Observations of barotropic oscillations and their influence on mixing in the Faroe bank channel overflow region

Observations of hydrography, currents, and microstructure are presented together with sea surface height (SSH) patterns from concurrent satellite tracks to describe the subinertial oscillations in the region downstream of the Faroe Bank Channel overflow. Energetic oscillations with a dominant 3–5-day period have previously been observed in the dense bottom layer and found to be consistent with topographic Rossby waves. Here, the authors present evidence that the oscillations extend over the whole water column and are connected to a wave-like pattern in SSH along the continental slope. The waves are observed in two satellite tracks running parallel to the slope and indicate a wavelength of 50–75 km, an amplitude of about 5 cm, and a phase speed of 15–20 cm s−1. The pattern extends at least 450 km along the slope. Repeat occupations of a section through a 4-day period show a barotropic velocity anomaly that is associated with an increase in plume transport [from 0.5 to 2.5 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1)] and interface height (from 100 to 200 m) as well as changes in dissipation rates and mixing. Estimates of entrainment velocity wE vary with a factor of 102 over the oscillation period, and there is an inverse relation between wE and plume thickness, that is, mixing is most intense when the dense bottom layer is thin. High values of wE coincide with a large percentage of critical Richardson numbers in the interfacial layer. The rotational motion, or the horizontal “stirring,” is observed to bring water from the south, traceable because of its low oxygen concentrations, into the plume.publishedVersio

Interaction of the Faroe Bank Channel overflow with Iceland Basin intermediate waters

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2014. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 119 (2014): 228-240, doi:10.1002/2013JC009437.The narrow and deep Faroe Bank Channel (FBC) is an important pathway for cold, dense waters from the Nordic Seas to flow across the Iceland-Scotland ridge into the North Atlantic. The swift, turbulent FBC overflow is associated with strong vertical mixing. Hydrographic profiles from a shipboard survey and two Slocum electric gliders deployed during a cruise in May–June 2012 show an intermediate water mass characterized by low salinity and low oxygen concentration between the upper waters of Atlantic origin and the dense overflow water. A weak low-salinity signal originating north-east of Iceland is discernible at the exit of the FBC, but smeared out by intense mixing. Further west (downstream) marked salinity and oxygen minima are found, which we hypothesize are indicators of a mixture of Labrador Sea Water and Intermediate Water from the Iceland Basin. Water mass characteristics vary strongly on short time scales. Low-salinity, low-oxygen water in the stratified interface above the overflow plume is shown to move along isopycnals toward the Iceland-Faroe Front as a result of eddy stirring and a secondary, transverse circulation in the plume interface. The interaction of low-salinity, low-oxygen intermediate waters with the overflow plume already at a short distance downstream of the sill, here reported for the first time, affects the final properties of the overflow waters through entrainment and mixing.This work was funded by the Research Council of Norway, through the FRINAT program, under the project 204867/V30, ‘‘Faroe Bank Channel Overflow: Dynamics and Mixing.’’2014-07-1

Castration of the healthy bitch

In this work we have compiled results from various studies concerning medical conditions that may possibly be avoided by castration and the effects that may occur after castration of the healthy bitch. The work is a literature review but it also includes a summary on the age recommendations for castration of the healthy bitch, castration before or after the first heat and the castration method most commonly used of ovariohysterectomy and ovariectomy. The summary is based on a questionnaire answered by personnel from 20 veterinary clinics and animal hospitals evenly distributed throughout Sweden. The summary showed that ovariohysterectomy was the most common method of castration and the recommendation in age ranged from 6-12 months. Regarding castration before or after the first heat 75% of the veterinary clinics and animal hospitals answered that they recommended castration after the first heat. Literature study shows that there are both advantages and disadvantages of castration of the healthy bitch and that it therefore is important that each bitch get a personal and individual evaluation before a decision is taken concerning a castration

Kystsonelandbruk. Rapport fra pilotstudium på Nerlandsøy i Herøy kommune i Møre og Romsdal.

