DOCSLIB.ORG

Chemical and Physical Dynamics of Marine Pockmarks with Insights Into the Organic Carbon Cycling on the Malin Shelf and in the Dunmanus Bay, Ireland

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Chemical and Physical Dynamics of Marine Pockmarks with Insights Into the Organic Carbon Cycling on the Malin Shelf and in the Dunmanus Bay, Ireland CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL DYNAMICS OF MARINE POCKMARKS WITH INSIGHTS INTO THE ORGANIC CARBON CYCLING ON THE MALIN SHELF AND IN THE DUNMANUS BAY, IRELAND BY Michal Szpak, M.Sc. Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Supervisor: Dr Brian Kelleher Dublin City University School of Chemical Sciences March, 2012 Declaration I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of Doctor of Philosophy is entirely my own work, that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge breach any law of copyright, and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. Signed: ____________ (Candidate) ID No.: ___________ Date: _______ Abstract Pockmarks are specific type of marine geological setting resembling craters or pits. They are considered surface expression of fluid flow in the marine subsurface. Pockmarks are widespread in the aquatic environment but the understanding of their formation mechanisms, relationship with marine macro- and micro-biota and their geochemistry remains limited. Despite numerous findings of these features in Irish waters they received little attention and remain poorly studied. In this work extensive geophysical data sets collected by the Irish National Seabed Survey and its successor the INFOMAR project as well in situ sediment samples were utilized to provide baseline information on the nature of some of these features, the processes they are fuelled by and their geochemical characteristics. Pockmarks from open shelf (Malin Shelf) and bay, fjord like environment (Dunmanus Bay) are compared and theories of their formation are formulated. Sediment from these features was extensively studied utilizing advanced geotechnical and geochemical tools to describe and quantify processes taking place in the subsurface. Organic matter was characterized on a molecular level by combined biomarker and advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance approach. I Acknowledgements The research of which fruits are presented in this thesis was a wonderful journey, full of exploration of scientific ideas, acquiring knowledge and learning about inner strengths and weaknesses. This journey would not be possible if not the support and dedication of many people. I would like give my thanks to all of them and express gratitude for their support in all of the good and bad moments that I have encountered while working on this project. I would like to dedicate this thesis to my wife Justyna. Your unflinching support, love and patience were the biggest source of strength and motivation I needed to complete this work. To my parents Janusz and Teresa as well as my brother Łukasz, I thank You for the instilled values that led me to pursue a degree in science: curiosity of the world, ambition and perseverance. Special thanks go to my mentor Brian Kelleher for giving me continuous support, advice, for his great resourcefulness and encouragement and for being a good friend. I thank my collaborators and partners in the Geological Survey of Ireland, Xavier Monteys and Koen Verbruggen for sharing their time and knowledge and for making my off shore experience possible. I also would like to thank the crew and the captains of the RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager as well as all staff from Irish Marine Institute for their expertise and help given during the preparation and execution of all research cruises I had the privilege to participate in. Special thanks to Andrew Simpson, his research group and technical staff for the invaluable help in acquiring NMR spectra and for their advice and insight during their interpretation. I also would like to thank to my colleagues Kris Hart, Shane O’Reilly, Sean Jordan, Vasileios Kouloumpos, Leon Barron, Adrian Spence, Margaret McCaul, Brian Murphy, Brian Moran, Carla Meledandri for all the hours of productive and purely fun coffee breaks we have spent together breaking the often so tedious laboratory routine. Finally I would like to give my thanks to all academic and technical staff of the School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University for Your support and advice during this project. II Declaration Bathymetry, backscatter and sub bottom data was collected in 2003, 2006 and 2007 as part of the INSS (Irish National Seabed Survey) program and its successor, the INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland's Marine Resources) program (Dorschel et al., 2010). The data was accessed through collaboration with the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and Irish Marine Institute (MI) and in accordance with the open and free access policy announced by The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D. in 2007. Towed electromagnetic (EM) data were acquired during a geo-hazard and hydrocarbon reconnaissance survey of the Malin Shelf in 2009 (GSI/PIP – IS05/16 project, Monteys et al., 2009 and Gracia et al., 2009). The data was accessed through collaboration with the Dr Xavier Monteys, Dr Koen Verbruggen (GSI), Dr Xavier Garcia (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Ireland) and Dr Rob Evans (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA). The result of this collaboration was published as Szpak et al., 2011. The author acknowledges that ownership and credit for the