368 research outputs found
Changes in biodiversity, GOODS & GES under IPCC scenarios
No full textTelmo Morato presented progress towards D3.3, part 4: Changes in biodiversity, GOODS & GES under IPCC scenarios during the 4th ATLAS General Assembly.</p
Fisheries Centre research reports. Volume 12, number 5
No full textDIRECTOR’S FOREWORD (Daniel Pauly). FOREWORD (Sarah Chasis and Karen Garrison). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Daniel Pauly). INFERENCES OF POTENTIAL SEAMOUNT LOCATIONS FROM MID-RESOLUTION BATHYMETRIC DATA (Adrian Kitchingman and Sherman Lai). Appendix 1. 1. Location of > 14,000 likely seamounts. SEAMOUNTSONLINE: AN ONLINE RESOURCE FOR DATA ON THE BIODIVERSITY OF SEAMOUNTS (Karen Stocks). SEAMOUNT INVERTEBRATES: COMPOSITION AND VULNERABILITY TO FISHING (Karen Stocks). Appendices 1a-1d: Data in invertebrates collected from seamounts globally. 1a. List of species from seamounts - ordered by species. 1b. List of species from seamounts - ordered by seamount. 1c. Bibliography of data sources cited in appendices 1a and 1b. 1d. Distribution maps for seamount invertebrates given in appendices 1a and 1b. TAXONOMY AND BIOLOGY OF SEAMOUNT FISHES (Rainer Froese and Arlene Sampang). Appendices 1-6. 1. Preliminary annotated checklist of seamount fishes.
2. Preliminary list of seamount fishes with reported seamounts. 3. Preliminary checklist of fishes by seamount.
4. Preliminary list of commercially important seamount fishes. 5. Reference numbers with citations. 6. Preliminary bibliography of seamount fishes.
A FUZZY LOGIC EXPERT SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING THE INTRINSIC EXTINCTION VULNERABILITIES OF SEAMOUNT FISHES TO FISHING
(William W. L. Cheung, Tony J. Pitcher and Daniel Pauly). Appendix 1. 1. Assignment of strength of spatial behaviour of fish onto a 1 to 100 arbitrary scale. VULNERABILITY OF SEAMOUNT FISH TO FISHING: FUZZY ANALYSIS OF LIFE HISTORY ATTRIBUTES (Telmo Morato, William W. L. Cheung and Tony J. Pitcher). Appendix 1. 1. Additions to Froese and Sampang’s checklist of seamount fishes. EXPLOITATION PATTERNS IN SEAMOUNT FISHERIES: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS (Reg Watson and Telmo Morato). Appendix 1. 1. Commercial fish taxa associated with seamounts. MANAGING AND PROTECTING SEAMOUNT ECOSYSTEMS (Jackie Alder and Louisa Wood). GLOSSARY.Oceans and Fisheries, Institute for theScience, Faculty ofUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat
A multi criteria assessment method for identifying vulnerable marine ecosystems in the North-East Atlantic
No full textIn international fisheries management, scientific advice on the presence of "vulnerable marine ecosystems" (VMEs) per United Nations resolutions, has generally used qualitative assessments based on expert judgment of the occurrence of indicator taxa such as cold-water corals and sponges. Use of expert judgment alone can be criticized for inconsistency and sometimes a lack of transparency; therefore, development of robust and repeatable numeric methods to detect the presence of VMEs would be advantageous. Here, we present a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) method to evaluate how likely a given area of seafloor represents a VME. The MCA is a taxa-dependent spatial method that accounts for both the quantity and data quality available. This was applied to a database of records of VMEs built, held and compiled by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). A VME index was generated which ranged from 1.51 to 4.52, with 5.0 being reserved for confirmed VME habitats. An index of confidence was also computed that ranged from 0.0 to 0.75, with 1 being reserved for those confirmed VME habitats. Overall the MCA captured the important elements of the ICES VME database and provided a simplified, spatially aggregated, and weighted estimate of how likely a given area is to contain VMEs. The associated estimate of confidence gave an indication of how uncertain that assessment was for the same given area. This methodology provides a more systematic and standardized approach for assessing the likelihood of presence of VMEs in the North-East Atlantic.</p
Introduction to ATLAS WP3: Biodiversity and Biogeography
No full textIntroduction to ATLAS Work Package 3, Biodiversity and Biogeography, from the 1st ATLAS General Assembly, June 2016.
