1,721,031 research outputs found
The biogeochemistry and oceanography of the East African Coastal Current
Full text linkThe East African Coastal Current (EACC) is the dominant oceanographic influence along the coastlines of Tanzania and Kenya yet formal descriptions of the biogeochemical characteristics of these waters remain fragmented or poorly defined. Whilst the region remains undersampled, and information for many parameters is limited or even absent, the region is not understudied and complex patterns, due in part to the changing monsoon seasons, can be identified from extant observations. A critical distinction between the neritic waters of the narrow East African continental shelf, which may be more influenced by local tidal currents and terrestrial inputs, and the oligotrophic surface waters of the deeper offshelf region under the influence of the EACC can be drawn, which cautions against the extrapolation of trends or seasonal patterns from limited datasets more widely throughout the region. Permanently N-limited, low NO3-:PO43- surface waters coupled with high (>25°C) sea surface temperatures are a key feature of the EACC Ecoregion and likely responsible for the presence of a regionally important population of the nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium, though information on another key requirement, iron, is lacking. Phytoplankton diversity, abundance and the spatiotemporal variability of phytoplankton populations are considered poorly known due to limited sampling efforts. Recent and growing recognition of high coral biodiversity, high reef fish species endemism, of widespread reductions in mangrove forest coverage, and growing anthropogenic pressures on coastal waters suggest that the region deserves greater multidisciplinary study. Efforts to anticipate climate induced changes to these waters, which are expected to impact local fisheries with substantial socioeconomic impacts, would benefit from greater efforts to synthesise existing biogeochemical data, much of which resides within grey literature sources, theses, project reports, remains inaccessible or has been lost. Future biogeochemical and oceanographic observational efforts should simultaneously explore shelf and deeper offshelf waters to determine shelf-to-ocean linkages and the spatiotemporal variability of parameter fields whilst also bridging the gap to research efforts on coral biodiversity, fisheries and marine management activities due to recognised gaps in underlying scientific data to support decision making in these areas
On the significance of nitrification within the euphotic zone of the subpolar North Atlantic (Iceland basin) during summer 2007
No full textThe oxidation of ammonium to nitrite was investigated within surface waters (< 125 m) of the sub-polar North Atlantic (~ 60°N, 20°W) during late summer 2007. Sampling occurred within a mesoscale eddy dipole system and a definite bias towards waters beneath the euphotic zone as the focus for nitrification was evident. The patchy occurrence of significant nitrification rates within the euphotic zone is interpreted as providing minimal indication for widespread nitrification within surface waters of the sub-polar gyre. However, isolated occurrences of significant nitrification rates within the euphotic zone above the cyclonic eddy were sufficient to account for observed in-situ NO3?concentrations. It is proposed that the deeper mixed layer associated with the cyclonic eddy enhanced the likelihood of nitrification within the euphotic zone through the vertical displacement of sub-euphotic zone bacterial communities
A mesoscale eddy driving spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the productivity of the euphotic zone of the northeast Atlantic
No full textIn this paper we show how different water masses from a similar geographic region provide an explanation for perturbations in the signal of declining productivity at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) study site in the Northeast Atlantic. Furthermore we show that the passage of these different water masses is affected by the filamentary instabilities of a cyclonic eddy just southwest of the PAP site. We describe a high-resolution spatial hydrographic survey conducted with a towed instrument package, complemented by biogeochemical sampling. Maximum rates of primary production of 110 mmol C m-2 d-1 seen at the centre of the survey area were associated with the passage of an eddy filament and were enhanced 3 fold relative to far-field conditions (not, vert, similar36 mmol C m-2 d-1). The rotation and stirring influence of the eddy resulted in the sequential passage of 3 distinct water masses past the observation point. This understanding of the lateral stirring around the site enabled us to explain the sharp changes observed in daily primary production rates and other biogeochemical parameters. The spatial survey also revealed a fluorescence maxima associated with the cyclonic eddy that was laterally displaced northwards away from the core, an observation supportive of recent modelling studies
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Seasonality, phytoplankton succession and the biogeochemical impacts of an autumn storm in the northeast Atlantic Ocean