acquisition and processing of the above mentioned data is that of the above mentioned institutions and individuals. The authors own work involved manipulation and interpretation of the data in a novel way not pursued by any of the data owners. The NMR experiments were performed by Prof Andre Simpson (Environmental NMR Center, University of Toronto, Canada). All sample preparation and interpretation of the results was conducted by the author. Foraminifer counting was performed by Dr Soledad Garcia-Gil (Dpto Geociencias Marinas, University of Vigo, Spain). Sample pre-concentration and results interpretation was conducted by the author. Pore water sulphate and chloride analysis of the Dunmanus Bay core was performed by Dr Carlos Rocha (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland). Benthic survey along with data processing and preliminary interpretation was conducted as contract analysis by AQUAFAC International Services Ltd., Ireland during research cruise CE09_023 organized and led by the author. III Table of Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... II DECLARATION ...................................................................................................................... III TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................... IV CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 POCKMARKS AS SEABED STRUCTURES .................................................................... 1 1.1.1 WHAT ARE POCKMARKS? .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................... 2 1.1.3 FORMATION OF POCKMARKS ........................................................................................................ 3 1.1.4 DETECTION OF POCKMARKS, SHALLOW GAS AND OTHER FLUIDS IN THE WATER COLUMN AND THE SUB SURFACE ........................................................................................................................................ 6 1.1.5 THE DISTRIBUTION OF POCKMARKS AROUND THE WORLD .......................................................... 10 1.1.6 THE DISTRIBUTION OF POCKMARKS AROUND GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND ............................. 11 1.1.7 IMPORTANCE OF POCKMARKS AND POCKMARK RELATED FLUID FLOW OCCURRENCES ............... 14 1.1.7.1 CONTRIBUTION TO CARBON CYCLE ..................................................................................... 14 1.1.7.2 POCKMARKS AND GAS AND OIL EXPLORATION ................................................................... 19 1.1.7.3 POCKMARKS AND GAS HYDRATES ...................................................................................... 22 1.1.8 DO POCKMARKS CONTRIBUTE TO THE FOOD WEB? ..................................................................... 22 1.1.9 POTENTIAL AND DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH POCKMARKS ....................................................... 25 1.2 CARBON CYCLING ......................................................................................................... 27 1.2.1 THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE ..................................................................................................... 27 1.2.2 COASTAL CARBON CYCLE .......................................................................................................... 31 1.2.3 THE ORGANIC CARBON CYCLE .................................................................................................... 34 1.3. ASPECTS OF METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 37 1.3.1 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SEDIMENTS ........................................................................................ 37 1.3.1.1 PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION ............................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mesh-Size Matters in Epibenthic Surveys
    J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U. K. 12002), 82,1^8 Printed in the United Kingdom Mesh-size matters in epibenthic surveys Ruth Callaway*P, Simon JenningsP, John Lancaster* and John CotterO *University ofWales Swansea, School ofBiological Sciences, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales, SA2 8PP. OCentre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Lowestoft, Norfolk, NR33 0HT. PCorresponding author 1ne¨ eR.Zu« hlke): e-mail: [email protected] This study aimed to identify the e¡ects of di¡erent sieve mesh-sizes on processing time, the number of species retained, diversity measures and multivariate community analysis in the North Sea. Samples were collected at 63 sites throughout the North Sea and washed through two successive sieves, 10-mm and 5-mm mesh respectively. Processing time for whole samples 15- and 10-mm fraction) averaged 91 Æ25 min compared with 55 Æ16 min for the 10-mm mesh fraction. Altogether 40% of free-living species and 9% of attached species were recorded exclusively in the 5-mm fraction. The majority of these species were rare. Spatial gradients of species diversity and community structure were identical, independent ofthe mesh-size used. Multivariate community analysis showed no signi¢cant di¡erence between descriptions ofcommunity structure based on fauna from 10-mm or 5-mm mesh. The use ofcoarser sieving mesh would save time and money, ifthe aims ofan epibenthic survey were to describe broad patterns ofcommunity structure and relative diversity. It would be possible to process approximately 50% more samples, ifthe time saved with 10-mm mesh were allocated to additional sampling. However, ifinformation on single species is required, then sorting with the ¢ner sieve mesh will yield crucial information.
