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News for August
Marine Pollution Bulletin 44 (2002) 722–725 www.elsevier.com/locate/marpolbul
News Intersex fish found in UK estuaries The influence of endocrine disrupting chemicals has been found to extend beyond freshwater systems and into estuarine and coastal waters. A study in 12 UK estuaries, shortly to be published, recorded feminizing effects of oestrogen mimics in male fish of four species (flounder, eelpout, sand goby and Lozanoi’s goby). The endocrine disrupting effects of oestrogenic chemicals was first noticed in freshwater fish around 10– 15 years ago and was taken to be related to their discharge in treated sewage effluent. Subsequently the use of biomarkers, especially expression of vitellogenin (egg protein) in male fish, established the widespread occurrence of oestrogenic effects in freshwater fish. Nevertheless, it was widely supposed that the greater dilution experienced by estuarine and marine discharges would result in lower endocrine disrupting impacts in these environments. This assumption is now called into question by the results of the EDMAR (endocrine disruption in the marine environment) project, which found vitellogenin expression (indicated by mRNA) in male flounder and eelpout from the majority of indstrialized estuaries sampled. Other feminizing effects included ovotestis (‘‘intersex’’ gonads) and, in the gobies from four estuaries, development of ovipositioning apparatus on the tip of the genital opening. This feminization was associated with reduced reproductive success in the affected gobies. Masculinizing hormone (androgen) mimics were also surveyed, but found to be relatively unimportant. Both oestrogen and androgen mimics were found mainly adsorbed onto sediments, suggesting that the route of exposure to fish might be via consumption of contaminated infaunal invertebrates. This suggestion was supported by the occurrence of vitellogenin expression in male flounders from a reference site fed mussels from a contaminated area. Alistar Lyndon UK water protection measures gets mixed reception The UK Governments announcement on the Nitrate Directive and the Urban Waste water Treatment Directive has had a mixed reaction from the UK Environmental Agency. PII: S 0 0 2 5 - 3 2 6 X ( 0 2 ) 0 0 2 2 8 - X
Both directives were set up to protect water quality and guard against the impact nutrient pollution. The Nitrate Directive was established in order to reduce the environmental impact from nitrates arising from diffuse agricultural pollution. The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive allows for the protection of aquatic ecosystems suffering the effects of eutrophication by the establishment of ‘sensitive areas’ which require more stringent treatment and nutrient removal at contributing sewage treatment works. The Environment Agency welcomed the Government’s announcement for pollution controls from point sources under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive which requires the identification of sensitive areas where more stringent sewage treatment is employed by water companies. The Government’s announcement marks an increase in the number of sensitive areas from 84 to 117. However, the Agency was disappointed with the Government’s decision to increase coverage of diffuse nitrate pollution controls by sevenfold, from 8% to around 60% of England, under the EU’s Nitrate Directive. The Agency, who will have duties to enforce this legislation, had been hoping for an increase to the maximum 100%, to provide wider protection for the environment and reducing fears of confusion and overcomplexity. The Agency believes that most farmers could have complied through simple adherence to the Code of Good Agricultural Practice, a basic standard of environmental management. The announcement is relevant only to England. The National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive have conducted separate consultation exercises for Wales and Scotland. Whale’s courtship could be impeded by noisy humans The underwater noise created by ships and other human sources could be interfering with whale reproduction and population recovery, marine scientists report in the journal Nature. Scientists from the University of California––Santa Cruz, Cornell University, Mexico’s Universidad Aut–– noma de Baja California Sur and the California Academy of Sciences studied fin whale courtship songs in frequencies far below the range of human hearing. These natural
News / Marine Pollution Bulletin 44 (2002) 722–725
sounds of low frequency can often travel many hundreds, if not thousands, of miles under water. Unfortunately so can very-low-frequency, human-made noises that have increased dramatically in the last 100 years because of motorized shipping and other maritime activities. The study found that whale courtship songs occurred in Loreto Bay in the Gulf of California which is acoustically relatively quiet. Fin whales aggregate there to feed on krill and it was found by the scientists that some whales spend a lot of time singing whilst feeding. Special computer software, developed at the Cornell Bioacoustics Laboratory helped biologists determine which whale in the bay was singing. It was found that during the month-long study of the whales in the bay in the winter of 2000, there were 21 males and 22 females. Only the males were singing the very-low-frequency song. According to one of the authors of the article, Christopher Clark, Director of the Bioacoustics Research Program at Cornell, the singing found in fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) undoubtedly also applies to the closely related blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and could hold true for some other species of baleen whales. The article in Nature concludes that the extent that growth of Balaenoptera populations is limited by the encounter rate of receptive females with singing males and the recovery of fin- and blue-whale populations from past exploitation could be impeded by low-frequency sounds generated by human activity.
