OceansPub Date : 2024-07-23DOI: 10.3390/oceans5030030
A. Gourgiotis, Dionisia Koutsi, Vasiliki Krommyda, A. Stratigea
{"title":"Spatial and Developmental Policy Directions Affecting Marine Spatial Planning in the Northern Aegean Sea, Greece","authors":"A. Gourgiotis, Dionisia Koutsi, Vasiliki Krommyda, A. Stratigea","doi":"10.3390/oceans5030030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5030030","url":null,"abstract":"European strategic policy directions toward a sustainable blue economy have strengthened interest in maritime investments, thus increasing sectoral competition for marine space. Emerging repercussions out of such a rising interest need to be handled by marine spatial planning (MSP) as a means of properly allocating marine space to diverse uses; managing conflicts and promoting synergies among them; and pursuing a multi-use perspective of this space. A critical stage of each MSP exercise is the exploration of land- and marine-based policy directions and their current or potential repercussions in the marine environment. Such an exploration is carried out in this work by means of a qualitative policy review for informing the MSP process in the Northern Aegean Sea, Greece. By delving into diverse policy frameworks at various spatial levels—i.e., local (urban), regional, and national/European—constraints, but also perspectives in policy choices/maritime uses in the MSP context, are identified, thus guiding more informed MSP choices in the specific study region while attaining a successful integration or coordination between land and marine developments.","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":"135 21","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141811064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OceansPub Date : 2024-06-06DOI: 10.3390/oceans5020023
Gian Luca Eusebi Borzelli, E. Napolitano, A. Carillo, M. Struglia, M. Palma, Roberto Iacono
{"title":"Hydrographic vs. Dynamic Description of a Basin: The Example of Baroclinic Motion in the Ionian Sea","authors":"Gian Luca Eusebi Borzelli, E. Napolitano, A. Carillo, M. Struglia, M. Palma, Roberto Iacono","doi":"10.3390/oceans5020023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5020023","url":null,"abstract":"The Ionian Sea is a crucial intersection for various water masses in the Mediterranean. Its hydrography and dynamics play a significant role in the seawater budgets and biogeochemistry of the neighboring sub-basins. Multiple theories have been formulated to gain a better understanding of the Ionian dynamics. These theories primarily attribute the variability of the near-surface Ionian circulation to internal processes. Here, we utilize horizontal currents and temperature–salinity profiles from the Copernicus reanalysis to examine the contribution of baroclinic modes to the variability of the basin horizontal circulation. Our findings demonstrate that, although the basin vertical structure is characterized by three layers, the primary patterns of the Ionian circulation can be attributed to the first baroclinic mode. This mode, along with the barotropic mode, accounts for over 85% of the overall variability in the Ionian circulation, suggesting that only one of the three interfaces separating the different water masses in the basin is dynamically active. We estimate the depth of this interface to be about 490 m. Additionally, our analysis shows that more than 90% of the kinetic energy over the water column is localized above this interface, indicating that the deep layer of the Ionian is dynamically nearly inert.","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":"94 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141381106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OceansPub Date : 2024-06-04DOI: 10.3390/oceans5020022
Ciera Edison, C. Elliser, Katrina H. White
{"title":"In-Water Photo Identification, Site Fidelity, and Seasonal Presence of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) in Burrows Pass, Fidalgo Island, Washington","authors":"Ciera Edison, C. Elliser, Katrina H. White","doi":"10.3390/oceans5020022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5020022","url":null,"abstract":"Little is known about the in-water behavior and site fidelity of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii), as most photo-identification (photo-ID) studies are typically conducted while they are hauled-out on land. We investigated in-water site fidelity rates and seasonal presence in Burrows Pass, Washington, using photographs collected during a long-term photo-ID and behavioral study from January 2015 through November 2019. There was a minimum of 161 individuals and a maximum of 286 individual harbor seals using Burrows Pass. Harbor seals were present in all seasons, with the lowest sighting rates during summer. Individuals were more likely to be sighted/re-sighted in fall and spring. There was large variations in the level and seasonality of site fidelity among individuals. The majority of seals (69.62%) were seen only once, but 22.69% showed low to moderate site fidelity (2–5 sightings) and 7.69% showed strong site fidelity (≥6 sightings) over seasons and across years. These seasonal variations were likely due to foraging, life history, and individual behavioral variabilities. Studies like this provide necessary information about harbor seal in-water site fidelity and behavior, which are less well known but vitally important in harbor seal management and conservation.","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":"6 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141266969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OceansPub Date : 2024-06-01DOI: 10.3390/oceans5020021
Caitlin E. Tems, E. Tappa
