Universalizing the Law of the Sea in the South China Sea Dispute

This article argues that a resolution of the maritime disputes in the South China Sea must be based upon a universalist framework where the maritime interests of the world are upheld. The article discusses the universalist framework of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the universalist approach taken by the Tribunal on 12 July 2016 in the South China Sea Arbitration regarding the extinguishment of a state's “exceptionalist” maritime claims and the adoption of strict criteria for the characterization of features at sea.     

楚科奇海及白令海大型底栖生物初步研究

1999年夏季在楚科奇海、白令海采用30 cm×30 cm箱式取样器,取得16个站位大型底栖生物定量样品。经分析研究有大型底栖生物92科164种,其中多毛类、软体动物和甲壳动物种数最多,占总种数的88.41％,三者构成北极楚科奇海和白令海大型底栖生物的主要类群。优势种有独毛虫属一种(Tharyx sp.) 、齿吻沙蚕属一种(Nephtys sp.)、囊叶齿吻沙蚕(Nephtys caeca)、平滑胡桃蛤(Ennucula tenuis)、短吻状蛤(Nuculana pernula pernuloides)、拟猛钩虾属一种( sp.)、日本沙钩虾(Byblis japonicus)和萨氏真蛇尾(Ophiura sarsii)等。楚科奇海和白令海大型底栖生物平均生物量为111.83 g/m²,平均栖息密度为2538个/m²。生物量和栖息密度均以多毛类和软体动物占多数。楚科奇海和白令海大型底栖生物有5个群落类型：Ⅰ. 梯额虫(Scalibregma inflatum)-紫轮参(Polycheira rufescens)-结栉盖蛇尾(Stegophiura nodosa)群落, Ⅱ. 拟单指虫(Cossurella sp.)-平滑胡桃蛤-鳞甲钩虾(Lepidepecreum sp.)群落, Ⅲ. 缩头竹节虫(Maldane sarai)-葛氏希泊钩虾(Hippomedon gorbunovi)-萨氏真蛇尾群落, Ⅳ.齿吻沙蚕(Nephtys sp.)-平滑胡桃蛤-日本沙钩虾-戈芬星虫(Golfingia sp.)群落和白令海群落, 即索沙蚕(Lumbrineris fragilis)-户枢蛤(Asthenothaerus sp.)-太平洋方甲涟虫(Eudorella pacifica)-革囊星虫(Phascolion sp.)群落。楚科奇海的群落Ⅰ、群落Ⅱ和白令海各群落结构相对稳定;楚科奇海群落Ⅲ和群落Ⅳ出现一定扰动。     

Hydromedusae of the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean hydromedusae can be classified in several categories: common species, widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean and rare species reported from the Pacific, Indian or Atlantic Oceans; seasonal species comprising cold-season species with a boreal affinity and warm-season species with a hot to temperate affinity; neritic and mid-ocean species; surface species and meso-, infra-, and bathypelagic species. Holoplanktonic species are known to be associated with stable hydrological conditions (offshore waters, deep waters, summer and winter homothermy), whereas meroplanktonic species are more likely to be found in more disturbed hydrological conditions (coastal waters, surface waters, spring and autumn periods of temperature fluctuation). A general pattern of medusa distribution is established based upon comparative study throughout the Mediterranean.     

Management of the Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea situated along the North Sea coasts of Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany and The Netherlands represents one of the world's largest bar-built type of estuaries. The area is a typical sedimentation and mineralization basin, with a large influx of organic matter from the adjoining North Sea, consequently a delicate oxygen balance and a rich benthic macrofauna, poor in species, which serves as food for juveniles of some commercially important North Sea fishes and for large numbers of migrating and wintering waders and waterfowl. Past and present activities of the human society in the area include fisheries (mainly for shrimp and mussels, semi-culture), shipping, land reclamation, recreation, dredging for sand and shells, and waste discharge from industries and human communities. Until the present these activities, although sometimes conflicting, did not fundamentally affect the area and its biota (pollution excluded), but future claims, including the construction of large deep-sea harbours, drilling for natural gas and oil, large-scale land reclamation and increased industrialization etc., might gradually induce degradation. For instance, area reduction by continued land reclamation could lead to irreversible losses of specific biotopes (e. g. salt-marshes, mud-flats), which could affect the size of bird and fish populations in a much wider region. Increased pollution, which has already inflicted damage on bird and seal populations, could reduce the fauna and hence the value of the area as a natural sanctuary. In the event of a proposal for a new human activity in the area, the present standing practice in the countries concerned requires an evaluation of its safety and economic aspects and its environmental impact. However, the various plans are considered separately and there is a general need for integrated management of the area.     