Utgangspunktet for prosjektet var å undersøke potensialet for økt verdiskaping i kystsonen, med Nerlandsøy i Herøy kommune, Møre og Romsdal, som studieområde. Vi har lagt til rette for å etablere langtidsserier for ulike parametre som vi mener vil gi økt kunnskap om klimaendringer og påvirkning på økosystem og næringsutvikling i kystsonen. Arealbruksendringer: Jordbruksareal og utmarksareal er viktige naturressurser. God forvaltning og sikring av arealet er avgjørende for å beholde og øke verdiskapinga. Andre næringer har stor betydning for bosettinga på øya. Det betyr at Nerlandsøy er interessant å følge over tid når det gjelder forvaltning av arealene. Nerlandsøy er en velegna studielokalitet fordi det fortsatt er aktivt landbruk der og det er mulighet for fortsatt og økt matproduksjon fra landbruket. Store deler av fôret hentes fra beite i utmarka, noe som bidrar til lavere klimagassutslipp på det kjøttet som produseres når en tar hensyn til nye beregningsmåter for metanutslipp fra drøvtyggere. Kystlyngheia: På Nerlandsøy er det et helt spesielt og verdifullt og godt kartlagt kulturlandskap. Her har en mulighet til å følge utviklinga på areal som er skjøtsla gjennom rydding og brenning. Studiet viser blant annet, med Ystevika som eksempel, at kystlyngheiene påvirkes av ekstremvær som vintertørke. Biologisk mangfold – sammensetning av insektsamfunnet: Mengde og artssammensetning av insekter er en viktig indikator på tilstanden når det gjelder biodiversitet i et område. Vi har kartlagt insektsamfunnet på en lokalitet mellom Kvalsvika og Ystevika, i samarbeid med NINA. Jordsmonn og produksjonspotensiale: Jordsmonnet på Nerlandsøy er relativt næringsfattig, men enkelte steder gir morene og rasmateriale med gode sigevannsforhold fruktbar jord. Jordsmonnet er fattig på en del essensielle mikromineraler, noe lokaliteten har til felles med resten av kysten. Det betyr at det er behov for å finne alternativer til gjødsling som tilfører jorda mineraler og dermed også økt mineralinnhold i beitegras og vinterfôr. Dyrehelse: Varmere klima kan gi økt mulighet for planteproduksjon, men også problemer med skadegjørere og smitte som vi ikke har i dag. For husdyr vet vi at sjukdom kan bli et problem og forårsake tap og dårlig dyrevelferd og økt risiko for sjukdommer som kan smitte fra dyr til mennesker. Parasitter kan bli et problem når samme husdyrart beiter på samme areal år etter år, og et mildere klima kan gi større problemer. På Nerlandsøy var sauene behandla mot parasitter, likevel fant vi overraskende mye parasitter hos dyra. Videre kartlegging av parasittbelastning og planlegging av beitebruk for å redusere problemet er viktige spørsmål å følge opp over lengre tid. En annen «skummel» parasitt er skogflåtten, Ixodes ricinus, som trives bedre under varmere og våtere klima. Alle dyr er utsatt for flått og kan bli smitta med sjodoggbakterien A.phagocytophilum eller andre bakterier som kan gi alvorlig sjukdom hos dyr og mennesker. I et av beiteområda fant vi at alle lamma var smitta med sjodoggbakterien