{"title":"Regional Fluctuations in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific Oxygen Minimum Zone during the Late Holocene","authors":"Caitlin E. Tems, E. Tappa","doi":"10.3390/oceans5020021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5020021","url":null,"abstract":"This study presents a high-resolution record of δ15Nsed, which serves as a proxy for water column denitrification and oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) intensity, from the Soledad Basin in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific OMZ. The Soledad Basin δ15Nsed record is compared to the Pescadero Slope and Santa Barbara Basin (SBB) δ15Nsed records to gain insight into regional variations in the ETNP OMZ. During the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; 950–1250 CE), Soledad Basin, Pescadero Slope, and SBB records exhibit coherent trends suggesting that there was general water column oxygenation stability. During the Little Ice Age (LIA; 1350–1850 CE), Soledad Basin and SBB showed a similar decreasing trend in δ15Nsed values while the Pescadero Slope δ15Nsed exhibited an increasing trend until values abruptly declined between 1740 and 1840 CE. We suggest that increased δ15Nsed variability and the different trends at the Pescadero Slope during the LIA are due to the influence of the North American monsoon (NAM), which can suppress upwelling when enhanced and result in OMZ contraction. The decoupling between the Soledad Basin, SBB, and the Pescadero Slope could also be due to the increased influence of enriched 15NO3− subarctic waters in the California Current System. Since each site is influenced by local productivity, basin morphology, and regional atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns, we suggest that assessing OMZ fluctuations from multiple sites provides a more comprehensive view of regional OMZ dynamics in response to climate variations.","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141274633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OceansPub Date : 2024-05-11DOI: 10.3390/oceans5020018
Ashani Arulananthan, V. Herath, S. Kuganathan, Anura Upasanta, A. Harishchandra
{"title":"Reply to Hendawitharana et al. Comment on “Arulananthan et al. The Status of the Coral Reefs of the Jaffna Peninsula (Northern Sri Lanka), with 36 Coral Species New to Sri Lanka Confirmed by DNA Bar-Coding. Oceans 2021, 2, 509–529”","authors":"Ashani Arulananthan, V. Herath, S. Kuganathan, Anura Upasanta, A. Harishchandra","doi":"10.3390/oceans5020018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5020018","url":null,"abstract":"We appreciate the comments made by Hendawitharana et al [...]","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":" 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140988807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comment on Arulananthan et al. The Status of the Coral Reefs of the Jaffna Peninsula (Northern Sri Lanka), with 36 Coral Species New to Sri Lanka Confirmed by DNA Bar-Coding. Oceans 2021, 2, 509–529","authors":"Manuja Promodya Hendawitharana, Adriaan Gittenberger, Prabath Krishantha Jayasinghe, Deishini Rupika Herath","doi":"10.3390/oceans5020017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5020017","url":null,"abstract":"We are responding to an article by Arulananthan et al [...]","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":" 706","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140989374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OceansPub Date : 2024-05-06DOI: 10.3390/oceans5020015
Laura García-Salines, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez
{"title":"Comparing the Structure of Fish Assemblage among Natural and Artificial Shallow Rocky Habitats","authors":"Laura García-Salines, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez","doi":"10.3390/oceans5020015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5020015","url":null,"abstract":"Artificial coastal structures, such as seawalls, breakwaters, and groins, can exert various impacts on the fish communities in the nearby regions. This study focuses on assessing the ecological effects of coastal infrastructure on marine environments, by comparing, at different seasons, the habitat complexity and heterogeneity, as well as their effects on fish assemblages, between the artificial habitat created with the intention of constructing a marina (Puerto Amor) and the natural habitats surrounding the Cabo de la Huerta area in Alicante (Spain). Employing an asymmetric design and examining two temporal and spatial scales, we utilized visual censuses in snorkeling to gauge the abundance and size of fish species, alongside various parameters related to habitat complexity and heterogeneity. The overarching hypothesis is that fish populations associated with artificial habitats will differ in terms of abundance, biomass, species richness, and diversity compared to fish populations associated with natural habitats, due to changes in complexity and heterogeneity. The findings indicate a shift in fish assemblages; for example, the family Labridae showed differences between the two habitat types for several species. These changes were due to the influences of the Posidonia oceanica meadow and algae like Jania rubens; being influenced by biological variables such as Ellisolandia elongata, Oculina patagonica, and Sarcotragus spinosulus; as well as physical variables such as stones, gravel, and blocks. While there is evidence of alteration in fish assemblages due to changes in habitat structure, there is also an increase in richness (9 species/m2) and total abundance and biomass (1000 ind./m2 and 1700 g/m2, respectively) in the artificial habitat. Multivariate analyses reveal that the fish community in Puerto Amor is less homogeneous than the one in the natural habitat. However, these analyses also indicate an overlap between the communities of both habitats, suggesting substantial similarity despite the noted differences. Consequently, although the habitat alteration has impacted fish populations, it has not diminished abundance, biomass, or species richness. In conclusion, the artificial rocky habitat resulting from the construction attempt at Puerto Amor harbor has fish populations with ecological significance and its removal could lead to undesirable impacts in the area, as the fish assemblages have become well established.","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":"6 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141006158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OceansPub Date : 2024-05-06DOI: 10.3390/oceans5020016
Carlos Saavedra, D. Cordero
