Aplication of remote senging techniques to the study of internal waves in the strait of Gibraltar

The generation and propagation of internal waves is one of the most interesting oceanographic processes in the Strait of Gibraltar. In this paper, radar (ASAR) and ocean colour images (MODIS y MERIS) have been used in order to characterize this phenomenon. The processing of instantaneous colour images has allowed the analysis of the relationship between physical processes of the internal waves and the biological implications. During internal waves generation, MODIS and MERIS images show a chlorophyll maximum structures in the coastal areas of Camarinal Sill. When these waves are located in Alborán Sea, the colour images illustrate the presence of chlorophyll maximum associated to the waves front. The results seem to indicate that a suction of coastal water take place during the internal waves generation and this rich chlorophyll water entry in Alborán Sea travelling joint to the internal waves.Peer Reviewe

Cultura de género y prevención de la violencia en enseñanza secundaria

Culture of gender in education sector and its implications on sexism in educational institution is a research that the University of Seville has studied and has leaded in the last years. In this paper, we show the first step of an investigation, leaded by Ana Guil Bozal, financed by Instituto de la Mujer (Prevenir la violencia contra las mujeres, evitando el sexismo en las instituciones educativas, 2013-2015) where we study the relation between the culture of gender and different ways of discrimination based on gender matters, specially violence. From the Doing Gender Theory (West & Zimmerman, 1987) point of view applied to an educational sector, there are different aspects that we could identify and that affect institutions from a gender perspective. The Doing Gender model identifies three levels: socio-cultural, relation and personal. In this first step of the project, we analyze the relational and personal level. Also, we added in our analysis the resources level, not included in the Doing Gender Theory, and where we study the human and economic resources available to work in gender area in educational organizations. There are relations between the people involved in education, mainly as follows: students, teachers and management team; then, their own system of values, attitudes and behavior; human resources with specifically training in gender matters and the economic resources. Violence against women can be face with education which must include a gender perspective. All the aspect involved in the daily education practices have reflected on the position of women in societyLa Universidad de Sevilla ha estudiado y liderado diferentes líneas de investigación sobre la relación existente entre el sexismo y algunos aspectos presentes en las instituciones educativas. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de la primera fase de un proyecto, financiado por el Instituto de la Mujer (Prevenir la violencia contra las mujeres, evitando el sexismo en las instituciones educativas, 2013-2015) en el que -de cara a la prevención- estudiamos la relación entre la Cultura de Género y las diferentes formas de discriminación por razón del género, especialmente la violencia. Como marco teórico para nuestro estudio hemos utilizado el modelo Doing Gender (West & Zimmerman, 1987), que mantiene que el género se manifiesta en tres planos: Socio-cultural, Relacional y Personal. En una primera fase del proyecto, analizamos los niveles relacional y personal. También incluimos un plano, al que llamamos plano de recursos, no contemplado en el modelo original y en el que indagamos sobre los medios humanos y económicos disponibles para el trabajo en el área de género en las instituciones educativas. En este documento se presentan los resultados iniciales de esta primera fase que servirán de base para la construcción de un modelo que permita evaluar la cultura de género de las instituciones educativas y así fomentar la prevención de las diferentes formas de discriminación por razón del género, entre ellas la violenci