ATLAS will use a combination of techniques to study the biodiversity and biogeographic patterns of sensitive deep-water ecosystems and deep-sea fish in the North Atlantic, forecast changes under future climate change scenarios, and strengthen the evidence base for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas
Using past data to inform future management
No full textPresentation given at the ATLAS Science Policy Panel, 23 March 2017 held at the European Parliament, Brussels
Update on WP3 Biodiversity and Biogeography
No full textPresentation from the ATLAS 2nd General Assembly. Update on the progress of WP3 Biodiversity and Biogeography
"LUSO" Hydrothermal vent field Expedition; 4th August 2018 (RV L'Atalante - IFREMER)
No full textFollowing the discovery of the new hydrothermal field “Luso” in the Azores during the scientific expedition “Oceano Azul” that took place in May and June, a follow up day scientific sampling mission as part of the TRANSECT scientific campaign onboard the ship RV L’Atalante took place on August 4th. The mission was coordinated by Telmo Morato, chief scientist of the deep water exploration of the Oceano Azul expedition, in close collaboration with Nadine Le Bris, chief scientist of TRANSECT scientific campaign. The Portuguese team participating in the mission was composed of 4 scientists with different expertise in research areas of hydrothermal vents (e.g. geology, chemistry, ecology, microbiology) and the chief pilot of the Portuguese ROV Luso from EMEPC. The expedition's main objective was to collect sufficient information and samples for a proper description of the “LUSO” hydrothermal vent field area. Specifically, the mission aimed to collect information i) on the geological and geochemical (including chimneys and deposits/sediments) description of the area; ii) on the chemical composition of the vent fluids and gases, and on the environmental parameters that can help to describe the area of influence of the vent; iii) on the biology and microbiology of the vent field; iv) the background fauna, mostly cold-water corals and sponges and v) to produce a photo-mosaic of the vent field. For this purpose, a detailed dive plan based on the video footage collected during the first scientific mission in June identified three priority areas to be visited: (1) the main venting area with the largest identified vent chimney; (2) a secondary venting area composed of smaller active vent chimneys ; (3) an inactive vent field area
Model outputs: Modelling the dispersion of Seafloor Massive Sulphide mining plumes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge around the Azores
No full textIt is increasingly recognised that deep-sea mining of seafloor massive sulphides (SMS) could become an important source of mineral resources. These operations will remove the targeted substrate and produce potentially sediment toxic plumes from in situ seabed excavation and from the return water pumped back down to the seafloor. However, the spatial extent of the impacts of deep-sea mining plumes is still uncertain because few field experiments and models of plumes dispersion have been conducted. Morato et al. (2022) used three-dimensional hydrodynamic models of the Azores region together with a theoretical commercial mining operation of polymetallic SMS to simulate the potential dispersal of sediment plumes originating from different phases of mining operations and to assess the magnitude of potential impacts. The areas used in the modelling work were (from North to South): Cavala seamount (38.265, -30.710), Lucky Strike Hole (37.503, -31.955), Menez Hom (37.109, -32.618), Famous (37.001, -33.039), Saldanha (36.658, -33.420), and Rainbow (36.262 -33.824).
The datasets published here contain all the model outputs, namely for 1) the in situ excavation sediment plume, 2) the return water discharge plume, and 3) the return sediments discharge plume:
1) The concentration of solids and of the discharge water in each horizontal 2-dimensional space cell is calculated as the maximum concentration in the 50 vertical layers of each 2-dimensional cell, for each output time step (3 hours), averaged over all time steps during each trimester and during a 12-months simulation.
1.1) Concentration of sediments produced during the in situ excavation sediment plume calculated as the maximum concentration in the 50 vertical layers of each 2-dimensional cell, for each output time step (3 hours), averaged over all time steps during a 12-months simulation. Sediments were composed of six classes of different particle diameter (0-10 μm, 10-50 μm, 50-100 μm, 100-200 μm, 200-2,000 μm, and >2,000 μm), an average particle density of 3,780 kg·m-3, and resultant settling velocities ranging from 75.1 cm·s-1 to 0.002 cm·s-1.
1.2) Concentration of return water discharge plume (shown in dilution folds) in six study areas calculated as the maximum concentration in the 50 vertical layers of each 2-dimensional cell, for each output time step (3 hours), averaged over all time steps during a 12-months simulation and assuming a control temperature as the annual minimum temperature of each location (T1). The salinity of discharge was calculated assuming the MOHID salinity of 83.3% surface water and 16.7% of seafloor water.
1.3) Concentration of sediments in the return sediment discharge plume, calculated as the maximum concentration in the 50 vertical layers of each 2-dimensional cell, for each output time step (3 hours), averaged over all time steps during a 12-months simulation. The average particle diameter was assumed to be 4 µm with an average particle density of 3,780 kg·m-3 and a resultant settling velocity of 0.002 cm·s-1.
