Tidal action and macroalgal photosynthetic activity prevent coastal acidification in an eutrophic system within a semi-desert region

Nutrient input drive macroalgal blooms and increases in photosynthetic activity in coastal ecosystems. An intense macroalgal photosynthetic activity can increase the surrounding pH and it could prevent the acidification that often follows an eutrophication process. We tested this hypothesis with field sampling and experiments in a macrotidal (up to 9 m in amplitude) coastal system within a semi-desert region with contrasting eutrophic conditions and Ulva lactuca blooms in the northern Argentinean Patagonia (San Antonio Bay). Our results indicate that daily pH variability during low tide could be controlled by the photosynthetic activity of Ulva lactuca under eutrophic conditions. At seasonal scale, the pH variations were related to environmental features, particularly seawater temperature. Both environmental (i.e. high solar radiation, negligible freshwater inputs and large tidal action) and anthropogenic nutrient inputs into the studied area promote the Ulva lactuca blooms, which in turn increases the surrounding pH in well oxygenated seawater through the intense photosynthetic activity. Our study shows that eutrophication instead of being a driver of acidification, could contribute to its prevention in well oxygenated marine coastal systems located within semi-desert regions.Fil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Pereyra, Patricio Javier. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni". - Provincia de Río Negro. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni". Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni"; ArgentinaFil: Narvarte, Maite Andrea. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni". - Provincia de Río Negro. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni". Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni"; ArgentinaFil: Fanjul, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Iribarne, Oscar Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Martinetto, Paulina Maria del Rosario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Floristic compositions of large arrivals of drift marine algae on beaches of southeastern Buenos Aires province, Argentina

La identificación de las especies de algas presentes en los arribazones y la estimación de sus biomasas relativas proporcionan una valiosa información acerca de la composición de las comunidades submareales cercanas y permiten evaluar su potencialidad de utilización. En la presente nota se reportan algunas características cuali - cuantitativas de tres arribazones de algas ocurridos en los veranos de 2012 y 2013 en playas de Quequén, Necochea y Mar del Plata, en el sudeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. De acuerdo a la biomasa húmeda relativa de las especies, los arribazones analizados estuvieron compuestos principalmente por Dictyota spp. y Anotrichium furcellatum (J. Agardh) Baldock em Quequén; Dictyota spp., Jania rubens (L) Lamour y Corallina officinalis Linnaeus en Necochea y Gigartinaceae no identificada, Rhodymenia sp., Ahnfeltiopsis sp. y C. officinalis Linnaeus en Mar del Plata.The identification of marine macroalgae washed ashore provides valuable information on the composition of the nearby subtidal algal communities, and also to evaluate their applied potential. In the present study we report the quali-quantitative species composition of drift algae on the shores of three beaches during the 2012 and 2013 austral summers in Quequén, Necochea and Mar del Plata cities; all located on the southeastern coast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the relative biomass of the species, these algae were composed mainly by Dictyota spp. and Anotrichium furcellatum (J. Agardh) Baldock in Quequén; Dictyota spp., Jania rubens (L) Lamour and Corallina officinalis Linnaeus in Necochea and an unidentified Gigartinaceae, Rhodymenia sp., Ahnfeltiopsis sp. and C. officinalis Linnaeus in Mar del Plata.Fil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas. Laboratorio de Bioindicadores Bentonicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Benavides, Hugo. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; Argentin

Study of the potential use of the invasive marine algae Undaria pinnatifida in the preliminary development of a functional textile

Seaweeds are considered to be an important source of relevant chemical substances or bioactive compounds of great usefulness in the medical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical or food industry. Recently, some seaweed had been used to produce or incorporate in fibers in order to manufacture technical textiles in which functional ingredient of the seaweed are exploited in the health and body care area. The brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida (Undaria) has an important nutritive value being consumed as food in several Asian countries. As well Undaria is required in cosmetic or dermatology medicine given the presence of other bioactive chemical substances known as phycocolloids. The objective of this study was to explore the potential use of Undaria in a preliminary development of a functional textile. A soft bilaminate textile with a high crease recovery and an efficient release of mucilage, was achieved using a fine dust (particle of <0.26 mm) of Undaria between two layers of nonwoven. The best combination of the two layers of nonwoven was laminate and fine spundbond. The extract of Undaria used in our experimentation had minerals and vitamins with positive effect to the human skin, besides it is no irritant when applied to healthy or abraded skin. Further research focused in the incorporation of this alga in nonwoven fibers is required. We expect to obtain a textile with a dermatologic use in the near future; so as to turn Undaria into a resource susceptible to exploitation given the specie is considered a worldwide plague.Fil: Martínez, María Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

