Search results for "Ocean"
showing 10 items of 2919 documents
Effects of Ocean Acidification on physiology, behaviour and ecology of fish
CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is increasing at unprecedented rate since the last 800,000 years due to rising fossil fuel combustion, industrial processes and land use by humans. By absorbing part of this gas from the atmosphere, Oceans contribute to the mitigation of climatic changes, but at the cost of greater modifications of their physical and chemical characteristics. CO2 dissolved in the seawater leads to increased bicarbonate (HCO3 -) and hydrogen ions (H+) concentrations with a consequent pH drop, a phenomenon known as Ocean Acidification (OA). If global policy will not put in force mitigation measures to reduce CO2 emissions, it is projected that partial pressure of dissolved …
Growth and reproductive simulation of candidate shellfish species at fish cages in the Southern Mediterranean: Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) modelling …
2012
Abstract A Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model is used to simulate growth and reproduction of the shellfish Mytilus galloprovincialis and Crassostrea gigas in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) farm scenario situated in the Southern Mediterranean (the Gulf of Castellammare, Sicily). We modelled the effect of primary production enrichment at fish cages on shellfish growth and life history traits using 4 years-hourly temperature data (01 January 2006–31 December 2009) at a depth of 1 m. Outputs of the DEB simulations were: the maximum theoretical total shell length of shellfish, the potential reproductive outputs and the mean annual von Bertalanffy growth rate. There was a mean incr…
The use of high-resolution seismo-acoustic echosounder imaging for estimation carbon sink in P. oceanica dead matte
2009
Trace element bias in the use of CO2 vents as analogues for low pH environments: Implications for contamination levels in acidified oceans
2013
Abstract Research into the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems has increasingly focused on natural CO 2 vents, although their intrinsic environmental complexity means observations from these areas may not relate exclusively to pH gradients. In order to assess trace element levels and distribution in the Levante Bay (Vulcano Island, NE Sicily, Italy) and its suitability for studying biological effects of pH decline, Ba, Fe and trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in sediment were analysed from 7 transects. Where present, Cymodocea nodosa leaves and epiphytes were also analysed. At the spatial scale of the bay, trace element concentrations in sedim…
Highly contaminated areas as sources of pollution for adjoining ecosystems: The case of Augusta Bay (Central Mediterranean).
2014
An assessment of trace element and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination based on surface sediments collected in summer 2012 was carried out in Priolo Bay adjoining one of the most polluted areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the industrial Augusta harbour (Italy, Central Mediterranean). Inorganic and organic contaminants were generally not remarkable. Occasional elevated concentrations of Hg, Cd, Ni and PAHs exceeding sediment quality guidelines were detected in the northern sector of Priolo Bay, close to Augusta harbour, possibly as a result of water drainage of industrialised and urbanised areas and/or potential direct export of contaminated material from Augusta harbour, whose…
Neglected fishery data sources as indicators of pre‐industrial ecological properties of Mediterranean swordfish ( Xiphias gladius , Xiphiidae)
2022
Management of fish populations and ecosystems suffers from data and knowledge gaps, particularly with respect to how humans and nature affect dynamics at multi-decadal and longer time scales. However, collection of new data which indicates population or ecosystem status is slow and expensive. Here we analyse c. 110 years of neglected fishery data for an overexploited top predator, swordfish, in the Mediterranean Sea. These data are available at scales of high time–space–biological resolution (i.e., sub-weekly, sub-regional sea; individual weights) and allow different ecological questions to be addressed than is possible with coarsely scaled data (e.g., annually resolved total catches aggreg…