Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2026.1714561
Alexander Konik, Alexander Osadchiev
River plumes are important parts of the land–ocean matter fluxes and provide the key stage of transformation of river discharge and river-borne matter in the sea. However, both the plume-sea mixing budget and the ultimate fate of continental discharge in the open sea remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyze the GLORYS12 ocean reanalysis data to assess structure and variability of the 10 largest river plumes in the World Ocean. We quantify the interrelated characteristics of plume-sea interaction, namely, (1) response of a river plume to variability of river discharge, (2) residence time of river water in a river plume, (3) mixing intensity at plume-sea frontal zone. Based on these characteristics, we distinguish three different types of large river plumes in relation to their horizontal advection and vertical mixing with ambient seawater. The opposite ends of this classification are illustrated by the Amazon plume, which is shallow and occupies wide area due to reduced vertical mixing, and the Changjiang and St. Lawrence plumes, which have deep penetration, albeit small area due to strong vertical mixing near the river mouths. Our results aim to contribute to our understanding of how river discharge merges with and alters ambient shelf and ocean waters. It provides new insights into the spreading and mixing patterns of river plumes formed by diverse river systems.
{"title":"Spreading and mixing of large river plumes in the World Ocean","authors":"Alexander Konik, Alexander Osadchiev","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1714561","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1714561","url":null,"abstract":"River plumes are important parts of the land–ocean matter fluxes and provide the key stage of transformation of river discharge and river-borne matter in the sea. However, both the plume-sea mixing budget and the ultimate fate of continental discharge in the open sea remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyze the GLORYS12 ocean reanalysis data to assess structure and variability of the 10 largest river plumes in the World Ocean. We quantify the interrelated characteristics of plume-sea interaction, namely, (1) response of a river plume to variability of river discharge, (2) residence time of river water in a river plume, (3) mixing intensity at plume-sea frontal zone. Based on these characteristics, we distinguish three different types of large river plumes in relation to their horizontal advection and vertical mixing with ambient seawater. The opposite ends of this classification are illustrated by the Amazon plume, which is shallow and occupies wide area due to reduced vertical mixing, and the Changjiang and St. Lawrence plumes, which have deep penetration, albeit small area due to strong vertical mixing near the river mouths. Our results aim to contribute to our understanding of how river discharge merges with and alters ambient shelf and ocean waters. It provides new insights into the spreading and mixing patterns of river plumes formed by diverse river systems.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146129307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction Coastal zones in bay cities are characterized by high population density, concentrated economic activities, and integrated socio-ecological systems. The dynamic interaction between industrial structural evolution and coastal development in such areas exerts profound impacts on both regional economic growth and ecological sustainability, making it critical to clarify their correlation. Methods By integrating historical marine maps (1958–2020) and remote sensing images (1986–2020) of Xiamen Bay, we extracted the coastline length and utilization data of Xiamen (a typical bay city). Artificial coastlines were categorized into four types based on their functional attributes. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was then applied to analyze the relationships between coastline length, utilization type, and urbanization indicators, linking these variables to the structure of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Results and Discussion The results indicate that: 1) From 1958 to 2020, the natural coastline length of Xiamen Bay decreased by 283.57 km, accompanied by continuous expansion of artificial coastlines. Specifically, First-type artificial coastline increased by 152.73 km (1958–2002) but decreased by 134.48 km (2002–2020); Second and third type coastlines expanded by 117.07 km and 154.61 km respectively; Fourth-type coastline emerged after 2002 and reached 23.23 km in 2020. 2) At the regional scale, First-type coastline expansion showed a phased positive correlation with the primary industry; Second and third type coastline development was positively correlated with the secondary and tertiary industries (but negatively correlated with the primary industry). 3) The evolution of Xiamen’s coastal zone has shifted from a single economic benefit orientation to a synergistic “economic–ecological–social” model, corresponding to four stages: agricultural reclamation-dominated, initial export-oriented economy, bay-type city construction, and high-quality development transition. Notably, this shift is closely tied to industrial structure adjustments, providing a reference for bay cities to balance economic growth and coastal ecological protection.
