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The importance of marine spatial planning in advancing ecosystem-based sea use management
During the past 10 years, the evolution of marine spatial planning (MSP) and ocean zoning has become a crucial step in making ecosystem-based, sea use management a reality. The idea was initially stimulated by international and national interest in developing marine protected areas, e.g., the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. More recent attention has been placed on managing the multiple
Fanny Douvere
Essential ecological insights for marine ecosystem-based management and marine spatial planning
The abrupt decline in the sea's capacity to provide crucial ecosystem services requires a new ecosystem-based approach for maintaining and recovering biodiversity and integrity. Ecosystems are places, so marine spatial planners and managers must understand the heterogeneity of biological communities and their key components (especially apex predators and structure-forming species), and of key processes (e.g., population connectivity, interaction webs, biogeochemistry)
Larry Crowder; Elliott Norse
Ecosystem-based marine spatial management: Review of concepts, policies, tools, and critical issues
Conventional sectoral management and piecemeal governance are considered less and less appropriate in pursuit of sustainable development. Ecosystem based marine spatial management (EB-MSM) is an approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an ecosystem, including human uses, rather than considering single issues, species, or ecosystem services in isolation. Marine spatial planning and ocean zoning are emerging concepts that
Stelios Katsanevakis; Vanessa Stelzenmüller; Andy South; Thomas Kirk Sørensen; Peter J. S. Jones; Sandy Kerr; Fabio Badalamenti; Christos Anagnostou; Patricia Breen; Guillem Chust; Giovanni D'Anna; Mike Duijn; Tatiana Filatova; Fabio Fiorentino; Helena Hulsman; Kate Johnson; Aristomenis P. Karageorgis; Ingrid Kröncke; Simone Mirto; Carlo Pipitone; Susan Portelli; Wanfei Qiu; Henning Reiss; Dimitris Sakellariou; Maria Salomidi; Luc van Hoof; Vassiliki Vassilopoulou; Tomás Vega Fernández; Sandra Vöge; Anke Weber; Argyro Zenetos; Remment ter Hofstede
New technology for Ecosystem-Based Management: Marine monitoring with the ORCA Kilroy Network
Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) requires marine monitoring in real time with high temporal frequency and high spatial density. It also requires sensors that can provide direct measurements of biological processes and the means to track water movement and evaluate water quality. These requirements can not realistically be met using huge amalgamations of the independent instruments traditionally used for marine monitoring. To
Eric D. Thosteson; E. A. Widder; C. A. Cimaglia; J. W. Taylor; B. C. Burns; K. J. Paglen
Resilience, Robustness, and Marine Ecosystem-based Management
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This peer-reviewed article from the January 2008 issue of BioScience examines robustness and resilience as they apply to marine ecosystems. Marine ecosystems provide essential services to humans, yet these services have been diminished, and their future sustainability endangered, by human patterns of exploitation that threaten system robustness and resilience. Marine ecosystems are complex adaptive systems composed of individual agents that interact with one another to produce collective effects, integrating scales from individual behaviors to the dynamics of whole systems. In such systems, small changes can be magnified through nonlinear interactions, facilitating regime shifts and collapses. Protection of the services these ecosystems provide must therefore maintain the adaptive capacities of these systems by preserving a balance among heterogeneity, modularity, and redundancy, tightening feedback loops to provide incentives for sound stewardship. The challenge for management is to increase incentives to individuals, and tighten reward loops, in ways that will strengthen the robustness and resilience of these systems and preserve their ability to provide ecosystem services for generations to come.
SIMON A. LEVIN (Princeton University;); JANE LUBCHENCO (Oregon State University;)
Coastal Marine Mapping as an Ecosystem Based Management - the case study of the Baixada Santista Region - São Paulo, Brazil
SARTOR, S.M., HANS, M.F.P., PALM, L., SARTOR, L.M., LEÃO, A.L., 2007. Coastal Marine Mapping as an Ecosystem Based Management - the case study of the Baixada Santista Region - São Paulo, Brazil. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 50 (Proceedings of the 9th International Coastal Symposium), 1178 - 1182. Gold Coast, Australia, ISSN 0749.0208 Despite the enormous environmental impact occurring in
S. M. Sartor; M. F. P. Hans; L. Palm; L. M. Sartor; A. L. Leão; Centro Universitário Monte
The Harte Model: an Ecosystem-based Management Tool for Large Marine Ecosystems
Marine biodiversity and ecosystems are under heavy and increasing environmental pressure from multiple sources for utilization of ecosystem goods and services. Past experience of coastal and marine resource management illustrates how the discontinuity on the limits of ecosystem and human subsystems can lead to serious ecological, social and economic difficulties. For example, decisions on land uses, based on limited information,
Jorge Brenner; Sandra S. Arismendez; John W. Tunnell
Marine spatial planning (MSP): a first step to ecosystem-based management (EBM) in the Wider Caribbean.
The rapid decline of coastal ecosystems of the Wider Caribbean is entering its fifth decade. Some of the best science documenting this decline and its causes has been done by the laboratories of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC). Alarmed at the trends, Caribbean conservation pioneers established marine protected areas (MPAs) which spread throughout the region. Unfortunately, many have little or no protection and are now known to be too small to be effective in sustaining coastal ecosystems. Marine spatial planning (MSP) holds much promise to encompass the large geographic scales of the ecological processes and human impacts that influence coastal ecosystems and adjacent lands. The AMLC, through the scientific expertise and the national political connections of its member institutions, is well-positioned to help implement a pilot project. MSP a first step in ecosystem-based management and has had considerable success elsewhere. It holds our best chance of sustaining human use and conserving the coral reefs and associated ecosystems. PMID:21299097
Ogden, John C
Ecosystem-Based Management of What? An Emerging Approach for Balancing Conflicting Objectives in Marine Resource Management
Managing marine resources has always been challenging, but this task looms ever larger as society demands more seafood while\\u000a also requiring that we act as careful stewards of marine ecosystems. Evaluating management strategies in light of the diverse\\u000a and changing demands of society for the goods and services the oceans provide requires that we clearly expose trade-offs among\\u000a conflicting objectives.
Isaac C. Kaplan; Phillip Levin
Comparative analysis of European wide marine ecosystem shifts: a large-scale approach for developing the basis for ecosystem-based management.
Abrupt and rapid ecosystem shifts (where major reorganizations of food-web and community structures occur), commonly termed regime shifts, are changes between contrasting and persisting states of ecosystem structure and function. These shifts have been increasingly reported for exploited marine ecosystems around the world from the North Pacific to the North Atlantic. Understanding the drivers and mechanisms leading to marine ecosystem shifts is crucial in developing adaptive management strategies to achieve sustainable exploitation of marine ecosystems. An international workshop on a comparative approach to analysing these marine ecosystem shifts was held at Hamburg University, Institute for Hydrobiology and Fisheries Science, Germany on 1-3 November 2010. Twenty-seven scientists from 14 countries attended the meeting, representing specialists from seven marine regions, including the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Barents Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Bay of Biscay and the Scotian Shelf off the Canadian East coast. The goal of the workshop was to conduct the first large-scale comparison of marine ecosystem regime shifts across multiple regional areas, in order to support the development of ecosystem-based management strategies. PMID:21270025
Möllmann, Christian; Conversi, Alessandra; Edwards, Martin
Identifying Thresholds for Ecosystem-Based Management
Background One of the greatest obstacles to moving ecosystem-based management (EBM) from concept to practice is the lack of a systematic approach to defining ecosystem-level decision criteria, or reference points that trigger management action. Methodology/Principal Findings To assist resource managers and policymakers in developing EBM decision criteria, we introduce a quantitative, transferable method for identifying utility thresholds. A utility threshold is the level of human-induced pressure (e.g., pollution) at which small changes produce substantial improvements toward the EBM goal of protecting an ecosystem's structural (e.g., diversity) and functional (e.g., resilience) attributes. The analytical approach is based on the detection of nonlinearities in relationships between ecosystem attributes and pressures. We illustrate the method with a hypothetical case study of (1) fishing and (2) nearshore habitat pressure using an empirically-validated marine ecosystem model for British Columbia, Canada, and derive numerical threshold values in terms of the density of two empirically-tractable indicator groups, sablefish and jellyfish. We also describe how to incorporate uncertainty into the estimation of utility thresholds and highlight their value in the context of understanding EBM trade-offs. Conclusions/Significance For any policy scenario, an understanding of utility thresholds provides insight into the amount and type of management intervention required to make significant progress toward improved ecosystem structure and function. The approach outlined in this paper can be applied in the context of single or multiple human-induced pressures, to any marine, freshwater, or terrestrial ecosystem, and should facilitate more effective management.
Samhouri, Jameal F.; Levin, Phillip S.; Ainsworth, Cameron H.
Managing for cumulative impacts in ecosystem-based management through ocean zoning
Multiple activities affect the marine environment in concert, yet current management primarily considers activities in isolation. A shift towards a more comprehensive management of these activities, as with recent emphasis on ecosystem-based approaches to management, requires a means for evaluating their interactive and cumulative impacts. Here we develop a framework for this evaluation, focusing on five core concepts: (1) activities
Benjamin S. Halpern; Karen L. McLeod; Andrew A. Rosenberg; Larry B. Crowder
Challenges to interdisciplinary research in ecosystem-based management.
Despite its necessity, integration of natural and social sciences to inform conservation efforts has been difficult. We examined the views of 63 scientists and practitioners involved in marine management in Mexico's Gulf of California, the central California coast, and the western Pacific on the challenges associated with integrating social science into research efforts that support ecosystem-based management (EBM) in marine systems. We used a semistructured interview format. Questions focused on how EBM was developed for these sites and how contextual factors affected its development and outcomes. Many of the traditional challenges linked with interdisciplinary research were present in the EBM projects we studied. However, a number of contextual elements affected how mandates to include social science were interpreted and implemented as well as how easily challenges could be addressed. For example, a common challenge is that conservation organizations are often dominated by natural scientists, but for some projects it was easier to address this imbalance than for others. We also found that the management and institutional histories that came before EBM in specific cases were important features of local context. Because challenges differed among cases, we believe resolving challenges to interdisciplinary research should be context specific. PMID:22260376
Sievanen, Leila; Campbell, Lisa M; Leslie, Heather M
Management Systems (e.g., ISO 14001) to improve environmental performance and demonstrate environmental stewardship. To date, these two management approaches tend to be implemented independent of each other. We propose a comprehensive management system for protected areas that may be used as an instrument to guide implementation of ecosystem-based management initiatives while, at the same time, providing a process to evaluate
Angeles Mendoza; Mike Quinn; Dixon Thompson
Moving Beyond Environmental-Recruitment Relationships For Ecosystem Based Management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Understanding and predicting the effect of climate driven changes in the environment on exploited marine populations is a necessary component of ecosystem based management. Yet, valid relationships between environmental and biological variables are difficult to find using standard statistical tools. We present multivariate state space reconstruction (SSR) as an alternative approach for using time series to explore the effects of environmental variability on populations. In the case of the Pacific sardine (S. sagax), harvest limits are currently adjusted to changes in the temperature (SST) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) pier. However, the temperature-recruitment relationship motivating this policy has failed to hold up to retesting with newer data, and this has thrown the current policy into question. We demonstrate how multivariate SSR can be used to detect the influence of environmental variables on population dynamics and then integrated with dynamic programming to create a management framework which takes environmental variables into account. The methods reveal that the SIO pier SST is in fact a useful environmental indicator for sardine management if the system is viewed nonlinearly.
Deyle, E. R.; Fogarty, M. J.; Hsieh, C.; Kaufman, L.; MacCall, A. D.; Munch, S. B.; Perretti, C. T.; Ye, H.; Sugihara, G.
SUMMARY Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) has recently drawn the attention of resource managers and planners. However, consensus among various interest groups on a clear definition is lacking. The mechanisms for implementing EBM and measuring its success remain elusive. Parameters of EBM must be clearly defined if a universal and systematic approach is to be implemented wisely. Presently we have a
Kimberly J. Wright; Soren Bondrup-Nielsen; Tom Herman
Lab 3: Oh What a Tangled Web: Ecosystem-Based Management
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Students begin this investigation by reading about the basic premises of Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM). They then watch a short animation about how the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) project of the Census of Marine Life (CoML) endeavor will track and monitor ocean life with implanted tags and underwater listening lines. In Part B of the investigation, students play the Australian Fisheries Management Authority's Great Australian Fisheries Challenge game, in which helps students learn about managing a marine ecosystem in a sustainable way by assuming the role of a fishery manager.
Navigating the transition to ecosystem-based management of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
We analyze the strategies and actions that enable transitions toward ecosystem-based management using the recent governance changes of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as a case study. The interplay among individual actors, organizations, and institutions at multiple levels is central in such transitions. A flexible organization, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, was crucial in initiating the transition to ecosystem-based management. This agency was also instrumental in the subsequent transformation of the governance regime and provided leadership throughout the process. Strategies involved internal reorganization and management innovation, leading to an ability to coordinate the scientific community, to increase public awareness of environmental issues and problems, to involve a broader set of stakeholders, and to maneuver the political system for support at critical times. The transformation process was induced by increased pressure on the Great Barrier Reef (from terrestrial runoff, overharvesting, and global warming) that triggered a new sense of urgency to address these challenges. The focus of governance shifted from protection of selected individual reefs to stewardship of the larger-scale seascape. The study emphasizes the significance of stewardship that can change patterns of interactions among key actors and allow for new forms of management and governance to emerge in response to environmental change. This example illustrates that enabling legislations or other social bounds are essential, but not sufficient for shifting governance toward adaptive comanagement of complex marine ecosystems.
Olsson, Per; Folke, Carl; Hughes, Terry P.
Preventing the collapse of the Baltic cod stock through an ecosystem-based management approach.
Worldwide a number of fish stocks have collapsed because of overfishing and climate-induced ecosystem changes. Developing ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) to prevent these catastrophic events in the future requires ecological models incorporating both internal food-web dynamics and external drivers such as fishing and climate. Using a stochastic food-web model for a large marine ecosystem (i.e., the Baltic Sea) hosting a commercially important cod stock, we were able to reconstruct the history of the stock. Moreover we demonstrate that in hindsight the collapse could only have been avoidable by adapting fishing pressure to environmental conditions and food-web interactions. The modeling approach presented here represents a significant advance for EBFM, the application of which is important for sustainable resource management in the future. PMID:19706557
Lindegren, Martin; Möllmann, Christian; Nielsen, Anders; Stenseth, Nils C
Preventing the collapse of the Baltic cod stock through an ecosystem-based management approach
Worldwide a number of fish stocks have collapsed because of overfishing and climate-induced ecosystem changes. Developing ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) to prevent these catastrophic events in the future requires ecological models incorporating both internal food-web dynamics and external drivers such as fishing and climate. Using a stochastic food-web model for a large marine ecosystem (i.e., the Baltic Sea) hosting a commercially important cod stock, we were able to reconstruct the history of the stock. Moreover we demonstrate that in hindsight the collapse could only have been avoidable by adapting fishing pressure to environmental conditions and food-web interactions. The modeling approach presented here represents a significant advance for EBFM, the application of which is important for sustainable resource management in the future.
Lindegren, Martin; Mollmann, Christian; Nielsen, Anders; Stenseth, Nils C.
Modelling predation by transient leopard seals for an ecosystem-based management of Southern Ocean fisheries
Correctly quantifying the impacts of rare apex marine predators is essential to ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management, where harvesting must be sustainable for targeted species and their dependent predators. This requires modelling the uncertainty in such processes as predator life history, seasonal abundance and movement, size-based predation, energetic requirements, and prey vulnerability. We combined these uncertainties to evaluate the predatory impact of transient leopard seals on a community of mesopredators (seals and penguins) and their prey at South Georgia, and assess the implications for an ecosystem-based management. The mesopredators are highly dependent on Antarctic krill and icefish, which are targeted by regional fisheries. We used a state-space formulation to combine (1) a mark-recapture open-population model and individual identification data to assess seasonally variable leopard seal arrival and departure dates, numbers, and residency times; (2) a size-based bioenergetic model; and (3) a size-based prey choice model from a diet analysis. Our models indicated that prey choice and consumption reflected seasonal changes in leopard seal population size and structure, size-selective predation and prey vulnerability. A population of 104 (90-125) leopard seals, of which 64% were juveniles, consumed less than 2% of the Antarctic fur seal pup production of the area (50% of total ingested energy, IE), but ca. 12-16% of the local gentoo penguin population (20% IE). Antarctic krill (28% IE) were the only observed food of leopard seal pups and supplemented the diet of older individuals. Direct impacts on krill and fish were negligible, but the "escapement" due to leopard seal predation on fur seal pups and penguins could be significant for the mackerel icefish fishery at South Georgia. These results suggest that: (1) rare apex predators like leopard seals may control, and may depend on, populations of mesopredators dependent on prey species targeted by fisheries; and (2) predatory impacts and community control may vary throughout the predator's geographic range, and differ across ecosystems and management areas, depending on the seasonal abundance of the prey and the predator's dispersal movements. This understanding is important to integrate the predator needs as natural mortality of its prey in models to set prey catch limits for fisheries. Reliable estimates of the variability of these needs are essential for a precautionary interpretation in the context of an ecosystem-based management. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.
Forcada, J.; Malone, D.; Royle, J. A.; Staniland, I. J.
Key elements and steps in the process of developing ecosystem-based marine spatial planning
Marine spatial planning (MSP) is an essential tool for delivering an Ecosystem Approach and should add value to existing management measures for the marine environment. It should be based on a clear set of principles with a sustainable development purpose. Developing MSP can draw selectively on extensive experiences in terrestrial land use planning. A nested approach with appropriate planning activity
Paul M. Gilliland; Dan Laffoley
Scientific tools to support the practical implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management
Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) has emerged during the past 5 y as an alternative approach to single-species fishery management. To date, policy development has generally outstripped application and implementation. The EBFM approach has been broadly adopted at a policy level within Australia through a variety of instruments including fisheries legislation, environmental legis- lation, and a national policy on integrated oceans
A. D. M. Smith; E. J. Fulton; A. J. Hobday; D. C. Smith; P. Shoulder
Towards Automated Ecosystem-based Management: A case study of Northern Gulf of Mexico Water
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The vast and dynamic nature of large systems limit the feasibility of the frequent in situ sampling needed to establish a robust long-term database. Satellite remote sensing offers an alternative to in situ sampling and is possibly the best solution to address the data collection needs at a regional scale. In this context, we have used an unsupervised machine learning (ML) technique, called a self-organizing map (SOM), to objectively provide a classification of the US Gulf of Mexico water using a suite of ocean data products. The input data that we used in this study were the sea surface temperature, the surface chlorophyll concentration, the sea surface salinity, the euphotic depth and the temperature difference between the sea surface and the sea floor. The SOM method uses the multivariate signature of the data records to classify the data into a specified number of classes. The output of the analysis is essentially a comprehensive two-dimensional map of the Gulf of Mexico. We analyzed the individual SOM classes over a five-year period from 2005 to 2009. We then used the machine learning results to established a correspondence between the SOM classification and the completely independent Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS), which accommodates the physical, biological, and chemical information to collectively characterize marine and coastal ecosystems. The CMECS water column component information is then fused with fish count data from the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) to produce an interactive map. The results can be used in providing online decision-support system, and tools for Ecosystem-based management.Figures shows the fish count distribution with respect to the SOM classes. The fish preference can be inferred from the plot. This information can be used to construct an online decision-support system for conservation as well as commercial purposes.
Malakar, N. K.; Lary, D. J.; Allee, R.; Gould, R.; Ko, D.
Ecosystem-Based Analysis of a Marine Protected Area Where Fisheries and Protected Species Coexist
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The Gulf of California Biosphere Reserve (UGC&CRDBR) is a Marine Protected Area that was established in 1993 with the aim of preserving biodiversity and remediating environmental impacts. Because remaining vigilant is hard and because regulatory measures are difficult to enforce, harvesting has been allowed to diminish poaching. Useful management strategies have not been implemented, however, and conflicts remain between conservation legislation and the fisheries. We developed a transdisciplinary methodological scheme (pressure-state-response, loop analysis, and Geographic Information System) that includes both protected species and fisheries modeled together in a spatially represented marine ecosystem. We analyzed the response of this marine ecosystem supposing that conservation strategies were successful and that the abundance of protected species had increased. The final aim of this study was to identify ecosystem-level management alternatives capable of diminishing the conflict between conservation measures and fisheries. This methodological integration aimed to understand the functioning of the UGC&CRDBR community as well as to identify implications of conservation strategies such as the recovery of protected species. Our results suggest research hypotheses related to key species that should be protected within the ecosystem, and they point out the importance of considering spatial management strategies. Counterintuitive findings underline the importance of understanding how the community responds to disturbances and the effect of indirect pathways on the abundance of ecosystem constituents. Insights from this research are valuable in defining policies in marine reserves where fisheries and protected species coexist.
Espinoza-Tenorio, Alejandro; Montaño-Moctezuma, Gabriela; Espejel, Ileana
Ecosystem-based analysis of a marine protected area where fisheries and protected species coexist.
The Gulf of California Biosphere Reserve (UGC&CRDBR) is a Marine Protected Area that was established in 1993 with the aim of preserving biodiversity and remediating environmental impacts. Because remaining vigilant is hard and because regulatory measures are difficult to enforce, harvesting has been allowed to diminish poaching. Useful management strategies have not been implemented, however, and conflicts remain between conservation legislation and the fisheries. We developed a transdisciplinary methodological scheme (pressure-state-response, loop analysis, and Geographic Information System) that includes both protected species and fisheries modeled together in a spatially represented marine ecosystem. We analyzed the response of this marine ecosystem supposing that conservation strategies were successful and that the abundance of protected species had increased. The final aim of this study was to identify ecosystem-level management alternatives capable of diminishing the conflict between conservation measures and fisheries. This methodological integration aimed to understand the functioning of the UGC&CRDBR community as well as to identify implications of conservation strategies such as the recovery of protected species. Our results suggest research hypotheses related to key species that should be protected within the ecosystem, and they point out the importance of considering spatial management strategies. Counterintuitive findings underline the importance of understanding how the community responds to disturbances and the effect of indirect pathways on the abundance of ecosystem constituents. Insights from this research are valuable in defining policies in marine reserves where fisheries and protected species coexist. PMID:20204634
Espinoza-Tenorio, Alejandro; Montaño-Moctezuma, Gabriela; Espejel, Ileana
Decision-making for ecosystem-based management: evaluating options for a krill fishery with an ecosystem dynamics model.
Decision-makers charged with implementing ecosystem-based management (EBM) rely on scientists to predict the consequences of decisions relating to multiple, potentially conflicting, objectives. Such predictions are inherently uncertain, and this can be a barrier to decision-making. The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources requires managers of Southern Ocean fisheries to sustain the productivity of target stocks, the health and resilience of the ecosystem, and the performance of the fisheries themselves. The managers of the Antarctic krill fishery in the Scotia Sea and southern Drake Passage have requested advice on candidate management measures consisting of a regional catch limit and options for subdividing this among smaller areas. We developed a spatially resolved model that simulates krill-predator-fishery interactions and reproduces a plausible representation of past dynamics. We worked with experts and stakeholders to identify (1) key uncertainties affecting our ability to predict ecosystem state; (2) illustrative reference points that represent the management objectives; and (3) a clear and simple way of conveying our results to decision-makers. We developed four scenarios that bracket the key uncertainties and evaluated candidate management measures in each of these scenarios using multiple stochastic simulations. The model emphasizes uncertainty and simulates multiple ecosystem components relating to diverse objectives. We summarize the potentially complex results as estimates of the risk that each illustrative objective will not be achieved (i.e., of the state being outside the range specified by the reference point). This approach allows direct comparisons between objectives. It also demonstrates that a candid appraisal of uncertainty, in the form of risk estimates, can be an aid, rather than a barrier, to understanding and using ecosystem model predictions. Management measures that reduce coastal fishing, relative to oceanic fishing, apparently reduce risks to both the fishery and the ecosystem. However, alternative reference points could alter the perceived risks, so further stakeholder involvement is needed to identify risk metrics that appropriately represent their objectives. PMID:23865224
Watters, G M; Hill, S L; Hinke, J T; Matthews, J; Reid, K
Ecosystem based river basin management planning in critical water catchment in Mongolia
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Developing the ecosystem based adaptation strategies to maintain water security in critical water catchments in Mongolia would be very significant. It will be base by reducing the vulnerability. "Ecosystem Based adaptation" is quite a new term in Mongolia and the ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. To strengthen equitable economic development, food security, climate resilience and protection of the environment, the implementation of sustainable river basin management in critical water catchments is challenging in Mongolia. The Ulz river basin is considered one of the critical water catchments due to the temperature has increased by in average 1.30Ñ over the period 1976 to 2011. It is more intense than the global warming rate (0.740C/100 years) and a bit higher than the warming rate over whole Mongolia as well. From long-term observations and measurements it is clear that Ulz River has low water in a period of 1970-1980 and since the end of 1980s and middle of 1990s there were dominated years of the flood. However, under the influence of the global warming, climate changes of Mongolia and continuation of drought years with low water since the end of 1990s until today river water was sharply fallen and dried up. For the last ten years rivers are dried up and annual mean run-off is less by 3-5 times from long term mean value. The Ulz is the transboundary river basin and taking its origin from Ikh and Baga Burd springs on territory of Norovlin soum of Khentii province that flows through Khentii and Dornod provinces to the northeast, crossing the state border it flows in Baruun Tari located in Tari Lake concavity in Russia. Based on the integrative baseline study on the 'The Ulz River Basin Environmental and Socioeconomic condition', ecosystem based river basin management was planned. 'Water demand Calculator 3' (WDC) software was used to estimate water demand and calculate water use balance in 2015, 2021. The result of the water balance estimation shows that water consumption-use will be increased 3 times in the river basin by 2021. As the water consumption-use source, surface water - 6.4 % and groundwater is 93.6 percent. The current consumption of the mining sector is shares 71 percent of the total users; it would be 82 percent in 2021. However, the livestock water consumption-use is 27 percent of the current demand; it would be decrease up to 16 percent in 2021. Ecosystem based approach IWRM plan would be efficient to the local resident to adapt the climate change situation. Thus, the results of the research study on the river basin ecosystem services and values are the base of the planning.
Tugjamba, Navchaa; Sereeter, Erdenetuul; Gonchigjav, Sarantuya
Evaluating natural flood management measures using an ecosystem based adaptation framework: a meta-analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Climate change is projected to alter river flows and the magnitude/frequency characteristics of floods and droughts. As a result flood risk is expected to increase with environmental, social and economic impacts. Traditionally flood risk management has been heavily relying on engineering measures, however with climate change their capacity to provide protection is expected to decrease. Ecosystem-based adaptation highlights the interdependence of human and natural systems, and the potential to buffer the impacts of climate change by maintaining functioning ecosystems that continue to provide multiple societal benefits. Natural flood management measures have the potential to provide a greater adaptive capacity to negate the impacts of climate change and provide ancillary benefits. To understand the impacts of different NFM measures on ecosystem services a meta-analysis was undertaken. Twenty five studies from across the world were pulled together to assess their effectiveness on reducing the flood risk but also on other ecosystems services as defined by the UK National Ecosystem Assessment, which distinguishes between provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. Four categories of NFM measures were considered: (i) afforestation measures, (ii) drainage and blocking the drains, (iii) wetland restoration and (iv) combined measures. Woodland expansion measures provide significant benefits for flood protection more pronounced for low magnitude events, but also for other services such as carbon sequestration and water quality. These measures however will come at a cost for livestock and crop provisioning services as a result of land use changes. Drainage operations and blocking the drains have mixed impacts on carbon sequestration and water quality depending on soil type, landscape settings and local characteristics. Wetland and floodplain restoration measures have generally a few disbenefits and provide improvements for regulating and supporting services. Mixed measures are expected to have cumulative benefits which are likely to outweigh disbenefits and packages of actions are recommended rather than individual or localised actions for an integrated catchment management approach. NFM measures have the potential to provide significant environmental gains, however the time lags between the moment these measures are set in place until they become effective must be considered especially in flood vulnerable communities where there is already a stakeholders demand to decrease the risk of flooding even for the current level of exposure.
Iacob, Oana; Rowan, John; Brown, Iain; Ellis, Chris
An integrated approach is needed for ecosystem based fisheries management: insights from ecosystem-level management strategy evaluation.
An ecosystem approach is widely seen as a desirable goal for fisheries management but there is little consensus on what strategies or measures are needed to achieve it. Management strategy evaluation (MSE) is a tool that has been widely used to develop and test single species fisheries management strategies and is now being extended to support ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM). We describe the application of MSE to investigate alternative strategies for achieving EBFM goals for a complex multispecies fishery in southeastern Australia. The study was undertaken as part of a stakeholder driven process to review and improve the ecological, economic and social performance of the fishery. An integrated management strategy, involving combinations of measures including quotas, gear controls and spatial management, performed best against a wide range of objectives and this strategy was subsequently adopted in the fishery, leading to marked improvements in performance. Although particular to one fishery, the conclusion that an integrated package of measures outperforms single focus measures we argue is likely to apply widely in fisheries that aim to achieve EBFM goals. PMID:24454722
Fulton, Elizabeth A; Smith, Anthony D M; Smith, David C; Johnson, Penelope
A Decision Support System for Ecosystem-Based Management of Tropical Coral Reef Environments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
We review a new collaborative program established between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to augment the NOAA Coral Reef Watch decision-support system. NOAA has developed a Decision Support System (DSS) under the Coral Reef Watch (CRW) program to forecast environmental stress in coral reef ecosystems around the world. This DSS uses models and 50 km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) to generate "HotSpot" and Degree Heating Week coral bleaching indices. These are used by scientists and resource managers around the world. These users, including National Marine Sanctuary managers, have expressed the need for higher spatial resolution tools to understand local issues. The project will develop a series of coral bleaching products at higher spatial resolution using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and AVHRR data. We will generate and validate products at 1 km resolution for the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, and test global assessments at 4 and 50 km. The project will also incorporate the Global Coral Reef Millennium Map, a 30-m resolution thematic classification of coral reefs developed by the NASA Landsat-7 Science Team, into the CRW. The Millennium Maps help understand the geomorphology of individual reefs around the world. The products will be available through the NOAA CRW and UNEP-WCMC web portals. The products will help users formulate policy options and management decisions. The augmented DSS has a global scope, yet it addresses the needs of local resource managers. The work complements efforts to map and monitor coral reef communities in the U.S. territories by NOAA, NASA, and the USGS, and is a contribution to international efforts in ecological forecasting of coral reefs under changing environments, coral reef research, resource management, and conservation. Acknowledgement: Funding is provided by the NASA Ecological Forecasting application area and by NOAA NESDIS.
Muller-Karger, F. E.; Eakin, C.; Guild, L. S.; Nemani, R. R.; Hu, C.; Lynds, S. E.; Li, J.; Vega-Rodriguez, M.; Coral Reef Watch Decision Support System Team
Critical thresholds and tangible targets for ecosystem-based management of coral reef fisheries
Sustainably managing ecosystems is challenging, especially for complex systems such as coral reefs. This study develops critical reference points for sustainable management by using a large empirical dataset on the coral reefs of the western Indian Ocean to investigate associations between levels of target fish biomass (as an indicator of fishing intensity) and eight metrics of ecosystem state. These eight ecological metrics each exhibited specific thresholds along a continuum of fishable biomass ranging from heavily fished sites to old fisheries closures. Three thresholds lay above and five below a hypothesized window of fishable biomass expected to produce a maximum multispecies sustainable yield (BMMSY). Evaluating three management systems in nine countries, we found that unregulated fisheries often operate below the BMMSY, whereas fisheries closures and, less frequently, gear-restricted fisheries were within or above this window. These findings provide tangible management targets for multispecies coral reef fisheries and highlight key tradeoffs required to achieve different fisheries and conservation goals.
McClanahan, Tim R.; Graham, Nicholas A. J.; MacNeil, M. Aaron; Muthiga, Nyawira A.; Cinner, Joshua E.; Bruggemann, J. Henrich; Wilson, Shaun K.
Natural hazards in a changing world: a case for ecosystem-based management.
Communities worldwide are increasingly affected by natural hazards such as floods, droughts, wildfires and storm-waves. However, the causes of these increases remain underexplored, often attributed to climate changes or changes in the patterns of human exposure. This paper aims to quantify the effect of climate change, as well as land cover change, on a suite of natural hazards. Changes to four natural hazards (floods, droughts, wildfires and storm-waves) were investigated through scenario-based models using land cover and climate change drivers as inputs. Findings showed that human-induced land cover changes are likely to increase natural hazards, in some cases quite substantially. Of the drivers explored, the uncontrolled spread of invasive alien trees was estimated to halve the monthly flows experienced during extremely dry periods, and also to double fire intensities. Changes to plantation forestry management shifted the 1?100 year flood event to a 1?80 year return period in the most extreme scenario. Severe 1?100 year storm-waves were estimated to occur on an annual basis with only modest human-induced coastal hardening, predominantly from removal of coastal foredunes and infrastructure development. This study suggests that through appropriate land use management (e.g. clearing invasive alien trees, re-vegetating clear-felled forests, and restoring coastal foredunes), it would be possible to reduce the impacts of natural hazards to a large degree. It also highlights the value of intact and well-managed landscapes and their role in reducing the probabilities and impacts of extreme climate events. PMID:24806527
Nel, Jeanne L; Le Maitre, David C; Nel, Deon C; Reyers, Belinda; Archibald, Sally; van Wilgen, Brian W; Forsyth, Greg G; Theron, Andre K; O'Farrell, Patrick J; Kahinda, Jean-Marc Mwenge; Engelbrecht, Francois A; Kapangaziwiri, Evison; van Niekerk, Lara; Barwell, Laurie
Natural Hazards in a Changing World: A Case for Ecosystem-Based Management
Communities worldwide are increasingly affected by natural hazards such as floods, droughts, wildfires and storm-waves. However, the causes of these increases remain underexplored, often attributed to climate changes or changes in the patterns of human exposure. This paper aims to quantify the effect of climate change, as well as land cover change, on a suite of natural hazards. Changes to four natural hazards (floods, droughts, wildfires and storm-waves) were investigated through scenario-based models using land cover and climate change drivers as inputs. Findings showed that human-induced land cover changes are likely to increase natural hazards, in some cases quite substantially. Of the drivers explored, the uncontrolled spread of invasive alien trees was estimated to halve the monthly flows experienced during extremely dry periods, and also to double fire intensities. Changes to plantation forestry management shifted the 1?100 year flood event to a 1?80 year return period in the most extreme scenario. Severe 1?100 year storm-waves were estimated to occur on an annual basis with only modest human-induced coastal hardening, predominantly from removal of coastal foredunes and infrastructure development. This study suggests that through appropriate land use management (e.g. clearing invasive alien trees, re-vegetating clear-felled forests, and restoring coastal foredunes), it would be possible to reduce the impacts of natural hazards to a large degree. It also highlights the value of intact and well-managed landscapes and their role in reducing the probabilities and impacts of extreme climate events.
Nel, Jeanne L.; Le Maitre, David C.; Nel, Deon C.; Reyers, Belinda; Archibald, Sally; van Wilgen, Brian W.; Forsyth, Greg G.; Theron, Andre K.; O'Farrell, Patrick J.; Kahinda, Jean-Marc Mwenge; Engelbrecht, Francois A.; Kapangaziwiri, Evison; van Niekerk, Lara; Barwell, Laurie
Ecosystem-based management of a Mediterranean urban wastewater system: A sensitivity analysis of the operational degrees of freedom.
Urban wastewater systems discharge organic matter, nutrients and other pollutants (including toxic substances) to receiving waters, even after removing more than 90% of incoming pollutants from human activities. Understanding their interactions with the receiving water bodies is essential for the implementation of ecosystem-based management strategies. Using mathematical modeling and sensitivity analysis we quantified how 19 operational variables of an urban wastewater system affect river water quality. The mathematical model of the Congost system (in the Besòs catchment, Spain) characterizes the dynamic interactions between sewers, storage tanks, wastewater treatment plants and the river. The sensitivity analysis shows that the use of storage tanks for peak shaving and the use of a connection between two neighboring wastewater treatment plants are the most important factors influencing river water quality. We study how the sensitivity of the water quality variables towards changes in the operational variables varies along the river due to discharge locations and river self-purification processes. We demonstrate how to use the approach to identify interactions and how to discard non-influential operational variables. PMID:24880221
Corominas, Lluís; Neumann, Marc B
Issues of ecosystem-based management of forage fisheries in "open" non-stationary ecosystems: the example of the sardine fishery in the Gulf of California
The Gulf of California system presents major challenges to the still developing frameworks for ecosystem-based management\\u000a (EBM). It is very much an open system and is intermittently subject to important influxes of migratory visitors, including large pelagic predatory fishes and small\\u000a pelagic forage fishes. These migrants include the more tropical species from the coastal ecosystems to the south and perhaps
Andrew Bakun; Elizabeth A. Babcock; Salvador E. Lluch-Cota; Christine Santora; Christian J. Salvadeo
Identifying common pressure pathways from a complex network of human activities to support ecosystem-based management.
The marine environment is heavily exploited, but unintentional consequences cause wide-ranging negative effects to its characteristics. Linkage frameworks (e.g., DPSIR [driver-pressure-state-impact-response]) are commonly used to describe an interaction between human activities and ecological characteristics of the ecosystem, but as each linkage is viewed independently, the diversity of pressures that affect those characteristics may not be identified or managed effectively. Here we demonstrate an approach for using linkages to build a simple network to capture the complex relationships arising from multiple sectors and their activities. Using data-analysis tools common to ecology, we show how linkages can be placed into mechanistically similar groups. Management measures can be combined into fewer and more simplified measures that target groups of pressures rather than individual pressures, which is likely to increase compliance and the success of the measure while reducing the cost of enforcement. Given that conservation objectives (regional priorities) can vary, we also demonstrate by way of a case study example from the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, how management priorities might change, and illustrate how the approach can be used to identify sectors for control that best support the conservation objectives. PMID:23865227
Knights, Antony M; Koss, Rebecca S; Robinson, Leonie A
Location, Location, Location: Management Uses of Marine Benthic Biogeographical Information in Coastal Waters of the Northeastern USA
Ecosystem-based management practices, along with coastal and marine spatial planning, have been adopted as foundational principles for ocean management in the United States. The success of these practices depends in large measure on a solid foundation of biogeographical informati...
NOAA Fisheries Service's Large Marine Ecosystems Program: Status Report.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Since 1984, the NOAA Fisheries Service's Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) Program has been engaged in the development and implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to support assessment and management of marine resources and habitats. Five linked program...
K. Sherman P. Celone S. Adams
Management of marine cage aquaculture
Goal, Scope and Background Marine cage aquaculture produces a large amount of waste that is released directly into the environment. To effectively manage\\u000a the mariculture environment, it is important to determine the carrying capacity of an aquaculture area. In many Asian countries\\u000a trash fish is dominantly used in marine cage aquaculture, which contains more water than pellet feed. The traditional nutrient
Cai Huiwen; Sun Yinglan
A comparison of approaches for integrated management in coastal marine areas of Canada with the historical approach used in the Great Lakes (Bay of Quinte)
Canadian approaches for ecosystem-based management in coastal marine areas, prompted by Canada's Oceans Act, are similar to and consistent with the long-standing, integrated management of the Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario. The similarities include the criteria for the identification of ecologically significant areas and habitat, degraded areas, ecologically significant species, depleted or rare species, conservation objectives and ecological indicators
R. G. Randall; M. A. Koops; C. K. Minns
Marine Reserves and Fisheries Management
Conventional methods of regulating commercial fisheries restrict catch by limiting either the quantity or efficiency of fishing effort, or by putting direct limits on catch. These regulatory practices are neither feasible nor desir- able for many fisheries, and have failed to conserve fishery stocks in other fisheries. Marine reserves may be an effective alternative management strategy for some fisheries. Here
Obstacles to bottom-up implementation of marine ecosystem management.
Ecosystem management (EM) offers a means to address multiple threats to marine resources. Despite recognition of the importance of stakeholder involvement, most efforts to implement EM in marine systems are the product of top-down regulatory control. We describe a rare, stakeholder-driven attempt to implement EM from the bottom up in San Juan County, Washington (U.S.A.). A citizens advisory group led a 2-year, highly participatory effort to develop an ecosystem-based management plan, guided by a preexisting conservation-planning framework. A key innovation was to incorporate social dimensions by designating both sociocultural and biodiversity targets in the planning process. Multiple obstacles hindered implementation of EM in this setting. Despite using a surrogate scheme, the information-related transaction costs of planning were substantial: information deficits prevented assessment of some biodiversity targets and insufficient resources combined with information deficits prevented scientific assessment of the sociocultural targets. Substantial uncertainty, practical constraints to stakeholder involvement, and the existence of multiple, potentially conflicting, objectives increased negotiation-related costs. Although information deficits and uncertainty, coupled with underinvestment in the transaction costs of planning, could reduce the long-term effectiveness of the plan itself, the social capital and momentum developed through the planning process could yield unforeseeable future gains in protection of marine resources. The obstacles we identified here will require early and sustained attention in efforts to implement ecosystem management in other grassroots settings. PMID:18954339
Evans, Kirsten E; Klinger, Terrie
When can marine reserves improve fisheries management?
Marine reserves are a promising tool for fisheries management and conservation of biodiversity, but they are not a panacea for fisheries management problems. For fisheries that target highly mobile single species with little or no by-catch or habitat impact, marine reserves provide few benefits compared to conventional fishery management tools. For fisheries that are multi-species or on more sedentary stocks,
Ray Hilborn; Kevin Stokes; Jean-Jacques Maguire; Tony Smith; Louis W Botsford; Marc Mangel; José Orensanz; Ana Parma; Jake Rice; Johann Bell; Kevern L Cochrane; Serge Garcia; Stephen J Hall; G. P. Kirkwood; Keith Sainsbury; Gunnar Stefansson; Carl Walters
Designing Marine Reserves for Fishery Management
Recent reports have raised serious concerns about the rapid declines of historically productive marine fishery resources and the degradation of essential fish habitats. This global crisis has spurred development of innovative management strategies to rebuild depleted fisheries and marine ecosystems. One highly touted strategy involves the design and creation of marine reserves (areas off limits to extractive uses) to rebuild
Geoffrey A. Meester; Anuj Mehrotra; Jerald S. Ault; Edward K. Baker
Focusing on Living Marine Resource Governance: The Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem and Adjacent Areas Project
This article provides an overview of living marine resource governance in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) and discusses how this relates to ecosystem-based management at the geographical scale of the LME. It also provides an overview of the approach to governance reform that will be taken by the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem and Adjacent Areas Project. The geopolitical complexity
L. Fanning; R. Mahon; P. McConney
Marine Planning Benefits the Environment
Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) and Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) are management approaches that allow sustainable coastal and ocean planning. The basic unit of management under CMSP is a large region, with the United States coastlines and Great Lakes divided into ...
