World's Marine Research Articles

Coastal Regions of Russia: Migration Attractiveness and Innovation Performance

Abstract Coastalisation is a widely known concept that builds on the global urbanisation of the world's marine and ocean coasts. In this paper, the degree of coastalisation of the Russian regions is analysed using a variety of parameters, including population numbers and gross regional products, indicating the accumulation of human activity in the coastal regions against the less densely populated inland territories. This research shows that coastalisation is expected to continue, making coastal regions the most attractive for international and interregional migration, hence their high innovation performance. Based on the principles of human geography, we put forward the hypothesis that Russia's coastal territories are highly heterogeneous in their development dynamics. This study aims to test the interdependence between migration figures and innovation values across 23 regions of Russia with access to the sea. The research design comprises three stages: calculation of innovation performance, evaluation of migration flows and the building up of a typology of coastal regions. The research results reveal an increased migration attractiveness of the country's coastal regions, with the St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad agglomerations and the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Krai (region) as the main attractors. Intensive innovation activity is characteristic of St. Petersburg, the northern capital of Russia, whereas peripheral regions where the extractive industries dominate (the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (district), Kamchatka, Krasnoyarsk and Magadan regions) demonstrate a much weaker trend towards combining innovation performance and migration attractiveness.

Alternative proteins attract investment

Alternative proteins attract investment

Novel Ocean Futures: Anticipating Great Change in the World's Marine Protected Areas

Climate change has far-reaching implications for the continued utility of marine protected areas (MPAs) as the ocean's biogeochemistry is altered. We employed an application of information theory to measure the departure from historical conditions of six key marine biogeochemical variables for all parts of the ocean and the largest MPAs. We analyzed a multi-model ensemble (CMIP6) under three climate change scenarios and found that between 76-97% of the largest MPAs will exhibit significant departures from current conditions in their biogeochemical profiles, with most novel conditions emerging as soon as the 2030s (pH) and most others by 2060. These results suggest that many of the largest MPAs will contain environmental conditions unlike those currently within their boundaries, and, given the likelihood of any of these climate futures unfolding, present-day management may need to consider alterations to current and future MPA planning.

Analysis of Relationship between Chemical Oceanography Conditions and Coral Reef Ecosystems in Damas Waters, Trenggalek, East Java

Indonesia is known as one of the world's marine biodiversity centers with its rich coral reefs. Coral growth depends on environmental conditions, which in reality do not always remain due to disruptions originating from nature or human activities. The growth of coral reefs in a sea water is strongly influenced by the quality of its waters such as chemical oceanographic factors namely salinity, pH, DO, nitrate and phosphate. The data collection was carried out twice in September and November 2019 in Damas Waters, Trenggalek, East Java. The waters of Damas Beach are located in Karanggandu Village, Watulimo District. The purpose of this study was to determine the condition of coral reefs in Damas Waters, to determine the effect of water quality on artificial reefs in chemistry in Damas Waters and to determine the relationship of quality parameters of chemical waters with artificial coral reefs in Damas Waters, Trenggalek, East Java. The sampling method is done by purposive random sampling that is determining the sample with certain considerations. The location points used by 20 stations are spread, namely on artificial reefs, natural coral reefs, open seas and the area around the harbor. Measurements made include in situ water quality with a multiparameter measurement tool, namely AAQ. The results obtained that in all stations found good water conditions for the life of coral reefs, and also the analysis of the relationship of each parameter and coral reefs influence each other.

Untangling worldwide conflicts in marine protected areas: Five lessons from the five continents

As the number of world Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has been steadily increasing in the last decades, confrontations within them may have followed the same path. In order to unravel worldwide conservation conflicts in MPAs, a literature review was done. By doing so, five lessons were learnt: (1) 87 MPAs in the five continents have reported conflicts in the literature; (2) The increase in the number of world MPAs was found to be one of the forces driving this trend; (3) Intergroup competition over the use of marine resources, feelings of exclusion, poor communication and inequities in the distribution of MPA’ benefits were the most frequent conflicts; (4) Conflict resolution strategies were scarce in the literature and displayed different outcomes; (5) To effectively address conflict and reach compromise, the roots of disputes should be identified. Further research on the effectiveness of different conflict resolution mechanisms is needed.