{"title":"Coupling relationship of industrial structure and coastal utilization in stage-specific development of urban bay: a case study of Xiamen, China (1958–2020)","authors":"Weida Lin, Fangfang Shu, Fusheng Luo, Yunpeng Lin, Yuting Lin, Zhijie Chen, Yunhai Li","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1767737","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1767737","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Coastal zones in bay cities are characterized by high population density, concentrated economic activities, and integrated socio-ecological systems. The dynamic interaction between industrial structural evolution and coastal development in such areas exerts profound impacts on both regional economic growth and ecological sustainability, making it critical to clarify their correlation. Methods By integrating historical marine maps (1958–2020) and remote sensing images (1986–2020) of Xiamen Bay, we extracted the coastline length and utilization data of Xiamen (a typical bay city). Artificial coastlines were categorized into four types based on their functional attributes. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was then applied to analyze the relationships between coastline length, utilization type, and urbanization indicators, linking these variables to the structure of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Results and Discussion The results indicate that: 1) From 1958 to 2020, the natural coastline length of Xiamen Bay decreased by 283.57 km, accompanied by continuous expansion of artificial coastlines. Specifically, First-type artificial coastline increased by 152.73 km (1958–2002) but decreased by 134.48 km (2002–2020); Second and third type coastlines expanded by 117.07 km and 154.61 km respectively; Fourth-type coastline emerged after 2002 and reached 23.23 km in 2020. 2) At the regional scale, First-type coastline expansion showed a phased positive correlation with the primary industry; Second and third type coastline development was positively correlated with the secondary and tertiary industries (but negatively correlated with the primary industry). 3) The evolution of Xiamen’s coastal zone has shifted from a single economic benefit orientation to a synergistic “economic–ecological–social” model, corresponding to four stages: agricultural reclamation-dominated, initial export-oriented economy, bay-type city construction, and high-quality development transition. Notably, this shift is closely tied to industrial structure adjustments, providing a reference for bay cities to balance economic growth and coastal ecological protection.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"130 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146129305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2026.1774551
Runfa Xing, Lichuan Zhang, Bing Huang, Guangyao Han, Lu Liu
Underwater docking of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) was typically dependent on the complete visual detection of markers. When markers were only partially visible due to occlusion or departure from the field of view, conventional localization methods based on complete features were rendered ineffective, resulting in the interruption of docking operations. To address this limitation, an enhanced orientation-aware method based on a spatiotemporal attention convolutional neural network (CNN) was proposed in this study. The core of this method was a dual-path feature fusion architecture: discriminative features of visible marker segments were extracted from single frames by the spatial path, while the temporal path was employed to aggregate features across consecutive frames, thereby compensating for the insufficiency of single-frame information. These two pathways were adaptively fused through a spatiotemporal attention module, which was designed to dynamically focus on the most informative cues. Consequently, robust qualitative judgment of the marker’s relative orientation was achieved. Experimental validation conducted in underwater environments demonstrated that stable orientation awareness was maintained by the proposed method even under conditions where the marker was severely off-center or largely obscured. This approach was shown to significantly extend the initial capture range for AUV docking guidance, and the robustness and operational continuity of the system under extreme visual conditions were effectively enhanced.