Commercial Mariner Endurance Management System.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
In many commercial maritime environments, mariners traditionally endure harsh working conditions, extreme temperatures, long work hours (more than eight hours per day), frequent separation from loved ones, fatigue, and long service periods sometimes excee...
C. A. Comperatore, L. Kingsley
To Stem the Tide. Effective State Marine Fisheries Management.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The report is the result of the National Task Force on Effective State Marine Fisheries Management Programs which produced suggested state legislation for the proposed new 'Marine Fisheries Management Act.' This report contains an overview of the major pr...
R. J. Marcelli R. D. Matthews
Marine Fisheries Conservation in New York State: Policy and Practice of Marine Fisheries Management.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Review of New York State law and administrative arrangements for the conservation of marine fishery resources show that, for practical purposes, the state has no cohesive fishery management policy which presents long-range objectives. Instead, marine fish...
J. J. C. Ginter
Options for Managing Invasive Marine Species
Marine biological invasions are increasingly recognised as a threat to biodiversity and coastal industry, including fisheries. Globally, efforts are underway to contain, if not eradicate, several high-impact marine invasive species. However, working in a marine environment places unique social, political and technical constraints on options for pest control, which we explored in a series of stakeholder workshops. Results suggest that
Ronald E. Thresher; Armand M. Kuris
Economics of biodiversity and sustainable fisheries management
Marine ecosystems are complex, and many marine species are ecologically interdependent. As a result, losing a species could produce a cascading effect on other species. Fishery scientists advocate an ecosystem-based approach to fishery management to meet long-term sustainable goals. This paper models the complex interrelationships among species and the relationship between biomass growth and phenotypic diversity. We found that the
Wisdom Akpalu
Protected marine reserves as fisheries management tools: a bioeconomic analysis
This paper develops a dynamic computational bioeconomic model with the objective of assessing protected marine reserves as fisheries management tools. Data on the North East Atlantic cod stock are used to determine the bioeconomically optimal size of a marine reserve for the Barents Sea cod fishery, as a function of the net transfer rate between the protected and unprotected areas
Ussif Rashid Sumaila
Satellite Tracking of Sympatric Marine Megafauna Can Inform the Biological Basis for Species Co-Management
Context Systematic conservation planning is increasingly used to identify priority areas for protection in marine systems. However, ecosystem-based approaches typically use density estimates as surrogates for animal presence and spatial modeling to identify areas for protection and may not take into account daily or seasonal movements of animals. Additionally, sympatric and inter-related species are often managed separately, which may not be cost-effective. This study aims to demonstrate an evidence-based method to inform the biological basis for co-management of two sympatric species, dugongs and green sea turtles. This approach can then be used in conservation planning to delineate areas to maximize species protection. Methodology/Results Fast-acquisition satellite telemetry was used to track eleven dugongs and ten green turtles at two geographically distinct foraging locations in Queensland, Australia to evaluate the inter- and intra-species spatial relationships and assess the efficacy of existing protection zones. Home-range analysis and bathymetric modeling were used to determine spatial use and compared with existing protection areas using GIS. Dugong and green turtle home-ranges significantly overlapped in both locations. However, both species used different core areas and differences existed between regions in depth zone use and home-range size, especially for dugongs. Both species used existing protection areas in Shoalwater Bay, but only a single tracked dugong used the existing protection area in Torres Strait. Conclusions/Significance: Fast-acquisition satellite telemetry can provide evidence-based information on individual animal movements to delineate relationships between dugongs and green turtles in regions where they co-occur. This information can be used to increase the efficacy of conservation planning and complement more broadly based survey information. These species also use similar habitats, making complimentary co-management possible, but important differences exist between locations making it essential to customize management. This methodology could be applied on a broader scale to include other sympatric and inter-related species.
Gredzens, Christian; Marsh, Helene; Fuentes, Mariana M. P. B.; Limpus, Colin J.; Shimada, Takahiro; Hamann, Mark
Marine mammals' influence on ecosystem processes affecting fisheries in the Barents Sea is trivial
Some interpretations of ecosystem-based fishery management include culling marine mammals as an integral component. The current Norwegian policy on marine mammal management is one example. Scientific support for this policy includes the Scenario Barents Sea (SBS) models. These modelled interactions between cod, Gadus morhua, herring, Clupea harengus, capelin, Mallotus villosus and northern minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Adding harp seals Phoca groenlandica into this top-down modelling approach resulted in unrealistic model outputs. Another set of models of the Barents Sea fish–fisheries system focused on interactions within and between the three fish populations, fisheries and climate. These model key processes of the system successfully. Continuing calls to support the SBS models despite their failure suggest a belief that marine mammal predation must be a problem for fisheries. The best available scientific evidence provides no justification for marine mammal culls as a primary component of an ecosystem-based approach to managing the fisheries of the Barents Sea.
Corkeron, Peter J.
76 FR 18775 - Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument; Monument Management Plan, Comprehensive...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...1265-0000-10137-S3] Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument; Monument Management...management plan (MMP) for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (Monument...Refuges) contained therein: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island,...
Competing Interests, Economics, and Marine Fisheries Management: An Educational Case Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Managing fish resources in the ocean, known as marine fisheries management, often involves disagreement among many groups of people: commercial fishers, recreational anglers, national and local conservationists, and several branches of government. While managing marine fisheries in federal waters, the federal government must rebuild marine fish…
Thorson, James T.; Berkson, Jim; Murphy, Brian
Management histories of Sumilon and Apo Marine Reserves, Philippines, and their influence on national marine resource policy
The histories of management of the Sumilon and Apo marine reserves in the Philippines provide a stark contrast. Both began\\u000a with marine conservation and education programs at the community level, initiated by the Marine Laboratory of Silliman University\\u000a in 1973 at Sumilon, and in 1976?at Apo. At both islands community support for the "no take" reserve concept evolved gradually,\\u000a via
G. R. Russ; A. C. Alcala
Large Marine Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management and Sustainability: Linkages and Concepts towards Best Practices.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This technical memorandum addresses interdisciplinary aspects of fisheries assessments as linkages for adaptive management and sustainability of large marine ecosystems (LME). Natural and human-induced impacts of living marine resources are considered. Ma...
F. J. Gable
Trophic structure of the Peruvian marine ecosystem in 2000-2006: Insights on the effects of management scenarios for the hake fishery using the IBM trophic model Osmose
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The individual-based trophic model Osmose is applied to the upwelling marine ecosystem off the coast of Peru. The dynamics and life cycle of eight major species of the Peruvian marine ecosystem are explicitly considered in the model. Reference simulations provide an overview of the trophic structure of the Peruvian ecosystem during the period 2000-2006. Results of model calibration and simulations are discussed in the light of current empirical knowledge on the trophic functioning of the Peruvian ecosystem and are compared to outputs obtained recently using the trophic model Ecopath. The impacts on the ecosystem of restoration plans for the depleted hake ( Merluccius gayi peruanus) population are explored through two management scenarios: a) a long term reduction of fishing effort targeting hake and b) a moratorium on the hake fishery. The simulations help better understand the recent failure of a 20 month hake moratorium and provide long-term strategic support to ecosystem-based management. Limits of our approach are discussed and recommendations are detailed for future developments of the Osmose model and ecosystem approach to fishery management in the Peruvian context.
Marzloff, Martin; Shin, Yunne-Jai; Tam, Jorge; Travers, Morgane; Bertrand, Arnaud
15 CFR 921.4 - Relationship to other provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act, and to the Marine Protection...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
...Management Act, and to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. 921.4 Section...RESOURCE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM REGULATIONS General...Management Act, and to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. (a) The...
15 CFR 921.4 - Relationship to other provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act, and to the Marine Protection...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
...Management Act, and to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. 921.4 Section...RESOURCE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM REGULATIONS General...Management Act, and to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. (a) The...
33 CFR 140.101 - Inspection by Coast Guard marine inspectors or Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
...Guard marine inspectors or Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement...Guard marine inspectors or Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement...subject to inspection by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and...
15 CFR 921.4 - Relationship to other provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act, and to the Marine Protection...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
...Management Act, and to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. 921.4 Section...RESOURCE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM REGULATIONS General...Management Act, and to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. (a) The...
15 CFR 921.4 - Relationship to other provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act, and to the Marine Protection...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
...Management Act, and to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. 921.4 Section...RESOURCE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM REGULATIONS General...Management Act, and to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. (a) The...
15 CFR 921.4 - Relationship to other provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act, and to the Marine Protection...
Marine protected areas and artificial reefs: A review of the interactions between management and scientific studies
Inshore marine areas host key habitats for the biological cycle of many marine populations, but are subject to strong anthropogenic pressure. Uses of inshore areas are multiple and often give rise to conflicting interests. In this context, marine protected areas (MPAs) and artificial reefs (ARs) are increasingly regarded as interesting management measures, in that they contribute to ecosystem conservation, fisheries
Joachim Claudet; Dominique Pelletier
The Gulf of Mexico: towards an integration of coastal management with large marine ecosystem management
This is the introductory paper to the special issue on Coastal Management in the Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem. The Gulf of Mexico is the largest open water body of internationally protected habitats in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a semi-enclosed sea and is the ninth largest body of water in the world. The Gulf region covers more than
Alejandro Yáñez-Arancibia; John W. Day
A fuzzy logic approach to marine spatial management.
Marine spatial planning tends to prioritise biological conservation targets over socio-economic considerations, which may incur lower user compliance and ultimately compromise management success. We argue for more inclusion of human dimensions in spatial management, so that outcomes not only fulfill biodiversity and conservation objectives, but are also acceptable to resource users. We propose a fuzzy logic framework that will facilitate this task- The protected area suitability index (PASI) combines fishers' spatial preferences with biological criteria to assess site suitability for protection from fishing. We apply the PASI in a spatial evaluation of a small-scale reef fishery in Sabah, Malaysia. While our results pertain to fishers specifically, the PASI can also be customized to include the interests of other stakeholders and resource users, as well as incorporate varying levels of protection. PMID:21359523
Teh, Lydia C L; Teh, Louise S L
A Fuzzy Logic Approach to Marine Spatial Management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marine spatial planning tends to prioritise biological conservation targets over socio-economic considerations, which may incur lower user compliance and ultimately compromise management success. We argue for more inclusion of human dimensions in spatial management, so that outcomes not only fulfill biodiversity and conservation objectives, but are also acceptable to resource users. We propose a fuzzy logic framework that will facilitate this task- The protected area suitability index (PASI) combines fishers' spatial preferences with biological criteria to assess site suitability for protection from fishing. We apply the PASI in a spatial evaluation of a small-scale reef fishery in Sabah, Malaysia. While our results pertain to fishers specifically, the PASI can also be customized to include the interests of other stakeholders and resource users, as well as incorporate varying levels of protection.
Teh, Lydia C. L.; Teh, Louise S. L.
Marine Spatial Planning Stakeholder Analysis.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a comprehensive, ecosystem-based process through which compatible human uses are objectively and transparently allocated, both spatially and temporally, to appropriate ocean areas to sustain critical ecological, economic, ...
Selected marine mammals of Alaska: species accounts with research and management recommendations
This book is the result of a need seen by the Marine Mammal Commission for a current summary of the biology and status of ten species of Alaskan marine mammals, including recommendations for research and management. Its purpose is to serve as a reference and working document as conservation and management plans are developed and implemented for the ten species.
Lentfer, J.W.
Effectiveness of marine protected areas in managing the drivers of ecosystem change: a case of Mnazi Bay Marine Park, Tanzania.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are being promoted in Tanzania to mitigate the drivers of ecosystem change such as overfishing and other anthropogenic impacts on marine resources. The effectiveness of MPAs in managing those drivers was assessed in three ecological zones, seafront, mangrove, and riverine of Mnazi Bay Marine Park, using Participatory Community Analysis techniques, questionnaire survey, checklist and fishery resource assessment methods. Eleven major drivers of ecosystem change were identified. Resource dependence had a major effect in all ecological zones of the park. The results indicated that the park's legislations/regulations, management procedures, and conservation efforts are reasonably effective in managing its resources. The positive signs accrued from conservation efforts have been realized by the communities in terms of increased catch/income, awareness and compliance. However, some natural and anthropogenic drivers continued to threaten the park's sustainability. Furthermore, implementation of resource use and benefit sharing mechanisms still remained a considerable challenge to be addressed. PMID:23307198
Machumu, Milali Ernest; Yakupitiyage, Amararatne
Designing marine reserve networks for both conservation and fisheries management.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) that exclude fishing have been shown repeatedly to enhance the abundance, size, and diversity of species. These benefits, however, mean little to most marine species, because individual protected areas typically are small. To meet the larger-scale conservation challenges facing ocean ecosystems, several nations are expanding the benefits of individual protected areas by building networks of protected areas. Doing so successfully requires a detailed understanding of the ecological and physical characteristics of ocean ecosystems and the responses of humans to spatial closures. There has been enormous scientific interest in these topics, and frameworks for the design of MPA networks for meeting conservation and fishery management goals are emerging. Persistent in the literature is the perception of an inherent tradeoff between achieving conservation and fishery goals. Through a synthetic analysis across these conservation and bioeconomic studies, we construct guidelines for MPA network design that reduce or eliminate this tradeoff. We present size, spacing, location, and configuration guidelines for designing networks that simultaneously can enhance biological conservation and reduce fishery costs or even increase fishery yields and profits. Indeed, in some settings, a well-designed MPA network is critical to the optimal harvest strategy. When reserves benefit fisheries, the optimal area in reserves is moderately large (mode ?30%). Assessing network design principals is limited currently by the absence of empirical data from large-scale networks. Emerging networks will soon rectify this constraint. PMID:20200311
Gaines, Steven D; White, Crow; Carr, Mark H; Palumbi, Stephen R
Designing marine reserve networks for both conservation and fisheries management
Marine protected areas (MPAs) that exclude fishing have been shown repeatedly to enhance the abundance, size, and diversity of species. These benefits, however, mean little to most marine species, because individual protected areas typically are small. To meet the larger-scale conservation challenges facing ocean ecosystems, several nations are expanding the benefits of individual protected areas by building networks of protected areas. Doing so successfully requires a detailed understanding of the ecological and physical characteristics of ocean ecosystems and the responses of humans to spatial closures. There has been enormous scientific interest in these topics, and frameworks for the design of MPA networks for meeting conservation and fishery management goals are emerging. Persistent in the literature is the perception of an inherent tradeoff between achieving conservation and fishery goals. Through a synthetic analysis across these conservation and bioeconomic studies, we construct guidelines for MPA network design that reduce or eliminate this tradeoff. We present size, spacing, location, and configuration guidelines for designing networks that simultaneously can enhance biological conservation and reduce fishery costs or even increase fishery yields and profits. Indeed, in some settings, a well-designed MPA network is critical to the optimal harvest strategy. When reserves benefit fisheries, the optimal area in reserves is moderately large (mode ?30%). Assessing network design principals is limited currently by the absence of empirical data from large-scale networks. Emerging networks will soon rectify this constraint.
Gaines, Steven D.; White, Crow; Carr, Mark H.; Palumbi, Stephen R.
A Survey of Marine Debris Management and Research
Solid waste in the world's waters and solid waste that accumulates on the shorelines of waterways is known as marine debris. Marine debris has been recognized as a form of pollution for nearly 50 years and is a concern for the general public for aesthetic reasons and may also pose a human health and safety hazard. Marine debris can affect
Jenna Jambeck; Timothy G. Townsend; Charles G. Barr
Environmental management of marine fish culture in Hong Kong.
Marine fish farming is an important commercial practice in Hong Kong. Marine fish farms located in eutrophic coastal waters often face the threat of severe dissolved oxygen depletion associated with algal blooms and red tides. On the other hand, mariculture activities also contribute to pollution. The sustainable management of mariculture requires proper siting of the fish farms and stocking density control. Both of these are related to the carrying capacity of the water body concerned, which is mainly governed by its flushing characteristics. A simple method to determine the carrying capacity of a fish farm has been developed by using three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic modelling and its effective coupling with a diagenetic water quality model. A systematic methodology using numerical tracer experiments has been developed to compute the tidal flushing in a fish farm. The flushing time is determined from the results of a numerical tracer experiment using robust 3D hydrodynamic and mass transport models. A unit tracer concentration is initially prescribed inside the region of interest and zero elsewhere; the subsequent mass transport and the mass removal process are then tracked. The fish farms are usually situated in well-sheltered shallow embayments and may not connect directly to the open water. It is found that it is necessary to define both "local" and "system-wide" flushing times to represent the effectiveness of the mass exchange with the surrounding water body and the open sea respectively. A diagenetic water quality model simulating the sediment-water-pollutant interaction is employed to address the response of the water column and the benthic layer to pollution discharges. With the flushing rate reliably computed, the carrying capacity of the fish farm can be determined in terms of key water quality parameters: chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, organic nitrogen and potential lowest dissolved oxygen level on a day of negligible photosynthetic production. The predictions are well-supported by field data. PMID:12787621
Lee, J H W; Choi, K W; Arega, F
Quantitative Evaluation of Marine Ecosystem Indicator Performance Using Food Web Models
Successful ecosystem-based management requires the selection and use of informative indicators of ecosystem status. We analyzed\\u000a seven marine food web models to evaluate the performance of candidate indicators of ecosystem structure and function. The\\u000a basic approach involved simulating fishing perturbations to each model, measuring the response of ecosystem attributes and\\u000a candidate indicators to the perturbations, and testing the ability of
Jameal F. Samhouri; Phillip S. Levin; Chris J. Harvey
Interactions between spatially explicit conservation and management measures: implications for the governance of marine protected areas.
Marine protected areas are not established in an institutional and governance vacuum and managers should pay attention to the wider social-ecological system in which they are immersed. This article examines Islas Choros-Damas Marine Reserve, a small marine protected area located in a highly productive and biologically diverse coastal marine ecosystem in northern Chile, and the interactions between human, institutional, and ecological dimensions beyond those existing within its boundaries. Through documents analysis, surveys, and interviews, we described marine reserve implementation (governing system) and the social and natural ecosystem-to-be-governed. We analyzed the interactions and the connections between the marine reserve and other spatially explicit conservation and/or management measures existing in the area and influencing management outcomes and governance. A top-down approach with poor stakeholder involvement characterized the implementation process. The marine reserve is highly connected with other spatially explicit measures and with a wider social-ecological system through various ecological processes and socio-economic interactions. Current institutional interactions with positive effects on the management and governance are scarce, although several potential interactions may be developed. For the study area, any management action must recognize interferences from outside conditions and consider some of them (e.g., ecotourism management) as cross-cutting actions for the entire social-ecological system. We consider that institutional interactions and the development of social networks are opportunities to any collective effort aiming to improve governance of Islas Choros-Damas marine reserve. Communication of connections and interactions between marine protected areas and the wider social-ecological system (as described in this study) is proposed as a strategy to improve stakeholder participation in Chilean marine protected areas. PMID:24091586
Cárcamo, P Francisco; Gaymer, Carlos F
Interactions Between Spatially Explicit Conservation and Management Measures: Implications for the Governance of Marine Protected Areas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marine protected areas are not established in an institutional and governance vacuum and managers should pay attention to the wider social-ecological system in which they are immersed. This article examines Islas Choros-Damas Marine Reserve, a small marine protected area located in a highly productive and biologically diverse coastal marine ecosystem in northern Chile, and the interactions between human, institutional, and ecological dimensions beyond those existing within its boundaries. Through documents analysis, surveys, and interviews, we described marine reserve implementation (governing system) and the social and natural ecosystem-to-be-governed. We analyzed the interactions and the connections between the marine reserve and other spatially explicit conservation and/or management measures existing in the area and influencing management outcomes and governance. A top-down approach with poor stakeholder involvement characterized the implementation process. The marine reserve is highly connected with other spatially explicit measures and with a wider social-ecological system through various ecological processes and socio-economic interactions. Current institutional interactions with positive effects on the management and governance are scarce, although several potential interactions may be developed. For the study area, any management action must recognize interferences from outside conditions and consider some of them (e.g., ecotourism management) as cross-cutting actions for the entire social-ecological system. We consider that institutional interactions and the development of social networks are opportunities to any collective effort aiming to improve governance of Islas Choros-Damas marine reserve. Communication of connections and interactions between marine protected areas and the wider social-ecological system (as described in this study) is proposed as a strategy to improve stakeholder participation in Chilean marine protected areas.
Cárcamo, P. Francisco; Gaymer, Carlos F.
An Integrated Data Management System for Marine Geoscience Research
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The National Science Foundation is currently supporting dedicated databases for the Ridge 2000, MARGINS, and U.S. Antarctic Programs. We are developing an integrated Marine Geoscience Data Management System (MG-DMS; www.marine-geo.org) which supports the full range of data types for all of these programs. Construction of a single system allows us to consolidate our hardware, software, and system administration infrastructure; work more efficiently; and focus greater resources on developing a unified metadata schema, controlled vocabularies, and interoperability with other databases. We have developed a Web-based client which offers forms-based search and download capability, and a JavaTM application (GeoMapApp; www.geomapapp.org) which offers map-based exploration of multiple data sets and the capability to create custom grids and images. The MG-DMS supports data from a wide variety of disciplines (biological, geological, and physical/chemical oceanographic); types (both physical samples and sensor data); spatial and temporal resolutions; and processing grades (from raw field data through derived products). Metadata records and controlled vocabularies are maintained locally in a central catalog, while the data files themselves are referenced as URLs and may reside in any partner repository. Our hierarchical metadata schema consists of Entries (typically a cruise, flight, or traverse); Dives (deployments of a daughter platform); Lines (survey transects); Stations (discrete survey locations, typically where physical samples are collected); Parameters (data types); and Arbitrary Digital Objects (data files). We are also developing a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)-based authentication system for proprietary data access and user profile management. We are pursuing data interoperability with partner repositories including the Ocean Floor Petrology Database (PetDB) at LDEO, Seismic Processed Data Center (SDC) at UTIG, Ocean Drilling Program Database (Janus) at TAMU, National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF) at WHOI, Geological Data Center (GDC) at SIO, and National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). Levels of interoperability range from URL referencing of remote data files (basic) to exchange of XML metadata records (intermediate) to Web Feature and Coverage Services (advanced).
Arko, R. A.; Carbotte, S. M.; Chayes, D. N.; Ryan, W. B.; Haxby, W. F.; Lehnert, K. A.; O'Hara, S.
New Tools to Meet New Challenges: Emerging Technologies for Managing Marine Ecosystems for Resilience
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This peer reviewed article from the January 2008 issue of BioScience provides an overview of current techniques used in evaluating marine ecosystem health. The goal of this article is to highlight evolving tools, recent advances, and emerging techniques that are being used to understand natural variability in marine ecosystems. These technical approaches range from the tagging of large pelagic organisms to the use of genomics to provide insight into the abundance and health of marine organisms. Although these techniques vary dramatically in scale, they share the potential to remove critical impediments to the effective management of marine systems.
GRETCHEN E. HOFMANN (University of California, Santa Barbara;); STEVEN D. GAINES (University of California, Santa Barbara;)
Workshop on the Development, Management, and Utilization of Indonesian Marine Resources.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The workshop summarized in the report was held in Jakarta, June 23-26, 1987. It was designed to facilitate the exchange of information and experience pertinent to developing, managing, and utilizing Indonesian marine resources; to identify short- and long...
Marine biosecurity: the importance of awareness, support and cooperation in managing a successful incursion response.
Shipping is almost certainly the most prevalent human-mediated transport vector for non-indigenous species (NIS) within the marine environment. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has long acknowledged the importance of sound environmental management and in recent years has taken a proactive approach to addressing risks associated with marine biosecurity. primarily as a result of biofouling on Navy vessel returning from overseas operations. This paper describes two case studies that highlight the effectiveness of the RAN marine biosecurity management framework in identifying an unwanted marine species on Navy vessels, and the successful biosecurity management program that ensued. In particular, the early detection and identification of a suspect NIS, the quick response to the discovery and the collaborative approach adopted between the RAN and the Government regulatory agency (Western Australian Department of Fisheries) charged with coordinating the incursion response serves as a model for how future incursion responses should be reported and managed. PMID:22748502
Piola, Richard F; McDonald, Justin I
How is your MPA doing? A methodology for evaluating the management effectiveness of marine protected areas
Effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs) requires continuous feedback of information to achieve objectives. In 2000, a collaborative initiative was launched to improve the management of MPAs. The initiative focused on working with managers, planners, and other decision-makers to develop a set of indicators for assessing the effectiveness of MPA use. This initiative was aimed at both enhancing the
Robert S. Pomeroy; Lani M. Watson; John E. Parks; Gonzalo A. Cid
The Australian Ocean Data Network as a tool for supporting management of marine biodiversity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) is a rapidly growing distributed data network bringing together marine data collections from Commonwealth Agencies, Universities, State Governments, national programs and private industry. These data are made publicly available through the AODN portal (http://portal.aodn.org.au), an open source information infrastructure itself downloadable from https://github.com/aodn/aodn-portal. Increasingly, the data collections are multi-disciplinary requiring access to multiple layers of information from different sources. This requires rich metadata to enable the appropriate layers to be discovered and integrated. Recently, the Marine Biodiversity Hub of the National Environmental Research Program (NERP), funded by the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, has commited to making its data publicly available through the AODN. The next 3-4 years provide a key opportunity to fundamentally change the way we monitor marine biodiversity throughout Australia. The Hub collaborates with the Department and stakeholders to understand ecosystems and biodiversity especially in Northern Australia. Key outcomes will include better methods for measuring ecosystem health and Marine Protected Area (MPA) performance, more management options, and increased understanding of marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, leading to improved monitoring and management of marine biodiversity and listed species in Australia. The ability to bring together the wide range of data necessary to fulfil the Marine Biodiversity Hub's aims represents a challenge for the AODN. This will be illustrated through a test case based on marine park requirements.
Proctor, Roger; Dunstan, Piers; Hedge, Paul; Atkins, Natalia; Mancini, Sebastien; Bax, Nic
Mind the Gap: furthering the development of an international collaboration in marine data management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
A large and ever increasing amount of marine data is available throughout Europe, USA, Australia and beyond. The challenges associated with the acquisition of this data mean that the cost of collection is high and the data itself often irreplaceable. At a time when the demand for marine data is growing while financial resources for its collection are being dramatically reduced the need to maximise its re-use is becoming a priority for marine data managers. A number of barriers to the re-use of marine data currently exist due to the various formats, standards, vocabularies etc. used by the organisations engaged in collecting and managing this data. These challenges are already being addressed at a regional level by projects in Europe (Geo-Seas, SeaDataNet etc.), USA (R2R) and Australia (IMOS). To expand these projects further and bridge the gap between these regional initiatives the Ocean Data Interoperability Platform (ODIP) will establish a collaborative platform which will facilitate the development of a common approach to marine data management. Proactive dissemination of the outcomes and products of this project will promote adoption of the common standards and practices developed by the ODIP project to other organisations and regions beyond the 20 original consortium partners. To demonstrate this coordinated approach several joint prototypes will be developed to test and evaluate potential solutions for solving the marine data management issues identified within the different marine disciplines. These prototypes will also be used to illustrate the effective sharing of data across scientific domains, organisations and international boundaries through the development of common practices and standards in marine data management.
Glaves, H. M.; Miller, S. P.; Proctor, R.; Schaap, D.
Marine fishery management has traditionally been based on the biology and population dynamics of individual target species. Management controls are generally exercised through limits on individual fish sizes, seasons of harvest, catch limits, and re- strictions on gear efficiency designed to protect re- productive stocks. Distance from port and depth provided de facto refugia from harvest during the first century
Progression in Complexity: Contextualizing Sustainable Marine Resources Management in a 10th Grade Classroom
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sustainable management of marine resources raises great challenges. Working with this socio-scientific issue in the classroom requires students to apply complex models about energy flow and trophic pyramids in order to understand that food chains represent transfer of energy, to construct meanings for sustainable resources management through…
Bravo-Torija, Beatriz; Jimenez-Aleixandre, Maria-Pilar
Linking marine protected areas to integrated coastal and ocean management: A review of theory and practice
If managed in isolation, coastal and marine protected areas (MPAs) are vulnerable to natural resource development and exploitation occurring outside these areas—in particular, overfishing, alteration and destruction of habitats, and water pollution. Thus, protection of coastal and marine areas—of species, habitats, landscapes, and seascapes—should be integrated into spatial development strategies for larger areas, under the umbrella of integrated coastal and
Biliana Cicin-Sain; Stefano Belfiore
Towards A Network of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) in the Western Indian Ocean
In the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), local communities are increasingly assuming responsibility for inshore marine resources either on their own or through collaborative management arrangements with governments or non-state actors. In this paper, we trace the evolution and expansion of community management in the WIO and present the first ever inventory and assessment of the region's locally managed marine areas (LMMAs). We compare the key attributes of these areas to those under government stewardship and assess their relative contributions to progress towards the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) target of 10% of marine and coastal ecological regions to be effectively conserved by 2020. We also explore the legal frameworks that underpin locally managed marine initiatives in Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania to assess the potential for future expansion. A principal finding is that whilst LMMAs protect more than 11,000 square kilometres of marine resource in the WIO, they are hampered by underdeveloped local and national legal structures and enforcement mechanisms. In our recommendations to improve local management, we suggest establishing a network of LMMA practitioners in the WIO region to share experiences and best practice.
Rocliffe, Steve; Peabody, Shawn; Samoilys, Melita; Hawkins, Julie P.
Whale sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park: managing tourism in an Australian marine protected area
The whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean. A tourism industry based on interacting with whale sharks has developed recently in Ningaloo Marine Park, off the coast of Western Australia. This is the only known, accessible place in the world where whale sharks congregate in significant numbers. Results from surveys of participants in the 'whale shark experience' are
Alastair Birtles; Peter Valentine; Michael Cuthill
Connectivity, sustainability, and yield: bridging the gap between conventional fisheries management and marine protected areas
A substantial shift toward use of marine protected areas (MPAs) for conservation and fisheries management is currently underway.\\u000a This shift to explicit spatial management presents new challenges and uncertainties for ecologists and resource managers.\\u000a In particular, the potential for MPAs to change population sustainability, fishery yield, and ecosystem properties depends\\u000a on the poorly understood consequences of three critical forms of
Louis W. Botsford; Daniel R. Brumbaugh; Churchill Grimes; Julie B. Kellner; John Largier; Michael R. O'Farrell; Stephen Ralston; Elaine Soulanille; Vidar Wespestad
Effect of river outflow management on marine life
Construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, and subsequent cessation (since 1965) of surplus Nile Flood water (ca 35 billion m3 of water annually) from discharging into the Mediterranean Sea, has had an impact on marine life in coastal waters adjoining the Nile Delta and on brackish-water life in the lakes. Nutrient concentrations have fallen considerably in these waters;
A. A. Aleem
Incorporating Uncertainty into Management Models for Marine Mammals
Good management models and good models for understanding biology differ in basic philosophy. Management models must facilitate management decisions despite large amounts of uncertainty about the managed populations. Such models must be based on parameters that can be estimated readily, must explic- itly account for uncertainty, and should be simple to understand and implement. In contrast, biological mod- els are
Barbara L. Taylor; Paul R. Wade; Douglas P. De Master; Jay Barlow
Changes in the marine pollution management system in response to the Amorgos oil spill in Taiwan.
The Marine Pollution Control Act (MPCA) of Taiwan was promulgated on November 1, 2000, with the specific aim of controlling marine pollution, safeguarding public health, and promoting the sustainable use of marine resources. In addition to land-based pollution, oil spills are one of the most significant threats to the local marine environment largely on account of the some 30,000 tankers which pass through Taiwan's coastal waters each year. In January 2001, two months after the enactment of this newly-introduced law, a Greek merchant vessel, the Amorgos ran aground in the vicinity of a national park on the southern tip of Taiwan, causing a serious oil spill and leading to considerable changes with regard to the marine pollution management system. The incident brought to the forefront many serious problems, such as a lack of experience, expertise as well as equipment required to respond to such disasters, as well as the ambiguous, unclear jurisdiction among related agencies. Thus, this paper reviews the incident of the Amorgos spill, identifies the major issues and lessons learned, and proposes several recommendations in an effort for Taiwan to further improve its marine pollution management system. PMID:16291204
Chiau, Wen-Yen
An Ecosystem-Based Approach to Assess the Status of a Mediterranean Ecosystem, the Posidonia oceanica Seagrass Meadow
Biotic indices, which reflect the quality of the environment, are widely used in the marine realm. Sometimes, key species or ecosystem engineers are selected for this purpose. This is the case of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, widely used as a biological quality element in the context of the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD). The good quality of a water body and the apparent health of a species, whether or not an ecosystem engineer such as P. oceanica, is not always indicative of the good structure and functioning of the whole ecosystem. A key point of the recent Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is the ecosystem-based approach. Here, on the basis of a simplified conceptual model of the P. oceanica ecosystem, we have proposed an ecosystem-based index of the quality of its functioning, compliant with the MSFD requirements. This index (EBQI) is based upon a set of representative functional compartments, the weighting of these compartments and the assessment of the quality of each compartment by comparison of a supposed baseline. The index well discriminated 17 sites in the north-western Mediterranean (French Riviera, Provence, Corsica, Catalonia and Balearic Islands) covering a wide range of human pressure levels. The strong points of the EBQI are that it is easy to implement, non-destructive, relatively robust, according to the selection of the compartments and to their weighting, and associated with confidence indices that indicate possible weakness and biases and therefore the need for further field data acquisition.
Personnic, Sebastien; Boudouresque, Charles F.; Astruch, Patrick; Ballesteros, Enric; Blouet, Sylvain; Bellan-Santini, Denise; Bonhomme, Patrick; Thibault-Botha, Delphine; Feunteun, Eric; Harmelin-Vivien, Mireille; Pergent, Gerard; Pergent-Martini, Christine; Pastor, Jeremy; Poggiale, Jean-Christophe; Renaud, Florent; Thibaut, Thierry; Ruitton, Sandrine
Marine protected areas and the value of spatially optimized fishery management.
There is a growing focus around the world on marine spatial planning, including spatial fisheries management. Some spatial management approaches are quite blunt, as when marine protected areas (MPAs) are established to restrict fishing in specific locations. Other management tools, such as zoning or spatial user rights, will affect the distribution of fishing effort in a more nuanced manner. Considerable research has focused on the ability of MPAs to increase fishery returns, but the potential for the broader class of spatial management approaches to outperform MPAs has received far less attention. We use bioeconomic models of seven nearshore fisheries in Southern California to explore the value of optimized spatial management in which the distribution of fishing is chosen to maximize profits. We show that fully optimized spatial management can substantially increase fishery profits relative to optimal nonspatial management but that the magnitude of this increase depends on characteristics of the fishing fleet and target species. Strategically placed MPAs can also increase profits substantially compared with nonspatial management, particularly if fishing costs are low, although profit increases available through optimal MPA-based management are roughly half those from fully optimized spatial management. However, if the same total area is protected by randomly placing MPAs, starkly contrasting results emerge: most random MPA designs reduce expected profits. The high value of spatial management estimated here supports continued interest in spatially explicit fisheries regulations but emphasizes that predicted increases in profits can only be achieved if the fishery is well understood and the regulations are strategically designed. PMID:22753469
Rassweiler, Andrew; Costello, Christopher; Siegel, David A
A Management Strategy for Sedentary Nearshore Species that Uses Marine Protected Areas as a Reference
Classical approaches to fisheries stock assessment rely on methods that are not conducive to managing data-poor stocks. Moreover, many nearshore rocky reef species exhibit spatial variation in harvest pressure and demographic rates, further limiting traditional stock assessment approaches. Novel management strategies to overcome data limitations and account for spatial variability are needed. With the ever-increasing implementation of no-take marine protected
Jono R. Wilson; Jeremy D. Prince; Hunter S. Lenihan
Diagnosis and management of injuries from dangerous marine life.
Injuries from marine life encompass a wide spectrum, from mild stings to severe bites. Fortunately most of the injuries are mild, although some may be significant, resulting in death. Most of these injuries can be treated by family physicians with a knowledge of the cause of the pathology. Over the years, there have been many treatment options. Some have actually caused an increase in severity. An important rule in treating these injuries is to inactivate the venom, treat the local reaction or injury, and treat the systemic sequelae. Jellyfish stings are the most common type of marine injury. The tentacles possess nematocysts, which are stinging units that are inactivated by the application of vinegar. Sea urchin and stingray injuries require the removal of the imbedded spines after the wound is soaked in hot water. Coral, sea bathers eruption, and swimmer's itch require thorough scrubbing and irrigation. Sea snakes, cone shells, and venomous fish possess a neurotoxin that requires close monitoring in the event of cardiopulmonary collapse. All of these injuries require tetanus status monitoring and consideration of coverage for infectious sequelae. PMID:16369231
Brown, Thomas P
Sensitivity of marine systems to climate and fishing: Concepts, issues and management responses
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Modern fisheries research and management must understand and take account of the interactions between climate and fishing, rather than try to disentangle their effects and address each separately. These interactions are significant drivers of change in exploited marine systems and have ramifications for ecosystems and those who depend on the services they provide. We discuss how fishing and climate forcing interact on individual fish, marine populations, marine communities, and ecosystems to bring these levels into states that are more sensitive to (i.e. more strongly related with) climate forcing. Fishing is unlikely to alter the sensitivities of individual finfish and invertebrates to climate forcing. It will remove individuals with specific characteristics from the gene pool, thereby affecting structure and function at higher levels of organisation. Fishing leads to a loss of older age classes, spatial contraction, loss of sub-units, and alteration of life history traits in populations, making them more sensitive to climate variability at interannual to interdecadal scales. Fishing reduces the mean size of individuals and mean trophic level of communities, decreasing their turnover time leading them to track environmental variability more closely. Marine ecosystems under intense exploitation evolve towards stronger bottom-up control and greater sensitivity to climate forcing. Because climate change occurs slowly, its effects are not likely to have immediate impacts on marine systems but will be manifest as the accumulation of the interactions between fishing and climate variability — unless threshold limits are exceeded. Marine resource managers need to develop approaches which maintain the resilience of individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems to the combined and interacting effects of climate and fishing. Overall, a less-heavily fished marine system, and one which shifts the focus from individual species to functional groups and fish communities, is likely to provide more stable catches with climate variability and change than would a heavily fished system.
Perry, R. Ian; Cury, Philippe; Brander, Keith; Jennings, Simon; Möllmann, Christian; Planque, Benjamin
Regime shifts in marine ecosystems: detection, prediction and management
Regime shifts are abrupt changes between contrasting, persistent states of any complex system. The potential for their prediction in the ocean and possible management depends upon the characteristics of the regime shifts: their drivers (from anthropogenic to natural), scale (from the local to the basin) and potential for management action (from adaptation to mitigation). We present a conceptual framework that
Brad deYoung; Manuel Barange; Gregory Beaugrand; Roger Harris; R. Ian Perry; Marten Scheffer; Francisco Werner
Trade-off analysis for marine protected area management
This paper outlines an approach to natural resource management that incorporates multiple objectives for protected area management within a decision-making framework. Both regulators and other major stakeholders are directly incorporated into the approach to enhance decision-making processes. We call this approach trade-off analysis. The approach uses a framework based on multi-criteria analysis (MCA) but involves stakeholders at all stages. This
Katrina Brown; W. Neil Adger; Emma Tompkins; Peter Bacon; David Shim; Kathy Young
Guiding ecological principles for marine spatial planning
The declining health of marine ecosystems around the world is evidence that current piecemeal governance is inadequate to successfully support healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and sustain human uses of the ocean. One proposed solution to this problem is ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP), which is a process that informs the spatial distribution of activities in the ocean so that
Melissa M. Foley; Benjamin S. Halpern; Fiorenza Micheli; Matthew H. Armsby; Margaret R. Caldwell; Caitlin M. Crain; Erin Prahler; Nicole Rohr; Deborah Sivas; Michael W. Beck; Mark H. Carr; Larry B. Crowder; J. Emmett Duffy; Sally D. Hacker; Karen L. McLeod; Stephen R. Palumbi; Charles H. Peterson; Helen M. Regan; Mary H. Ruckelshaus; Paul A. Sandifer; Robert S. Steneck
Managing the Ocean Resources of the United States: The Role of the Federal Marine Sanctuaries Program
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
In 1969, the Straton Commission report provided a plan for the systematic development of a national policy on marine affairs. In subsequent years no such systematic approach to a coherent marine policy was undertaken. The de facto policy approach of the 1970s was a plethora of individual legislative acts which provided specific de jure rules, but which left administrators the complex problems of working out the administration of areas of overlapping authority, with conflicting or inconsistent goals and jurisdiction. The major acts of the 1970s, the Fishery Conservation a n d Management Act of 1976; Mammals and Non-Migratory Birds—The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972; Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972; Endangered Species Act of 1973; Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972; and others, are clear indications of a national commitment to regulation of the markets for the output from the ocean sector. But while the need for intervention in markets was clear to legislators, the failure to employ a systematic approach and provide guidelines adequate to permit the rationalization of complex problems doomed the piecemeal approach to ocean policy to ever increasing administrative problems and ultimately to ineffective government programs.
