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Copyright of National Palace Museum Research Quarterly is the property of National Palace Museum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Plankton plays important roles in the marine ecosystems as important producers for primary production, major components in the global biogeochemical cycles, and the foundation of the marine food web. Despite their importance, long-term monitoring data about marine plankton are fairly limited, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. We fill this knowledge gap by providing a 29-year long-term monitoring data on the coastal areas of western Taiwan quarterly from 1993 to 2021. This long-term monitoring data can be used to set proper baseline for detecting human-induced impacts on the plankton, as well as modelling future scenarios under global changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross‐shelf carbon transports across a section along the 100 m isobath from Taiwan to Cheju are estimated based on carbon concentration observations and ocean currents simulated by a regionally zoomed ocean‐atmosphere coupled model. Results show that the net cross‐shelf particulate organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved inorganic carbon transports are in the offshore direction at 1.81 ± 0.22, 51.8 ± 2.85, and 783 ± 58.9 TgC yr−1, respectively, which are high in spring and summer and low in winter and fall following the seasonality of the offshore volume transport. The carbon is transported into the East China Sea (ECS) mainly by the Taiwan Warm Current and the Yellow Sea Warm Current, whereas they are carried out of the ECS mainly by the East China Sea Current extension and the recirculation north of Taiwan. Assuming steady biological activity, future net total organic carbon transports are projected to increase by 5%∼19% offshore at the end of the 21st century, with the maximum increase in winter, in a high greenhouse gas emission scenario of RCP8.5. The increased carbon transports are due to the increased offshore volume transport, transferring more carbon‐rich coastal water away from the shelf in the warming future than at present. The results quantify cross‐shelf carbon burial in the ECS in the background of global warming. Plain Language Summary: Carbon transport due to water exchange between the continental shelf and the open ocean is one of the most important components of the world ocean carbon budgets. In this study, the cross‐shelf carbon transport in the East China Sea (ECS) is estimated based on in situ carbon concentration observations and simulated ocean currents by an ocean‐atmosphere coupled model. The use of the simulated currents is to avoid a bogus volume surplus in the estimates of the carbon transports. The offshore and the onshore volume transports, with significantly different carbon concentrations, are found to have a strong seasonal cycle and increase in the background of global warming, both of which are much larger than their difference, a.k.a. the net volume transport. As a result, the net cross‐shelf carbon transports are in the offshore direction and are high in spring and summer and low in winter and fall. The organic carbon transports are projected to increase due to the ongoing global warming. These changes in the carbon burial need to be considered when assessing the impact of human activities and warming on the global carbon cycle. Our work would provide scientific evidence for increasing carbon sinks in the ECS in the warming future. Key Points: Carbon transports across the ECS shelf were estimated based on carbon concentration observations and simulated currentsOffshore carbon transports are found induced by the ECSC from the inner shelf to the shelf breakThe organic carbon transports are projected to increase with the global warming at the end of the 21st century [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution caused by marine oil spills can lead to persistent ecological disasters and severe social and economic damages. Numerical simulations are useful and essential tools for accurate decision making during emergencies and planning response actions. In this study, we applied the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) to determine current data, including seawater velocity, salinity, and temperature, and we obtained the fate and trajectory of spilled oil using OpenOil. Several probable oil slicks around Taiwan were simulated over time (12 months) and space (four spill locations in the marine area of each coastal city or county) using the model. The percentage risk under the effect of an oil spill is estimated. The risk zone of the coastal waters of Taiwan was identified based on the frequency of simulated oil slicks hitting the coast and sensitive resources. This information not only helps authorities guide the preparation of effective plans to minimise the impacts of oil spill incidents but could also be used to improve regulations related to shipping and vessel navigation in regional seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we utilized exposure time ( θ ¯ ) as a key metric to investigate water exchange and its spatiotemporal variations in the Northern South China Sea (NSCS). The Eulerian adjoint method and Lagrangian tracking were adopted to capture a comprehensive view of water exchange in coastal regions. Our findings reveal distinct spatial and seasonal variations in θ ¯ . Spatially, a long θ ¯ (exceeding 150 days) appears in the coastal region, and the largest values occur in the Beibu Gulf (300 days). Temporally, θ ¯ exhibits clear seasonal patterns across the extensive shelf area, influenced by the seasonal monsoon which induced seasonally reversing shelf current and results in symmetrical distribution patterns of θ ¯ across the board shelf during both winter and summer months. θ ¯ is longer in winter than in summer. The study also revealed pronounced vertical contrasts in cross-isobath transport over the NSCS shelf, though significant vertical variations in net exchange time were noted only in specific locations, including the northeast side of Hainan Island, the Beibu Gulf mouth, and along the west side of Taiwan Island. The Beibu Gulf emerged as a critical factor in the NSCS's water exchange dynamics in both seasons. In summer, it impacts more than 20% of the water exchange over adjacent areas, particularly through its westward transport against typical northeastward shelf currents. This highlights the combined effect of the westward spread of the Pearl River freshwater and the stable slope current on regional hydrodynamics. In winter, the Gulf's retention characteristics profoundly affected even distant areas, contributing to up to 50% of water exchange, showing its broad impact on the NSCS's water