Development and prospects of non-metallic submersible pressure hull

Nowadays, the full ocean depth submersible has become a focus of world marine research, and higher requirements are proposed for the mechanical properties of the pressure hull, the core component of a submersible, in the deep-sea environment. Upgrading the materials is one of the key ways to realize this goal. Due to such superior material properties as high specific strength and corrosion resistance, certain non-metallic materials such as composites, ceramics, glass, etc. are especially suitable for the manufacture of marine equipment, and show great potential for application to the pressure hull. This paper discusses the material requirements of deep-sea submersible pressure hulls, analyzes the advantages of composites, ceramics and glass in their material properties, briefly introduces the global development and application of various non-metallic materials in submersible pressure hulls, summarizes the technical problems currently faced and discusses avenues which deserve further study in this field.

Marketing Strategy of Marine Resort: An Exploratory Study

Liu, P. and Sun, J., 2020. Marketing strategy of marine resort: An exploratory study. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 42–44. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.An ocean resort is a tourism cultural environment that stimulates the holiday consumption motivation of tourism consumers. By catering to the aesthetic concept of tourists, the marine resort sets unique characteristics according to its local culture and marine natural landscape, such as the business model integrating leisure and health preservation, spa, catering and entertainment, performances, and conference accommodations. The fast-food marine holiday culture is an integral part of the contemporary Chinese marine culture, which is a world-wide culture. Western countries have several natural, excellent harbors, and they continue to develop these perfect marine cultures, which makes their marine resorts a typical international representative. The essence of Chinese culture is the foundation of Chinese marine culture. By absorbing nutrients from the world's marine holiday culture, a modern Chinese marine culture is formed. Through the rich marketing theory of tourist attractions, this paper proposes a marketing mode of a marine resort, which can improve the overall competitiveness of the resort. By enriching the marketing mode, we can promote the stable development of enterprise sales, which provides ideas for the marketing programs of other marine scenic spots.

Colorimetric detection of Gadidae species using probe-modified gold nanoparticles

Codfish is an essential part of the world's marine fishery resources. It contains several commercially important species. The aim of the present work is to develop a rapid codfish colorimetric detection system based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and a specific probe targeting the 12S rDNA of Gadidae species. Three cod species from Gadidae family (Gadidae morhua, G. macrocephalus and Melanogrammus aeglefinus) were selected as the target species in this colorimetric detection system. No positive results were obtained when non-Gadidae samples challenged this system, indicating its high specificity. The detection limit of G. morhua, G. macrocephalus and M. aeglefinus was 2.2, 3.15 and 2.65 ng/μL, respectively. Furthermore, 20 commercial cod samples were detected by this method, and the results were consistent with those of obtained by PCR and DNA sequencing. As the results were judged by the naked eye and detection performed in fast mode (less than 30 min), the 12S rDNA-probe-AuNPs system had strong applicability, and thus it would facilitate further advances in food species authentication.

Prey-size plastics are invading larval fish nurseries

Life for many of the world's marine fish begins at the ocean surface. Ocean conditions dictate food availability and govern survivorship, yet little is known about the habitat preferences of larval fish during this highly vulnerable life-history stage. Here we show that surface slicks, a ubiquitous coastal ocean convergence feature, are important nurseries for larval fish from many ocean habitats at ecosystem scales. Slicks had higher densities of marine phytoplankton (1.7-fold), zooplankton (larval fish prey; 3.7-fold), and larval fish (8.1-fold) than nearby ambient waters across our study region in Hawai'i. Slicks contained larger, more well-developed individuals with competent swimming abilities compared to ambient waters, suggesting a physiological benefit to increased prey resources. Slicks also disproportionately accumulated prey-size plastics, resulting in a 60-fold higher ratio of plastics to larval fish prey than nearby waters. Dissections of hundreds of larval fish found that 8.6% of individuals in slicks had ingested plastics, a 2.3-fold higher occurrence than larval fish from ambient waters. Plastics were found in 7 of 8 families dissected, including swordfish (Xiphiidae), a commercially targeted species, and flying fish (Exocoetidae), a principal prey item for tuna and seabirds. Scaling up across an ∼1,000 km2 coastal ecosystem in Hawai'i revealed slicks occupied only 8.3% of ocean surface habitat but contained 42.3% of all neustonic larval fish and 91.8% of all floating plastics. The ingestion of plastics by larval fish could reduce survivorship, compounding threats to fisheries productivity posed by overfishing, climate change, and habitat loss.

