Using satellite-based data to facilitate consistent monitoring of the marine environment around Ireland

As an island nation, Ireland needs to ensure effective management measures to protect marine ecosystems and their services, such as the provision of fishery resources. The characterization of marine waters using satellite data can contribute to a better understanding of variations in the upper ocean and, consequently, the effect of their changes on species populations. In this study, nineteen years (1998–2016) of monthly data of essential climate variables (ECVs), chlorophyll (Chl-a), and the diffuse attenuation coefficient (K490) were used, together with previous analyses of sea surface temperature (SST), to investigate the temporal and spatial variability of surface waters around Ireland. The study area was restricted to specific geographically delineated divisions, as defined by the International Council of the Exploration of the Seas (ICES). The results showed that SST and Chl-a were positively and significantly correlated in ICES divisions corresponding to oceanic waters, while in coastal divisions, SST and Chl-a showed a significant negative correlation. Chl-a and K490 were positively correlated in all cases, suggesting an important role of phytoplankton in light attenuation. Chl-a and K490 had significant trends in most of the divisions, reaching maximum values of 1.45% and 0.08% per year, respectively. The strongest seasonal Chl-a trends were observed in divisions VIId and VIIe (the English Channel), primarily in the summer months, followed by northern divisions VIa (west of Scotland) and VIb (Rockall) in the winter months.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessment of passive optical remote sensing for mapping macroalgae communities on the Galician coast

[Abstract] Coastal zones represent the transition between terrestrial and aquatic environment being one of the most dynamic and productive ecosystems on the Earth. Benthic algal communities play an important role in coastal ecosystems. Due to their ecological and economic importance there is a strong need for methods that allow collecting quantitative and qualitative information about macroalgal benthic communities, in order to allow their efficient assessment, monitoring and management. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) have a potential use in the generation of digital geographic information. However, at the beginning of this thesis the lack of information in Galicia related to this field was remarkable. Only little information was available for users and in most of the cases it was too coarse or the administrative process for data acquisition too arduous. For this reason, this thesis was originally designed as a contribution for the generation of digital geographic data for the littoral zone, where this scarcity was more significant. In this sense a shoreline of Galicia was digitized and several kind of remote sensors were assessed to map macroalgal communities. These sensors allowed the differentiation of different macroalgal groups until an specific depth depending on their spectral and spatial resolution.[Resumo] As zonas costeiras representan a transición entre o ambiente acuático e o terrestre sendo un dos ecosistemas máis dinámicos e productivos da Terra. As comunidades de algas bentónicas xogan un papel fundamental neste tipo de ecosistemas. Dada a súa importancia ecolóxia e económica fanse necesarios métodos que permitan unha recolección de información tanto cuantitativa como cualitativa para a súa eficiente valoración, monitorización e xestión. Os Sistemas de Información Xeográfica (SIX) e a teledetección teñen un uso potencial na xeración de información xeográfica. Sen embargo, durante o planteamento desta tese, en Galicia encontrábase dispoñible escasa información para os usuarios e na maioría dos casos era de pouco detalle ou o proceso administrativo para a súa adquisición demasiado arduo. Por esta razón, esta tese foi orixinalmente deseñada como unha contribución á xeración de datos xeográficos dixitales da zona litoral, donde a escaseza é máis significante. Neste sentido, dixitalizouse unha liña de costa de Galicia e valoráronse varios sensores remotos para o cartografiado de comunidades de algas. Estes sensores permitiron a diferenciación de grupos algais ata unha profundidade determinada dependendo da súa resolución espectral e espacial.[Resumen] Las zonas costeras representan la transición entre el ambiente acuático y el terrestre siendo una de los ecosistemas más dinámicos y productivos de la Tierra. Las comunidades de algas bentónicas juegan un papel fundamental en este tipo de ecosistemas. Dada su importancia ecológica y económica se hacen necesarios métodos que permitan una recolección de información tanto cuantitativa como cualitativa para su eficiente valoración, monitorización y gestión. Los Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y la teledetección tienen un uso potencial en la generación de información geográfica. Sin embargo, durante el planteamiento de esta tesis, en Galicia se encontraba escasa información disponible para los usuarios y en la mayoría de los casos, esta información era de muy poco detalle o el proceso administrativo para su adquisición demasiado arduo. Por esta razón, esta tesis fue originalmente diseñada como una contribución a la generación de datos geográficos digitales de la zona litoral, donde la escasez es más significante. En este sentido se digitalizó una línea de costa de Galicia y se valoraron varios sensores remotos para el cartografiado de comunidades de algas. Estos sensores permitieron la diferenciación de grupos algales hasta una profundidad determinada dependiendo de su resolución espectral y espacial