Scrap ship designated ‘toxic waste’ by Dutch court A ship destined for scrapping in India containing asbestos has been classified as ‘toxic waste’ by the Council of State in The Hague, the highest court in the Netherlands. This is the first ever legal recognition that a ship containing asbestos must be treated as hazardous waste and sets a vital precedent that in future all scrap ships must be cleaned of toxic materials before being sent to ship breaking-yards. The ship, the Sandrien, which has been detained in Amsterdam by the Ministry of Environment since February 2001, is not now allowed to leave for India to be scrapped. According to international and European legislation it is forbidden to export toxic waste to developing countries. This latest verdict from the Council of State has been welcomed by the environmental lobbyists Greenpeace who say that this makes it quite clear that the international shipping industry must strip ships of toxic materials before sending them for scrapping. Every year hundreds of ships are sent to India for scrapping where the work is done in poor conditions and without proper equipment. This number is set to increase in the next few years as all single-hull oil tankers must stop trading before 2015.
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The most immediate problem arising from the court’s decision is to find a solution as quickly as possible for the Sandrien and her crew. The stranded vessel and her crew are still waiting for overdue wages, and for repatriation to India. Northward fish movements herald marine climate change Evidence for a warming of North-east Atlantic surface waters comes from a recent survey of vagrant fish species caught off the Cornish coast of the United Kingdom. Over the last 20 years some 18 previously unrecorded species were found in this area, with almost all representing northward movements of fish which had more southerly distributions in the past. In contrast, during the 20 years from 1960 to 1980 no new records were evident, in spite of an ongoing sampling programme throughout the period by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Whether these records represent an indication of global warming’ is less than clear since previous work at the Laboratory indicated that the earlier period was one of declining sea surface temperatures. However, between 1930 and 1960 a warmer water fish assemblage was present, indicated by a flourishing pilchard fishery. Only time will tell whether the present increase in warm water species is a harbinger of continued warming, or merely part of a longer term cyclic fluctuation. However, the occurrence of numbers of warm temperate species such as red mullet and sea bass off Scottish coasts in recent years, beyond their previously known limits, along with declines in the recruitment of cold-water fish such as Atlantic cod are perhaps indicative of the former. Alistair Lyndon Damaged Florida coral reef to be repaired One of the most famous coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary that was severely damaged when a ship ran aground in 1984, is getting a helping hand toward recovery. On August 4, 1984 the Wellwood, a 122 m freighter registered in Cyprus, ran aground in approximately 6 m of water on Molasses Reef in the former Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary and remained there for 12 days. The grounding destroyed 5085 m2 of living coral, damaged 644 m of reef framework, caused widespread destruction of bottom-dwelling organisms and displaced fish and other mobile marine life. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are to restore the grounding site of the freighter. NOAA is working with the construction contractor, Underwater Engineering Services, Inc., to place 22 modules at 14 locations on the grounding site. The modules are preformed concrete casts that are used to
724
News / Marine Pollution Bulletin 44 (2002) 722–725
rebuild the foundation of the reef and are designed to replicate the older spur and groove formation of the grounding site as closely as possible and provide the maximum amount of habitat for fish, coral and other marine life. The modules were built by hand by their designer, Harold Hudson and other sanctuary staff, over the summer of 2001, using small limestone boulders, a special composite rebar, concrete and sand. In December 1986, the Wellwood Shipping Company, the Hanseatic Shipping Company and Christopher Vickers settled with the federal government for 6.3 million paid over 15 years. The amount includes a civil penalty, as well as response, assessment, and restoration costs.
Hubbard Glacier most recently blocked the entrance to Russell Fiord near the end of May 1986. After that closure, freshwater flowing into the fiord raised the level of the lake 28 m before the ice dam failed about five months later in October 1986. Since 1986, Hubbard Glacier has continued to advance into Disenchantment Bay and Russell Fiord at an average rate of about 35 m per year, but large tidal currents have kept a channel open between the glacier and hills to the south. The rate of advance across the narrow channel connecting Russell Fiord to the sea has averaged only about 6 m per year. According to Trabant, if an ice dam were to form closing off the fjord it would turn into an inland lake, potentially impacting marine life and fisheries for a significant period of time.