Carbon cycling in a Patagonian fjord: Strength of biological vs. physical pump

Póster presentado en la 2nd International Ocean Research Conference, celebrada en Barcelona del 17 al 21 de noviembre de 2014.Understanding the role of the pelagic “biological and physical pump” in carbon cycling is critical to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts especially in coastal areas characterized by intense biogeochemical cycling. Fjords are among the few coastal regions that appear to be net annual sinks for atmosphericCO2. Vertical profiles of temperature and salinity were collected with a CTD revealing intense vertical structure in the water column that could be summarised as 2 layers with a transition-mixing region .Spatio-temporal sampling of physical and biogeochemical (C system, nutrients, Phyto- and Zooplankton, in situ dissolved pCO2) parameters was conducted in Comau Fjord (Puerto Montt-Chile) during Austral spring from the surface and deep layers. Spatial variation in water column structure in the fjord was minimal, however the depth of the upper layer varies probably depending on the surface-water inputs. Surface waters had significantly lower pCO2 values compared to the atmosphere and deeper water. Concentrations of suspended material and chlorophyll a were higher deeper in the water column, suggesting concentration process of material across the halocline. Overall, concentrations of particulate matter and mesozooplankton (during the study period), were low compared to many mid-latitude regions, and near absent in the vicinity of the 2 rivers entering the fjord. The low surface water pCO2 values suggest negative air-water CO2fluxes predominates within Comau Fjord during Austral spring. This preliminary study suggests that the geochemical properties of watershed and the low [DIC] of surface-water inputs, i.e., the physical pump, seems to play an important role in this region.This work was supported by the project 2013CL0013 funded by the CSIC, Fundacion Endesa and Fundación San Ignacio del Huinay. Funding was also provided by the Spanish Ministry of Sciences and Innovation (JAE DOCTORES 2010 contract for E.P.M., JAE PREDOCTORAL scholarship for S.T. and S.F.) and part-funded bythe European Union (European Social Fund, ESF2007-2013) and the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness.Peer Reviewe

Nitrous oxide and methane in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters in the Strait of Gibraltar: Air-sea fluxes and inter-basin exchange

14 páginas, 7 figuras, 2 tablas.-- Proyecto CarbochangeThe global ocean plays an important role in the overall budget of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), as both gases are produced within the ocean and released to the atmosphere. However, for large parts of the open and coastal oceans there is little or no spatial data coverage for N2O and CH4. Hence, a better assessment of marine emissions estimates is necessary. As a contribution to remedying the scarcity of data on marine regions, N2O and CH4 concentrations have been determined in the Strait of Gibraltar at the ocean Fixed Time series (GIFT). During six cruises performed between July 2011 and November 2014 samples were collected at the surface and various depths in the water column, and subsequently measured using gas chromatography. From this we were able to quantify the temporal variability of the gas air-sea exchange in the area and examine the vertical distribution of N2O and CH4 in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters. Results show that surface Atlantic waters are nearly in equilibrium with the atmosphere whereas deeper Mediterranean waters are oversaturated in N2O, and a gradient that gradually increases with depth was detected in the water column. Temperature was found to be the main factor responsible for the seasonal variability of N2O in the surface layer. Furthermore, although CH4 levels did not reveal any feature clearly associated with the circulation of water masses, vertical distributions showed that higher concentrations are generally observed in the Atlantic layer, and that the deeper Mediterranean waters are considerably undersaturated (by up to 50%). Even though surface waters act as a source of atmospheric N2O during certain periods, on an annual basis the net N2O flux in the Strait of Gibraltar is only 0.35 ± 0.27 μmol m−2 d−1, meaning that these waters are almost in a neutral status with respect to the atmosphere. Seasonally, the region behaves as a slight sink for atmospheric CH4 in winter and as a source in spring and fall. Approximating the circulation pattern in the Strait to a bi-layer scheme, N2O exchange between basins was also calculated, and a net export from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean equivalent to 39 μmol m−2 d−1 was foundFunding for this work was provided by the INGOS (Grant Agreement 284274), CARBOCHANGE IP (264879GOCE) and PERSEUS of the European Commission, the CATARINA Project supported by the MICINN and co-funded by FEDER (CTM2010-17141/MAR) and OSIMON project funded by the Regional Government of Galicia (Xunta de Galicia, 09MDS035402PR)Peer reviewe

Internal waves and short-scale distribution patterns of chlorophyll in the Strait of Gibraltar and Alboran Sea

A selection of ASAR images have been analyzed, together with instantaneous images of surface chlorophyll recorded with MERIS and MODIS, in order to study the relationship between the physical and biological processes associated with internal waves in the Strait of Gibraltar and Alborán Sea. The images show peak levels of chlorophyll at the coastal edges to the north and south of the Camarinal Sill (CS) during the generation of internal waves, and peak levels of chlorophyll associated with the wave fronts as they travel into the Alborán Sea. The images have been compared with in-situ data. The results seem to indicate that, during the generation of the internal waves, a suction process takes place by which coastal waters rich in chlorophyll are drawn towards the center of the channel and then accompany the internal waves as they move towards the Alborán Sea