Pontecorvo, Guilio
Geo-Seas - building a unified e-infrastructure for marine geoscientific data management in Europe
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
A significant barrier to marine geoscientific research in Europe is the lack of standardised marine geological and geophysical data and data products which could potentially facilitate multidisciplinary marine research extending across national and international boundaries. Although there are large volumes of geological and geophysical data available for the marine environment it is currently very difficult to use these datasets in an integrated way due to different nomenclatures, formats, scales and coordinate systems being used within different organisations as well as between countries. This makes the direct use of primary data very difficult and also hampers use of the data to produce integrated multidisciplinary data products and services. The Geo-Seas project, an EU Framework 7 funded initiative, is developing a unified e-infrastructure to facilitate the sharing of marine geoscientific data within Europe. This e-infrastructure is providing on-line access to both discovery metadata and the associated federated data sets from 26 European data centres via a dedicated portal. The implementation of the Geo-Seas portal is allowing a range of end users to locate, assess and access standardised geoscientific data from multiple sources which is interoperable with other marine data types. Geo-Seas is building on the work already done by the existing SeaDataNet project which currently provides a data management e-infrastructure for oceanographic data which allows users to locate and access federated oceanographic data sets. By adopting and adapting the SeaDataNet methodologies and technologies the Geo-Seas project has not only avoid unnecessary duplication of effort by reusing existing and proven technologies but also contributed to the development of a multidisciplinary approach to ocean science across Europe through the creation of a joint infrastructure for both marine geoscientific and oceanographic data. This approach is also leading to the development of collaborative links with other European projects including EMODNET, Eurofleets. Genesi-DEC and iMarine as well as extending to the wider marine geoscientific and oceanographic community including projects in the USA such as the Rolling Deck Repository (R2R) initiative and also organisations in both the USA and Australia.
Glaves, H. M.; Schaap, D.
Geo-Seas - building a unified e-infrastructure for marine geoscientific data management in Europe
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
A significant barrier to marine geoscientific research in Europe is the lack of standardised marine geological and geophysical data and data products which could potentially facilitate multidisciplinary marine research extending across national and international boundaries. Although there are large volumes of geological and geophysical data available for the marine environment it is currently very difficult to use these datasets in an integrated way due to different nomenclatures, formats, scales and coordinate systems being used within different organisations as well as between countries. This makes the direct use of primary data very difficult and also hampers use of the data to produce integrated multidisciplinary data products and services. The Geo-Seas project, an EU Framework 7 funded initiative, is developing a unified e-infrastructure to facilitate the sharing of marine geoscientific data within Europe. This e-infrastructure is providing on-line access to both discovery metadata and the associated federated data sets from 26 European data centres via a dedicated portal. The implementation of the Geo-Seas portal is allowing a range of end users to locate, assess and access standardised geoscientific data from multiple sources which is interoperable with other marine data types. Geo-Seas is building on the work already done by the existing SeaDataNet project which currently provides a data management e-infrastructure for oceanographic data which allows users to locate and access federated oceanographic data sets. By adopting and adapting the SeaDataNet methodologies and technologies the Geo-Seas project has not only avoid unnecessary duplication of effort by reusing existing and proven technologies but also contributed to the development of a multidisciplinary approach to ocean science across Europe through the creation of a joint infrastructure for both marine geoscientific and oceanographic data. This approach is also leading to the development of collaborative links with other European projects including EMODNET, Eurofleets. Genesi-DEC and iMarine as well as extending to the wider marine geoscientific and oceanographic community including projects in the USA such as the Rolling Deck Repository (R2R) initiative and also organisations in both the USA and Australia. On behalf of the Geo-Seas consortium partners: NERC-BGS (United Kingdom), NERC-BODC (United Kingdom), NERC-NOCS (United Kingdom), MARIS (Netherlands), IFREMER (France), BRGM (France), TNO (Netherlands), BSH (Germany), IGME (Spain), LNEG (Portugal), GSI (Ireland), BGR (Germany), OGS (Italy), GEUS (Denmark), NGU (Norway), PGI (Poland), EGK (Estonia), NRC-IGG (Lithuania), IO-BAS (Bulgaria), NOA (Greece), CIRIA (United Kingdom), MUMM (Belgium), UB (Spain), UCC (Ireland), EU-Consult (Netherlands), CNRS (France), SHOM (France), CEFAS (United Kingdom), and LU (Latvia).
Glaves, H.; Schaap, D.
Synthesis of Knowledge on Marine Biodiversity in European Seas: From Census to Sustainable Management
The recently completed European Census of Marine Life, conducted within the framework of the global Census of Marine Life programme (2000–2010), markedly enhanced our understanding of marine biodiversity in European Seas, its importance within ecological systems, and the implications for human use. Here we undertake a synthesis of present knowledge of biodiversity in European Seas and identify remaining challenges that prevent sustainable management of marine biodiversity in one of the most exploited continents of the globe. Our analysis demonstrates that changes in faunal standing stock with depth depends on the size of the fauna, with macrofaunal abundance only declining with increasing water depth below 1000 m, whilst there was no obvious decrease in meiofauna with increasing depth. Species richness was highly variable for both deep water macro- and meio- fauna along latitudinal and longitudinal gradients. Nematode biodiversity decreased from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean whilst latitudinal related biodiversity patterns were similar for both faunal groups investigated, suggesting that the same environmental drivers were influencing the fauna. While climate change and habitat degradation are the most frequently implicated stressors affecting biodiversity throughout European Seas, quantitative understanding, both at individual and cumulative/synergistic level, of their influences are often lacking. Full identification and quantification of species, in even a single marine habitat, remains a distant goal, as we lack integrated data-sets to quantify these. While the importance of safeguarding marine biodiversity is recognised by policy makers, the lack of advanced understanding of species diversity and of a full survey of any single habitat raises huge challenges in quantifying change, and facilitating/prioritising habitat/ecosystem protection. Our study highlights a pressing requirement for more complete biodiversity surveys to be undertaken within contrasting habitats, together with investigations in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning links and identification of separate and synergistic/cumulative human-induced impacts on biodiversity.
Narayanaswamy, Bhavani E.
Synthesis of knowledge on marine biodiversity in European Seas: from census to sustainable management.
The recently completed European Census of Marine Life, conducted within the framework of the global Census of Marine Life programme (2000-2010), markedly enhanced our understanding of marine biodiversity in European Seas, its importance within ecological systems, and the implications for human use. Here we undertake a synthesis of present knowledge of biodiversity in European Seas and identify remaining challenges that prevent sustainable management of marine biodiversity in one of the most exploited continents of the globe. Our analysis demonstrates that changes in faunal standing stock with depth depends on the size of the fauna, with macrofaunal abundance only declining with increasing water depth below 1000 m, whilst there was no obvious decrease in meiofauna with increasing depth. Species richness was highly variable for both deep water macro- and meio- fauna along latitudinal and longitudinal gradients. Nematode biodiversity decreased from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean whilst latitudinal related biodiversity patterns were similar for both faunal groups investigated, suggesting that the same environmental drivers were influencing the fauna. While climate change and habitat degradation are the most frequently implicated stressors affecting biodiversity throughout European Seas, quantitative understanding, both at individual and cumulative/synergistic level, of their influences are often lacking. Full identification and quantification of species, in even a single marine habitat, remains a distant goal, as we lack integrated data-sets to quantify these. While the importance of safeguarding marine biodiversity is recognised by policy makers, the lack of advanced understanding of species diversity and of a full survey of any single habitat raises huge challenges in quantifying change, and facilitating/prioritising habitat/ecosystem protection. Our study highlights a pressing requirement for more complete biodiversity surveys to be undertaken within contrasting habitats, together with investigations in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning links and identification of separate and synergistic/cumulative human-induced impacts on biodiversity. PMID:23527045
Narayanaswamy, Bhavani E; Coll, Marta; Danovaro, Roberto; Davidson, Keith; Ojaveer, Henn; Renaud, Paul E
75 FR 39638 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1 for the South Atlantic Region; Correction...a correction to the final rule to implement Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1 for the South Atlantic region that...
Managing fisheries to conserve the Antarctic marine ecosystem: practical implementation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
We aim to identify the important steps in the evolution of the ecosystem approach to management under the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The first section provides the background to CCAMLR, including the formulation of the convention and its objectives, its operation, and the historical trends in fisheries. Later sections describe (i) the reasons why
David J. Agnew; Inigo Everson; Denzil Miller
Sea-Use Map Of Lazio: GIS Supporting a Sustainable Marine Resources Management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
In Italy, with more than 7000 km of densely populated coasts, the continental shelf is always affected by a lot of fundamental anthropic activities. The coastal zone is besides characterised by the simultaneous presence of physical and ecological conditions favourables to the multiple use of natural resources. In addition to the impacts risen from the local uses, it is necessary to add those which are produced by remote uses of other natural resources: in particular, the coastal sea is subject to local and remote trouble, both from the open sea and from the land use. For all these reasons it is necessary to face coastal system problems looking to minimize reciprocal impacts of the uses which are in conflict. This situation generates a conflict between the different use interests and so the most brittle resources and uses suffer and can also be deleted (Marcelli M., 2003 in progress). The necessity of an interdisciplinary approach founds one's statements on these concepts. Oceanography, ecology, geology, biology, meteorology have to be components (Brondi et al, 2008) of an integrated knowledge able to support the decision through GIS and scenario's simulation. The aim of this work is to minimize the conflict between different uses, creating a work instrument able to support the decision, in order to select the best use for a determinate marine area. Present work represents a pilot project for integrated management of coastal and marine zone where all informations, concerning a specific stretch of coast, are gathered inside of a system of management and data improvement. This system integrates environment data, collected by monitoring, socio-economic data, coming from coastal zone uses, simulations of mathematical models and geographic informative platform. It includes some informations which are fundamental for the planning of some activities connected to coastal zone. This work is the design of a Sea-Use Map of an Italian sea area for characterized by different values and uses of marine resources, useful to explore further marine uses, such as suitable sites for energy production, marine culture, etc. For these reasons the creation of an integrated GIS database, in which all the information are conveyed in a Geo-referenced system, is a fundamental tool. The Sea-Use Map (SUM) of Italy is a key database, in which coastal uses are integrated with environmental data (bathymetry, waves, currents, fauna, flora, etc). A further integration between data and numerical model simulations is allowing to define the most promising and environmentally acceptable areas for such resource exploitation. Preliminary results demonstrate that such a Sea-Use Map could make us able to an a sustainable coastal marine resources management.
Marcelli, Marco; Piermattei, Viviana; Manfredi Frattarelli, Francesco; Pannocchi, Andrea; Bonamano, Simone
Integrated data management system of Korean marine geological and geophysical data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
An integrated database system was developed to manage and provide marine geological data and marine geophysical data obtained by several Korean institutes. The system consists of two sub systems. One is the archive DB system which manages original data submitted by research scientists, the other is geographic information system which manages GIS data and provides information to the users. We established data management procedure for the data collection, processing, quality control and DB input for continuous data collection. According to the procedure, we collect data from Korean institutes every year and update DB system. Establishment of the archive DB system was accomplished through 7 steps, (1) checking the format of submitted data files (2) grouping data files by data items and research (3) retrieving metadata (position, date and time, etc.) from the submitted data files (4) validation of metadata and observation data (5) making the connection between metadata and observed data (6) rearrange matched metadata and observation data according to the DB structure (7) storing rearranged data into DB system. To make a reliable DB of system, we spent much time to validate submitted marine geological data and geophysical data. In case of marine geological data, we collected size analysis data, columnar section image, photographic data, X-ray data, heavy metal analysis data, organic carbon analysis data obtained from surface sediment samples and core sediment samples. The data formats were image file, ASCII text file and Microsoft Excel file. In case of marine geophysical data, seismic data, magnetic data and gravity data were collected in formats of SEG-Y binary file, image file and ASCII text file. We could retrieve metadata from ASCII files and Excel files directly and specialized software (Seisview2 software or BATHY2000) was used to retrieve metadata from SEG-Y data files. After validation work which checks the observation location and time using the positioning maps, some of the submitted data were excluded from collected data files. Finally we could establish the integrated DB system contains 4,522 seismic data files, 14,189,005 magnetic data, 3,515,831 gravity data, 1,638 surface sediment data and 9,023 core sediment data. Oracle RDBMS was adopted to manage the collected data and Oracle 11g was installed on UNIX system. Considering the data characteristics, DB structure was designed and 38 DB tables were created in the DB system. All data was stored into DB system using Oracle SQL Loader. The geographic information system was introduced to manage spatial information of oceanographic data and provide data effectively using map interface. All collected position data of the marine geological data and geophysical data was converted to Esri shapefile format using UTM coordination system based on WGS 84 datum. ArcGIS desktop software was utilized to import position data from ASCII files, manipulate data and produce shapefile data. To save and manage shapefile data systematically, a GeoDatabse was devloped using the Oracle RDBMS and ArcGIS SDE (Spatial Database Engine). Total 40 DB tables were created in the Oracle 11g and all shapefile data was stored into DB system. We made the linkage between data of the GeoDatabase and data of the Archive DB for comprephensive data and information provision. A GIS application based on ArcGIS Engine was developed to provide geographic information and observed values of oceanogrpahic data. The window of the GIS application consists of map window, image viewer, graph viewer and SEG-Y viewer.
Baek, Sang-Ho; Kim, Sung-Dae; Park, Soo-Young; Park, Hyuk-Min; Lee, Jin-Hee
GENIES/SimCLIM Tools to Support Climate Change Information and Marine Resource Management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Climate change will significantly impact the global environment, and the faster the change, the greater the risk of damage. The natural environment will be assaulted by increases in sea surface temperature and changes in the biogeochemical cycles of ocean ecosystems. Marine resource managers have begun to realize that the projected impacts of climate change in coastal and marine environments are full of uncertainties, creating enormous challenges when it comes to climate change response planning. CMIP5 GCMs produced a large amount of climate and ocean biogeochemical data for different climate change scenarios, which can provide indispensable information for marine resource planning and decision making. However, for end users, climate and ocean information needs to be processed to make it usable while applying robust scientific methods to make that processing acceptable. SimCLIM/GENIES software provides a comprehensive climate information, data management, and impact assessment platform. The software system consists of historical data and projections for atmospheric and oceanic variables, including air-temperature, precipitation, wind speed, sea surface temperature, ocean primary production, pH, pCO2, DIO, and DIC, with the potential for other data layers. These data are pre-processed using different downscaling and pattern scaling approaches, and then stored in a compact format with a very high compression ratio, which makes them more transferable. Users can carry out statistical and ensemble analyses with the software in order to better understand uncertainties. Within the software system, historical climate data, a climate change scenario generator, and impact assessment tools are all integrated into a single platform. They are policy-maker and end-user oriented and present climate information in a friendly and easily understandable manner with excellent spatial visualization tools. Moreover, the system provided and released an ArcGIS/marine add-in, which allows ArcGIS users to directly use climate information in their familiar software environment. GENIES is a decision support system built on a system dynamics simulation library with powerful simulation capabilities and great flexibility in simulation architecture, control, construction and integration. GENIES uses a visual coupling tool for data conversion, and dynamic updating of workflows. A user can easily build, extend and revise their own/already existing models when a new domain is explored or new questions arise, even during the runtime. Marine resources management model tools can be either coupled or developed with GENIES in a fast and friendly way. A coral reef impact model is developed as a demonstration.
Li, Y.; Urich, P.; Yin, C.; Kouwenhoven, P.; CLIMsystems team
Managing ocean information in the digital era--events in Canada open questions about the role of marine science libraries.
Information is the foundation of evidence-based policies for effective marine environmental protection and conservation. In Canada, the cutback of marine science libraries introduces key questions about the role of such institutions and the management of ocean information in the digital age. How vital are such libraries in the mission of studying and protecting the oceans? What is the fate and value of the massive grey literature holdings, including archival materials, much of which is not in digital form but which often contains vital data? How important is this literature generally in the marine environmental sciences? Are we likely to forget the history of the marine pollution field if our digital focus eclipses the need for and access to comprehensive collections and skilled information specialists? This paper explores these and other questions against the backdrop of unprecedented changes in the federal libraries, marine environmental science and legislation in Canada. PMID:24768172
Wells, Peter G
Assessment of the environmental status of the coastal and marine aquatic environment in Europe: A plea for adaptive management
Policymakers and managers have a very different philosophy and approach to achieving healthy coastal and marine ecosystems than scientists. In this paper we discuss the evolution of the assessment of the chemical status in the aquatic environment and the growing rift between the political intention (precautionary principle) and scientific developments (adaptive and evidence-based management) in the context of the pitfalls
R. W. P. M. Laane; D. M. E. Slijkerman; A. D. Vethaak; J. H. M. Schobben
Management options and effects on a marine ecosystem: assessing the future of the Baltic.
We are using the coupled models in a decision support system, Nest, to evaluate the response of the marine ecosystem to changes in external loads through various management options. The models address all the seven major marine basins and the entire drainage basin of the Baltic Sea. A series of future scenarios have been developed, in close collaboration with the Helsinki Commission, to see the possible effects of improved wastewater treatment and manure handling, phosphorus-free detergents, and less intensive land use and live stocks. Improved wastewater treatment and the use of phosphorus-free detergents in the entire region would drastically decrease phosphorus loads and improve the marine environment, particularly the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms. However, the Baltic Sea will remain eutrophic, and to reduce other effects, a substantial reduction of nitrogen emissions must be implemented. This can only be obtained in these scenarios by drastically changing land use. In a final scenario, we have turned 50% of all agricultural lands into grasslands, together with efficient wastewater treatments and a ban of phosphorus in detergents. This scenario will substantially reduce primary production and the extension of hypoxic bottoms, increase water transparency in the most eutrophied basins, and virtually eliminate extensive cyanobacterial blooms. PMID:17520940
Wulff, Fredrik; Savchuk, Oleg P; Sokolov, Alexander; Humborg, Christoph; Mörth, Carl-Magnus
Fisheries management under the Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Final report
The purpose of this report is to determine what steps might be taken to ensure that fishery management plans (FMPs) developed under the Fishery Conservation and Management Act (FCMA) are ecologically sound and fully consistent with the FCMA and with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The relevant provisions of the three Acts were
Hammond; K. A. G
Tropical Marginal Seas: Priority Regions for Managing Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tropical marginal seas (TMSs) are natural subregions of tropical oceans containing biodiverse ecosystems with conspicuous, valued, and vulnerable biodiversity assets. They are focal points for global marine conservation because they occur in regions where human populations are rapidly expanding. Our review of 11 TMSs focuses on three key ecosystems - coral reefs and emergent atolls, deep benthic systems, and pelagic biomes - and synthesizes, illustrates, and contrasts knowledge of biodiversity, ecosystem function, interaction between adjacent habitats, and anthropogenic pressures. TMSs vary in the extent that they have been subject to human influence - from the nearly pristine Coral Sea to the heavily exploited South China and Caribbean Seas - but we predict that they will all be similarly complex to manage because most span multiple national jurisdictions. We conclude that developing a structured process to identify ecologically and biologically significant areas that uses a set of globally agreed criteria is a tractable first step toward effective multinational and transboundary ecosystem management of TMSs.
McKinnon, A. David; Williams, Alan; Young, Jock; Ceccarelli, Daniela; Dunstan, Piers; Brewin, Robert J. W.; Watson, Reg; Brinkman, Richard; Cappo, Mike; Duggan, Samantha; Kelley, Russell; Ridgway, Ken; Lindsay, Dhugal; Gledhill, Daniel; Hutton, Trevor; Richardson, Anthony J.
Progression in Complexity: Contextualizing Sustainable Marine Resources Management in a 10th Grade Classroom
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sustainable management of marine resources raises great challenges. Working with this socio-scientific issue in the classroom requires students to apply complex models about energy flow and trophic pyramids in order to understand that food chains represent transfer of energy, to construct meanings for sustainable resources management through discourse, and to connect them to actions and decisions in a real-life context. In this paper we examine the process of elaboration of plans for resources management in a marine ecosystem by 10th grade students (15-16 year) in the context of solving an authentic task. A complete class ( N = 14) worked in a sequence about ecosystems. Working in small groups, the students made models of energy flow and trophic pyramids, and used them to solve the problem of feeding a small community for a long time. Data collection included videotaping and audiotaping of all of the sessions, and collecting the students' written productions. The research objective is to examine the process of designing a plan for sustainable resources management in terms of the discursive moves of the students across stages in contextualizing practices, or different degrees of complexity (Jiménez-Aleixandre & Reigosa International Journal of Science Education, 14(1): 51-61 2006), understood as transformations from theoretical statements to decisions about the plan. The analysis of students' discursive moves shows how the groups progressed through stages of connecting different models, between them and with the context, in order to solve the task. The challenges related to taking this sustainability issue to the classroom are discussed.
Bravo-Torija, Beatriz; Jiménez-Aleixandre, María-Pilar
Marine Protected Area Management in South Africa: New Policies, Old Paradigms
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
A historical perspective on MPA identification and governance in South Africa reflects the continued influence of a top-down and natural science-based paradigm, that has hardly changed over the past half century, despite the wealth of literature, and a growing consensus, that advocates the need to adopt a more integrated and human-centered approach. Based on extensive research in two coastal fishing communities, the paper highlights impacts and conflicts arising from this conventional approach to MPA identification, planning and management. It argues that failure to understand the particular fishery system in all its complexity, in particular the human dimensions, and involve resource users in planning and decision-making processes, undermines efforts to achieve conservation and fisheries management objectives. The customary rights of local resource users, and their food and livelihood needs in relation to marine resources, need to be acknowledged, prioritized and integrated into planning and decision-making processes. Convincing ecologists, fisheries scientists and managers, that MPA success depends on addressing the root causes of resource decline and incorporating social factors into MPA identification, planning and management, remains a huge challenge in South Africa.
Sowman, Merle; Hauck, Maria; van Sittert, Lance; Sunde, Jackie
Marine protected area management in South Africa: new policies, old paradigms.
A historical perspective on MPA identification and governance in South Africa reflects the continued influence of a top-down and natural science-based paradigm, that has hardly changed over the past half century, despite the wealth of literature, and a growing consensus, that advocates the need to adopt a more integrated and human-centered approach. Based on extensive research in two coastal fishing communities, the paper highlights impacts and conflicts arising from this conventional approach to MPA identification, planning and management. It argues that failure to understand the particular fishery system in all its complexity, in particular the human dimensions, and involve resource users in planning and decision-making processes, undermines efforts to achieve conservation and fisheries management objectives. The customary rights of local resource users, and their food and livelihood needs in relation to marine resources, need to be acknowledged, prioritized and integrated into planning and decision-making processes. Convincing ecologists, fisheries scientists and managers, that MPA success depends on addressing the root causes of resource decline and incorporating social factors into MPA identification, planning and management, remains a huge challenge in South Africa. PMID:20449745
Sowman, Merle; Hauck, Maria; van Sittert, Lance; Sunde, Jackie
Regional Management Units for Marine Turtles: A Novel Framework for Prioritizing Conservation and Research across Multiple Scales
Background Resolving threats to widely distributed marine megafauna requires definition of the geographic distributions of both the threats as well as the population unit(s) of interest. In turn, because individual threats can operate on varying spatial scales, their impacts can affect different segments of a population of the same species. Therefore, integration of multiple tools and techniques — including site-based monitoring, genetic analyses, mark-recapture studies and telemetry — can facilitate robust definitions of population segments at multiple biological and spatial scales to address different management and research challenges. Methodology/Principal Findings To address these issues for marine turtles, we collated all available studies on marine turtle biogeography, including nesting sites, population abundances and trends, population genetics, and satellite telemetry. We georeferenced this information to generate separate layers for nesting sites, genetic stocks, and core distributions of population segments of all marine turtle species. We then spatially integrated this information from fine- to coarse-spatial scales to develop nested envelope models, or Regional Management Units (RMUs), for marine turtles globally. Conclusions/Significance The RMU framework is a solution to the challenge of how to organize marine turtles into units of protection above the level of nesting populations, but below the level of species, within regional entities that might be on independent evolutionary trajectories. Among many potential applications, RMUs provide a framework for identifying data gaps, assessing high diversity areas for multiple species and genetic stocks, and evaluating conservation status of marine turtles. Furthermore, RMUs allow for identification of geographic barriers to gene flow, and can provide valuable guidance to marine spatial planning initiatives that integrate spatial distributions of protected species and human activities. In addition, the RMU framework — including maps and supporting metadata — will be an iterative, user-driven tool made publicly available in an online application for comments, improvements, download and analysis.
Wallace, Bryan P.; DiMatteo, Andrew D.; Hurley, Brendan J.; Finkbeiner, Elena M.; Bolten, Alan B.; Chaloupka, Milani Y.; Hutchinson, Brian J.; Abreu-Grobois, F. Alberto; Amorocho, Diego; Bjorndal, Karen A.; Bourjea, Jerome; Bowen, Brian W.; Duenas, Raquel Briseno; Casale, Paolo; Choudhury, B. C.; Costa, Alice; Dutton, Peter H.; Fallabrino, Alejandro; Girard, Alexandre; Girondot, Marc; Godfrey, Matthew H.; Hamann, Mark; Lopez-Mendilaharsu, Milagros; Marcovaldi, Maria Angela; Mortimer, Jeanne A.; Musick, John A.; Nel, Ronel; Pilcher, Nicolas J.; Seminoff, Jeffrey A.; Troeng, Sebastian; Witherington, Blair; Mast, Roderic B.
Benthic marine landscapes of the Eastern Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Benthic marine landscapes are a combination of ecologically relevant hydrographical and geological datasets that characterize potential broad scale habitat distribution patterns with the overall aim to allocate conservation efforts on biodiversity and spaces instead of single species. At the best the benthic marine landscapes describe both the habitat distribution as well as the characteristics of the physical environment. This kind of spatial knowledge that informs both about geology and biology at the regional scale is very usable in ecosystem based management (ESBM) of marine areas. Here we will present the benthic marine landscapes of the Eastern Gulf of Finland at the scale of 1:500 000 and explain the analysis methods behind. The study area in the Eastern Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea, is a transboundary marine area shared by Finland and Russia. The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan along with EU, Finnish and Russian legislation requires both countries to identify and assess the state of the marine environment in the Gulf of Finland. These appoint the need for shared knowledge on the marine environment, its state, physical characteristics and distribution of habitats among others. In order to produce ecologically relevant marine landscapes we have collected geological, hydrographical and biological data from the transboundary study area and studied their correlation. The statistical analyses have been run with Primer -software (BEST and LINKTREE). The study is a part of ENPI CBC funded Finnish-Russian co-operation project, the TOPCONS (http://www.merikotka.fi/topcons/). Project aims to develop innovative spatial tools for the regional planning of the sea areas in the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea. The objective is to create methodology and tools to map the locations of the most diverse and sensitive marine landscapes. These will help the society when striving for the sustainable consolidation of human activities and the marine nature values. The TOPCONS is implemented in close relationship to the Finnish Inventory Programme for the Underwater Marine Environment (VELMU).
Kaskela, Anu; Kotilainen, Aarno; Orlova, Marina; Ronkainen, Minna; Rousi, Heta; Ryabchuk, Daria
Marine resources, biophysical processes, and environmental management of a tropical shelf seaway: Torres Strait, Australia Introduction to the special issue
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
This special issue of Continental Shelf Research contains 20 papers giving research results produced as part of Australia's Torres Strait Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) Program, which was funded over a three-year period during 2003-2006. Marine biophysical, fisheries, socioeconomic-cultural and extension research in the Torres Strait region of northeastern Australia was carried out to meet three aims: 1) support the sustainable development of marine resources and minimize impacts of resource use in Torres Strait; 2) enhance the conservation of the marine environment and the social, cultural and economic well being of all stakeholders, particularly the Torres Strait peoples; and 3) contribute to effective policy formulation and management decision making. Subjects covered, including commercial and traditional fisheries management, impacts of anthropogenic sediment inputs on seagrass meadows and communication of science results to local communities, have broad applications to other similar environments.
Harris, P. T.; Butler, A. J.; Coles, R. G.
Tethys: The Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Environmental Impacts Knowledge Management System -- Requirements Specification -- Version 1.0
The marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) environmental impacts knowledge management system (KMS), dubbed Tethys after the mythical Greek goddess of the seas, is being developed for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program (WHTP) by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This requirements specification establishes the essential capabilities required of Tethys
R. Scott Butner; Lesley J. Snowden-Swan; Peter C. Ellis
The Sulu-Sulawesi Seas comprise one of the most biologically diverse marine ecoregions in the world. Situated at the center of the coral triangle, the ecoregion hosts at least 450 species of corals, significant populations of marine turtles, critical mangrove and seagrass habitats, marine mammals, including commercially important species collectively supporting multi-billion dollar fishing industries and subsistence livelihoods for a population
A. J. A. Ramos
Managing the Marine Aquarium Trade: Revealing the Data Gaps Using Ornamental Polychaetes
The marine aquarium industry has great potential to generate jobs in low-income coastal communities creating incentives for the maintenance of a healthy coral reef, if effectively managed. In the absence of current monitoring or legislation to govern the trade, baseline information regarding the species, number and source location of animals traded is missing despite being critical for its successful management and sustainability. An industry assessment to establish the number and provenance of species of ornamental polychaetes (sabellids and serpulids) traded was undertaken across UK wholesalers and retailers. Six geographical regions exporting fan worms were identified. Singapore contributed the highest percentage of imports, but of only one worm "type" whereas Bali, the second largest source, supplied five different worm "types". Over 50% of UK retailers were supplied by one wholesaler while the remainder were stocked by a mixture of one other wholesaler and/or direct imports from the source country. We estimate that up to 18,500 ornamental polychaetes (16,980 sabellids and 1,018 serpulids) are sold annually in the UK revealing a drastic underestimation of currently accepted trade figures. Incorrect identification (based on exporting region or visual characteristics) of traded animals exacerbates the inaccuracy in market quantification, although identification of preserved sabellids using published keys proved just as inconclusive with high within-species variability and the potential for new or cryptic species. A re-description of the polychaete groups traded using a combination of molecular and morphological techniques is necessary for effective identification and market quantification. This study provides the first assessment of ornamental polychaetes but more importantly highlights the issues surrounding the collection of baseline information necessary to manage the aquarium trade. We recommend that future management should be community based and site-specific with financial and educational support from NGOs, local governments and industry members.
Murray, Joanna M.; Watson, Gordon J.; Giangrande, Adriana; Licciano, Margherita; Bentley, Matt G.
Assessment of the environmental status of the coastal and marine aquatic environment in Europe: A plea for adaptive management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Policymakers and managers have a very different philosophy and approach to achieving healthy coastal and marine ecosystems than scientists. In this paper we discuss the evolution of the assessment of the chemical status in the aquatic environment and the growing rift between the political intention (precautionary principle) and scientific developments (adaptive and evidence-based management) in the context of the pitfalls and practicalities confronting the current Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The conclusion is that policymakers and water managers should move with the times and take on board new techniques that scientists are using to assess chemical status and apply new scientific developments in assessment studies of the chemical status. These new techniques, such as bioassays, are cheaper than the classic approach of checking whether concentrations of certain individual priority compounds comply with permissible thresholds. Additionally, they give more insight into the real impacts of chemical compounds.
Laane, R. W. P. M.; Slijkerman, D.; Vethaak, A. D.; Schobben, J. H. M.
Tropical marginal seas: priority regions for managing marine biodiversity and ecosystem function.
Tropical marginal seas (TMSs) are natural subregions of tropical oceans containing biodiverse ecosystems with conspicuous, valued, and vulnerable biodiversity assets. They are focal points for global marine conservation because they occur in regions where human populations are rapidly expanding. Our review of 11 TMSs focuses on three key ecosystems-coral reefs and emergent atolls, deep benthic systems, and pelagic biomes-and synthesizes, illustrates, and contrasts knowledge of biodiversity, ecosystem function, interaction between adjacent habitats, and anthropogenic pressures. TMSs vary in the extent that they have been subject to human influence-from the nearly pristine Coral Sea to the heavily exploited South China and Caribbean Seas-but we predict that they will all be similarly complex to manage because most span multiple national jurisdictions. We conclude that developing a structured process to identify ecologically and biologically significant areas that uses a set of globally agreed criteria is a tractable first step toward effective multinational and transboundary ecosystem management of TMSs. PMID:24128091
McKinnon, A David; Williams, Alan; Young, Jock; Ceccarelli, Daniela; Dunstan, Piers; Brewin, Robert J W; Watson, Reg; Brinkman, Richard; Cappo, Mike; Duggan, Samantha; Kelley, Russell; Ridgway, Ken; Lindsay, Dhugal; Gledhill, Daniel; Hutton, Trevor; Richardson, Anthony J
The use of traditional Hawaiian knowledge in the contemporary management of marine resources
It is traditional for Hawaiians to "consult nature" so that fishing is practiced at times and places, and with gear that causes minimum disruption of natural biological and ecological processes. The Ho'olehua Hawaiian Homestead continues this tradition in and around Mo'omomi Bay on the northwest coast of the island of Moloka'i. This community relies heavily on inshore marine resources for subsistence and consequently, has an intimate knowledge of these resources. The shared knowledge, beliefs, and values of the community are culturally channeled to promote proper fishing behavior. This informal system brings more knowledge, experience, and moral commitment to fishery conservation than more centralized government management. Community-based management in the Mo'omomi area involves observational processes and problem-solving strategies for the purpose of conservation. The system is not articulated in the manner of Western science, but relies instead on mental models. These models foster a practical understanding of local inshore resource dynamics by the fishing community and, thus, lend credibility to unwritten standards for fishing conduct. The "code of conduct" is concerned with how people fish rather than how much they catch.
Poepoe, Kelson K.; Bartram, Paul K.; Friedlander, Alan M.
Rapid warming of Large Marine Ecosystems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The need to understand local effects of global climate change is most urgent in the Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) since marine ecosystem-based management requires information on the LME scale. Reported here is a study of sea surface temperature (SST) change in the World Ocean LMEs in 1957-2006 that revealed strong regional variations in the rate of SST change. The rapid warming in 1982-2006 was confined to the Subarctic Gyre, European Seas, and East Asian Seas. These LMEs warmed at rates 2-4 times the global mean rate. The most rapid warming was observed in the land-locked or semi-enclosed European and East Asian Seas (Baltic Sea, North Sea, Black Sea, Japan Sea/East Sea, and East China Sea) and also over the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelf. The Indian Ocean LMEs' warming was slow, while two major upwelling areas - California and Humboldt Currents - experienced a slight cooling. The Subarctic Gyre warming was likely caused by natural variability related to the North Atlantic Oscillation. The extremely rapid surface warming in the enclosed and semi-enclosed European and East Asian Seas surrounded by major industrial/population agglomerations may have resulted from the observed terrestrial warming directly affecting the adjacent coastal seas. Regions of freshwater influence in the European and East Asian Seas seem to play a special role in modulating and exacerbating global warming effects on the regional scale.
Belkin, Igor M.
A decision framework for the adaptive management of an exploited species with implications for marine reserves.
Marine reserves have both conservation and fishery benefits. Nevertheless, there are no general criteria about when and where to establish new reserves, how to evaluate their efficacy, and how to conduct adaptive management to achieve conservation goals. We applied a decision-theory framework to optimally allocate conservation resources between improving data on population status and establishing a reserve for species conservation. Our goal was to maximize reserve benefits given the constraints of a population growth rate that would permit sustainability of resources. We illustrate our decision framework with a retrospective analysis of a 7-year time series on abundance of the leopard grouper (Mycteroperca rosacea) in the Sea of Cortés, Mexico. We used the lower bound of the distribution of the population growth rate (lambda) as a decision rule for determining how many years of monitoring are needed to detect reserve effects. We determined the minimum time frame needed to estimate lambda based on a stated level of risk tolerance for four sites. As expected, the coefficient of variation for the lambda declined with the number of years of data. This increased precision with additional years of data resulted from the high degree of annual variability in the system. Where populations were slow to respond to reserves, more data were needed to detect a positive lambda value. For the leopard grouper case study, confidence in the estimate of lambda increased with the number of years of data. Our decision framework may be used to identify the minimum number of years of data needed before a management decision about reserve establishment could be made that is reasonably likely to meet its management objectives. PMID:18173483
Gerber, Leah R; Wielgus, Jeffrey; Sala, Enric
Achieving a paradigm shift in environmental and living resources management in the Gulf of Guinea: the large marine ecosystem approach.
The Gulf of Guinea is situated in the narrow protrusion of eastern Equatorial Atlantic between latitudes 2 degrees S and 5 degrees N and longitudes 8 degrees W to 12 degrees E, spanning a coastline length of approximately 130 nautical miles. The dominant feature of this shallow ocean off the coast of countries in Western Africa is the Guinea Current. The distinctive bathymetry, hydrography, productivity and trophodynamics of this shallow ocean qualify it as a large marine ecosystem (LME) and is indeed recognized as the number 28 of the 64 delineated LMEs globally. This area is one of the world's productive marine areas that is rich in fishery resources, oil and gas reserves, precious minerals and an important global reservoir of marine biological diversity. Unfortunately, pollution from residential and industrial sources has affected the waters of the Gulf of Guinea resulting in habitat degradation, loss of biological diversity and productivity, and degenerating human health. In reversing this trend of marine environmental degradation, the countries of the region adopted an integrated and holistic approach using the LME concept to sustainably manage the environmental and living resources of the region. The concept is predicated on the fact that marine environmental pollution and living resources respect no political or geographical boundaries and so require a holistic and regional approach for its management. The Gulf of Guinea countries through the Global Environment facility funded regional/communal project on water pollution control and biodiversity conservation achieved a paradigm shift in living resources and environmental management in the region using the LME concept. PMID:12787623
Ukwe, C N; Ibe, C A; Alo, B I; Yumkella, K K
Displaced femoral neck stress fractures in Royal Marine recruits--management and results of operative treatment.
Femoral neck stress fractures (FNSF) represent 3.5%-8% of stress fractures in military recruits; potentially resulting in medical discharge and/or complications. The incidence of displaced FNSF in the British Army has been reported as 1.8 in 10,000 recruits. We aimed to review the incidence and outcome of displaced FNSF in Royal Marine recruits. Retrospective review identified 6 recruits who sustained a displaced FNSF from 2001 to 2011 representing an incidence of 9.3 in 10,000 recruits. All were treated urgently by internal fixation. There were no cases of avascular necrosis, no surgical complications and no further procedures required. All united with a mean time to union of 11 months. 50% had a union time greater than 1 year. These fractures are slow to unite but with urgent surgical intervention and stable fixation 100% union was achieved. Awareness of this guides the management and rehabilitation whilst avoiding the risks of unnecessary secondary surgical interventions. PMID:22970637
Evans, J T; Guyver, P M; Kassam, A M; Hubble, M J W
Development of a decision support system to manage contamination in marine ecosystems.
In recent years, contamination and its interaction with climate-change variables have been recognized as critical stressors in coastal areas, emphasizing the need for a standardized framework encompassing chemical and biological data into risk indices to support decision-making. We therefore developed an innovative, expert decision support system (Exp-DSS) for the management of contamination in marine coastal ecosystems. The Exp-DSS has two main applications: (i) to determine environmental risk and biological vulnerability in contaminated sites; and (ii) to support the management of waters and sediments by assessing the risk due to the exposure of biota to these matrices. The Exp-DSS evaluates chemical data, both as single compounds and as total toxic pressure of the mixture, to compare concentrations to effect-based thresholds (TELs and PELs). Sites are then placed into three categories of contamination: uncontaminated, mildly contaminated, and highly contaminated. In highly contaminated sites, effects on high-level ecotoxicological endpoints (i.e. survival and reproduction) are used to determine risk at the organism-population level, while ecological parameters (i.e. alterations in community structure and ecosystem functions) are considered for assessing effects on biodiversity. Changes in sublethal biomarkers are utilized to assess the stress level of the organisms in mildly contaminated sites. In Triad studies, chemical concentrations, ecotoxicological high-level effects, and ecological data are combined to determine the level of environmental risk in highly contaminated sites; chemical concentration and ecotoxicological sublethal effects are evaluated to determine biological vulnerability in mildly contaminated sites. The Exp-DSS was applied to data from the literature about sediment quality in estuarine areas of Spain, and ranked risks related to exposure to contaminated sediments from high risk (Huelva estuary) to mild risk (Guadalquivir estuary and Bay of Cadiz). A spreadsheet-based version of the Exp-DSS is available at the MEECE and DiSIT web sites (www.meece.eu and www.disit.unipmn.it). PMID:23892026
Dagnino, A; Viarengo, A
Modeling dynamic interactions and coherence between marine zooplankton and fishes linked to environmental variability
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The dynamics of marine fishes are closely related to lower trophic levels and the environment. Quantitatively understanding ecosystem dynamics linking environmental variability and prey resources to exploited fishes is crucial for ecosystem-based management of marine living resources. However, standard statistical models typically grounded in the concept of linear system may fail to capture the complexity of ecological processes. We have attempted to model ecosystem dynamics using a flexible, nonparametric class of nonlinear forecasting models. We analyzed annual time series of four environmental indices, 22 marine copepod taxa, and four ecologically and commercially important fish species during 1977 to 2009 on Georges Bank, a highly productive and intensively studied area of the northeast U.S. continental shelf ecosystem. We examined the underlying dynamic features of environmental indices and copepods, quantified the dynamic interactions and coherence with fishes, and explored the potential control mechanisms of ecosystem dynamics from a nonlinear perspective. We found: (1) the dynamics of marine copepods and environmental indices exhibiting clear nonlinearity; (2) little evidence of complex dynamics across taxonomic levels of copepods; (3) strong dynamic interactions and coherence between copepods and fishes; and (4) the bottom-up forcing of fishes and top-down control of copepods coexisting as target trophic levels vary. These findings highlight the nonlinear interactions among ecosystem components and the importance of marine zooplankton to fish populations which point to two forcing mechanisms likely interactively regulating the ecosystem dynamics on Georges Bank under a changing environment.
Liu, Hui; Fogarty, Michael J.; Hare, Jonathan A.; Hsieh, Chih-hao; Glaser, Sarah M.; Ye, Hao; Deyle, Ethan; Sugihara, George
Evolutionary techniques for sensor networks energy optimization in marine environmental monitoring
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The sustainable management of coastal and offshore ecosystems, such as for example coral reef environments, requires the collection of accurate data across various temporal and spatial scales. Accordingly, monitoring systems are seen as central tools for ecosystem-based environmental management, helping on one hand to accurately describe the water column and substrate biophysical properties, and on the other hand to correctly steer sustainability policies by providing timely and useful information to decision-makers. A robust and intelligent sensor network that can adjust and be adapted to different and changing environmental or management demands would revolutionize our capacity to wove accurately model, predict, and manage human impacts on our coastal, marine, and other similar environments. In this paper advanced evolutionary techniques are applied to optimize the design of an innovative energy harvesting device for marine applications. The authors implement an enhanced technique in order to exploit in the most effective way the uniqueness and peculiarities of two classical optimization approaches, Particle Swarm Optimization and Genetic Algorithms. Here, this hybrid procedure is applied to a power buoy designed for marine environmental monitoring applications in order to optimize the recovered energy from sea-wave, by selecting the optimal device configuration.