dynamics throughout the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence has shown active N2 fixation in coastal eutrophic waters, yet the rate and controlling factors remain poorly understood, particularly in large estuaries. The Changjiang Estuary (CE) and adjacent shelf are characterized by fresh, nitrogen-replete Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) and saline, nitrogendepletion intruded Kuroshio water (Taiwan Warm Current and nearshore Kuroshio Branch Current), where N2 fixation may be contributed by different groups (i.e., Trichodesmium and heterotrophic diazotrophs). Here, for the first time, we provide direct measurement of size-fractionated N2 fixation rates (NFRs) off the CE during summer 2014 using the 15N2 bubble tracer method. The results demonstrated considerable spatial variations (southern > northern; offshore > inshore) in surface and depth-integrated NFRs, averaging 0.83 nmol N L-1 d-1 and 24.3 µmol N m-2 d-1, respectively. The highest bulk NFR (99.9 µmol N m-2 d-1; mostly contributed by >10 µm fraction) occurred in the southeastern East China Sea, where suffered from strong intrusion of the Kuroshio water characterized by low N/P ratio (<10) and abundant Trichodesmium (up to 10.23 × 106 trichomes m-2). However, low NFR (mostly contributed by <10 µm fraction) was detected in the CE controlled by the CDW, where NOx concentration (up to 80 µmol L-1) and N/P ratio (>100) were high and Trichodesmium abundance was low. The >10 µm fraction accounted for 60% of depth-integrated bulk NFR over the CE and adjacent shelf. We speculated that the present NFR of >10 µm fraction was mostly supported by Trichodesmium. Spearman rank correlation indicated that the NFR was significantly positively correlated with Trichodesmium abundance, salinity, temperature and Secchi depth, but was negatively with turbidity, N/P ratio, NOx, and chlorophyll a concentration. Our study suggests that distribution and size structure of N2 fixation off the CE are largely regulated by water mass (intruded Kuroshio water and CDW) movement and associated diazotrophs (particularly Trichodesmium) and nutrient conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploitation of marine renewable energy sources, such as offshore wind (OW), wave (WA), and tidal stream (TS) energy, is essential to reducing carbon emissions in China. Here, we demonstrate that a well-designed deployment of OW-WA-TS joint exploitation would be better than OW alone in improving performance in terms of the total amount and temporal stability of integrated power output in the northern Bohai Sea/Strait, the Subei Shoal, and the surrounding areas of Taiwan and Hainan Island. The design principles for an efficient joint energy deployment can be summarized as follows: first, a small ratio of WA output favors a temporally stable performance, except for areas around Taiwan Island and southwest of Hainan Island. Second, more TS turbines will contribute to steadier integrated outputs. Meanwhile, in the coastal waters of Guangdong and Zhejiang, the potential of WA to increase the total amount of power output is very high due to its minor impact on temporal stability. Finally, joint exploitation significantly reduces diurnal power fluctuations compared with OW alone, which is crucial for the steady operation of power grids, power sufficiency, and controllability in periods with low or no wind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental impact assessment is a means of preventing and mitigating the adverse effects of economic development activities on the natural environment. It is meant to ensure that decision-makers have sufficient information to consider environmental impacts before proceeding with new projects. Despite their important role in public policy, verification of environmental impact assessments has seldom been conducted. In this study, we used principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the major sources of influence on the coastal waters adjacent to a major tourist facility (an aquarium) in southern Taiwan, followed by the construction of a structural equation model (SEM) to determine the direct and indirect effects of the abiotic factors on phytoplankton and zooplankton density and diversity. Based on the loadings of principal components 1–3, we identified that river input, suspended matter, and seasonal changes were the major factors affecting the coastal area. The SEM further suggested that phytoplankton density and diversity were affected directly by seasonal changes and suspended matter, but only indirectly by river input, owing to the latter's effect on suspended matter. In contrast, the SEM suggested that zooplankton density and diversity were affected directly by seasonal changes, but indirectly by both river input and suspended matter owing to their effects on phytoplankton density and diversity. Q2 was the season with the highest number of visitors to the aquarium, but none of the abiotic or biotic parameters showed particular differences, implying that the variations in those parameters in the adjacent coastal waters were not related to the visitors. We suggest that PCA and SEM be used in the future in other contexts to verify environmental impact assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased concentrations of heavy metals have been observed in the southwestern coast of Taiwan due to increasing human activities and economic growth; however, comprehensive studies investigating seasonal variations of major chemical parameters such as nutrient salts, trace metals, and physical parameters and their associations in the estuaries of the southwestern coast of Taiwan are scarce. The objective of this study was to investigate the seasonal variation of major chemical parameters and their associations in the coastal waters and estuaries of the southwestern coast of Taiwan. The sampling sites included the Pachang River, Erren River, Gaoping River, Donggang River, and Shiniu River. In addition, one coastal site at Yunlin was considered as a reference. The concentrations of nutrient salts and heavy metals show seasonal variations. According to DO level, Donggang river was considered to be slightly polluted, although the level of DO at Donggang river was significantly less than the other sampling sites. According to suspended solids, Pachang and Gaoping seemed to be slightly polluted. The concentrations of the tested heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Hg) did not exceed the criteria of water pollution. Based on the results of cluster analysis, the tested marine parameters (DO, saturation percentage of DO, orthophosphate, and citrate) at Donggang River were significantly different from the other sampling sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the effects of