West Indian Ocean Research Articles

Sinuosity of tropical cyclone tracks in the South West Indian Ocean: Spatio-temporal patterns and relationships with fundamental storm attributes

The shapes of 268 tropical cyclone tracks in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) basin are investigated over the period 1977 to 2011 using an established metric for track sinuosity. Original cyclone position data from the RSMC La Réunion area of responsibility were accessed from the IBTrACS archive maintained by NOAA. Cyclone track sinuosity was measured within a GIS environment and the filtered results were normalised with a cube-root transformation function to reduce positive skew in the output sinuosity distribution. Several key findings from spatial and temporal analysis of sinuosity results may be highlighted. To assess geographical patterns, mapping tracks within designated quartile categories (straight, quasi-straight, curving and sinuous tracks) indicates which land areas in the SWIO are more likely to be affected by cyclones following sinuous tracks that are more difficult to forecast, in particular Madagascar and the islands of Réunion and Mauritius. Over the past three decades, the temporal sinuosity pattern shows a high degree of variability that will probably continue into the future. Yet crucially, a number of conspicuous episodes of relatively magnified or subdued sinuosity are recognised compared to long-term averages. This may present opportunities for identifying major climatic controls on regional anomalous cyclone migration behaviour. Within the average yearly cyclone season, the early months (September–December) have a tendency to produce more predictable straighter-moving cyclones, whereas January stands out as the singular month marking an abrupt swing towards a greater proportion (64%) of curving and sinuously-moving storms. This finding is of importance for vulnerability assessment, because a strong positive correlation is also identified between track sinuosity and cyclone longevity, such that storms steering less predictable sinuous courses are also those that tend to survive for longer durations.

Mitochondrial DNA population structure of the scalloped lobster Panulirus homarus (Linnaeus 1758) from the West Indian Ocean

AbstractFarhadi, A., Farhamand, H., Nematollahi, M. A., Jeffs, A., and Lavery, S. D. 2013. Mitochondrial DNA population structure of the scalloped lobster Panulirus homarus (Linnaeus 1758) from the West Indian Ocean. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: . The scalloped spiny lobster Panulirus homarus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a highly valuable species with a widespread global distribution, ranging from South Africa around the Persian Gulf, and across the Indo-Pacific as far as Japan and French Polynesia. Throughout its range, the species is an important fisheries species with global annual landings in the order of 3000 t. Mitochondrial control region DNA sequences (625 bp) were used to investigate the population genetic structure of this species in the West Indian Ocean (WIO), using 137 individuals collected from four sites, including two locations along the south coast of Iran, and sites along the coast of the Sultanate of Oman in the Arab Sea, as well as Tanzania in eastern Africa. High levels of haplotype diversity (H = 0.997) were observed in all populations, although nucleotide diversity was relatively low (pi = 0.035). The hypothesis of a single stock in this region was rejected, with highly significant genetic differentiation revealed between Tanzania and the remaining locations (overall ΦST = 0.039, p < 0.00001), as well as slight genetic structure in the Arabian Sea region. Historical population expansion was inferred from Tajima's D and Fu's F tests. The results reveal at least two distinct genetic stocks in WIO and may have major implications for fisheries management.

A Revision of the Genus <I>Grisollea</I> (Stemonuraceae)

Abstract The genus Grisollea includes three species found in the West Indian Ocean basin. Grisollea myriantha occurs in the Comoro Islands and Madagascar, while Grisollea thomassetii is restricted to the Seychelles. A new species, Grisollea crassifolia, is described from eastern Madagascar. This revision provides a key to the species, descriptions, illustrations, maps, conservation status assessments, and an overview of the placement of the genus within Stemonuraceae.

