Flow routing in mangrove forests: field data obtained in Trang, Thailand

Mangroves grow in the intertidal parts of sheltered tropical coastlines, facilitating coastal stabilization and wave attenuation. Mangroves are widely threatened nowadays, although past studies have indicated their contribution to coastal safety. Most of these studies were based on numerical modeling however and a proper database with field observations is lacking yet. This paper presents part of the results of an extensive field campaign in a mangrove area in Trang Province, Thailand. The study area covers the outer border of an estuarine mangrove creek catchment. Data have been collected on elevation, vegetation, water levels, flow directions and flow velocities throughout this study area. Due to the tough conditions in the field, developing a suitable method for data collection and processing has been a major challenge in this study. Analysis of the hydrodynamic data uncovers the change of flow directions and velocities throughout a mangrove creek catchment over one tidal cycle. In the initial stages of flooding and the final stages of ebbing, creeks supply water to the lower elevated parts of the mangroves. In between these stages, the entire forest bordering the estuary is flooded and flow directions are perpendicular to the forest fringe. Flow velocities within the creeks are still substantially higher than those within the forest, as the creeks also supply water to the back mangroves. These insights in flow routing are promising for the future analysis of sediment input and distribution in mangroves

Honeybees balance essential fatty acids and suffer cognitively from deficiency

Abstract Background and aims. Epidemiological data on autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are scarce. In this study, we determined the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of AIH patients in the Netherlands (16.7 million inhabitants). Methods. Clinical characteristics were collected from 1313 AIH patients (78% females) from 31 centers, including all eight academic centers in the Netherlands. Additional data on ethnicity, family history and symptoms were obtained by the use of a questionnaire. Results. The prevalence of AIH was 18.3 (95% confidential interval [CI]: 17.3-19.4) per 100,000 with an annual incidence of 1.1 (95% CI: 0.5-2) in adults. An incidence peak was found in middle-aged women. At diagnosis, 56% of patients had fibrosis and 12% cirrhosis in liver biopsy. Overall, 1% of patients developed HCC and 3% of patients underwent liver transplantation. Overlap with primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis was found in 9% and 6%, respectively. The clinical course did not differ between Caucasian and non-Caucasian patients. Other autoimmune diseases were found in 26% of patients. Half of the patients reported persistent AIH-related symptoms despite treatment with a median treatment period of 8 years (range 1-44 years). Familial occurrence was reported in three cases. Conclusion. This is the largest epidemiological study of AIH in a geographically defined region and demonstrates that the prevalence of AIH in the Netherlands is uncommon. Although familial occurrence of AIH is extremely rare, our twin data may point towards a genetic predisposition. The high percentage of patients with cirrhosis or fibrosis at diagnosis urges the need of more awareness for AIH

Reduced right ventricular function on cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging is associated with uteroplacental impairment in tetralogy of Fallot

BACKGROUND: Maternal right ventricular (RV) dysfunction (measured by echocardiography) is associated with impaired uteroplacental circulation, however echocardiography has important limitations in the assessment of RV function. We therefore aimed to investigate the association of pre-pregnancy RV and left ventricular (LV) function measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance with uteroplacental Doppler flow parameters in pregnant women with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF). METHODS: Women with repaired ToF were examined, who had been enrolled in a prospective multicenter study of pregnant women with congenital heart disease. Clinical data and CMR evaluation before pregnancy were compared with uteroplacental Doppler parameters at 20 and 32 weeks gestation. In particular, pulsatility index (PI) of uterine and umbilical artery were studied. RESULTS: We studied 31 women; mean age 30 years, operated at early age. Univariable analyses showed that reduced RV ejection fraction (RVEF; P = 0.037 and P = 0.001), higher RV end-systolic volume (P = 0.004) and higher LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volume (P = 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively) were associated with higher uterine or umbilical artery PI. With multivariable analyses (corrected for maternal age and body mass index), reduced RVEF before pregnancy remained associated with higher umbilical artery PI at 32 weeks (P = 0.002). RVEF was lower in women with high PI compared to women with normal PI during pregnancy (44% vs. 53%, p = 0.022). LV ejection fraction was not associated with uterine or umbilical artery PI. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced RV function before pregn

Effects of seagrasses and algae of the Caulerpa family on hydrodynamics and particle-trapping rates

