http://precedings.nature.com/tags/Antarctic Recently posted documents tagged with 'Antarctic' Nature Publishing Group en Nature Precedings http://precedings.nature.com/images/header_logo.gif http://precedings.nature.com http://precedings.nature.com/documents/2906/version/1 Over the past three decades, the ‘ozone hole’ has caused a transient increase in the levels of ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B, 280 to 320 nm) reaching Antarctic coastal marine ecosystems1. The direct effect of this enhanced UV-B on pelagic organisms remains unclear, for few studies have examined in situ the responses of Antarctic marine organisms in direct relation to the ‘ozone hole’. Here we show that the presence of the ‘ozone hole’ over McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, during a two-week period in 2008 resulted in unequivocal increases in oxidative damage and developmental abnormality in embryos of the sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri Meissner (Echinoidea: Echinidae) growing in open waters. We show that although embryos have a limited capacity to increase the activities of protective antioxidant enzymes, increased UV-B exposure caused a very large increase in oxidative damage to proteins and lipids. Importantly, we show that embryo damage, resulting from the presence of the ‘ozone hole’, is largely mitigated by sea ice, with embryos beneath the ice protected from UV-B and hence oxidative damage. As the ozone hole is now expected to persist for a further 80 years2, during which time significant reductions in sea ice coverage are expected around the Antarctic continent due to global warming3, our findings sound a warning that the coincidence of the two phenomena (high UV-B and open water conditions) will provide a window when significant damage to marine ecosystems may occur. http://precedings.nature.com/documents/2906/version/1 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:22:08 UTC The Antarctic ‘ozone hole’ combined with no sea ice causes severe oxidative damage in echinoid embryos hdl:10101/npre.2009.2906.1 2009-03-04 Miles Lamare Nature Precedings 2009-03-04T13:22:08Z Manuscript Ecology Earth & Environment http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://precedings.nature.com/documents/1313/version/1 During the austral summer of 2007/08, hunting of Southern Hemisphere (SH) humpback whales will recommence after almost half a century of protection. The stated rationale for this hunt, by the Government of Japan (GoJ), is to gather important scientific information for use in management. If the scientific need were defensible, and the proponents had accommodated reasonable conservation concerns, then criticisms of the hunt would be limited to philosophical issues. This is not the case. The program’s research objectives are unlikely to be achieved by lethal methods and do not address the principal research needs for SH humpback whales identified by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). http://precedings.nature.com/documents/1313/version/1 Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:17:22 UTC A Case For Killing Humpback Whales? hdl:10101/npre.2007.1313.1 2007-11-13 C. Scott Baker Nature Precedings 2007-11-13T21:17:22Z Manuscript Earth & Environment http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/