    [Show full text]
  • Tsmm.Pdf 5.573 Mb
    ANÀLISI DELS DESCARTAMENTS EFECTUATS PER LA FLOTA D’ARROSSEGAMENT EN EL GOLF DE LLEÓ Sandra MALLOL MARTÍNEZ ISBN: 84-689-4625-7 Dipòsit legal: GI-1170-2005 Anàlisi dels descartaments efectuats per la fl ota d’arrossegament en el Golf de Lleó Sandra Mallol i Martínez Memòria redactada per Sandra Mallol i Martínez, 2005 inscrita al programa de doctorat de Biologia Ambiental, del Departament de Ciències Ambientals, per optar al grau de Doctor en Biologia per la Universitat de Girona. Aquest treball s’ha realitzat a l’Àrea de Zoologia del Departament de Ciències Ambientals de la Universitat de Girona sota la direcció de la Dra. Margarida Casadevall Masó i el Dr. Emili García-Berthou. coberta_SMallol.indd 1 23/05/2005, 11:49 Tesi Doctoral Anàlisi dels descartaments efectuats per la flota d’arrossegament en el Golf de Lleó Memòria redactada per Sandra Mallol i Martínez, inscrita al programa de doctorat de Biologia Ambiental del Departament de Ciències Ambientals, per a optar al grau de Doctora en Biologia per la Universitat de Girona. El present treball s’ha realitzat a l’Àrea de Zoologia de la Universitat de Girona sota la codirecció de la Dra. Margarida Casadevall Masó i el Dr. Emili García-Berthou. Sandra Mallol i Martínez Vist-i-plau dels directors, Dra. Margarida Casadevall Masó Dr. Emili García-Berthou Professora titular Professor titular Àrea de Zoologia Àrea d’Ecologia Departament de Ciències Ambientals Departament de Ciències Ambientals Universitat de Girona Universitat de Girona Girona, 2005 Al meu avi Falet, per haver-me ensenyat a estimar tant la mar Agraïments Quan un arriba al final de l’odissea de la tesi es fa difícil escriure aquest apartat sobretot per la por a obliadar-te d’algú, perdoneu si es dóna el cas.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bioturbation Classification of European Marine Infaunal
    A bioturbation classification of European marine infaunal invertebrates Ana M. Queiros 1, Silvana N. R. Birchenough2, Julie Bremner2, Jasmin A. Godbold3, Ruth E. Parker2, Alicia Romero-Ramirez4, Henning Reiss5,6, Martin Solan3, Paul J. Somerfield1, Carl Van Colen7, Gert Van Hoey8 & Stephen Widdicombe1 1Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, The Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, U.K. 2The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 OHT, U.K. 3Department of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, U.K. 4EPOC – UMR5805, Universite Bordeaux 1- CNRS, Station Marine d’Arcachon, 2 Rue du Professeur Jolyet, Arcachon 33120, France 5Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, University of Nordland, Postboks 1490, Bodø 8049, Norway 6Department for Marine Research, Senckenberg Gesellschaft fu¨ r Naturforschung, Su¨ dstrand 40, Wilhelmshaven 26382, Germany 7Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, Ghent 9000, Belgium 8Bio-Environmental Research Group, Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries Research (ILVO-Fisheries), Ankerstraat 1, Ostend 8400, Belgium Keywords Abstract Biodiversity, biogeochemical, ecosystem function, functional group, good Bioturbation, the biogenic modification of sediments through particle rework- environmental status, Marine Strategy ing and burrow ventilation, is a key mediator of many important geochemical Framework Directive, process, trait. processes in marine systems. In situ quantification of bioturbation can be achieved in a myriad of ways, requiring expert knowledge, technology, and Correspondence resources not always available, and not feasible in some settings. Where dedi- Ana M. Queiros, Plymouth Marine cated research programmes do not exist, a practical alternative is the adoption Laboratory, Prospect Place, The Hoe, Plymouth PL1 3DH, U.K.
