Sponge disease in the Adriatic Sea

A mass mortality episode involving three marine dyctioceratid sponges, Ircina variabilis, Sarcotragus spinosulus and Spongia officinalis, was observed on ‘Scoglio del Trave’ (Conero Promontory, North Adriatic Sea) in late summer 2009. In this area, calm sea and high temperatures throughout summer created unfavorable environmental conditions, leading to the outbreak of the disease. Affected specimens showed evident necrotic areas and portions with bare skeleton, and many specimens of S. spinosulus were covered with a white mat of cyanobacteria. In September 2009, about 22% of these demosponges suffered from this disease. The mortality event ceased when sea temperature dropped below 20 °C. Small specimens turned out to be more sensitive to the diseases, whereas the damaged tissues of large specimens were able to recover. In October, the damaged specimens were detached by the rough sea and more than 900 beached sponges were found along the 1‐km‐long beach, showing the seriousness of the phenomenon, which probably involved not only the area studied but also areas adjacent to it.     

Increased predation of juvenile European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) in a marine protected area

One of the aims of Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) is to increase populations of exploited species, such as the European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas), which is considered a key species for its commercial and ecological value. Monitoring of temporal patterns in abundance of early benthic stages of P. elephas indicated that predation may be higher inside the Medes Islands MPA relative to adjacent control sites. Tethering experiments were performed to test whether predation rates actually differed within and outside the MPA. Relative mortality of recently‐settled juveniles inside the MPA was much higher than in control sites in adjacent non‐protected areas. Treatments with and without shelter indicated that predation on recently‐settled juvenile spiny lobsters was moderated by the availability of suitable shelter. The decline or absence of fish predators in the fished area may be the reason why juvenile lobsters outside the MPA experience lower predation than within the MPA.     

Web Geoservices and Ancient Cadastral Maps: The Web C.A.R.T.E. Project

In the State Archive of Como, Northern Italy, about 15,000 historical maps belonging to different national cadastral productions are preserved. The Web C.A.R.T.E. project was started to enhance the accessibility of this valuable cartographic heritage using FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) technologies. The system, which implements specific web geoservices for cataloguing and visualization, should assist the State Archive of Como in the digital management of its cartographic resources and related information. After the high‐resolution digitization step, maps undergo a georeferencing operation. A special statistical procedure for choosing the best mathematical model was developed, verifying also strengths and weaknesses of georeferencing with a common free and Open Source GIS. Next, metadata consistent with current Italian standards were added to the georeferenced maps using an ad hoc localized version of GeoNetwork Opensource (recently provided as the official Italian version of the software). A dedicated WebGIS system was built for publishing the georeferenced cadastral maps. This system is capable of navigating large raster data in a georeferenced framework and easily retrieving their metadata. The WebGIS system for the State Archive of Como is an important contribution for the preservation of the original historical paper maps and also a great modernization and simplification of the end user's access to this archive.     

The Late Vistulian and Holocene evolution of Jezioro Lake: a record of environmental change in southern Poland found in deposits and landforms

Jezioro Lake is the only natural lake in southern Poland outside mountainous areas to have existed continuously since the Pleistocene. The record of environmental change in the Late Vistulian (Weichselian) and Holocene is preserved in the deposits and landforms around the lake. This paper presents the results of paleogeographical and paleoecological research that emabled us to reconstruct the history of the Jezioro Lake. At the end of the Vistulian period, the outlet of the lake was blocked by a parabolic dune moving in from the west. Limnic sedimentation was evident in the sediment core at all levels from the Holocene, with remains of Cladocera, Chironomidae larvae, and aquatic plants. The lake did not disappear at that time, although its area decreased by a factor of 12 by the end of the period. Paleobotanical research permitted the reconstruction of sequences of plant communities and changes in nutrient status and water level. An initial oligotrophic lake, as indicated by the presence of Iso?tes lacustris L., changed to a eutrophic lake, as indicated by the presence of Potamogeton natans L. and Nuphar sp., then the lake progressed to the present-day dystrophic lake that is surrounded by a swamp. The profile of organic deposits contains a record of environmental change at least since the Younger Dryas in southern Poland.     

