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“You get the thumb”: The role and function of the spike-like pollex in Iguanodon bernissartensis (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda) via biomechanics approaches
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A description of existing operational ocean forecasting services around the globe
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Predicting the ocean state in support of human activities, environmental monitoring, and policymaking across different regions worldwide is fundamental. To properly address physical, dynamical, ice, and biogeochemical processes, numerical strategies must be employed. The authors provide an outlook on the status of operational ocean forecasting systems in eight key regions including the global ocean: the West Pacific and Marginal Seas of South and East Asia, the Indian Seas, the African Seas, the Mediterranean and Black Sea, the North East Atlantic, South and Central America, North America (including the Canadian coastal region, the United States, and Mexico), and the Arctic. The authors initiate their discussion by addressing the specific regional challenges that must be addressed and proceed to discuss the numerical strategy and the available operational systems, ranging from regional to coastal scales. This compendium serves as a foundational reference for understanding the global offering, demonstrating how the diverse physical environment – ranging from waves to ice – and the biogeochemical features besides ocean dynamics can be systematically addressed through regular, coordinated prediction efforts.
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Designation of a Brazilian topotypic neotype for Dardanus pectinatus (Ortmann, 1892) and establishment of D. ctenodon sp. nov. for the East Atlantic hermit crab previously misidentified with it (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae)
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The type locality of the hermit crab, Pagurus striatus var. pectinata Ortmann, 1892, as given in its original description, is Brazil. After its original brief taxonomic account, the species was first treated as amphi-Atlantic and later the name Dardanus pectinatus (Ortmann, 1892) was systematically applied to an African Atlantic species. No explicit reason has ever been given for this application. However, it transpires from the literature that carcinologists believed that the gastropod shell, Tonna galea (Linnaeus, 1758), occupied by the holotype of Pagurus striatus var. pectinata Ortmann, 1892 was endemic to the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic, and that the specimen had therefore been mislabelled. In fact, Tonna galea is amphi-Atlantic and the shell occupied by the hermit crab cannot be used to argue that it has been mislabelled. The holotype of Pagurus striatus var. pectinata Ortmann, 1892 is lost and its original description and illustration are insufficient to establish its true identity. Two steps are taken to stabilise the nomenclature in accepting the hypothesis by far most likely, i.e. that the holotype of Pagurus striatus var. pectinata did indeed come from Brazil. First action: a Brazilian neotype is designated for Pagurus striatus var. pectinata, with a specimen of a species compatible with its original description, namely Dardanus insignis (de Saussure, 1857). As a result of this action, Dardanus pectinatus (Ortmann, 1892) becomes a junior synonym of Dardanus insignis (de Saussure, 1857). Second action: the African Atlantic species is described as a new species, Dardanus ctenodon sp. nov., with a holotype from Senegal. The three similar Atlantic species Dardanus arrosor (Herbst, 1796), Dardanus ctenodon sp. nov. and Dardanus insignis (de Saussure, 1857) are the subject of an illustrated taxonomic account and an identification key is given for all the Atlantic species of Dardanus.
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New insights on the Lower Ordovician linguliformean brachiopods of the Anglo-Brabant Massif and the Stavelot-Venn Inlier (Belgium)
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The Lower Ordovician (Tremadocian) linguliformean brachiopods of the southeastern part of the Anglo-Brabant Massif are documented systematically for the first time. The material belongs to a single Belgian locality (La Roche-en-Brabant), situated in one of the few valleys that incise the Mesozoic-Cenozoic cover, and more precisely from the topmost part of the siliciclastic Mousty Formation (Tangissart Member). Here, minute, poorly diverse linguliformeans are associated with planktic graptolites (Rhabdinopora) and nileid trilobites (Platypeltoides). They consist of three species belonging to three genera (Obolidae and Elkaniidae), of which only Broeggeria is known with certainty, due to the poor preservation of the material. In the Belgian part of the Stavelot-Venn Inlier, the presence of linguliformean brachiopods within the Floian Les Plattes Member of the Ottré Formation, which were reported more than 150 years ago, remains unconfirmed. The genus Broeggeria, known from several Belgian Tremadocian localities, is a relic from the Cambrian brachiopod fauna. By the Tremadocian it is well established globally between the Low-Latitude and High-Latitude provinces. The Belgian assemblage has strong similarities with assemblages from Baltica reflecting the early Palaeozoic changing palaeogeography.
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Standardising research on marine biological carbon pathways required to estimate sequestration at Polar and sub-Polar latitudes
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Marine biological (‘blue’) carbon pathways are crucial components of the global carbon budget due to the ecosystem services they provide through the fixation of CO2 from the atmosphere. CO2 is removed from biosphere through long-term sequestration into seafloor sediments, removing it from the carbon cycle. Coincident with marine ice loss, little studied negative (mitigating) feedbacks to climate change are emerging in polar waters, which is important to quantify and comprehend. Understanding the mechanisms driving these pathways, that could lead to change, is a massive task and to ensure studies are comparable requires standardisation and prioritisation of future research. The expertise of scientists within the EU grant, Coastal ecosystem carbon balance in times of rapid glacier melt (CoastCarb), identified the 23 most important high latitude pathways through a modified Delphi scoring system. Metrics were selected as priorities for future research and for syntheses across broader geographic regions. The metrics with the highest importance scores also scored as the metrics that could be most readily standardised in the next five years. This review provides a definition and description of how each metric is measured, including its central role to blue carbon pathways. It also provides recommendations for standardisation, emphasising the requirement for modelling studies to scale from geographically limited regions where high-resolution data is available. Where methods cannot be standardised, cross calibration between methods is required to ensure reproducibility. An increasing use of remote sensing and innovative technologies will be necessary to scale measurements across this vast and remote region.