The widespread decline of seagrass beds within the Mediterranean often results in the replacement of seagrasses by opportunistic green algae of the Caulerpa family. Because Caulerpa beds have a different height, stiffness and density compared to seagrasses, these changes in habitat type modify the interaction of the seafloor with hydrodynamics, influencing key processes such as sediment resuspension and particle trapping. Here, we compare the effects on hydrodynamics and particle trapping of Caulerpa taxifolia, C. racemosa, and C. prolifera with the Mediterranean seagrasses Cymodocea nodosa and Posidonia oceanica. All macrophyte canopies reduced near-bed volumetric flow rates compared to bare sediment, vertical profiles of turbulent kinetic energy revealed peak values around the top of the canopies, and maximum values of Reynolds stress increased by a factor of between 1.4 (C. nodosa) and 324.1 (P. oceanica) when vegetation was present. All canopies enhanced particle retention rates compared to bare sediment. The experimental C. prolifera canopy was the most effective at particle retention (m2 habitat); however, C. racemosa had the largest particle retention capacity per structure surface area. Hence, in terms of enhancing particle trapping and reducing hydrodynamic forces at the sediment surface, Caulerpa beds provided a similar or enhanced function compared to P.oceanica and C. nodosa. However, strong seasonality in the leaf area index of C. racemosa and C. taxifolia within the Mediterranean, combined with a weak rhizome structure, suggests that sediments maybe unprotected during winter storms, when most erosion occurs. Hence, replacement of seagrass beds with Caulerpa is likely to have a major influence on annual sediment dynamics at ecosystem scales.

Experimental assessment and modeling evaluation of the effects of seagrass Posidonia oceanica on flow and particle trapping

Retention of particles in seagrass canopies is usually attributed to only the indirect, attenuating effects canopies have on flow, turbulence and wave action, promoting sedimentation and reducing resuspension within seagrass meadows. Yet recent evidence suggests that seagrasses are also able to affect particle flux directly through loss of momentum and increased path length derived from collisions with leaves and binding of particles. We evaluated the role of Posidonia oceanica on flow and associated particle trapping through flume experiments. Our results confirm the existence of 2 dynamically different environments, viz. (1) the below-canopy habitat, with low shear stress and reduced turbulence, and (2) the canopy-water interface region, characterized by high shear stress and turbulence intensity, where vertical transport of momentum is enhanced. At relatively low free stream velocities (i.e. 0.05 and 0.10 m s-1) sediment concentration decreased much faster when a Posidonia meadow was present in the flume, indicating major particle trapping in the seagrass canopy. Fluxes to the sediment (as shown by large negative peaks in Reynolds stress inside the Posidonia meadow) indicated 2 to 6 times more sediment transport to the bottom when a meadow is present. However, calculations based on the experimental results point to loss rates an order of magnitude larger in a Posidonia meadow. We hypothesize that direct effects of particle collisions with leaves are responsible for this discrepancy, and we explore possible interactions with a simple model. Using only collisions as a loss factor, the model predicts that the probability a particle is lost from the flow upon a collision is 2 to 3%. Previously observed leaf density and flow velocity effects on particle loss rates were explained by the model. Fitting the model to our experimentally obtained particle disappearance rates in vegetation indicated that around 27% of particle momentum is lost upon each collision with a leaf. We hypothesize that physical filtration by sediment collisions with plant structures plays a role in particle removal in aquatic systems.

Tidal-scale flow routing and sedimentation in mangrove forests: Combining field data and numerical modelling

Tidal-scale biophysical interactions establish particular flow routing and sedimentation patterns in coastal mangroves. Sluggish water flows through the mangrove vegetation and enhanced sediment deposition are essential to maintain these valuable ecosystems, thereby enabling their contribution to coastal protection and stabilization. Spatially explicit field observations of tidal-scale flow routing and sediment deposition were obtained in an elevated mangrove stand dissected by tidal creeks, located in the Trang river estuary at the Thai Andaman coast. An accurate and efficient depth-averaged process-based numerical model of this field site was developed in Delft3D to study the contributions of various biogeophysical mangrove settings to the observed tidal dynamics and to study the impacts of changes of these environmental conditions. The creeks are found to form the major pathway for the tidal inflow during the lower tides, while the sheltered interior of the forest is an effective sediment sink during the higher tides. A numerical sensitivity analysis of the initial response—or adaptive capacity—of the studied mangrove system to instantaneous environmental changes reveals the stable state of the study site: deposition rates are largely imposed by the topography and relative elevation, while they are rather independent of the vegetation density. Deeper inundations of the mangroves favor sheet flows through the forest and spatially averaged deposition rates decrease, particularly when this coincides with decreasing vegetation densities. Moreover, the sediment trapping efficiency is found to reduce significantly with diminishing sediment inputs and with mangrove area losses. These results clearly indicate the sensitivity of mangroves' ecosystem engineering ability—in terms of sedimentation—to climate change and anthropogenic threats