    [Show full text]
  • Trpovi Jadrana I Njihova Ugroženost
    Trpovi Jadrana i njihova ugroženost Bralić, Sara Undergraduate thesis / Završni rad 2017 Degree Grantor / Ustanova koja je dodijelila akademski / stručni stupanj: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science / Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Prirodoslovno-matematički fakultet Permanent link / Trajna poveznica: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:217:818413 Rights / Prava: In copyright Download date / Datum preuzimanja: 2021-09-28 Repository / Repozitorij: Repository of Faculty of Science - University of Zagreb SVEUČILIŠTE U ZAGREBU PRIRODOSLOVNO-MATEMATIČKI FAKULTET BIOLOŠKI ODSJEK TRPOVI JADRANA I NJIHOVA UGROŽENOST SEA CUCUMBERS IN THE ADRIATIC AND HOW THEY ARE ENDANGERED SEMINARSKI RAD Sara Bralić Preddiplomski studij biologije (Undergraduate Study of Biology) Mentor: izv. prof. dr. sc. Petar Kružić Zagreb, 2017. SADRŽAJ 1. UVOD ................................................................................................................................. 2 2. BODLJIKAŠI ..................................................................................................................... 3 3. TRPOVI .............................................................................................................................. 6 3.1. TRPOVI U JADRANU ................................................................................................... 9 3.1.1. Holothuria tubulosa Gmelin 1791 ............................................................................ 9 3.1.2. Holothuria forskali Delle Chiaje, 1823..................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • BENTHIC FAUNA of the NORTH AEGEAN SEA II CRINOIDEA and HOLOTHURIOIDEA (ECHINODERMATA) Athanasios S
    BENTHIC FAUNA OF THE NORTH AEGEAN SEA II CRINOIDEA AND HOLOTHURIOIDEA (ECHINODERMATA) Athanasios S. Koukouras, Apostolos I. Sinis To cite this version: Athanasios S. Koukouras, Apostolos I. Sinis. BENTHIC FAUNA OF THE NORTH AEGEAN SEA II CRINOIDEA AND HOLOTHURIOIDEA (ECHINODERMATA). Vie et Milieu / Life & Environment, Observatoire Océanologique - Laboratoire Arago, 1981, pp.271-281. hal-03010387 HAL Id: hal-03010387 https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-03010387 Submitted on 17 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. VIE MILIEU, 1981, 31 (3-4): 271-281 FAUNA OF THE NORTH AEGEAN IL CRINOIDEA AND HOLOTHURIOIDEA (ECHINODERMATA) Athanasios S. KOUKOURAS and Apostolos I. SINIS Laboratory of Zoology, University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece BENTHOS RÉSUMÉ. - Deux espèces de Crinoïdes et 22 espèces d'Holothurioidea ont été récoltées CRINOÏDES au Nord de la Mer Égée. 7 espèces, Holothuria (H.) stellati, H. (H.) mammata, Paracucuma- HOLOTHURIDES ria hyndmanni, Havelockia inermis, Phyllophorus granulatus, Leptosynapta makrankyra, MÉDITERRANÉE Labidoplax thomsoni sont nouvelles pour la Méditerranée orientale (20° plus à l'est), 3 MER EGÉE espèces, Holothuria (Thymiosycia) impatiens, H. (Platyperona) sanctori, H. (Panningothuria) forskali sont nouvelles pour la Mer Égée, et 5 espèces, le Crinoïde Leptometra phalangium et les Holothurides Holothuria (H.) helleri, Leptopentacta tergestina, Thyone fusus et T.
    [Show full text]
  • The Echinoderm Fauna of Turkey with New Records from the Levantine Coast of Turkey
    Proc. of middle East & North Africa Conf. For Future of Animal Wealth THE ECHINODERM FAUNA OF TURKEY WITH NEW RECORDS FROM THE LEVANTINE COAST OF TURKEY Elif Özgür1, Bayram Öztürk2 and F. Saadet Karakulak2 1Faculty of Fisheries, Akdeniz University, TR-07058 Antalya, Turkey 2İstanbul University, Faculty of Fisheries, Ordu Cad.No.200, 34470 Laleli- Istanbul, Turkey Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT The echinoderm fauna of Turkey consists of 80 species (two Crinoidea, 22 Asteroidea, 18 Ophiuroidea, 20 Echinoidea and 18 Holothuroidea). In this study, seven echinoderm species are reported for the first time from the Levantine coast of Turkey. These are, five ophiroid species; Amphipholis squamata, Amphiura chiajei, Amphiura filiformis, Ophiopsila aranea, and Ophiothrix quinquemaculata and two echinoid species; Echinocyamus pusillus and Stylocidaris affinis. Turkey is surrounded by four seas with different hydrographical characteristics and Turkish Straits System (Çanakkale Strait, Marmara Sea and İstanbul Strait) serve both as a biological corridor and barrier between the Aegean and Black Seas. The number of echinoderm species in the coasts of Turkey also varies due to the different biotic environments of these seas. There are 14 echinoderm species reported from the Black Sea, 19 species from the İstanbul Strait, 51 from the Marmara Sea, 71 from the Aegean Sea and 42 from the Levantine coasts of Turkey. Among these species, Asterias rubens, Ophiactis savignyi, Diadema setosum, and Synaptula reciprocans are alien species for the Turkish coasts. Key words: Echinodermata, new records, Levantine Sea, Turkey. Cairo International Covention Center , Egypt , 16 - 18 – October , (2008), pp. 571 - 581 Elif Özgür et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Infaunal and PSA Analyses of Benthic Samples Collected from South Arran MPA, Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh MPA and Southern Trench MPA Proposal
    Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 946 Infaunal and PSA analyses of benthic samples collected from South Arran MPA, Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh MPA and Southern Trench MPA proposal COMMISSIONED REPORT Commissioned Report No. 946 Infaunal and PSA analyses of benthic samples collected from South Arran MPA, Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh MPA and Southern Trench MPA proposal For further information on this report please contact: Flora Kent Scottish Natural Heritage Inverdee House ABERDEEN AB11 9QA Telephone: 01224 266522 E-mail: [email protected] This report should be quoted as: Axelsson, M., O’Dell, J. & Dewey, S. 2017. Infaunal and PSA analyses of benthic samples collected from South Arran MPA, Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh MPA and Southern Trench MPA proposal. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 946. This report, or any part of it, should not be reproduced without the permission of Scottish Natural Heritage. This permission will not be withheld unreasonably. The views expressed by the author(s) of this report should not be taken as the views and policies of Scottish Natural Heritage. © Scottish Natural Heritage 2017. COMMISSIONED REPORT Summary Infaunal and PSA analyses of benthic samples collected from South Arran MPA, Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh MPA and Southern Trench MPA proposal Commissioned Report No. 946 Project No: 015846 Contractor: Seastar Survey Ltd Year of publication: 2017 Keywords Marine survey; MPA; South Arran; Lochs Duich Long Alsh; protected features; seabed habitats; infauna; PSA. Background On the 7 August 2014, 30 Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NC MPAs) were designated in the seas around Scotland, 17 in territorial waters under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and 13 in offshore waters under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.
    [Show full text]
  • Destruction of Conspecific Bioturbation Structures by Amphiura Filiformis
    MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 315: 99–111, 2006 Published June 13 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Destruction of conspecific bioturbation structures by Amphiura filiformis (Ophiuroida): evidence from luminophore tracers and in situ time-lapse sediment-profile imagery Ronan O’Reilly, Robert Kennedy*, Adrian Patterson Zoology Department, Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland ABSTRACT: Bioturbation processes of a dense ophiuroid assemblage were studied by in situ time-lapse sediment-profile imagery (t-SPI) and laboratory tracer-experiments. The burrows of 4 Amphiura fili- formis (Ophiuroida) individuals were visible throughout the t-SPI deployment. Mean burrow excavation was 2.9 cm2 h–1. Mounding ranged from 0 to 7.12 cm2 h–1. Loss of sediment from the sediment–water interface ranged from 0 to 7.0 cm2 h–1. Bioturbation at the station was dominated by A. filiformis, whose presence appeared to mask the activity of conspecifics. Species interactions were investigated in terms of particle reworking by laboratory luminophore-tracer experiments of monocultures and species mix- tures using A. filiformis, Leptopentacta elongata (Holothuroida) and Nephtys hombergii (Polychaeta). Bioturbation by these large species fit a symmetric non-local model well. Species interactions led to underyielding with respect to predicted additive species-effects. Treatments containing A. filiformis were significantly different from treatments without A. filiformis, and not significantly different from each other. When the data was processed on a per capita basis, multiculture treatments containing N. hombergii underyielded due to the high biomass of N. hombergii and its relatively low bioturbation activity. Ordination of a distance matrix derived from tracer profiles showed that tracer profiles produced by multispecies treatments were most similar to the strongest bioturbator, due to destruction of con- specific structures by the strongest bioturbator.