Grimaccia, Francesco; Johnstone, Ron; Mussetta, Marco; Pirisi, Andrea; Zich, Riccardo E.
Adopting the Prime Vendor Program to Manage Marine Corps Authorized Medical/Dental Allowance Lists.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the ongoing problem of replacing expiring pharmaceutical and medical/surgical items stocked in Marine Corps Authorized Medical/Dental Allowance Lists (AMALs/ADALs). AMALs/ADALs allocated to the Fleet Marine Force a...
K. L. White
A review of the world marine gastropod fishery: evolution of catches, management and the Chilean experience
Marine mollusks are among the most importantinvertebrate fisheries in the world. The mainclasses of mollusk fished are Cephalopoda,Bivalvia and Gastropoda. Marine gastropodsrepresent approximately 2% of the mollusksfished in the world. Several species ofgastropods, such as Haliotis spp., Strombus spp., Busycon spp. and Concholepas concholepas, have high economicvalue in international markets and playimportant social roles in small-scale artisanalfisheries. In the past
Germán E. Leiva; Juan C. Castilla
Adaptive management of the Great Barrier Reef: A globally significant demonstration of the benefits of networks of marine reserves
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) provides a globally significant demonstration of the effectiveness of large-scale networks of marine reserves in contributing to integrated, adaptive management. Comprehensive review of available evidence shows major, rapid benefits of no-take areas for targeted fish and sharks, in both reef and nonreef habitats, with potential benefits for fisheries as well as biodiversity conservation. Large, mobile species like sharks benefit less than smaller, site-attached fish. Critically, reserves also appear to benefit overall ecosystem health and resilience: outbreaks of coral-eating, crown-of-thorns starfish appear less frequent on no-take reefs, which consequently have higher abundance of coral, the very foundation of reef ecosystems. Effective marine reserves require regular review of compliance: fish abundances in no-entry zones suggest that even no-take zones may be significantly depleted due to poaching. Spatial analyses comparing zoning with seabed biodiversity or dugong distributions illustrate significant benefits from application of best-practice conservation principles in data-poor situations. Increases in the marine reserve network in 2004 affected fishers, but preliminary economic analysis suggests considerable net benefits, in terms of protecting environmental and tourism values. Relative to the revenue generated by reef tourism, current expenditure on protection is minor. Recent implementation of an Outlook Report provides regular, formal review of environmental condition and management and links to policy responses, key aspects of adaptive management. Given the major threat posed by climate change, the expanded network of marine reserves provides a critical and cost-effective contribution to enhancing the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef.
McCook, Laurence J.; Ayling, Tony; Cappo, Mike; Choat, J. Howard; Evans, Richard D.; De Freitas, Debora M.; Heupel, Michelle; Hughes, Terry P.; Jones, Geoffrey P.; Mapstone, Bruce; Marsh, Helene; Mills, Morena; Molloy, Fergus J.; Pitcher, C. Roland; Pressey, Robert L.; Russ, Garry R.; Sutton, Stephen; Sweatman, Hugh; Tobin, Renae; Wachenfeld, David R.; Williamson, David H.
Geo-Seas - a pan-European infrastructure for the management of marine geological and geophysical data.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Geo-Seas - a pan-European infrastructure for the management of marine geological and geophysical data. Helen Glaves1 and Colin Graham2 on behalf of the Geo-Seas consortium The Geo-Seas project will create a network of twenty six European marine geoscience data centres from seventeen coastal countries including six from the Baltic Sea area. This will be achieved through the development of a pan-European infrastructure for the exchange of marine geoscientific data. Researchers will be able to locate and access harmonised and federated marine geological and geophysical datasets and data products held by the data centres through the Geo-Seas data portal, using a common data catalogue. The new infrastructure, an expansion of the exisiting SeaDataNet, will create an infrastructure covering oceanographic and marine geoscientific data. New data products and services will be developed following consultations with users on their current and future research requirements. Common data standards will be implemented across all of the data centres and other geological and geophysical organisations will be encouraged to adopt the protocols, standards and tools which are developed as part of the Geo-Seas project. Oceanographic and marine data include a wide range of variables, an important category of which are the geological and geophysical data sets. This data includes raw observational and analytical data as well as derived data products from seabed sediment samples, boreholes, geophysical surveys (seismic, gravity etc) and sidescan sonar surveys. All of which are essential in order to produce a complete interpretation of seabed geology. Despite there being a large volume of geological and geophysical data available for the marine environment it is currently very difficult to use these datasets in an integrated way between organisations due to different nomenclatures, formats, scales and coordinate systems being used within different organisations and also within different countries. This makes the direct use of primary data in an integrated way very difficult and also hampers use of the data sets in a harmonised way to produce multidisciplinary data products and services. To ensure interoperability with other marine environmental data types Geo-Seas ISO19115 metadata, OGC and GeoSciML standards will be used as the basis for the metadata profiles for the geological and geophysical data. This will be largely achieved by modifying the SeaDataNet metadata standard profile (Common Data Index or CDI), which is itself based upon the ISO19115 standard, to accommodate the requirements of the Geo-Seas project. The overall objective of Geo-Seas project is to build and deploy a unified marine geoscientific data infrastructure within Europe which will in effect provide a data grid for the sharing of marine geological and geophysical data. This will result in a major improvement in the locating, accessing and delivery of federated marine geological and geophysical data and data products from national geological surveys and research institutes across Europe. There is an emphasis on interoperability both with other disciplines as well as with other key framework projects including the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODNet) and One Geology - Europe. In addition, a key objective of the Geo-Seas project is to underpin European directives such as INSPIRE as well as recent framework programmes on both the global and European scale, for example Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), all of which are intended to encourage the exchange of data and information. Geo-Seas consortium partners: NERC-BGS (United Kingdom), NERC-BODC (United Kingdom), NERC-NOCS (United Kingdom), MARIS (Netherlands), IFREMER (France), BRGM (France), TNO (Netherlands), BSH (Germany), IGME (Spain), INETI (Portugal), IGME (Greece), GSI (Ireland), BGR (Germany), OGS (Italy), GEUS (Denmark), NGU (Norway), PGI (Poland), EGK (Estonia), LIGG (Lithuania), IO-BAS (Bulgaria), NOA (Greece), CIRIA (United Kingd
Glaves, Helen; Graham, Colin
Improving Financial Management of U.S. Marine Corps Nonappropriated Fund Fixed Assets.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The Marine Corps offers morale, welfare and recreation activities to military personnel, retirees, and their dependents. The program includes leisure time activities such as the bowling and golf and the sale of goods and services. The morale, welfare and ...
J. M. White
SeaDataNet II - EMODNet - building a pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The second phase of the project SeaDataNet is well underway since October 2011 and is making good progress. The main objective is to improve operations and to progress towards an efficient data management infrastructure able to handle the diversity and large volume of data collected via research cruises and monitoring activities in European marine waters and global oceans. The SeaDataNet infrastructure comprises a network of interconnected data centres and a central SeaDataNet portal. The portal provides users a unified and transparent overview of the metadata and controlled access to the large collections of data sets, managed by the interconnected data centres, and the various SeaDataNet standards and tools,. Recently the 1st Innovation Cycle has been completed, including upgrading of the CDI Data Discovery and Access service to ISO 19139 and making it fully INSPIRE compliant. The extensive SeaDataNet Vocabularies have been upgraded too and implemented for all SeaDataNet European metadata directories. SeaDataNet is setting and governing marine data standards, and exploring and establishing interoperability solutions to connect to other e-infrastructures on the basis of standards of ISO (19115, 19139), OGC (WMS, WFS, CS-W and SWE), and OpenSearch. The population of directories has also increased considerably in cooperation and involvement in associated EU projects and initiatives. SeaDataNet now gives overview and access to more than 1.4 million data sets for physical oceanography, chemistry, geology, geophysics, bathymetry and biology from more than 90 connected data centres from 30 countries riparian to European seas. Access to marine data is also a key issue for the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The EU communication 'Marine Knowledge 2020' underpins the importance of data availability and harmonising access to marine data from different sources. SeaDataNet qualified itself for leading the data management component of the EMODNet (European Marine Observation and Data Network) that is promoted in the EU Communication. In the past 4 years EMODNet portals have been initiated for marine data themes: digital bathymetry, chemistry, physical oceanography, geology, biology, and seabed habitat mapping. These portals are now being expanded to all European seas in successor projects, which started mid 2013 from EU DG MARE. EMODNet encourages more data providers to come forward for data sharing and participating in the process of making complete overviews and homogeneous data products. The EMODNet Bathymetry project is very illustrative for the synergy with SeaDataNet and added value of generating public data products. The project develops and publishes Digital Terrain Models (DTM) for the European seas. These are produced from survey and aggregated data sets. The portal provides a versatile DTM viewing service with many relevant map layers and functions for retrieving. A further refinement is taking place in the new phase. The presentation will give information on present services of the SeaDataNet infrastructure and services, highlight key achievements in SeaDataNet II so far, and give further insights in the EMODNet Bathymetry progress.
Schaap, Dick M. A.; Fichaut, Michele
A Decision Support System for Ecosystem-Based Management of Tropical Coral Reef Environments
We review a new collaborative program established between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to augment the NOAA Coral Reef Watch decision-support system. NOAA has developed a Decision Support System (DSS) under the Coral Reef Watch (CRW) program to forecast environmental stress in coral reef ecosystems around the world. This DSS
F. E. Muller-Karger; C. Eakin; L. S. Guild; R. R. Nemani; C. Hu; S. E. Lynds; J. Li; M. Vega-Rodriguez
Coastal Ecosystem-Based Management with Nonlinear Ecological Functions and Values
A common assumption is that ecosystem services respond linearly to changes in habitat size. This assumption leads frequently to an ``all or none'' choice of either preserving coastal habitats or converting them to human use. However, our survey of wave attenuation data from field studies of mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass beds, nearshore coral reefs, and sand dunes reveals that these
Edward B. Barbier; Evamaria W. Koch; Brian R. Silliman; Sally D. Hacker; Eric Wolanski; Jurgenne Primavera; Elise F. Granek; Stephen Polasky; Shankar Aswani; Lori A. Cramer; David M. Stoms; Chris J. Kennedy; David Bael; Carrie V. Kappel; Gerardo M. E. Perillo; Denise J. Reed
Ocean Data Interoperability Platform (ODIP): supporting the development of a common global framework for marine data management through international collaboration
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ecosystem level marine research necessitates that large amounts of interoperable data are readily available for use in a wide range of new and complex multidisciplinary applications. Significant amounts of marine data and information are available throughout the world due to the implementation of e-infrastructures at a regional level to manage and deliver this data to the end user. However, each of these initiatives has been developed to address specific regional requirements and independently of those in other regions. To establish a common framework for marine data management on a global scale that supports an ecosystem level approach to marine research there is a need to develop interoperability across these existing data infrastructures. The Ocean Data Interoperability (ODIP) project is creating a co-ordination platform to support collaboration between a number of these existing regional e-infrastructures which include Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R) in the USA, SeaDataNet and Geo-Seas in Europe, IMOS in Australia and also the international IODE initiative. To demonstrate this co-ordinated approach several prototypes will be developed to test and evaluate potential interoperability solutions for solving the incompatibilities identified between the different regional data infrastructures. These prototypes will be used to underpin the development of a common approach to the management of marine data which can also be promoted to the wider marine research community with a view to expanding this framework to include other regional marine data infrastructures. To achieve these objectives relevant domain experts are coming together at a series of workshops where areas of commonality between the regional infrastructures will be identified which can then be used as the foundation for the development of the prototype solutions. As a result six topics are currently being addressed by the ODIP project which have been identified and analysed during the first two ODIP workshops. These topics are: use of controlled vocabularies, standardised data discovery metadata formats, existing implementations of standards and protocols, sensor web enablement, interoperability between metadata and data exchange mechanisms and data formats. For each of these topics a series of actions and potential interoperability solutions have been identified and work has now begun to implement these solutions within three prototype development tasks which will be outlined as part of this presentation. ODIP is a community led project that is currently focussed on regional initiatives in Europe, the USA and Australia. It is supported by parallel funding from the responsible agencies in each region. The European component of ODIP includes 10 partners from six European countries and is funded by the EU Framework 7 (FP7) programme. The US participation in the project is being supported through a supplement from the NSF for the R2R project, and the Australian contribution is being sponsored by the Australian government.
Glaves, Helen; Schaap, Dick; Arko, Robert; Proctor, Roger
77 FR 22761 - Draft Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for Monitor National Marine Sanctuary: Notice...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...NOAA is soliciting public comment on the draft management plan and draft environmental...releasing the plan for public review and comment. The draft management plan (2012) was...alternative (2012 management plan). Public meetings Public...
77 FR 68736 - South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings AGENCY...ACTION: Notice of public meetings of the...Atlantic Fishery Management Council...Ecosystem-Based Management Committees, approve...Amendment 7 for public hearing,...
Marine Corps Depot Maintenance: Budgeting and Management of Carryover Could Be Improved.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
GAO's analysis of Marine Corps depot maintenance activity group (DMAG) reports showed that from fiscal years 2004 through 2011, reported actual carryover exceeded the allowable amounts in the most recent 6 years of the 8- year period, ranging from $59 mil...
Modeling environmental effects on the size-structured energy flow through marine ecosystems. Part 1: The model
This paper presents an original size-structured mathematical model of the energy flow through marine ecosystems, based on established ecological and physiological processes and mass conservation principles. The model is based on a nonlocal partial differential equation which represents the transfer of energy in both time and body weight (size) in marine ecosystems. The processes taken into account include size-based opportunistic
Olivier Maury; Blaise Faugeras; Yunne-Jai Shin; Jean-Christophe Poggiale; Tamara Ben Ari; Francis Marsac
Soft tissue infections caused by marine bacterial pathogens: epidemiology, diagnosis, and management.
Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are one of the most common infection syndromes and may be caused by a large number of microorganisms. Some principles of aquatic injuries are different than those of land-based trauma. Wounds sustained in marine environment are exposed to a milieu of bacteria rarely encountered in different settings. These include Vibrio spp., Aeromonas spp., Shewanella spp., Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Mycobacterium marinum, Streptococcus iniae, and other microbes. Failure to recognize and treat these uncommon pathogens in a timely manner may result in significant morbidity or death. These infections are frequently contracted as a result of recreational swimming, fishing injuries, or seafood handling. The spectrum of manifestations is wide, varying from cases of mild cellulitis, to severe life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis requiring radical surgery, to sepsis and death. This review will focus on the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of SSTIs caused by the most important marine pathogens. PMID:21785929
Finkelstein, Renato; Oren, Ilana
Soft Tissue Infections Caused by Marine Bacterial Pathogens: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Management
Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are one of the most common infection syndromes and may be caused by a large number\\u000a of microorganisms. Some principles of aquatic injuries are different than those of land-based trauma. Wounds sustained in\\u000a marine environment are exposed to a milieu of bacteria rarely encountered in different settings. These include Vibrio spp., Aeromonas spp., Shewanella
Renato Finkelstein; Ilana Oren
1. Perspective on coastal management in the Philippines Coastal management has been practiced in the Philippines over the last two decades to try to stem the increasing tide of destruction to coastal habitats and the decline of fisheries. Unfortunately, after 20 years of practice, coastal resources continue to decline and deteriorate at alarming rates. While numerous experiments in coastal management
Alan T. White; Albert Salamanca; Catherine A. Courtney
75 FR 78619 - Shipping Act, Merchant Marine, and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...land used by a facility that is pledged...examine the trend in value of...appropriate Fishery Management Council. Changes...Restricted Access Management division in...existing vessels or facilities, but does not...of aggregate facilities. U.S. means...advancement, management,...
78 FR 10606 - Final Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for Monitor National Marine Sanctuary: Notice...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Administration Final Management Plan and Environmental...Sanctuary: Notice of Public Availability AGENCY...ACTION: Notice of public availability...releasing the final management plan and environmental...began to review the management plan for MNMS in December 2008 with public scoping...
Implications of variability on many time scales for scientific advice on sustainable management of living marine resources
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The conceptual basis for understanding and management of living marine resources is built on three basic ecological principles developed in the first half of the past century: the law of the minimum, competitive exclusion, and succession. This paper highlights aspects of these principles that make them insufficient as a sound foundation for understanding and managing marine ecosystems, points out dangers of continuing to use approaches built on them, and presents alternatives which might be more appropriate and of lower risk. To do this, the paper considers variability of marine ecosystems on annual, medium and long-term time scales, highlighting that these scales correspond to less than, approximately equal to, and much greater than, the generation times of dominant predators in the systems. It also considers how each interval of variability may affect directly ecosystems which are controlled from the bottom up, top down, and middle outward, and how position and duration of forcing affect five types of responses: growth, maturation, recruitment, predation, and competition. Generally these five processes have manifestations at the scale of individuals, populations, and ecosystems, attention is drawn to which manifestations are the most significant for each duration and position of forcing. Effects of some combinations of duration of forcing and position of forcing can be explained reasonably well by conventional ecological theory. For other combinations, particularly forcing at time scales of predator generations on top-down or middle-out ecosystems, theory based on contest competition and equilibria are likely to be misleading. In these systems the major dynamics are transients, when many ecosystems are far from their carrying capacities, so scramble competition dominates, and the carrying capacity is not helpful in explaining the system dynamics. This review clarifies the sorts of questions that we should be asking, in order to begin to understand the transient behaviour of these non-equilibrium ecosystems. The answers to the new classes of questions may lead to great improvements in how ecosystems are managed, as well as how their variation is explained.
Rice, Jake
77 FR 29555 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 2 (CE-BA 2) for the South Atlantic region...NMFS published a final rule to implement CE- BA 2 (76 FR 82183). On January 30...organization of the regulatory text implemented in CE-BA 2 (77 FR 4493). That final...
Environmental application of remote sensing methods to coastal zone land use and marine resource management, Appendices A to E. [in southeastern Virginia
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Important data were compiled for use with the Richmond-Cape Henry Environmental Laboratory (RICHEL) remote sensing project in coastal zone land use and marine resources management, and include RICHEL climatological data and sources, a land use inventory, topographic and soil maps, and gaging records for RICHEL surface waters.
Status and potential of locally-managed marine areas in the Pacific Island Region: meeting nature conservation and sustainable livelihood targets through wide-spread implementation of LMMAs
The South Pacific has experienced a remarkable proliferation of Marine Managed Areas in the last decade. These protected areas, implemented by over 500 communities spanning 15 independent countries and territories represent a unique global achievement. The approaches being developed at national levels are built on a unique feature of the region, customary tenure and resource access, and make use of,
Hugh Govan
Implementation of marine spatial planning in shellfish aquaculture management: modeling studies in a Norwegian fjord.
Shellfish carrying capacity is determined by the interaction of a cultured species with its ecosystem, which is strongly influenced by hydrodynamics. Water circulation controls the exchange of matter between farms and the adjacent areas, which in turn establishes the nutrient supply that supports phytoplankton populations. The complexity of water circulation makes necessary the use of hydrodynamic models with detailed spatial resolution in carrying capacity estimations. This detailed spatial resolution also allows for the study of processes that depend on specific spatial arrangements, e.g., the most suitable location to place farms, which is crucial for marine spatial planning, and consequently for decision support systems. In the present study, a fully spatial physical-biogeochemical model has been combined with scenario building and optimization techniques as a proof of concept of the use of ecosystem modeling as an objective tool to inform marine spatial planning. The object of this exercise was to generate objective knowledge based on an ecosystem approach to establish new mussel aquaculture areas in a Norwegian fjord. Scenario building was used to determine the best location of a pump that can be used to bring nutrient-rich deep waters to the euphotic layer, increasing primary production, and consequently, carrying capacity for mussel cultivation. In addition, an optimization tool, parameter estimation (PEST), was applied to the optimal location and mussel standing stock biomass that maximize production, according to a preestablished carrying capacity criterion. Optimization tools allow us to make rational and transparent decisions to solve a well-defined question, decisions that are essential for policy makers. The outcomes of combining ecosystem models with scenario building and optimization facilitate planning based on an ecosystem approach, highlighting the capabilities of ecosystem modeling as a tool for marine spatial planning. PMID:24988780
Filgueira, Ramon; Grant, Jon; Strand, Øivind
Setting limits for acceptable change in sediment particle size composition: testing a new approach to managing marine aggregate dredging.
A baseline dataset from 2005 was used to identify the spatial distribution of macrofaunal assemblages across the eastern English Channel. The range of sediment composition found in association with each assemblage was used to define limits for acceptable change at ten licensed marine aggregate extraction areas. Sediment data acquired in 2010, 4 years after the onset of dredging, were used to assess whether conditions remained within the acceptable limits. Despite the observed changes in sediment composition, the composition of sediments in and around nine extraction areas remained within pre-defined acceptable limits. At the tenth site, some of the observed changes within the licence area were judged to have gone beyond the acceptable limits. Implications of the changes are discussed, and appropriate management measures identified. The approach taken in this study offers a simple, objective and cost-effective method for assessing the significance of change, and could simplify the existing monitoring regime. PMID:23806669
Cooper, Keith M
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
The marine turbine pump pictured is the Jacuzzi 12YJ, a jet propulsion system for pleasure or commercial boating. Its development was aided by a NASA computer program made available by the Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC) at the University of Georgia. The manufacturer, Jacuzzi Brothers, Incorporated, Little Rock, Arkansas, used COSMIC'S Computer Program for Predicting Turbopump Inducer Loading, which enabled substantial savings in development time and money through reduction of repetitive testing.
Conservation physiology for applied management of marine fish: an overview with perspectives on the role and value of telemetry
Physiological studies focus on the responses of cells, tissues and individuals to stressors, usually in laboratory situations. Conservation and management, on the other hand, focus on populations. The field of conservation physiology addresses the question of how abiotic drivers of physiological responses at the level of the individual alter requirements for successful conservation and management of populations. To achieve this, impacts of physiological effects at the individual level need to be scaled to impacts on population dynamics, which requires consideration of ecology. Successfully realizing the potential of conservation physiology requires interdisciplinary studies incorporating physiology and ecology, and requires that a constructive dialogue develops between these traditionally disparate fields. To encourage this dialogue, we consider the increasingly explicit incorporation of physiology into ecological models applied to marine fish conservation and management. Conservation physiology is further challenged as the physiology of an individual revealed under laboratory conditions is unlikely to reflect realized responses to the complex variable stressors to which it is exposed in the wild. Telemetry technology offers the capability to record an animal's behaviour while simultaneously recording environmental variables to which it is exposed. We consider how the emerging insights from telemetry can strengthen the incorporation of physiology into ecology.
Metcalfe, J. D.; Le Quesne, W. J. F.; Cheung, W. W. L.; Righton, D. A.
States in a free state of nature: aboriginal criteria for 21st-century marine minerals resource management
This paper explores principles of international law for managing nonsovereign marine minerals under conditions of severe chronic global shortage - which herein is defined as existing whenever exploitation consistently exceeds natural rates of renewal restoration. The main data source lies in how man has managed shortage in the past, where the most fertile ground is found in the ways of the natural societies of pre-Neolithic man and contemporary hunter-gatherer bands. The result has a broader compass than the original goal namely the means (a) to restore ecological balance to man's relationship to his resource environment, and (b) to achieve universal fairness of individual access to the global patrimony. These goals may be realized without sudden disruption of the international community of sovereign States or its economic system of laissez-faire capitalism. The means to these ends posit the readoption of aboriginal Ethics to order the adaptive relationship of man to man and of man to Nature, including the revitalization of the original social compact of reciprocal rights and obligations among all individuals. The turn to aboriginal Ethics suggests a series of proposals for managing global shortage implemented by economic incentives and penalties which are compatible with the ways of contemporary international society.
Hull, E.W.S.
The Role of Ocean Exploration and Research in the Creation and Management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Over the past decades, the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), through its programs (Ocean Exploration Program and National Undersea Research Program), and in collaboration with its federal and academic partners, has contributed to the discovery of new ocean features, species, ecosystems, habitats and processes. These new discoveries have led to the development of new policies and management actions. Exploration, research and technology advancement have contributed to the characterization and the designation of marine sanctuaries, reserves, restricted fishing areas, and monuments in US waters. For example, the collaborative efforts of OER and partners from the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology (CIOERT) have resulted in the discovery of new species of deep sea corals on the outer continental shelf and upper slope of the South Atlantic Bight. The species of coral found in these deep sea reefs are growing very slowly and provide habitat for many commercially valuable species of fish and other living resources. It is not yet completely clear how these habitats connect with the shallower reefs and habitats and if they could be playing a role of refugia for shallower species. Unfortunately, signs of fishing destruction on these unique and fragile habitats are obvious (e.g., abandoned nets, completely decimated habitats by trawling). OER funded research on mesophotic and deep-sea Lophelia coral reefs off the southeastern US was instrumental in the designation of the deep-water Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern (CHAPC) that is now protecting these fragile reefs. Other examples of OER's contribution to discoveries leading to the designation of protected areas include the characterization and boundary determination of new designated Marine National Monuments and Marine Sanctuaries in the Pacific Ocean. After designation of a protected area, it is imperative to monitor the resource, improve understanding of its functioning, and thus be in a position to better protect it. While most of the reef fish surveys are conducted in shallow areas (0-20 m), it is recognized that many commercially exploited fish stocks also utilize deeper habitats (50-400m). However, traditional methods (e.g., hook-and-line) for sampling these bottom fish species cannot be used in many areas of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve [now a Monument] and other restricted fishing areas. Our ability to assess and monitor ocean living marine resources is important for ecosystem management as well as for determining the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The development and deployment of non-extractive sampling methods such as autonomous camera systems to collect information about the spatial distribution and relative abundance of bottom fish species is one of the preferred methods. In addition, OER and the Hawaii Undersea Research Lab (HURL) were two of the first groups to conduct scientific research in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve after it was established in 2000. Submersible dives (down to 2000 m) or ROV dives into the depths surrounding the remote islands, banks, and atolls have led to dozens of discoveries of new and yet to be identified species.
Valette-Silver, N. J.; Pomponi, S.; Smith, J. R.; Potter, J.
National Marine Fisheries Service
NSDL National Science Digital Library
NMFS is the federal agency responsible for the stewardship of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the management, conservation and protection of living marine resources within the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone (water three to 200 mile offshore). Site includes information on the organization of NMFS and features information on many marine science topics, including aquaculture, bycatch, legislation, permits, strandings, and grants.
75 FR 13731 - National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council); April 9...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Measures for 2011-2012 Groundfish Fisheries J. Pacific Halibut Management 1. Incidental 2010 Catch Regulations in the Salmon Troll Fishery K. Administrative Matters 1. Legislative Matters 2. Membership Appointments and Council Operating Procedures...
Putting out to sea on water management: the rhyme of the modern mariner
Contrasting developments in two water management cases - one in the Southeast, the other in the Northwest - suggest that consultation and shared sacrifice may be the best stratagems for reaching acceptable outcomes in the thorny disputes. (author)
Rokach, Joshua Z.
77 FR 60677 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Request; Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation and Management Measures...1982 Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources...Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living...
Control of invasive marine invertebrates: an experimental evaluation of the use of low salinity for managing pest corals (Tubastraea spp.).
This study investigated the use of low salinity as a killing agent for the invasive pest corals Tubastraea coccinea and Tubastraea tagusensis (Dendrophylliidae). Experiments investigated the efficacy of different salinities, the effect of colony size on susceptibility and the influence of length of exposure. Experimental treatments of colonies were carried out in aquaria. Colonies were then fixed onto experimental plates and monitored in the field periodically over a period of four weeks. The killing effectiveness of low salinity depended on the test salinity and the target species, but was independent of colony size. Low salinity was fast acting and prejudicial to survival: discoloration, necrosis, fragmenting and sloughing, exposure of the skeleton and cover by biofoulers occurred post treatment. For T. tagusensis, 50% mortality (LC50) after three days occurred at eight practical salinity units (PSU); for T. coccinea the LC50 was 2 PSU. Exposure to freshwater for 45-120 min resulted in 100% mortality for T. tagusensis, but only the 120 min period was 100% effective in killing T. coccinea. Freshwater is now routinely used for the post-border management of Tubastraea spp. This study also provides insights as to how freshwater may be used as a routine biosecurity management tool when applied pre-border to shipping vectors potentially transporting non-indigenous marine biofouling species. PMID:24735126
Moreira, Patrícia L; Ribeiro, Felipe V; Creed, Joel C
Puget Sound Operational Forecast System - A Real-time Predictive Tool for Marine Resource Management and Emergency Responses
To support marine ecological resource management and emergency response and to enhance scientific understanding of physical and biogeochemical processes in Puget Sound, a real-time Puget Sound Operational Forecast System (PS-OFS) was developed by the Coastal Ocean Dynamics & Ecosystem Modeling group (CODEM) of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PS-OFS employs the state-of-the-art three-dimensional coastal ocean model and closely follows the standards and procedures established by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS). PS-OFS consists of four key components supporting the Puget Sound Circulation and Transport Model (PS-CTM): data acquisition, model execution and product archive, model skill assessment, and model results dissemination. This paper provides an overview of PS-OFS and its ability to provide vital real-time oceanographic information to the Puget Sound community. PS-OFS supports pacific northwest region's growing need for a predictive tool to assist water quality management, fish stock recovery efforts, maritime emergency response, nearshore land-use planning, and the challenge of climate change and sea level rise impacts. The structure of PS-OFS and examples of the system inputs and outputs, forecast results are presented in details.
Yang, Zhaoqing; Khangaonkar, Tarang; Chase, Jared M.; Wang, Taiping
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Located at five sites throughout Australia, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research's work encompasses the assessment of atmospheric and earth systems and the prediction of climate, weather and ocean processes; and research to integrate coastal management and ensure marine resources and industries are sustainable. Site includes information on facilities, partnerships, publications, and news and upcoming events. Research section features extensive information on the current projects.
SeaDataNet : Pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management - Project objectives, structure and components
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
SeaDataNet : Pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management Project objectives, structure and components G. Maudire (1), C. Maillard (1), G. Manzella (2), M. Fichaut (1), D.M.A. Schaap (3), E. Iona (4) and the SeaDataNet consortium. (1) IFREMER, Brest, France (firstname.lastname@example.com), (2) ENEA, La Spezia, Italy, (3) Mariene Informatie Service 'MARIS', Voorburg, The Netherlands, (4) Hellenic Centre for Marine Research-HCMR, Anavyssos, Greece. Since a large part of the earth population lives near the oceans or carries on activities directly or indirectly linked to the seas (fishery and aquaculture, exploitation of sea bottom resources, international shipping, tourism), knowledge of oceans is of primary importance for security and economy. However, observation and monitoring of the oceans remains difficult and expensive even if real improvements have been achieved using research vessels and submersibles, satellites and automatic observatories like buoys, floats and seafloor observatories transmitting directly to the shore using global transmission systems. More than 600 governmental or private organizations are active in observation of seas bordering Europe, but European oceanographic data are fragmented, not always validated and not always easily accessible. That highlights the need of international collaboration to tend toward a comprehensive view of ocean mechanisms, resources and changes. SeaDataNet is an Integrated research Infrastructure Initiative (I3) in European Union Framework Program 6 (2006 - 2011) to provide the data management system adapted both to the fragmented observation systems and to the users need for an integrated access to data, meta-data, products and services. Its major objectives are to: - encourage long-term archiving at national level to secure ocean data taking into account that all the observations made in the variable oceanic environment can never be remade if they are lost; - promote best practices for data management, taking benefits of the development of international initiatives and standards on data quality insurance, data descriptions (metadata and common vocabulary) and interoperability. Software tools are developed or adapted accordingly to support these practices and the adoption of standards; - establish online services to facilitate data discovery, data requests, data visualisation and data download for the users; - process data sets of reference like ocean climatologies at a regional basin scale to provide comprehensive data sets Sustainability of the provided services is researched by a balance between the activities mostly undertaken at National level by the National Oceanographic data centres or some thematic data centres and the effort done at the Pan-European level by the project. The SeaDataNet consortium brings now together a unique group of 49 partners from major oceanographic institutes of 35 countries. Taking in account that valuable work on ocean data management must be done at basin level, most of countries bordering Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North-East Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic Sea and Artic Sea are part of the project. Capacity building of consortium members is necessary to meet project objectives and a comprehensive training program is conducted both for data management and for IT technologies which are necessary to establish such a distributed system: databases management, XML language, web portal and services, GIS technologies. SeaDataNet Partners: IFREMER (France), MARIS (Netherlands), HCMR/HNODC (Greece), ULg (Belgium), OGS (Italy),NERC/BODC (UK), BSH/DOD (Germany), SMHI (Sweden), IEO (Spain), RIHMI/WDC (Russia), IOC (International), ENEA (Italy), INGV (Italy), METU (Turkey), CLS (France), AWI (Germany), IMR (Norway), NERI (Denmark), ICES (International), EC-DG JRC (International), MI (Ireland), IHPT (Portugal), RIKZ (Netherlands), RBINS/MUMM (Belgium), VLIZ (Belgium), MRI (Iceland), FIMR (Finland ), IMGW (Poland), MSI (Estonia), IAE/UL (Latvia), CMR (Lithuania), SIO/RAS (Russia), MHI/DMIST (Ukraine), IO/BAS (Bulgaria), NIMRD (Romania
Maudire, G.; Maillard, C.; Fichaut, M.; Manzella, G.; Schaap, D. M. A.
Management of contaminated marine marketable resources after oil and HNS spills in Europe.
Different risk evaluation approaches have been used to face oil and hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) spills all over the world. To minimize health risks and mitigate economic losses due to a long term ban on the sale of sea products after a spill, it is essential to preemptively set risk evaluation criteria and standard methodologies based on previous experience and appropriate scientifically sound criteria. Standard methodologies are analyzed and proposed in order to improve the definition of criteria for reintegrating previously contaminated marine marketable resources into the commercialization chain in Europe. The criteria used in former spills for the closing of and lifting of bans on fisheries and harvesting are analyzed. European legislation was identified regarding food sampling, food chemical analysis and maximum levels of contaminants allowed in seafood, which ought to be incorporated in the standard methodologies for the evaluation of the decision criteria defined for oil and HNS spills in Europe. A decision flowchart is proposed that opens the current decision criteria to new material that may be incorporated in the decision process. Decision criteria are discussed and compared among countries and incidents. An a priori definition of risk criteria and an elaboration of action plans are proposed to speed up actions that will lead to prompt final decisions. These decisions, based on the best available scientific data and conducing to lift or ban economic activity, will tend to be better understood and respected by citizens. PMID:24508845
Cunha, Isabel; Neuparth, Teresa; Moreira, Susana; Santos, Miguel M; Reis-Henriques, Maria Armanda
Decision support system development for adaptive management of desalination plant outfalls in marine ecosystems
ASDECO is a R&D project whose main objective is to design a system that allows for the implementation of Adaptive Management for brine discharges from desalination plants into the sea. The project has two phases: to design and to adapt the instrumental system to the characteristics of the brine plume, achieving the required reliability and precision. An information and forecast
Jose M. Hernandez Torres; Aina Hernandez Mascarell; Marta Navarro Hernandez; Jose M. Cortes; Miguel Martin Monerris; Rafael Molina
Marine biodiversity in the Caribbean UK overseas territories: Perceived threats and constraints to environmental management
Islands are often considered to be a priority for conservation, because of their relatively high levels of biodiversity and their vulnerability to a range of natural and anthropogenic threats. However, the capacity of islands to conserve and manage biodiversity may depend upon their governance structures. Many island states are affiliated to other countries through an 'overseas territory' status, which may
J. Forster; I. R. Lake; A. R. Watkinson; J. A. Gill
Modeling for Policy Change: A Feedback Perspective on Improving the Effectiveness of Coastal and Marine Management
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Those advocating for effective management of the use of coastal areas and ecosystems have long aspired for an approach to governance that includes information systems with the capability to predict the end results of various courses of action, monitor the impacts of decisions and compare results with those predicted by computer models in order to…
Robadue, Donald D., Jr.
Selenium/mercury molar ratios in freshwater, marine, and commercial fish from the USA: variation, risk, and health management.
Fish provide healthy protein as well as recreational and cultural benefits, but can also contain mercury (Hg), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other contaminants that have adverse effects on humans and other organisms, particularly developing fetuses. Recently, some authors have suggested that a molar excess of selenium (Se) [e.g., selenium/mercury (Se/Hg) molar ratio >1] confers protection from Hg toxicity derived from fish consumption. Herein, we review our studies of Hg and Se in freshwater, marine, and commercial fish (mainly marine), examining the following: (1) whether and how Se/Hg molar ratios vary among species; (2) whether and how the molar ratios vary within species; (3) whether the molar ratios differ between freshwater and saltwater fish; (4) whether mean molar ratio values provide a reliable indication of potential risk to fish consumers; and (5) whether mean Se/Hg molar ratios are sufficiently constant (e.g., low variation) to allow for use in risk assessment, risk management, or risk communication. In saltwater fish, mean Se/Hg molar ratios varied from 0.3 in mako shark to 68.1 in whiting. For freshwater fish, the mean ratios varied from 0.68 in bowfin to 20.8 in black crappie. Commercial seafood (mainly saltwater) showed great variation in ratios; shrimp and scallops had very high ratios. There was somewhat less variability in the ratios for freshwater fish compared with the fish from saltwater, but there was no overall predictable difference in variation in Se/Hg molar ratios. For both saltwater and freshwater fish, some species with mean molar ratios above 1 had a significant proportion of individual fish with molar ratios below 1. Overall, this indicates great variation in measures of central tendencies and in measures of dispersion. We suggest that relying on the Se/Hg molar ratio as a method of predicting reduced risk from Hg toxicity is problematic because of the great variation among and within fish species, and the variation is not predictable because Hg varies by season, size of the fish, and location of the fish (which is not available for commercial fish). With the high variation in ratios, and low predictability, the ratios are currently not useful for risk assessment and risk management, and vulnerable individuals cannot rely on mean Se/Hg molar ratios for protection from Hg toxicity. PMID:24192499
Burger, Joanna; Gochfeld, Michael
Development of innovative tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good environmental status, within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marine natural resources and ecosystem services constitute the natural capital that supports economies, societies and individual well-being. Good governance requires a quantification of the interactions and trade-offs among ecosystem services and understanding of how biodiversity underpins ecosystem functions and services across time, scales and sectors. Marine biodiversity is a key descriptor for the assessment within the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), approved in 2008, which comprises a total of 11 descriptors. However, the relationships between pressures from human activities and climatic influences and their effects on marine biological diversity are still only partially understood. Hence, these relationships need to be better understood in order to fully achieve a good environmental status (GEnS), as required by the MSFD. This contribution is based upon the FP7 EU project DEVOTES (DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status), which focus on developing innovative conceptual frameworks, methods and coherent, shared protocols to provide consistent datasets and knowledge at different scales, within four regional seas (Black Sea, Mediterranean, Atlantic and Baltic Sea). This project is developing innovative approaches to valuate biodiversity and ecosystem services and to develop public goods and sustainable economic activities from them. The research will benefit sea users and stakeholders, and will contribute to assess and monitor the environmental status of marine waters. The main objectives are: (i) to improve our understanding of the impact of human activities and variations associated to climate on marine biodiversity, (ii) to test indicators (referred in the Commission Decision on GEnS) and develop new ones for assessment at several ecological levels (species, habitat, ecosystems) and for the characterization and status classification of the marine waters, (iii) to develop, test and validate, on the basis of observations, innovative integrative modelling tools in order to further strengthen our understanding of ecosystem and biodiversity changes in space and time. The resultant models are being developed for implementation as operational tools for managers, decision takers and policy makers. The project is contributing (i) to enable the adaptive development of management (ecosystem-based management approach) strategies and management measures as a result of their implementation taking into account the role of industry and relevant stakeholders, (ii) to provide economic assessment of the consequences of management practices, (iii) to identify the barriers (socio-economic and legislative) that prevent the GES to be achieved (e.g. eutrophication), (iv) to provide a set of policy options for the relevant authorities. In addition the project should propose and demonstrate the utility of innovative monitoring systems capable of providing data on a range of parameters, efficiently and effectively, that may be used as indicators of good environmental status. This contribution presents a summary of most of these aspects.
Borja, Angel; Uyarra, María C.
Environmental application of remote sensing methods to coastal zone land use and marine resource management. Appendix F: User's guide for advection, convection prototype. [southeastern Virginia
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
A user's manual is provided for the environmental computer model proposed for the Richmond-Cape Henry Environmental Laboratory (RICHEL) application project for coastal zone land use investigations and marine resources management. The model was developed around the hydrologic cycle and includes two data bases consisting of climate and land use variables. The main program is described, along with control parameters to be set and pertinent subroutines.
Spatio-temporal patterns of fishing pressure on UK marine landscapes, and their implications for spatial planning and management
The spatio-temporal distribution of fishing pressure on marine landscapes in offshore UK (England and Wales) waters is assessed, based on a time-series of fishing vessel monitoring system (VMS) data for UK and foreign fleets deploying beam and otter trawls, and scallop dredges. The results reveal that marine landscapes with coarse or mixed sediments and weak or moderate tide stress are
Vanessa Stelzenmuller; Stuart I. Rogers; Craig M. Mills
Building an ecosystem model using mismatched and fragmented data: A probabilistic network of early marine survival for coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch in the Strait of Georgia
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
We evaluated the effects of biophysical conditions and hatchery production on the early marine survival of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. Due to a paucity of balanced multivariate ecosystem data, we developed a probabilistic network that integrated physical and ecological data and information from literature, expert opinion, oceanographic models, and in situ observations. This approach allowed us to evaluate alternate hypotheses about drivers of early marine survival while accounting for uncertainties in relationships among variables. Probabilistic networks allow users to explore multiple environmental settings and evaluate the consequences of management decisions under current and projected future states. We found that the zooplankton biomass anomaly, calanoid copepod biomass, and herring biomass were the best indicators of early marine survival. It also appears that concentrating hatchery supplementation during periods of negative PDO and ENSO (Pacific Decadal and El Niño Southern Oscillation respectively), indicative of generally favorable ocean conditions for salmon, tends to increase survival of hatchery coho salmon while minimizing negative impacts on the survival of wild juveniles. Scientists and managers can benefit from the approach presented here by exploring multiple scenarios, providing a basis for open and repeatable ecosystem-based risk assessments when data are limited.