Evolution of sympatric species: a case study of the coral reef fish genus Pomacanthus (Pomacanthidae)

AbstractAimTo establish a spatial and temporal framework within which we can begin to investigate the role of geography in the evolution of Pomacanthus species. This study examines the phylogenetic relationships among Pomacanthus species, tests whether the degree of sympatry among sister taxa correlates with their age, and explores potential modes of diversification.LocationPan‐tropical coral reef systems.MethodsThree gene regions (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and nuclear S7) from all 13 Pomacanthus species were used in conjunction with fossil calibration to reconstruct a chronogram. IUCN maps were used to evaluate geographical range overlap. Various age–range correlation (ARC) analyses were used to test for a correlation between range overlap and node age. Range‐size symmetry and node age were also examined.ResultsBiogeographical splits within the phylogeny corroborated key biogeographical events well, suggesting a potential role for allopatric speciation in the evolutionary history of the genus. ARC analyses suggested that speciation leading to sympatry is widespread in Pomacanthus, with 80% of sister species showing complete or substantial (> 85%) range overlap. No significant relationship between degree of sympatry and node age was recovered, which demonstrates that, for this group, exceptional sympatry is not necessarily a result of relatively old lineages. Range‐size symmetry analysis was consistent with models of peripatric speciation within a finite area.Main conclusionsWe present evidence consistent with allopatric speciation, while our ARC results are consistent with simulations of sympatric speciation, with the possibility of peripheral budding having led to the richness of sympatric species in the West Indian Ocean. We discuss how these processes can affect the interpretation of temporal and spatial analyses, and provide a basis for future investigations into the processes driving speciation.

Multi-Genetic Marker Approach and Spatio-Temporal Analysis Suggest There Is a Single Panmictic Population of Swordfish Xiphias gladius in the Indian Ocean

Genetic population structure of swordfish Xiphias gladius was examined based on 2231 individual samples, collected mainly between 2009 and 2010, among three major sampling areas within the Indian Ocean (IO; twelve distinct sites), Atlantic (two sites) and Pacific (one site) Oceans using analysis of nineteen microsatellite loci (n = 2146) and mitochondrial ND2 sequences (n = 2001) data. Sample collection was stratified in time and space in order to investigate the stability of the genetic structure observed with a special focus on the South West Indian Ocean. Significant AMOVA variance was observed for both markers indicating genetic population subdivision was present between oceans. Overall value of F-statistics for ND2 sequences confirmed that Atlantic and Indian Oceans swordfish represent two distinct genetic stocks. Indo-Pacific differentiation was also significant but lower than that observed between Atlantic and Indian Oceans. However, microsatellite F-statistics failed to reveal structure even at the inter-oceanic scale, indicating that resolving power of our microsatellite loci was insufficient for detecting population subdivision. At the scale of the Indian Ocean, results obtained from both markers are consistent with swordfish belonging to a single unique panmictic population. Analyses partitioned by sampling area, season, or sex also failed to identify any clear structure within this ocean. Such large spatial and temporal homogeneity of genetic structure, observed for such a large highly mobile pelagic species, suggests as satisfactory to consider swordfish as a single panmictic population in the Indian Ocean.

Yanai waves in the western equatorial Indian Ocean

Observations and models have shown the presence of intraseasonal fluctuations in 20–30‐day and 10–20‐day bands in the equatorial Indian Ocean west of 60°E (WEIO). Their spatial and temporal structures characterize them as Yanai waves, which we label low‐frequency (LFYW) and high‐frequency (HFYW) Yanai waves, respectively. We explore the dynamics of these intraseasonal signals, using an ocean general circulation model (Modular Ocean Model) and a linear, continuously stratified model. Yanai waves are forced by the meridional wind τy everywhere in the WEIO most strongly during the monsoon seasons. They are forced both directly in the interior ocean and by reflection of the interior response from the western boundary; interference between the interior and boundary responses results in a complex surface pattern that propagates eastward and has nodes. Yanai waves are also forced by instabilities primarily during June/July in a region offshore from the western boundary (52–55°E). At that time, eddies, generated by barotropic instability of the Southern Gyre, are advected southward to the equator. There, they generate a westward‐propagating, cross‐equatorial flow field, veq, with a wave number/frequency spectrum that fits the dispersion relation of a number of Yanai waves, and these waves are efficiently excited. Typically, Yanai waves associated with several baroclinic modes are excited by both wind and eddy forcing; and typically, they superpose to create beams that carry energy vertically and eastward along ray paths. The same processes generate LFYWs and HFYWs, and hence, their responses are similar; differences are traceable to the property that HFYWs have longer wavelengths than LFYWs for each baroclinic mode.