What is left behind when the lights go off? Comparing the abundance and composition of litter in urban areas with different intensity of nightlife use in Mar del Plata, Argentina

Nightlife activities represents an important source of urban litter; the latter often being left behind or abandoned in public places and streets. Mar del Plata is a very important city on the Atlantic coast of Argentina and is the main tourism destination in the South Atlantic region of South America. However, few studies on urban litter related to nightlife activities have been conducted in the area. Here we assessed (i) the abundance and composition of litter, and (ii) the spatial and temporal variations of its abundance, diversity, richness and evenness in urbanized areas with different intensity of nightlife activities from April 2008 to March 2009. An overall of 13,503 items were counted. Around 92% of the total litter was comprised by cigarette butts, papers and plastics. We found significant spatial differences in the abundance of litter between sampling sites, with the greatest amounts of litter at the Alem site followed by the Hipólito site (both with an intensive nightlife activity) compared with the Chauvin site (a quiet high-income neighborhood). The composition of litter of the Alem and the Hipólito sites was relatively similar and both sites differ with respect to the Chauvin site. Cigarette butts, papers, and plastics were the items that contributed most to the dissimilarity between sampling sites. The diversity of litter was the single community parameter that significantly differed from the other seasons. We discussed the potential effect of nightlife activities on the amounts and quality of urban litter in the city of Mar del Plata.Fil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Seco Pon, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Spatial and temporal variations of urban litter in Mar del Plata, the major coastal city of Argentina

Urban littering is considered an important environmental and public issue globally. This problem isgrowing considerably within coastal communities of the southern region of South America. The goals of this study were to assess (1) the abundance and composition of urban litter; (2) the spatial and temporal variations of its abundance; and (3) the relationship between the abundance of litter and three anthropogenic variables (i.e. abundance of pedestrians, of parked vehicles, and of trash bins) in Mar del Plata, the most populated coastal city in Argentina. Eighty-eight transects, each covering 1425 m2, were sampled along four sites from April 2008 to March 2009. Results showed 20,336 items (ca. 14 items per m2) of which cigarette butts (33%), papers (31%), and plastics (22%) were the most commonly littered items. Higher amounts of litter were found in an industrial area (city´s harbor), while the abundance of litter appeared relatively even throughout the year. Redundancy analysis techniques indicated a high abundance of all three anthropogenic variables associated with the central business district area of the city and an area in close proximity to a major seaside resort, where cigarette butts and papers dominated. This is the first study that has examined spatial and temporal variations of urban litter in a high-density coastal city in Argentina. Our results showed that addressing the problems associated with urban littermust include intensive educational and advertising campaigns directed at pedestrians and owners ofcoastal city in Argentina. Our results showed that addressing the problems associated with urban litter must include intensive educational and advertising campaigns directed at pedestrians and owner of parked vehicles, but waste reduction clean-up operations and law enforcement should be also considered.Fil: Seco Pon, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Assessing environmental health using ecological indices for soft bottom in sewage-affected rocky shores: The case of the largest seaside resort of SW Atlantic

Efficient ecological indices can reflect the differences between impacted and nonimpacted sites, leading to significant variations at the contamination spatial scale. Here, we evaluated the spatial-temporal variability of 3 ecological indices (AMBI, M-AMBI, and BENTIX) in response to the distinct levels of sewage contamination. The indices were evaluated in two different ways: including Brachidontes rodriguezii (IBR) and excluding B. rodriguezii (EBR). The fact that mussel beds create a secondary infaunal habitat allows us to test these indices for soft bottoms in areas with rocky bottoms. The effectiveness and the level of agreement of these indices were increased when they were calculated with EBR. BENTIX and M-AMBI produced under- and overestimations of the ecological status of the studied sites. AMBI (EBR) seems to be better suited for environmental quality assessment in the study area. This index reduces the processing time of samples; thus, the AMBI (EBR) index could be used as a robust management tool for monitoring programs in areas with hard substrate.Fil: Garaffo, Griselda Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Jaubet, Maria Lourdes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Elias, Rodolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Marine debris in beaches of the Southwestern Atlantic: An assessment of their abundance and mass at different spatial scales in northern coastal Argentina