{"title":"Genetic Variability and Genetic Differentiation of Populations in the Grooved Carpet Shell Clam (Ruditapes decussatus) Based on Intron Polymorphisms","authors":"Carlos Saavedra, D. Cordero","doi":"10.3390/oceans5020016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5020016","url":null,"abstract":"The grooved carpet-shell clam is one of the most economically relevant shellfish species living in the Mediterranean and nearby Atlantic coasts. Previous studies using different types of genetic markers showed a remarkable genetic divergence of the eastern Mediterranean, western Mediterranean, and Atlantic populations, but important details remained unclear. Here, data from six nuclear introns scored for restriction fragment size polymorphisms in eight populations that have not been studied before have been pooled for the analysis with data scattered through three previous studies, totaling 32 samples from 29 locations. The results show lower levels of heterozygosity, higher mean number of alleles, and alleles with restricted distribution in the Mediterranean populations, suggesting the existence of a large, isolated population in the eastern Mediterranean at the middle Pleistocene. The data also confirm the similarity of populations from Tunisia to Western Mediterranean populations. Finally, a genetic mosaic is apparent in the Atlantic coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, with a divergence of Rias Baixas populations from more northern populations and Central Portugal populations. The effects of oceanic fronts, seasonal upwellings, river plumes, and/or fishery management operations could explain this and other features of the Atlantic populations.","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":"354 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141006748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OceansPub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.3390/oceans5010008
Fernando P. Santos, T. Rosa, M. Hinostroza, R. Vettor, A. Piecho-Santos, C. Guedes Soares
{"title":"Field Test of an Autonomous Observing System Prototype for Measuring Oceanographic Parameters from Ships","authors":"Fernando P. Santos, T. Rosa, M. Hinostroza, R. Vettor, A. Piecho-Santos, C. Guedes Soares","doi":"10.3390/oceans5010008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5010008","url":null,"abstract":"A prototype of an autonomous system for the retrieval of oceanographic, wave, and meteorologic data was installed and tested in May 2021 on a Portuguese research vessel navigating on the Atlantic Ocean. The system was designed to be installed in fishing vessels that could operate as a distributed network of ocean data collection. It consists of an automatic weather station, a ferrybox with a water pumping system, an inertial measurement unit, a GNSS unit, an onboard desktop computer, and a wave estimator algorithm for wave spectra estimation. Among several parameters collected by this system’s sensors are the air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, sea water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, chlorophyll-a, roll, pitch, heave, true heading, and geolocation of the ship. This paper’s objectives are the following: (1) describe the autonomous prototype; and (2) present the data obtained during a full-scale trial; (3) discuss the results, advantages, and limitations of the system and future developments. Meteorologic measurements were validated by a second weather station onboard. The estimated wave parameters and wave spectra showed good agreement with forecasted data from the Copernicus database. The results are promising, and the system can be a cost-effective solution for voluntary observing ships.","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":"85 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140241621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OceansPub Date : 2024-01-12DOI: 10.3390/oceans5010003
P. Vicente, João Almeida, Laura Ribeiro, S. Castanho, A. Candeias‐Mendes, Pedro Pousão-Ferreira, A. M. Faria
{"title":"Effects of Water Temperature and Structural Habitat Complexity on the Routine Swimming Speed and Escape Response of Post-Settlement Stage White Seabream","authors":"P. Vicente, João Almeida, Laura Ribeiro, S. Castanho, A. Candeias‐Mendes, Pedro Pousão-Ferreira, A. M. Faria","doi":"10.3390/oceans5010003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5010003","url":null,"abstract":"Coastal habitats are increasingly threatened by multiple anthropogenic-related activities, which include ocean warming and loss of structural habitat complexity. These two pressures have the potential to severely affect the structure and function of marine biodiversity. Early life stages of many fish species recruit to coastal habitats at the end of their pelagic phase, benefiting from access to food, shelter and protection. However, changes in temperature have been shown to influence ecologically relevant behaviours in post-settlement stage fish, and the loss of structural habitat complexity has been related to low recruitment and deleterious behaviours of fish in coastal habitats. Here, we evaluated the individual and interactive effects of prolonged exposure to increasing temperature and changed structural habitat complexity on routine swimming speed and escape response of post-settlement white seabream, Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758). Fish were reared under different temperatures (control 19 °C; high 22 °C) and structural habitat complexity (low and high) scenarios, in a cross-experimental design, and the routine swimming and escape responses were analyzed after 6 weeks of exposure. Change in temperature did not induce alterations at the behavioural level, but loss of structural habitat complexity increased speed and distance travelled during routine swimming, and responsiveness to a stimulus during the escape response behaviour. The interaction of the two factors did not influence performance. Determining how species are affected by changes in their environment, and the mechanisms that underlie these changes, will be critical to understanding the fish recruitment and populations’ fitness and survival.","PeriodicalId":19477,"journal":{"name":"Oceans","volume":" 17","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139625050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}