{"title":"A spatio-temporal attention enhanced CNN method for marker localization in AUV docking","authors":"Runfa Xing, Lichuan Zhang, Bing Huang, Guangyao Han, Lu Liu","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1774551","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1774551","url":null,"abstract":"Underwater docking of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) was typically dependent on the complete visual detection of markers. When markers were only partially visible due to occlusion or departure from the field of view, conventional localization methods based on complete features were rendered ineffective, resulting in the interruption of docking operations. To address this limitation, an enhanced orientation-aware method based on a spatiotemporal attention convolutional neural network (CNN) was proposed in this study. The core of this method was a dual-path feature fusion architecture: discriminative features of visible marker segments were extracted from single frames by the spatial path, while the temporal path was employed to aggregate features across consecutive frames, thereby compensating for the insufficiency of single-frame information. These two pathways were adaptively fused through a spatiotemporal attention module, which was designed to dynamically focus on the most informative cues. Consequently, robust qualitative judgment of the marker’s relative orientation was achieved. Experimental validation conducted in underwater environments demonstrated that stable orientation awareness was maintained by the proposed method even under conditions where the marker was severely off-center or largely obscured. This approach was shown to significantly extend the initial capture range for AUV docking guidance, and the robustness and operational continuity of the system under extreme visual conditions were effectively enhanced.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146129304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2026.1748618
Minghao Li, Guifang Xue
This article examines how traditional knowledge (TK) would be effectively incorporated into regulations for the exploitation of mineral resources in the International Seabed Area (Exploitation Regulations). It first synthesizes references to TK within international law and instruments, highlighting its relevance to deep-sea mining (DSM) by defining its four core elements (subject, time, content, context) and demonstrating its value in filling scientific data gaps and informing environmental decision-making. Building on this foundation, the article analyzes the current status of TK in the Exploitation Regulations, revealing its fragmented and non-binding inclusion, and identifies three incorporation challenges: definitional absence, lack of systematic implementation mechanisms and epistemic tensions with scientific paradigms. To address these challenges, it proposes a structured framework of recommendations: 1) establishing a TK identification system; 2) developing implementation mechanisms for TK guided by “use as the priority, with protection as the secondary” principle; 3) establishing a four-step integration model to synergize TK and science. The article contributes by proposing a systematic framework for TK identification and incorporation, elevating it from an ancillary information source to a governance resource on par with science in the Exploitation Regulations, providing a viable way for ecologically resilient DSM governance.
{"title":"Traditional knowledge and its incorporation in the exploitation regulations","authors":"Minghao Li, Guifang Xue","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1748618","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1748618","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines how traditional knowledge (TK) would be effectively incorporated into regulations for the exploitation of mineral resources in the International Seabed Area (Exploitation Regulations). It first synthesizes references to TK within international law and instruments, highlighting its relevance to deep-sea mining (DSM) by defining its four core elements (subject, time, content, context) and demonstrating its value in filling scientific data gaps and informing environmental decision-making. Building on this foundation, the article analyzes the current status of TK in the Exploitation Regulations, revealing its fragmented and non-binding inclusion, and identifies three incorporation challenges: definitional absence, lack of systematic implementation mechanisms and epistemic tensions with scientific paradigms. To address these challenges, it proposes a structured framework of recommendations: 1) establishing a TK identification system; 2) developing implementation mechanisms for TK guided by “use as the priority, with protection as the secondary” principle; 3) establishing a four-step integration model to synergize TK and science. The article contributes by proposing a systematic framework for TK identification and incorporation, elevating it from an ancillary information source to a governance resource on par with science in the Exploitation Regulations, providing a viable way for ecologically resilient DSM governance.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146129306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2026.1743207
Adam Jon Andrews, Steven Brooks
Offshore energy structures introduce hard substrate to soft substrate-dominant habitats and may act as artificial reefs providing shelter and food to aggregating fish. In the Northeast Atlantic, knowledge on these effects is limited to shallow habitats in the southern North Sea. Given that effects may be misinterpreted as ‘nature positive’ contributions, or underestimated and impacting ecosystem services like fisheries, this data-gap hinders management. This is especially problematic for the rapid developments of floating offshore wind farms (OWFs), and decommissioning of floating oil and gas (O&G) platforms in deep (>100 m) habitats of Norway. In this study, we analysed the stable isotopic composition of muscle and liver and the condition of three codfishes of commercial importance (saithe; Pollachius virens , tusk; Brosme brosme and ling; Molva molva ) at a floating OWF and two floating O&G platforms off Norway to evaluate how codfish diet and habitat use may be altered by the structures. We find that differences in carbon, nitrogen and sulphur stable isotopes between offshore energy sites and control sites were lower for liver measurements (weeks prior to capture) than muscle (months prior to capture), indicating that codfish diet and habitat use was less impacted by offshore energy structures than longer-term natural feeding variation. Size explained some isotopic differences between sites in saithe, and condition differences between sites in tusk; suggesting that the diet and habitat use of the three species is not significantly impacted by offshore structures. However, we found evidence of lower condition in ling at Hywind Tampen OWF, corresponding to lower nitrogen isotope liver values in ling; that may indicate trade-offs in shelter and diet provision. Overall we highlight the need for further research on trophic effects of deep offshore energy structures to evaluate implications for management and conservation.