variable water masses in the northeastern East China Sea (Korea South Sea), planktonic copepods were seasonally sampled. Out of a total of 106 copepod species, 85 were oceanic warm-water species, and the number of species varied in summer, autumn, spring, and winter. The study area was divided into two or three regions according to the degree of influence of the water masses. Canthocalanus pauper, Clausocalanus furcatus, Oithona plumifera, Oncaea venella, Oncaea venusta, and Paracalanus aculeatus showed a positive correlation with water temperature and salinity and were indicator species of warm currents. Calanus sinicus, known as an indicator species of the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water, showed a high abundance and occurrence ratio in the western sea of the study area from spring to autumn. Moreover, Acartia pacifica indicated the extension of coastal waters to offshore areas. Several oceanic warm-water species (A. danae, Centropages gracilis, Labidocera acuta, Rhincalanus nasutus, and Temoropia mayumbaensis) were considered indicator species of the Taiwan Warm Current. Our results suggest that the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of indicator species are partly explained by different water masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of the fact that the interactions between environmental parameters and prokaryotic and viral abundance have been explored in various aquatic environments, only a few independent estimates of viral production and decay in the estuarine region have been explored. In this study, data were analyzed for viral and prokaryotic abundance, viral production, and viral decay in a subtropical Danshui estuary in summer 2021. Prokaryotic abundance varied from 2.4 ± 0.6 × 105 to 12 ± 2.3 × 105 cells mL−1, and viral abundance ranged from 2.3 ± 0.9 × 105 to 6.9 ± 1.3 × 105 viruses mL−1 during the study period. Viral abundance was significantly correlated with prokaryotic abundance and chlorophyll a concentration. Furthermore, studies of changes in viral to prokaryotic abundance ratio (VPR) ranged from 0.42 ± 0.11 to 2.0 ± 0.25. Viral decay values were 2.1 ± 0.5 and 2.1 ± 0.3 × 104 virus mL−1h−1, and non-significant differences were observed between the inner estuary and coastal water region. Viral decay almost balanced gross viral production in this study. The dilution experiments revealed non-significant net viral production in July; thus, a lower VPR might be explained in this estuarine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penetrating fronts are frequently observed off the Zhejiang-Fujian coast, but their life cycles are poorly understood because of the lack of time series data. In this study, Geostationary Ocean Color Imager data are used to describe the complete evolutionary process of a penetrating front, and the impacts of wind and circulation on evolution are explored. Based on the horizontal coverage and the front of the penetrating water, the evolutionary process is divided into three stages of development, maturation and decay. During the development stage, the area of the penetrating water increases rapidly with eastward extension, and the penetrating front is well connected to the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal front in the southwestern area. During the maturation stage, the penetrating water continues to extend eastward at a low speed and finally arrives at the Kuroshio area on the continental slope. Moreover, the southwestern part of the penetrating front is gradually separated from the coastal front. During the decay stage, the coverage of the penetrating water decreases rapidly, and the penetrating front disappears first in the south. In this stage, the penetrating front is rarely moves east but completely separated from the coastal front south of 30°N. Dynamic analysis suggests that the typhoon-induced southward extension of the Changjiang Diluted Water off the Zhejiang-Fujian coast is an important precondition for the generation of the penetrating front. The eastward extension of the penetrating front during the development stage is mainly driven by a southwesterly wind, while in the maturation stage, it is affected by both the wind and the offshore branch of the Taiwan Warm Current. The detachment of penetrating water from coastal water is caused by the inshore branch of the Taiwan Warm Current. Numerical tracer experiments confirm the wind and Taiwan Warm Current impacts on the eastward extension and detachment of penetrating water. In addition, the Kuroshio frontal eddy may play an important role in the dissipation of the penetrating front during the decay stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) is an important fishery resource with a circumglobal distribution from tropical to temperate waters. Here, we investigated the spawning migration and habitat utilization of S. dumerili in the East China Sea (ECS). Archival tags were attached to 22 adult fish to examine their horizontal and vertical movements and estimate the spawning ground. S. dumerili were captured and released in the coastal waters of eastern Taiwan on November of 2016 and 2017. Information from seven pop‐up satellite archival tags and seven depth–temperature recorders was recovered. Almost all of the fish stayed in the Taiwanese exclusive economic zone. Most individuals moved from released site to the southern edge of the ECS and showed behavior associated with the topographic features in winter (November to December). These phenomena may be related to foraging and be driven by oceanographic features such as the seasonal monsoon and the Kuroshio. The fish then migrated to the south offshore area of Taiwan in January and February. During their southward migration, the fish experienced a slowly elevated water temperature regime (SETR), which is one of the environmental factors that induce final oocyte maturation. In the spawning season (February to April), tagged females exhibited continuous diel vertical movements (DVMs) after experiencing the SETR. These continuous DVMs were observed over a wide geographic range from north to south in the Kuroshio off eastern Taiwan. Our study demonstrated that the putative spawning ground of S. dumerili must extend further in a north–south direction than predicted in a previous study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radar-retrieved refractivity fields provide detailed depictions of the near-surface moisture distribution at the meso-γ scale. This study represents a novel application of the refractivity fields by examining the spatiotemporal characteristics of moisture variability in a summertime coastal region in Taiwan over 4 weeks. The physiography in Taiwan lends itself to a variety of flow features and corresponding moisture behavior, which has