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Geomorphic and sedimentary impact on beaches of Eastern Visayas (Philippines) after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 - short-term recovery and post-depositional changes
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Tropical cyclones and storm surges are a major threat to coastal communities of the Philippines. On 08th November 2013, category 5 Typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) made landfall on the islands of Eastern Visayas and caused more than 6000 casualties and severe damage to infrastructure and habitats. To assess the geomorphic impact of one of the strongest tropical cyclones on record, three post-typhoon surveys were conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2016 at two severely affected sites on the islands of Leyte and Samar. They aimed at documenting Haiyan-related erosional features and sand deposits. The sites have different geomorphic and geological settings, and exposure to the typhoon track. Differential global navigation satellite system (DGNSS) measurements and sediment analyses were used to document erosion and washover deposition caused by waves and coastal flooding of the beach ridge systems, as well as their recovery and changes over time. Shoreline changes were measured on high-resolution satellite images using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to determine the typhoon’s impact and recovery potential at a larger spatial scale. The results show the potential to identify storm-wave erosion and washover deposits in sandy ridge sequences across larger time scales. However, fine sedimentary signatures, such as millimetre-scale lamination, may be rapidly overprinted by bioturbation and geomorphic reorganisation of the coast. The coastline tends to return to its pre-storm equilibrium, whereas the pace depends on whether eroded sands remain within reach of the long-term wave regime, on the frequency of subsequent high-category storms and very local geomorphic conditions.
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The Inundation Signatures on Rocky Coastlines Global Database for coastal boulder deposits (ISROC-DB)
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Coastal boulder deposits are long-lived signatures of high-energy storm wave and tsunami inundation found on rocky and reefal coastlines worldwide. Although increasing numbers of research reports have been published on coastal boulder deposits, it has been difficult to compare studies from different areas because of a lack of standardised data and of quality-controlled datasets. This paper describes ISROC-DB, a new standardised database compiled from both published and unpublished data. There are two important parts: 1. Uniform standards to enable collation and intercomparison of coastal boulder deposits, with preformatted Excel files to enable convenient data entry; and 2. A freely accessible compiled database of coastal boulder deposit data. Both are published in downloadable permanent archives. Ongoing additions will further increase the database scope.
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Four decades of the Working Group on Marine and Coastal Geography – Interdisciplinary perspectives and practices: Introduction to the special issue
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Massive boulders shifted along the coast of Guantánamo, Cuba, during Hurricane Matthew (2016)
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Hurricane Matthew struck the province of Guantánamo in southeastern Cuba in 2016 by making landfall as the first and only hurricane reaching category 4 in documented history. We surveyed transport path, distance and mode of coastal boulder deposits (CBD) after the event at three coastal sites and compared them with the pre-Matthew boulderscape, which reflects the effects of extreme-wave events on millennial time scales. The application of a dimensionless analytical framework comparing elevation, CBD size and wave climate with a global dataset of storm-transported CBD shows that boulder transport during Matthew is at the uppermost possible limit, while larger boulders that remained inactive hint to even more intense hurricanes or a large tsunami in the prehistoric past. Most observations support typical patterns of storm-transported CBD in carbonate environments, such as a source at the cliff edge, preferential sourcing and clustering at shoreline indentations and a stepwise movement inland during multiple storm events. The study shows that Hurricane Matthew is not unique in Guantánamo in terms of intensity on larger, prehistoric time scales. At the same time, recurrence intervals of highest-category hurricanes in this region may decrease with ongoing climate change prompting the need to use the inland distribution of CBD plus additional buffer as minimum setback zones in coastal hazard management.
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European stranding networks as a tool for monitoring marine mammal populations (Part I): towards optimising the functioning of networks
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The study of stranded animals is a valuable aid to monitoring marine mammals globally. However, the utility of strandings data depends on their quality and representativeness, which is affected by various biological, physical, social and economic factors. An analysis of how stranding networks work could help understand limitations in the data collected and facilitate correcting for or even eliminating them. In 2021, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Working Group on Marine Mammal Ecology carried out an expert consultation using a questionnaire to provide insight into the contribution of European stranding networks as a monitoring tool in European countries with Northeast Atlantic and adjacent coasts (hence also including some networks operating along the Mediterranean coast). A key aim was to identify ways to improve data on mortality of marine mammals due to fishery bycatch. The present paper is the first of a two-part series based on the responses to the questionnaire by 45 organisations from 19 countries, and focuses on characterising the activities and capacities of the stranding networks surveyed, identifying differences within and between countries, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and providing recommendations to enhance the value and credibility of the information collected. The second paper will focus on the information specifically related to mortality due to fishery bycatch. Stranding networks provide extensive spatio-temporal coverage of European coastlines, but their activities may be constrained by limited resources as well as limitations imposed by the stranding process. There is a need for better coordination and standardisation of the collection and analysis of data and samples and increased spatial coverage to fill gaps. To improve data quality, in particular to support assessment of impacts of threats such as bycatch, more necropsies and associated sample analysis are needed. It would also be advantageous to collect more information from less fresh animals, record search effort, and give greater attention to pinnipeds and non-marine mammal taxa. We also highlight the need to make information available and the potential value of a common database. Streamlining the reporting of results at the European level and providing systematic funding to stranding networks in accordance with their needs are necessary steps to optimise their role as a tool for the long-term monitoring of marine mammals and other marine megafauna in Europe.
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