Glacier threatens to turn Alaskan fjord into a freshwater lake
Major study into the role of marine viruses
North America’s largest calving glacier, Hubbard Glacier, is advancing and is close to blocking the entrance to Russell Fiord near Yakutat, Alaska, according to reports from Dennis Trabant, a glaciologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS). Should an effective ice dam form and remain stable, Russell Fiord will begin to fill with fresh water. The water level will rise until one of two things happens. Either the ice dam will fail, as occurred in 1986, or the resulting lake will fill until it reaches an ancient spillway at the south end of fjord. If the lake level reaches the spillway at the south end, the lake level will be about 42 m above sea level, and the currently serene flow of the Situk River, east of Yakutat, will become a major river. Recent overflights have shown that the glacier has narrowed the opening to the fjord to about 50 m. Tidal influence in Russell Fiord has been reduced, however there is still seawater flowing between Disenchantment Bay and Russell Fiord.
Photo: U.S.G.S. Hubbard Glacier threatens to turn Russell Fiord, Alaska into an inland lake.
The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) and partners have just launched a US$ 1 million study of Chesapeake Bay’s viral and bacterial communities. The study, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, will establish long-term microbial observatories to survey Bay waters year round and across its geographic and temperature ranges. Cooperating with UMBI in the study are the University of Delaware and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland. Preliminary data of the microbiology of Chesapeake Bay indicates that viral and bacterial communities are much more dynamic temporally than spatially. However, much more data are needed in order to better understand the seasonal and spatial variation or covariation of microbial communities in the bay. According to Feng Chen, Assistant Professor at UMBI’s Center of Marine Biotechnology, the use of modern molecular techniques in studying the interaction of viruses and bacteria has become a critically important aspect of marine ecology. For the study, such tools are essential because only one percent of the bacterial community can be cultured. Although the study has only begun this year, Chen is hoping that microbial community fingerprints can serve as biosensors of marine environmental change. There are millions of bacteria and tens of millions of viruses in one teaspoon of coastal waters such as Chesapeake Bay. A majority of natural virus communities, says Chen, are made of bacteriophages, as bacteria are the dominant host in aquatic environments. Many recent studies have shown that marine viruses play an important role in keeping the microbial world balanced. They are responsible for a significant portion of bacterial mortality. The Bay study will form a much needed baseline to properly assess pollution in high population areas, such as the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, or toxic algae blooms in tributaries, often associated with fish kills and suspected human health problems.
News / Marine Pollution Bulletin 44 (2002) 722–725
Historic hydrothermal vent disappears under lava flow The ‘‘Rose Garden’’, one of the most well-visited and lush communities of seafloor vent life, may have been paved over by a recent volcanic eruption. A twelve day expedition to the Galapagos Rift, where hydrothermal vents where first discovered twenty five years ago, hoped to extend the longest-running investigation of how vent communities evolve over time, and how different vent animals move in and interact with each other. However, the expedition could find no signs of the original hydrothermal vent nor any signs of the previous visits. Instead, scientists found a field of apparently fresh lava and a community of very young clams, mussels and tube worms as small as 2 cm in length, which they have called ‘‘Rosebud’’ and which they believe could be less than a year old. In addition the expedition found another new vent community in a previously unexplored region of the rift. This still-unnamed site was overflowing with clams up to 25 cm long and mussels nearly as large. The expedition also discovered a new 60 m by 50 m vent community also brimming with large clams and mussels 200 miles west of the historic Galapagos Rift vent site. At 1660 m depth the newest site is 800 m shallower than Rosebud. Foraging Falklands penguins get into trouble Scientists studying Falkland Island penguins have found evidence that the numbers of some species are declining. Scientists monitoring the behaviour and movements of three penguin species, gentoos, rockhoppers and Magellanics on the New Island preserve at the far west edge of the Falklands, about 300 miles off the coast of Argentina found that, while gentoos tended to stay within 20 miles of the preserve, rockhoppers, the smallest of the three species, swam 180 miles or more. The problem is that in recent years the British, Falklands and Argentine governments have forged closer ties, and have formed a Special