Combined Effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Arctic Oscillation on Sea Surface Temperature in the Alborán Sea

We explored the possible effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) on interannual sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the Albora´n Sea, both separately and combined. The probability of observing mean annual SST values higher than average was related to NAO and AO values of the previous year. The effect of NAO on SST was negative, while that of AO was positive. The pure effects of NAO and AO on SST are obscuring each other, due to the positive correlation between them. When decomposing SST, NAO and AO in seasonal values, we found that variation in mean annual SST and mean winter SST was significantly related to the mean autumn NAO of the previous year, while mean summer SST was related to mean autumn AO of the previous year. The one year delay in the effect of the NAO and AO on the SST could be partially related to the amount of accumulated snow, as we found a significant correlation between the total snow in the North Albora´n watershed for a year with the annual average SST of the subsequent year. A positive AO implies a colder atmosphere in the Polar Regions, which could favour occasional cold waves over the Iberian Peninsula which, when coupled with precipitations favoured by a negative NAO, may result in snow precipitation. This snow may be accumulated in the high peaks and melt down in spring-summer of the following year, which consequently increases the runoff of freshwater to the sea, which in turn causes a diminution of sea surface salinity and density, and blocks the local upwelling of colder water, resulting in a higher SST.CGL2009-11316 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain, and FEDER

First record of the epizoic red seaweed Polysiphonia carettia Hollenberg in the Mediterranean Sea.

Primera cita del alga roja epizoica Polysiphonia carettia Hollenberg en el mar Mediterráneo Key words. Caretta caretta, epibionts, Mediterranean Sea, Polysiphonia carettia. Palabras claves. Caretta carom, cpibiontes, Mar Mediterráneo, Polysiphonia carettia

Notas corológicas del mocrofitobentos de Andalucía (España). V

New records for the macrophytobenthos of Andalusia (Spain). V.Palabras clave. Andalucía, Asparagopsis taxiformis, Desmarestia dresnayi, Macroalgas marinas, Spatoglossum solierii.Key words. Andalusia, Asparagopsis taxiformis, Desmarestia dresnayi, Spatoglossum solierii, scaweeds

Diferencias en las capturas no dirigidas y mortalidad directa de tortuga boba en palangre de superficie de acuerdo al estrato de flota y tipo de aparejo

Surface longline gears are used to fish different species, mainly albacore Thunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre, 1788), bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), and swordfish Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758, and are considered highly dangerous for threatened marine turtles. Loggerheads Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) can be incidentally captured by surface longlines. A number of captured individuals die during the fishing operation, which we consider direct mortality due to fishing. We analysed the relative loggerhead by-catch and direct mortality associated with each type of boat and gear from April to December during the period 1999-2004 in the Spanish surface longline fleet that fishes in the western Mediterranean Sea, an important fishing area for this fleet. We used different indices to compute the catch per unit effort (CPUE) according to the number of hooks and to the number of fishing operations for each type of boat and gear. Both by-catch and direct mortality differed significantly according to the type of boat and gear. With respect to the number of hooks, boats longer than 12 m not using a roller and targeting bluefin tuna captured the highest number of loggerheads, whereas boats longer than 12 m with a roller that targeted swordfish caused the highest direct mortality. With respect to the number of fishing operations, boats longer than 12 m without a roller that targeted albacore captured the highest number of loggerheads; the highest direct mortality was caused by this type of boat and by boats longer than 12 m using a roller and targeting swordfish.El palangre de superficie es usado para la pesca de diferentes especies, fundamentalmente atún blanco Thunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre, 1788), atún rojo Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758) y pez espada Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758, y es considerado altamente peligroso para las tortugas marinas amenazadas. La tortuga boba Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) puede ser capturada incidentalmente por el palangre de superficie y un número considerable de ellas puede morir durante la operación de pesca, y son consideradas como muertas directamente en el palangre. En este trabajo se analizan la capturas incidentales y la mortalidad directa relativa asociada a cada tipo de barco y aparejo de pesca, desde abril a diciembre durante el periodo 1999-2004, en la flota palangrera española en el Mediterráneo occidental, una importante área de pesca para esta flota. Se usaron diferentes índices para calcular las capturas por unidad de esfuerzo (CPUE) de acuerdo al número de anzuelos y al número de operaciones de pesca para cada tipo de barco y aparejo. Tanto las capturas no dirigidas de la tortuga boba como la mortalidad directa presentan diferencias significativas en función del tipo de barco y aparejo. Con respecto al número de anzuelos, los barcos mayores de 12 m de eslora sin rulo y especie objetivo atún rojo presentaron el mayor número de capturas relativas de tortuga boba, mientras que los barcos mayores de 12 m de eslora con rulo y especie objetivo pez espada presentaron los mayores valores de mortalidad directa. En función del número de operaciones de pesca, los barcos mayores de 12 m de eslora sin rulo y especie objetivo atún blanco presentaron el mayor número de capturas relativas de tortuga boba, mientras que los mayores índices de mortalidad directa relativa fueron observados en éstos y en los barcos mayores de 12 m con rulo y especie objetivo pez espada.  

