Search results for "ocean"

Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective

2019

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)

Ecological effects of natural ocean acidification on benthic macroalgal communities

2012

The classification of submerged vegetation using hyperspectral MIVIS data

2009

The aim of this research is to use hyperspectral MIVIS data to map the Posidonia oceanica prairies in a coastal lagoon (Stagnone di Marsala). It is approximately 12 km long and 2 km wide and is linked to the open sea by two shallow openings. This environment is characterised by prairies of phanerogams, the most common of which is Posidonia oceanica, an ideal habitat for numerous species of fish, molluscs and crustaceans. A knowledge of the distribution of submerged vegetation is useful to monitor the health of the lagoon. In order to classify the MIVIS imagery, the attenuation effects of the water column have been removed from the signal using Lyzenga’s technique. A comparison between class…

The seaweeds <i>Fucus vesiculosus</i> and <i>Ascophyllum nodosum</i> are significant contribu…

2013

Abstract. Based on the results of a pilot study in 2007, which found high mixing ratios of molecular iodine (I2) above the intertidal macroalgae (seaweed) beds at Mweenish Bay (Ireland), we extended the study to nine different locations in the vicinity of Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station on the west coast of Ireland during a field campaign in 2009. The mean values of I2 mixing ratio found above the macroalgae beds at nine different locations ranged from 104 to 393 ppt, implying a high source strength of I2. Such mixing ratios are sufficient to result in photochemically driven coastal new-particle formation events. Mixing ratios above the Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus beds …

Density Decline in a Mediterranean Seahorse Population: Natural Fluctuations or New Emerging Threats?

2021

Illegal wildlife trade is considered one of the most serious threats to biodiversity worldwide, along with habitat loss/degradation and overfishing of wild stocks. Seahorses are considered at high risk as these fish represent an important component of traditional Chinese medicine but are also sold as curios and ornamental fish. On a worldwide level, illegal trade is controlled by numerous laws and regulations, but it seems to continue by assuming more dynamic routes. In the Mediterranean Sea, Hippocampus guttulatus formed one of the largest populations at Mar Piccolo di Taranto in South-Eastern Italy. During the routine monitoring of this population in 2016, a dramatic density decrease was …

Effect of cadmium pre-exposure in cadmium accumulation by brine shrimp Artemia: Involvement of low-molecular-weight cadmium-binding ligands

1993

Abstract Cadmium is a ubiquitous non-essential element that possesses high toxicity and is easily accumulated from the environment by aquatic organisms. It is known that pre-exposure to cadmium increases the resistance of animals to a subsequent exposure. In this work, we report studies of the effect of pre-exposure to cadmium on the accumulation of this metal from seawater by brine shrimp Artemia, as well as the involvement of low-molecular-weight cadmium-binding ligands in this process. During the pre-exposure experiments, animals were kept in seawater containing 20 mg/litre Cd for 24 h and then transferred to clean seawater for 48 h. Afterwards, pre-exposed and control animals were expos…

Characterization of gas flow through low-permeability claystone: laboratory experiments and two-phase flow analyses

2014

For the characterization of gas migration through a low-permeability clay host rock for deep underground repositories, a comprehensive understanding of the relevant phenomena of gas and fluid flow through low-permeability clay is required. The National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra) in Switzerland has developed a comprehensive programme to characterize gas flow in low-permeability Opalinus Clay through laboratory tests and detailed numerical analyses for developing appropriate constitutive models. Laboratory tests were performed on cores by two different laboratories, the Laboratory for Soil Mechanics at EPFL and the Department of Geotechnical Engineering and Geos…

Domain formation in monolayers

1995

For phospholipids at the air/water interface we demonstrate that molecular chirality in some, but not in all, cases influences the domain shapes. In other cases chirality in the head group region can cause a chiral structure considering the tail arrangement. This indicates head group ordering. Minute changes of the molecular structure may change domain morphology from circular to dendritic. This can be related to slight changes of the lattice structure. In case of a dendritic domain the chains are more tilted, the deviation from hexagonal symmetry is more pronounced, and hence the lattice anisotropy is larger. This can be understood also in view of recent simulations considering diffusion-l…

Water Fluxes in Polymeric Membranes for Desalination via Membrane Distillation

2010

Membrane distillation is an emerging technique for seawater desalination. Hydrophobic polymeric membranes are used to separate the solute‐free water vapour from the hot solution. Vapour fluxes of commercial polymeric membranes were measured in various conditions, i.e. natural and forced convection and vacuum. Vapour fluxes were also predicted with models and compared with experimentals. Higher fluxes were recorded in vacuum conditions.

Quantification of cadmium-induced metallothionein in crustaceans by the silver-saturation method

1995

Metallothionein (MT) has been proposed as a specific biochemical probe for metal exposure of aquatic organisms. It is recognized that its usefulness as a monitoring tool depends on the full understanding of its function and on the possibility of measuring its concentration in tissues. Therefore the study of MT in crustaceans is interesting from two different points of view: the need to understand mechanisms associated with the toxicology of metals, and the potential use of this protein for monitoring metal-contamined environments. Several methods have been developed for quantitative measurements of MT in biological samples. Immunochemical and electrochemical procedures are reliable techniqu…