105 research outputs found

    Climate Variability and Oceanographic Settings Associated with Interannual Variability in the Initiation of Dinophysis acuminata Blooms

    Get PDF
    In 2012, there were exceptional blooms of D. acuminata in early spring in what appeared to be a mesoscale event affecting Western Iberia and the Bay of Biscay. The objective of this work was to identify common climatic patterns to explain the observed anomalies in two important aquaculture sites, the Galician Rías Baixas (NW Spain) and Arcachon Bay (SW France). Here, we examine climate variability through physical-biological couplings, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies and time of initiation of the upwelling season and its intensity over several decades. In 2012, the mesoscale features common to the two sites were positive anomalies in SST and unusual wind patterns. These led to an atypical predominance of upwelling in winter in the Galician Rías, and increased haline stratification associated with a southward advection of the Gironde plume in Arcachon Bay. Both scenarios promoted an early phytoplankton growth season and increased stability that enhanced D. acuminata growth. Therefore, a common climate anomaly caused exceptional blooms of D. acuminata in two distant regions through different triggering mechanisms. These results increase our capability to predict intense diarrhetic shellfish poisoning outbreaks in the early spring from observations in the preceding winter

    Spring-neap tidal and circadian variability in the distribution of two groups of Pseudo-nitzschia species in an upwelling influenced estuary

    Get PDF
    High-resolution physical and biological measurements were carried out in the Ría de Pontevedra (NW Spain) in late spring during the ‘HABIT Pontevedra 2007’ survey, which utilized high vertical resolution instruments. Cell maxima of P. delicatissima (6 x 105 cells L-1) and P. seriata (2 x 106 cells L-1) groups were observed during the first half of the cruise during downwelling and a significant decrease in cell numbers occurred during subsequent upwelling conditions. The effect of tidal (both semidiurnal and spring-neap) and event driven (upwelling-downwelling cycle) variability were evident. The observed sequence of events suggests that Pseudo-nitzschia populations were advected from the shelf. The circadian variability was regulated by tidal forcing and Pseudo-nitzschia spp. maxima were observed at low tide. From results presented here we conclude that the magnitude of spring-neap tidal and circadian variability has to be considered when designing and implementing harmful algal bloom monitoring programmesEn prens

    First evidence of cell deformation occurrence during a Dinophysis bloom along the shores of the Gulf of Tunis (SW Mediterranean Sea)

    Get PDF
    Never before observed or cited in Dinophysis studies, deformations in Dinophysis acuminata and Dinophysis sacculus are reported throughout their cellular division phases (cytokinesis, and sulcal list regeneration) in 5 in situ cell cycle studies in the Punic harbors of Carthage (northern Tunisia). Two types of deformation were observed: invaginations in the ventral and dorsal margin and protuberances at the base of the left sulcal list. No virus or bacteria were detected with Syber green stain. In situ division rates (m) varied among seasons and stations for the same species. D. acuminata exhibited moderate (0.22 day 1) to high (0.68 day 1) m rates which were however very low (0.02–0.17 day 1) for D. sacculus in autumn and moderate (0.21–0.35 day 1) in late spring. In 2009 the seasonal distribution of Dinophysis indicates maximum Dinophysis cf. ovum abundance in March and a high number of D. acuminata in early June, while in 2010 maximum abundance of the same species was found in mid-June. Molecular and genetic studies and staining with specific fluorescent strains should be addressed to hopefully explain these Dinophysis cell deformations during their in situ division.Postprin

    Current Status of Forecasting Toxic Harmful Algae for the North-East Atlantic Shellfish Aquaculture Industry

    Get PDF
    Across the European Atlantic Arc (Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Spain, and Portugal) the shellfish aquaculture industry is dominated by the production of mussels, followed by oysters and clams. A range of spatially and temporally variable harmful algal bloom species (HABs) impact the industry through their production of biotoxins that accumulate and concentrate in shellfish flesh, which negatively impact the health of consumers through consumption. Regulatory monitoring of harmful cells in the water column and toxin concentrations within shellfish flesh are currently the main means of warning of elevated toxin events in bivalves, with harvesting being suspended when toxicity is elevated above EU regulatory limits. However, while such an approach is generally successful in safeguarding human health, it does not provide the early warning that is needed to support business planning and harvesting by the aquaculture industry. To address this issue, a proliferation of web portals have been developed to make monitoring data widely accessible. These systems are now transitioning from “nowcasts” to operational Early Warning Systems (EWS) to better mitigate against HAB-generated harmful effects. To achieve this, EWS are incorporating a range of environmental data parameters and developing varied forecasting approaches. For example, EWS are increasingly utilizing satellite data and the results of oceanographic modeling to identify and predict the behavior of HABs. Modeling demonstrates that some HABs can be advected significant distances before impacting aquaculture sites. Traffic light indices are being developed to provide users with an easily interpreted assessment of HAB and biotoxin risk, and expert interpretation of these multiple data streams is being used to assess risk into the future. Proof-of-concept EWS are being developed to combine model information with in situ data, in some cases using machine learning-based approaches. This article: (1) reviews HAB and biotoxin issues relevant to shellfish aquaculture in the European Atlantic Arc (Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Spain, and Portugal; (2) evaluates the current status of HAB events and EWS in the region; and (3) evaluates the potential of further improving these EWS though multi-disciplinary approaches combining heterogeneous sources of information.Versión del edito