Andres Araujo, H.; Holt, Carrie; Curtis, Janelle M. R.; Perry, R. I.; Irvine, James R.; Michielsens, Catherine G. J.
SeaDataNet II - Second phase of developments for the pan-European infrastructure for marine and ocean data management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The second phase of the project SeaDataNet started on October 2011 for another 4 years with the aim to upgrade the SeaDataNet infrastructure built during previous years. The numbers of the project are quite impressive: 59 institutions from 35 different countries are involved. In particular, 45 data centers are sharing human and financial resources in a common efforts to sustain an operationally robust and state-of-the-art Pan-European infrastructure for providing up-to-date and high quality access to ocean and marine metadata, data and data products. The main objective of SeaDataNet II is to improve operations and to progress towards an efficient data management infrastructure able to handle the diversity and large volume of data collected via the Pan-European oceanographic fleet and the new observation systems, both in real-time and delayed mode. The infrastructure is based on a semi-distributed system that incorporates and enhance the existing NODCs network. SeaDataNet aims at serving users from science, environmental management, policy making, and economical sectors. Better integrated data systems are vital for these users to achieve improved scientific research and results, to support marine environmental and integrated coastal zone management, to establish indicators of Good Environmental Status for sea basins, and to support offshore industry developments, shipping, fisheries, and other economic activities. The recent EU communication "MARINE KNOWLEDGE 2020 - marine data and observation for smart and sustainable growth" states that the creation of marine knowledge begins with observation of the seas and oceans. In addition, directives, policies, science programmes require reporting of the state of the seas and oceans in an integrated pan-European manner: of particular note are INSPIRE, MSFD, WISE-Marine and GMES Marine Core Service. These underpin the importance of a well functioning marine and ocean data management infrastructure. SeaDataNet is now one of the major players in informatics in oceanography and collaborative relationships have been created with other EU and non EU projects. In particular SeaDataNet has recognised roles in the continuous serving of common vocabularies, the provision of tools for data management, as well as giving access to metadata, data sets and data products of importance for society. The SeaDataNet infrastructure comprises a network of interconnected data centres and a central SeaDataNet portal. The portal provides users not only background information about SeaDataNet and the various SeaDataNet standards and tools, but also a unified and transparent overview of the metadata and controlled access to the large collections of data sets, managed by the interconnected data centres. The presentation will give information on present services of the SeaDataNet infrastructure and services, and highlight a number of key achievements in SeaDataNet II so far.
Schaap, Dick M. A.; Fichaut, Michele
Rescaling the trophic structure of marine food webs
Measures of trophic position (TP) are critical for understanding food web interactions and human-mediated ecosystem disturbance. Nitrogen stable isotopes (?15N) provide a powerful tool to estimate TP but are limited by a pragmatic assumption that isotope discrimination is constant (change in ?15N between predator and prey, ?15N = 3.4‰), resulting in an additive framework that omits known ?15N variation. Through meta-analysis, we determine narrowing discrimination from an empirical linear relationship between experimental ?15N and ?15N values of prey consumed. The resulting scaled ?15N framework estimated reliable TPs of zooplanktivores to tertiary piscivores congruent with known feeding relationships that radically alters the conventional structure of marine food webs. Apex predator TP estimates were markedly higher than currently assumed by whole-ecosystem models, indicating perceived food webs have been truncated and species-interactions over simplified. The scaled ?15N framework will greatly improve the accuracy of trophic estimates widely used in ecosystem-based management.
Hussey, Nigel E; MacNeil, M Aaron; McMeans, Bailey C; Olin, Jill A; Dudley, Sheldon FJ; Cliff, Geremy; Wintner, Sabine P; Fennessy, Sean T; Fisk, Aaron T
Rescaling the trophic structure of marine food webs.
Measures of trophic position (TP) are critical for understanding food web interactions and human-mediated ecosystem disturbance. Nitrogen stable isotopes (?(15) N) provide a powerful tool to estimate TP but are limited by a pragmatic assumption that isotope discrimination is constant (change in ?(15) N between predator and prey, ?(15) N = 3.4‰), resulting in an additive framework that omits known ?(15) N variation. Through meta-analysis, we determine narrowing discrimination from an empirical linear relationship between experimental ?(15) N and ?(15) N values of prey consumed. The resulting scaled ?(15) N framework estimated reliable TPs of zooplanktivores to tertiary piscivores congruent with known feeding relationships that radically alters the conventional structure of marine food webs. Apex predator TP estimates were markedly higher than currently assumed by whole-ecosystem models, indicating perceived food webs have been truncated and species-interactions over simplified. The scaled ?(15) N framework will greatly improve the accuracy of trophic estimates widely used in ecosystem-based management. PMID:24308860
Hussey, Nigel E; Macneil, M Aaron; McMeans, Bailey C; Olin, Jill A; Dudley, Sheldon F J; Cliff, Geremy; Wintner, Sabine P; Fennessy, Sean T; Fisk, Aaron T
How is Shrimp Aquaculture Transforming Coastal Livelihoods and Lagoons in Estero Real, Nicaragua?: The Need to Integrate Social-Ecological Research and Ecosystem-Based Approaches.
Ecosystem-based approaches to aquaculture integrate environmental concerns into planning. Social-ecological systems research can improve this approach by explicitly relating ecological and social dynamics of change at multiple scales. Doing so requires not only addressing direct effects of aquaculture but also considering indirect factors such as changes in livelihood strategies, governance dynamics, and power relations. We selected the community of Puerto Morazán, Nicaragua as a case study to demonstrate how the introduction of small-scale aquaculture radically transformed another key livelihood activity, lagoon shrimp fishing, and the effects that these changes have had on lagoons and the people that depend on them. We find that shrimp aquaculture played a key role in the collapse, in the 1990s, of an existing lagoon common-property management. Shrimp aquaculture-related capital enabled the adoption of a new fishing technique that not only degraded lagoons but also led to their gradual privatization. The existence of social ties between small-scale shrimp farmers and other community members mitigated the impacts of privatization, illustrating the importance of social capital. Since 2008, community members are seeking to communally manage the lagoons once again, in response to degraded environmental conditions and a consolidation of the shrimp industry at the expense of smaller actors. This research shows that shrimp aquaculture intersects with a complex set of drivers, affecting not only how ecosystems are managed but also how they are perceived and valued. Understanding these social-ecological dynamics is essential to implement realistic policies and management of mangrove ecosystems and address the needs of resource-dependent people. PMID:24912580
Benessaiah, Karina; Sengupta, Raja
Conserving Biodiversity in a Human-Dominated World: Degradation of Marine Sessile Communities within a Protected Area with Conflicting Human Uses
Conservation research aims at understanding whether present protection schemes are adequate for the maintenance of ecosystems structure and function across time. We evaluated long-term variation in rocky reef communities by comparing sites surveyed in 1993 and again in 2008. This research took place in Tigullio Gulf, an emblematic case study where various conservation measures, including a marine protected area, have been implemented to manage multiple human uses. Contrary to our prediction that protection should have favored ecosystem stability, we found that communities subjected to conservation measures (especially within the marine protected area) exhibited the greatest variation toward architectural complexity loss. Between 1993 and 2008, chronic anthropogenic pressures (especially organic load) that had already altered unprotected sites in 1993 expanded their influence into protected areas. This expansion of human pressure likely explains our observed changes in the benthic communities. Our results suggest that adaptive ecosystem-based management (EBM), that is management taking into account human interactions, informed by continuous monitoring, is needed in order to attempt reversing the current trend towards less architecturally complex communities. Protected areas are not sufficient to stop ecosystem alteration by pressures coming from outside. Monitoring, and consequent management actions, should therefore extend to cover the relevant scales of those pressures.
Parravicini, Valeriano; Micheli, Fiorenza; Montefalcone, Monica; Morri, Carla; Villa, Elisa; Castellano, Michela; Povero, Paolo; Bianchi, Carlo Nike
Update on marine omega-3 fatty acids: management of dyslipidemia and current omega-3 treatment options.
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is currently the primary target in the management of dyslipidemia, and statins are first-line pharmacologic interventions. Adjunct therapy such as niacins, fibrates, bile acid sequestrants, or cholesterol absorption inhibitors may be considered to help reduce cardiovascular risk. This review discusses the need for alternative adjunct treatment options and the potential place for omega-3 fatty acids as such. The cardiovascular benefits of fish consumption are attributed to the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and a variety of omega-3 fatty acid products are available with varied amounts of EPA and DHA. The product types include prescription drugs, food supplements, and medical foods sourced from fish, krill, algal and plant oils or purified from these oils. Two prescription omega-3 fatty acids are currently available, omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters (contains both EPA and DHA ethyl esters), and icosapent ethyl (IPE; contains high-purity EPA ethyl ester). A pharmaceutical containing free fatty acid forms of omega-3 is currently in development. Omega-3 fatty acid formulations containing EPA and DHA have been shown to increase LDL-C levels while IPE has been shown to lower triglyceride levels without raising LDL-C levels, alone or in combination with statin therapy. In addition, recent studies have not been able to demonstrate reduced cardiovascular risk following treatment with fibrates, niacins, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, or omega-3 fatty acid formulations containing both EPA and DHA in statin-treated patients; thus, there remains a need for further cardiovascular outcomes studies for adjunct therapy. PMID:24075771
Weintraub, Howard
Management of Bottomland Hardwood Forests for Nongame Bird Communities on Corps of Engineers Projects.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This technical note is a product of the Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program (EMRRP) work unit titled 'Improved Methods for Ecosystem-Based Habitat Management at Corps Projects'. The objective of the work unit is to provide appropriate te...
M. P. Guilfoyle C. O. Martin R. F. Theriot
75 FR 70904 - South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council); Public Meetings
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Spiny Lobster Committee, Personnel Committee (Closed Session), King and Spanish Mackerel Committee, Ecosystem-Based Management Committee, Golden Crab Committee, Southeast Data, Assessment, and...
Specimen banking of marine organisms in the United States: Current status and long-term prospective
A major part of the activities conducted over the last decade by the National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank (NBSB) has involved the archival of marine specimens collected by ongoing environmental monitoring programs. These archived specimens include bivalves, marine sediments, and fish tissues collected by the National Status and Trends and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Damage Assessment programs, and marine mammal tissues collected by the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program and the Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project. In addition to supporting these programs, the specimens have been used to investigate circumpolar patterns of chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations, genetic separation of marine animal stocks, baseline levels of essential and nonessential elements in marine mammals, and the potential risk to human consumers in the Arctic from anthropogenic contaminants found in local subsistence foods. The NBSB specimens represent a resource that has the potential for addressing future issues of marine environmental quality and ecosystem changes through retrospective analysis; however, an ecosystem-based food web approach would maximize this potential. The current status of the NBSB activities related to the banking of marine organisms is presented and discussed, the long-term prospective of these activities is presented, and the importance of an ecosystem-based food web monitoring approach to the value of specimen banking is discussed.
Becker, P. R.; Wise, S. A.; Thorsteinson, L.; Koster, B. J.; Rowles, T.
This is more difficult than we thought! The responsibility of scientists, managers and stakeholders to mitigate the unsustainability of marine fisheries.
The management of marine fisheries needs to undergo dramatic change in the new millennium, in response to the well-documented evidence of global overfishing and the general depletion of commercial fish stocks. The axioms of sustainable development and equilibrium productivity of wild ecosystems are identified as misleading concepts, which nonetheless underlie current approaches to the management of living marine resources. Current trends in marine fisheries landings worldwide provide little evidence of sustainability of marine resources under current management paradigms, where biological, economic and social aspects of fisheries are usually treated as different disciplines. While open-access conditions are less widespread than formerly, except for many straddling and highly migratory resources, fishers usually have access to the resource year-round throughout its range. Despite quotas, the nominal control of capacity and technical measures protecting juveniles, top-down management has generally been unable to prevent stock depletion, particularly of the older spawners that for demersal stocks often support recruitment. An integrated solution to the complexity of managing wild resources seems not to have been achieved. Any new paradigm should assert the basic unpredictability of fisheries at the system level and require a broader range of performance indicators to be incorporated into the decisional framework. This must reflect the non-equilibrium nature of marine systems, and give greater importance to resource (as opposed to harvest) continuity in the face of regime shifts, and promote habitat restoration and conservation of genetic resources. The new management framework requires co-management and collective decision-making to be incorporated within a precautionary and pre-negotiated management framework. This must explicitly recognize that decision-making occurs in conditions of model-based uncertainty and precautionary approaches should be incorporated at all levels, not least of which is to avoid the assumption that all resources can be harvested in a sustainable fashion through time. Redundancy in data inputs to management are needed to avoid the surprises that model-based sampling occasionally leads to, for example, when regime changes reduce productivity in response to climatic fluctuations. Emergency frameworks imposing non-discretionary rules must be invoked when overfishing and/or regime change trigger reference points indicating stock depletion. Non-discretionary recovery plans should then override rights-based systems and persist until fish populations recover to pre-established healthy levels, which may in turn need to await the return of a favourable regime. In fact, some stocks may require periodic rebuilding after regime-induced collapses or because of a combination of ecological or economic impacts, hence a constant harvest policy may not always be possible. It will probably also be necessary to discard the axiom that a stock should be available to harvesting throughout its range and seasonal cycle. Technological advances mean that time- and area-specific access rights are now practical options, through satellite monitoring of vessel operations, even offshore. More fundamentally, the basic axiom of "enlightened self interest" underlying current methods of management will need to be tempered by an increased ethical concern for the fragility of natural ecosystems. PMID:15713588
Caddy, J F; Seijo, J C
Patterns of interannual climate variability in large marine ecosystems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The purpose of this study is to investigate the vulnerability of the Brazilian and western African Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) to local and remote forcing, including the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) regime shift. The analyses are based on the total and partial correlation between climate indices (Niño3, tropical South Atlantic (TSA), tropical North Atlantic (TNA) and Antarctic oscillation (AAO) and oceanic and atmospheric variables (sea surface temperature (SST), wind stress, Ekman transport, sea level pressure and outgoing longwave radiation). Differences in the correlation fields between the cold and warm PDO indicate that this mode exerts a significant impact on the thermodynamic balance of the ocean-atmosphere system on the South Atlantic ocean, mainly in the South Brazil and Benguela LMEs. The PDO regime shift also resulted in an increase in the spatial variability of SST and wind stress anomalies, mainly along the western African LMEs. Another important finding is the strong AAO influence on the SST anomalies (SSTA) in the South Brazil LME. It is also striking that TSA modulates the relation between El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and SSTA, by reducing the influence of ENSO on SSTA during the warm PDO period in the North and East Brazil LMEs and in the Guinea Current LME. The relation between AAO and SSTA on the tropical area is also influenced by the TSA. The results shown here give a clear indication that future ecosystem-based management actions aimed at the conservation of marine resources under climate change need to consider the high complexity of basin-scale interactions between local and remote climate forcings, including their effects on the ocean-atmosphere system of the South Atlantic ocean.
Soares, Helena Cachanhuk; Gherardi, Douglas Francisco Marcolino; Pezzi, Luciano Ponzi; Kayano, Mary Toshie; Paes, Eduardo Tavares
Selecting Indicator Portfolios for Marine Species and Food Webs: A Puget Sound Case Study
Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has emerged as a promising approach for maintaining the benefits humans want and need from the ocean, yet concrete approaches for implementing EBM remain scarce. A key challenge lies in the development of indicators that can provide useful information on ecosystem status and trends, and assess progress towards management goals. In this paper, we describe a generalized framework for the methodical and transparent selection of ecosystem indicators. We apply the framework to the second largest estuary in the United States – Puget Sound, Washington – where one of the most advanced EBM processes is currently underway. Rather than introduce a new method, this paper integrates a variety of familiar approaches into one step-by-step approach that will lead to more consistent and reliable reporting on ecosystem condition. Importantly, we demonstrate how a framework linking indicators to policy goals, as well as a clearly defined indicator evaluation and scoring process, can result in a portfolio of useful and complementary indicators based on the needs of different users (e.g., policy makers and scientists). Although the set of indicators described in this paper is specific to marine species and food webs, we provide a general approach that could be applied to any set of management objectives or ecological system.
Kershner, Jessi; Samhouri, Jameal F.; James, C. Andrew; Levin, Phillip S.
76 FR 30921 - South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Ecosystem-Based Management Committee; King and Spanish Mackerel Committee; Golden Crab Committee...on ecosystem activities. 8. King and Spanish Mackerel Committee: June 13, 2011...will receive a report from the King and Spanish Mackerel Committee, consider...
78 FR 11156 - South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Management Council (GMFMC) King and Spanish Mackerel Committee; Ecosystem-Based...to staff. Joint SAFMC/GMFMC King and Spanish Mackerel Committee Agenda: Monday, March...will receive a report from the King & Spanish Mackerel Committee, consider other...
Australian Institute of Marine Science
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Located near Townsville, North Queensland, AIMS researchers collect and analyze data to improve our understanding of the marine world, and to find science-based management practices that ensure long-term sustainable use and development of marine resources. Site features information on facilities, faculty, current projects, open house and other events, and employment opportunities. Also features the Mariner's Journal, a log from several AIMS research cruises.
Evaluation of Carrying Capacity of Pacific Salmon in the North Pacific Ocean for Ecosystem-Based Sustainable Conservation Management
The change in biomass of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) indicates a 30- or 40-year periodicity in the North Pacific Ocean coinciding with long-term climate conditions. I estimated the carrying capacity (K) of sockeye (O. nerka), chum (O. keta), and pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) in the North Pacific Ocean using the replacement level of the Ricker's recruitment curve, and defined residual
Masahide Kaeriyama
Coral Reef Benthic Community Responses to Management in the Fully Protected Marine Zones of the Florida Keys. Progress Report.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This project is the continuation of a long-term study of reef community structure in Fully Protected Zones (FPZs) and reference sites in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The study commenced in October 1997 and since then has been continued thro...
R. B. Aronson
Cumulative impact mapping: Advances, relevance and limitations to marine management and conservation, using Canada's Pacific waters as a case study
Analysis of cumulative human impacts in the marine environment is still in its infancy but developing rapidly. In this study, existing approaches were expanded upon, aiming for a realistic consideration of cumulative impacts at a regional scale. Thirty-eight human activities were considered, with each broken down according to stressor types and a range of spatial influences. To add to the
Natalie C. Ban; Hussein M. Alidina; Jeff A. Ardron
This book covers the following topics: Transport of marine pollutants; Transformation of pollutants in the marine environment; Biological effects of marine pollutants; Sources and transport of oil pollutants in the Persian Gulf; Trace metals and hydrocarbons in Syrian coastal waters; and Techniques for analysis of trace pollutants.
Albaiges, J. (Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo, CSIC, Barcelona (ES))
Development of ITSASGIS-5D: seeking interoperability between Marine GIS layers and scientific multidimensional data using open source tools and OGC services for multidisciplinary research.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Since 2000, an intense effort was conducted in AZTI's Marine Research Division to set up a data management system which could gather all the marine datasets that were being produced by different in-house research projects. For that, a corporative GIS was designed that included a data and metadata repository, a database, a layer catalog & search application and an internet map viewer. Several layers, mostly dealing with physical, chemical and biological in-situ sampling, and basic and thematic cartography including bathymetry, geomorphology, different species habitat maps, and human pressure and activities maps, were successfully gathered in this system. Very soon, it was realised that new marine technologies yielding continuous multidimensional data, sometimes called FES (Fluid Earth System) data, were difficult to handle in this structure. The data affected, mainly included numerical oceanographic and meteorological models, remote sensing data, coastal RADAR data, and some in-situ observational systems such as CTD's casts, moored or lagrangian buoys, etc. A management system for gridded multidimensional data was developed using standardized formats (netcdf using CF conventions) and tools such as THREDDS catalog (UNIDATA/UCAR) providing web services such as OPENDAP, NCSS, and WCS, as well as ncWMS service developed by the Reading e-science Center. At present, a system (ITSASGIS-5D) is being developed, based on OGC standards and open-source tools to allow interoperability between all the data types mentioned before. This system includes, in the server side, postgresql/postgis databases and geoserver for GIS layers, and THREDDS/Opendap and ncWMS services for FES gridded data. Moreover, an on-line client is being developed to allow joint access, user configuration, data visualisation & query and data distribution. This client is using mapfish, ExtJS - GeoEXT, and openlayers libraries. Through this presentation the elements of the first released version of this system will be described and showed, together with the new topics to be developed in new versions that include among others, the integration of geoNetwork libraries and tools for both FES and GIS metadata management, and the use of new OGC Sensor Observation Services (SOS) to integrate non gridded multidimensional data such as time series, depth profiles or trajectories provided by different observational systems. The final aim of this approach is to contribute to the multidisciplinary access and use of marine data for management and research activities, and facilitate the implementation of integrated ecosystem based approaches in the fields of fisheries advice and management, marine spatial planning, or the implementation of the European policies such as the Water Framework Directive, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive or the Habitat Framework Directive.
Sagarminaga, Y.; Galparsoro, I.; Reig, R.; Sánchez, J. A.
Conservation of the Critically Endangered Eastern Australian Population of the Grey Nurse Shark ( Carcharias taurus) Through Cross-Jurisdictional Management of a Network of Marine-Protected Areas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Between 2001 and 2009, 26 marine-protected areas (MPA) were established on the east Australian seaboard, at least in part, to manage human interactions with a critically endangered population of grey nurse shark, Carcharias taurus. This network is spread across six MPA systems and includes all 19 sites outlined in the National Recovery Plan for C. taurus, though five sites remain open to some forms of fishing. The reserve network has complex cross-jurisdictional management, as the sharks occur in waters controlled by the Australian states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, as well as by the Commonwealth (Federal) government. Jurisdiction is further complicated by fisheries and conservation departments both engaging in management activities within each state. This has resulted in protected area types that include IUCN category II equivalent zones in NSW, Queensland, and Commonwealth marine parks that either overlay or complement another large scaled network of protected sites called critical habitats. Across the network, seven and eight rule permutations for diving and fishing, respectively, are applied to this population of sharks. Besides sites identified by the recovery plan, additional sites have been protected as part of the general development of MPA networks. A case study at one of these sites, which historically was known to be occupied by C. taurus but had been abandoned, appears to shows re-establishment of an aggregation of juvenile and sub-adult sharks. Concurrent with the re-establishment of the aggregation, a local dive operator increased seasonal dive visitation rates at the site fourfold. As a precautionary measure, protection of abandoned sites, which includes nursery and gestating female habitats are options that may assist recovery of the east coast population of C. taurus.
Lynch, Tim P.; Harcourt, Robert; Edgar, Graham; Barrett, Neville
Regionalizing Aquatic Ecosystems Based on the River Subbasin Taxonomy Concept and Spatial Clustering Techniques
Aquatic ecoregions were increasingly used as spatial units for aquatic ecosystem management at the watershed scale. In this paper, the principle of including land area, comprehensiveness and dominance, conjugation and hierarchy were selected as regionalizing principles. Elevation and drainage density were selected as the regionalizing indicators for the delineation of level I aquatic ecoregions, and percent of construction land area, percent of cultivated land area, soil type and slope for the level II. Under the support of GIS technology, the spatial distribution maps of the two indicators for level I and the four indicators for level II aquatic ecoregion delineation were generated from the raster data based on the 1,107 subwatersheds. River subbasin taxonomy concept, two-step spatial clustering analysis approach and manual-assisted method were used to regionalize aquatic ecosystems in the Taihu Lake watershed. Then the Taihu Lake watershed was divided into two level I aquatic ecoregions, including Ecoregion I1 and Ecoregion I2, and five level II aquatic subecoregions, including Subecoregion II11, Subecoregion II12, Subecoregion II21, Subecoregion II22 and Subecoregion II23. Moreover, the characteristics of the two level I aquatic ecoregions and five level II aquatic subecoregions in the Taihu Lake watershed were summarized, showing that there were significant differences in topography, socio-economic development, water quality and aquatic ecology, etc. The results of quantitative comparison of aquatic life also indicated that the dominant species of fish, benthic density, biomass, dominant species, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Margalef species richness index, Pielou evenness index and ecological dominance showed great spatial variability between the two level I aquatic ecoregions and five level II aquatic subecoregions. It reflected the spatial heterogeneities and the uneven natures of aquatic ecosystems in the Taihu Lake watershed.
Gao, Yongnian; Gao, Junfeng; Chen, Jiongfeng; Xu, Yan; Zhao, Jiahu
Combined effects of global climate change and regional ecosystem drivers on an exploited marine food web.
Changes in climate, in combination with intensive exploitation of marine resources, have caused large-scale reorganizations in many of the world's marine ecosystems during the past decades. The Baltic Sea in Northern Europe is one of the systems most affected. In addition to being exposed to persistent eutrophication, intensive fishing, and one of the world's fastest rates of warming in the last two decades of the 20th century, accelerated climate change including atmospheric warming and changes in precipitation is projected for this region during the 21st century. Here, we used a new multimodel approach to project how the interaction of climate, nutrient loads, and cod fishing may affect the future of the open Central Baltic Sea food web. Regionally downscaled global climate scenarios were, in combination with three nutrient load scenarios, used to drive an ensemble of three regional biogeochemical models (BGMs). An Ecopath with Ecosim food web model was then forced with the BGM results from different nutrient-climate scenarios in combination with two different cod fishing scenarios. The results showed that regional management is likely to play a major role in determining the future of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. By the end of the 21st century, for example, the combination of intensive cod fishing and high nutrient loads projected a strongly eutrophicated and sprat-dominated ecosystem, whereas low cod fishing in combination with low nutrient loads resulted in a cod-dominated ecosystem with eutrophication levels close to present. Also, nonlinearities were observed in the sensitivity of different trophic groups to nutrient loads or fishing depending on the combination of the two. Finally, many climate variables and species biomasses were projected to levels unseen in the past. Hence, the risk for ecological surprises needs to be addressed, particularly when the results are discussed in the ecosystem-based management context. PMID:23818413
Niiranen, Susa; Yletyinen, Johanna; Tomczak, Maciej T; Blenckner, Thorsten; Hjerne, Olle; Mackenzie, Brian R; Müller-Karulis, Bärbel; Neumann, Thomas; Meier, H E Markus
Comparison of methods for integrating biological and physical data for marine habitat mapping and classification
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
An important first step in marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based management efforts is the creation of benthic habitat maps that allow scientists and managers to understand the distribution of living and non-living resources on the seafloor. However, the location of boundaries between and composition of habitats is highly dependent on the approach taken to integrate abiotic and biotic information. The purpose of this study was to test "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches for integrating physical and biological data derived from commonly used sub-tidal benthic mapping tools to create a habitat map compatible with the US Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS). We found that a top-down framework, where we tested for differences in macrofauna assemblages among side scan sonar facies, defined two broad-scale and general habitats. Using the bottom-up approach, where patterns in abiotic and biotic variables were examined with multivariate statistics (BEST, LINKTREE, ANOSIM, SIMPER), we generated seven biotopes based on the macrofauna abundance, percent sand, water depth, and backscatter standard deviation that corresponded well to, but provided more fine-scale detail than the top-down habitats. We were able to use the statistical relationship between abiotic variables and macrofauna assemblages in the LINKTREE to predict the spatial distribution of assemblages over ˜50% of the study area. We created a local catalogue of biotopes specific to our study area that contributes to the CMECS library. In addition, we were able to fully map CMECS Geoform, Surface Geology, and Biotic Cover Components. This mapping effort represented real progress toward reconciling the "data density mismatch" between physical and biological mapping methods, and it provided further evidence that using a bottom-up methodology preserves species-environment relationships.
Shumchenia, E. J.; King, J. W.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This online newsletter archive provides back issues, April 1990 to December 2001, of Marine Notes in downloadable PDF format. Articles cover news of research, education and outreach services of Maryland Sea Grant. Topics include: fisheries management, issues and advances; biology of keystone species like blue crabs, oysters, seagrasses, striped bass; coastal zone management; Chesapeake Bay habitats and restoration; seafood; aquaculture; impacts of exotic species; coastal history; and more.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This online newsletter archive provides back issues, April 1990 to December 2001, of Marine Notes in downloadable PDF format. Articles cover news of research, education and outreach services of Maryland Sea Grant. Topics include: fisheries management, issues and advances; biology of keystone species like blue crabs, oysters, seagrasses, striped bass; coastal zone management; Chesapeake Bay habitats and restoration; seafood; aquaculture; impacts of exotic species; coastal history; and more.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
In this activity students will perform experiments to examine if debris will float, or blow in the wind. They will discover which characteristics of trash affect the likelihood that it will become marine debris. Trash that floats or is easily blown around is more likely to become marine debris. As a result of this activity students will be able to define marine debris and categorize different types of debris.
Museum, Bishop
Marine biodiversity characteristics.
Oceans contain the largest living volume of the "blue" planet, inhabited by approximately 235-250,000 described species, all groups included. They only represent some 13% of the known species on the Earth, but the marine biomasses are really huge. Marine phytoplankton alone represents half the production of organic matter on Earth while marine bacteria represent more than 10%. Life first appeared in the oceans more than 3.8 billion years ago and several determining events took place that changed the course of life, ranging from the development of the cell nucleus to sexual reproduction going through multi-cellular organisms and the capture of organelles. Of the 31 animal phyla currently listed, 12 are exclusively marine phyla and have never left the ocean. An interesting question is to try to understand why there are so few marine species versus land species? This pattern of distribution seems pretty recent in the course of Evolution. From an exclusively marine world, since the beginning until 440 million years ago, land number of species much increased 110 million years ago. Specific diversity and ancestral roles, in addition to organizational models and original behaviors, have made marine organisms excellent reservoirs for identifying and extracting molecules (>15,000 today) with pharmacological potential. They also make particularly relevant models for both fundamental and applied research. Some marine models have been the source of essential discoveries in life sciences. From this diversity, the ocean provides humankind with renewable resources, which are highly threatened today and need more adequate management to preserve ocean habitats, stocks and biodiversity. PMID:21640952
Boeuf, Gilles
This book discusses both taxonomic and ecological topics on marine biology. Full coverage of marine organisms of all five kingdoms is provided, along with interesting and thorough discussion of all major marine habitats. Organization into six major parts allows flexibility. It also provides insight into important topics such as disposal of nuclear waste at sea, the idea that life began on the ocean floor, and how whales, krill, and people interact. A full-color photo chapter reviews questions, and exercises. The contents are: an overview marine biology: fundamental concepts/investigating life in the ocean; the physical ocean, the ocean floor, the nature of water, the nature and motion of ocean water; general ecology, conditions for life in the sea, biological productivity and energy transfer; marine organisms; monera, protista, mycota and metaphyta; the smaller marine animals, the large animals marine habitats, the intertidal zone/benthos of the continental shelf, the photic zone, the deep ocean, the ocean under stress, marine pollution, appendix a: the metric system and conversion factors/ appendix b: prefixes and suffixes/ appendix c: taxonomic classification of common marine organisms, and glossary, and index.
Thurman, H.V.; Webber, H.H.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Visitors to this resource will find information about U.S. marine sanctuaries - their history and current management, their scientific and educational programs, and their continuing efforts to conserve our nation's ocean and coastal treasures. A national calendar provides information on the many exciting events that take place in the sanctuaries throughout the year. Within the 13 sections of the site, users will discover a vast range of marine creatures, habitats, historical artifacts, and flourishing maritime cultures. These include the breeding and calving grounds of giant humpback whales around Hawaii, the remains of an 18th century shipwreck (the Monitor), and thriving coral reef colonies and kelp forests.
Conservation and Management of the Living Marine Resources of Fire Island National Seashore. (Fire Island National Seashore Science Synthesis Paper).
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) is scheduled to begin preparation of a new General Management Plan (GMP) in the near future. A GMP outlines how natural and cultural resources, public uses, and park operations should be managed over the next several d...
D. O. Conover R. Cerrato W. Wise
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This video explains the concept of marine reserves, protected areas where fish and other species are allowed to live longer and grow larger. Other topics include sustainable fishing practices, and a case study about a marine reserve established by fishermen off the Canary Islands.
The Effects of Fishing on Marine Ecosystems
We review the effects of fishing on benthic fauna, habitat, diversity, community structure and trophic interactions in tropical, temperate and polar marine environments and consider whether it is possible to predict or manage fishing-induced changes in marine ecosystems. Such considerations are timely given the disillusionment with some fishery management strategies and that policy makers need a scientific basis for deciding
Simon Jennings; Michel J. Kaiser
Do Commercial Fishers Aggregate around Marine Reserves? Evidence from Big Creek Marine Ecological Reserve, Central California
Marine reserves have been widely touted as a promising strategy for managing fisheries and protecting marine biodiversity. However, their establishment can involve substantial social conflict and may not produce the anticipated biological and economic benefits. A crucial factor associated with the success of marine reserves for enhancing fisheries and protecting biodiversity is the spatial distribution of fishing activity. Fishers may
Chris Wilcox; Caroline Pomeroy
A crisis in waste management, economic vitality, and a coastal marine environment: Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay
Discharge of sewage sludge and effluent from 43 communities in the greater Boston metropolitan area has helped make the harbor one of the most polluted in the nation. As part of a court-mandated plan to end pollution of the harbor, effluent will no longer be discharged into the harbor, but instead, by 1995 it will be discharged into Massachusetts Bay through a record-long 15.34 km tunnel. By the year 2000 all of the sewage is scheduled to recive full secondary treatment. The public is concerned about long-term effects of the new ocean outfall on the environment, including Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank, which is an important habitat for whales and a newly designated national marine sanctuary. The bay has been additionally stressed by dumping of low-level radioactive and other hazardous wastes during the 1950s and 1960s. -from Authors
Manheim, F. T.; Butman, B.
Eco-floristic sectors and deforestation threats in Sumatra: identifying new conservation area network priorities for ecosystem-based land use planning
Biogeographical studies are a necessary step in establishing conservation area networks. Determining the ecological factors\\u000a influencing vegetation is also a basic principle for hierarchical ecological classifications and a necessary prerequisite\\u000a for ecosystem-based land use planning. Eco-floristic sectors (EFS) have already been identified for the Indonesian island\\u000a of Sumatra, combining both approaches, dividing it into 38 EFSs representing unique ecosystems in
Yves LaumonierYumiko; Yumiko Uryu; Michael Stüwe; Arif Budiman; Budi Setiabudi; Oki Hadian
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Marine debris is an environmental problem of global importance, enlisting the concern and action of scientists, policy makers, as well as the general public. This three-lesson kit focuses primarily on plastic marine debris. Students critically examine data and samples and take part in activities that explore the causes, geographical distribution, and biological impacts of marine debris. Each lesson can be completed in about 50-60 minutes, but many of the activities are discrete and can be easily rearranged to fit various curricular objectives and time constraints.
University of South Carolina: Marine Science Program
NSDL National Science Digital Library
USC's program is among the few providing marine/ocean degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Interdisciplinary curricula for Bachelor of Science degrees are offered in biology, chemistry, geology, physical oceanography, coastal resources management/marine affairs. Master of Science and Ph.D. programs are offered in marine biology/biological oceanography, marine chemistry/chemical oceanography, marine geology/geological oceanography, physical oceanography/atmospheric dynamics. Site covers: degree and course requirements; faculty profiles and research facilities; career potential; admissions, application and scholarship information.
Identifying appropriate spatial scales for marine conservation and management using a larval dispersal model: The case of Concholepas concholepas (loco) in Chile
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Along the coast of Chile, fisheries targeting the marine gastropod Concholepas concholepas, commonly named "loco", were highly valuable until the end of the 80s when catches declined significantly. Since the late 90s, a management plan based on territorial-user-rights areas has been implemented, with limited effect on stock recovery. More effective loco conservation and management is impeded by lack of information regarding connectivity via larval dispersal between these individually-managed areas. To develop a regional view of loco connectivity, we integrate loco life history information into a biophysical, individual-based larval dispersal model. This model is used to evaluate scales of loco connectivity and seasonality in connectivity patterns, as well as to partition the coast into largely disconnected subpopulations using a recently developed connectivity-matrix clustering algorithm. We find mean dispersal distances ranging from 170 to 220 km depending on release depth of larvae and planktonic larval duration. Settlement success levels depend quantitatively on the physical and biological processes included in the model, but connectivity patterns remain qualitatively similar. Model estimates of settlement success peak for larval release dates in late austral autumn, consistent with field results and with favorable conditions for larval coastal retention due to weak upwelling during austral autumn. Despite the relatively homogeneous Chilean coastline, distinct subpopulations with minimal connectivity between them are readily identifiable. Barriers to connectivity that are robust to changes in model configuration exist at 23°S and 29°S latitudes. These zones are all associated with important headlands and embayments of the Chilean coast.
Garavelli, Lysel; Kaplan, David Michael; Colas, François; Stotz, Wolfgang; Yannicelli, Beatriz; Lett, Christophe
The use of a predictive habitat model and a fuzzy logic approach for marine management and planning.
Bottom trawl survey data are commonly used as a sampling technique to assess the spatial distribution of commercial species. However, this sampling technique does not always correctly detect a species even when it is present, and this can create significant limitations when fitting species distribution models. In this study, we aim to test the relevance of a mixed methodological approach that combines presence-only and presence-absence distribution models. We illustrate this approach using bottom trawl survey data to model the spatial distributions of 27 commercially targeted marine species. We use an environmentally- and geographically-weighted method to simulate pseudo-absence data. The species distributions are modelled using regression kriging, a technique that explicitly incorporates spatial dependence into predictions. Model outputs are then used to identify areas that met the conservation targets for the deployment of artificial anti-trawling reefs. To achieve this, we propose the use of a fuzzy logic framework that accounts for the uncertainty associated with different model predictions. For each species, the predictive accuracy of the model is classified as 'high'. A better result is observed when a large number of occurrences are used to develop the model. The map resulting from the fuzzy overlay shows that three main areas have a high level of agreement with the conservation criteria. These results align with expert opinion, confirming the relevance of the proposed methodology in this study. PMID:24146867
Hattab, Tarek; Ben Rais Lasram, Frida; Albouy, Camille; Sammari, Chérif; Romdhane, Mohamed Salah; Cury, Philippe; Leprieur, Fabien; Le Loc'h, François
Optimal Assignment of Marine Recruits to Occupational Training.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This thesis presents a computer based multiobjective optimization model to help Manpower Management Enlisted Assignment Branch at Headquarters Marine Corps to assign Marine recruits to occupational training. The model is a zero-one integer program. It is ...
W. F. Maskos
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The marine climatology of New York Bight is presented both as summaries of available data on those meteorological variables that make up the climate and as interactive processes among land, sea, and air that influence the meteorological variables and prod...
B. Lettau W. A. Brower R. G. Quayle
A marine structure is described having a base and a foundation means projecting downwardly from the base for pressing into the sea bed. The foundation comprises a wall system with pile means on both sides of the wall(s).
Olsen, O.
Use of focal species in marine conser7ation and management: ar e7iew and critique
Focal species (i.e. indicators, keystones, umbrellas, and flagships) have been advocated for the management and conservation of natural environments. 2. The assumption has been that the presence or abundance of a focal species is a means to understanding the composition and:or state of the more complex community. 3. We review the characteristics of focal species, and evaluate their appropriateness and
\\u000a As a family of proteins with unique structural features, marine invertebrate collagens have been a focus of structure–function\\u000a correlation studies as well as studies interrelating successive levels of structural organization, from the amino acid sequence\\u000a to the anatomically defined fibril. Structural and biochemical peculiarities of marine invertebrates collagens isolated from\\u000a sponges, jellyfishes, molluscs, and echinoderms as well as perspectives of
Hermann Ehrlich
NSDL National Science Digital Library
In the wild, small crustaceans known as brine shrimp live in marine habitats such as saltwater lakes. In this activity, learners create a saltwater or marine ecosystem that becomes an experimental brine shrimp hatchery. Learners observe the brine shrimp life cycle and test the effect of salinity (salt content) on brine shrimp eggs and larvae, as well as consider the potential impact of other variables such as water temperature and pollution.
Jersey, New; Center, Liberty S.; Coalition, New J.
No-take Reserve Networks: Sustaining Fishery Populations and Marine Ecosystems
Improved management approaches are needed to reduce the rate at which humans are depleting exploited marine populations and degrading marine ecosystems. Networks of no-take marine reserves are promising management tools because of their potential to (1) protect coastal ecosys- tem structure and functioning, (2) benefit exploited populations and fisheries, (3) improve scientif- ic understanding of marine ecosystems, and (4) provide
Steven N. Murray; Richard F. Ambrose; James A. Bohnsack; Louis W. Botsford; Mark H. Carr; Gary E. Davis; Paul K. Dayton; Dan Gotshall; Don R. Gunderson; Mark A. Hixon; Jane Lubchenco; Marc Mangel; Alec MacCall; Deborah A. McArdle; John C. Ogden; Joan Roughgarden; Richard M. Starr; Mia J. Tegner; Mary M. Yoklavich
Management of exogenous threats to Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands: balancing risks from TBT and non-indigenous marine organisms.
The discovery of high levels of tributyltin compounds in Antarctic marine sediments has prompted managers to consider the banning of such substances in this region. We propose that the banning of antifouling coatings may result in an increase in the risk of non-indigenous species invasions. Our studies show that un-treated vessels carry a more diverse community of fouling organisms than treated hulls on which fouling is restricted to specific untreated niches. Up to 40% of the species recruited to the hulls of Southern Ocean vessels are species with invasive histories. Viable fouling assemblages can survive prolonged voyages to high-latitude coastlines, yet passage through sea-ice may remove fouling communities due to mechanical abrasion reducing the hazard of introductions to ice-bound coastlines. The banning of antifouling compounds may be of particular concern for the ice-free sub-Antarctic islands which represent a common anchorage point for vessels on-route to Antarctica. PMID:15556186
Lewis, Patrick N; Riddle, Martin J; Hewitt, Chad L
Malaria is an infectious disease causing at least 1 million deaths per year, and, unfortunately, the chemical entities available to treat malaria are still too limited. In this review we highlight the contribution of marine chemistry in the field of antimalarial research by reporting the most important results obtained until the beginning of 2009, with particular emphasis on recent discoveries. About 60 secondary metabolites produced by marine organisms have been grouped into three structural types and discussed in terms of their reported antimalarial activities. The major groups of metabolites include isonitrile derivatives, alkaloids and endoperoxide derivatives. The following discussion evidences that antimalarial marine molecules can efficiently integrate the panel of lead compounds isolated from terrestrial sources with new chemical backbones and, sometimes, with unique functional groups.