A numerical study of orographic forcing on TC Dina (2002) in South West Indian Ocean

Abstract. Using the French non-hydrostatic mesoscale numerical model Méso-NH, intense tropical cyclone (TC) Dina (2002) is simulated to investigate the forcing caused by the steep orography of Réunion island (20.8° S, 55.5° E) in the southwest Indian Ocean. The model initialised by a bogus vortex derived from Doppler radar observations reproduces quite well the dynamical characteristics of TC Dina approaching the island and provides some clues on the orographic influence on the structure and the evolution of the TC. The presence of the island is observed to stabilise the cyclonic circulation by damping the natural elliptical eyewall rotation and forcing the flow circulation. Initially, the cyclonic flow is blocked upwind of the orography which induces a convergence associated with upward vertical velocities, intense precipitation and maximum horizontal winds along the upwind slopes of the island. A mountain wave, generated over the highest terrains, is associated with downward motions on the lee side. When the strongest winds reach the island, the flow changes its behaviour from passing around to over the island. Non-dimensional flow parameters in agreement with recent theories are calculated to explain TC track.

Ancient Grandeur of the Vertebrate Neuropeptide Y System Shown by the Coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae

The neuropeptide Y (NPY) family receptors and peptides have previously been characterized in several tetrapods, teleost fishes, and in a holocephalan cartilaginous fish. This has shown that the ancestral NPY system in the jawed vertebrates consisted of the peptides NPY and peptide YY (PYY) and seven G-protein-coupled receptors named Y1–Y8 (Y3 does not exist). The different vertebrate lineages have subsequently lost or gained a few receptor genes. For instance, the human genome has lost three of the seven receptors while the zebrafish has lost two and gained two receptor genes. Here we describe the NPY system of a representative of an early diverging lineage among the sarcopterygians, the West Indian Ocean coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae. The coelacanth was found to have retained all seven receptors from the ancestral jawed vertebrate. The receptors display the typical characteristics found in other vertebrates. Interestingly, the coelacanth was found to have the local duplicate of the PYY gene, called pancreatic polypeptide, previously only identified in tetrapods. Thus, this duplication took place very early in the sarcopterygian lineage, before the origin of tetrapods. These findings confirm the ancient complexity of the NPY system and show that mammals have lost more NPY receptors than any other vertebrate lineage. The coelacanth has all three peptides found in tetrapods and has retained the ancestral jawed vertebrate receptor repertoire with neither gains or losses.

Biological invasions of geminiviruses: case study of TYLCV and Bemisia tabaci in Reunion Island.

In the last 20 years, molecular ecology approaches have proven to be extremely useful to identify and assess factors associated with viral emerging diseases, particularly in economically and socially important tropical crops such as maize (maize streak disease) and cassava (cassava mosaic disease). Molecular ecology approaches were applied in Reunion Island to analyze the epidemic of tomato yellow leaf curl disease, which has been affecting the island since the end of the 1990s. Before the invasive biotype B (currently known as Middle East-Asia Minor 1 cryptic species) of Bemisia tabaci spread across the world, Reunion Island (South West Indian Ocean) only hosted an indigenous biotype of B. tabaci, Ms (currently known as Indian Ocean cryptic species). Wild hybrids between invasive and indigenous species were subsequently characterized over multiple generations. Endosymbiont analysis of the hybrid population indicated that matings were non-random. Similarly, while no indigenous begomoviruses have ever been reported on Reunion Island, the two main strains of one of the most damaging and emerging plant viruses in the world, the Mild and Israel strains of the Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV-Mld and TYLCV-IL), were introduced in 1997 and 2004 respectively. While these introductions extensively modified the agricultural landscape of Reunion Island, they also provided an invaluable opportunity to study the ecological and genetic mechanisms involved in biological invasion and competition.