    [Show full text]
  • Farnes East Rmcz Summary Site Report
    Farnes East rMCZ Post-survey Site Report Contract Reference: MB0120 Report Number: 3 Version 10 March 2015 Project Title: Coordination of the Defra MCZ data collection programme Report No 3. Title: Farnes East rMCZ Post-survey Site Report Project Code: MB0120 Defra Contract Manager: Carole Kelly Funded by: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Marine Science and Evidence Unit Marine Directorate Nobel House 17 Smith Square London SW1P 3JR The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) Monkstone House City Road Peterborough PE1 1JY Authorship: Jacqueline Eggleton Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) [email protected] David Stephens Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) [email protected] Dr Markus Diesing Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) [email protected] Dr Sue Ware Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) [email protected] Matthew Curtis Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) [email protected] Acknowledgements We thank Dr Roger Coggan (Cefas) for editing the text of earlier drafts of this report. Disclaimer: The content of this report does not necessarily reflect the views of Defra, nor is Defra liable for the accuracy of information provided, or responsible for any use of the reports content. Although the data provided in this report has been quality assured, the final products - e.g. habitat maps – may be subject to revision following
    [Show full text]
  • Screening Report for Appropriate Assessment
    Environmental Consultants Screening Report for Appropriate Assessment Screening Report for Appropriate Assessment in relation to the construction of floating pontoon with an access gangway at Mevagh Boatyard, Downings, Co. Donegal by Donegal County Council within the zone of influence of the Mulroy Bay SAC site code 002159. Greentrack Environmental Consultants November 2019 1 | P a g e Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Legislative Context ...................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Stages of the Appropriate Assessment Process .......................................................... 4 2 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................ 5 2.1 Approach ..................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Guidance Documents .................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Statement of Authority ............................................................................................... 6 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT .................................................................................. 6 4 THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Available Benthic Energy Coefficient (ABEC): a Generic Tool to Estimate the Food Profitability in Coastal Fish Nurseries
    Vol. 522: 203–218, 2015 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published March 2 doi: 10.3354/meps11121 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Available Benthic Energy Coefficient (ABEC): a generic tool to estimate the food profitability in coastal fish nurseries A. Tableau1,2,*, H. Le Bris1, A. Brind’Amour2 1Agrocampus Ouest, UMR 985 Ecologie et Santé des Écosystèmes, 65 rue de Saint Brieuc, CS 84215, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France 2Département Ecologie et Modèles pour l’Halieutique, IFREMER, rue de l’Île d’Yeu, BP 21105, 44311 Nantes Cedex 03, France ABSTRACT: The benthic production of prey seems to be one of the main drivers among many environmental factors that influence the quality of fish nurseries and potentially limit their carry- ing capacity. However, the contribution of food availability in the growth and survival of juveniles is still controversial. The Available Benthic Energy Coefficient (ABEC) aims to assess the trophic profitability of benthic invertebrate prey; this concept reflects the combination of energy richness and availability of prey. A value of the coefficient was associated with each prey species. This value was calculated from the product of 4 components: (1) mass energy, (2) productivity, (3) regeneration, and (4) accessibility. Thus, this coefficient is expressed as a quantity of energy per unit of weight and per year. From this coefficient, it is simple to calculate the annual production of profitable energy for the fish community in a delimited nursery; it only needs information about the biomass of benthic invertebrates via a standard sampling method. This tool appears to be decisive in properly estimating the carrying capacity of such a fish nursery.
    [Show full text]
  • Structure and Functioning of the Northern Adriatic Coastal Ecosystem, Within the Context of the Marine Strategy Framework Implementation
    Scuola Dottorale di Ateneo Graduate School Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze Ambientali Ciclo XXIX Anno di discussione 2017 Structure and functioning of the Northern Adriatic coastal ecosystem, within the context of the Marine Strategy Framework implementation SETTORE SCIENTIFICO DISCIPLINARE DI AFFERENZA: BIO/07 Tesi di Dottorato di Silvia Colla, matricola 811761 Coordinatore del Dottorato Tutor del Dottorando Prof. Gabriele Capodaglio Prof. Fabio Pranovi a nonno Giorgio e a mia figlia Carlotta Maria 1 Contents Introduction 3 Chapter 1: Benthic community structure and functioning in relation to the 13 presence of a mussel farm. Chapter 2: Modeling mussel farm influence on sediment biogeochemistry 46 Chapter 3: Passive Acoustic Monitoring as a tool for investigating the potential 72 role of a mussel farms for fish aggregation in the Northern Adriatic Sea Chapter 4: Emergy analysis of a mussel farm (Mytilus galloprovincialis) 87 in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Chapter 5: The role of artisanal fishery in the Northern Adriatic coastal area 110 General Conclusions 134 2 Introduction 3 The entering into force of the Madrid Protocol (2011) is of high relevance for the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) approaches and tools as well as for adopting new approaches for the management of the sea. The Protocol promotes the adoption of the ecosystem approach in coastal planning and management, in order to ensure sustainable development (art. 6.c). Both the ICZM protocol and the Ecosystem Approach claim for the adoption of an integrated approach, operating across both natural and social systems, and between ecosystems. All this implies that management decisions should consider the local economic and social context and promoting the implementation of participatory forms of governance.
    [Show full text]