not been well studied. High-resolution refractivity analyses demonstrate how a highly variable moisture field is related to the complex interaction between the synoptic-scale winds, diurnal local circulations, terrain, storms, and heterogeneous land use. On average, higher refractivity (water vapor) is observed along the coastline and refractivity decreases inland toward the foothills. Under weak synoptic forcing conditions, the daytime refractivity field develops differently under local surface wind directions determined by the synoptic-scale prevailing wind and the sea-breeze fronts. High moisture penetrates inland toward the foothills with southwesterly winds, but it stalls along the coastline with southerly and northwesterly winds. The moisture distribution may further affect the occurrence of the inland afternoon storms. During the nighttime, the dry downslope wind decreases the moisture from the foothills toward the coast and forms a refractivity gradient perpendicular to the meridionally oriented mountains. Furthermore, the refractivity fields illustrate higher-resolution moisture distribution over surface station point measurements by showing the lagged daytime sea-breeze front between the urban and rural areas and the detailed nighttime heterogeneous moisture distribution related to land-use and rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the surface current characteristics along the coast of the Chinese mainland in autumn and winter by the trajectories of coastal drifters and remote sensing data. The results show the following: (1) During autumn and winter 2018, the paths of drifters were consistent with that of the Zhe-Min Coastal Water, while the Zhe-Min Coastal Water had a branch intruding the coast of Taiwan Island. (2) When the northeast monsoon weakened or changed direction in a short period, the Zhe-Min Coastal Water showed a reverse flow. (3) In the northeastern South China Sea, the drifter path meandered due to a dipole’s influence. (4) Around the frontal area near the Taiwan Bank, the paths of drifters showed a 12.4-h periodic variation, which was mainly controlled by the tidal current. These findings show that the coastal drifter is a useful tool to observe surface currents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Social Sciences & Philosophy is the property of Research Center for Humanities & Social Sciences, Academia Sinica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aims to investigate the relative importance of nanoflagellate grazing and viral lysis for heterotrophic bacteria and Synechococcus spp. mortality in coastal waters of the north-eastern Taiwan. The results showed that viral lysis and nanoflagellate grazing are the main factors responsible for the mortality of heterotrophic bacteria, however, the presence of viruses had a positive effect on the Synechococcus spp. growth. Moreover, this study observed different growth responses between heterotrophic bacteria and Synechococcus spp. population by using the modified dilution approach. The results also showed that there was lower net growth rate of Synechococcus spp. in 30 kDa dilution series than that observed in 0.2 |jjn series. Furthermore, based on the results obtained from modified dilution approach, we can estimate that about 12.8 ng N L-1 h-1 and 2.8 ng P L-1 h-1 was released by nanoflagellate grazing. In addition, this study estimated that, during the process of viral lysis, locally recycled nutrients released about 224 ng N L-1 h-1 and 24.9 ng P L-1 h-1 in this system. Our findings suggest that due to viral lysis, substantial portion of the recycled nutrients required for Synechococcus spp. growth was supplied sufficiently, emphasizing the importance of the viral shunt, especially in oligotrophic regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swordtip squid Uroteuthis edulis is a commercially important species in coastal waters throughout the Northwestern Pacific, including those of Japan and Taiwan. Despite the importance of U. edulis to fisheries, previous studies on the life history traits (growth rate, size at maturity, and fecundity) of its populations in the Northwestern Pacific have been localized and region specific. Thus, we report life history traits of female swordtip squid from the waters off southern Japan and northern Taiwan, to identify seasonal variations within each population, as well as geographical variations between them. Variations in life history traits, including growth rate, mantle length (ML) at maturity, and female reproductive traits (gonadosomatic index, fecundity and egg size), are described and recognized to vary seasonally in both populations. Winter spawners in Japan have the highest growth rate, followed by spring spawners and summer spawners. Spring spawners in Taiwan mature at a younger age than autumn spawners. Geographical variations between populations are reported: fecundity level and egg size of spring spawners in Japan differ from those of spring and autumn spawners in Taiwan, but those of summer spawners in Japan are similar to those of spring and autumn spawners in Taiwan. Data on seasonal and geographical variations in life history traits of U. edulis are useful for effective squid fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thraustochytrids are heterotrophic fungus-like protists that can dissolve organic matters with enzymes. Four strains, AP45, ASP1, ASP2, and ASP4, were isolated from the coastal water of Taiwan, and respectively identified as Aurantiochytrium sp., Schizochytrium sp., Parietichytrium sp., and Botryochytrium sp. based on 18S rRNA sequences. Transcriptome datasets of these four strains at days 3-5 were generated using Next Generation Sequencing technology, and screened for enzymes with potential industrial applications. Functional annotations based on KEGG database suggest that many unigenes of all four strains were related to the pathways of industrial enzymes. Most of all four strains contained homologous genes for 15 out of the 17 targeted enzymes, and had extra- and/or intra-cellular enzymatic activities, including urease, asparaginase, lipase, glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase and protease. Complete amino sequences of the first-time identified L-asparaginase and phytase in thraustochytrids were retrieved, and respectively categorized to the Type I and BPPhy families based on phylogenetic relationships, protein structural modeling and active sites. Milligram quantities of highly purified, soluble protein of urease and L-asparaginase were successfully harvested and analyzed for recombinant enzymatic activities. These analytical results highlight the diverse enzymes for wide-range applications in thraustochytrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of community resilience