East African cassava mosaic-like viruses from Africa to Indian ocean islands: molecular diversity, evolutionary history and geographical dissemination of a bipartite begomovirus

BackgroundCassava (Manihot esculenta) is a major food source for over 200 million sub-Saharan Africans. Unfortunately, its cultivation is severely hampered by cassava mosaic disease (CMD). Caused by a complex of bipartite cassava mosaic geminiviruses (CMG) species (Family: Geminivirideae; Genus: Begomovirus) CMD has been widely described throughout Africa and it is apparent that CMG's are expanding their geographical distribution. Determining where and when CMG movements have occurred could help curtail its spread and reveal the ecological and anthropic factors associated with similar viral invasions. We applied Bayesian phylogeographic inference and recombination analyses to available and newly described CMG sequences to reconstruct a plausible history of CMG diversification and migration between Africa and South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) islands.ResultsThe isolation and analysis of 114 DNA-A and 41 DNA-B sequences demonstrated the presence of three CMG species circulating in the Comoros and Seychelles archipelagos (East African cassava mosaic virus, EACMV; East African cassava mosaic Kenya virus, EACMKV; and East African cassava mosaic Cameroon virus, EACMCV). Phylogeographic analyses suggest that CMG’s presence on these SWIO islands is probably the result of at least four independent introduction events from mainland Africa occurring between 1988 and 2009. Amongst the islands of the Comoros archipelago, two major migration pathways were inferred: One from Grande Comore to Mohéli and the second from Mayotte to Anjouan. While only two recombination events characteristic of SWIO islands isolates were identified, numerous re-assortments events were detected between EACMV and EACMKV, which seem to almost freely interchange their genome components.ConclusionsRapid and extensive virus spread within the SWIO islands was demonstrated for three CMG complex species. Strong evolutionary or ecological interaction between CMG species may explain both their propensity to exchange components and the absence of recombination with non-CMG begomoviruses. Our results suggest an important role of anthropic factors in CMGs spread as the principal axes of viral migration correspond with major routes of human movement and commercial trade. Finer-scale temporal analyses of CMGs to precisely scale the relative contributions of human and insect transmission to their movement dynamics will require further extensive sampling in the SWIO region.

Genetic diversity and geographic distribution of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) genotypes associated with cassava in East Africa

The genetic variability of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) species, the vectors of cassava mosaic begomoviruses (CMBs) in cassava growing areas of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, was investigated through comparison of partial sequences of the mitochondria cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) DNA in 2010/11. Two distinct species were obtained including sub-Saharan Africa 1 (SSA1), comprising of two sub-clades (I and II), and a South West Indian Ocean Islands (SWIO) species. Among the SSA1, sub-clade I sequences shared a similarity of 97.8–99.7% with the published Uganda 1 genotypes, and diverged by 0.3–2.2%. A pairwise comparison of SSA1 sub-clade II sequences revealed a similarity of 97.2–99.5% with reference southern Africa genotypes, and diverged by 0.5–2.8%. The SSA1 sub-clade I whiteflies were widely distributed in East Africa (EA). In comparison, the SSA1 sub-clade II whiteflies were detected for the first time in the EA region, and occurred predominantly in the coast regions of Kenya, southern and coast Tanzania. They occurred in low abundance in the Lake Victoria Basin of Tanzania and were widespread in all four regions in Uganda. The SWIO species had a sequence similarity of 97.2–97.7% with the published Reunion sequence and diverged by 2.3–2.8%. The SWIO whiteflies occurred in coast Kenya only. The sub-Saharan Africa 2 whitefly species (Ug2) that was associated with the severe CMD pandemic in Uganda was not detected in our study.