Cooperation Area for oil and gas exploration. That zone lies about 70 miles southwest of New Island, well within the range of foraging rockhoppers. In addition, fleets from several nations are licensed to fish within Falklands territorial waters, which are adjacent to large areas of the south Atlantic that are not under the control of any nation. Since 1995, Dee Boersma, of the University of Washington, David Stokes, Sonoma State University, California and Ian Strange, who operates the New Island South Conservation Trust in the Falklands, have monitored the three penguin species. From 1998–2000, they tracked two gentoo, 18 Magellanic and 26 rockhopper penguins using tiny battery operated transmitters. They found that the gentoos stayed the closest and rockhoppers went the farthest. In addition, all of the
725
rockhoppers that took long trips at least passed through the Special Cooperation Area, and some spent several days foraging for fish in that zone, where future oil exploration is possible. According to Boersma, oil spills and being caught up in fishing nets are among the most serious perils penguins can face in the open ocean, and there is evidence that some of the Falklands penguin species already are suffering declining numbers. News in Brief Brazil A river boat has sunk on an Amazon tributary spilling 5500 l of diesel oil into the Rio Negro. The boat D. Malvina was carrying diesel oil just outside Manaus, 1770 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro, when it sank after a mechanical failure. This is the second oil spill in the region in the past two weeks. On June 7, another boat spilled 3000 litres into the Rio Negro while it was docked at the port of Manaus. Nigeria A three-day conference on the protection and development of the coastal and marine environment in subSaharan Africa was held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The conference was jointly organized with the Super Preparatory Committee of the African Process for the Development and Protection of the Coastal and Marine Environment (APDPCME). During the meeting, approval of 33 projects proposed to deal with problems of coastal and marine environments in Africa was considered. The projects were identified during the final deliberations of the working group of APDPCME in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, in May. They cover pollution, modifications to the ecosystem, climate change, overexploitation of fishery resources and eco-tourism. Australia The Australian government has announced a Commonwealth Recovery Plan for the threatened Grey Nurse Shark. The east coast population of the grey nurse shark is listed as critically endangered, with numbers as low as 500 individuals, and the west coast population is listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Grey nurse sharks were thought to be dangerous and large numbers of adults were killed by spear fishers in the 1950s and 1960s and by shark nets on many Australian beaches. Despite their fierce appearance, these docile sharks mainly feed on fish, stingrays, other sharks, squids, crabs and lobsters. They are not known to attack humans.
News Intersex fish found in UK estuaries The influence of endocrine disrupting chemicals has been found to extend beyond freshwater systems and into estuarine and coastal waters. A study in 12 UK estuaries, shortly to be published, recorded feminizing effects of oestrogen mimics in male fish of four species (flounder, eelpout, sand goby and Lozanoi’s goby). The endocrine disrupting effects of oestrogenic chemicals was first noticed in freshwater fish around 10– 15 years ago and was taken to be related to their discharge in treated sewage effluent. Subsequently the use of biomarkers, especially expression of vitellogenin (egg protein) in male fish, established the widespread occurrence of oestrogenic effects in freshwater fish. Nevertheless, it was widely supposed that the greater dilution experienced by estuarine and marine discharges would result in lower endocrine disrupting impacts in these environments. This assumption is now called into question by the results of the EDMAR (endocrine disruption in the marine environment) project, which found vitellogenin expression (indicated by mRNA) in male flounder and eelpout from the majority of indstrialized estuaries sampled. Other feminizing effects included ovotestis (‘‘intersex’’ gonads) and, in the gobies from four estuaries, development of ovipositioning apparatus on the tip of the genital opening. This feminization was associated with reduced reproductive success in the affected gobies. Masculinizing hormone (androgen) mimics were also surveyed, but found to be relatively unimportant. Both oestrogen and androgen mimics were found mainly adsorbed onto sediments, suggesting that the route of exposure to fish might be via consumption of contaminated infaunal invertebrates. This suggestion was supported by the occurrence of vitellogenin expression in male flounders from a reference site fed mussels from a contaminated area. Alistar Lyndon UK water protection measures gets mixed reception The UK Governments announcement on the Nitrate Directive and the Urban Waste water Treatment Directive has had a mixed reaction from the UK Environmental Agency. PII: S 0 0 2 5 - 3 2 6 X ( 0 2 ) 0 0 2 2 8 - X
