Above and below the water: Social/ecological transformation in northwest Newfoundland

Marine fisheries and fishing societies develop around the resources provided by a particular ecosystem. As they exploit these resources, fisheries transform the ecosystem, which pushes fishery and society to adapt in turn. This process is illustrated by fisheries, ecological and social data tracking dramatic changes on Newfoundland\u27s Northern Peninsula and its adjacent marine ecosystem, the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. There a longstanding fishery for cod and other groundfish collapsed in the 1990s, and was replaced by fisheries targeting invertebrates. The new invertebrate fisheries have different socioeconomic characteristics than the former groundfish fisheries. The shift in target species reflects deep ecological changes that were underway at least a decade before official recognition of the crisis. Our analysis of biological data reveals that the main ecological changes occurred during “the glory years” of the 1980s, when Newfoundland\u27s domestic fisheries were at their peak. Overfishing and interactions with adverse climatic conditions drove the changes. As the ecosystem transformed, human population declined due to outmigration, and social indicators show signs of distress. Accounts by outport residents paint a generational picture of social change

A key to the stromateoid fishes

Originally issued as Reference No. 69-70, series later renamed WHOI-.Our primary purpose in preparing "A Key to the Stromateoid Fishes" is to provide field workers and curators with a convenient and concise aid for the identification of the diverse species in this somewhat difficult group . Secondarily, we hope to present , through the keys , a summary of the present state of our knowledge of these fi.shes, and to indicate areas where further investigation is needed .Supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants GB-7108 and GZ-259

First record of the European Giant File Clam, Acesta excavata (Bivalvia: Pectinoidea: Limidae), in the Northwest Atlantic

Two large bivalve specimens collected in Bay d’Espoir, a deep fjord situated on the south coast of Newfoundland, are described and identified as belonging to the species Acesta excavata (Fabricius 1779). In situ observations onboard the manned submersible PISCES IV and color videos have provided information on the vertical distribution, density and habitat of the species. Maximum abundances of about 15 large individuals/m2 occurred on sheltered rock outcrops at depth ranging from 550 to 775 m, where warm (6°C) continental slope water is found. Differences in shape and thickness between the valves of the two specimens appear to be related to the degree of exposure to rock falls (i.e., sheltered versus exposed habitat). Prior to this account, the European Giant File Clam had never been encountered west of the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic

Guidance Document on Measurement Uncertainty for Laboratories performing PCDD/F and PCB analysis using Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry

This document on measurement uncertainty was developed within the network of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food and the respective National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) of member states. Detailed guidance is given on the evaluation of measurement uncertainty in the quantitative analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), to assist laboratories performing official feed and food control within the European Union, especially National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) and Official Laboratories (OFLs). It provides useful key elements contributing to further harmonization of compliance assessment and outlines practical aspects related to measurement uncertainty estimation. A new concept placing special emphasis on the inclusion of current method performance data is presented. The concept covers the full analytical process from sample receipt at the laboratory through sample storage, preparation and analysis, to data processing and reporting. In particular, it focuses on the role of analytical variability generally known as "measurement uncertainty" (MU) in the interpretation of analytical results for assessment of their compliance with a specification. Effects from sampling [EURACHEM/CITAC 2007, /18/] and transport also contributing to MU are acknowledged but not treated within the scope of this document. Two selected approaches for measurement uncertainty estimation are proposed for the determination of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in food and feed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using internal standard stable isotope labelled analogues. An empirical, or “top-down”, approach combines contributions from intermediate (intra-laboratory) precision and trueness (expressed as bias) to estimate measurement uncertainty, both for individual congeners and for sum parameters. The working group recommends the use of the empirical approach as described in this document as the main option for MU estimation, because it is designed and developed to cover the whole analytical process and also includes the opportunity to reassess or update MU on a regular basis. However, an alternative methodology based on a semi-empirical approach following the EURACHEM/CITAC guide [EURACHEM/CITAC 2012, /12/] is also presented. It has been designed for laboratories new to this type of analysis that have generated data from initial validation studies. In this case the semi-empirical approach may be a good starting point, however the authors recommend implementing the empirical or top-down approach once enough data have been gathered.Working group fo Measurement Uncertainty in PCDD/F and PCB analysi

Zonation and faunal composition of epibenthic populations on the continental slope south of New England

The epibenthic macrofauna, including demersal fishes, between 140 and 1900 m on the continental slope south of New England was found to be distributed in three zones: shallow (141-285 m), middle (393-1095 m), and deep (1270-1928 m). Fauna! boundaries were associated with the transition zones from shelf to upper continental slope and from upper to lower continental slope. The small Alvin Canyon was not faunally distinct. Fishes and echinoderms were the most abundant taxa, the former predominant in shallow and middle depths and the latter predominating deeper...