aids the development of strategies to mitigate the impacts of a disturbance. An extreme low-seawater temperature event in late January and February 2008 resulted in high fish mortality in the coastal waters of the Penghu Islands, Taiwan. In this study, we used underwater diving visual censuses to analyze fish communities at eight sampling stations along the coast of the Penghu Islands for seven years after the 2008 event. We evaluated community metrics, including species richness, abundance-weighted diversity, average thermal affinity, and average trophic level, and described the temporal variation in select dominant species abundances. Species richness and diversity of the communities required 53 months to reach a steady-state at the sampling stations following the cold water intrusion. The cold event initially reduced community thermal affinity, which then increased throughout the study period, reflecting the recovery of the community to baseline thermal conditions. The increased average trophic level after the cold event implied that the temperature shock decreased the proportion of lower trophic-level fishes. Average trophic level declined as the communities recovered from the disturbance, reflecting the recovery of the community to baseline species composition in terms of feeding habit. Our results suggest that functional diversity may require longer to recover than taxonomic diversity for communities in the Penghu Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The 2015 Formosa Fun Coast Water Park explosion was a devastating disaster in Taiwan, leaving 15 dead and 484 burn injured. The present study estimated the prevalence of probable PTSD, major depression (MDD), and significant posttraumatic growth (PTG) in burn survivors three years after the explosion. Potential predictors of PTSD and depressive symptoms and PTG (demographic, burn-related, and psychosocial variables) were examined.Methods: Participants were 125 young adult burn survivors. The mean age at the incident was 22.4 years (SD = 4.1) and 62.4% were female. The average total body surface area burned was 51.6% (SD = 19.2%).Results: Three years after the explosion, 16.8% and 8.8% of the burn survivors met DSM-5 criteria of probable PTSD and MDD. Gender differences were observed in the prevalence of MDD but not PTSD. PTG was still highly prevalent, with 47.2%, 78.4%, and 84.0% of participants reporting significant PTG at the total scale, subscale, and item levels, respectively. Using hierarchical regression, psychosocial variables explained large amounts of variance in PTSD and depressive symptoms and PTG post-burn (△R2 = 0.411, 0.377, and 0.523) beyond that explained by demographic and burn-related variables. More avoidance and less approach coping predicted greater PTSD and/or depression symptoms post-burn. More approach coping and greater social support strongly predicted higher PTG post-burn.Conclusion: Rates of probable PTSD and MDD were relatively high in burn survivors, however, PTG was also highly prevalent. Coping styles and social support may play distinct roles in psychosocial adjustment after burn injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous researches on the prediction of fishing activities mainly rely on the speed over ground (SOG) as the referential attribute to determine whether the vessel is navigating or in fishing operation. Since more and more fishing vessels install Automatic Identification System (AIS) either voluntarily or under regulatory requirement, data collected from AIS in real time provide more attributes than SOG which may be utilized to improve the prediction. To be specific, the ships' trajectory patterns and the changes in course become available and should be considered. This paper aims to improve the accuracy in the identification of fishing activities. First, we do feature extraction from the AIS data of coastal waters around Taiwan and build a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model. Then, the activity data of fishing vessels are divided into fishing and non-fishing. Finally, based on the testing by feeding various fishing activity data, we can identify the fishing status automatically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gender, employment, marital status, injury area, and facial burns affect QoL. • Patients' simple abilities had the best recovery, improving significantly over time. • Employment and body image showed no significant improvement over three years. • Patients with more severe symptoms had lower QoL and higher risk of PTSD. Nearly 500 people were injured in the dust explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast water park in 2015, making it the accident with the largest number of burn victims in Taiwan. Severe burn injuries are often accompanied by long-term impacts on physical, psychological, social, occupational, and aesthetic wellness. Survivors usually require several years or even decades of medical rehabilitation and psychological counseling, which inevitably affect their quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study was to assess the changes in the QoL and the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the survivors of the 2015 dust explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast water park and discuss the potential influencing factors. Data were collected from the burn victims using a self-administered sociodemographic and injury characteristics questionnaire, the adapted Chinese version of the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (ACV BSHS-B), and the Impact of Event Scale for Burns (IESB). IBM-SPSS (Version 21.0) was used for the statistical analysis of the data. A total of 81 patients were enrolled in this study from July 2016 to August 2018. The study results revealed that gender, employment status after the burn injury, marital status, injury area, and the presence of facial burns greatly affected survivors' QoL three years following the injury. Survivors' simple abilities (Mean: 3.91 out of 4 on average, SD:.21) showed the best recovery and improved significantly over time. Employment (Mean: 2.33, SD:.98) and body image (Mean: 1.94, SD:.95) were considered the most influential factors on QoL, with no significant improvement over the three years. Moderate to severe pain, itching, and sleep problems caused by the dust explosion still affected 29.2%, 46.6%, and 58.1% of survivors after three years, respectively. Survivors with more severe symptoms had worse QoL and a higher risk of PTSD. The burn accident affected not only the injured individuals but also their entire families. In order to help injured individuals reintegrate into society and maintain better overall health, our study suggested providing family-based healthcare plans and necessary follow-up visits in