Bringing together harmonized EUNIS seabed habitat geospatial information for the European Seas

The EUNIS-compliant information on Seabed Habitats that is currently available from the EMODNET portal covers only about half of the European Union (EU) waters in the Northeast Atlantic and adjacent Seas with EU outermost regions in other parts of the Atlantic or in the Indian Ocean still remaining out of the exercise. These gaps limit the geographical comprehensiveness of any studies on seabed-related Ecosystem Functions and Services. However, separate broad-scale seabed habitat mapping sources offer complementary seabed-related geospatial information that can be straightforwardly or, after some basic GIS processing, translated into EUNIS classes. This work focused on expeditiously obtaining a comprehensive coverage of permanently submerged seabed habitats (i.e., EUNIS classes A3 to A6) throughout most of the EU marine waters. This was achieved by bringing in, and harmonizing where need, complementary EUNIS-compliant broad-scale geospatial information from the UNEP’s Global Seafloor Geomorphic Features Map (GSGFM). The new geospatial dataset obtained, a polygon shapefile, extends for approximately 8.7 million km2 and more than doubles the coverage of EUNIS seabed habitat classes when compared to the datasets available from the EMODNET Seabed Habitats portal. The new information details more than 90% of the EU waters down to EUNIS level 2 and 3, improving EMODNET datasets by populating the deep-sea and offshore areas with previously disregarded geomorphic-based EUNIS habitat classes. Conversely, it is acknowledged that the GSGFM data could did not bring in any relevant information concerning EUNIS shelf habitats. The methodology and some area-based statistics on seabed habitat are presented, including overall and basin-specific mapped extents. It is noted that the mapping and quantification of several habitat extents are still geographically biased and underestimate the actual extent of the habitat. A comprehensive and homogeneous coverage of all EU seabed is expected in 2016 from the EMODNET Seabed Habitats programme. Until then, the current synthesis may constitute a valuable dataset for assessing the distribution of many EUNIS seabed habitat classes in EU waters and pursuing spatially-explicit analysis of seabed-related Functions and Services.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Competências em língua portuguesa à saída da licenciatura: o caso da licenciatura em Educação Básica da ESELx (2010-11)

O presente artigo tem como objetivo geral analisar o desempenho dos alunos da licenciatura em Educação Básica da Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa na prova de língua portuguesa de acesso ao 2º Ciclo de estudos, no ano letivo de 2010-11. Em concreto, procurar-se-á: (i) caracterizar os candidatos; (ii) identificar as áreas de maior (in)sucesso no âmbito das competências em avaliação (leitura, escrita e conhecimento linguístico).Abstract The main goal of this paper is to analyze how graduates in Basic Education from the Higher Education College of Lisbon performed the exam of Portuguese that provides access to the 2nd Cycle of higher education in the 2010-11 school year. The specific goals are: (i) to characterize the candidates; (ii) to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the skills under examination (reading, writing and linguistic knowledge)