A redescription of Pseudocharopinus pteromylaei Raibaut et Essafi, 1979 (Siphonostomatoida: Lernaeopodidae) collected from the South African east coast

Pseudocharopinus Kabata, 1964 is one of the 48 genera comprising the Lernaeopodidae (Copepoda, Siphonostomatoida). Currently there are 11 accepted species contained in Pseudocharopinus. Pseudocharopinus pteromylaei Raibaut et Essafi, 1979 infects the spiracles and gill filaments of Pteromylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire) and is most similar in general appearance to P. pteroplateae (Yamaguti et Yamasu, 1959) from which it clearly differs in the size and dimensions of the dorsal shield and the posterior processes. Additional features of the antenna and the maxilliped ofP. pteromylaei, not previously illustrated, are discussed and illustrated while more detailed illustrations of other appendages are provided. This is the first report of the occurrence of a Pseudocharopinus species from the west Indian Ocean and the first report of P. pteromylaei off the east coast of South Africa.

Zoogeography of Intertidal Communities in the West Indian Ocean as Determined by Ocean Circulation Systems: Patterns from the Tetraclita Barnacles

The Indian Ocean is the least known ocean in the world with the biogeography of marine species in the West Indian Ocean (WIO) understudied. The hydrography of WIO is characterized by four distinct oceanographic systems and there were few glacial refugia formations in the WIO during the Pleistocene. We used the widely distributed intertidal barnacle Tetraclita to test the hypothesis that the distribution and connectivity of intertidal animals in the WIO are determined by the major oceanographic regime but less influenced by historical events such as Pleistocene glaciations. Tetraclita were studied from 32 locations in the WIO. The diversity and distribution of Tetraclita species in the Indian Ocean were examined based on morphological examination and sequence divergence of two mitochondrial genes (12S rDNA and COI) and one nuclear gene (histone 3, H3). Divergence in DNA sequences revealed the presence of seven evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) of Tetraclita in WIO, with most of them recognized as valid species. The distribution of these ESUs is closely tied to the major oceanographic circulation systems. T. rufotincta is distributed in the Monsoonal Gyre. T. ehsani is present in the Gulf of Oman and NW India. Tetraclita sp. nov. is associated with the Hydrochemical Front at 10°S latitude. T. reni is confined to southern Madagascan and Mauritian waters, influenced by the West Wind Drift. The endemic T. achituvi is restricted to the Red Sea. Tetraclita serrata consists of two ESUs (based on mtDNA analysis) along the east to west coast of South Africa. The two ESUs could not be distinguished from morphological analysis and nuclear H3 sequences. Our results support that intertidal species in the West Indian Ocean are associated with each of the major oceanographic circulation systems which determine gene flow. Geographical distribution is, however, less influenced by the geological history of the region.

Climatic trends over Ethiopia: regional signals and drivers

AbstractThis study analyses observed and projected climatic trends over Ethiopia, through analysis of temperature and rainfall records and related meteorological fields. The observed datasets include gridded station records and reanalysis products; while projected trends are analysed from coupled model simulations drawn from the IPCC 4th Assessment. Upward trends in air temperature of + 0.03 °C year−1 and downward trends in rainfall of − 0.4 mm month−1 year−1 have been observed over Ethiopia's southwestern region in the period 1948‐2006. These trends are projected to continue to 2050 according to the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab model using the A1B scenario. Large scale forcing derives from the West Indian Ocean where significant warming and increased rainfall are found. Anticyclonic circulations have strengthened over northern and southern Africa, limiting moisture transport from the Gulf of Guinea and Congo. Changes in the regional Walker and Hadley circulations modulate the observed and projected climatic trends. Comparing past and future patterns, the key features spread westward from Ethiopia across the Sahel and serve as an early warning of potential impacts. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society

Downscaling large-scale climate variability using a regional climate model: the case of ENSO over Southern Africa