Both directives were set up to protect water quality and guard against the impact nutrient pollution. The Nitrate Directive was established in order to reduce the environmental impact from nitrates arising from diffuse agricultural pollution. The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive allows for the protection of aquatic ecosystems suffering the effects of eutrophication by the establishment of ‘sensitive areas’ which require more stringent treatment and nutrient removal at contributing sewage treatment works. The Environment Agency welcomed the Government’s announcement for pollution controls from point sources under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive which requires the identification of sensitive areas where more stringent sewage treatment is employed by water companies. The Government’s announcement marks an increase in the number of sensitive areas from 84 to 117. However, the Agency was disappointed with the Government’s decision to increase coverage of diffuse nitrate pollution controls by sevenfold, from 8% to around 60% of England, under the EU’s Nitrate Directive. The Agency, who will have duties to enforce this legislation, had been hoping for an increase to the maximum 100%, to provide wider protection for the environment and reducing fears of confusion and overcomplexity. The Agency believes that most farmers could have complied through simple adherence to the Code of Good Agricultural Practice, a basic standard of environmental management. The announcement is relevant only to England. The National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive have conducted separate consultation exercises for Wales and Scotland. Whale’s courtship could be impeded by noisy humans The underwater noise created by ships and other human sources could be interfering with whale reproduction and population recovery, marine scientists report in the journal Nature. Scientists from the University of California––Santa Cruz, Cornell University, Mexico’s Universidad Aut–– noma de Baja California Sur and the California Academy of Sciences studied fin whale courtship songs in frequencies far below the range of human hearing. These natural
News / Marine Pollution Bulletin 44 (2002) 722–725
sounds of low frequency can often travel many hundreds, if not thousands, of miles under water. Unfortunately so can very-low-frequency, human-made noises that have increased dramatically in the last 100 years because of motorized shipping and other maritime activities. The study found that whale courtship songs occurred in Loreto Bay in the Gulf of California which is acoustically relatively quiet. Fin whales aggregate there to feed on krill and it was found by the scientists that some whales spend a lot of time singing whilst feeding. Special computer software, developed at the Cornell Bioacoustics Laboratory helped biologists determine which whale in the bay was singing. It was found that during the month-long study of the whales in the bay in the winter of 2000, there were 21 males and 22 females. Only the males were singing the very-low-frequency song. According to one of the authors of the article, Christopher Clark, Director of the Bioacoustics Research Program at Cornell, the singing found in fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) undoubtedly also applies to the closely related blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and could hold true for some other species of baleen whales. The article in Nature concludes that the extent that growth of Balaenoptera populations is limited by the encounter rate of receptive females with singing males and the recovery of fin- and blue-whale populations from past exploitation could be impeded by low-frequency sounds generated by human activity.
Scrap ship designated ‘toxic waste’ by Dutch court A ship destined for scrapping in India containing asbestos has been classified as ‘toxic waste’ by the Council of State in The Hague, the highest court in the Netherlands. This is the first ever legal recognition that a ship containing asbestos must be treated as hazardous waste and sets a vital precedent that in future all scrap ships must be cleaned of toxic materials before being sent to ship breaking-yards. The ship, the Sandrien, which has been detained in Amsterdam by the Ministry of Environment since February 2001, is not now allowed to leave for India to be scrapped. According to international and European legislation it is forbidden to export toxic waste to developing countries. This latest verdict from the Council of State has been welcomed by the environmental lobbyists Greenpeace who say that this makes it quite clear that the international shipping industry must strip ships of toxic materials before sending them for scrapping. Every year hundreds of ships are sent to India for scrapping where the work is done in poor conditions and without proper equipment. This number is set to increase in the next few years as all single-hull oil tankers must stop trading before 2015.