World marine fog analysis based on 58‐years of ship observations

AbstractThis study presents the first global‐scale comprehensive climatology of marine fog and is based on ICOADS ship present weather observations for the period 1950–2007. In general, the median marine fog occurrence away from the polar oceans is low (0.2%). Substantially greater marine fog occurrences are limited to four regions, not including the polar region. Fog occurrence maxima along the western side of the sub‐polar ocean gyre occur during the warm season and over the shelf, which includes one centred over the Northwest Pacific Kuril Islands (60%) and one over the Northwest Atlantic Grand Banks (45%), while a third lies over the Argentinean shelf break. Fog maxima over seven marginal seas occur over the Okhotsk Sea, Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, South China Sea, Nova Scotia, North Sea, and Baltic Sea. Five wind‐driven coastal upwelling zone maxima comprise the California‐Oregon, Namibia‐South Africa, Peru, Morocco and Arabian regions. Maximum upwelling fog occurrence during the warm season was found to be inversely proportional to the minimum sea surface temperature (SST). Most fog maximum occurrence locations lie over SST minima in shallow water during the warm season and are capped by a stable lower atmosphere. Positive correlations (up to 0.79) were found between 5‐year moving averages of fog in the Kuril Islands and the North Pacific Oscillation. Five‐year moving averages of fog in the Grand Banks were positively and significantly correlated (up to 0.56), with the North Atlantic Oscillation represented by the sea level pressure difference between Gibraltar and Reykjavik. In contrast, 5‐year moving averages of fog in the Grand Banks and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation index were negatively and significantly correlated (up to −0.75).

The Protection of Biological Diversity in Convention on Biological Diversity Framework

Indonesia is the richest country in the world in terms of biodiversity. Indonesian coastal and marine resources have an important meaning for the world, considering that the flora and fauna species found in Indonesia's tropical waters are more than any other region in the world. The various marine and coastal ecosystems that exist provide sustainable resources for the majority of the Indonesian people. Discussing the richness of biodiversity, especially biodiversity in the sea, Indonesian waters is known as the center of distribution of world coral reefs, and has the highest level of biodiversity in the world. The world coral triangle area, covering parts of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, is the center of the world's marine biodiversity. The triangle-shaped area covers all or part of the six countries' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), namely Indonesia, East Timor, Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands. Keywords : biodiversity, CBD, protection. DOI : 10.7176/RHSS/9-13-08 Publication date :July 31 st 2019

How Far Away Is China from Marine Technology Power? Evidence from the Marine Technology Survey in China

Yuan, L., 2018. How far away is China from marine technology power? Evidence from the marine technology survey in China. In: Liu, Z.L. and Mi, C. (eds.), Advances in Sustainable Port and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 83, pp. 856–862. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.In order to find out the competitiveness of China's marine technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China launched the technology evaluation project covering marine technology fields. Based on the experts investigation, the paper analyses the technology development trend, level and stage of marine technology field. It focus on the comparative analysis between China and technological leading countries. The results shows that the gap is narrowing, and some technologies are in leading group, most of them still in the following stage. There are less original marine technologies provided by China, and the level of industrialization is low in China. It's not easy to support the construction of world marine technology power.

Correlating paleoclimate time series: Sources of uncertainty and potential pitfalls

Comparing paleoclimate time series is complicated by a variety of typical features, including irregular sampling, age model uncertainty (e.g., errors due to interpolation between radiocarbon sampling points) and time uncertainty (uncertainty in calibration), which—taken together—result in unequal and uncertain observation times of the individual time series to be correlated. Several methods have been proposed to approximate the joint probability distribution needed to estimate correlations, most of which rely either on interpolation or temporal downsampling.Here, we compare the performance of some popular approximation methods using synthetic data resembling common properties of real world marine sediment records. Correlations are determined by estimating the parameters of a bivariate Gaussian model from the data using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling. We complement our pseudoproxy experiments by applying the same methodology to a pair of marine benthic δ18 O records from the Atlantic Ocean.We find that methods based upon interpolation yield better results in terms of precision and accuracy than those which reduce the number of observations. In all cases, the specific characteristics of the studied time series are, however, more important than the choice of a particular interpolation method. Relevant features include the number of observations, the persistence of each record, and the imposed coupling strength between the paired series. In most of our pseudoproxy experiments, uncertainty in observation times introduces less additional uncertainty than unequal sampling and errors in observation times do. Thus, it can be reasonable to rely on published time scales as long as calibration uncertainties are not known.