This study documents methodological issues arising when downscaling modes of large-scale atmospheric variability with a regional climate model, over a remote region that is yet under their influence. The retained case study is El Nino Southern Oscillation and its impacts on Southern Africa and the South West Indian Ocean. Regional simulations are performed with WRF model, driven laterally by ERA40 reanalyses over the 1971–1998 period. We document the sensitivity of simulated climate variability to the model physics, the constraint of relaxing the model solutions towards reanalyses, the size of the relaxation buffer zone towards the lateral forcings and the forcing fields through ERA-Interim driven simulations. The model’s internal variability is quantified using 15-member ensemble simulations for seasons of interest, single 30-year integrations appearing as inappropriate to investigate the simulated interannual variability properly. The incidence of SST prescription is also assessed through additional integrations using a simple ocean mixed-layer model. Results show a limited skill of the model to reproduce the seasonal droughts associated with El Nino conditions. The model deficiencies are found to result from biased atmospheric forcings and/or biased response to these forcings, whatever the physical package retained. In contrast, regional SST forcing over adjacent oceans favor realistic rainfall anomalies over the continent, although their amplitude remains too weak. These results confirm the significant contribution of nearby ocean SST to the regional effects of ENSO, but also illustrate that regionalizing large-scale climate variability can be a demanding exercise.

Model biases in long coupled runs of NCEP CFS in the context of Indian summer monsoon

AbstractThis study examines the performance of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System (CFS) over the Indian monsoon region in 100 years long coupled run, in terms of biases of sea surface temperature (SST), rainfall and circulation. The study further explores the role of the feedback processes in maintaining these biases. The model simulates reasonable monsoon climatology during JJAS (June–September). It shows dry (wet) rainfall bias concomitant with cold (warm) SST bias over east (west) equatorial Indian Ocean. These biases of SST and rainfall affect both lower‐ and upper‐level circulations in a feedback process, which in turn regulates the SST and rainfall biases by maintaining a coupled feedback process. A dry (wet) rainfall bias over east (west) Indian Ocean induces anomalous low level easterlies over tropical Indian Ocean and causes cold SST bias over east Indian Ocean by triggering evaporation and warm SST bias over west Indian Ocean through advection of warm waters. The persistent SST bias retains the zonal asymmetric heating and meridional temperature gradient resulting in a circum‐global subtropical westerly jet core, which in turn magnifies the mid‐latitude disturbances and decreases the Mascarene high. The decreased Mascarene high diminishes the strength of monsoon cross‐equatorial flow and results in less upwelling as compared to that in the observation. It further increases the SST bias over the West Indian Ocean. The coupled interaction among SST, rainfall and circulation works in tandem through a closed feedback loop to maintain the model biases over tropical Indian Ocean. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society

Tropical-temperate interactions over southern Africa simulated by a regional climate model

The Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) forced by ERA40 re-analyses, is used to examine, at regional scale, the role of key features of the local atmospheric circulation on the origin and development of Tropical Temperate Troughs (TTTs) representing a major contribution to South African rainfall during austral summer. A cluster analysis applied on 1971–2000 ERA40 and WRF simulated daily outgoing longwave radiation reveals for the November–February season three coherent regimes characteristic of TTTs over the region. Analyses of WRF simulated TTTs suggest that their occurrence is primarily linked with mid-latitude westerly waves and their phasing. Ensemble experiments designed for the case of austral summer 1996/1997 allow to examine the reproducibility of TTT events. The results obtained illustrate the importance of westerly waves phasing regarding the persistence of rain-producing continental TTT events. Moreover, oceanic surface conditions prevailing over the Agulhas current regions of the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) are also found to influence TTT persistence for regional experiments with an oceanic mixed layer, warmer sea surface temperatures being associated with increased moisture advection from the SWIO where latent heat release is enhanced, favoring baroclinic instability and thus sustaining convection activity locally.