Modeling the photosynthetically active radiation in South West Amazonia under all sky conditions

Accurate estimates of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) are critical for the development of realistic models of plant productivity. However, in many areas such as the vast Amazon region of South America, there have been few empirical studies of PAR. Here, we analyzed the relationship between PAR and broadband solar irradiance (R _s) and formulated models to estimate PAR in two experimental sites (pasture and forest) in the Brazilian Amazon. Three different models of increasing complexity were developed based on information from R _s (model 1), R _s and clearness index (k _t; model 2), and R _s, k _t, and water vapor pressure (model 3). Estimates of PAR were generated for each season and for the entire year. All models had very high determination coefficients and indices of agreement for both pasture and forest sites. This strongly supports the use of R _s and k _t to produce robust estimates of PAR. The results obtained by annual models were close than that found by seasonal models, demonstrating that a single annual model is able to estimate PAR, albeit with lower accuracy.     

Microfocus X-ray computed tomography analysis of corroded glass objects

Microfocus X-ray computed tomography (µCT) is a useful tool for non-destructive analysis of corroded archaeological glass objects and for monitoring restoration and conservation processes for these materials. This was demonstrated by µCT analysis of artificially corroded laboratory-produced glasses and corroded archaeological glasses retrieved from soil environments. Corrosion layers with a thickness of 20 µm or more can be detected as areas with lower X-ray attenuation values than the non-corroded glass. Features that are revealed by µCT analyses include the degree and patterns of corrosion and the presence of various internal structures in the corrosion layers. The study of restored corroded glasses demonstrates that mechanical and laser cleaning can be monitored efficiently. The study of consolidation practices, using test objects, requires the use of additives to increase X-ray attenuation values of the organic compounds that are used.     

Last glacial fire regime variability in western France inferred from microcharcoal preserved in core MD04-2845, Bay of Biscay

High resolution multiproxy analysis (microcharcoal, pollen, organic carbon, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s), ice rafted debris) of the deep-sea record MD04-2845 (Bay of Biscay) provides new insights for understanding mechanisms of fire regime variability of the last glacial period in western France. Fire regime of western France closely follows Dansgaard–Oeschger climatic variability and presents the same pattern than that of southwestern Iberia, namely low fire regime associated with open vegetation during stadials including Heinrich events, and high fire regime associated with open forest during interstadials. This supports a regional climatic control on fire regime for western Europe through fuel availability for the last glacial period. Additionally, each of Heinrich events 6, 5 and 4 is characterised by three episodes of fire regime, with a high regime bracketed by lower fire regime episodes, related to vegetational succession and complex environmental condition changes.     

Multiple cosmogenic nuclides document complex Pleistocene exposure history of glacial drifts in Terra Nova Bay (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)

Geomorphological and glacial geological surveys and multiple cosmogenic nuclide analyses (¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, and ²¹Ne) allowed us to reconstruct the chronology of variations prior to the last glacial maximum of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and valley glaciers in the Terra Nova Bay region. Glacially scoured coastal piedmonts with round-topped mountains occur below the highest local erosional trimline. They represent relict landscape features eroded by extensive ice overriding the whole coastal area before at least 6 Ma (pre-dating the build-up of the Mt. Melbourne volcanic field). Since then, summit surfaces were continuously exposed and well preserved under polar condition with negligible erosion rates on the order of 17 cm/Ma. Complex older drifts rest on deglaciated areas above the younger late-Pleistocene glacial drift and below the previously overridden summits. The combination of stable and radionuclide isotopes documents complex exposure histories with substantial periods of burial combined with minimal erosion. The areas below rounded summits were repeatedly exposed and buried by ice from local and outlet glaciers. The exposure ages of the older drift(s) indicate multiple Pleistocene glacial cycles, which did not significantly modify the pre-existing landscape.     

Homogenization of Climate Data: Review and New Perspectives Using Geostatistics

The homogenization of climate data is of major importance because non-climatic factors make data unrepresentative of the actual climate variation, and thus the conclusions of climatic and hydrological studies are potentially biased. A great deal of effort has been made in the last two decades to develop procedures to identify and remove non-climatic inhomogeneities. This paper reviews the characteristics of several widely used procedures and discusses the potential advantages of geostatistical techniques. In a case study, the geostatistical simulation approach is applied to precipitation data from 66 monitoring stations located in the southern region of Portugal (1980–2001). The results from this procedure are then compared with those from three well established statistical tests: the Standard normal homogeneity test (SNHT) for a single break, the Buishand range test, and the Pettit test. Promising results from the case study open new research perspectives on the homogenization of climate time series.