    Climate variability and Dinophysis acuta blooms in an upwelling system

    Get PDF
    Dinophysis acuta is a frequent seasonal lipophilic toxin producer in European Atlantic coastal waters associated with thermal stratification. In the Galician Rías, populations of D. acuta with their epicentre located off Aveiro (northern Portugal), typically co-occur with and follow those of Dinophysis acuminata during the upwelling transition (early autumn) as a result of longshore transport. During hotter than average summers, D. acuta blooms also occur in August in the Rías, when they replace D. acuminata. Here we examined a 30-year (1985–2014) time series of D. acuta from samples collected by the same method in the Galician Rías. Our main objective was to identify patterns of distribution and their relation with climate variability, and to explain the exceptional summer blooms of D. acuta in 1989–1990. A dome-shaped relationship was found between summer upwelling intensity and D. acuta blooms; cell maxima were associated with conditions where the balance between upwelling intensity and heating, leading to deepened thermoclines, combined with tidal phase (3 days after neap tides) created windows of opportunity for this species. The application of a generalized additive model based on biological (D. acuta inoculum) and environmental predictors (Cumulative June–August upwelling CUIJJA, average June–August SSTJJA and tidal range) explained more than 70% of the deviance for the exceptional summer blooms of D. acuta, through a combination of moderate (35,000–50,000 m3 s−1 km−1) summer upwelling (CUIJJA), thermal stratification (SSTJJA > 17 °C) and moderate tidal range (∼2.5 m), provided D. acuta cells (inoculum) were present in July. There was no evidence of increasing trends in D. acuta bloom frequency/intensity nor a clear relationship with NAO or other long-term climatic cycles. Instead, the exceptional summer blooms of 1989–1990 appeared linked to extreme hydroclimatic anomalies (high positive anomalies in SST and NAO index), which affected most of the European Atlantic coast.Versión del editor3,083

    Dos escritos sobre Carlos Vega (1898-1966)

    No full text
    Nota de la editora: Reproducimos aquí, con pequeñísimas fragmentaciones, dos escritos referidos a Carlos Vega, profesor de la FACM, fundador por voluntad testamentaria del IIMCV y eminente musicólogo argentino. Se trata de dos artfculos ya aparecidos en numeros anteriores de esta Revista: el primero, de Pola Suarez Urtubey, es el prólogo al n° I de la Revista del IIMCV, en 1977; el segundo, una carta abierta a Carlos Vega escrita por Yolanda Velo, que se publico en el n° 12, de 1992

    Hydrodynamic conditions associated with the formation, maintenance and dissipation of a phytoplankton thin layer in a coastal upwelling system

    No full text
    During May–June 2005, a 17-d cruise was carried out in Ría de Pontevedra (Galician Rías Baixas) to study the physical–biological interactions that may lead to subsurface aggregations of phytoplankton organisms in thin layers (TLs). Physical processes governed the initiation and development, maintenance, and decline of a diatom (toxin producing Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Chaetoceros socialis) TL during an upwelling relaxation-upwelling–downwelling sequence. Differences in shear profiles appeared to lead to the formation of a TL during upwelling events. These results reveal that the coupling between maximum values of shear and buoyancy frequency can shape a subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) into a TL. The effect of shear upon phytoplankton patches, which has been predicted on the basis of theoretical studies, has been corroborated in this study in which the vertical distribution of an observed TL was controlled by physical processes. Understanding both local fine-scale circulation patterns and regional physical processes will improve our knowledge of the spatial and temporal occurrence of these layers. Results here bring new understanding in TL dynamics at coastal upwelling sites and provide information about the physical processes involved in TL development, which can be used to predict their occurrence and understand their ecological implications.N
    corecore