a timely manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite altimetry has been proven as an effective technology to accurately measure water level, ice elevation, and flat land surface changes since the 1990s. To overcome limitations of pulse-limited altimetry, new altimetric missions such as Cryosat-2 and Satellite with ARgos and AltiKa (SARAL/AltiKa), have been designed to have higher along-track spatial resolution to measure more accurately inland water levels for small water bodies, and coastal sea level changes. In this study, we evaluate the performance of Cryosat-2 low-resolution (LRM) and SARin modes and SARAL/AltiKa Ka-band data on two connected lakes in central Tibetan Plateau, and in the coastal region of Taiwan. Results are compared with in situ tide gauge data in Taiwan and altimetric lake level time series from the CNES Hydroweb database. Our results show that water level change trends observed by Cryosat-2 20-Hz retracked observations, the SARAL/AltiKa 40-Hz Ice-1 retracked data, and the Hydroweb measurements are consistent with the estimated water level trend of ∼0.30 m/y, during 2011–2017, and 2013–2015, for the Tibetan Migriggyangzham Co and Dorsoidong Co, respectively. For the coastal region, the performance of SARAL/AltiKa is better than that of Cryosat-2 LRM data in Taiwan. This finding demonstrates the superiority of the Ka-band over Ku-band radar altimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic and ubiquitous in the environment and pose great risks. Bioaccumulation by plankton is the outset for PAHs entering marine food web. The long-term driving environmental factors for bioaccumulation of PAHs in zooplankton have not been well investigated. In this study, high variation of PAH concentrations in zooplankton (5 to 5440 ng g−1 dry weight) was found, with the highest PAH levels near the transect Kaohsiung Harbor. Precipitation significantly enhances the PAH concentration in zooplankton and affects the PAH distribution in the water column, indicating PAH input from terrestrial runoff. The sources of PAHs in the coastal waters are a mixture of petroleum and combustion. Biomass dilution dominates bioaccumulation of PAHs in zooplankton, especially for the dominant species, copepods. This study provides the first information on PAH bioaccumulation in zooplankton to understand PAH transport in the plankton food web in subtropical coastal waters. • High variation of PAHs in zooplankton • Precipitation enhances PAH levels in zooplankton. • PAHs accumulated in the coastal zooplankton are from terrestrial runoff. • Biomass dilution dominates PAH bioaccumulation in copepods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High-frequency oscillation of SSH-induced pressure gradient forces can trigger offshore transport. • Offshore transport of coastal waters has a significant relationship with PB occurrences. • The influence of atypical wind patterns on long-term ecosystem impacts should not be ignored. The East China Shelf Sea (ECSS) is subject to high-frequency storms during winter and spring, with these storm processes serving as a significant driving factor for initiating the outward diffusion of materials from the inner shelf. Inner shelf waters tend to be rich in nutrients, thus their horizontal diffusion is crucial to the marine primary productivity of the outer shelf. However, our understanding of the processes that govern the offshore water mass transport under winter storm oscillations and the mechanisms driving their impact on phytoplankton is currently limited. In this study, we used satellite and reanalysis data from 2003 to 2020 to investigate the modulation mechanism of winter offshore currents (WOC) on phytoplankton bloom (PB) stimulated by storms in Northern Taiwan (NTW). The results revealed that at synoptic scales, winter storms result in higher sea surface height (SSH) and potential energy on the inner side of the front. However, during periods of weakened storms (for example, during north wind relaxation or a shift to southerly winds), a strong WOC is produced in the top 30–50 m of the ocean due to continuous SSH adjustments caused by changed pressure gradients and induced by topography. PB occurs in the offshore waters of the front, driven by a continuous nutrient supply and an increase in photosynthetically available radiation (PAR). On an interannual scale, offshore transport is controlled by the storm's duration and the extent of its weakening. As the climate warms and winter winds in NTW have consistently weakened over the past 20 years, lower turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and a shallower mixed layer depth (MLD) will promote phytoplankton growth. The results suggest that water level fluctuations caused by high-frequency changes in winter storms are strongly linked to the offshore sediment transport from near-shore waters, impacting the material transport and the health of the ecosystem on the continental shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South China Sea is one of the youngest marginal seas and understanding its development is important for reconstructing the tectonic evolution of Southeast Asia. The South China Sea is thought to have been actively spreading between 32 Ma and 15.5 Ma. The East Taiwan Ophiolite (ETO) is one of the few preserved remnants of the South China Sea on land and provides an opportunity to investigate the age and the tectonic setting of the accreted easternmost portion. The age of the ETO was obtained by LA-ICP-MS in situ zircon U-Pb methods and yielded a mean 206Pb-238U age of 14.1±0.4 Ma, suggesting that magmatic activity in the South China Sea continued ~1.5 million years beyond current estimates. Cr-spinel data (Cr no. = 42-54) and depleted εNd(t) values (i.e. +9.1 to +11.4) from the serpentinized peridotites and gabbros and the light rare earth element depleted patterns (La/Yb ≤ 1) of the ETO mafic rocks are consistent with a ridge setting (i.e. N-MORB composition). Therefore, the ETO likely represents the terminal portion of the South China Sea spreading ridge that was sheared off during the northward translation of the Luzon arc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, through order no. 79, has revised its Maritime Traffic Laws (Maritime Traffic Laws Revision-2021), which was then enforced on September 1 2021. The revised law contains ten chapters and 122 articles that comprehensively deal with maritime traffic safety and strengthens China's maritime traffic management. It applies in the waters within the jurisdiction of China, which is not limited to the territorial sea, and regulates Chinese ships at sea. Some revised provisions put forward new requirements, such as pre-notice for foreign vessels in some sea areas, which brings significant legal influence. As a