Fattorusso, Ernesto; Taglialatela-Scafati, Orazio
Incorporating biogeography into evaluations of the Channel Islands marine reserve network
Networks of marine reserves are increasingly a major component of many ecosystem-based management plans designed to conserve biodiversity, protect the structure and function of ecosystems, and rebuild and sustain fisheries. There is a growing need for scientific guidance in the design of network-wide monitoring programs to evaluate the efficacy of reserves at meeting their conservation and management goals. Here, we present an evaluation of the Channel Islands reserve network, which was established in 2003 off the coast of southern California. This reserve network spans a major environmental and biogeographic gradient, making it a challenge to assess network-wide responses of many species. Using fish community structure data from a long-term, large-scale monitoring program, we first identified persistent geographic patterns of community structure and the scale at which sites should be grouped for analysis. Fish communities differed most among islands with densities of individual species varying from 3- to 250-fold. Habitat structure differed among islands but not based on reserve status. Across the network, we found that, after 5 years, species targeted by fishing had higher densities (1.5×) and biomass (1.8×) inside reserves, whereas nontargeted species showed no significant differences. Examining trophic groups, piscivore and carnivore biomass was significantly greater inside reserves (1.8× and 1.3× more, respectively), whereas the biomass of planktivores and herbivores was similar inside and out. A framework for incorporating biogeographic variation into reserve network assessments is critical as we move from the evaluation of single reserves to networks of reserves.
Hamilton, Scott L.; Caselle, Jennifer E.; Malone, Dan P.; Carr, Mark H.
Ghent University: Marine Biology Section
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This website features Ghent University's Marine Biology Section. The Section's homepage links to information on research, publications, section staff, and more. Involved in marine ecosystem research since the 1970s, some of the Marine Biology Section's current interests include: Atlantic Ocean Deep-sea Areas, Biology of the Antartic Meiobenthos, Ecology of Tropical Estuaries and Lagoons, Ecophysiology of Meiobenthos, and more. The site links to basic information about recent research projects as well as information on environmental management research for coastal zones, sampling and analyses equipment, and one available database focusing on marine Nematoda and Mysida. The site provides research interests and contact information for faculty, and a list of publications and Ph.D. Theses from 1969-2003 (with PDF files for publication abstracts from 1994 on). The site also offers a list of relevant links.
Italian marine reserve effectiveness: Does enforcement matter?
Marine protected areas (MPAs) have become popular tools worldwide for ecosystem conservation and fishery management. Fish assemblages can benefit from protection provided by MPAs, especially those that include fully no-take reserves. Fish response to protection can thus be used to evaluate the effectiveness of marine reserves. Most target fish are high-level predators and their overfishing may affect entire communities through
Paolo Guidetti; Marco Milazzo; Simona Bussotti; Andrea Molinari; Matteo Murenu; Antonio Pais; Nunziacarla Spanò; Raffaella Balzano; Tundi Agardy; Ferdinando Boero; Giancarlo Carrada; Riccardo Cattaneo-Vietti; Angelo Cau; Renato Chemello; Silvestro Greco; Antonio Manganaro; Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara; Giovanni Fulvio Russo; Leonardo Tunesi
The Relative Impact of Warming and Removing Top Predators on the Northeast US Large Marine Biotic Community
Ecosystem-based fisheries management necessitates that we take a more holistic view of the many factors affecting ecosystems. All too often, perturbations to fisheries ecosystems are studied in isolation even though there may be important interactions among them that yield unexpe...
NSDL National Science Digital Library
With some knowledge of MatLab, Mathcad, Maple, or Mathmatica, one should be able to carry out a short study of the relationship between concentration of a marine pollutant and shell thickness of mussels and practice writing about the results of a mathematical study.
Smith, David
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Created by William Barker and David Smith for the Connected Curriculum Project, this module enables the user to carry out a short study of the relationship between concentration of a marine pollutant and shell thickness of mussels; to practice writing about the results of a mathematical study. This is one within a much larger set of learning modules hosted by Duke University.
Barker, William; Smith, David
Mariner was the name given to the earliest set of American space missions to explore the planets and to the spacecraft developed to carry them out. The missions were planned and executed by the JET PROPULSION LABORATORY (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology, which had been designated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as its lead center
C. Snyder
Polysyncraton lacazei is a colonial tunicate (family didemnidae) living in the NW-mediterranean rocky sublitoral. A thorough scanning of numerous colonies revealed that in spite of an apparently heavy local fouling pressure only one fouling species — a kamptozoan — is encountered with some regularity on Polysyncraton. We try to define the epibiotic situation of sessile marine organisms as composed of
Martin Wahl; Francoise Lafargue
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
This curriculum guide provides materials for a competency-based course in marine trades at the secondary level. The curriculum design uses the curriculum infused model for the teaching of basic skills as part of vocational education and demonstrates the relationship of vocationally related skills to communication, mathematics, and science…
Abbott, Alan
75 FR 35330 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...the following South Atlantic fishery management plans (FMPs): The FMP for Coral, Coral reefs, and Live/Hard Bottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region (Coral FMP); the FMP for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery off the Atlantic States...
75 FR 14548 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...the following South Atlantic fishery management plans (FMPs): The FMP for Coral, Coral reefs, and Live/Hard Bottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region (Coral FMP); the FMP for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery off the Atlantic States...
75 FR 9864 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...the following South Atlantic fishery management plans (FMPs): the FMP for Coral, Coral reefs, and Live/Hard Bottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region (Coral FMP); the FMP for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery off the Atlantic States...
Annual report of the Marine Mammal Commission, Calendar Year 1984. Report to Congress
Contents include: reauthorization and amendment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act; research and studies program; international aspects of marine mammal protection and conservation; marine mammal/fishery interactions; incidental take of marine mammals in the course of commercial fishing operations; species of special concern; marine mammal management in Alaska; Outer Continental Shelf oil, gas, and hard minerals development; marine mammal maintenance standards and regulations; permit process.
Not Available
User Fee System for Marine Ecotourism: The Tubbataha Reef Experience
The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea, Philippines, is an offshore marine protected area well known throughout the scuba diving community for its coral reefs and marine diversity. To address the perennial problem of park financing, the Tubbataha Management Board developed a fee collection and permit system in cooperation with the diving
Use of Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) to Complement the Management by Objectives (MBO) and Fitness Report Components of the Marine Corps Performance Evaluation System.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This thesis identifies problems with the Marine Corps' performance appraisal system, and proposes a solution, the focus of which is behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS). The problems are: (1) failure to attain performance counseling objectives, (2) ...
J. W. Murphy
Marine Program Annual Report 1973.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
This report describes the activities of a program designed to develop the information and systems necessary for managing the Continental Shelf and Coastal Zone of Northern New England. Ten research areas or projects are discussed: aquaculture, biology and ecology, coastal oceanography, buoy systems studies, man in the sea, marine platforms and…
New Hampshire Univ., Durham. Marine Program.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Located in Newport News, Virginia, the Mariner's Museum is one of the largest international maritime history museums filled to the crow's nest with prized artifacts that celebrate the spirit of seafaring adventure. Site features eight online exhibitions including: The Age of Exploration, the USS Monitor, Chesapeake Bay, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and more. Also includes visitor information, permanent and temporary museum exhibit information, and an image collection.
Marine reserves: size and age do matter.
Marine reserves are widely used throughout the world to prevent overfishing and conserve biodiversity, but uncertainties remain about their optimal design. The effects of marine reserves are heterogeneous. Despite theoretical findings, empirical studies have previously found no effect of size on the effectiveness of marine reserves in protecting commercial fish stocks. Using 58 datasets from 19 European marine reserves, we show that reserve size and age do matter: Increasing the size of the no-take zone increases the density of commercial fishes within the reserve compared with outside; whereas the size of the buffer zone has the opposite effect. Moreover, positive effects of marine reserve on commercial fish species and species richness are linked to the time elapsed since the establishment of the protection scheme. The reserve size-dependency of the response to protection has strong implications for the spatial management of coastal areas because marine reserves are used for spatial zoning. PMID:18294212
Claudet, Joachim; Osenberg, Craig W; Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro; Domenici, Paolo; García-Charton, José-Antonio; Pérez-Ruzafa, Angel; Badalamenti, Fabio; Bayle-Sempere, Just; Brito, Alberto; Bulleri, Fabio; Culioli, Jean-Michel; Dimech, Mark; Falcón, Jesús M; Guala, Ivan; Milazzo, Marco; Sánchez-Meca, Julio; Somerfield, Paul J; Stobart, Ben; Vandeperre, Frédéric; Valle, Carlos; Planes, Serge
Provenance for actionable data products and indicators in marine ecosystem assessments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ecosystem-based management of Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) involves the sharing of data and information products among a diverse set of stakeholders - from environmental and fisheries scientists to policy makers, commercial entities, nonprofits, and the public. Often the data products that are shared have resulted from a number of processing steps and may also have involved the combination of a number of data sources. The traceability from an actionable data product or indicator back to its original data source(s) is important not just for trust and understanding of each final data product, but also to compare with similar data products produced by the different stakeholder groups. For a data product to be traceable, its provenance, i.e., lineage or history, must be recorded and preferably machine-readable. We are collaborating on a use case to develop a software framework for the bi-annual Ecosystem Status Report (ESR) for the U.S. Northeast Shelf LME. The ESR presents indicators of ecosystem status including climate forcing, primary and secondary production, anthropogenic factors, and integrated ecosystem measures. Our software framework retrieves data, conducts standard analyses, provides iterative and interactive visualization, and generates final graphics for the ESR. The specific process for each data and information product is updated in a metadata template, including data source, code versioning, attribution, and related contextual information suitable for traceability, repeatability, explanation, verification, and validation. Here we present the use of standard metadata for provenance for data products in the ESR, in particular the W3C provenance (PROV) family of specifications, including the PROV-O ontology which maps the PROV data model to RDF. We are also exploring extensions to PROV-O in development (e.g., PROV-ES for Earth Science Data Systems, D-PROV for workflow structure). To associate data products in the ESR to domain-specific ontologies we are also exploring the Global Change Information System ontology, BCO-DMO Ocean Data Ontology, and other relevant published ontologies (e.g., Integrated Ocean Observing System ontology). We are also using the mapping of ISO 19115-2 Lineage to PROV-O and comparing both strategies for traceability of marine ecosystem indicators. The use of standard metadata for provenance for data products in the ESR will enable the transparency, and ultimately reproducibility, endorsed in the recent NOAA Information Quality Guidelines. Semantically enabling not only the provenance but also the data products will yield a better understanding of the connected web of relationships between marine ecosystem and ocean health assessments conducted by different stakeholder groups.
Beaulieu, S. E.; Maffei, A. R.; Fox, P. A.; West, P.; Di Stefano, M.; Hare, J. A.; Fogarty, M.
Marine spatial planning in practice
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Multiple competing uses of continental-shelf environments have led to a proliferation of marine spatial planning initiatives, together with expert guidance on marine spatial planning. This study provides an empirical review of marine spatial plans, their attributes, and the extent to which the expert guidance is actually being followed. We performed a structured review of 16 existing marine spatial plans and created an idealized marine spatial plan from the steps included in recent expert papers. A cluster analysis of the yes/no answers to 28 questions was used to ordinate the 16 marine spatial plans and to compare them with the idealized plan. All the plans that have been implemented have a high-level government mandate and the authority to implement spatial planning vested in existing institutions. Almost all the plans used data with clear criteria for data inclusion. Stakeholders were included in almost all the plans; they did not participate in all stages of the planning process but their roles were generally clearly defined. Decision-support tools were applied inconsistently across plans and were seldom used dynamically over time. Most spatial planning processes did not select specific outcomes, such as preferred use scenarios. Success is defined inconsistently across plans; in half the cases there are no metrics of success with reference benchmarks. Although monitoring is included in the majority of plans, only in some cases do monitoring results feed back into management decisions. The process of marine spatial planning had advanced in that some of the more recent plans were developed more quickly and contain more desirable attributes than earlier plans. Even so, existing marine spatial plans are heterogeneous—there are essential ingredients, but no single recipe for success.
Collie, Jeremy S.; (Vic) Adamowicz, W. L.; Beck, Michael W.; Craig, Bethany; Essington, Timothy E.; Fluharty, David; Rice, Jake; Sanchirico, James N.
Uncertainties in projected impacts of climate change on European agriculture and terrestrial ecosystems based on scenarios from regional climate models
The uncertainties and sources of variation in projected impacts of climate change on agriculture and terrestrial ecosystems\\u000a depend not only on the emission scenarios and climate models used for projecting future climates, but also on the impact models\\u000a used, and the local soil and climatic conditions of the managed or unmanaged ecosystems under study. We addressed these uncertainties\\u000a by applying
J. E. Olesen; T. R. Carter; C. H. Díaz-Ambrona; S. Fronzek; T. Heidmann; T. Hickler; T. Holt; M. I. Minguez; P. Morales; J. P. Palutikof; M. Quemada; M. Ruiz-Ramos; G. H. Rubæk; F. Sau; B. Smith; M. T. Sykes
Marine and ice landscapes of the Arctic and Sub-arctic in the course of towering industrial activity: ability of the management with using documentation facilities of satellite ecological criminalistics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
In our studies we are following for the classification of the marine and ice landscapes of the Arctic that was suggested by prof. Ye.S. Korotkevich who had provided summarizing results of the long-term in situ field experiments and airborne studies that was fulfilled by scientists of Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) under his leadership in Russian Arctic after the 2-nd World War. But satellite multispectral observations show significant temporal and spatial modification of the suggested scheme especially for Arctic ice landscapes that had occurred in nowadays due to the climate change and anthropogenic press. Design main principle and rules of satellite ecological criminalistics - science of crime detection of ecocatastrophe and incidents on sea and fresh waters with using aerospace survey as well for the control, for the management and the preventing of ecological instability of the marine and lakes ecosystems was done by Academician Kirill Kondratiev together with his apprentices and follower in 1970-s. In frame proposed paper we shall present results of our comprehensive satellite-airborne studies of the marine and ice landscapes as well discuss the incidents that happened in Arctic inside the inland and international waters in past and present days and were revealed with using multispectral remote sensing. But for all that we need to mention that our contemporary investigations are based on the all-weather satellite ERS-1/2 - Envisat - RADARSAT SAR survey archived since 1990-s by SUAI and NERSC/NIERSC.
Melentyev, Vladimir; Vladimirovich Melentyev, Konstantin; Petterssen, Lasse Herbert; Andreevna Zakharova, Tatiana
Marine decision aids from space
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
The article discusses satellite observation of marine environments via microwave sensors and visible/infrared measurements. Specific applications include the monitoring of physical oceanography, weather and climate, coastal processes, ice processes, and resource use management. Four types of information delivery systems are identified: direct-to-user, regional/local user, global modeling user, and research user modes. Current developments in the marine information system include onboard correlation of synthetic aperture radar images at 10 to 100 m resolutions, and the extraction of wave, ship, iceberg or areal feature information from the image or signal before correlation.
Nagler, R. G.; Durstenfeld, R.; Mccandless, S. W.
An Ecosystem-Based Intervention to Reduce HIV Transmission Risk and Increase Medication Adherence Among Prisoners Being Released to the Community
HIV+ prisoners reentering their communities are at increased risk for poor health outcomes and to transmit HIV. We report on a randomized trial comparing an ecosystem-based intervention and an individually-focused intervention for reducing HIV transmission risk and improving medication adherence. Reincarceration was considered as a secondary variable. Both groups decreased sexual risk behavior over the 12-month follow-up period. Unexpectedly, the ecosystem intervention group was less likely to be taking medication or to be adherent and more likely to have been reincarcerated. Failure to demonstrate a significant advantage of the ecosystem intervention may have resulted from the difficulty of engaging family and other ecosystem members in the intervention. Implications for developing and applying interventions for this population are discussed.
Reznick, Olga Grinstead; McCartney, Kathleen; Gregorich, Steven; Zack, Barry; Feaster, Daniel J.
Coastal Marine Institute, Annual Report 19, Calendar Year 2012.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) is a cooperative agreement between the University of Alaska and the U. S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM, formerly Minerals Management Service) to study coastal to...
R. Gradinger
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marine diesel engines are classified by speed, either large (medium speed) or very large (slow speed) with high efficiencies and burning low-quality fuel. Slow-speed engines, up to 200 rpm, are two-stroke with separate combustion chamber and sump connected by a crosshead, with trunk and system oil lubricants for each. Medium-speed diesels, 300-1500 rpm, are of conventional automotive design with one lubricant. Slow-speed engines use heavy fuel oil of much lower quality than conventional diesel with problems of deposit cleanliness, acidity production and oxidation. Lubricants are mainly SAE 30/40/50 monogrades using paraffinic basestocks. The main types of additives are detergents/dispersants, antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors, anti-wear/load-carrying/ep, pour-point depressants and anti-foam compounds. There are no simple systems for classifying marine lubricants, as for automotive, because of the wide range of engine design, ratings and service applications they serve. There are no standard tests; lubricant suppliers use their own tests or the Bolnes 3DNL, with final proof from field tests. Frequent lubricant analyses safeguard engines and require standard sampling procedures before determination of density, viscosity, flash point, insolubles, base number, water and wear metal content.
Carter, B. H.; Green, D.
An integrated approach for assessing the relative significance of human pressures and environmental forcing on the status of Large Marine Ecosystems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
An ecosystem approach to the management of the marine environment has received considerable attention over recent years. However, there are few examples which demonstrate its practical implementation. Much of this relates to the history of existing marine monitoring and assessment programmes which (for many countries) are sectoral, making it difficult to integrate monitoring data and knowledge across programmes at the operational level. To address this, a scientific expert group, under the auspices of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), prepared a plan for how ICES could contribute to the development of an Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) for the North Sea by undertaking a pilot study utilising marine monitoring data. This paper presents the main findings arising from the expert group and in particular it sets out one possible integrated approach for assessing the relative significance of environmental forcing and fishing pressure on the ecological status of the North Sea, it then compares the findings with assessments made of other Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs). We define the North Sea ecosystem on the basis of 114 state and pressure variables resolved as annual averages between 1983 and 2003 and at the spatial scale of ICES rectangles. The paper presents results of integrated time-series and spatial analysis which identifies and explains significant spatial and temporal gradients in the data. For example, a significant shift in the status of the North Sea ecosystem (based upon 114 state-pressure variables) is identified to have occurred around 1993. This corresponds to previously documented shifts in the environmental conditions (particularly sea surface temperature) and changes in the distribution of key species of plankton ( Calanus sp.), both reported to have occurred in 1989. The difference in specific timing between reported regime shifts for the North Sea may be explained, in part, by time-lag dependencies in the trophic structure of the ecosystem with shifts in higher trophic levels occurring later than 1989. By examining the connection (or relatedness) between ecosystem components (e.g. environment, plankton, fish, fishery and seabirds) for the identified regime states (1983-1993; 1993-2003) we conclude that both the North Sea pelagic and benthic parts of the ecosystem were predominantly top-down (fishery) controlled between 1983 and 1993, whereas between 1993 and 2003 the pelagic stocks shifted to a state responding mainly to bottom-up (environment) influences. However, for the demersal fish stocks between 1993 and 2003 top-down (fishery) pressure dominated even though over this period significant reductions in fishing pressure occurred. The present analysis, therefore, provides further evidence in support of the need for precautionary management measures taken in relation to setting fishery quotas.
Kenny, Andrew J.; Skjoldal, Hein Rune; Engelhard, Georg H.; Kershaw, Peter J.; Reid, James B.
Conservation Science in NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries: Description and Recent Accomplishments. Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series ONMS 06-04.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This report describes cases relating to the management of national marine sanctuaries in which certain scientific information was required so managers could make decisions that effectively protected trust resources. The cases presented represent only a fr...
S. R. Gittings
Marine Special Operations Companies Need Marine Air.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Letterman style 'Top Ten' lists were always popular with the pilots and crews of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-261. During 22D Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) workups at Fort AP Hill, Virginia, HMM-261 aircrews poked fun at the Marine Special Operatio...
M. E. Woodard
A review of initial investigations to utilize ERTS-1 data in determining the availability and distribution of living marine resources. [harvest and management of fisheries resources in Mississippi Sound and Gulf waters
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
The National Marine Fisheries Service has been studying the application of aerospace remote sensing to fisheries management and utilization for many years. The 15-month ERTS study began in July 1972 to: (1) determine the reliability of satellite and high altitude sensors to provide oceanographic parameters in coastal waters; (2) demonstrate the use of remotely-sensed oceanographic information to predict the distribution and abundance of adult menhaden; and (3) demonstrate the potential use of satellites for acquiring information for improving the harvest and management of fisheries resources. The study focused on a coastal area in the north-central portion of the Gulf of Mexico, including parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The test area used in the final analysis was the Mississippi Sound and the area outside the barrier islands to approximately the 18-meter (10-fathom) curve.
Stevenson, W. H.; Kemmerer, A. J.; Atwell, B. H.; Maughan, P. M.
Integrated Risk Administration System of Guangxi Marine Environment Disasters Based on GIS
Aim to the present administrative conditions of marine environmental disasters risk of our country, the administrative decision system of marine environmental disasters' emergency and rescue is set up based on integrating 3S (GIS, RS and GPS). Take Guangxi as the studied area, the management system is set up for managing Guangxi marine environment disasters. It may accomplish such functions as
Wang Yue; Li Hui
Marine reserves are quickly gaining popularity as a management option for marine conservation, fisheries, and other human uses of the oceans. Despite the popularity of marine reserves as a management tool, few reserves appear to have been created or designed with an understanding of how reserves affect biological factors or how reserves can be designed to meet biological goals more
Benjamin S. Halpern
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
During the last 4 years (January 1967 through December 1970) several major trends in marine geo-chemical studies in the United States can be noted, These are: (1) the intercalibration of radioactive, 'chemical,' and magnetic dating techniques in deep-sea sediments; (2) the improvement in the understanding of the major chemical controls on the composition of sea water and sediments derived from them including the carbon dioxide-calcium carbonate system; (3) the more refined application of uranium and thorium decay series nuclides to ocean circulation problems; (4) the improvement of the reliability of trace element analyses on natural waters including sea water, pore waters, and streams; and (5) the study of sources and chemical properties of detrital deep-sea deposits using isotopic, mineralogic, and chemical data.
Turekian, Karl K.
Marine Web Portal as an Interface between Users and Marine Data and Information Sources
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fundamental elements of the success of marine data and information management system and an effective support of marine and maritime economic activities are the speed and the ease with which users can identify, locate, get access, exchange and use oceanographic and marine data and information. There are a lot of activities and bodies have been identified as marine data and information users, such as: science, government and local authorities, port authorities, shipping, marine industry, fishery and aquaculture, tourist industry, environmental protection, coast protection, oil spills combat, Search and Rescue, national security, civil protection, and general public. On other hand diverse sources of real-time and historical marine data and information exist and generally they are fragmented, distributed in different places and sometimes unknown for the users. The marine web portal concept is to build common web based interface which will provide users fast and easy access to all available marine data and information sources, both historical and real-time such as: marine data bases, observing systems, forecasting systems, atlases etc. The service is regionally oriented to meet user needs. The main advantage of the portal is that it provides general look "at glance" on all available marine data and information as well as direct user to easy discover data and information in interest. It is planned to provide personalization ability, which will give the user instrument to tailor visualization according its personal needs.
Palazov, A.; Stefanov, A.; Marinova, V.; Slabakova, V.
77 FR 9211 - South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Ecosystem-Based Management Committee; King and Spanish Mackerel Committee; Shrimp Committee...provide direction to staff. 6. King and Spanish Mackerel Committee Meeting: March 6, 2012, 3 p.m. Until 5 p.m. The King and Spanish Mackerel Committee will receive...
78 FR 67127 - Caribbean Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Caribbean Fishery Management Council; Public...Caribbean Fishery Management Council's Outreach and Education Advisory Panel...Marine Outreach & Education USVI Style...Species in FMPs Management Units --PR...
Multiple methods, maps, and management applications: Purpose made seafloor maps in support of ocean management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The establishment of multibeam echosounders (MBES) as a mainstream tool in ocean mapping has facilitated integrative approaches toward nautical charting, benthic habitat mapping, and seafloor geotechnical surveys. The inherent bathymetric and backscatter information generated by MBES enables marine scientists to present highly accurate bathymetric data with a spatial resolution closely matching that of terrestrial mapping. Furthermore, developments in data collection and processing of MBES backscatter, combined with the quality of the co-registered depth information, have resulted in the increasing preferential use of multibeam technology over conventional sidescan sonar for the production of benthic habitat maps. A range of post-processing approaches can generate customized map products to meet multiple ocean management needs, thus extracting maximum value from a single survey data set. Based on recent studies over German Bank off SW Nova Scotia, Canada, we show how primary MBES bathymetric and backscatter data, along with supplementary data (i.e. in situ video and stills), were processed using a variety of methods to generate a series of maps. Methods conventionally used for classification of multi-spectral data were tested for classification of the MBES data set to produce a map summarizing broad bio-physical characteristics of the seafloor (i.e. a benthoscape map), which is of value for use in many aspects of marine spatial planning. A species-specific habitat map for the sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus was also generated from the MBES data by applying a Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) method to spatially predict habitat suitability, which offers tremendous promise for use in fisheries management. In addition, we explore the challenges of incorporating benthic community data into maps based on species information derived from a large number of seafloor photographs. Through the process of applying multiple methods to generate multiple maps for management applications, we demonstrate the efficient use of survey data sets to maximize the benefit to a wide number of potential end users, and to facilitate the move toward an ecosystem-based approach to management.
Brown, Craig J.; Sameoto, Jessica A.; Smith, Stephen J.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries website provides health advisories and closures related to seafood consumption and recreational fishing. Links are provided to the Division's programs and projects, including shellfish sanitation and management, and shellfish closures. Maps and notices regarding closures related to paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) are posted with each health notice, as well as a link to general information regarding PSP and the state's PSP monitoring program.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
The Marine Biology Web, created by veteran marine biologist Dr. Jeff Levinton of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a great educational resource for both curious students and prospective marine biologists. The Becoming a Marine Biologist page gives students frank advice, and a realistic sense of what marine biology is and what marine biologists do. This website contains a sizeable list of hyperlinked marine labs, institutes, graduate programs, and undergraduate programs. A nice list of marine biology-related internships and courses are included as well. The website also features the useful MBREFâÂÂ-A Reference Source for Marine Biology Student Research. The site even links to a system that allows visitors âÂÂto obtain tidal predictions computed by CO-OPS for more than 3000 water level stations.âÂÂ
Design and Parameterization of a Spatially Explicit Ecosystem Model of the Central California Current.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Widespread declines in the status of species and habitats in marine ecosystems have led to calls for ecosystem-scale management as a strategy to restore our oceans. Implementing ecosystem-based management requires an understanding of the complex dynamics ...
A. J. Hermann C. J. Harvey E. A. Fulton I. C. Kaplan K. N. Marshall P. J. Horne P. S. Levin
Proceedings of the Third Annual Student Symposium on Marine Affairs (University of Hawaii, Manoa Campus, January 13, 1978).
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
This volume of the proceedings of the Third Annual Student Symposium on Marine Affairs contains 32 papers in eight categories: (1) coastal zone management; (2) marine resources; (3) aquaculture; (4) alternative marine energy sources; (5) ocean engineering; (6) recreational facilities; (7) marine biology; and (8) options. The papers are the…
Predictive habitat modelling as a tool to assess the change in distribution and extent of an OSPAR priority habitat under an increased ocean temperature scenario: consequences for marine protected area networks and management.
The aims of this study were to determine the extent and distribution of an OSPAR priority habitat under current baseline ocean temperatures; to illustrate the prospect for habitat loss under a changing ocean temperature scenario; and to demonstrate the potential application of predictive habitat mapping in "future-proofing" conservation and biodiversity management. Maxent modelling and GIS environmental envelope analysis of the biogenic bed forming species, Modiolus modiolus was carried out. The Maxent model was tested and validated using 75%/25% training/test occurrence records and validated against two sampling biases (the whole study area and a 20km buffer). The model was compared to the envelope analysis and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Area Under the curve; AUC) was evaluated. The performance of the Maxent model was rated as 'good' to 'excellent' on all replicated runs and low variation in the runs was recorded from the AUC values. The extent of "most suitable", "less suitable" and "unsuitable" habitat was calculated for the baseline year (2009) and the projected increased ocean temperature scenarios (2030, 2050, 2080 and 2100). A loss of 100% of "most suitable" habitat was reported by 2080. Maintaining a suitable level of protection of marine habitats/species of conservation importance may require management of the decline and migration rather than maintenance of present extent. Methods applied in this study provide the initial application of a plausible "conservation management tool". PMID:23894298
Gormley, Kate S G; Porter, Joanne S; Bell, Michael C; Hull, Angela D; Sanderson, William G
Commercial Marine Insurance Guide.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Formerly entitled Marine Insurance Guide, the revised publication offers a check list of insurable hazards common to boat builders, boat dealers, boat service agencies, boat and yacht owners, boat yards, dry dock and boat repair services, marinas, marine ...
S. Snow N. F. Wahl
Matching marine reserve design to reserve objectives.
Recent interest in using marine reserves for marine resource management and conservation has largely been driven by the hope that reserves might counteract declines in fish populations and protect the biodiversity of the seas. However, the creation of reserves has led to dissension from some interested groups, such as fishermen, who fear that reserves will do more harm than good. These perceived differences in the effect of marine reserves on various stakeholder interests has led to a contentious debate over their merit. We argue here that recent findings in marine ecology suggest that this debate is largely unnecessary, and that a single general design of a network of reserves of moderate size and variable spacing can meet the needs and goals of most stakeholders interested in marine resources. Given the high fecundity of most marine organisms and recent evidence for limited distance of larval dispersal, it is likely that reserves can both maintain their own biodiversity and service nearby non-reserve areas. In particular, spillover of larger organisms and dispersal of larvae to areas outside reserves can lead to reserves sustaining or even increasing local fisheries. Ultimately, the success of any reserve network requires attention to the uncertainty and variability in dispersal patterns of marine organisms, clear statements of goals by all stakeholder groups and proper evaluation of reserve performance.
Halpern, Benjamin S; Warner, Robert R
Marine Conservation Biology Institute
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Stay current with the latest marine conservation issues, plus find information on workshops and job and research opportunities. Access information on the latest research, legislation, and MCBI's latest publications. Learn about marine protected areas, destructive fishing practices, endangered species, and how MCBI is advancing marine science. Features include a photo gallery, links to an abundance of worldwide external resources, and several downloadable videos.
Marine Education Materials System.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Described is a marine education materials clearinghouse, the Marine Education Materials System (MEMS). MEMS classifies marine education documents and reproduces them on microfiche for distribution. There are 25 distribution centers, each of which has a collection of documents and provides assistance on a request basis to teachers. (Author/DS)
Gammisch, Sue; Gray, Kevin
Marine & hydrokinetic technology development
The Wind and Water Power Program supports the development of marine and hydrokinetic devices, which capture energy from waves, tides, ocean currents, the natural flow of water in rivers, and marine thermal gradients, without building new dams or diversions. The program works closely with industry and the Department of Energy's national laboratories to advance the development and testing of marine
Al LiVecchi; Richard Alan Jepsen
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Stay current with the latest marine conservation issues, plus find information on workshops and job and research opportunities. Access information on the latest research, legislation, and MCI's latest publications. Learn about marine protected areas, destructive fishing practices, endangered species, and how MCI is advancing marine science. Features include a photo gallery, links to an abundance of worldwide external resources, and several downloadable videos.
A Public Sentiment Index for Ecosystem Management
Although ecosystem-based management can lead to sustainable resource use, its successful implementation depends on stakeholders'\\u000a acceptance. A framework to integrate scientific knowledge about the ecosystems with stakeholders' preferences is therefore\\u000a needed. We propose here a 'Public Sentiment Index,' or PSI, as an integration framework that combines an ecosystem model (Ecopath\\u000a with Ecosim; EwE) with a public choice model (the damage
Ratana Chuenpagdee; Lisa Liguori; Dave Preikshot; Daniel Pauly
49 CFR 1242.27 - Coal marine terminals, ore marine terminals, TOFC/COFC terminals, other marine terminals, motor...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
...2010-10-01 false Coal marine terminals, ore marine terminals, TOFC/COFC terminals, other marine terminals, motor vehicle loading... § 1242.27 Coal marine terminals, ore marine terminals, TOFC/COFC terminals, other marine terminals, motor vehicle...
49 CFR 1242.27 - Coal marine terminals, ore marine terminals, TOFC/COFC terminals, other marine terminals, motor...
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
...2009-10-01 false Coal marine terminals, ore marine terminals, TOFC/COFC terminals, other marine terminals, motor vehicle loading... § 1242.27 Coal marine terminals, ore marine terminals, TOFC/COFC terminals, other marine terminals, motor vehicle...
Adaptation to Climate Change in Marine Capture Fisheries
This Research Report responds to the challenge for marine capture fisheries of how and when to adapt to climate change. The report presents: (1) a set of fisheries climate change policy options (2) a risk and vulnerability assessment tool and management decision-making framework; and (3) ex ante and ex post climate adaptation possibilities in the marine environment. The report also
R. Quentin Grafton
National Marine Protected Areas Center Strategic Plan 2010-2015.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have long been used as a management tool for conserving marine resources. The United States (U.S.) has nearly 1,700 MPAs established by individual federal, state, territorial, tribal and local authorities for a wide range of ...
Documenting the Density of Subtidal Marine Debris across Multiple Marine and Coastal Habitats
Marine debris is recognised globally as a key threatening process to marine life, but efforts to address the issue are hampered by the lack of data for many marine habitats. By developing standardised protocols and providing training in their application, we worked with >300 volunteer divers from 11 underwater research groups to document the scale of the subtidal marine debris problem at 120 sites across >1000 km of the coast of NSW, Australia. Sampling consisted of replicated 25×5 m transects in which all debris was identified, counted, and, where appropriate, removed. Sites ranged from estuarine settings adjacent to major population centres, to offshore islands within marine parks. Estuaries and embayments were consistently found to be the most contaminated habitats. Fishing-related items (and especially monofilament and braided fishing line) were most prevalent at the majority of sites, although food and drink items were important contributors at sites adjacent to population centres. The results identified damaging interactions between marine debris and marine biota at some key locations, highlighting the need for management intervention to ensure habitat sustainability. This study reinforces the important contribution that volunteers can make to assessing conservation issues requiring broad-scale data collection. In this case, citizen scientists delivered data that will inform, and help to prioritise, management approaches at both statewide and local scales. These initial data also provide an important baseline for longer-term, volunteer-based monitoring programs.
Smith, Stephen D. A.; Edgar, Robert J.
Documenting the Density of Subtidal Marine Debris across Multiple Marine and Coastal Habitats.
Marine debris is recognised globally as a key threatening process to marine life, but efforts to address the issue are hampered by the lack of data for many marine habitats. By developing standardised protocols and providing training in their application, we worked with >300 volunteer divers from 11 underwater research groups to document the scale of the subtidal marine debris problem at 120 sites across >1000 km of the coast of NSW, Australia. Sampling consisted of replicated 25×5 m transects in which all debris was identified, counted, and, where appropriate, removed. Sites ranged from estuarine settings adjacent to major population centres, to offshore islands within marine parks. Estuaries and embayments were consistently found to be the most contaminated habitats. Fishing-related items (and especially monofilament and braided fishing line) were most prevalent at the majority of sites, although food and drink items were important contributors at sites adjacent to population centres. The results identified damaging interactions between marine debris and marine biota at some key locations, highlighting the need for management intervention to ensure habitat sustainability. This study reinforces the important contribution that volunteers can make to assessing conservation issues requiring broad-scale data collection. In this case, citizen scientists delivered data that will inform, and help to prioritise, management approaches at both statewide and local scales. These initial data also provide an important baseline for longer-term, volunteer-based monitoring programs. PMID:24743690
Smith, Stephen D A; Edgar, Robert J
Using ecological criteria as a theoretical framework, we describe the steps involved in designing a network of marine reserves for conservation and fisheries man- agement. Although we describe the case study of the Channel Islands, the approach to marine reserve design may be effective in other regions where traditional management alone does not sustain marine resources. A group of agencies,
Satie Airamé; Jenifer E. Dugan; Kevin D. Lafferty; Heather Leslie; Deborah A. McArdle; Robert R. Warner
Identifying Fish Habitats: the use of spatially explicit habitat modeling and prediction in marine research
New methods of optimally identifying and predicting marine habitat occurrence are needed to help best address management issues such as marine reserve designation, fisheries stock assessment and aquaculture planning across large areas. A combination of video sampling, acoustic remote sensing and learning-based classification methods are proposed as a means of optimally identifying marine habitats. More commonly used in the identification
Katrina Baxter; Mark Shortis
Environmental quality assessment of the marine reserves of the Tuscan Archipelago, Central Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy)
There has been a worldwide increase in the number of Marine Protected Areas and marine reserves over the last decade. In these areas, the protection measures adopted are related to specific management goals; nevertheless, actual knowledge of the effectiveness of the restrictions is far from exhaustive. This article aims to contribute to knowledge of the environmental quality of the marine
Monia Renzi; Guido Perra; Arianna Lobianco; Elena Mari; Cristiana Guerranti; Antonietta Specchiulli; Milva Pepi; Silvano Focardi
Driving across the North Yorkshire moors in the course of a working day has its attractions, but the size of the largest FHSA in England and Wales can make for communication problems that need careful handling. For Chris Town, General Manager, North Yorkshire FHSA, management is about the art of diplomacy. PMID:10119208
Town, C
Proceedings of the First Annual Student Symposium on Marine Affairs.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This first volume of the Proceedings of the First Annual Student Symposium on Marine Affairs contains twelve papers in four categories: aquaculture; coastal zone management issues; aku (skipjack) fishery; and the law of the sea issues. Portions of this do...
50 CFR 218.241 - Adaptive management.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
...MARINE MAMMALS Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals; Navy Operations of Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS LFA) Sonar § 218.241 Adaptive management. NMFS may modify (including through...
76 FR 9001 - Availability of Seat for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...noaa.gov/manage/sac.html, or Leslie Abramson, 991 Marine Dr., The Presidio...to the above address or e-mailed to firstname.lastname@example.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leslie Abramson, 991 Marine Dr., The...
Activity-Based Cost Analysis of Recruit Training Operations at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Activity-based costing has been embraced as the methodology which will be used to structure and organize cost management information for the Marine Corps. This methodology is applied to operations at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California. ...
J. J. Hansbrough
Community Involvement in Marine Protected Areas.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lists several key concepts in developing successful interpretive programs for marine protected areas with community involvement. Identifies educational tools that help foster community involvement in conservation and management. Cites three model programs. Sets standards and goals for international success including leadership, education,…
Kaza, Stephanie
Dangerous targets? Unresolved issues and ideological clashes around marine protected areas
ABSTRACT 1. While conservationists, resource managers, scientists and coastal planners have recognized the broad applicability of marine protected areas (MPAs), they are often implemented without a firm understanding,of the conservation,science } both,ecological and,socio-economic,} underlying marine,protection. The rush to implement,MPAs has set the stage for paradoxical,differences of opinions,in the marine,conservation,community. 2. The enthusiastic prescription of simplistic solutions to marine,conservation,problems,risks polarization of
Tundi Agardy; Peter Bridgewater; Michael P. Crosby; Jon Day; Paul K. Dayton; Richard Kenchington; Dan Laffoley; Patrick McConney; Peter A. Murray; John E. Parks; Lelei Peau
Global Priorities for Marine Biodiversity Conservation
In recent decades, many marine populations have experienced major declines in abundance, but we still know little about where management interventions may help protect the highest levels of marine biodiversity. We used modeled spatial distribution data for nearly 12,500 species to quantify global patterns of species richness and two measures of endemism. By combining these data with spatial information on cumulative human impacts, we identified priority areas where marine biodiversity is most and least impacted by human activities, both within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). Our analyses highlighted places that are both accepted priorities for marine conservation like the Coral Triangle, as well as less well-known locations in the southwest Indian Ocean, western Pacific Ocean, Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, and within semi-enclosed seas like the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. Within highly impacted priority areas, climate and fishing were the biggest stressors. Although new priorities may arise as we continue to improve marine species range datasets, results from this work are an essential first step in guiding limited resources to regions where investment could best sustain marine biodiversity.
Selig, Elizabeth R.; Turner, Will R.; Troeng, Sebastian; Wallace, Bryan P.; Halpern, Benjamin S.; Kaschner, Kristin; Lascelles, Ben G.; Carpenter, Kent E.; Mittermeier, Russell A.
On the optimal size of marine reserves.