东海和黄海主要鱼类的食物竞争

以2000年和2001年在东、黄海两次大面调查所收集的、占总生物量90%的重要生物种类中的鱼类为研究对象,通过分析胃含物获得各饵料成分的重量百分比,用Pianka(1973)提出的公式计算的饵料重叠系数分析了东、黄海主要鱼类之间的食物竞争状况,以了解食物竞争与种群变动和优势种交替之间的相互关系。结果表明:黄海主要鱼类的食物竞争对象主要为太平洋磷虾、脊腹褐虾和,东海主要鱼类的食物竞争对象主要为太平洋磷虾、细条天竺鱼、发光鲷、、七星底灯鱼和带鱼。东、黄海鱼类通过摄食种类、摄食食物大小、摄食时间和栖息地的分化来减少食物竞争,从而维持群落结构的动态平衡。渔业资源群落结构的变化将导致食物竞争状况发生改变;鱼类食物竞争状况也会影响种群动态,但要确定食物竞争程度还需进一步深入研究     

Benthic Diatoms of the Russian Waters of the Sea of Japan and Adjacent Sea Areas

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - This review analyzes the current state of knowledge of the microphytobenthos in the Russian waters of the Sea of Japan and adjacent sea areas. A retrospective...     

Phylogenetic diversity of Synechococcus strains isolated from the East China Sea and the East Sea

Phylogenetic relationships among 33 Synechococcus strains isolated from the East China Sea (ECS) and the East Sea (ES) were studied based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and 16S–23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Pigment patterns of the culture strains were also examined. Based on 16S rRNA gene and ITS sequence phylogenies, the Synechococcus isolates were clustered into 10 clades, among which eight were previously identified and two were novel. Half of the culture strains belonged to clade V or VI. All strains that clustered into novel clades exhibited both phycoerythrobilin and phycourobilin. Interestingly, the pigment compositions of isolates belonging to clades V and VI differed from those reported for other oceanic regions. None of the isolates in clade V showed phycourobilin, whereas strains in clade VI exhibited both phycourobilin and phycoerythrobilin, which is in contrast to previous studies. The presence of novel lineages and the different pigment patterns in the ECS and the ES suggests the possibility that some Synechococcus lineages are distributed only in geographically restricted areas and have evolved in these regions. Therefore, further elucidation of the physiological, ecological, and genetic characteristics of the diverse Synechococcus strains is required to understand their spatial and geographical distribution.     

黄渤海海水养殖自身污染的评估

探讨了投饵和非投饵两种养殖方式自身污染对海洋环境的影响.结果表明,海水养殖产量与营养盐类、COD和赤潮发生次数均呈正相关关系,其中无机氮含量和赤潮发生次数与虾养殖产量有显著正相关关系,说明海水养殖自身污染对邻近海域富营养化及赤潮发生有一定影响.通过黄渤海海水养殖向海洋排泄氮、磷、COD等污染物估算,分别占相应陆源污染物排海量的2.8%、5.3%、1.8%.虽然与人类其他活动向海洋排污量相比,水产养殖的排污量所占比重还不算大,对于某些局部水域,特别是海水养殖密集区,将对海洋环境的影响产生叠加作用,很可能成为刺激近海富营养化和赤潮发生的一个重要因素,应引起足够的重视.     

Historical changes in the benthos of the Wadden Sea around the island of Sylt in the North Sea

The situation regarding the distribution and abundance of seagrass, macroalgae and benthic fauna near the island of Sylt in the south-eastern North Sea during the period 1923 to 1940 is compared with that of the 1980s. Evidence of organic enrichment in recent times is provided by (1) massive growth of green algal mats on sheltered tidal flats, (2) a decline of red algae in the subtidal zone, (3) an expansion of mussel beds along low water line and down to 20 m depth, (4) increased abundance of polychaetes inhabiting intertidal and subtidal sandy bottoms. Seagrass beds have undergone complex changes which remain unexplained. Intensified erosion has contributed to the loss of habitats in the intertidal zone, and probably affected sessile epifauna in the deep channels. Here, direct removal and disturbance by the bottom-trawling fishery may also have contributed to the observed species impoverishment. Presented at the VI International Wadden Sea Symposium (Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Wattenmeerstation Sylt, D-2282 List, FRG, 1–4 November 1988)     

Macrozoobenthos of the Small Aral Sea

Benthic assemblages of the Small Aral Sea were studied in 1999. The species composition, density, and biomass of benthic invertebrates were determined. The vertical distribution pattern and its dynamics in the course of desiccation of the sea were analyzed. It is shown that the vertical distribution of the benthos has changed substantially over the last 30 years. The biomass of the benthos in the inshore zone increased, while in the central part of the sea, benthic invertebrate populations declined and gradually disappeared. These changes are likely to be due to the accumulation of organic matter in the bottom sediments and the weakening of hydrodynamic processes, which could lead to oxygen depletion in deep water. In the 1990s, the benthic assemblages of the Small Aral Sea were relatively stable and highly productive. It is concluded that the Aral Sea is a promising area for fishery restoration.