Avaliação do desempenho financeiro das empresas do setor eléctrico em Portugal

A avaliação do desempenho financeiro do sector elétrico tem sido o foco de atenção de diversos estudos, mas existe uma escassez de literatura científica que aborde especificamente o desempenho financeiro das empresas deste sector. Assim, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o desempenho financeiro das empresas reguladas que operam no mercado elétrico Português. Com este objetivo em mente, propõe-se uma estrutura de modelagem que combina o uso do método de estimação Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) com a análise Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Este estudo centra-se no período entre 2010 e 2014, altura em que o governo português necessitou de ajuda financeira externa. O método de estimação GMM permitiu selecionar as variáveis corporativas intrínsecas, que foram então usadas para avaliar o desempenho financeiro das empresas do setor elétrico através do modelo DEA Slack Based Measure (SBM). Neste contexto, o retorno sobre o património líquido (ROE), a alavancagem (Leverage) e os fluxos de caixa sobre o total do ativo (CFTA) foram selecionados como outputs, enquanto o valor da soma das depreciações e das amortizações sobre o total de ativos (DATA) foram considerados como inputs. Os resultados sugerem que enquanto em 2010 a maioria das empresas não eficientes deveriam investir em novos ativos fixos de modo a tornarem-se eficientes, em 2014, uma percentagem expressiva de empresas não eficientes deve diminuir este tipo de investimento. Adicionalmente, em ambos os períodos, a maioria das empresas do sector elétrico não eficientes deveria aumentar o seu ROE para se tornar eficiente, destacando o papel do ROE na explicação da eficiência financeira. Em 2014, as empresas não eficientes são capazes de gerar fluxos de caixa com eficiência, uma vez que quase não são necessários ajustes em relação aos valores de CFTA obtidos por estas empresas. Por fim, a necessidade de promover a alavancagem para aumentar o desempenho financeiro é mais evidente em 2010 do que em 2014, reconhecendo que os novos investimentos feitos neste período utilizam capital alheio

Effects of climate change on marine coastal ecosystems – A review to guide research and management

There is growing concern over climate models that project significant changes in the oceans, with consequences on marine biodiversity and human well-being. However, marine and coastal ecosystems respond differently to climate change-related stressors depending on the ecosystem, species composition and interactions, geomorphologic settings, and spatial distribution, but also on the presence of local stressors interacting cumulatively with climate change-related pressures. Our paper provides a comprehensive review of the current literature about the effects of climate-related pressures on marine and coastal ecosystems and how local stressors affect their resilience. Our work focuses on key marine and coastal ecosystems from three ecoregions: the Caribbean Sea (coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds), the Mediterranean Sea (the coral Cladocora caespitosa, maërl beds and seagrass beds) and the North-East Atlantic, which include kelp forests, maërl beds, salt marshes and seagrass beds. This review highlights the need for a more comprehensive, multi-species, and multi-stressors approach to predict better changes at the ecosystem and seascape levels of marine and coastal ecosystems. Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to argue that addressing locally key manageable stressors common to multiple ecosystems, such as nutrient enrichment, coastal development, hydrologic disturbances, anchoring or sedimentation, will reduce the identified adverse effects of climate change. This knowledge is critical for practical conservation actions and coastal and marine spatial management at the ecoregion scale and beyond

Survey data of public awareness on climate change and the value of marine and coastal ecosystems

The long-term provision of ocean ecosystem services depends on healthy ecosystems and effective sustainable management. Understanding public opinion about marine and coastal ecosystems is important to guide decision-making and inform specific actions. However, available data on public perceptions on the interlinked effects of climate change, human impacts and the value and management of marine and coastal ecosystems are rare. This dataset presents raw data from an online, self-administered, public awareness survey conducted between November 2021 and February 2022 which yielded 709 responses from 42 countries. The survey was released in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Italian) and consisted of four main parts: (1) perceptions about climate change; (2) perceptions about the value of, and threats to, coasts, oceans and their wildlife, (3) perceptions about climate change response; and (4) socio-demographic information. Participation in the survey was voluntary and all respondents provided informed consent after reading a participant information form at the beginning of the survey. Responses were anonymous unless respondents chose to provide contact information. All identifying information has been removed from the dataset. The dataset can be used to conduct quantitative analyses, especially in the area of public perceptions of the interlinkages between climate change, human impacts and options for sustainable management in the context of marine and coastal ecosystems. The dataset is provided with this article, including a copy of the survey and participant information forms in all four languages, data and the corresponding codebook.This study received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement MaCoBioS (No 869710). The funders had no role in any part of the research process.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A conceptual framework to help choose appropriate blue nature-based solutions