Spatial distribution of marine ecosystem service capacity in the European seas

Practitioners and policy makers at European Union (EU) and Member States level are increasingly seeking spatially-explicit ecosystem service information to use in decision-making and the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. Whilst under the MAES Action, land-cover data has already been used to map the distribution of several ecosystem services provided over the European land surface, a similar exercise exploiting existing seabed habitat data is still lacking for the European Seas. In this work we map the distribution of seabed-associated ecosystem services capacity by using a methodology that brings together (i) a geospatial dataset representing the broadscale distribution of permanently-submerged seabed habitats with (ii) information on each habitat capacity to provide ecosystem services. A compilation of EUNIS-harmonized broadscale seabed habitat maps based on EMODNET Seabed Habitats and UNEP GSGFM is exploited as the pan-European cartographic basis. The exercise extends out to the limits of the Extended Continental Shelf claims, achieving an areal coverage of approximately 8.7 million km2, i.e., more than 90% of the EU seafloor area in the Northeast Atlantic and adjacent seas. Alongside, expert-based assessments of each marine EUNIS habitat's capacity to provide CICES-harmonized Ecosystem Services are compiled from a literature review into a presence-only lookup table. Overall, the new seabed habitats versus ecosystem services lookup tables relate 33 ecosystem services to 67 EUNIS and 24 non-EUNIS seabed habitats. These results suggest that out of all marine habitats (n=974) in the EUNIS classification (EUNIS A1 to A7), only 14% (n=141) have so far been related to at least one ecosystem service. When all potential connections between the existing seabed EUNIS classes and CICES services are considered (n=104,218), results further show that only 2% (i.e., n=2,241) of the have been addressed qualitatively or semi-quantitatively. Based on this information, a total of 30 CICES ecosystem service categories are mapped: 3 at level 1 (CICES Sections), 5 at level 2 (CICES Divisions), 10 at level 3 (CICES Groups) and 12 at level 4 (CICES Classes). From these maps, area-based indicators of ecosystem service capacity (i.e., extent where each service is potentially provided) are extracted per MSFD region/subregion, Ecoregion, Fishing Area and an approximation of EU Member States (MS) maritime areas in the Northeast Atlantic and Adjacent Seas. Along with the maps, the study presents also some spatial statistics based on the extent over which each service is potentially provided. Different segmentations of the European Seas are used to aggregate these statistics including MSFD region/subregion, Ecological Region, FAO Fishing Area and an approximation of the Member State maritime area. Overall, continental shelves and oceanic elevations (islands, seamounts and ridges) were highlighted as ecosystem services hotspots where a larger number of services could be potentially held. When maps were segmented using MSFD region/subregion limits, the Extended Continental Shelf areas claimed by the EU MS in the Northeast Atlantic, together with the Celtic Seas and the Greater North Sea sub-regions stood as the regions holding most ecosystem service capacity. An ecoregion-based segmentation of the maps emphasized the Atlantic Deep Sea as the major ecosystem service capacity holder, followed by ecoregions containing large shelves, notably the Boreal Proper, the Boreal-Lusitanean and the Western Mediterranean. A disaggregation of the results per Fishing Area highlighted the Northeast Atlantic, namely areas around the British Isles and Macaronesia, as well as the western Mediterranean. When an approximation of EU Member States (MS) maritime areas was used, MS with larger EEZs (namely, UK, IT, PT and ES) came up as holding most of the marine ecosystem service capacity. The new maps and associated area-based indicators provide a first spatially-explicit baseline concerning the EU-wide distribution of marine ecosystem services. They contribute to the marine component of MAES and fulfil key objectives of the JRC’s SEACOAST and BES projects. Options to develop this research line and eventually make it more quantitative are expounded in the discussion and summarized in the conclusions. The new information is of value to practitioners, managers and policy makers, at European or Member State level, seeking spatially-explicit ecosystem service information for marine spatial planning and environmental management. Researchers initiating and developing marine ecosystem service mapping studies are also expected users.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Additions to the marine molluscs of the Formigas Islets, Azores.

A fauna malacológica dos ilhéus das Formigas foi abordada por Ávila & Azevedo (1997). A presente lista vem completar e corrigir aquele documento. Seis novos taxa são dados para os Açores: Vitreolina curva (Monterosato, 1874), Nassarius cf. ovoideus (Locard, 1886), Mangelia coarctata (Forbes, 1840), Raphitoma leufroyi (Michaud,1838), Coryphela sp. and Pseudochama gryphina (Lamarck, 1819). O número total de moluscos marinhos das águas pouco profundas dos ilhéus das Formigas ascende agora a 88 taxa (1 Polyplacophora, 66 Gastropoda, 20 Bivalvia e 1 Cephalopoda).ABSTRACT: The Formigas islets were surveyed for its molluscan fauna in 1990 during the "Santa Maria & Formigas 1990" scientific expedition. Preliminary results were published by Avila & Azevedo (1997). That earlier list is here complemented with new records and some corrections. Species determination, synonymy and the ordination of families follows the CLEMAM database (http://www.mnhn.fr/base/malaco.html). Six new taxa are reported to the Azores: Vitreolina curva (Monterosato, 1874), Nassarius cf. ovoideus (Locard, 1886), Mangelia coarctata (Forbes, 1840), Raphitoma leufroyi (Michaud,1838), Coryphela sp. and Pseudochama gryphina (Lamarck, 1819). The total number of shallow-water marine molluscs from Formigas islets is now of 88 taxa (1 Polyplacophora, 66 Gastropoda, 20 Bivalvia and 1 Cephalopoda)

Notes on fauna associated with an opportunistic artificial reef near cold-water corals

This short communication provides a sporadic insight on the importance of a hard three-dimensional structure for deepwater fish near CWC. Fish size and behaviour inside the structure and in the surrounding area are described. Additionally, a list of biofouling macroorganisms found on the structure after one year of deployment is presented

Taxonomic review of selected invertebrate groups collected during the Campaigns of the Prince Albert I of Monaco in the Azorean waters.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Prince Albert I of Monaco promoted 13 cruises that sampled the Azorean waters. During those cruises a total of 2624 nominal marine species were reported in the area. This work assembles the biological data provided by these expeditions to the Azores in a geo-referenced database. Faunal lists for seven invertebrate groups (Echiura, Sipuncula, Cephalopoda, Annelida, Brachiopoda, Chaetognatha and Echinodermata) are compiled. The checklist includes 331 nominal species, of which 310 are valid names: 1 echiurid; 11 sipunculids; 32 cephalopods; 130 annelids; 4 brachiopods; 14 chaetognaths; and 118 echinoderms. Eighteen percent are synonyms, 29% of the species were allocated to a different genus, 2.8% were misspellings and corrections due to gender or concordance rules, 0.8% were specific epithets allocated to sub-specific level or vice-versa, the rest were validated directly (without any modification in their nomenclature)