Benthic fauna of the Gulf of Maine sampled by R/V Gosnold Cruise 179 and DSRV Alvin Dives 329, 330, 331, and 404 : infaunal species list

Bottom samples were collected in the Gulf of Maine during July, 1971 and June, 1972 using DSRV ALVIN and RV GOSNOLD. The techniques and results are embodied in a paper entitled "Quantitative Biological Assessment of the Benthic Fauna in the Deep Basins of the Gulf of Maine" by G. T. Rowe, P. T. Polloni and R. L. Haedrich. Many of the conclusions made in that paper were based on summaries of the abundance of each benthic species of living invertebrate animal in each kind of sample, but those original data would not be accepted by the journal (JOURNAL OF THE FISHERIES RESEARCH BOARD OF CANADA) because the table was too long. The purpose of this technical report is to put those raw data in a form available(on request from the authors)to any interested ecologists.The work was supported by ONR Contract N00014 - 66 - C00284 and NSF Grant GA 31235X

Guidance Document on the Estimation of LOD and LOQ for Measurements in the Field of Contaminants in Feed and Food

The European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (EURL PAH), the EURL for Heavy Metals in Feed and Food (EURL HM), the EURL for Mycotoxins (EURL Mycotoxins), and EURL for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food aim to provide with this document guidance to official food control in the EU on the estimation of the limit of quantification of analytical methods for the determination of individual substances in the field of contaminants in feed and food. The document focusses on estimation of the limit of detection (LOD) and/or limit of quantification (LOQ) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals (HM), mycotoxins, and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The concept presented here consists of two major routes: The first route responds to the requirements for determination of PAHs, HMs and Mycotoxins. The second route corresponds to PCDD/F and PCB analysis, where results are calculated as sum-parameters and expressed in toxic equivalents (TEQs), converting thereby congener concentrations together with estimated LOQs using toxic equivalency factor (TEFs) into TEQs. Due to the nature of this more complex procedure, emphasis is put in the area of PCDD/F and PCB analysis on the LOQs, while LODs are of minor consequence. Terminology in this guidance document was adapted to the chemical analysis of contaminants in feed and food; hence, some of the general terms defined and used in international standards were replaced by more specific terms applicable to analytical chemistry. The presented statistical-mathematical approach is based on elements taken mainly from DIN 32645:2008-11 (DIN 2008) and ISO 11843-2:2000 (ISO 2000). This document covers only quantitative methods of analysis. The authors believe that LOD and LOQ values derived from the application of the presented experimental methodologies converge to a certain degree. Estimation of LOD/LOQ values based on blank measurements, and from calibration data is described. Signal-to-noise ratios are applied in the area of PCDD/Fs and PCBs. Mathematical terms and statistical background are presented as well. This guide document shall be applied systematically if measurement results are used for monitoring purposes and exposure modelling. However, authors are aware that precise knowledge of LOD/LOQ may not be required when assessing compliance with maximum levels exceeding LOD/LOQ. This guidance document shall be applied if maximum levels and analysis results are close to the expected LOQ.JRC.F.5-Food and Feed Complianc

Integrating GRASS GIS and Jupyter Notebooks to facilitate advanced geospatial modeling education

Open education materials are critical for the advancement of open science and the development of open-source soft-ware. These accessible and transparent materials provide an important pathway for sharing both standard geospa-tial analysis workflows and advanced research methods. Computational notebooks allow users to share live code with in-line visualizations and narrative text, making them a powerful interactive teaching tool for geospatial analyt-ics. Specifically, Jupyter Notebooks are quickly becoming a standard format in open education. In this article, we intro-duce a new GRASS GIS package, grass.jupyter, that enhances the existing GRASS Python API to allow Jupyter Notebook users to easily manage and visualize GRASS data including spatiotemporal datasets. While there are many Python-based geospatial libraries available for use in Jupyter Notebooks, GRASS GIS has extensive geospatial functionality including support for multi-temporal analysis and dynamic simulations, making it a powerful teaching tool for advanced geospatial analytics. We discuss the devel-opment of grass.jupyter and demonstrate how the package facilitates teaching open-source geospatial mode-ling with a collection of Jupyter Notebooks designed for a graduate-level geospatial modeling course. The open educa-tion notebooks feature spatiotemporal data visualizations, hydrologic modeling, and spread simulations such as the spread of invasive species and urban growthpublishedVersio

Prospecting solar energy in Australia: accounting for temperature losses

In this paper, we prospect the solar potential of 5 varieties of commercially available modules in 15 locations around Australia, accounting for regional temperature and irradiance. We employ irradiance datasets, from the Australian Solar Energy Information System (ASEIS). Through our analysis, we categorise regions around Australia, by their impact on the performance of different solar module technology. From this comparison we find coastal DNI on average is lower in the mornings owing to the high relative humidity and daily temperature variation. These irradiance conditions, slightly alter the optimum installation direction and tilt. The best performing modules are the premium back-contact c-Si modules, and the worst is the standard mc-Si module. Importantly, the impact of a module technology on yield must be determined with site-specific irradiances and ambient temperatures. We find temperature losses correlate most strongly correlated with average mean monthly temperature. An additional interesting finding is that coastal locations have lower direct normal irradiance in the morning, which infers the optimum orientation is slightly West of North