Oceanographic characteristics of the Adriatic Sea – Support to secondary HAOP spread through natural dispersal

Vessels, specifically ballast water and hull fouling, are a major vector for the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) in European seas. The Mediterranean is one of the world's marine regions where their invasion is heaviest. The shallow Adriatic basin is a highly sensitive area that is already experiencing its consequences. The secondary spread of NIS over a wider area through natural dispersion is a complex process that depends on a wide range of oceanographic factors. This work analysed the dataset of the BALMAS project, in whose framework twelve ports in the Adriatic Sea were subjected to a Port Baseline Survey (PBS), to estimate the natural spread of NIS organisms from their port of arrival to the wider Adriatic basin. Its findings indicate that the prevailing water circulation patterns facilitate the natural dispersal of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOP).

Why does N-limitation persist in the world's marine waters?

Primary production of vast regions of the world's estuarine, coastal and pelagic ocean waters is limited by availability of fixed nitrogen; this despite the fact that a highly diverse suite of microorganisms potentially capable of fixing N2 (eubacteria and cyanobacteria), inhabit these waters. Theoretically, diazotrophs should supply the N needs to balance the N required to support primary production, assuming other key limiting nutrients, phosphorus and iron, are available and energy requirements are met. In practice however, N2 fixation often does not meet ecosystem-scale N demands, even when these nutrients are replete. The problem lies with the fact that optimal rates of N2 fixation are often controlled by additional environmental factors, including light and organic matter availability, turbulence, and high levels of dissolved oxygen which can suppress this process in N-deplete surface waters. In addition, rates of N loss via denitrification and anammox can exceed N2 fixation and external N inputs on annual scales in coastal and pelagic waters, including those experiencing eutrophication. This creates a situation where chronic N limitation persists, even in the presence of anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment. Many aquatic ecosystems exhibit a perpetual “hunger” for fixed N to support primary and higher levels of production and this is likely to continue over forseeable biological and geologic timescales.

Silicon consumption kinetics by marine sponges: An assessment of their role at the ecosystem level

AbstractThe silicic acid (DSi) is a dissolved nutrient used by diverse marine organisms to build their skeletons of biogenic silica (BSi). This consumption, mostly due to diatoms, largely determines the availability of DSi in the photic ocean. Yet growing evidence suggests that Si consumers traditionally disregarded, such as the siliceous sponges, may also play a role. This study investigated the kinetics of DSi utilization by two demosponges as a function of both DSi availability and duration of the incubation period (24 h vs. 48 h). Consumption increased with increasing DSi availability following a saturable Michaelis–Menten kinetics. Haliclona simulans saturated at about 70 μM (Km = 45.9) and Suberites ficus around 130 μM (Km = 108.2). Forty‐eight hour incubations yielded more conservative consumption rates than 24 h incubations, particularly when DSi availability was far below saturation. DSi concentrations in the sponge natural habitats (0.2–15 μM) were consistently much lower than required for efficient elaboration of the BSi skeleton, suggesting a chronic DSi limitation. The DSi consumption kinetics was combined with quantifications of sponge biomass in the Bay of Brest (France), which was used as case study. In this system, sponges consume daily 0.10 ± 0.19 mmol Si m−2 and about 6.4 × 106 mol Si yearly. This activity represents 7.6% of the net annual BSi production in the Bay, a figure overlooked in previous nutrient balances based only on diatoms. Since the world marine Si cycle does not yet incorporate the contribution of sponges, its global BSi production budget may also be underestimated.

Reef fish carbonate production assessments highlight regional variation in sedimentary significance

Recent studies show that all marine bony fish produce mud-sized (<63 mu m) carbonate at rates relevant to carbonate sediment budgets, thus adding to the debate about the often enigmatic origins of fine-grained marine carbonates. However, existing production data are geographically and taxonomically limited, and because different fish families are now known to produce different carbonate polymorphsan issue relevant to predicting their preservation potential-these limitations represent an important knowledge gap. Here we present new data from sites in the Western Pacific Ocean, based on an analysis of 45 fish species. Our data show that previously reported production outputs (in terms of rates and family-specific mineralogies) are applicable across different biogeographic regions. On this basis, we model carbonate production for nine coral reef systems around Australia, with production rates averaging 2.1-9.6 g m(-2) yr(-1), and up to 105 g m(-2) yr(-1) at discrete sites with high fish biomass. With projected production rates on lower-latitude reefs up to two-fold higher, these outputs indicate that carbonate production rates by fish can be comparable with other fine-grained carbonate-producing taxa such as codiacean algae. However, carbonates produced by Australian reef fish assemblages are dominated by a highly unstable amorphous polymorph; a marked contrast to Caribbean assemblages in which Mg calcite dominates. These findings highlight important regional differences in the sedimentary relevance and preservation potential of fish carbonates as a function of historical biogeographic processes that have shaped the world's marine fish faunas.