{"title":"Stable isotope insights into artificial reef effects of floating offshore energy structures in Norwegian North Sea codfishes","authors":"Adam Jon Andrews, Steven Brooks","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1743207","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1743207","url":null,"abstract":"Offshore energy structures introduce hard substrate to soft substrate-dominant habitats and may act as artificial reefs providing shelter and food to aggregating fish. In the Northeast Atlantic, knowledge on these effects is limited to shallow habitats in the southern North Sea. Given that effects may be misinterpreted as ‘nature positive’ contributions, or underestimated and impacting ecosystem services like fisheries, this data-gap hinders management. This is especially problematic for the rapid developments of floating offshore wind farms (OWFs), and decommissioning of floating oil and gas (O&amp;G) platforms in deep (&gt;100 m) habitats of Norway. In this study, we analysed the stable isotopic composition of muscle and liver and the condition of three codfishes of commercial importance (saithe; <jats:italic>Pollachius virens</jats:italic> , tusk; <jats:italic>Brosme brosme</jats:italic> and ling; <jats:italic>Molva molva</jats:italic> ) at a floating OWF and two floating O&amp;G platforms off Norway to evaluate how codfish diet and habitat use may be altered by the structures. We find that differences in carbon, nitrogen and sulphur stable isotopes between offshore energy sites and control sites were lower for liver measurements (weeks prior to capture) than muscle (months prior to capture), indicating that codfish diet and habitat use was less impacted by offshore energy structures than longer-term natural feeding variation. Size explained some isotopic differences between sites in saithe, and condition differences between sites in tusk; suggesting that the diet and habitat use of the three species is not significantly impacted by offshore structures. However, we found evidence of lower condition in ling at Hywind Tampen OWF, corresponding to lower nitrogen isotope liver values in ling; that may indicate trade-offs in shelter and diet provision. Overall we highlight the need for further research on trophic effects of deep offshore energy structures to evaluate implications for management and conservation.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146122044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2026.1688347
Peixiao Mao, Judith M. Schicks
The dissociation behavior of CH 4 – C 3 H 8 mixed gas hydrates in natural marine sediments is critical to global carbon storage and marine biogeochemical cycles, but the effects of sediment composition and dissociation pathways remain unclear. In this study, dissociation experiments were conducted using marine sediments from the South China Sea, including foraminifera-rich sands, mud-foraminifera sand mixtures, and muds, under controlled heating and depressurization. Hydrate dissociation dynamics and gas release were monitored using in situ and ex situ Raman spectroscopy, supplemented by microscopic observations. Our results show that dissociation of sII hydrate crystals in all sediments begins within the hydrate stability range. The morphological changes in hydrate crystal surfaces correlate with compositional shifts in sediments characterized by high heterogeneity and a broad particle-size distribution. In muddy sediments, dissociation behavior remained uniform regardless of the triggering mechanism, while hydrate crystals in foraminifera-rich sands exhibited distinct behaviors under heating compared to depressurization. Sediment composition influences gas release, although the L (CH 4 )/ S (CH 4 ) ratio remains nearly constant across all sediments. Specifically, coarse quartz particles enhance CH 4 and C 3 H 8 release, while clay minerals have negligible effects. Foraminifera-rich sands preferentially facilitate CH 4 release under heating, whereas they promote CH 4 and C 3 H 8 release under depressurization. These findings provide mechanistic and quantitative insights into sediment-carbon interactions in marine systems, with implications for sustainable carbon management and predicting ocean responses to anthropogenic and climate-driven perturbations.