state practice, this new revision can be seen as an interpretation of certain ambiguous concepts of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is also important in improving the international maritime order based on the rule of law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese white dolphin is one of the marine mammals that can be frequently sighted in the coastal waters of western Taiwan. The subpopulation of this species in Taiwan is categorized as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Thus, the designation of its habitat as a marine protected area (MPA) should be conducted to protect it from extinction. However, the proposed MPA covers the coastal waters of several counties, where it also overlaps with fishing grounds and a proposed offshore reclamation island for an industrial park. The designation will affect the original marine use and presents a major conflict among multiple stakeholders. This study is a qualitative study that employs semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from competing interests, including local fisheries, industrial developers, the government, academia, and the conservation sector, in order to explore their perspectives and responses regarding the designation of an MPA and the causes of the conflicts among stakeholders. The results showed that the rationale for opposing the establishment of the MPA is the insufficient amount of scientific information and statistical data for determining the appropriate site and size of the MPA. This also makes it difficult to implement any corresponding mitigation measures. With regard to fisheries, the center of the conflict is that the Chinese white dolphin competes for the same fishery resources with fishermen. Compensation for the loss of fishery resources seems costly. Results from this study will help to inform the design of the MPA for the conservation of Chinese white dolphin in Taiwan and to minimize the conflicts between different stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed nineteen trace elements in marine copepods collected from the coastal waters off Northeastern Taiwan. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) of the analyzed elements in copepods are discussed. Owing to the upwelling intrusion of Kuroshio Water, the study area presented an enriched copepod community and the copepod abundance ranged within 106–4890 ind. m −3 . The trace elements content in the analyzed copepods varied substantially, ranging from 0.01 to 780 mg kg −1 . and the average concentration followed the sequence: Sr>Fe>Zn>Cr>Li>Ni>Mn>Ba>Cu>Se>As>V>Pb>Rb>Cd>Co>Ga>Ag>Cs. The trace elements can be divided into five groups according to the concentration quantity in copepods: (1) Sr; (2) Fe, Zn, Cr, Li and Ni; (3) Mn, Cu, Ba, Se, As, V, Pb and Rb; (4) Cd, Co and Ga; (5) Ag and Cs. The concentration difference in each group is nearly one order of magnitude. The trace element concentrations in copepods seem to be in proportion to the dissolved concentrations in seawater. The trace element log BCF values ranged within 1.32–5.66. Transition metals generally have a higher BCF value than the associated minor elements, such as Ba, Sr, Li and Rb. The trace element BCF value in copepods is in inverse proportion to the dissolved concentrations in seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface water samples were collected along the west coast of Taiwan during two expedition cruises which represent periods of different regional climatic patterns. Information on hydrochemical parameters such as salinity, nutrients, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and Chlorophyll a concentrations were obtained, and dissolved and particulate trace metal (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentrations were determined. Spatial variations were observed and the differences were attributed to (1) influence of varying extents of terrestrial inputs from the mountainous rivers of Taiwan to the coast, and (2) urbanization and industrialization in different parts of the island. Geochemical processes such as desorption (Cd) and adsorption to sinking particles (Pb) also contributed to the variability of trace metal distributions in coastal waters. Results showed temporal variations in chemical characteristics in coastal waters as a consequence of prevailing monsoons. During the wet season when river discharges were higher, the transport of particulate metals was elevated due to increased sediment loads. During the dry season, lower river discharges resulted in a lesser extent of estuarine dilution effect for chemicals of anthropogenic sources, indicated by higher dissolved concentrations present in coastal waters associated with slightly higher salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal and interannual variations of surface currents in the southern Taiwan Strait to the west of Taiwan Shoals were investigated by using measurements of high frequency (HF) ground wave radars from January 2006 to April 2009. The results demonstrate that surface currents in the water channel to the west of Taiwan Shoals are composed of a significant, seasonally fluctuating component and a relatively stable northward component. Forced by the East Asia monsoon, the annual variation of the surface longshore current is linearly correlated with the longshore wind. Behind the seasonal signal is a stable northward flow with speeds of O (10 cm/s). The observations also show that surface currents in the area are subject to distinct interannual variation, and the southward surface flow was more profound in winter 2007/2008 than in other winters. Observations from bottom-mounted ADCP also indicated that, in that winter, longshore currents in the west side of the Taiwan Strait are very different from the previous winter. The northward flow appeared much weaker, the currents were southward in most layers, and the interannual differences were observed throughout the water column. Hydrographic observations in the same period suggest that the large-scale southward intrusion of the Zhe-Min coastal water is the direct cause of the interannual difference. The enhancement of the East Asian monsoon during the 2007/2008 La Niña event is considered as the main reason for the winter current anomalies in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrations of Al, Mn, Fe, Ag, and Pb in dissolved and particulate phases of the surface water were determined at 15 stations along the coastline off western Taiwan in April of 2007. This study presents the first set of data for Al, Ag, and Pb in the nearshore waters. Latitudinal distribution of these metals showed that high values were present in the regions affected by high fluvial discharge from the Dan-Sui River and the Cho-Sui River. Using the particle fluxes from