The excessive and unsustainable exploitation of our marine resources has led to the promotion of marine reserves as a fisheries management tool. Marine reserves, areas in which fishing is restricted or prohibited, can offer opportunities for the recovery of exploited stock and fishery enhancement. This study examines the impact of the creation of marine protected areas, from both economic and biological perspectives. The consequences of reserve establishment on the long-run equilibrium fish biomass and fishery catch levels are evaluated. We include reserve size as control variable to maximize catch at equilibrium. A continuous time model is used to simulate the effects of reserve size on fishing catch. Fish movements between the sites is assumed to take place at a faster time scale than the variation of the stock and the change of the fleet size. We take advantage of these two time scales to derive a reduced model governing the dynamics of the total fish stock and the fishing effort. Simulation results suggest that the establishment of a protected marine reserve will always lead to an increase in total fish biomass, an optimal size of a marine reserve can achieve to maximize the catch at equilibrium. PMID:23381499
Bensenane, M; Moussaoui, A; Auger, P
Preliminary evaluation of effects of invasive tunicate management with acetic acid and calcium hydroxide on non-target marine organisms in Prince Edward Island, Canada
The proliferation of invasive tunicates in Prince Edward Island (PEI) estuaries has necessitated the development of approaches for managing tunicates that foul aquaculture structures, especially Styela clava and Ciona intestinalis. Spraying or immersion with a saturated solution of hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) or 5% acetic acid are effective against these tunicates, but are also biocidal to a variety of non-target
Andrea Locke; Kenneth G. Doe; Wayne L. Fairchild; Paula M. Jackman; Erica J. Reese
Biosurfactants from marine microorganisms
Maneerat, S. Biosurfactants from marine microorganisms Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol., 2005, 27(6) : 1263-1272 Biosurfactants are the surface-active molecules synthesized by microorganisms. With the advantage of environmental compatibility, the demand for biosurfactants has been steadily increasing and may even- tually replace their chemically synthesized counterparts. Marine biosurfactants produced by some marine microorganisms have been paid more attention, particularly for the
Suppasil Maneerat
Marine systems analysis and modeling
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oceanography and marine ecology have a considerable history in the use of computers for modeling both physical and ecological processes. With increasing stress on the marine environment due to human activities such as fisheries and numerous forms of pollution, the analysis of marine problems must increasingly and jointly consider physical, ecological and socio-economic aspects in a broader systems framework that transcends more traditional disciplinary boundaries. This often introduces difficult-to-quantify, "soft" elements, such as values and perceptions, into formal analysis. Thus, the problem domain combines a solid foundation in the physical sciences, with strong elements of ecological, socio-economic and political considerations. At the same time, the domain is also characterized by both a very large volume of some data, and an extremely datapoor situation for other variables, as well as a very high degree of uncertainty, partly due to the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of the marine environment. Consequently, marine systems analysis and management require tools that can integrate these diverse aspects into efficient information systems that can support research as well as planning and also policy- and decisionmaking processes. Supporting scientific research, as well as decision-making processes and the diverse groups and actors involved, requires better access and direct understanding of the information basis as well as easy-to-use, but powerful tools for analysis. Advanced information technology provides the tools to design and implement smart software where, in a broad sense, the emphasis is on the man-machine interface. Symbolic and analogous, graphical interaction, visual representation of problems, integrated data sources, and built-in domain knowledge can effectively support users of complex and complicated software systems. Integration, interaction, visualization and intelligence are key concepts that are discussed in detail, using an operational software example of a coastal water quality model. The model comprises components of a geographical information and mapping system, data bases, dynamic simulation models, and an integrated expert system. An interactive graphical user interface, dynamic visualization of model results, and a hyper-text-based help-and-explain system illustrate some of the features of new and powerful software tools for marine systems analysis and modeling.
Fedra, K.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
The Marine Modeling and Analysis Branch (MMAB) of the Environmental Modeling Center is responsible for the development of improved numerical weather and marine prediction modeling systems. These models provide analysis and real-time forecast guidance on marine meteorological, oceanographic, and cryospheric parameters over the global oceans and coastal areas of the US. This site provides access to MMAB modeling tools for ocean waves (including an interactive presentation,) sea ice, marine meteorology, sea surface temperature and more. The site also features a mailing list, bibliography of publications, and information about modeling products still in the experimental and development phases.
National Centers For Environmental Prediction, National O.
Yaquina Bay Marine Development Plan.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The study examines fishing, recreational and commercial, from catch to market; also retail facilities including marine repair and supply, marine oriented industrial development, and transportation related to marine oriented facilities. Phases I and II are...
The Australian Integrated Marine Observing System
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) is a 92M project established with 50M from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and co-investments from 10 operators including Universities and government agencies (see below). It is a nationally distributed set of equipment established and maintained at sea, oceanographic data and information services that collectively will contribute to meeting the needs of marine research in both open oceans and over the continental shelf around Australia. In particular, if sustained in the long term, it will permit identification and management of climate change in the marine environment, an area of research that is as yet almost a blank page, studies relevant to conservation of marine biodiversity and research on the role of the oceans in the climate system. While as an NCRIS project IMOS is intended to support research, the data streams are also useful for many societal, environmental and economic applications, such as management of offshore industries, safety at sea, management of marine ecosystems and fisheries and tourism. The infrastructure also contributes to Australia's commitments to international programs of ocean observing and international conventions, such as the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention that established the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Global Ocean Observing System and the intergovernmental coordinating activity Global Earth Observation System of Systems. IMOS is made up of nine national facilities that collect data, using different components of infrastructure and instruments, and two facilities that manage and provide access to data and enhanced data products, one for in situ data and a second for remotely sensed satellite data. The observing facilities include three for the open (bluewater) ocean (Argo Australia, Enhanced Ships of Opportunity and Southern Ocean Time Series), three facilities for coastal currents and water properties (Moorings, Ocean Gliders and HF Radar) and three for coastal ecosystems (Acoustic Tagging and Tracking, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle and a biophysical sensor network on the Great Barrier Reef). The value from this infrastructure investment lies in the coordinated deployment of a wide range of equipment aimed at deriving critical data sets that serve multiple applications. Additional information on IMOS is available at the website (http://www.imos.org.au). The IMOS Operators are Australian Institute of Marine Science, James Cook University, Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Geoscience Australia, Bureau of Meteorology, South Australia Research and Development Institute, University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Tasmania.
Proctor, R.; Meyers, G.; Roughan, M.; Operators, I.
Global Patterns in Ecological Indicators of Marine Food Webs: A Modelling Approach
Background Ecological attributes estimated from food web models have the potential to be indicators of good environmental status given their capabilities to describe redundancy, food web changes, and sensitivity to fishing. They can be used as a baseline to show how they might be modified in the future with human impacts such as climate change, acidification, eutrophication, or overfishing. Methodology In this study ecological network analysis indicators of 105 marine food web models were tested for variation with traits such as ecosystem type, latitude, ocean basin, depth, size, time period, and exploitation state, whilst also considering structural properties of the models such as number of linkages, number of living functional groups or total number of functional groups as covariate factors. Principal findings Eight indicators were robust to model construction: relative ascendency; relative overhead; redundancy; total systems throughput (TST); primary production/TST; consumption/TST; export/TST; and total biomass of the community. Large-scale differences were seen in the ecosystems of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with the Western Atlantic being more complex with an increased ability to mitigate impacts, while the Eastern Atlantic showed lower internal complexity. In addition, the Eastern Pacific was less organised than the Eastern Atlantic although both of these systems had increased primary production as eastern boundary current systems. Differences by ecosystem type highlighted coral reefs as having the largest energy flow and total biomass per unit of surface, while lagoons, estuaries, and bays had lower transfer efficiencies and higher recycling. These differences prevailed over time, although some traits changed with fishing intensity. Keystone groups were mainly higher trophic level species with mostly top-down effects, while structural/dominant groups were mainly lower trophic level groups (benthic primary producers such as seagrass and macroalgae, and invertebrates). Keystone groups were prevalent in estuarine or small/shallow systems, and in systems with reduced fishing pressure. Changes to the abundance of key functional groups might have significant implications for the functioning of ecosystems and should be avoided through management. Conclusion/significance Our results provide additional understanding of patterns of structural and functional indicators in different ecosystems. Ecosystem traits such as type, size, depth, and location need to be accounted for when setting reference levels as these affect absolute values of ecological indicators. Therefore, establishing absolute reference values for ecosystem indicators may not be suitable to the ecosystem-based, precautionary approach. Reference levels for ecosystem indicators should be developed for individual ecosystems or ecosystems with the same typologies (similar location, ecosystem type, etc.) and not benchmarked against all other ecosystems.
Heymans, Johanna Jacomina; Coll, Marta; Libralato, Simone; Morissette, Lyne; Christensen, Villy
Australia's marine virtual laboratory
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
In all modelling studies of realistic scenarios, a researcher has to go through a number of steps to set up a model in order to produce a model simulation of value. The steps are generally the same, independent of the modelling system chosen. These steps include determining the time and space scales and processes of the required simulation; obtaining data for the initial set up and for input during the simulation time; obtaining observation data for validation or data assimilation; implementing scripts to run the simulation(s); and running utilities or custom-built software to extract results. These steps are time consuming and resource hungry, and have to be done every time irrespective of the simulation - the more complex the processes, the more effort is required to set up the simulation. The Australian Marine Virtual Laboratory (MARVL) is a new development in modelling frameworks for researchers in Australia. MARVL uses the TRIKE framework, a java-based control system developed by CSIRO that allows a non-specialist user configure and run a model, to automate many of the modelling preparation steps needed to bring the researcher faster to the stage of simulation and analysis. The tool is seen as enhancing the efficiency of researchers and marine managers, and is being considered as an educational aid in teaching. In MARVL we are developing a web-based open source application which provides a number of model choices and provides search and recovery of relevant observations, allowing researchers to: a) efficiently configure a range of different community ocean and wave models for any region, for any historical time period, with model specifications of their choice, through a user-friendly web application, b) access data sets to force a model and nest a model into, c) discover and assemble ocean observations from the Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN, http://portal.aodn.org.au/webportal/) in a format that is suitable for model evaluation or data assimilation, and d) run the assembled configuration in a cloud computing environment, or download the assembled configuration and packaged data to run on any other system of the user's choice. MARVL is now being applied in a number of case studies around Australia ranging in scale from locally confined estuaries to the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. In time we expect the range of models offered will include biogeochemical models.
Proctor, Roger; Gillibrand, Philip; Oke, Peter; Rosebrock, Uwe
78 FR 49287 - Environmental Assessment for Potential Lease Issuance and Marine Hydrokinetic Technology Testing...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Management [Docket No. BOEM-2013-0007; MMAA104000] Environmental Assessment for Potential Lease Issuance and Marine Hydrokinetic Technology Testing Offshore Florida AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of...
15 CFR 922.73 - Marine reserves and marine conservation area.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
...false Marine reserves and marine conservation area. 922.73 Section...73 Marine reserves and marine conservation area. (a) Marine reserves...anchor or in transit. (b) Marine conservation area. Unless...
Monitoring Marine Microbial Fouling
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Two techniques developed for studying marine fouling. Methods originally developed to study fouling of materials used in Space Shuttle solid fuel booster rockets. Methods used to determine both relative fouling rates and efficacy of cleaning methods to remove fouling on various surfaces including paints, metals, and sealants intended for marine use.
Colwell, R.
Texas Marine Education Association
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Site features information on the Texas Marine Education Association, a conglomerate of educators from Texas and adjoining states whose goals include promoting awareness and education for the marine environment. Includes links to educator resources (Texas-specific and general), tidal information, and access to Dolphin Talk, the groups monthly newsletter. Also information on student and teacher grants and workshops.
WORM provides a generalized representation at 1:24,000 scale of commercially harvested marine worm habitat in Maine, based on Maine Department of Marine Resources data from 1970's. Original maps were created by MDMR and published by USF&WS as part of the ""&quo...
This literature review summarizes current data on the effects of pesticides and metals on marine organisms, aquatic environmental research methods, bioaccumulation of pollutants by estuarine and marine organisms and in water/sediment residues and biota. Results of studies of the ...
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This course is an introduction to the aspects of marine geology and oceanography that affect the environment and marine resources. Service-learning is an essential component of how students learn about the earth. We deliver part of the content of this course by arranging for students to solve a problem with a local community partner.
Course taught by Prof. Ed Laine, Bowdoin College (firstname.lastname@example.com) and Cathryn Field, Lab Instructor (email@example.com). Example compiled by Suzanne Savanick, Science Education Resource Center (firstname.lastname@example.com).
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
This 22-item Marine Attitude Survey was developed for use in elementary/middle schools to measure students' attitudes about various aspects of marine science. Students are asked if they agree, are not sure, or disagree with such items as: (1) the seashore is a fun place to visit; (2) if all sharks were killed, the world would be a better place;…
Hounshell, Paul B.; Hampton, Carolyn
The development of cytogenetic methods applied to cells and tissues of marine invertebrates has been hampered by (1) a lack of in vitro cell lines, (2) inadequate karyotypic information (partly as a result of too few workers chasing too many organisms), and (3) the failure of their chromosomes to band satisfactorily. Compared to mammalian cytogenetics, our knowledge of marine invertebrates
D. R. Dixon; J. T. Wilson
Biological control of marine invasive species: cautionary tales and land-based lessons
Biological control (biocontrol) has successfully regulated pest populations in terrestrial agroecosystems, but it has also caused negative unintended consequences for native species. Marine biologists and resource managers have recently published a growing number of proposals to include biocontrol in integrated pest management programs in oceans, seas and estuaries. Here, I review six ecologically and taxonomically diverse case studies of marine
David Secord
The State of the Marine Environment Report for Australia (SOMER): process, findings and perspectives
SOMER, the first comprehensive description of Australia's marine environment, human uses and impacts, and management, was produced for Australia's government to provide information for a national marine conservation plan. SOMER was based on 90 commissioned reports by 140 scientists. It consists of three Technical Annexes (31 papers); a Technical Summary intended for environmental managers; an overview of the major findings;
Leon P. Zann
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Established in 1972 under Title II of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) is primarily concerned with "the protection and conservation of marine mammals." Visitors to the site can learn more about the MMC's work, read pending and recent pieces of legislation related to the protection of marine mammals, and also look over testimony proffered to Congress by members of the MMC. Most visitors will want to look over the "Species" section as it contains information on those particular mammals that are currently covered under the Protection Act. Researchers and policy analysts will most likely want to look at the "Reports" area as well. Here they will find annual reports, workshop reports, and timely publication like February 2008's "The Biological Viability of the Most Endangered Marine Mammals and the Cost-effectiveness of Protection Programs".
A General Business Model for Marine Reserves
Marine reserves are an effective tool for protecting biodiversity locally, with potential economic benefits including enhancement of local fisheries, increased tourism, and maintenance of ecosystem services. However, fishing communities often fear short-term income losses associated with closures, and thus may oppose marine reserves. Here we review empirical data and develop bioeconomic models to show that the value of marine reserves (enhanced adjacent fishing + tourism) may often exceed the pre-reserve value, and that economic benefits can offset the costs in as little as five years. These results suggest the need for a new business model for creating and managing reserves, which could pay for themselves and turn a profit for stakeholder groups. Our model could be expanded to include ecosystem services and other benefits, and it provides a general framework to estimate costs and benefits of reserves and to develop such business models.
Sala, Enric; Costello, Christopher; Dougherty, Dawn; Heal, Geoffrey; Kelleher, Kieran; Murray, Jason H.; Rosenberg, Andrew A.; Sumaila, Rashid
Effects of marine reserves on adjacent fisheries.
Marine reserves have been widely promoted as conservation and fishery management tools. There are robust demonstrations of conservation benefits, but fishery benefits remain controversial. We show that marine reserves in Florida (United States) and St. Lucia have enhanced adjacent fisheries. Within 5 years of creation, a network of five small reserves in St. Lucia increased adjacent catches of artisanal fishers by between 46 and 90%, depending on the type of gear the fishers used. In Florida, reserve zones in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge have supplied increasing numbers of world record-sized fish to adjacent recreational fisheries since the 1970s. Our study confirms theoretical predictions that marine reserves can play a key role in supporting fisheries. PMID:11729316
Roberts, C M; Bohnsack, J A; Gell, F; Hawkins, J P; Goodridge, R
Gulf of Maine Marine Habitat Primer
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This book provides an overview of the Gulf of Maine's coastal and offshore habitats for resource managers and other coastal decision-makers in government, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and the private sector. Illustrated with color photographs and drawings, the primer describes habitat characteristics, ecological functions, economic and recreational values, human impacts, and management considerations. It is intended as a tool for resource managers, planners, legislators, conservation commissioners, NGO staff members, and other people seeking a better understanding of marine habitats from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia. The book is available in six downloadable sections, or it can be ordered as a hard copy.
Marine Biodiversity of Aotearoa New Zealand
The marine-biodiversity assessment of New Zealand (Aotearoa as known to M?ori) is confined to the 200 nautical-mile boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zone, which, at 4.2 million km2, is one of the largest in the world. It spans 30° of latitude and includes a high diversity of seafloor relief, including a trench 10 km deep. Much of this region remains unexplored biologically, especially the 50% of the EEZ deeper than 2,000 m. Knowledge of the marine biota is based on more than 200 years of marine exploration in the region. The major oceanographic data repository is the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), which is involved in several Census of Marine Life field projects and is the location of the Southwestern Pacific Regional OBIS Node; NIWA is also data manager and custodian for fisheries research data owned by the Ministry of Fisheries. Related data sources cover alien species, environmental measures, and historical information. Museum collections in New Zealand hold more than 800,000 registered lots representing several million specimens. During the past decade, 220 taxonomic specialists (85 marine) from 18 countries have been engaged in a project to review New Zealand's entire biodiversity. The above-mentioned marine information sources, published literature, and reports were scrutinized to give the results summarized here for the first time (current to 2010), including data on endemism and invasive species. There are 17,135 living species in the EEZ. This diversity includes 4,315 known undescribed species in collections. Species diversity for the most intensively studied phylum-level taxa (Porifera, Cnidaria, Mollusca, Brachiopoda, Bryozoa, Kinorhyncha, Echinodermata, Chordata) is more or less equivalent to that in the ERMS (European Register of Marine Species) region, which is 5.5 times larger in area than the New Zealand EEZ. The implication is that, when all other New Zealand phyla are equally well studied, total marine diversity in the EEZ may be expected to equal that in the ERMS region. This equivalence invites testable hypotheses to explain it. There are 177 naturalized alien species in New Zealand coastal waters, mostly in ports and harbours. Marine-taxonomic expertise in New Zealand covers a broad number of taxa but is, proportionately, at or near its lowest level since the Second World War. Nevertheless, collections are well supported by funding and are continually added to. Threats and protection measures concerning New Zealand's marine biodiversity are commented on, along with potential and priorities for future research.
Gordon, Dennis P.; Beaumont, Jennifer; MacDiarmid, Alison; Robertson, Donald A.; Ahyong, Shane T.
Is hot water immersion an effective treatment for marine envenomation?
Envenomation by marine creatures is common. As more people dive and snorkel for leisure, the incidence of envenomation injuries presenting to emergency departments has increased. Although most serious envenomations occur in the temperate or tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, North American and European waters also provide a habitat for many stinging creatures. Marine envenomations can be classified as either surface stings or puncture wounds. Antivenom is available for a limited number of specific marine creatures. Various other treatments such as vinegar, fig juice, boiled cactus, heated stones, hot urine, hot water, and ice have been proposed, although many have little scientific basis. The use of heat therapies, previously reserved for penetrating fish spine injuries, has been suggested as treatment for an increasing variety of marine envenomation. This paper reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of hot water immersion (HWI) and other heat therapies in the management of patients presenting with pain due to marine envenomation. PMID:16794088
Atkinson, P R T; Boyle, A; Hartin, D; McAuley, D
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This site explains what marine bioinvaders are, how they get to New England, where they are, and their impact on ecosystems. There are maps of introduced and cryptogenic species along the Massachusetts coast. Fact sheets and general information are provided on exotic species, sources of bioinvasion, ballast water, aquaculture, New England marine bioinvaders, and Hemigrapsus sanguineus. Educational materials are available for loan for a small fee. There are also marine bioinvaders references, conference information, and information on a program to recruit the public to locate additional sightings of exotic species.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
The Census of Marine Life is an initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans in the past, present, and future. Materials available at the census site include news articles, press releases, and other media resources such as images and video. There is an overview of the project, information on partners and sponsors, and searchable databases of publications and participants. The educational materials page features illustrated articles on marine life discoveries, the use of research techniques and technology, and links to education and outreach programs of related organizations.
78 FR 57340 - Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 7...National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National...National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is amending...address bluefin tuna management due to recent trends...of the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA) and...
Ecosystem modelling: Towards the development of a management tool for a marine coastal system part-II, ecosystem processes and biogeochemical fluxes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pagasitikos gulf is a semi-enclosed basin highly influenced both by anthropogenic activities (inflow of nutrients at the north and west parts) as well as by water exchange between the gulf and the Aegean Sea at its south part (Trikeri channel) resulting in the development of functional sub-areas within the gulf. Thus the inner part is characterised by eutrophic conditions with sporadic formation of harmful algal blooms whilst the central part acts as a buffer with mesotrophic characteristics influenced by the outer area. In a companion paper, the circulation fields and the development of water masses in the Pagasitikos gulf were explored. The aim of this study is to investigate the interactions between the physical and biogeochemical systems in the Pagasitikos gulf by coupling advanced hydrodynamic and ecological models. The simulation system comprises two on-line coupled sub-models: a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) and an ecological model adapted from the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM) for this specific ecosystem. After a model spin up period of 10 years, the results from an annual simulation are presented. Emphasis is given to the description of the spatial and temporal variability of the ecosystem parameters as well as to the relationship between physical forcing and the evolution of the ecosystem along with other factors affecting the nutrient cycling and primary production. A cost function is used for the validation of model results with field data. Simulation results are in good agreement with in-situ data illustrating the role of the physical processes in determining the evolution and variability of the ecosystem, as well as highlighting the potential usefulness of the model as an operational tool to support environmental management decisions.
Petihakis, G.; Triantafyllou, G.; Korres, G.; Tsiaras, K.; Theodorou, A.
Marine bioacoustics and technology: The new world of marine acoustic ecology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marine animals use sound for communication, navigation, predator avoidance, and prey detection. Thus the rise in acoustic energy associated with increasing human activity in the ocean has potential to impact the lives of marine animals. Thirty years ago marine bioacoustics primarily focused on evaluating effects of human-generated sound on hearing and behavior by testing captive animals and visually observing wild animals. Since that time rapidly changing electronic and computing technologies have yielded three tools that revolutionized how bioacousticians study marine animals. These tools are (1) portable systems for measuring electrophysiological auditory evoked potentials, (2) miniaturized tags equipped with positioning sensors and acoustic recording devices for continuous short-term acoustical observation rather than intermittent visual observation, and (3) passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems for remote long-term acoustic observations at specific locations. The beauty of these breakthroughs is their direct applicability to wild animals in natural habitats rather than only to animals held in captivity. Hearing capabilities of many wild species including polar bears, beaked whales, and reef fishes have now been assessed by measuring their auditory evoked potentials. Miniaturized acoustic tags temporarily attached to an animal to record its movements and acoustic environment have revealed the acoustic foraging behavior of sperm and beaked whales. Now tags are being adapted to fishes in effort to understand their behavior in the presence of noise. Moving and static PAM systems automatically detect and characterize biological and physical features of an ocean area without adding any acoustic energy to the environment. PAM is becoming a powerful technique for understanding and managing marine habitats. This paper will review the influence of these transformative tools on the knowledge base of marine bioacoustics and elucidation of relationships between marine animals and their acoustic environment, leading to a new, rapidly growing field of marine acoustic ecology.
Hastings, Mardi C.; Au, Whitlow W. L.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
As a result of widespread ocean dumping and other pollution problems, marine scientists at Morgan State University are studying the populations of various marine organisms to determine the effects of pollution. They are also compiling data on the aging of marine organisms. There now exists a new method of determining the age of the surf clam. They are applying digital image processing to clam aging investigations. Computer creates digitized images of clam sections with annual rings. The image is enhanced -- manipulated to emphasize certain features in order to improve and amplify the information that can be extracted from the image. Also useful in other marine organisms that have growth bands making it easier to get an accurate count.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The report makes a brief presentation on toxic marine life, with emphasis on those organisms responsible for injuries and illnesses which are likely to be brought to the military medical officer for treatment. Since the sea harbors numerous potentially ha...
P. G. Linaweaver
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Detailed information on the spacecraft performance, mission operations, and tracking and data acquisition is presented for the Mariner Venus 1967 and Mariner Venus 1967 extension projects. Scientific and engineering results and conclusions are discussed, and include the scientific mission, encounter with Venus, observations near Earth, and cruise phase of the mission. Flight path analysis, spacecraft subsystems, and mission-related hardware and computer program development are covered. The scientific experiments carried by Mariner 5 were ultraviolet photometer, solar plasma probe, helium magnetometer, trapped radiation detector, S-band radio occultation, dual-frequency radio propagation, and celestial mechanics. The engineering experience gained by converting a space Mariner Mars 1964 spacecraft into one flown to Venus is also described.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Marine biotoxins, which are globally distributed, are responsible for numerous human intoxication syndromes due to the ingestion of cooked or uncooked seafood. Over 2500 cases of foodborne diseases caused by fish and shellfish toxicity were reported to th...
M. A. Poli
Marine Natural Products Revisited.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reports the chemistry of saxitoxin, a paralytic shellfish poison, and other toxins, including the structure of aplysiatoxins. Discusses the chemical signals and defense agents used in intra- and inter- species communication; anticancer agents; and organometallics in the marine environment. (MA)
Chang, Clifford W. J.
Marine petroleum source rocks are of interest not only to petroleum geologists and geochemists but also to sedimentologists, stratigraphers and many oceanographers. This book is a collection of papers which were presented at a meeting held at the Royal Society, London, which was organized by the Petroleum Geochemistry and Marine Studies Groups of the Geological Society of London, with support from the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain and various oil companies. The aim of the meeting was to bring together acknowledged experts and active workers from all the various disciplines that study marine petroleum source rocks and organic-rich marine sediments. General principles, depositional environments, especially important geographical areas and critical periods of the geological record were considered.
Brooks, J.; Fleet, A.
Hydrocarbons of Marine Phytoplankton.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The hydrocarbon contents of 23 species of algae (22 marine planktonic), belonging to 9 algal classes, were analyzed. The highly unsaturated 3,6,9,12,15,18-heneicosahexaene predominates in the Bacillariophyceae, Dinophyceae, Cryptophyceae, Haptophyceae and...
M. Blumer R. R. L. Guillard T. Chase
A marine riser base system is described comprising: a fluid-tight hull positioned on the marine bottom; a support member comprising; a platform; means for securing the platform above the hull; means on the platform adapted for securing the lower end of a marine riser to the platform; flowline connector means on the platform adapted to be connected to the lower end of a flowline carrier by the marine riser; and a means for fluidly connecting the flowline connector means on the platform to the interior of the hull through a point on the lower side of the hull; the means comprising: a length of rigid pipe having a circularly-curved portion conforming substantially to the surface of the hull and spaced therefrom. The pipe has one end fixed to the platform and has the flowline connector means thereon. Its other end is fixed to the lower side of the hull where the other end penetrates the hull.
Baugh, B.F.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The report is on the following projects in advanced marine technology: Submerged navigation and submersible instrumentation; Handling and transfer at sea; Bottom reconnaissance and a detailed site survey by research submersible; Near bottom magnetic studi...
T. C. Aldrich R. D. Ballard C. O. Brown B. P. Luyendhk M. J. McCamis
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The report is a progress report for the period 1 August 1971 - 31 January 1972 on the following projects in advanced marine technology: submerged navigation and submersible instrumentation (development of precise navigation for a small submersible), handl...
A. E. Maxwell T. C. Aldrich B. P. Luyendyk R. D. Ballard C. O. Bowin
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The report describes progress on the following projects in Advanced Marine Technology: submerged navigation and submersible instrumentation (development of precise navigation for a small submersible), handling and transfer at sea (use of energy absorbers ...
W. B. Bryan C. O. Bowin R. D. Ballard J. D. Phillips A. C. Vine
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Lensyl Urbano , Mark Abolins , Jose Hurtado et al. Topic: Marine geology, Physical and chemical oceanography Course Type: upper level Description Students at the end of the semester for a project will propose an ...
NSDL National Science Digital Library
The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) supports national and international efforts to research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of marine debris. The MDP serves as a centralized capability within NOAA, coordinating and supporting activities within NOAA and with other federal agencies, as well as using partnerships to support projects carried out by state and local agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry. Educational materials include activity books, curriculum, & crafts for all ages.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
A non-profit hospital located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area near Sausalito, California that rescues and rehabilitates marine mammals. Site contains information on education, research, and adopt-a-seal; features a photo gallery and FAQs. Volunteer, membership, and donation opportunities available. Information on what to do when finding a stranded marine mammal and stay current with the Center's patients. Education programs available at the Center or at your location (fees associated).
Hatfield Marine Science Center
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Located in Newport, Oregon, Hatfield Marine Science Center plays an integral role in programs of marine and estuarine research and instruction, as a laboratory facility serving resident scientists, as a base for far-ranging oceanographic studies, and as a classroom for students. Site features information on courses, seminars, facilities, and current research. Education Programs section includes teacher and student resources. Resources applicable to local and distant educators.
European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) for Geology - A sea-bed substrate map for European marine areas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The European Union's (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive aims to achieve good environmental status of the EU's marine waters by 2020. In order imply effective management of the broad marine areas spatial datasets covering all European marine areas are needed. In response the European Commission has adopted the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) to assemble fragmented marine data products into publicly available datasets covering broad areas. The marine departments of the geological surveys of Europe (through the Association of European Geological Surveys - Euro GeoSurveys) took an initiative and launched the first EMODnet -Geology project (2009-2012) to compile and harmonize information from the Baltic Sea, Greater North Sea and Celtic Sea at the scale of 1:1 000 000 (http://www.emodnet-geology.eu/). The second phase of the EMODnet -Geology project started in 2013 with an expanded sea area. The 36 members from 31 countries will compile marine geological information at a scale of 1:250,000 from all European sea areas (e.g. the White Sea, Barents Sea, the Iberian Coast, and the Mediterranean Sea within EU waters). The project includes collecting and harmonizing the first sea-bed substrate map for the European Seas. The data will be essential not only for geologists but also for others interested in marine sediments like marine managers and habitat mappers. A 1:250,000 GIS layer on sea-bed substrates will be delivered in the OneGeology-Europe portal, replacing and upgrading the existing 1:1 million map layer from the previous phase. A confidence assessment will be applied to all areas to identify the information that underpins the geological interpretations.
Alanen, Ulla; Kaskela, Anu; Kotilainen, Aarno; Stevenson, Alan; Partners, EMODnet-Geology 2
An overview of commercial fishers' attitudes towards marine protected areas
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are attracting widespread attention worldwide as a tool for fishery management and marine ecosystem\\u000a conservation. The establishment of MPAs has increased greatly in recent years mostly due to international commitments to the\\u000a establishment of a global network of MPAs by 2012. MPAs have the potential to strongly affect the fishing industry, and their\\u000a success depends, at
Cristina PitaGraham; Graham J. Pierce; Ioannis Theodossiou; Karen Macpherson
Primary Productivity: Marine Adaptation
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This activity is designed to give students a better understanding of the concept of primary productivity and to have them use one or more methods to calculate primary productivity. Students will have also been introduced to the concepts of marine primary productivity, net productivity vs. gross productivity, and the importance of comparing dry weight versus wet weight. Marine primary producers are usually not plants as we typically think about them, but rather seaweeds or single cell algae. The classic example of a marine primary producer is a marine diatom. In this experiment students use marine diatoms to measure primary productivity. Real-time data from several sources may be used to increase understanding of this topic. Students will discover that although often ignored in the classroom, the marine environment produces 32 percent of the world's primary productivity on 71 percent of the Earth's surface area. Although this is far less than the 68 percent from the continental surfaces (29 percent of the Earth's surface area), this productivity is still very important.
Morrow, Angela
Marine Engineering Geological Exploration Information System (MEGEIS): A GIS-based application to marine resources exploitation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Based on the ArcGIS geographic information system and the ORACLE database management system, this paper reports our studies on the technology of Marine Engineering Geological Exploration Information System (MEGEIS). By analyzing system structure, designing function modules and discussing data management, this paper systematically proposes a framework of technology to integrate, manage, and analyze the seabed information comprehensively. Then, the technology is applied to the design and development of the Bohai Sea Oilfield Paradigm Area Information System. The system can not only meet the practical demands of marine resources exploration and exploitation in the Bohai Sea oilfield, but also serve as a preparatory work in theory and technology for the realization of the 'Digital Seabed'.
Su, Tianyun; Liu, Baohua; Zhai, Shikui; Liang, Ruicai; Zheng, Yanpeng
Marine Corps PFT: Not Equal, Not Fair.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The Marine Corps physical fitness test (PFT) is essential in evaluating the total Marine. Being a Marine is an inherently physical vocation, and the example Marines set, morally, mentally, and physically, influences their ability to lead. From senior lead...
W. Easter
View west along Marine Barracks Way at rear of Marine ...
Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey
View west along Marine Barracks Way at rear of Marine Corps Officers' Housing, with carports on left and duplex on right - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Marine Corps Officers' Duplex Quarters, Salvor Street & Russell Avenue, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI
Status of Stocks: Report on the Status of U.S. Fisheries, 2010. National Marine Fisheries Service Report to Congress.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires that NOAAs National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) report annually to Congress and the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils on the status of fisheries (Sec. 304(e)(1)). This repo...
Perceptions of rule-breaking related to marine ecosystem health.
Finding effective solutions to manage marine resources is high on political and conservation agendas worldwide. This is made more urgent by the rate of increase in the human population and concomitant resource pressures in coastal areas. This paper links empirical socio-economic data about perceptions of marine resource health to the breaking of marine management rules, using fisheries as a case study. The relationship between perceived rule-breaking (non-compliance with regulations controlling fishing) and perceived health of inshore marine environments was investigated through face-to-face interviews with 299 heads of households in three Tanzanian coastal communities in November and December 2011. Awareness of rules controlling fishing activity was high among all respondents. Fishers were able to describe more specific rules controlling fishing practices than non-fishers (t?=?3.5, df?=?297, p<0.01). Perceived breaking of fishing regulations was reported by nearly half of all respondents, saying "some" (32% of responses) or "most" (15% of responses) people break fishing rules. Ordinal regression modelling revealed a significant linkage (z=?-3.44, p<0.001) in the relationship between respondents' perceptions of deteriorating marine health and their perception of increased rule-breaking. In this paper, inferences from an empirical study are used to identify and argue the potential for using perceptions of ecosystem health and level of rule-breaking as a means to guide management measures. When considering different management options (e.g. Marine Protected Areas), policy makers are advised to take account of and utilise likely egoistic or altruistic decision-making factors used by fishers to determine their marine activities. PMID:24586558
Slater, Matthew J; Mgaya, Yunus D; Stead, Selina M
Marine Thermoelectric Devices and Installations.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Contents: Marine thermoelectric plant operating conditions and principles of regulation (Thermoelectric generator operating conditions and characteristics, Principles of regulation of marine thermoelectric units); Prospects for the use of thermoelectric d...
Y. G. Manasyan
Marine Aquaculture: Opportunities for Growth.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Coastal farming and ocean ranching of marine fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and seaweed are a major and growing industry worldwide. In the US, freshwater aquaculture is rapidly becoming a significant commercial activity; however, marine aquaculture has lag...
... lifeguard. Observe posted signs that may warn of danger from jellyfish or other hazardous marine life. Do not touch unfamiliar marine life. Even dead animals or severed tentacles may contain poisonous venom.
Molecular Marine Biology Research Training.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This grant provided training in developmental biology of embryos of marine organisms, particularly their defense mechanisms. Students were exposed to the patterns of development of a variety of marine organisms, and then trained in the use of cellular, im...
D. Epel
Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plans (ICRMPs) for the Marine Corps are required by Marine Corps Order (MCO) 5090.2A, OfICE OF THE Chief of Naval Operations Instruction (OPNAVINST) 5090.1B CH-1 23-5 2.2 and Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI...
S. F. Loechl M. Chawla B. C. Grashof M. Griffin A. Smith
This paper presents the alkaloids found in green, brown and red marine algae. Algal chemistry has interested many researchers in order to develop new drugs, as algae include compounds with functional groups which are characteristic from this particular source. Among these compounds, alkaloids present special interest because of their pharmacological activities. Alkaloid chemistry has been widely studied in terrestrial plants, but the number of studies in algae is insignificant. In this review, a detailed account of macro algae alkaloids with their structure and pharmacological activities is presented. The alkaloids found in marine algae may be divided into three groups: 1. Phenylethylamine alkaloids, 2. Indole and halogenated indole alkaloids, 3. Other alkaloids.
Guven, Kas?m Cemal; Percot, Aline; Sezik, Ekrem
Marine Microbiology: Facets & Opportunities
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This website contains links to chapters from an online book (PDF format), which reflects many of the recent developments in marine microbiology. Published by the National Institute of Oceanography in India, it is geared towards ocean scientists, environmentalists, aqua-culturists and seafood processing technologists. The book provides recent literature, newer analytical approaches, and an overall summary of the present understanding of marine microbiology in tropical waters. Chapters include subjects such as heterotrophic bacteria, sulfate reducing bacteria and the sulfur cycle, hypersaline microorganisms, symbiosis, the role of fungi in detrital process, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas hydrophila, microbial diseases in shrimp, microzooplankton, biofilms, and more. Links are provided to each chapter in PDF format.
Ramaiah, Nagappa
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Located at several site in Greece, the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research was set up as a single institution in order to integrate government-funded marine science research in Greece. The Centre consists of five institutes: oceanography, aquaculture, marine biological resources, inland waters, and marine biology and genetics. The website includes information on services it provides, the center library, current research initiatives, and the center's two aquaria.
Structure and measurement of Marine recruit attitudes
Analyzed the responses of 481 US Marine Corps recruits to items in a Marine Corps Opinion Questionnaire. 5 orthogonal factors were identified and labeled as attitudes toward the toughness of Marines, the spirit among Marines, affiliation with the Marine Corps, and authority and consideration in the Marine Corps. Scales developed to provide scores on these factors are considered reliable, and
Richard F. Booth; Anne Hoiberg
Toward a Dynamic Metacommunity Approach to Marine Reserve Theory
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This peer-reviewed article from Bioscience about marine reserve design and the need for long-term monitoring programs. Coastal habitats have recently received much attention from policymakers, but marine reserve theory still needs to integrate across scales, from local dynamics of communities to biogeographic patterns of species distribution, recognizing coastal ecosystems as complex adaptive systems in which local processes and anthropogenic disturbances can result in large-scale biological changes. We present a theoretical framework that provides a new perspective on the science underlying the design of marine reserve networks. Coastal marine systems may be usefully considered as metacommunities in which propagules are exchanged among components, and in which the persistence of one species depends on that of others. Our results suggest that the large-scale distribution of marine species can be dynamic and can result from local ecological processes. We discuss the potential implications of these findings for marine reserve design and the need for long-term monitoring programs to validate predictions from metacommunity models. Only through an integrated and dynamic global perspective can scientists and managers achieve the underlying goals of marine conservation.
FRÃÂDÃÂRIC GUICHARD, SIMON A. LEVIN, ALAN HASTINGS, and DAVID SIEGEL (;)
Marine mammals as sentinel species for oceans and human health.
The long-term consequences of climate change and potential environmental degradation are likely to include aspects of disease emergence in marine plants and animals. In turn, these emerging diseases may have epizootic potential, zoonotic implications, and a complex pathogenesis involving other cofactors such as anthropogenic contaminant burden, genetics, and immunologic dysfunction. The concept of marine sentinel organisms provides one approach to evaluating aquatic ecosystem health. Such sentinels are barometers for current or potential negative impacts on individual- and population-level animal health. In turn, using marine sentinels permits better characterization and management of impacts that ultimately affect animal and human health associated with the oceans. Marine mammals are prime sentinel species because many species have long life spans, are long-term coastal residents, feed at a high trophic level, and have unique fat stores that can serve as depots for anthropogenic toxins. Marine mammals may be exposed to environmental stressors such as chemical pollutants, harmful algal biotoxins, and emerging or resurging pathogens. Since many marine mammal species share the coastal environment with humans and consume the same food, they also may serve as effective sentinels for public health problems. Finally, marine mammals are charismatic megafauna that typically stimulate an exaggerated human behavioral response and are thus more likely to be observed. PMID:21160025
Bossart, G D
Marine biodiversity and fishery sustainability
Marine fish is one of the most important sources of animal protein for human use, especially in developing coun- tries with coastlines. Marine fishery is also an important industry in many countries. Fifty years ago, many peo- ple believed that the ocean was so vast and so resilient that there was no way the marine environment could be changed, nor
Kwang-Tsao Shao
Freshwater and Marine Image Bank
NSDL National Science Digital Library
The Freshwater and Marine Image Bank is an ongoing digital collection of images related to freshwater and marine topics, in all their diversity. It includes images of fish, shellfish, and marine mammals, pictures of fish hatcheries and dams and vessels, materials related to polar exploration, regional and traditional fisheries, and limnological (freshwater) subjects. Its scope is global.
Washington, University O.
Hellenic Center for Marine Research
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Located at several site in Greece, the HCMR was set up as a single institution in order to integrate government-funded marine science research in Greece. The Center consists of five institutes: oceanography, aquaculture, marine biological resources, inland waters, and marine biology and genetics. Site includes information on services it provides, the center library, current research initiatives, and the center's two aquaria.
Effects of noise on marine mammals: Executive Summary. Final report
The report entitled 'Effects of Noise on Marine Mammals' by W.J. Richardson, C.R. Greene Jr., C.I. Malme and D.H. Thomson (OCS Study MMS 90-0093, LGL Report TA834-1), is a review of published and unpublished literature concerning the effects of manmade noise on marine mammals. Emphasis is given to underwater sounds, but airborne sounds are considered as well. Special attention is given to noise-emitting activities associated, directly or indirectly, with offshore hydrocarbon exploration and development, since that is a dominant interest of the U.S. Minerals Management Service, sponsor of the review. However, reactions of marine mammals to noise from all types of human activities are considered. Special attention is given to species of marine mammals and types of human activities that occur in waters around the United States. However, relevant literature from elsewhere is reviewed.
Richardson, W.J.
75 FR 51838 - Public Review of Draft Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...this draft standard for public review at its July 20, 2010 meeting. The FGDC invites all stakeholders in coastal and marine ecology and management to comment on this standard to ensure that the standard meets their needs. The draft Coastal and Marine...
Marine Science Film Catalogue.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Forty-eight motion picture films and filmstrips in the field of marine science are catalogued in this booklet. Following the alphabetical index, one page is devoted to each film indicating its type, producer, recommended grade level, running time, and presence of color and/or sound. A summary of film content, possible uses, and outstanding…
Chapman, Frank L.