天然海洋沉积物中ch4 - c3h8混合气体水合物的解离行为对全球碳储量和海洋生物地球化学循环至关重要，但沉积物组成和解离途径的影响尚不清楚。本研究利用南海海相沉积物，包括富有孔虫砂、泥-有孔虫砂混合物和泥浆，在控制加热和减压的条件下进行了解离实验。水合物解离动力学和气体释放监测使用原位和非原位拉曼光谱，辅以微观观察。我们的研究结果表明，所有沉积物中sII水合物晶体的解离开始于水合物稳定范围内。水合物晶体表面的形态变化与沉积物中具有高非均质性和宽粒度分布的成分变化有关。在泥质沉积物中，无论触发机制如何，解离行为都保持一致，而在富含有孔虫的砂中，水合物晶体在加热下的行为与减压下的行为不同。尽管L (ch4)/ S （ch4）比在所有沉积物中几乎保持恒定，但沉积物成分影响气体释放。具体来说，粗粒石英颗粒促进了ch4和c3h8的释放，而粘土矿物的影响可以忽略不计。富有孔虫砂在加热条件下有利于ch4释放，而在减压条件下有利于ch4和c3h8的释放。这些发现提供了海洋系统中沉积物-碳相互作用的机制和定量见解，对可持续碳管理和预测海洋对人为和气候驱动的扰动的反应具有重要意义。
{"title":"CH4–C3H8 mixed gas hydrate behavior in natural marine sediments: influence of sediment type and dissociation pathways","authors":"Peixiao Mao, Judith M. Schicks","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1688347","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1688347","url":null,"abstract":"The dissociation behavior of CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> – C <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> H <jats:sub>8</jats:sub> mixed gas hydrates in natural marine sediments is critical to global carbon storage and marine biogeochemical cycles, but the effects of sediment composition and dissociation pathways remain unclear. In this study, dissociation experiments were conducted using marine sediments from the South China Sea, including foraminifera-rich sands, mud-foraminifera sand mixtures, and muds, under controlled heating and depressurization. Hydrate dissociation dynamics and gas release were monitored using <jats:italic>in situ</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>ex situ</jats:italic> Raman spectroscopy, supplemented by microscopic observations. Our results show that dissociation of sII hydrate crystals in all sediments begins within the hydrate stability range. The morphological changes in hydrate crystal surfaces correlate with compositional shifts in sediments characterized by high heterogeneity and a broad particle-size distribution. In muddy sediments, dissociation behavior remained uniform regardless of the triggering mechanism, while hydrate crystals in foraminifera-rich sands exhibited distinct behaviors under heating compared to depressurization. Sediment composition influences gas release, although the <jats:italic>L</jats:italic> (CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> )/ <jats:italic>S</jats:italic> (CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> ) ratio remains nearly constant across all sediments. Specifically, coarse quartz particles enhance CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> and C <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> H <jats:sub>8</jats:sub> release, while clay minerals have negligible effects. Foraminifera-rich sands preferentially facilitate CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> release under heating, whereas they promote CH <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> and C <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> H <jats:sub>8</jats:sub> release under depressurization. These findings provide mechanistic and quantitative insights into sediment-carbon interactions in marine systems, with implications for sustainable carbon management and predicting ocean responses to anthropogenic and climate-driven perturbations.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2026.1739325
Ding Peng Liu, Taemin Heo
The rapid expansion of offshore renewables, particularly wind and wave, has intensified competition for marine space and constrained conventional fisheries, raising concerns for food security. To reconcile energy and seafood production, two multi-use strategies have emerged: integrated multi-purpose offshore platforms and co-location of distinct facilities within the same site. While most multi-purpose offshore platforms concepts remain pre-commercial, co-location offers a simpler, lower-risk pathway by deploying aquaculture systems alongside offshore energy arrays. This review synthesizes technical feasibility, site-selection methods, operational and maintenance synergies, and socio-ecological considerations for co-locating offshore wind/wave energy with aquaculture. We catalog global pilots and emerging commercial efforts, summarize decision tools, and outline criteria spanning resource exploitation, structural requirements, operational suitability, and environmental/socio-political constraints. We highlight cross-system interactions, especially wave “shadowing” that alters local metocean conditions, with implications for accessibility, structural reliability, and aquaculture performance. Finally, we propose an adaptive, iterative framework that updates site rankings after layout-driven climate modifications, and identify research gaps in reliability-constrained layout optimization, cable/anchoring risk management, and standardized screening checklists to move from pilots to bankable deployments.