Major moisture sources for Western and Southern India and their role on synoptic‐scale rainfall events

AbstractAlthough the identification of the moisture sources of a region is of prominent importance to characterize precipitation, the origin and amount of moisture towards the Indian Subcontinent and its relationship with the occurrence of precipitation are still not completely understood.In this article, the origin of the atmospheric water arriving to the Western and Southern India during a period of 5 years (1 January 2000–31 December 2004) is investigated by using a Lagrangian diagnosis method. This methodology computes budgets of evaporation minus precipitation by calculating changes in the specific humidity of thousands of air particles aimed to the study area following the observed winds. During the summer monsoon, the main supply of moisture is the Somali Jet, which crosses the equator by the West Indian Ocean. The recycling process is the main water vapour source in winter. Two additional moisture sources located over northwestern India and the Bay of Bengal are identified.A 30% increase in the moisture flux from the Indian Ocean has been related to the occurrence of strong precipitation in the area, and at the end of the monsoon, the recycling became a significant contribution to the last part of the wet season of Western and Southern India. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Discovery of New Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Communities in the Southern Ocean and Implications for Biogeography

Author SummaryDeep-sea hydrothermal vents are mainly associated with seafloor spreading at mid-ocean ridges and in basins near volcanic island arcs. They host animals found nowhere else that derive their energy not from the sun but from bacterial oxidation of chemicals in the vent fluids, particularly hydrogen sulphide. Hydrothermal vents and their communities of organisms have become important models for understanding the origins and limits of life as well as evolution of island-like communities in the deep ocean. We describe the fauna associated with high-temperature hydrothermal vents on the East Scotia Ridge, Southern Ocean, to our knowledge the first to be discovered in Antarctic waters. These communities are dominated by a new species of yeti crab, stalked barnacles, limpets and snails, sea anemones, and a predatory seven-armed starfish. Animals commonly found in hydrothermal vents of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, including giant Riftia tubeworms, annelid worms, vent mussels, vent crabs, and vent shrimps, were not present at the Southern Ocean vents. These discoveries suggest that the environmental conditions of the Southern Ocean may act as a barrier to some vent animals and that the East Scotia Ridge communities form a new biogeographic province with a unique species composition and structure.

Variations in Cloud Cover and Cloud Types over the Ocean from Surface Observations, 1954–2008

Abstract Synoptic weather observations from ships throughout the World Ocean have been analyzed to produce a climatology of total cloud cover and the amounts of nine cloud types. About 54 million observations contributed to the climatology, which now covers 55 years from 1954 to 2008. In this work, interannual variations of seasonal cloud amounts are analyzed in 10° grid boxes. Long-term variations O(5–10 yr), coherent across multiple latitude bands, remain present in the updated cloud data. A comparison to coincident data on islands indicates that the coherent variations are probably spurious. An exact cause for this behavior remains elusive. The globally coherent variations are removed from the gridbox time series using a Butterworth filter before further analysis. Before removing the spurious variation, the global average time series of total cloud cover over the ocean shows low-amplitude, long-term variations O(2%) over the 55-yr span. High-frequency, year-to-year variation is seen O(1%–2%). Among the cloud types, the most widespread and consistent relationship is found for the extensive marine stratus and stratocumulus clouds (MSC) over the eastern parts of the subtropical oceans. Substantiating and expanding upon previous work, strong negative correlation is found between MSC and sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern North Pacific, eastern South Pacific, eastern South Atlantic, eastern North Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean west of Australia. By contrast, a positive correlation between cloud cover and SST is seen in the central Pacific. High clouds show a consistent low-magnitude positive correlation with SST over the equatorial ocean. In regions of persistent MSC, time series show decreasing MSC amount. This decrease could be due to further spurious variation within the data. However, the decrease combined with observed increases in SST and the negative correlation between marine stratus and sea surface temperature suggests a positive cloud feedback to the warming sea surface. The observed decrease of MSC has been partly but not completely offset by increasing cumuliform clouds in these regions; a similar decrease in stratiform and increase in cumuliform clouds had previously been seen over land. Interannual variations of cloud cover in the tropics show strong correlation with an ENSO index.