new mechanism for the Pacific Decadal Oscillation that involves oscillations in the strength of the equatorial undercurrent and may explain multi-decadal variability of global temperatures. We suggest that the oscillation results in a greater or lesser volume of cold water reaching the eastern Pacific, which ultimately leads to a change in the heat flux out of this critical region. By varying the heat flux in the tropical Pacific in model simulations, we reproduce a stepwise pattern of warming that resembles the historical climate record without additional variability in forcing. In addition, the trajectory of the changes in thermocline structure that we now observe in the Pacific looks like it will arrive at the equator in the middle of the next decade, suggesting that the current period of reduced warming (aka "hiatus") will persist through the mid-2020s.

Multi-sensor Oceanographic Correlations for Pacific Hake Acoustic Survey Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Brozen, M.; Hillyer, N.; Holt, B.; Armstrong, E. M.

2010-12-01

North Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), the most abundant groundfish along the Pacific coast of northwestern America, are an essential source of income for the coastal region from southern California to British Columbia, Canada. However, hake abundance and distribution are highly variable among years, exhibiting variance in both the north-south and east-west distribution as seen in the results from biannual acoustic surveys. This project is part of a larger undertaking, ultimately focused on the prediction of hake distribution to improve the distribution of survey effort and precision of stock assessments in the future. Four remotely sensed oceanographic variables are examined as a first step in improving our understanding the relationship between the intensity of coastal upwelling and other ocean dynamics, and the north-south summer hake distribution. Sea surface height, wind vectors, chlorophyll - a concentrations, and sea surface temperature were acquired from several satellites, including AVHRR, SeaWifs, TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, SSM/I, ASMR-E, and QuikScat. Data were aligned to the same spatial and temporal resolution, and these re-gridded data were then analyzed using empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs). EOFs were used as a spatio-temporally compact representation of the data and to reduce the co-variability of the multiple time series in the dataset. The EOF results were plotted and acoustic survey results were overlaid to understand differences between regions. Although this pilot project used data from only a single year (2007), it demonstrated a methodology for reducing dimensionality of linearly related satellite variables that can used in future applications, and provided insight into multi-dimensional ocean characteristics important for hake distribution.

Compositional Variations of Paleogene and Neogene Tephra From the Northern Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc

Science.gov (United States)

Tepley, F. J., III; Barth, A. P.; Brandl, P. A.; Hickey-Vargas, R.; Jiang, F.; Kanayama, K.; Kusano, Y.; Li, H.; Marsaglia, K. M.; McCarthy, A.; Meffre, S.; Savov, I. P.; Yogodzinski, G. M.

2014-12-01

A primary objective of IODP Expedition 351 was to evaluate arc initiation processes of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) volcanic arc and its compositional evolution through time. To this end, a single thick section of sediment overlying oceanic crust was cored in the Amami Sankaku Basin where a complete sediment record of arc inception and evolution is preserved. This sediment record includes ash and pyroclasts, deposited in fore-arc, arc, and back-arc settings, likely associated with both the ~49-25 Ma emergent IBM volcanic arc and the evolving Ryukyu-Kyushu volcanic arc. Our goal was to assess the major element evolution of the nascent and evolving IBM system using the temporally constrained record of the early and developing system. In all, more than 100 ash and tuff layers, and pyroclastic fragments were selected from temporally resolved portions of the core, and from representative fractions of the overall core ("core catcher"). The samples were prepared to determine major and minor element compositions via electron microprobe analyses. This ash and pyroclast record will allow us to 1) resolve the Paleogene evolutionary history of the northern IBM arc in greater detail; 2) determine compositional variations of this portion of the IBM arc through time; 3) compare the acquired data to an extensive whole rock and tephra dataset from other segments of the IBM arc; 4) test hypotheses of northern IBM arc evolution and the involvement of different source reservoirs; and 5) mark important stratigraphic markers associated with the Neogene volcanic history of the adjacent evolving Ryukyu-Kyushu arc.