Oxygen concentration in the water column over a Posidonia oceanica meadow in Cabrera Archipelago Marine-Terrestrial National Park between October 2019 – October 2021

[Description of methods used for collection/generation of data] For the study, environmental data were measured by sensors located in both the water column and the benthic compartment (at 4 m and 8 m, respectively). Temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) from the water column were measured from October 2019 to October 2021 by a sensor attached to the mooring line. Data were recorded with a CT SBE37 (Conductivity, Temperature) sensor (SBE37SMP-ODO-RS232, Sea-Bird Scientific©) coupled with an SBE 63 (Sea-Bird Scientific©) dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor with accuracies of ± 0.002 °C for temperature, ± 0.002 mS cm-1 for conductivity and ± 2 % for DO. Measurements were taken with a resolution of 0.0001 ºC for temperature, 0.0001 mS cm−-1 for conductivity and 0.2 µmol kg-1 for DO. Multiparametric Hydrolab HL4 probes (OTT HydroMet) were deployed during 8 different periods covering all seasons following the procedure by Hendriks et al. (2021). Accuracy for the multiparametric probe sensors is ± 0.10 ºC for temperature and ± 0.5 % of reading + 0.001 mS cm−1 for conductivity, with resolutions of 0.01 ºC and 0.001 mS cm-−1, respectively. The DO sensor presents an accuracy of ± 0.1 mg L−1 for values lower than 8 mg L−1, and ± 0.2 mg L−1 for values higher than 8 mg L−1, and a resolution of 0.01 mg L−1. Two benthic chambers were installed during May and July 2021 using a design previously described in Barrón et al. (2006). MiniDOT sensors (PME, Inc. ©) were used for temperature and DO measurements every 15 minutes, with accuracies of ± 0.1 ºC and ± 5 %, respectively. DO sensor data were validated against water samples analysed with the Winkler method.. Three chamber replicates were installed during each deployment. Wind speed (m s−1) values at Cabrera NP Station were obtained from data provided by the Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales (OAPN, Spain). For the benthic chambers, night respiration was estimated from changes in DO between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise. The same procedure was followed for the calculation of the net community production (NCP) during daylight hours, and the two values were summed for GPP. NCP was used along with the total meadow area coverage and residence time of water in Sta. María Bay to determine the total O2 exported by the meadow to the water column. For the metabolic rate calculation, only oxygen data from the first 24 hours were used.[Methods for processing the data] Seasonal variations in the metabolic rates were analysed with a one-way ANOVA test using the Statistics and Machine Learning ToolboxTM in Matlab® (https://mathworks.com). For this purpose, daily metabolic rates from water column sensors and multiparametric sensors were grouped by season . The same statistical analysis was performed to analyse disparities between sensors. Since benthic chamber data were only available for one day in May and one day in July, differences between deployments were tested using a Student t-test.readme provides background information for csv datafiles. Csv datafiles are processed data of oxygen concentrations used as input for the model, with a frequency of 10 minutes for hydrolab (HL) measurements and hourly for the CT measurements, and a frequency of 15 minutes for MiniDot measurements.Spanish Ministry of Science (SumaEco, RTI2018–095441-B-C21), the Government of the Balearic Islands through la Consellería d'Innovació, Recerca i Turisme (Projecte de recerca científica i tecnològica SEPPO, PRD2018/18), the Posi-COIN Project from the 2018 BBVA Foundation “Ayudas a equipos de investigación científica” call. STARTER research project funded by the 2021 call of the Càtedra de la Mar, Iberostar Foundation. This work is a contribution to CSIC's Thematic Interdisciplinary Platform PTI OCEANS+. The present research was carried out within the framework of the activities of the Spanish Government through the "Maria de Maeztu Centre of Excellence" accreditation to IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) (CEX2021-001198).With funding from the Spanish government through the "Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence" accreditation (CEX2021-001198).Peer reviewe