Po/Pb disequilibria, the removal fluxes and the residence times of the trace metals were calculated. Based on the K values, the sequence of particle affinity of trace metals, Fe ~ Al >> Pb > Mn > Ag, was found. The correlation of the residence times and of the partitioning coefficients of multiple metals in the nearshore waters implies that the affinities to the particles determine the geochemical cycling of metals in the coastal water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: River–ocean coupled models were developed to calculate overbank flows in a complex river–coastal ocean system comprising the Wu River and the adjacent coastal ocean of central Taiwan. The hydrodynamic quantities were exchanged between one-dimensional and three-dimensional domains during runtime to resolve the real-time exchange and interaction between the coastal waters and the river system. The coupled model was calibrated and verified with the observed water levels using data from three typhoon events. The results indicate a reasonable agreement between the model simulations and the observed data. The model was then used to calculate hydrographs of the overbank flow caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which occurred in 2008. The simulated overbank flows quantitatively agreed with the reported information. We also demonstrated that most of the overbank flows occurred at the upper reaches of the tributaries of the Wu River system, except for the tributary in the Fazi River. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigated the gelatinous carnivore zooplankton community in the coastal waters of northeast Taiwan during the period 2007–2010. The community assemblage was composed of 45 species, of which only 14 appeared recurrent in Taiwanese waters. Although there was no clear seasonality, higher richness and abundances occurred in spring and autumn. Examination of potential physical drivers of coastal biomass accumulation did not show any link with water mass transport; instead, peak events were associated with typhoon disturbances, suggesting a potential resource pulse effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Keelungia pulex nov. gen. et nov. sp. is described from coastal waters of NE Taiwan. The new species is heterotrophic and feeds on bacteria. Cells are oblong-ovoid, biflagellate and glide along the sides of the flask. Each cell is approximately 8–11μm long, and one of the smallest euglenoid flagellates presently known. Keelungia lacks pellicular plates and in this respect resembles diplonemids and Symbiontida, which are thought to be among the basal groups of Euglenozoa. SEM showed the presence of 10 evenly spaced longitudinal striae in the cell surface, but the striae are difficult to see in the light microscope. TEM showed each stria to comprise a double set of very low longitudinal ridges separated by a shallow furrow, and supported by ca 5 microtubules beneath the plasmalemma, unlike the situation in diplonemids and Symbiontida. The cell surface was further subtended by an extensive system of rough cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum. Keelungia pulex is phylogenetically related to species of Ploeotia and to Lentomonas applanata, but differs in details of the feeding apparatus and in the absence of pellicular plates. Sequencing of SSU rDNA indicates that Ploeotia, Keelungia and Entosiphon form a clade near the base of the euglenoid phylogenetic tree. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To ensure the implementation of sustainable land development, strengthen ocean preservation, and conserve coastal resources, and encourage management of land use, the Construction and Planning Agency in Taiwan recently passed “The Draft of National Land Planning Act” and “The Draft of Coastal Act.” These acts effectively extend the utilization and management of land to territorial sea and coastal areas. According to a comprehensive Regional Planning review, 1 [1] This includes Regional Planning Act and Enforcement Rules for the Regional Planning Act in http://www.cpami.gov.tw/english/index.php?option=com_sectiontable&view=sectiontable&sectionid=4&Itemid=15. before the law has not yet completed the legislative, regional planning includes the ocean and the coast areas within the scope of Regional Planning. This study extends previous research on Construction and Planning Agency projects to effectively management of the unregistered land in marine areas. According to the proposed definition of ocean range, this study first surveys practical cases of marine planning in each ocean state to analyze its advantages. We analyzed sea charts and digitalized them to produce a base map. Based on the current situation, an integrated information platform including marine, coastal, and land was established using a GIS system. Second, based on the marine spatial characteristics of the different offshore distance and water depth, this study proposes ocean use management content and process of sub stage-zoning by assessing marine uses in tidal zones, coastal areas, internal waters, and territorial waters. Finally, this study proposes a management guideline of ocean zoning in ocean areas. Management guidelines of ocean zoning provides an important framework for balancing the maintenance of marine biological diversity, sustainable use, and economic development potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A semi-continuous water-quality monitoring system was installed in Yunlin Offshore Industrial Park (YOIP), the largest industrial park in Taiwan, in 2007 to provide real-time water-quality information such as pH, water depth, dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, conductivity, and chlorophyll. To interpret the large quantities of high-frequency data generated by this system, information theory was applied for data analysis and extraction of useful information for further coastal water-quality management. Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics that involves the quantification of information. Shannon entropy is a key measure of information that was calculated in this study to reveal the inherent uncertainty of water-quality information. The applicability of Shannon entropy for signaling possible coastal pollution events in the YOIP was explored and results showed that it provides new insight into the inherent uncertainty or randomness of the original data. Specially, when Shannon entropy was high, multiple instable readings were observed for turbidity and salinity. This indicates that Shannon entropy may be a useful new tool for exploratory data analysis. It can be used as a supplementary indicator along with the original environmental data to signify some episodes of water-quality degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]