Revisión crítica de los estudios sobre biogeografía de macroalgas marinas del Mediterráneo.

Revisión crítica de los estudios sobre biogeografía de macroalgas marinas del Mediterráneo. Teniendo en cuenta los procedimientos metodológicos que se siguen en los estudios biogeográficos, se reconocen tres tipos básicos de aproximaciones: biogeografía descriptiva, biogeografía narrativa y biogeografía analítica. En este trabajo se analizan las aportaciones realizadas a la ficogeografía de las macroalgas marinas del mar Mediterráneo, atendiendo a cada una de las tres aproximaciones posibles. Existen escasas floras del Mediterráneo oriental y la costa africana, además de un estancamiento metodológico en los estudios narrativos y analíticos, impidiendo el avance de la ficogeografía. Se discuten las posibles líneas futuras de investigación con el objeto de incentivar un avance significativo en los conocimientos ficogeográficos del Mediterráneo

A influência da corrupção na direito a uma educação de qualidade. Um estudo de correlação

The study addresses the relation between the perception of corruption and the right to a quality basic education from a theoretical and statistical standpoint, the latter based on the correlation of the Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International and the Programme for International Student Assessment test of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The state of the art analysis on the relationship between these variables and the results of the correlation coefficient, among other statistical tools, show that there is a strong relationship: the lower the perception of corruption in a country is the better are the results of its educational quality evaluation.El estudio aborda la relación entre percepción de la corrupción y el derecho a una educación básica de calidad desde un punto de vista teórico y estadístico, lo anterior, con base en la correlación del Índice de Percepción de la Corrupción de Transparencia Internacional y la prueba del Programa para la Evaluación Internacional de los Estudiantes de la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico. El análisis del estado del arte sobre la relación entre estas variables y los resultados del coeficiente de correlación, entre otras herramientas estadísticas, muestran que existe una alta relación: a menor percepción de la corrupción en un país corresponden mejores resultados en la evaluación de su calidad educativa. O estudo aborda a relação entre a percepção da corrupção e do direito a uma educação básica de qualidade a partir de um ponto de vista teórico e estatístico, este último com base na correlação das Percepções de Corrupção da Transparência Internacional Índice eo Programa para teste de Avaliação Internacional de Estudantes da Organização para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Econômico. O estado da arte sobre a análise da relação entre estas variáveis   e os resultados do coeficiente de correlação, entre outras ferramentas estatísticas, mostram que há uma forte relação: quanto menor a percepção de corrupção em um país é o melhor são os resultados da sua avaliação da qualidade educacional.

La Oscilación del Atlántico Norte y la temperatura superficial del mar afectan la abundancia de la tortuga boba alrededor del estrecho de Gibraltar

The aim of this study was to explore the possible link between variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and sea surface temperature (SST) and the abundance of loggerhead turtles around the Strait of Gibraltar, using stranding data for the Andalusian coastal area as a proxy for abundance. The annual average SST (from November to October) in the Gulf of Cadiz was negatively associated with the total number of loggerhead strandings each year from November 1997 to October 2006 in the Gulf of Cadiz and the Alboran Sea. The average NAO index was positively associated with the number of strandings in the Gulf of Cadiz in the following year. Prevailing westerly winds during positive NAO phases and the subsequent delayed decrease in SST may lead to turtles from the west Atlantic accumulating in the Gulf of Cadiz and unsuccessfully attempting to return. Secondary causes, such as buoyancy, cold stunning, longline fisheries, net fisheries, debilitated turtle syndrome, and trauma may also increase the number of turtle strandings.El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar la posible relación entre las variaciones de la Oscilación del Atlántico Norte (NAO) y la temperatura superficial del mar (SST), y la abundancia de tortugas bobas alrededor del Estrecho de Gibraltar, utilizando los datos de varamientos como sustituto de la abundancia. La SST promedio en el Golfo de Cádiz se relacionó negativamente con el número total de tortugas bobas varadas durante cada año (de noviembre a octubre) desde 1997 hasta 2006 en el Golfo de Cádiz y en el Mar de Alborán, mientras que el promedio del índice NAO se relacionó positivamente con el número de varamientos en el Golfo de Cádiz durante el año siguiente. Vientos predominantes del oeste durante las fases de la NAO positiva, y su posterior retraso en la reducción de la SST, pueden provocar la acumulación en el Golfo de Cádiz de las tortugas que entran desde el Atlántico occidental y, las que sin éxito, tratan de regresar a sus playas de origen. Debido a causas secundarias (como problemas de flotabilitdad, enfriamiento, la pesca con palangre, la pesca con redes, DTS, y traumatismos) aumenta el número de tortugas varadas