723
The most immediate problem arising from the court’s decision is to find a solution as quickly as possible for the Sandrien and her crew. The stranded vessel and her crew are still waiting for overdue wages, and for repatriation to India. Northward fish movements herald marine climate change Evidence for a warming of North-east Atlantic surface waters comes from a recent survey of vagrant fish species caught off the Cornish coast of the United Kingdom. Over the last 20 years some 18 previously unrecorded species were found in this area, with almost all representing northward movements of fish which had more southerly distributions in the past. In contrast, during the 20 years from 1960 to 1980 no new records were evident, in spite of an ongoing sampling programme throughout the period by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Whether these records represent an indication of global warming’ is less than clear since previous work at the Laboratory indicated that the earlier period was one of declining sea surface temperatures. However, between 1930 and 1960 a warmer water fish assemblage was present, indicated by a flourishing pilchard fishery. Only time will tell whether the present increase in warm water species is a harbinger of continued warming, or merely part of a longer term cyclic fluctuation. However, the occurrence of numbers of warm temperate species such as red mullet and sea bass off Scottish coasts in recent years, beyond their previously known limits, along with declines in the recruitment of cold-water fish such as Atlantic cod are perhaps indicative of the former. Alistair Lyndon Damaged Florida coral reef to be repaired One of the most famous coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary that was severely damaged when a ship ran aground in 1984, is getting a helping hand toward recovery. On August 4, 1984 the Wellwood, a 122 m freighter registered in Cyprus, ran aground in approximately 6 m of water on Molasses Reef in the former Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary and remained there for 12 days. The grounding destroyed 5085 m2 of living coral, damaged 644 m of reef framework, caused widespread destruction of bottom-dwelling organisms and displaced fish and other mobile marine life. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are to restore the grounding site of the freighter. NOAA is working with the construction contractor, Underwater Engineering Services, Inc., to place 22 modules at 14 locations on the grounding site. The modules are preformed concrete casts that are used to
724
News / Marine Pollution Bulletin 44 (2002) 722–725
rebuild the foundation of the reef and are designed to replicate the older spur and groove formation of the grounding site as closely as possible and provide the maximum amount of habitat for fish, coral and other marine life. The modules were built by hand by their designer, Harold Hudson and other sanctuary staff, over the summer of 2001, using small limestone boulders, a special composite rebar, concrete and sand. In December 1986, the Wellwood Shipping Company, the Hanseatic Shipping Company and Christopher Vickers settled with the federal government for 6.3 million paid over 15 years. The amount includes a civil penalty, as well as response, assessment, and restoration costs.
Hubbard Glacier most recently blocked the entrance to Russell Fiord near the end of May 1986. After that closure, freshwater flowing into the fiord raised the level of the lake 28 m before the ice dam failed about five months later in October 1986. Since 1986, Hubbard Glacier has continued to advance into Disenchantment Bay and Russell Fiord at an average rate of about 35 m per year, but large tidal currents have kept a channel open between the glacier and hills to the south. The rate of advance across the narrow channel connecting Russell Fiord to the sea has averaged only about 6 m per year. According to Trabant, if an ice dam were to form closing off the fjord it would turn into an inland lake, potentially impacting marine life and fisheries for a significant period of time.
Glacier threatens to turn Alaskan fjord into a freshwater lake
Major study into the role of marine viruses
North America’s largest calving glacier, Hubbard Glacier, is advancing and is close to blocking the entrance to Russell Fiord near Yakutat, Alaska, according to reports from Dennis Trabant, a glaciologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS). Should an effective ice dam form and remain stable, Russell Fiord will begin to fill with fresh water. The water level will rise until one of two things happens. Either the ice dam will fail, as occurred in 1986, or the resulting lake will fill until it reaches an ancient spillway at the south end of fjord. If the lake level reaches the spillway at the south end, the lake level will be about 42 m above sea level, and the currently serene flow of the Situk River, east of Yakutat, will become a major river. Recent overflights have shown that the glacier has narrowed the opening to the fjord to about 50 m. Tidal influence in Russell Fiord has been reduced, however there is still seawater flowing between Disenchantment Bay and Russell Fiord.
Photo: U.S.G.S. Hubbard Glacier threatens to turn Russell Fiord, Alaska into an inland lake.
The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) and partners have just launched a US$ 1 million study of Chesapeake Bay’s viral and bacterial communities. The study, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, will establish long-term microbial observatories to survey Bay waters year round and across its geographic and temperature ranges. Cooperating with UMBI in the study are the University of Delaware and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland. Preliminary data of the microbiology of Chesapeake Bay indicates that viral and bacterial communities are much more dynamic temporally than spatially. However, much more data are needed in order to better understand the seasonal and spatial variation or covariation of microbial communities in the bay. According to Feng Chen, Assistant Professor at UMBI’s Center of Marine Biotechnology, the use of modern molecular techniques in studying the interaction of viruses and bacteria has become a critically important aspect of marine ecology. For the study, such tools are essential because only one percent of the bacterial community can be cultured. Although the study has only begun this year, Chen is hoping that microbial community fingerprints can serve as biosensors of marine environmental change. There are millions of bacteria and tens of millions of viruses in one teaspoon of coastal waters such as Chesapeake Bay. A majority of natural virus communities, says Chen, are made of bacteriophages, as bacteria are the dominant host in aquatic environments. Many recent studies have shown that marine viruses play an important role in keeping the microbial world balanced. They are responsible for a significant portion of bacterial mortality. The Bay study will form a much needed baseline to properly assess pollution in high population areas, such as the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, or toxic algae blooms in tributaries, often associated with fish kills and suspected human health problems.