Argentina is currently undergoing an intensive development of coastal-oriented tourism due to the temperate climate and coastal sceneries of the Southwestern Atlantic and particularly its wide ocean-open sandy beaches, which may turn into an important contributor of marine debris to the beaches. This study was designed to assess at four spatial scales (i) the variation of the abundance and mass of marine debris and (ii) the composition and sources of these items in sandy-tourist beaches of coastal zones of the province of Buenos Aires, in northern Argentina. The abundance and mass of marine debris shifted between sampling localities (separated by ~ 1.5 × 105 m) and beaches (~ 3 × 104 m). Debris was primarily from recreational and fishing activities and over 20 mm in size. Tackling the complications associated with marine debris in northern Argentina may include intensive educational and advertising campaigns oriented chiefly to beach users and fisherman.Fil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Rosenthal, Alan Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Asociación Naturalistas Geselinos; Argentina. Programa Regional de Conservación e Investigación de Tortugas Marinas de la Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Seco Pon, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Assessing sewage impact in a South-West Atlantic rocky shore intertidal algal community

The spatial and seasonal variation of the specific composition and community parameters (abundance, diversity, richness and evenness) of the intertidal algal assemblages was studied at four coastal sampling sites, distributed along an environmental gradient from the sewage water outfall of Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Two of them were located close to the sewage outfall (<. 800 m) (impacted area) and the two other were 8 and 9 km distant (non-impacted area). The algal abundance was monthly analyzed from October 2008 to May 2009. The algal assemblages varied according to the pollution gradient in spring, summer and autumn, being autumn the season when the highest difference was observed. Ceramium uruguayense was recognized as an indicator species for the non-impacted areas, while Berkeleya sp. represented an indicator species for the sewage outfall impact. Ulva spp. did not reflect the typical pattern observed for other sewage pollution areas.Fil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Santiago, Lucerito. Museo Municipal de Ciencias; ArgentinaFil: Benavides, Hugo Rodolfo. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Vallarino, Eduardo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Eutrophication in a semi-desert coastal ecosystem promotes increases in N and C isotopic signatures and changes in primary sources

Using C and N isotopic signatures of food web components, we evaluated the land-marine coupling through nutrient flows and the likely changes in the food web structure in tidal channels with contrasting anthropogenic nutrient inputs at a semi desert-macrotidal coastal system (northern Argentine Patagonia). The results showed an increase in the δ 13 C signatures of primary producers and in the δ 15 N signatures in all levels of the benthic food web, from primary producers to predators, with possible changes in the relative contribution of primary food sources for consumer in the tidal channel with high anthropogenic N input. This is an example on the extent of the distribution of anthropogenic N into natural systems, flowing through the food web from terrestrial origin to coastal marine components.Fil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, María Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Iribarne, Oscar Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Martinetto, Paulina Maria del Rosario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Los residuos antropogénicos en la zona marino-costera de la Argentina: una revisión desde un enfoque ecosistémico y socio-cultural

Los residuos están distribuidos ampliamente en todos los océanos del mundo, desde las playas y/o costas rocosas hasta las profundidades marinas, tales como las fosas abisales, y desde las regiones más densamente pobladas hasta puntos remotos alejados de cualquier actividad humana como son los polos. Esta obra propone una síntesis acerca de la problemática de los residuos en ambientes marino-costeros de la Argentina, a partir de una recopilación bibliográfica de los diversos estudios llevados a cabo y que propone un enfoque de este conflicto en forma transdisciplinaria; una deuda en un país cuya zona marino-costera abarca aproximadamente unos 4.500 km de extensión y una plataforma continental de 1.2 millones de km2. El Capítulo I de esta obra revisa la amplia definición del término residuo, en particular con aquellos relacionados a los ambientes marino-costeros, identificando además sus posibles fuentes y vías de ingreso a dicho ecosistema. El Capítulo II reseña aquellos estudios que incluyen el impacto de los residuos en los ambientes marino-costeros, tanto en la franja emergida como en las áreas submareales (incluyendo en estas últimas áreas urbanas costeras). Se incluye aquí una revisión bibliográfica del impacto de los residuos en biota marina (tanto invertebrados como vertebrados). Además, en esta sección se presentan trabajos académicos que contemplan la percepción social frente a esta problemática y diversos esfuerzos que pretenden poner a prueba medidas de mitigación en playas de uso recreativo. Finalmente, el Capítulo III revista la normativa vigente a nivel nacional y a nivel de las provincias con litoral marítimo, en particular la costa bonaerense. Además, en esta sección se revisa el nivel de cumplimento de dichas normativas, incluyendo acciones de organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, y sugiriendo aquellas a título personal.Fil: Seco Pon, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Becherucci, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Masotti, Maria Virginia. No especifíca;Fil: Denuncio, Pablo Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin