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A special issue of Oceans (ISSN 2673-1924).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2025 | Viewed by 8333

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alexander Werth

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Guest Editor

Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943, USA
Interests: marine mammals and other marine vertebrates; trophic ecology; physiology, morphology, and biomechanics; evolution; conservation
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Dr. João Silva

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Guest Editor

CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: global change biology; ocean acidification; seagrasses; coralline algae; ecophysiology; calcification
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of high quality “Feature Papers of Oceans 2024”. Oceans is an international, open access, cross-disciplinary science journal. It promises a superior peer review, rapid publication, and high visibility in an advanced forum, bringing together diverse studies on all aspects of oceanography, including marine biology, chemistry, physics, and geology.

We welcome manuscripts from all areas of marine science that will be of interest to international readers. This includes all the topics within the physical and life sciences, environmental and earth sciences, and marine conservation and sustainable development. Additional topics include ocean engineering, governance, and modeling.

We welcome submissions from the Editorial Board Members and scholars invited by the Oceans Editorial Board and Office, and we encourage high-quality manuscripts with excellent data. Original research articles and comprehensive review papers are welcome. The prospective authors are encouraged to send short proposals for submissions of Feature Papers to our Editorial Office ([email protected]) for evaluation.

We look forward to receiving your contribution.

Dr. Alexander Werth
Dr. João Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Oceans is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 8100 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Mesozooplankton Insights by Assessing the Ecological Status of Black Sea Waters Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

by Elena Bisinicu and Luminita Lazar

Oceans 2024, 5(4), 923-950; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5040053 - 2 Dec 2024

Viewed by 924

Abstract

Mesozooplankton are highly responsive to environmental changes, making their population dynamics and species composition important indicators of large-scale oceanic conditions. This study investigates the mesozooplankton composition, emphasizing biomass values across all three marine reporting units in the Romanian Black Sea from 2013 to 2020, covering 45 stations that represent transitional, coastal, and marine waters during the warm season. It also examines environmental parameters, such as temperature, salinity, and nutrient levels associated with eutrophication, that impact the mesozooplankton, as well as the environmental status of the pelagic habitat in this region, influenced by various hydrological and anthropogenic factors. Statistical analyses, including multivariate methods, were employed to investigate correlations between mesozooplankton biomass and environmental parameters, facilitating ecological assessments in accordance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Descriptors 1 (Biodiversity) and 5 (Eutrophication) using indicators such as Mesozooplankton bBiomass, Copepoda Biomass, and Noctiluca scintillans iomass. The results indicated that Mesozooplankton and Copepoda Biomass did not reach good ecological status (GES). However, the Noctiluca scintillans Biomass indicator demonstrated that all marine reporting units achieved GES during the warm seasons. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of pelagic habitats and highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring to inform policy and conservation efforts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Oceans 2024)

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20 pages, 5550 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Vertical Shear, Diapycnal Shear and the Gradient Richardson Number

by Josep L. Pelegrí, Mariona Claret and Pablo Sangrà

Oceans 2024, 5(4), 785-804; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5040045 - 17 Oct 2024

Viewed by 1234

Abstract

In Cartesian coordinates

(x, y, z),

the gradient Richardson number

R i

is the ratio between the square of the buoyancy frequency N and the square of the vertical shear S,

R i = N^{2} / S^{2}

[...] Read more.

In Cartesian coordinates

(x, y, z),

the gradient Richardson number

R i

is the ratio between the square of the buoyancy frequency N and the square of the vertical shear S,

R i = N^{2} / S^{2}

, where

N^{2} = - (g / ρ) \partial ρ / \partial z

and

S^{2} = {(\partial u / \partial z)}^{2} + {(\partial v / \partial z)}^{2}

, with ρ potential density,

(u, v)

the horizontal velocity components and g gravity acceleration. In isopycnic coordinates

(x, y, ρ)

R i

is expressed as the ratio between

{M^{2} \equiv N}^{- 2}

and the squared diapycnal shear

{S_{ρ}}^{2} = {(ρ / g)}^{2} [{(\partial u / \partial ρ)}^{2} + {(\partial v / \partial ρ)}^{2}]

R i = M^{2} / {S_{ρ}}^{2}

. This could suggest that a decrease (increase) in stratification brings a decrease (increase) in dynamic stability in Cartesian coordinates, but a stability increase (decrease) in isopycnic coordinates. The apparently different role of stratification arises because S and

S_{ρ}

are related through the stratification itself,

S_{ρ} = S / N^{2}

. In terms of characteristic times, this is equivalent to

τ \equiv S_{ρ} = {t_{o}}^{2} / t_{d}

, which is interpreted as a critical dynamic time

τ

that equals the buoyancy period

t_{o} \equiv N^{- 1}

normalized by the ratio

t_{d} / t_{o}

, where

t_{d} = S^{- 1}

is the deformation time. Here we follow simple arguments and use field data from three different regions (island shelf break, Gulf Stream and Mediterranean outflow) to endorse the usefulness of the isopycnal approach. In particular, we define the reduced squared diapycnal shear

{σ_{ρ}}^{2} = {S_{ρ}}^{2} - M^{2}

and compare it with the reduced squared vertical

σ^{2} = S^{2} - N^{2}

, both being positive (negative) for unstable (stable) conditions. While both Ri and

σ^{2}

remain highly variable for all stratification conditions, the mean

{σ_{ρ}}^{2}

values approach

{S_{ρ}}^{2}

with increasing stratification. Further, the field data follow the relation

{σ_{ρ}}^{2} = (1 - R i) / (N^{2} R i)

, with a subcritical

R i = 0.22

for both the island shelf break and the Mediterranean outflow. We propose

{σ_{ρ}}^{2}

and

{S_{ρ}}^{2}

to be good indexes for the occurrence of effective mixing under highly stratified conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Oceans 2024)

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16 pages, 6713 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determination of Submerged Breakwater Efficiency Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

by Smiljko Rudan and Šimun Sviličić

Oceans 2024, 5(4), 742-757; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5040042 - 1 Oct 2024

Viewed by 1066

Abstract

Wind-induced waves can lead to the partial or complete wash-over of beaches, causing erosion that impacts both the landscape and tourist infrastructure. In some regions of the world, e.g., Croatia, this process, which usually occurs during a harsh winter, has a major impact on the environment and the economy, and preventing or reducing this process is highly desirable. One of the simplest methods to reduce or prevent beach erosion is the use of innovative underwater structures designed to decrease wave energy by reducing wave height. In this study, submerged breakwaters are numerically investigated using various topologies, positions, and angles relative to the free surface. Not only is the optimal topology determined, but the most efficient arrangement of multiple breakwaters is also determined. The advantage of newly developed submerged breakwaters over traditional ones (rock-fixed piers) is that they do not require complex construction, massive foundations, or high investment costs. Instead, they comprise simple floating bodies connected to the seabed by mooring lines. This design makes them not only cheap, adaptable, and easy to install but also environmentally friendly, as they have little impact on the seabed and the environment. To evaluate wave damping effectiveness, the incompressible computational fluid dynamics (ICFD) method is used, which enables the use of a turbulence model and the possibility of accurate wave modelling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Oceans 2024)

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22 pages, 3401 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Trajectory Planning of a Mother Ship Considering Seakeeping Indices to Enhance Launch and Recovery Operations of Autonomous Drones

by Salvatore Rosario Bassolillo, Egidio D’Amato, Salvatore Iacono, Silvia Pennino and Antonio Scamardella

Oceans 2024, 5(3), 720-741; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5030041 - 23 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1186

Abstract

This research focuses on integrating seakeeping indices into the trajectory planning of a mother ship in order to minimize risks during UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) takeoff and landing in challenging sea conditions. By considering vessel dynamics and environmental factors, the proposed trajectory planning algorithm computes optimal paths that prioritize the stability and safety of the ship, mitigating the impact of adverse weather on UAV operations. Specifically, the new adaptive weather routing model presented is based on a genetic algorithm. The model uses the previously evaluated response amplitude operators (RAOs) for the reference ship at different velocities and encounter angles, along with weather forecast data provided by the global wave model (GWAM). Preliminary evaluations confirm the effectiveness of the presented model in significantly improving the reliability of autonomous UAV operations from a mother ship across all encountered sea state conditions, particularly when compared with a graph-based solution. The current results clearly demonstrate that it is possible to achieve appreciable improvements in ship seakeeping performance, thereby making UAV-related operations safer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Oceans 2024)

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25 pages, 8971 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Unexpected Small Biodiversity Oasis of Sea Slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) in the Largest Petrochemical Hub of Italy (Central Mediterranean)

by Andrea Lombardo and Giuliana Marletta

Oceans 2024, 5(3), 695-719; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5030040 - 10 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1154

Abstract

The Magnisi peninsula is a small portion of land located near the largest Italian petrol-chemical pole of Augusta–Priolo–Melilli (40 km²), which, since the 1950s, devastated the local environment and landscape and unloaded directly into the sea an impressive quantity of pollutants. Unlike the terrestrial part of the area, where a Natural Oriented Reserve (NOR) called “Saline di Priolo” was established in the 2000s, no concrete legislative action has been implemented or proposed for the marine environment. At the same time, the fauna of the marine environment has not been studied in the same way as that of the terrestrial environment. As concerns the molluscan fauna, most of the information dates back to the 1800s. These studies were exclusively focused on the shells of some mollusks in the area. Instead, no study related to this area has ever been carried out on the group of sea slugs. This study conducted between 2022 and 2023, through snorkeling activities, allowed to provide the first faunistic list of the sea slugs of this area, together with information on the biology and ecology of these gastropods, highlighting the potential biodiversity present in this small stretch of coastline affected by high industrial pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Oceans 2024)

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10 pages, 1897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing Trends in Saharan Dust Concentration and Its Relation to Sargassum Blooms in the Eastern Caribbean

by José J. Hernández Ayala and Rafael Méndez-Tejeda

Oceans 2024, 5(3), 637-646; https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5030036 - 3 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1778

Abstract

This study investigates the temporal trends and correlations between Saharan dust mass concentration densities (DMCD) and Sargassum concentrations (SCT) in the tropical North Atlantic. Average DMCD data for June, July, and August from 1980 to 2022, alongside SCT data for the same months from 2012 to 2022, were analyzed using Mann–Kendall tests for trends and lagged regression models to assess whether higher Saharan dust levels correlate with Sargassum outbreaks in the region. A comprehensive analysis reveals a significant upward trend in Saharan dust quantities over the study period, with the summer months of June, July, and August exhibiting consistent increases. Notably, 2018 and 2020 recorded the highest mean DMCD levels, with June showing the most significant increasing trend, peaking in 2019. These findings are consistent with previous studies indicating a continuous elevation in Saharan dust concentrations in the tropical atmosphere of the North Atlantic. Simultaneously, Sargassum concentrations also show a notable increasing trend, particularly in 2018, which experienced both peak SCT and elevated DMCD levels. Mann–Kendall tests confirm statistically significant upward trends in both Saharan dust and Sargassum concentrations. Simple linear regression and lagged regression analyses reveal positive correlations between DMCD and SCT, highlighting a temporal component with stronger associations observed in July and the overall June–July–August (JJA) period. These results underscore the potential contribution of elevated Saharan dust concentrations to the recent surge in Sargassum outbreaks in the tropical North Atlantic. Furthermore, the results from forward stepwise regression (FSR) models indicate that DMCD and chlorophyll (CHLO) are the most critical predictors of SCT for the summer months, while sea surface temperature (SST) was not a significant predictor. These findings emphasize the importance of monitoring Saharan dust and chlorophyll trends in the Eastern Caribbean, as both factors are essential for improving Sargassum modeling and prediction in the region. This study provides valuable insights into the climatic factors influencing marine ecosystems and highlights the need for integrated environmental monitoring to manage the impacts on coastal economies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Oceans 2024)

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