Biodiversity loss and climate change have severely impacted ecosystems and livelihoods worldwide, compromising access to food and water, increasing disaster risk, and affecting human health globally. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have gained interest in addressing these global societal challenges. Although much effort has been directed to NbS in urban and terrestrial environments, the implementation of NbS in marine and coastal environments (blue NbS) lags. The lack of a framework to guide decision-makers and practitioners through the initial planning stages appears to be one of the main obstacles to the slow implementation of blue NbS. To address this, we propose an integrated conceptual framework, built from expert knowledge, to inform the selection of the most appropriate blue NbS based on desired intervention objectives and social-ecological context. Our conceptual framework follows a four incremental steps structure: Step 1 aims to identify the societal challenge(s) to address; Step 2 highlights ecosystem services and the underlying biodiversity and ecological functions that could contribute to confronting the societal challenge(s); Step 3 identify the specific environmental context the intervention needs to be set within (e.g. the spatial scale the intervention will operate within, the ecosystem's vulnerability to stressors, and its ecological condition); and Step 4 provides a selection of potential blue NbS interventions that would help address the targeted societal challenge(s) considering the context defined through Step 3. Designed to maintain, enhance, recover, rehabilitate, or create ecosystem services by supporting biodiversity, the blue NbS intervention portfolio includes marine protection (i.e., fully, highly, lightly, and minimally protected areas), restorative activities (i.e., active, passive, and partial restoration; rehabilitation of ecological function and ecosystem creation), and other management measures (i.e., implementation and enforcement of regulation). Ultimately, our conceptual framework guides decision-makers toward a versatile portfolio of interventions that cater to the specific needs of each ecosystem rather than imposing a rigid, one-size-fits-all model. In the future, this framework needs to integrate socio-economic considerations more comprehensively and be kept up-to-date by including the latest scientific information.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of climate change on marine coastal ecosystems - A review to guide research and management

22 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, supplementary data https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110394.-- Data availability: Data will be made available on requestThere is growing concern over climate models that project significant changes in the oceans, with consequences on marine biodiversity and human well-being. However, marine and coastal ecosystems respond differently to climate change-related stressors depending on the ecosystem, species composition and interactions, geomorphologic settings, and spatial distribution, but also on the presence of local stressors interacting cumulatively with climate change-related pressures. Our paper provides a comprehensive review of the current literature about the effects of climate-related pressures on marine and coastal ecosystems and how local stressors affect their resilience. Our work focuses on key marine and coastal ecosystems from three ecoregions: the Caribbean Sea (coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds), the Mediterranean Sea (the coral Cladocora caespitosa, maërl beds and seagrass beds) and the North-East Atlantic, which include kelp forests, maërl beds, salt marshes and seagrass beds. This review highlights the need for a more comprehensive, multi-species, and multi-stressors approach to predict better changes at the ecosystem and seascape levels of marine and coastal ecosystems. Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to argue that addressing locally key manageable stressors common to multiple ecosystems, such as nutrient enrichment, coastal development, hydrologic disturbances, anchoring or sedimentation, will reduce the identified adverse effects of climate change. This knowledge is critical for practical conservation actions and coastal and marine spatial management at the ecoregion scale and beyondThe study received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement no. 869710 (EU-MaCoBioS - https://macobios.eu/).With the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe

3D Morphology, Ultrastructure and Development of Ceratomyxa puntazzi Stages: First Insights into the Mechanisms of Motility and Budding in the Myxozoa

Free, amoeboid movement of organisms within media as well as substrate-dependent cellular crawling processes of cells and organisms require an actin cytoskeleton. This system is also involved in the cytokinetic processes of all eukaryotic cells. Myxozoan parasites are known for the disease they cause in economical important fishes. Usually, their pathology is related to rapid proliferation in the host. However, the sequences of their development are still poorly understood, especially with regard to pre-sporogonic proliferation mechanisms. The present work employs light microscopy (LM), electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in combination with specific stains (Nile Red, DAPI, Phalloidin), to study the three-dimensional morphology, motility, ultrastructure and cellular composition of Ceratomyxa puntazzi, a myxozoan inhabiting the bile of the sharpsnout seabream

Generación de una línea de costa digital de Galicia (NW España) a gran escala, utilizando fotointerpretación y segmentación dinámica

The shoreline, defined as the contact limit between emerged and oceanic surface, is a key geographic limit for any study developed in the littoral zone. Although there is a certain degree of consensus in its definition, it gives rise to a multitude of specific criteria for its delimitation depending on the indicator, the source of information used or the digitalization system. The main objective of the present study was the digitizalization of a shoreline (1:750) of the Galician coast using orthophotographs as geographical base, defining specific digitalization criteria in the process. Moreover, digital layers of geographical information have been derived from the original line and dynamic segmentation has been applied to all digitalized information. Detailed digital and methodological information is available at the URL http://gis.recursosmarinos.net.La línea de costa, entendida como el límite de contacto entre la superficie emergida y la oceánica, constituye un elemento geográfico primordial para cualquier estudio desarrollado en la zona litoral. Aunque existe cierto consenso en su definición, ésta da lugar a multitud de criterios específicos para su delimitación en función del indicador empleado, de la fuente de información utilizada o del sistema de digitalización. El objetivo principal de este estudio consistió en la digitalización de una línea de costa del litoral gallego (1:750) utilizando ortofotos como fuente de información espacial, definiendo en el proceso unos criterios de digitalización específicos. Además se han generado capas de información geográfica digital derivada de la línea original y se ha aplicado segmentación dinámica a toda la información digitalizada. Tanto la información cartográfica como la metodológica se encuentran accesibles de forma detallada en la dirección: http://gis.recursosmarinos.net

Generación de una línea de costa digital de Galicia (NW España) a gran escala, utilizando fotointerpretación y segmentación dinámica

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