CE0403

Use the URI link below to search the Marine Institute Data Discovery Catalogue for datasets relevant to this report.Acoustic surveys on northern blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) stocks have been carried out since the early 1970s by the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Bergen. In the early 1980s a coordinated acoustic survey approach was adopted, with both Russia and Norway participating to estimate the size of the stock. The acoustic survey programme is carried out for fishery management purposes, results are presented annually at the ICES led Northern Pelagic and Blue Whiting Fisheries Working Group and from this catch advice is determined for the following year. The highly migratory nature of this stock and its components require a large geographical area to be surveyed during a relatively short spawning window. Acoustic surveys are routinely carried out on specific spawning and pre-spawning aggregations of blue whiting. This can allow for high concentrations of fish to be surveyed in a relatively small geographical and often well defined area, if the timing is synchronised. This survey was conducted as part of a collaborative survey coordinated by the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway, using the vessel the MRV “Johan Hjort”. Also participating were the MRV “Fridtjof Nansen” (PINRO, Russia) and the MRV “Tridens” (RIVO, Netherlands). The total combined area surveyed in 2004 covered from the Faroe Islands in the north (62º of longitude) to the southern coast of Ireland (50.5º N), area coverage to the west extended from 2º -18º of latitude. The Irish component of the survey was made up of transects covering some 2,080 nautical miles. In addition to the collection of acoustic data fishing hauls were carried out to determine the make up of fish marks recorded by the equipment and to assess the length, weight, age, sex and maturity of the stock. Oceanographic data was collected using a number of spaced hydrograhic stations where salinity and temperature of the water column was recorded at depths of up to 1200 m

Contrasting phytoplankton-zooplankton distributions observed through autonomous platforms, in-situ optical sensors and discrete sampling

Plankton distributions are remarkably ‘patchy’ in the ocean. In this study, we investigated the contrasting phytoplankton-zooplankton distributions in relation to wind mixing events in waters around a biodiversity-rich island (Runde) located off the western coast of Norway. We used adaptive sampling from AUV and shipboard profiles of in-situ phytoplankton photo-physiology and particle identification (copepods, fecal pellets and the dinoflagellate Tripos spp.) and quantification using optical and imaging sensors. Additionally, traditional seawater and net sampling were collected for nutrient and in-vitro chlorophyll a concentrations and phytoplankton and meso-zooplankton abundances. Persistent strong wind conditions (~5 days) disrupted the stratification in offshore regions, while stratification and a subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) were observed above the base of the mixed layer depth (MLD ~30 m) in inshore waters. Contrasting phytoplankton and zooplankton abundances were observed between inshore (with the presence of a SCM) and offshore waters (without the presence of a SCM). At the SCM, phytoplankton abundances (Tripos spp., the diatom Proboscia alata and other flagellates) were half (average of 200 cell L-1) of those observed offshore. On the contrary, meso-zooplankton counts were ~6× higher (732 ind m-3 for Calanus spp.) inshore (where a SCM was observed) compared to offshore areas. In parallel, fecal pellets and ammonium concentrations were high (>1000 ind m-3 for the upper 20 m) at the SCM, suggesting that the shallow mixed layer might have increased encounter rates and promoted strong grazing pressure. Low nutrient concentrations (< 1μM for nitrate) were found below the MLD (60 m) in offshore waters, suggesting that mixing and nutrient availability likely boosted phytoplankton abundances. The size of the absorption cross-section (σPII’) and yield of photosystem II photochemistry under ambient light (φPII’) changed according to depth, while the depth-related electron flow (JPII) was similar between regions, suggesting a high degree of community plasticity to changes in the light regime. Our results emphasize the importance of using multiple instrumentation, in addition to traditional seawater and net sampling for a holistic understanding of plankton distributions.publishedVersio

Multiancestry analysis of the HLA locus in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases uncovers a shared adaptive immune response mediated by HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes

Across multiancestry groups, we analyzed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) associations in over 176,000 individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus controls. We demonstrate that the two diseases share the same protective association at the HLA locus. HLA-specific fine-mapping showed that hierarchical protective effects of HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes best accounted for the association, strongest with HLA-DRB1*04:04 and HLA-DRB1*04:07, and intermediary with HLA-DRB1*04:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:03. The same signal was associated with decreased neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem brains and was associated with reduced tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid and to a lower extent with increased Aβ42. Protective HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes strongly bound the aggregation-prone tau PHF6 sequence, however only when acetylated at a lysine (K311), a common posttranslational modification central to tau aggregation. An HLA-DRB1*04-mediated adaptive immune response decreases PD and AD risks, potentially by acting against tau, offering the possibility of therapeutic avenues