Climate change impacts on the biota and on vulnerable habitats of the deep Mediterranean Sea

Deep sea is the largest and likely the most biologically diverse ecosystem of the world, but it is also the most unknown. The Mediterranean Sea (< 1% of the ocean surface and contains only the 0.3% of its volume) is a hot spot of marine biodiversity containing ca 7.5% of the world marine biodiversity, associated with a multitude of habitats spreading from the coast to its dark portion (e.g., coral banks, seamounts, canyons, and hydrothermal vents). Its deep-sea ecosystems are increasingly subjected to direct anthropogenic impacts (including overfishing, chemical pollution, dumping, litter, and plastics), which are often over-imposed to the increasing effects of global change. Here, are illustrated the expected impacts of shifts in the main variables such as temperature, food supply, pH, and oxygen on the deep Mediterranean Sea ecosystems. One of the most consequences is related to shifts in the quality and quantity of the inputs of organic matter to the deep seafloor. The deep Mediterranean Sea is far more oligotrophic than other oceans at equal depths, and although deep-sea biota reacts to food shortage by increasing their efficiency in its use, a decrease in food availability can have dramatic effects on its food webs. The deep Mediterranean Sea is showing a clear rise of deep-water temperatures. In the last decades, deep-water warming is accelerating at unprecedented rates, causing a significant shift in biodiversity even for variations in the order of 0.1 °C. Higher temperatures increase deep-sea metabolism, thus exacerbating the effects of food limitation. Moreover, ocean acidification reduces the calcification capacity of corals and alters their metabolism. Although it can be expected that increasing temperatures might increase the potential spread of oxygen minimum zone, so far, only hypoxic events were reported in Mediterranean Sea. The analysis of potential ecosystem vulnerability indicates that the ecosystems that are most sensitive to global change are deep-water coral systems and deep-sea plains. In addition, deep-sea canyons are also likely increasingly subjected to physical disturbance as a result of the increase in the frequency and intensity of climate-driven episodic events. Available information also suggests that biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of the deep Mediterranean Sea is undergoing dramatic changes, which result in accelerated organic matter biogeochemical cycling, miniaturization of the organisms’ size, increased metabolism, dominance of the microbial components, and mortality rates of deep-sea biota. Given the high sensitivity of the Mediterranean Sea to global change in comparison with other oceanic regions, and the vulnerability of its deep-sea habitats/ecosystems, specific policy measures are needed to protect its biodiversity, restore damaged habitats, and increase deep-sea ecosystems resistance and resilience to the ongoing impacts of global change.

Діяльність України у забезпеченні впровадження міжнародних норм у сфері рятування на морі

Despite the achievements of the international community in the field of navigation safety, ensuring traffic and operation of ships, statistics show that the level of accidents in the world's marine fleet is still very high. While the negative consequences of accidents of sea-going vessels are spreading both to its crew and passengers and to coastal countries. Each state is obliged to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to organize observations from shore and rescue people in distress at sea. The adoption of all necessary measures to best organize the search for people and ships in distress at sea and near its banks imposes on the state the obligation to establish a service for search and rescue at sea. Search and rescue at sea requires a whole range of activities such as: the organization of marine rescue coordination centers; the organization of cooperation in conducting search and rescue operations at sea; the development of plans for such operations; the organization of cooperation. An important role in ensuring the safety of navigation belongs to the International Maritime Organization, cooperation with relevant governmental and non-governmental international organizations. Within the framework of International Maritime Organization, a sufficiently developed system of international agreements has been created in which considerable attention is paid to the issues of ensuring the safety of navigation, but this problem continues to exist. Ukraine joins the International rescue convention of 1989 which was signed on April 28, 1989 in London within the framework of the International Maritime Organization. To this Convention, 64 countries have joined, 25 of which (Germany, France, Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, etc.) in accordance with Art. 30 of the Convention reserved the right not to apply the provisions of the Convention - in specific cases. The adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Ukraine's accession to the International Rescue Convention 1989” will contribute to the improvement of the current national legislation on maritime rescue operations and contribute to the maintenance of an appropriate level of safety of navigation, rescue of people in distress, ships, property and environmental protection.

Large-Scale Nutrient Dynamics in the Baltic Sea, 1970–2016

The Baltic Sea is one of the world's marine areas well-covered by both long-term observations and oceanographic studies. It is also a large coastal area in which eutrophication had already been rec ...