Hotter and Weaker Mediterranean Outflow as a Response to Basin-Wide Alterations

Time series collected from 2004 to 2020 at an oceanographic station located at the westernmost sill of the Strait of Gibraltar to monitor the Mediterranean outflow into the North Atlantic have been used to give some insights on changes that have been taking place in the Mediterranean basin. Velocity data indicate that the exchange through the Strait is submaximal (that is, greater values of the exchanged flows are possible) with a mean value of −0.847 ± 0.129 Sv and a slight trend to decrease in magnitude (+0.017 ± 0.003 Sv decade−1). Submaximal exchange promotes footprints in the Mediterranean outflow with little or no-time delay with regards to changes occurring in the basin. An astonishing warming trend of 0.339 ± 0.008°C decade−1 in the deepest layer of the outflow from 2013 onwards stands out among these changes, a trend that is an order of magnitude greater than any other reported so far in the water masses of the Mediterranean Sea. Biogeochemical (pH) data display a negative trend indicating a gradual acidification of the outflow in the monitoring station. Data analysis suggests that these trends are compatible with a progressively larger participation of Levantine Intermediate Water (slightly warmer and characterized by a pH lower than that of Western Mediterranean Deep Water) in the outflow. Such interpretation is supported by climatic data analysis that indicate diminished buoyancy fluxes to the atmosphere during the seven last years of the analyzed series, which in turn would have reduced the rate of formation of Western Mediterranean Deep Water. The flow through the Strait has echoed this fact in a situation of submaximal exchange and, ultimately, reflects it in the shocking temperature trend recorded at the monitoring station.Postprin

Comparative severity of COVID-19 cases caused by Alpha, Delta or Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants and its association with vaccination

[EN] Background: This study compares the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections caused by Alpha, Delta or Omicron variants in periods of co-circulation in Spain, and estimates the variant-specific association of vaccination with severe disease. Methods: SARS-CoV-2 infections notified to the national epidemiological surveillance network with information on genetic variant and vaccination status were considered cases if they required hospitalisation or controls otherwise. Alpha and Delta were compared during June-July 2021; and Delta and Omicron during December 2021-January 2022. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were estimated using logistic regression, comparing variant and vaccination status between cases and controls. Results: We included 5,345 Alpha and 11,974 Delta infections in June-July and 5,272 Delta and 10,578 Omicron in December-January. Unvaccinated cases of Alpha (aOR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.46-0.69) or Omicron (0.28; 0.21-0.36) had lower probability of hospitalisation vs. Delta. Complete vaccination reduced hospitalisation, similarly for Alpha (0.16; 0.13-0.21) and Delta (June-July: 0.16; 0.14-0.19; December-January: 0.36; 0.30-0.44) but lower from Omicron (0.63; 0.53-0.75) and individuals aged 65+ years. Conclusion: Results indicate higher intrinsic severity of the Delta variant, compared with Alpha or Omicron, with smaller differences among vaccinated individuals. Nevertheless, vaccination was associated to reduced hospitalisation in all groups. [ES]Introducción: El objetivo es comprar la gravedad de las infecciones por las variantes Alfa, Delta y Ómicron del SARS-CoV-2 en periodos de co-circulación en España, y estimar la asociación entre vacunación y gravedad en cada variante. Métodos: Las infecciones por SARS-CoV-2 notificadas a la red nacional de vigilancia epidemiológica con información sobre la variante viral y el estado de vacunación se clasificaron como casos si habían requerido hospitalización, o como controles en caso contrario. Alfa y Delta se compararon durante junio-julio de 2021, y Delta y Ómicron durante diciembre de 2021-enero de 2022. Se estimaron odds ratios ajustadas (ORa) mediante regresión logística, comparando la variante y el estado de vacunación entre casos y controles. Resultados: Se incluyeron 5.345 infecciones por variante Alfa y 11.974 por Delta en junio-julio y 5.272 infecciones por Delta y 10.578 por Ómicron en diciembre-enero. Los casos no vacunados por Alfa (aOR: 0,57; IC 95%: 0,46-0,69) u Ómicron (0,28; IC 95%: 0,21-0,36) tuvieron menor probabilidad de hospitalización comparados con Delta. La vacunación completa se asoció a menor hospitalización de forma similar para Alfa (0,16; IC 95%: 0,13-0,21) y Delta (junio-julio: 0,16; IC 95%: 0,14-0,19; diciembre-enero: 0,36; IC 95%: 0,30-0,44) pero menor para Ómicron (0,63; IC 95%: 0,53-0,75) y para individuos con 65+ años. Conclusión: Los resultados indican una mayor gravedad intrínseca de la variante Delta comparada con Alfa u Ómicron, con menor diferencia entre personas vacunadas. La vacunación se asoció a menor hospitalización en todos los grupos.In this study the identification of variants by genomic sequencing has been partially supported by HERA-Incubator ECDC/GRANT/2021/024-Enhancing Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and/or Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) national infrastructures and capacities to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic in Spain.S