Full text linkPhytoplankton chemotaxonomic distributions are examined in conjunction with taxon specific particulate biomass concentrations and phytoplankton abundances to investigate the biogeochemical consequences of the passage of an autumn storm in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Chemotaxonomy indicated that the phytoplankton community was dominated by nanoplankton (2-20 ?), which on average represented 75±8% of the community. Microplankton (20-200 ?) and picoplankton (<2 ?) represented 21±7% and 4±3% respectively with the microplankton group composed of almost equal proportions of diatoms (53±17%) and dinoflagellates (47±17%). Total chlorophyll-a (TCHLa = CHLa + Divinyl CHLa) concentrations ranged from 22 to 677 ng L-1, with DvCHLa making minor contributions of between <1% and 13% to TCHLa. Higher DvCHLa contributions were seen during the storm, which deepened the surface mixed layer, increased mixed layer nutrient concentrations and vertically mixed the phytoplankton community leading to a post-storm increase in surface chlorophyll concentrations. Picoplankton were rapid initial respondents to the changing conditions with pigment markers showing an abrupt 4-fold increase in proportion but this increase was not sustained post-storm. 19’-HEX, a chemotaxonomic marker for prymnesiophytes, was the dominant accessory pigment pre- and post-storm with concentrations of 48-435 ng L-1, and represented 44% of total carotenoid concentrations. Accompanying scanning electron microscopy results support the pigment-based analysis but also provide detailed insight into the nano- and microplankton communities, which proved to be highly variable between pre-storm and post-storm sampling periods. Nanoplankton remained the dominant size class pre- and post-storm but the microplankton proportion peaked during the period of maximum nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations. Classic descriptions of autumn blooms resulting from storm driven eutrophication events promoting phytoplankton growth in surface waters should be tempered with greater understanding of the role of storm driven vertical reorganization of the water column and of resident phytoplankton communities. Crucially, in this case we observed no change in integrated chlorophyll, particulate organic carbon or biogenic silica concentrations despite also observing a ?50% increase in surface chlorophyll concentrations which indicated that the surface enhancement in chlorophyll concentrations was most likely fed from below rather than resulting from in situ growth. Though not measured directly there was no evidence of enhanced export fluxes associated with this storm. These observations have implications for the growing practice of using chlorophyll fluorescence from remote platforms to determine ocean productivity late in the annual productivity period and in response to storm mixing
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The spatial variability of vertical velocity in an Iceland basin eddy dipole
No full textThis paper quantitatively assesses the mesoscale spatial variability in vertical velocity associated with an open ocean eddy dipole. High-resolution, in situ data were collected during a research cruise aboard the NERC research ship RRS Discovery to the Iceland Basin in July/August 2007. A quasi-synoptic SeaSoar spatial survey revealed a southeastward flowing jet with counter-rotating eddies on either side. The anti-cyclonic component was identified as a mode water eddy, characterised by a homogenous core (?35.5 psu and 12 °C) centred at a depth of ?600 m. Vertical velocities were calculated by inverting the quasi-geostrophic (QG) Omega equation at each point in a three-dimensional grid encompassing the dipole. The strongest vertical velocities (up to 5 m day?1) were found primarily in the central jet between the eddies, as fast flowing water was forced over raised isopycnals associated with the large potential vorticity anomaly of the mode water eddy. Weaker upward (downward) vertical velocity was diagnosed ahead of the cyclonic (mode water) eddy in the direction of propagation, reaching 0.5 m day?1 (2.5 m day?1) at the depth of maximum potential vorticity (PV) anomaly. The results demonstrate that the mesoscale velocity field cannot be accurately reconstructed from analysis of individual isolated eddy features and that detailed three-dimensional maps of potential vorticity are required to quantify the cumulative effects of their interactions. An examination of potential sources of error associated with the vertical velocity diagnosis is presented, including sampling strategy, quasi-synopticity, sensitivity to interpolation length scale and the unquantified effect of lower boundary conditions. The first three of these errors are quantified as potentially reaching 50%, ?20% and ?25% of the calculated vertical velocity, respectively, indicating a potential margin of error in the vertical velocity diagnosis of order one
Urea distribution and uptake in the Atlantic Ocean between 50° N and 50°S.
No full textWe investigate the distribution of urea and its uptake by phytoplankton during 3 meridional
transects of the Atlantic Ocean between 50°N and 50° S. Significant relationships were identified
between urea uptake and Prochlorococcus abundance (p < 0.01) in the northern subtropical
Atlantic, where Prochlorococcus appears likely to dominate urea uptake, and between urea concentration
and the <200 µm microplankton biomass fraction (p < 0.005) in the South Atlantic, which may
be associated with the production of urea. These results suggest that the distribution of urea in the
subtropical ocean may be controlled by regional imbalances between urea consumption and urea
production. In parallel with these simple relationships significant spring-autumn seasonal changes in
the distribution of urea were identified in southern subtropical and tropical latitudes. Urea was twice
as abundant during local spring than during local autumn in the subtropical South Atlantic but 2.5
times more abundant in equatorial waters during the boreal autumn period. Euphotic zone integrated
urea uptake rates also varied seasonally, being considerably higher in the North Atlantic temperate
and subtropical latitudes during the boreal spring whilst in the subtropical South Atlantic urea
uptake peaked in local autumn
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