News / Marine Pollution Bulletin 44 (2002) 722–725
Historic hydrothermal vent disappears under lava flow The ‘‘Rose Garden’’, one of the most well-visited and lush communities of seafloor vent life, may have been paved over by a recent volcanic eruption. A twelve day expedition to the Galapagos Rift, where hydrothermal vents where first discovered twenty five years ago, hoped to extend the longest-running investigation of how vent communities evolve over time, and how different vent animals move in and interact with each other. However, the expedition could find no signs of the original hydrothermal vent nor any signs of the previous visits. Instead, scientists found a field of apparently fresh lava and a community of very young clams, mussels and tube worms as small as 2 cm in length, which they have called ‘‘Rosebud’’ and which they believe could be less than a year old. In addition the expedition found another new vent community in a previously unexplored region of the rift. This still-unnamed site was overflowing with clams up to 25 cm long and mussels nearly as large. The expedition also discovered a new 60 m by 50 m vent community also brimming with large clams and mussels 200 miles west of the historic Galapagos Rift vent site. At 1660 m depth the newest site is 800 m shallower than Rosebud. Foraging Falklands penguins get into trouble Scientists studying Falkland Island penguins have found evidence that the numbers of some species are declining. Scientists monitoring the behaviour and movements of three penguin species, gentoos, rockhoppers and Magellanics on the New Island preserve at the far west edge of the Falklands, about 300 miles off the coast of Argentina found that, while gentoos tended to stay within 20 miles of the preserve, rockhoppers, the smallest of the three species, swam 180 miles or more. The problem is that in recent years the British, Falklands and Argentine governments have forged closer ties, and have formed a Special Cooperation Area for oil and gas exploration. That zone lies about 70 miles southwest of New Island, well within the range of foraging rockhoppers. In addition, fleets from several nations are licensed to fish within Falklands territorial waters, which are adjacent to large areas of the south Atlantic that are not under the control of any nation. Since 1995, Dee Boersma, of the University of Washington, David Stokes, Sonoma State University, California and Ian Strange, who operates the New Island South Conservation Trust in the Falklands, have monitored the three penguin species. From 1998–2000, they tracked two gentoo, 18 Magellanic and 26 rockhopper penguins using tiny battery operated transmitters. They found that the gentoos stayed the closest and rockhoppers went the farthest. In addition, all of the
725
rockhoppers that took long trips at least passed through the Special Cooperation Area, and some spent several days foraging for fish in that zone, where future oil exploration is possible. According to Boersma, oil spills and being caught up in fishing nets are among the most serious perils penguins can face in the open ocean, and there is evidence that some of the Falklands penguin species already are suffering declining numbers. News in Brief Brazil A river boat has sunk on an Amazon tributary spilling 5500 l of diesel oil into the Rio Negro. The boat D. Malvina was carrying diesel oil just outside Manaus, 1770 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro, when it sank after a mechanical failure. This is the second oil spill in the region in the past two weeks. On June 7, another boat spilled 3000 litres into the Rio Negro while it was docked at the port of Manaus. Nigeria A three-day conference on the protection and development of the coastal and marine environment in subSaharan Africa was held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The conference was jointly organized with the Super Preparatory Committee of the African Process for the Development and Protection of the Coastal and Marine Environment (APDPCME). During the meeting, approval of 33 projects proposed to deal with problems of coastal and marine environments in Africa was considered. The projects were identified during the final deliberations of the working group of APDPCME in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, in May. They cover pollution, modifications to the ecosystem, climate change, overexploitation of fishery resources and eco-tourism. Australia The Australian government has announced a Commonwealth Recovery Plan for the threatened Grey Nurse Shark. The east coast population of the grey nurse shark is listed as critically endangered, with numbers as low as 500 individuals, and the west coast population is listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Grey nurse sharks were thought to be dangerous and large numbers of adults were killed by spear fishers in the 1950s and 1960s and by shark nets on many Australian beaches. Despite their fierce appearance, these docile sharks mainly feed on fish, stingrays, other sharks, squids, crabs and lobsters. They are not known to attack humans.