2) The proportion of simulated time (temporal frequency) that a specific 2-dimensional space contained plume concentrations higher than the adopted thresholds; 1.2 mg·L-1 for sediment solids and 5,000 fold dilution for discharge water. Those cells whose temporal frequency above the thresholds was greater than 50%, i.e. 6 months out of 12 months, were considered as cells with persistent plumes.
2.1) Proportion of simulated time (temporal frequency) that a specific a 2-dimensional space cell, in six study areas, contained in situ excavation sediment plume above a 1.2 mg·L-1 concentration threshold, during a 12-months simulation, assuming six classes of particle diameter (0-10 μm, 10-50 μm, 50-100 μm, 100-200 μm, 200-2,000 μm, and >2,000 μm), an average particle density of 3,780 kg·m-3, and resultant settling velocities ranging from 75.1 cm·s-1 to 0.002 cm·s-1.
2.2) Proportion of simulated time (temporal frequency) that a specific 2-dimensional space, in six study areas, contained return water discharge plume concentrations higher than the adopted thresholds (i.e., 5,000 fold dilution), during a 12-months simulation and assuming a control temperature as the annual minimum temperature of each location (T1). The salinity of discharge was calculated assuming the MOHID salinity of 83.3% surface water and 16.7% of seafloor water.
2.3) Proportion of simulated time (temporal frequency) that a specific 2-dimensional space cell, in six study areas, contained return sediments discharge plume above a 1.2 mg·L-1 concentration threshold, during a 12-months simulation, assuming an average particle diameter of 4 µm, an average particle density of 3,780 kg·m-3, and a resultant settling velocity of 0.002 cm·s-1.
3) In addition to the thresholds and targets described above, the datasets also present the model results for Cavala seamount and Lucky Strike Hole against other thresholds: 5 mg·L-1, 10 mg·L-1 and 25 mg·L-1 for sediments and 1,000, 600, 300 and 200 fold dilution for discharge water.
4) Seasonal variations in the model outputs for plumes dispersal are also presented for Cavala seamount and Lucky Strike Hole by computing the probability of concentration above thresholds for four periods of three months (January-March, April-June, July-September, and October-December). In these scenarios, the model run duration was approximately 90 days.
5) The sediment thickness of the settled sediments from the discharge sediment and excavation.
5.1) Bottom thickness of settled sediments produced during the in situ excavation sediment plume assuming six classes of particle diameter (0-10 μm, 10-50 μm, 50-100 μm, 100-200 μm, 200-2,000 μm, and >2,000 μm), an average particle density of 3,780 kg·m-3, and resultant settling velocities ranging from 75.1 cm·s-1 to 0.002 cm·s-1. The duration of the simulation is one year.
5.2) Bottom thickness of settled sediments from the return sediment discharge plume modelled assuming an average particle diameter of 4 µm, an average particle density of 3,780 kg·m-3, and a resultant settling velocity of 0.002 cm·s-1. The duration of the simulation is one year
Experimental fisheries for black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo) in the Azores, Northeast Atlantic
No full textAbstract
Machete, M., Morato, T., and Menezes, G. 2011. Experimental fisheries for black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo) in the Azores, Northeast Atlantic – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 302–308. In this study, we used fisheries observers' data to analyse and describe the experimental fishing of black scabbardfish in the Azores in terms of type of gear, fishing operation, catch per unit effort (cpue), and fish size compositions. Standardized catch in numbers per 1000 hooks varied from 103 to 210 fish with an overall average of 132 fish per 1000 hooks. Recorded cpue values were similar to those recorded for Madeira and mainland Portugal in early 2000 but were higher than those observed in mainland Portugal for recent years. Bycatch was similar to that observed for other longline fisheries but much lower than in the North Atlantic deep-water trawl fishery. Fish size composition showed differences between locations in the Azores. Fish in Pico and São Jorge/Graciosa were consistently smaller than in other areas sampled and this may reflect the occurrence of an additional species, Aphanopus intermedius, in this area as proposed by gene analyses. Black scabbardfish (of possibly two species) may be considered an alternative resource for Azorean fisheries. Based on experience from other scabbardfish fisheries, however, it is suggested that fishing mortality should be maintained at a low level, traditional fishing methods should be encouraged, and bycatch should be closely monitored. Future studies of biology and distribution, stock assessments, and fisheries management advice should take into account the probable occurrence of two very similar species in the area. This study also highlights the importance of maintaining the fishery monitoring programme for the black scabbardfish fisheries in the Azores.</jats:p
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