Use of a Real-Time Remote Monitoring Network (RTRM) to Characterize the Guadalquivir Estuary (Spain)

The temporal variability of hydrological variables in the Guadalquivir estuary was examined during three years through a real-time remote monitoring network (RTRM). The network was developed with the aim of studying the influence of hydrodynamical and hydrological features within the estuary on the functioning of the pelagic ecosystem. Completing this data-gathering network, monthly cruises were performed in order to measure biogeochemical variables that are indicative of the trophic status of the aquatic environment. The results showed that several sources of physical forcing, such as wind, tide-associated currents and river discharge were responsible for the spatio-temporal patterns of dissolved oxygen, salinity and turbidity in the estuary. The analysis was conducted under tidal and flood regime, which allowed us to identify river discharge as the main forcing agent of the hydrology inside the estuary. In particular, episodes of elevated turbidity detected by the network, together with episodes of low salinity and dissolved oxygen were closely related to the increase in water supply from a dam located upstream. The network installed provided accurate data that can be rapidly used for research or educational applications and by policy-makers or agencies in charge of the management of the coastal area

COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization due to SARS-CoV-2: A test-negative design study based on Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) sentinel surveillance in Spain

Background: With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, influenza surveillance systems in Spain were transformed into a new syndromic sentinel surveillance system. The Acute Respiratory Infection Surveillance System (SiVIRA in Spanish) is based on a sentinel network for acute respiratory infection (ARI) surveillance in primary care and a network of sentinel hospitals for severe ARI (SARI) surveillance in hospitals. Methods: Using a test-negative design and data from SARI admissions notified to SiVIRA between January 1 and October 3, 2021, we estimated COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against hospitalization, by age group, vaccine type, time since vaccination, and SARS-CoV-2 variant. Results: VE was 89% (95% CI: 83-93) against COVID-19 hospitalization overall in persons aged 20 years and older. VE was higher for mRNA vaccines, and lower for those aged 80 years and older, with a decrease in protection beyond 3 months of completing vaccination, and a further decrease after 5 months. We found no differences between periods with circulation of Alpha or Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants, although variant-specific VE was slightly higher against Alpha. Conclusions: The SiVIRA sentinel hospital surveillance network in Spain was able to describe clinical and epidemiological characteristics of SARI hospitalizations and provide estimates of COVID-19 VE in the population under surveillance. Our estimates add to evidence of high effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against severe COVID-19 and waning of protection with time since vaccination in those aged 80 or older. No substantial differences were observed between SARS-CoV-2 variants (Alpha vs. Delta).The data of the study was originally collectedas part of the following projects run by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control:“Establishing Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) surveillance and performing hospital-based COVID-19 transmission studies”, “Developing an infrastructure and performing vaccine effectiveness studies for COVID-19 vaccines in the EU/EEA”, and the “Vaccine Effectiveness, Burden and Impact Studies(VEBIS) of COVID-19 and Influenza".S