A geometria na formação inicial de professores: Contributos para a caracterização do conhecimento dos estudantes

Este estudo pretende proporcionar contributos para a caraterização dos conhecimentos factuais e relacionais em geometria dos estudantes da licenciatura em Educação Básica de uma Escola Superior de Educação do centro do país. Tendo como questão central perceber quais os conhecimentos em geometria que os estudantes em formação inicial de professores possuem, o estudo consistiu na criação, implementação e análise de resultados de um teste centrado nos conceitos essenciais para o ensino da geometria na educação básica. A metodologia quantitativa utilizada, permitiu recolher um número elevado de dados e interpretar os resultados obtidos, enquadrando-os na realidade e contexto em que se inserem. Os resultados do estudo revelam que os estudantes possuem conhecimentos errados em diversas áreas da geometria, permitindo levantar hipóteses sobre a sua origem esoluções e conduzindo à necessidade de refletir acerca da formação inicial, tendo em conta os conhecimentos e ideias generalizadas dos estudante

Caracterização morfológica da plataforma da ilha do Faial

A plataforma insular do Faial foi cartografada com recurso a um vasto conjunto de dados geofísicos e geológicos. A análise da morfologia da plataforma permitiu perceber quais os factores que mais contribuiram para a sua evolução

2 years-long monitoring of <i>Codium elisabethae</i> population dynamics in the Azorian reef ecosystem (Faial Island) with seabed imagery

In the Site of Community Interest (Natura, 2000) of Monte-da-Guia (Faial, Azores), two sites were delimited in order to investigate particularly the links between habitat characteristics, population structure, distribution and dynamics of the green alga Codium elisabethae. The first site is a large protected rocky seafloor of an ancient volcano crater (20m deep) and classified as no-go reserve. It shows very high density stands of Codium elisabethae (up to 105 ind.m-2), representing the main vegetal biomass. At similar depth but distant of about two kilometers, the second site is in a more exposed area, where a sparse population (about 13 ind.m-2) occupies rocky tables and boulders emerging from shallow sandy deposits. These contrasting densities reflect different population dynamic equilibrium resulting from the particular environmental pressures of each site. A two year population survey started in August 2003, aiming principally at building submarine image mosaics of each site on a seasonal basis. Further, a computer assisted detection is run on the images to derive valuable information about the studied macroalgae. This technique allows to study a comparatively large zone regarding to the diving time invested so as to integrate spatial patchiness and to focus on the temporal evolution of well identified individuals. The imagery methodology was validated with in situ measurements, confirming the adequacy of the 1cm precision size histograms produced, when considering individuals larger than 5cm diameter. Seasonal fluctuations of growth rate (from 0.5 to 3cm.month-1) and primary production (from 1 to 15kg.m-².month-1) could be described. For both sites studied, density, biomass and cover rate seemed affected by a seasonal variation with reduction starting in end summer early autumn. In both sites, the reduction was sharp in the fall 2003 and population density didn’t recover completely in spring and summer 2004. During the following year, population of the protected site could maintain density and biomass, while population of the exposed site dropped continuously all year. Last processing step will search to relate statistically these different population evolutions to the benthic environmental constraints measured in both sites during the year 2004-2005 (temperature, currents, turbidity, photosynthetic active radiation, nutrients). Differences in hydrodynamic exposure of both sites could be part of the answer, but observed differences in the reproduction intensity of these two populations is an important factor, and remains unexplained

First in situ observations of soft bottom megafauna from the Cascais Canyon head

We report the first in situ observations of soft bottom megafauna from the Cascais Canyon head. Observations were collected opportunistically during three technical dives with the ROV Luso between 460-805 m at two locations distanced 1,230 m. The habitats were clas-sified as upper bathyal fine mud. The soft bottom fauna was dominated by burrows of Nephrops norvegicus reaching up to 2.9 burrows/m2, a common habitat along the Portu-guese continental margin. To our knowledge, densities are the highest ever reported for depths below 300 m. The ichthyofauna at the upper Cascais Canyon is a mixture of lower shelf and upper bathyal species, including Phycis blennoides, Scyliorhynus canicula, Coe-lorhynchus labiatus/occa and Chimaera monstrosa. Bait release attracted Myxine glutinosa. Surveys in other geological settings of the Cascays Canyon are required to understand more comprehensively the diversity of its sessile and vagile biodiversity