Long term oscillations of Mediterranean sardine and anchovy explained by the combined effect of multiple regional and global climatic indices

This study is a contribution to the PELWEB project (“Winners, losers and shifts of PELagic food WEB changes in the western Mediterranean Sea: from ecosystem consequences to future projections”, CTM2017-88939-R,2018–2020), and to “Fostering the capacity of marine ecosystem models to PROject the cumulative effects of global change and plausible future OCEANS” (PROOCEANS): Funding by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Proyectos de I+D+I (RETOS-PID2020-118097RB-I00).It is widely known that the abundance and distribution dynamics of populations of small pelagic clupeid fish, such as sardines and anchovies, are affected by large-scale climate variability, which may lead to changeovers to new regimes of small pelagics. However, long-distance climatic oscillations, such as El Niño/La Niña and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, have been little explored in the Western Mediterranean Sea. We investigated the possible effects of the South Oscillation Index (i.e. the atmospheric oscillation coupled with the El Niño/La Niña) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation on fluctuations in catches of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in the Western Mediterranean Sea, and their association with regional climate oscillations (i.e. the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Western Mediterranean Oscillation index, and the Arctic Oscillation)

Atmospheric indices allow anticipating the incidence of jellyfish coastal swarms

Jellyfish swarms affect littoral ecosystems, are unpleasant for bathers and jeopardize coastal socio-economic sectors. Anticipating the incidence of jellyfish swarms could be useful for implementing preventive management measures. Macroclimatic indices are good candidates for this type of anticipation since they are macro-ecologically related to oceanographic characteristics that affect marine species after a certain time lag. An increase of jellyfish swarms has been recently reported in the Mediterranean Sea. From 2005 to 2018, jellyfish swarms in the littoral of the province of Malaga (Spain, northwest coast of the Alboran Sea), mainly formed by the mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca), were frequent during summer. We recorded data on jellyfish swarm incidence in the province of Malaga from 2005 to 2018 using the reports in local newspapers, searches in Google Search Engine, and a citizen science application for mobile phones as information sources. With this information, we classified the period in years of low, medium and high incidence of jellyfish swarms. Then, we tested if the known effects of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in winter on the sea surface temperature (SST) during the year, which in turn affects the proliferation of jellyfish, could explain the inter-annual variation in this incidence. Our hypothesis significantly explained the variation in the medium versus low incidence of jellyfish swarms, with medium incidence in the summers of higher SST. This suggests that medium incidence of jellyfish swarms was caused by the proliferation of jellyfish. This also suggests that years of medium incidence of jellyfish in the beach during summer could be anticipated by computing the average AO and NAO values of the previous winter. Years of high incidence of swarms could not be explained by this process. We speculate that they may be caused by a change in the distribution of the swarms rather than by proliferation. Jellyfish may be pushed from the pelagic western anticyclonic gyre of the Alboran Sea to the northern coast by eddies that are formed when, as recent literature has shown, this gyre is weakened by westerly winds and the Atlantic jet. Citizen science has contributed useful data to build macroecological models that may result in better management plans based on scientific data

Permeable frontiers in the open sea: The case of Swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean : Probando las barreras en mar abierto: El caso del pez espada en el océano Atlántico

There is a vivid debate about the border location between North and South Atlantic swordfish stocks. Climate oscillations, East Atlantic (EA) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), have a major impact on the Northern Hemisphere climate and weather conditions. The initial hypothesis of present study is that if it is considering the southern frontier, each stock will be differentially affected by both climatic oscillations, which would imply the existence of a strong border. However, a similar effect on both sides of the border would result in a permeable barrier. The results suggest that the combined effects of EA and NAO affect both the North and the South Atlantic swordfish stocks in similar ways, and consequently, the location of the border may reside farther north than the current management boundary at 5ºN