To address concerns associated with electrical power system harmonic distortion on ships and offshore oil rigs and platforms, marine regulating bodies have introduced strict new harmonic standards. These standards define the acceptable level of harmonic voltage distortion allowed on the vessels they certify. High-harmonic distortion levels are appearing as a result of the increased use of power-electronic drive converters for
Tony Hoevenaars; Ian Evans; Andy Lawson
Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus Cristatus)
From their blunt nose and razor sharp 3-cusped teeth that allow them to scrape 1 cm high algae from rocks to their long sharp claws that grip rocks from the buffeting of waves, marine iguanas are exquisitely adapted for their environment. Their mostly black skin absorbs the sun's rays helping to regain body temperature from dives in which they can
Carolyn Hollis
Marine Mammal Classroom Activities
NSDL National Science Digital Library
Teachers' guides developed by Sea World featuring marine mammal educational materials for K-12. 14 different topics covered including sharks, wetlands, whales, birds, and much more. Several feature activities for all grade levels. Each guide includes goals and objectives, information, vocabulary, a bibliography, and classroom activities. Activities strive to integrate science, mathematics, geography, art, and language. Orca guide is in Spanish.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The Alabama Marine Law Program at the University of Alabama Law Center was funded from January 1, 1979 to May 31, 1982. During this period, the Program had as its continuing objective research, service and education in issues relating to law and the coast...
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This site by a Norwegian researcher features descriptions of marine geological formations: pockmarks, mud volcanoes, deep-water coral reefs, and gas hydrates. Using ROV technology, he has taken photos of these deep seafloor features, and compares them to geological structures seen on land, and even on the moon.
Hovland, Martin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The objective of this review is to discuss physical processes over a wide range of spatial scales that govern the formation, evolution, and dissipation of marine fog. We consider marine fog as the collective combination of fog over the open sea along with coastal sea fog and coastal land fog. The review includes a history of sea fog research, field programs, forecasting methods, and detection of sea fog via satellite observations where similarity in radiative properties of fog top and the underlying sea induce further complexity. The main thrust of the study is to provide insight into causality of fog including its initiation, maintenance, and destruction. The interplay between the various physical processes behind the several stages of marine fog is among the most challenging aspects of the problem. An effort is made to identify this interplay between processes that include the microphysics of fog formation and maintenance, the influence of large-scale circulations and precipitation/clouds, radiation, turbulence (air–sea interaction), and advection. The environmental impact of marine fog is also addressed. The study concludes with an assessment of our current knowledge of the phenomenon, our principal areas of ignorance, and future lines of research that hold promise for advances in our understanding.
Kora?in, Darko; Dorman, Clive E.; Lewis, John M.; Hudson, James G.; Wilcox, Eric M.; Torregrosa, Alicia
Properties of marine bdellovibrios
Marine bdellovibrio isolates from the Israeli littoral of the Mediterranean Sea were screened and characterized in terms of host range, temperature and salinity ranges, cation requirement, mutation frequency, and G + C% mole content. Ten types of isolates were distinguished on the basis of these parameters.
A. Marbach; Mazal Varon; M. Shilo
Massachusetts Marine Educators
NSDL National Science Digital Library
A thorough site for teachers in New England, specifically Massachusetts. Includes information on teacher workshops, MME membership, student contests, and teacher awards. Features an ocean tides classroom activity for middle school through high school students, links to other marine science education websites, and the latest issue of their newsletter available for download.
Massachusetts Marine Educators
NSDL National Science Digital Library
A thorough site for teachers in New England, specifically Massachusetts. Includes information on teacher workshops, MME membership, student contests, and teacher awards. Features an ocean tides classroom activity for middle school through high school students, links to other marine science education websites, and the latest issue of their newsletter available for download.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This web page features NOAA's Marine Toxins Program, which targets its research and services at issues related to algal toxins and the organisms responsible for their production. The page includes an overview of the program and provides links to the research portfolio and service capabilities. Services include the Analytical Response Team (ART), Southeast Phytoplankton Monitoring Network, and Technology Transfer.
Research, Center F.; Nccos, Noaa
Marine Optical Characterizations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
The team's major emphasis during this reporting period has been focused on the completion of the operational versions of the Marine Optical Buoys (MOBY's). Other work areas consisted of designing and testing bio-optical instrumentation, evaluating several of the SeaWiFS bio-optical protocols, processing data collected during field experiments, and reprocessing several of the Marine Optical Characteristics Experiment (MOCE) 2 and 3 bio-optical data sets. The team conducted one trip to the operations site in Honolulu, Hawaii, making necessary preparations for future field experiments. Part of the team also traveled to Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Salinas, CA, and to American Holographic Co. Fitchburg MA, to assist with the fabrication of the next generation Marine Optical Buoys. Technical memoranda are being written to address the remote sensing reflectance, and instrument self-shading protocols. During the Ocean Color 96 meeting discussions with the Spanish on acquiring research vessel support during the MODIS validation period were conducted. A proposal will be generated towards this purpose for an experiment to be conducted off the North African coast during the summer of 1999.
Clark, Dennis K.
Filtering Marine Magnetic Anomalies
When marine magnetic anomalies can be adequately modeled by two-dimensional magnetic structures within one or more plane layers, many interesting manipulations of both models and anomalies are linear filtering operations [Dean, 1958; Bott, 1967; Black and Scollar, 1969; Schouten, 1971]. Linear filters can be applied quickly and accurately by using the fast Fourier transform algorithm [Cooley and Tukey, 1965]. We
Hans Schouten; Keith McCamy
The objective of this review is to discuss physical processes over a wide range of spatial scales that govern the formation, evolution, and dissipation of marine fog. We consider marine fog as the collective combination of fog over the open sea along with coastal sea fog and coastal land fog. The review includes a history of sea fog research, field programs, forecasting methods, and detection of sea fog via satellite observations where similarity in radiative properties of fog top and the underlying sea induce further complexity. The main thrust of the study is to provide insight into causality of fog including its initiation, maintenance, and destruction. The interplay between the various physical processes behind the several stages of marine fog is among the most challenging aspects of the problem. An effort is made to identify this interplay between processes that include the microphysics of fog formation and maintenance, the influence of large-scale circulation and precipitation/clouds, radiation, turbulence (air-sea interaction), and advection. The environmental impact of marine fog is also addressed. The study concludes with an assessment of our current knowledge of the phenomenon, our principal areas of ignorance, and future lines of research that hold promise for advances in our understanding.
Kora?in, Darko; Dorman, Clive E.; Lewis, John M.; Hudson, James G.; Wilcox, Eric M.; Torregrosa, Alicia
Marine and Estuarine Pollution.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Presents a literature review of the effects of various pollutants on marine and estuarine organisms, covering publications of 1976-77. This review includes: (1) effects of pesticides, dredging, dumping, sludge, and petroleum hydrocarbons; and (2) diseases and tissue abnormalities. A list of 441 references is also presented. (HM)
Reish, Donald J.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
This image-rich website from the Australian Antarctic Division's Biology program describes its research in marine microbial ecology. It includes an introduction of microbial ecology and microbial processes, followed by information about the research project. Field sampling, microscopy, flow cytometry, pigment analysis, flourometry, HPLC, culturing, feeding experiments, and the research staff are each discussed using vivid imagery. Links are provided to related websites.
Division, Australian A.
Worldwide Marine Weather Broadcasts.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
This publication is a source of marine weather broadcast information in all areas of the world where such service is provided. This publication was designed for the use of U.S. naval and merchant ships. Sections 1 through 4 contain details of radio telegraph, radio telephone, radio facsimile, and radio teleprinter transmissions, respectively. The…
Department of the Navy, Washington, DC.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Eisenhower called it a 'second land army.' Recently, a retired Army general referred to it as an 'antique luxury.' To some it may seem that other services could replicate the Marines. After all, many nations maintain their security without such an institu...
C. P. Neimeyer T. C. Linn
Petroleum hydrocarbons of both biogenic and thermogenic origin are common constituents of the marine water column and sediment of the continental shelves. Approximately 0.25 million metric tons of oil per year, constituting about 8% of the oil input into the sea, is derived from natural seeps, the rest being anthropogenic. Seepage has occurred world-wide for millions of years and must have been many times greater in the past, when enormous oil deposits, such as the Orinoco Oil Belt, were first exposed to erosion. Although the amount varies from site to site with time, seepage is pervasive in polar and temperate seas. Marine-seep oil is intensely weathered and thus can be distinguished chemically from recent biogenic or undegraded crude oil. The degraded oil from seeps appears to have little deleterious effect on many marine organisms, which ingest and discharge the oil mostly unmetabolized. Chemical analyses suggest that a very large oil-rich layer in the Sargasso Sea originated from a large and as yet undetected seep. Oil seeps have long been used as guides for oil exploration onshore but have been underutilized for this purpose offshore because of oil-plume drift from the site of the seep and because natural oil slicks may be masked by spilled oil. At least one marine seep, in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, is producing oil and natural gas into two hollow steel pyramids from which the oil is collected by work boats and the natural gas is transported to shore by pipeline. This facility effectively reduces atmospheric pollution, controls marine oil pollution from the largest seep in the area, provides emission credits, and yields a modest economic benefit, but the seep is not known to have been used directly in oil exploration.
Meyer, R.F. (U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States))
Remote sensing in the coastal and marine environment. Proceedings of the US North Atlantic Regional Workshop
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Presentations were grouped in the following categories: (1) a technical orientation of Earth resources remote sensing including data sources and processing; (2) a review of the present status of remote sensing technology applicable to the coastal and marine environment; (3) a description of data and information needs of selected coastal and marine activities; and (4) an outline of plans for marine monitoring systems for the east coast and a concept for an east coast remote sensing facility. Also discussed were user needs and remote sensing potentials in the areas of coastal processes and management, commercial and recreational fisheries, and marine physical processes.
Zaitzeff, J. B. (editor); Cornillon, P. (editor); Aubrey, D. A. (editor)
75 FR 5290 - Notice of the Record of Decision for the United States Marine Corps Grow the Force at Marine...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
...States Marine Corps Grow the Force at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station New River, and Marine Corps...incremental increase in personnel at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River,...
Ocean Color Patterns Help to Predict Depth of Optical Layers in Coastal Marine Waters.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
Detection of single or multiple optical subsurface laminar features (e.g. , thin layers) in marine waters has many implications on ecological studies, management of fisheries, and military applications. This study has four objectives: (1) to corroborate a...
A. Weidemann J. Jolliff M. A. Montes-Hugo R. Arnone R. Gould
Oceans and Human Health (OHH): a European perspective from the Marine Board of the European Science Foundation (Marine Board-ESF).
The oceans and coastal seas provide mankind with many benefits including food for around a third of the global population, the air that we breathe and our climate system which enables habitation of much of the planet. However, the converse is that generation of natural events (such as hurricanes, severe storms and tsunamis) can have devastating impacts on coastal populations, while pollution of the seas by pathogens and toxic waste can cause illness and death in humans and animals. Harmful effects from biogenic toxins produced by algal blooms (HABs) and from the pathogens associated with microbial pollution are also a health hazard in seafood and from direct contact with water. The overall global burden of human disease caused by sewage pollution of coastal waters has been estimated at 4 million lost person-years annually. Finally, the impacts of all of these issues will be exacerbated by climate change. A holistic systems approach is needed. It must consider whole ecosystems, and their sustainability, such as integrated coastal zone management, is necessary to address the highly interconnected scientific challenges of increased human population pressure, pollution and over-exploitation of food (and other) resources as drivers of adverse ecological, social and economic impacts. There is also an urgent and critical requirement for effective and integrated public health solutions to be developed through the formulation of politically and environmentally meaningful policies. The research community required to address "Oceans & Human Health" in Europe is currently very fragmented, and recognition by policy makers of some of the problems, outlined in the list of challenges above, is limited. Nevertheless, relevant key policy issues for governments worldwide include the reduction of the burden of disease (including the early detection of emerging pathogens and other threats) and improving the quality of the global environment. Failure to effectively address these issues will impact adversely on efforts to alleviate poverty, sustain the availability of environmental goods and services and improve health and social and economic stability; and thus, will impinge on many policy decisions, both nationally and internationally. Knowledge exchange (KE) will be a key element of any ensuing research. KE will facilitate the integration of biological, medical, epidemiological, social and economic disciplines, as well as the emergence of synergies between seemingly unconnected areas of science and socio-economic issues, and will help to leverage knowledge transfer across the European Union (EU) and beyond. An integrated interdisciplinary systems approach is an effective way to bring together the appropriate groups of scientists, social scientists, economists, industry and other stakeholders with the policy formulators in order to address the complexities of interfacial problems in the area of environment and human health. The Marine Board of the European Science Foundation Working Group on "Oceans and Human Health" has been charged with developing a position paper on this topic with a view to identifying the scientific, social and economic challenges and making recommendations to the EU on policy-relevant research and development activities in this arena. This paper includes the background to health-related issues linked to the coastal environment and highlights the main arguments for an ecosystem-based whole systems approach. PMID:23503989
Moore, Michael N; Depledge, Michael H; Fleming, Lora; Hess, Philipp; Lees, David; Leonard, Paul; Madsen, Lise; Owen, Richard; Pirlet, Hans; Seys, Jan; Vasconcelos, Vitor; Viarengo, Aldo
Fisheries Abundance Cycles in Ecosystem and Economic Management of California Fish and Invertebrate Resources
It is important for fishery scientists and ecosystem-based fishery managers to recognize that there may be apparent persistence\\u000a in an ecosystem followed by ecosystem changes corresponding to different ecological states and different levels of fisheries\\u000a output; revenues paid to California fishers have varied more than fivefold in inflation adjusted dollars during the 75-year\\u000a period of our study. Empirical orthogonal function
Jerrold G. Norton; Samuel F. Herrick; Janet E. Mason
Understanding Marine Mussel Adhesion
In addition to identifying the proteins that have a role in underwater adhesion by marine mussels, research efforts have focused on identifying the genes responsible for the adhesive proteins, environmental factors that may influence protein production, and strategies for producing natural adhesives similar to the native mussel adhesive proteins. The production-scale availability of recombinant mussel adhesive proteins will enable researchers to formulate adhesives that are water-impervious and ecologically safe and can bind materials ranging from glass, plastics, metals, and wood to materials, such as bone or teeth, biological organisms, and other chemicals or molecules. Unfortunately, as of yet scientists have been unable to duplicate the processes that marine mussels use to create adhesive structures. This study provides a background on adhesive proteins identified in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, and introduces our research interests and discusses the future for continued research related to mussel adhesion.
Roberto, Francisco F.
Understanding Marine Mussel Adhesion
In addition to identifying the proteins that have a role in underwater adhesion by marine mussels, research efforts have focused on identifying the genes responsible for the adhesive proteins, environmental factors that may influence protein production, and strategies for producing natural adhesives similar to the native mussel adhesive proteins. The production-scale availability of recombinant mussel adhesive proteins will enable researchers to formulate adhesives that are waterimpervious and ecologically safe and can bind materials ranging from glass, plastics, metals, and wood to materials, such as bone or teeth, biological organisms, and other chemicals or molecules. Unfortunately, as of yet scientists have been unable to duplicate the processes that marine mussels use to create adhesive structures. This study provides a background on adhesive proteins identified in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, and introduces our research interests and discusses the future for continued research related to mussel adhesion.
H. G. Silverman; F. F. Roberto
A Two-Sector Analysis of the Galápagos Marine Reserve
The recent establishment of the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR) presents a unique opportunity to analyze the economic implications of using zonification as a tool to manage conflicting claims to a fragile and limited resource. Recognizing that the long-term success of the GMR depends on the cooperation of all of the stakeholders involved, a remarkable feature of the new legislation is
Micki Stewart; James E. Wilen
The Marine Education Programme and ESD Schools in Costa Rica
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
The purpose of this article is to share information about the Costa Rican Marine Education Programme in relation to the quality criteria for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Schools. We found that the application of these criteria is feasible, not only to the organisation and management of schools that are looking to become ESD Schools,…
Mata-Segreda, Alejandrina
Adaptation to Climate Change in Marine Capture Fisheries
This paper responds to the challenge of how and when to adapt marine capture fisheries to climate change by: (1) providing a set of fisheries policy options to climate change; (2) developing a risk and vulnerability assessment and management decision-making framework for adaptation; and (3) describing the possible strategies and tactics for ex ante and ex post climate adaptation in
Quentin Grafton
Adaptation to climate change in marine capture fisheries
This paper responds to the challenge of how and when to adapt marine capture fisheries to climate change by (1) providing a set of fisheries policy options to climate change; (2) developing a risk and vulnerability assessment and management decision-making framework for adaptation; and (3) describing the possible strategies and tactics for ex ante and ex post climate adaptation in
R. Quentin Grafton
Marine Reserves: from Beverton and Holt to the Present
The idea of using marine reserves, where all fishing is banned is not new to fisheries management. It was first formally considered by Beverton and Holt but rejected in favour of approaches such as fleet and gear control. Since that analysis, many fisheries have collapsed worldwide, illustrating the vulnerability of fishery resources and the ineffectiveness of these approaches. Empirical data
Sylvie Guénette; Tim Lauck; Colin Clark
Problems and Countermeasures of Logistics in the Marine Fisheries Industry
Based on the connotation of marine fisheries logistics, the thesis give a brief account of its features: firstly, it is more susceptible to natural conditions; secondly, the aquatic logistics is with strong specialized assets; thirdly, the aquatic products market has relative greater uncertainties; fourthly, it calls for higher logistics technology; fifthly, it is difficult to conduct supply chain management. Then
Yi-min Jiang
Acantharians and marine barite
Formation of marine barite (BaSO4) concurrent with dissolution of acantharian celestite (Sr\\/Ba, SO4) was examined under laboratory conditions in this work. Acantharian cysts, composed of barium-enriched celestite (Ba\\/Sr mole fraction ?0.003), were allowed to react for 21–158 days in small volumes of natural seawater (20 to 100 ?l) sealed within Teflon tubes. In 17 trials, three experiments yielded single barite
Renate E. Bernstein; Robert H. Byrne
: There is increasing interest in biotechnological production of marine sponge biomass owing to the discovery of many commercially\\u000a important secondary metabolites in this group of animals. In this article, different approaches to producing sponge biomass\\u000a are reviewed, and several factors that possibly influence culture success are evaluated. In situ sponge aquacultures, based\\u000a on old methods for producing commercial bath
Ronald Osinga; Johannes Tramper; René H. Wijffels
Osmoregulation in marine mammals
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Osmoregulation in marine mammals has been investigated for over a century; however, a review of recent advances in our understanding of water and electrolyte balance and of renal function in marine mammals is warranted. The following topics are discussed: (i) kidney structure and urine concentrating ability, (ii) sources of water, (iii) the effects of feeding, fasting and diving, (iv) the renal responses to infusions of varying salinity and (v) hormonal regulation. The kidneys of pinnipeds and cetaceans are reniculate in structure, unlike those of terrestrial mammals (except bears), but this difference does not confer any greater concentrating ability. Pinnipeds, cetaceans, manatees and sea otters can concentrate their urine above the concentration of sea water, but only pinnipeds and otters have been shown to produce urine concentrations of Na+ and Cl- that are similar to those in sea water. This could afford them the capacity to drink sea water and not lose fresh water. However, with few exceptions, drinking is not a common behavior in pinnipeds and cetaceans. Water balance is maintained in these animals via metabolic and dietary water, while incidental ingestion and dietary salt may help maintain electrolyte homeostasis. Unlike most other aquatic mammals, sea otters commonly drink sea water and manatees frequently drink fresh water. Among the various taxonomic groups of marine mammals, the sensitivity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system appears to be influenced by the availability of Na+. The antidiuretic role of vasopressin remains inconclusive in marine mammals, while the natriuretic function of atrial natriuretic peptide has yet to be examined. Ideas on the direction of future studies are presented.
Ortiz, R. M.
The disclosed device is a marine seismic source which emits a constantly varying FM signal in the 10 to 100 H /SUB z/ range. The seismic source utilizes an adjustable length cantilever spring rotatably attached to stiff acoustic radiators, which create a signal in the water. Varying the length of the cantilever spring as a function of the frequency will permit the device to be continuously tuned for maximum power output.
Mifsud, J. F.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
In this project, students perform library research on an assigned marine animal, create a formatted poster of their topic, and share with their classmates what they've learned in a poster session, conducted in the way of poster sessions at science conferences. Afterward, students complete a written assignment where they are asked to reflect on their experience as a participant in a community of science students, their focused learning on their own marine animal, their larger learning about the diversity of marine life from their poster session participation, and what it implies about the intrinsic value of the ocean realm, and the need for conservation. The outcomes for this assignment are aligned with course-specific outcomes articulated in the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. They are: Synthesize central concepts from assigned readings of scientific literature in written assignments. Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse environments in the context of ocean science. Interpret data generated by oceanographic techniques, and present written and oral summaries of their findings. Explain the basic structure and function of the ocean realm, the impact of humans on it, and the impact of the ocean realm on humans.
Kobilka, David
The probable range of seepage into the marine environment is 0.2 x 10(6) to 6.0 x 10(6) metric tons per year. Within this range the best estimate for the present marine seepage worldwide is on the order of 0.6 x 10(6) metric tons per year. This estimate is based on the presumption that only a few other areas around the world are as seepage-prone as southern California. Measurements of seeps and seepage rates are too few to allow an accurate estimation by observation and measurement techniques alone. Seepage potential can, however, be related to geologic criteria, and these provide sound bases for marine seepage assessment. On the basis of this estimate, areas of high seepage potential contribute about 45 percent of the worldwide seepage, areas of moderate seepage about 55 percent, and areas of low seepage less than 1 percent. The situation varies somewhat from ocean to ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, areas of high seep potential are by far the major contributors. In the Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern oceans, areas of moderate seep potential are most significant because areas of high seep potential are relatively rare in these realnis. The circum-Pacific area is the area of greatest seepage; it contributes about 40 percent of the world's total. PMID:17782370
Wilson, R D; Monaghan, P H; Osanik, A; Price, L C; Rogers, M A
50 CFR 216.25 - Exempted marine mammals and marine mammal products.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
...2013-10-01 false Exempted marine mammals and marine mammal products...ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MARINE MAMMALS REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE TAKING AND IMPORTING OF MARINE MAMMALS General Exceptions §...
Interoperable web GIS services for marine pollution monitoring and forecasting
This paper presents services and systems developed in the FP6 InterRisk (Interoperable GMES Services for Environmental Risk\\u000a Management in Marine and Coastal Areas of Europe) project, which addresses the need for better access to information for risk\\u000a management in Europe, both in cases of natural hazards and industrial accidents. The overall objective of the project is to\\u000a develop a pilot
Torill Hamre; Hajo Krasemann; Steve Groom; Declan Dunne; Gisbert Breitbach; Bruce Hackett; Kai Sørensen; Stein Sandven
Bioactive Marine Drugs and Marine Biomaterials for Brain Diseases
Marine invertebrates produce a plethora of bioactive compounds, which serve as inspiration for marine biotechnology, particularly in drug discovery programs and biomaterials development. This review aims to summarize the potential of drugs derived from marine invertebrates in the field of neuroscience. Therefore, some examples of neuroprotective drugs and neurotoxins will be discussed. Their role in neuroscience research and development of new therapies targeting the central nervous system will be addressed, with particular focus on neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. In addition, the neuronal growth promoted by marine drugs, as well as the recent advances in neural tissue engineering, will be highlighted.
Grosso, Clara; Valentao, Patricia; Ferreres, Federico; Andrade, Paula B.
Evidence That Marine Reserves Enhance Resilience to Climatic Impacts
Establishment of marine protected areas, including fully protected marine reserves, is one of the few management tools available for local communities to combat the deleterious effect of large scale environmental impacts, including global climate change, on ocean ecosystems. Despite the common hope that reserves play this role, empirical evidence of the effectiveness of local protection against global problems is lacking. Here we show that marine reserves increase the resilience of marine populations to a mass mortality event possibly caused by climate-driven hypoxia. Despite high and widespread adult mortality of benthic invertebrates in Baja California, Mexico, that affected populations both within and outside marine reserves, juvenile replenishment of the species that supports local economies, the pink abalone Haliotis corrugata, remained stable within reserves because of large body size and high egg production of the protected adults. Thus, local protection provided resilience through greater resistance and faster recovery of protected populations. Moreover, this benefit extended to adjacent unprotected areas through larval spillover across the edges of the reserves. While climate change mitigation is being debated, coastal communities have few tools to slow down negative impacts of global environmental shifts. These results show that marine protected areas can provide such protection.
Micheli, Fiorenza; Saenz-Arroyo, Andrea; Greenley, Ashley; Vazquez, Leonardo; Espinoza Montes, Jose Antonio; Rossetto, Marisa; De Leo, Giulio A.
Fish stings and other marine envenomations.
West Virginia, it would seem, is an unlikely place for physicians to encounter patients with poisonous marine envenomations. To the contrary, West Virginias who vacation at the beach may be envenomated and require further evaluation and treatment when they return home. Likewise, certain aquarium pets or even freshwater fish may envenomate those who have contact with them. Such underwater sea creatures can cause local and systemic toxic or allergic reactions which potentially can be serious. This article describes these possible toxic encounters as well as first aid and medical management. PMID:1926838
Bee, M
The mariner spacecraft star sensors.
The development history of the star sensors used on the Mariner spacecraft is traced, and design and performance details are described. The electrooptically controlled sensor, which was developed for the 1964 Mariner IV Mars mission, was modified for the 1967 Mariner V Venus mission to withstand the intense planetary illumination. The sensor has been further modified for the 1969 Mariner mission to Mars to survive the more severe launch environment and to provide greater capability for automatic search, identification, and tracking. Special star simulation and stray-light test techniques are discussed. PMID:20076329
Goss, W C
50 CFR 218.187 - Renewal of Letters of Authorization and adaptive management.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
...OF MARINE MAMMALS Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to U.S. Navy Mission Activities in the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division § 218.187 Renewal of Letters of Authorization and adaptive management. (a) A Letter of...
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
NSDL National Science Digital Library
If you've ever been to the central coast region of California, it's hard not be impressed with the natural beauty of the various landforms, vegetation, and animal life around the area, and we haven't even started talking about what's in the ocean. Created in order to preserve and protect this unique habitat in 1992, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) is larger than either Yosemite or Yellowstone National Parks as it extends 30 miles from shore. Some of the other resources within its borders include the nation's largest kelp forest and one of North America's largest underwater canyons. On the Sanctuary's site, visitors can learn about the resource management plan for this area, and of course, learn about visiting the Sanctuary. One helpful resource in this area is their online field guide to the Sanctuary, which can be downloaded and printed out for handy reference. The site is rounded out by a selection of publications, including their newsletters and annual reports.
Marine Propulsion Technology Program Meets the Demand
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
The marine technology program cluster at Florida Keys Community College is described. Technicians are trained to maintain and repair engines and selected marine accessories through a marine propulsion technology curriculum (certificate program and associate in science degree). (EA)
Fowler, Howard G.
Marine Fisheries Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
NOAAs National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has a mandated responsibility to sustain marine fisheries and associated habitats. The Marine Fisheries Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan (HAIP) defines NMFS unique role in pursuing habitat science and in d...
C. Greene F. Parrish K. Blackhart K. Smith M. Parke M. Yoklavich R. Stone S. K. Brown T. Minello T. Noji W. W. Wakefield
Mapping cumulative noise from shipping to inform marine spatial planning.
Including ocean noise in marine spatial planning requires predictions of noise levels on large spatiotemporal scales. Based on a simple sound transmission model and ship track data (Automatic Identification System, AIS), cumulative underwater acoustic energy from shipping was mapped throughout 2008 in the west Canadian Exclusive Economic Zone, showing high noise levels in critical habitats for endangered resident killer whales, exceeding limits of "good conservation status" under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Error analysis proved that rough calculations of noise occurrence and propagation can form a basis for management processes, because spending resources on unnecessary detail is wasteful and delays remedial action. PMID:23145705
Erbe, Christine; MacGillivray, Alexander; Williams, Rob
A comprehensive Atlas of Alaska marine ice is presented. It includes information on pack and landfast sea ice and calving tidewater glacier ice. It also gives information on ice and related environmental conditions collected over several years time and indicates the normal and extreme conditions that might be expected in Alaska coastal waters. Much of the information on ice conditions in Alaska coastal waters has emanated from research activities in outer continental shelf regions under assessment for oil and gas exploration and development potential. (DMC)
LaBelle, J.C.; Wise, J.L.; Voelker, R.P.; Schulze, R.H.; Wohl, G.M.
Submerged marine streamer location
Method and means are provided for determining the position of a submerged marine streamer towed behind an exploration vessel. An array of at least three transponders secured to the ocean floor generate distinguishable acoustic pulses upon a command signal from the ship. These signals are received by hydrophones housed in the streamer and by the ship. The distance to each hydrophone may be triangulated from the data generated including accounting for changes in velocity between the vessel and the seismic streamer and the bottom transponders during the taking of such data.
Roberts, F. A.
NSDL National Science Digital Library
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) of Woods Hole, Massachusetts maintains this database of "approximately 210 invertebrates and fish" that are collected or maintained by the MBL. The database is organized by phyla, and users may search for general information on Sponges, Polyps/Medusae, Comb Jellies, Flatworms, Ribbon Worms, Arrow Worms, Bryozoans, Mollusks, Peanut Worms, Arthropods, Echinoderms, Acorn Worms, or Chordates. In addition to the brief summaries, color photographs provide visual examples for each phylum, and a "derivation" box defines the origin of each name. Beginning students will find this site a helpful reference.
Global coordination and standardisation in marine biodiversity through the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and related databases.
The World Register of Marine Species is an over 90% complete open-access inventory of all marine species names. Here we illustrate the scale of the problems with species names, synonyms, and their classification, and describe how WoRMS publishes online quality assured information on marine species. Within WoRMS, over 100 global, 12 regional and 4 thematic species databases are integrated with a common taxonomy. Over 240 editors from 133 institutions and 31 countries manage the content. To avoid duplication of effort, content is exchanged with 10 external databases. At present WoRMS contains 460,000 taxonomic names (from Kingdom to subspecies), 368,000 species level combinations of which 215,000 are currently accepted marine species names, and 26,000 related but non-marine species. Associated information includes 150,000 literature sources, 20,000 images, and locations of 44,000 specimens. Usage has grown linearly since its launch in 2007, with about 600,000 unique visitors to the website in 2011, and at least 90 organisations from 12 countries using WoRMS for their data management. By providing easy access to expert-validated content, WoRMS improves quality control in the use of species names, with consequent benefits to taxonomy, ecology, conservation and marine biodiversity research and management. The service manages information on species names that would otherwise be overly costly for individuals, and thus minimises errors in the application of nomenclature standards. WoRMS' content is expanding to include host-parasite relationships, additional literature sources, locations of specimens, images, distribution range, ecological, and biological data. Species are being categorised as introduced (alien, invasive), of conservation importance, and on other attributes. These developments have a multiplier effect on its potential as a resource for biodiversity research and management. As a consequence of WoRMS, we are witnessing improved communication within the scientific community, and anticipate increased taxonomic efficiency and quality control in marine biodiversity research and management. PMID:23505408
Costello, Mark J; Bouchet, Philippe; Boxshall, Geoff; Fauchald, Kristian; Gordon, Dennis; Hoeksema, Bert W; Poore, Gary C B; van Soest, Rob W M; Stöhr, Sabine; Walter, T Chad; Vanhoorne, Bart; Decock, Wim; Appeltans, Ward
Global Coordination and Standardisation in Marine Biodiversity through the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and Related Databases
The World Register of Marine Species is an over 90% complete open-access inventory of all marine species names. Here we illustrate the scale of the problems with species names, synonyms, and their classification, and describe how WoRMS publishes online quality assured information on marine species. Within WoRMS, over 100 global, 12 regional and 4 thematic species databases are integrated with a common taxonomy. Over 240 editors from 133 institutions and 31 countries manage the content. To avoid duplication of effort, content is exchanged with 10 external databases. At present WoRMS contains 460,000 taxonomic names (from Kingdom to subspecies), 368,000 species level combinations of which 215,000 are currently accepted marine species names, and 26,000 related but non-marine species. Associated information includes 150,000 literature sources, 20,000 images, and locations of 44,000 specimens. Usage has grown linearly since its launch in 2007, with about 600,000 unique visitors to the website in 2011, and at least 90 organisations from 12 countries using WoRMS for their data management. By providing easy access to expert-validated content, WoRMS improves quality control in the use of species names, with consequent benefits to taxonomy, ecology, conservation and marine biodiversity research and management. The service manages information on species names that would otherwise be overly costly for individuals, and thus minimises errors in the application of nomenclature standards. WoRMS' content is expanding to include host-parasite relationships, additional literature sources, locations of specimens, images, distribution range, ecological, and biological data. Species are being categorised as introduced (alien, invasive), of conservation importance, and on other attributes. These developments have a multiplier effect on its potential as a resource for biodiversity research and management. As a consequence of WoRMS, we are witnessing improved communication within the scientific community, and anticipate increased taxonomic efficiency and quality control in marine biodiversity research and management.
Bouchet, Philippe; Boxshall, Geoff; Fauchald, Kristian; Gordon, Dennis; Hoeksema, Bert W.; Poore, Gary C. B.; van Soest, Rob W. M.; Stohr, Sabine; Walter, T. Chad; Vanhoorne, Bart; Decock, Wim
Interactions of aquaculture, marine coastal ecosystems, and near-shore waters: A bibliography. Bibliographies and literature of agriculture (Final)
The bibliography contains selected literature citations on the interactions of aquaculture and marine coastal ecosystems. The focus is on aquaculture effluents and their impact on marine coastal ecosystems and waterways as well as the impact of pollutants on aquaculture development. Factors affecting these issues include domestic and industrial wastes, thermal discharges, acid rain, heavy metals, oil spills, and microbial contamination of marine waters and aquatic species. Coastal zone management, environmenal impact of aquaculture, and water quality issues are also included in the bibliography.
Hanfman, D.T.; Coleman, D.E.; Tibbitt, S.J.
Essential Fish Habitat: New Marine Fish Habitat Conservation Mandate for Federal Agencies. A Primer for Federal Agencies. Essential Fish Habitat Consultation Guidance. Version 1.1.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The 1996 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act set forth a number of new mandates for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), regional fishery management councils, and other federal agencies to identify and prote...
Legal Measures Concerning Marine Pollution.
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
The purpose of this UNC Sea Grant paper is to chronicle new concepts and developments in marine pollution control and progress in marine resources law. Topics discussed include the following: Pollution of the high seas--the oceans as international rivers;...
S. W. Wurfel
Marine Biology and Human Affairs
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marine biology has become an important area for study throughout the world. The author of this article discusses some of the important discoveries and fields of research in marine biology that are useful for mankind. Topics include food from the sea, fish farming, pesticides, pollution, and conservation. (MA)
Russell, F. S.
Marine algal ecology today faces many of the same problems as ecology in general, e.g. lack of generality of experimental results, the difficulty of making long-term predictions, and an apparent lack of agreement as to what constitutes the proper or `acceptable' way of doing this particular component of science. These problems, if real, affect marine algal ecology everywhere but, in
Robert E. DeWreede
Marine Science Activities, Grade Two.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
This unit, one of a series designed to develop and foster an understanding of the marine environment, presents marine science activities for second grade students. The unit, focusing on awareness of living/non-living factors shaping life of the sea, is divided into sections dealing with: physical characteristics of oceans; fish; sea anemone;…
Kolb, James A.
The purpose of the Mercury in Marine Life Project is to organize information on estuarine and marine species so that EPA can better understand both the extent of monitoring for mercury and level of mercury contamination in the biota of coastal environments. This report follows a ...
National Marine Educators Association (NMEA)
NSDL National Science Digital Library
The National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) is a professional organization intended to bring together educators interested in promotion of marine- and water-based education. The home page features news articles, information on the organization's annual conference, and information on awards and scholarships. There are also presentations on ocean literacy, an email discussion list, and membership information.
Marine Renewable Energy and Cetaceans
There is an ongoing development of offshore renewable energy projects worldwide. Marine wind power technology is the most advanced and tidal and wave power projects are creating increasing interest. Marine renewable energy projects to date have been focused in northern Europe, yet developments are also planned and underway in other parts of the world. Whilst these offshore renewable energy developments
Sarah J. Dolman; Mick Green; Mark P. Simmonds
Marine positioning: state of technology
This paper is a state of technology report on marine positioning. Three technical advances having significant impacts on marine positioning and its applications are highlighted in this report. They are (1) the seafloor positioning experiments organized by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that have demonstrated high accuracy seafloor positioning and its potential contribution to seafloor
Patrick Fell; George A. Maul
Antineoplastic Components of Marine Animals
REFERENCES to the biological properties of marine organisms date back to antiquity1. For example, hieroglyphics on the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ti (approximately 2700 BC) described the poisonous puffer fish Tetraodon stellatus. Perhaps the earliest recorded use of a marine organism in primitive medical practice occurred when the Roman, Plinius Secundus (AD 29-79), recommended that the sting unit of
George R. Pettit; John F. Day
Paleoecologic Megatrends in Marine Metazoa
Since their appearance in the Neoproterozoic, marine metazoan ecosystems have increased in ecological diversity, complexity, energy use, motility, predation, infaunality, and biological disturbance. A common theme is an increase in organismal control over internal physiology and the external environment. Often, these changes have been examined in the context of discrete events (e.g., the Cambrian Explosion, Mesozoic Marine Revolution), but they
Andrew M. Bush; Richard K. Bambach
Light absorption by marine macrophytes
Tissues of 338 marine macrophytes comprising 103 species, collected from the Atlantic, Mediterranean, South China, and Caribbean Seas, and encompassing a broad range in thallus form and pigmentation, were examined to quantify the importance of phylogenetic differences, spectral variability, and plant form and pigment content to account for differences in the absorption of light by marine macrophytes. Phylogenetic differences accounted
Susana Enríquez; Susana Agustí; Carlos M. Duarte
Bibliography of Marine Education Software.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
A bibliography of marine-oriented commercial and public domain courseware has been maintained by the Computer Education Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association for several years. This compilation is provided to interested persons by an established network with the following purposes: (1) to review and critique commercial and…
McLamb, Skip; Walton, Susan
Reliability inputs to Mariner 9 data explosion
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
This paper describes the prelaunch and post-launch reliability functions which contributed to the success of the Mariner 9 spacecraft. Examples are included to illustrate how each reliability activity was a vital part of each phase of the project. Prelaunch reliability functions included: (1) establishing, negotiating, and monitoring system and subsystem requirements, (2) participating in spacecraft system and subsystem design/hardware reviews, (3) monitoring preparation of failure mode effects and criticality analyses (FMECA), (4) establishing and managing a problem failure reporting (PFR) system for the spacecraft and its support equipment, (5) monitoring electronic parts activities, and (6) participating in spacecraft reviews. Particular emphasis is placed on mission operations reliability assurance activities, which included: (1) spacecraft problem/failure reporting, (2) managing an integrating failure reporting system which covered all mission operations activities, (3) real-time analysis of spacecraft anomalies, and (4) risk assessment.
Macgregor, D. S.; Paul, F. A.
Marine Raman image amplification
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lite Cycles has developed a new type of range-gated, LIDAR sensing element based on Raman image amplification in a solid-state optical crystal. Marine Raman Image Amplification (MARIA) is a feasible technology for producing high-resolution imagery in an underwater environment. MARIA is capable of amplifying low-level optical images with gains up to 106 with the addition of only quantum-limited noise. The high gains available from MARIA can compensate for low quantum efficiency detectors. The range-gate of MARIA is controlled by the pulsewidth of the amplifier pump laser and can be made as short as 30 - 100 cm, using pump pulses of 2 - 6.7 nsec FWHM. The use of MARIA in an imaging LIDAR system has been shown to result in higher SNR images throughout a broad range of incident light levels, in contrast to the increasing noise factor occurring with reduced gain in ICCDs. The imaging resolution of MARIA in the marine environment can be superior to images produced by a laser line scan or standard range-gated imaging system. MARIA is also superior in rejecting unwanted sunlight background, further increasing the SNR of images. MARIA has the potential of providing the best overall system resolution and SNR, making it ideal for the identification of mine-like objects, even in bright sunlight conditions.
Calmes, Lonnie K.; Murray, James T.; Austin, William L.; Powell, Richard C.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
The discovery of a novel silk production system in a marine amphipod provides insights into the wider potential of natural silks. The tube-building corophioid amphipod Crassicorophium bonellii produces from its legs fibrous, adhesive underwater threads that combine barnacle cement biology with aspects of spider silk thread extrusion spinning. We characterised the filamentous silk as a mixture of mucopolysaccharides and protein deriving from glands representing two distinct types. The carbohydrate and protein silk secretion is dominated by complex ?-sheet structures and a high content of charged amino acid residues. The filamentous secretion product exits the gland through a pore near the tip of the secretory leg after having moved through a duct, which subdivides into several small ductules all terminating in a spindle-shaped chamber. This chamber communicates with the exterior and may be considered the silk reservoir and processing/mixing space, in which the silk is mechanically and potentially chemically altered and becomes fibrous. We assert that further study of this probably independently evolved, marine arthropod silk processing and secretion system can provide not only important insights into the more complex arachnid and insect silks but also into crustacean adhesion cements.
Kronenberger, Katrin; Dicko, Cedric; Vollrath, Fritz
Integrating scientific guidance into marine spatial planning.
Marine spatial planning (MSP), whereby areas of the ocean are zoned for different uses, has great potential to reduce or eliminate conflicts between competing management goals, but only if strategically applied. The recent literature overwhelmingly agrees that including stakeholders in these planning processes is critical to success; but, given the countless alternative ways even simple spatial regulations can be configured, how likely is it that a stakeholder-driven process will generate plans that deliver on the promise of MSP? Here, we use a spatially explicit, dynamic bioeconomic model to show that stakeholder-generated plans are doomed to fail in the absence of strong scientific guidance. While strategically placed spatial regulations can improve outcomes remarkably, the vast majority of possible plans fail to achieve this potential. Surprisingly, existing scientific rules of thumb do little to improve outcomes. Here, we develop an alternative approach in which models are used to identify efficient plans, which are then modified by stakeholders. Even if stakeholders alter these initial proposals considerably, results hugely outperform plans guided by scientific rules of thumb. Our results underscore the importance of spatially explicit dynamic models for the management of marine resources and illustrate how such models can be harmoniously integrated into a stakeholder-driven MSP process. PMID:24573841
Rassweiler, Andrew; Costello, Christopher; Hilborn, Ray; Siegel, David A