{"title":"Co-locating offshore renewables and aquaculture: feasibility, site-selection, and O&M synergies—a state of the art review","authors":"Ding Peng Liu, Taemin Heo","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1739325","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1739325","url":null,"abstract":"The rapid expansion of offshore renewables, particularly wind and wave, has intensified competition for marine space and constrained conventional fisheries, raising concerns for food security. To reconcile energy and seafood production, two multi-use strategies have emerged: integrated multi-purpose offshore platforms and co-location of distinct facilities within the same site. While most multi-purpose offshore platforms concepts remain pre-commercial, co-location offers a simpler, lower-risk pathway by deploying aquaculture systems alongside offshore energy arrays. This review synthesizes technical feasibility, site-selection methods, operational and maintenance synergies, and socio-ecological considerations for co-locating offshore wind/wave energy with aquaculture. We catalog global pilots and emerging commercial efforts, summarize decision tools, and outline criteria spanning resource exploitation, structural requirements, operational suitability, and environmental/socio-political constraints. We highlight cross-system interactions, especially wave “shadowing” that alters local metocean conditions, with implications for accessibility, structural reliability, and aquaculture performance. Finally, we propose an adaptive, iterative framework that updates site rankings after layout-driven climate modifications, and identify research gaps in reliability-constrained layout optimization, cable/anchoring risk management, and standardized screening checklists to move from pilots to bankable deployments.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"92 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1696369
Alp Gokgoz, Simon P. Oliver, James Brown, Voltaire Cerna, Gary Cases, Andrew Lawrence, Isabelle Faringstam
Population risk assessments are important tools for understanding the sustainability of shark populations and informing their conservation. In the Philippines, policy makers have made inroads to progress legislative protection for sharks in recent years, yet a ban on targeted shark fisheries has not guaranteed the sustainability of their populations and bycatch and illegal fishing still represent a significant threat to elasmobranchs across the archipelago. Pelagic thresher sharks ( Alopias pelagicus ) are important to the region’s tourism economy but little is known of the status of their populations. We designed, tested, and deployed a remote stereo camera system (stereocam) to survey pelagic thresher sharks in the Central Visayan Sea and investigated their population dynamics over a 4-month period from December 2019 to March 2020. The stereocam was effective and accurate in taking key morphometric measurements from in situ observations that we used to assess the maturity of individual male and female pelagic thresher sharks. We then constructed a continuous four-stage model from our demographic data and best life history parameter estimates to determine the sustainability of A. pelagicus populations in the region. Our model projections showed that pelagic thresher sharks in the Central Visayan Sea would be vulnerable to a hypothetical fishing mortality of 5.3% per annum, with the removal of 15–18 females resulting in a decline in the population. Our study represents the first attempt to characterise the demographics of pelagic thresher sharks with stereo videography and provides a framework for future non-invasive assessments of threatened pelagic species.
{"title":"Stereo videography reveals fragility in a high value thresher shark population","authors":"Alp Gokgoz, Simon P. Oliver, James Brown, Voltaire Cerna, Gary Cases, Andrew Lawrence, Isabelle Faringstam","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2025.1696369","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1696369","url":null,"abstract":"Population risk assessments are important tools for understanding the sustainability of shark populations and informing their conservation. In the Philippines, policy makers have made inroads to progress legislative protection for sharks in recent years, yet a ban on targeted shark fisheries has not guaranteed the sustainability of their populations and bycatch and illegal fishing still represent a significant threat to elasmobranchs across the archipelago. Pelagic thresher sharks ( <jats:italic>Alopias pelagicus</jats:italic> ) are important to the region’s tourism economy but little is known of the status of their populations. We designed, tested, and deployed a remote stereo camera system (stereocam) to survey pelagic thresher sharks in the Central Visayan Sea and investigated their population dynamics over a 4-month period from December 2019 to March 2020. The stereocam was effective and accurate in taking key morphometric measurements from <jats:italic>in situ</jats:italic> observations that we used to assess the maturity of individual male and female pelagic thresher sharks. We then constructed a continuous four-stage model from our demographic data and best life history parameter estimates to determine the sustainability of <jats:italic>A. pelagicus</jats:italic> populations in the region. Our model projections showed that pelagic thresher sharks in the Central Visayan Sea would be vulnerable to a hypothetical fishing mortality of 5.3% per annum, with the removal of 15–18 females resulting in a decline in the population. Our study represents the first attempt to characterise the demographics of pelagic thresher sharks with stereo videography and provides a framework for future non-invasive assessments of threatened pelagic species.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"287 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction High-precision radio wave propagation over maritime environments is of great importance for ensuring reliable maritime wireless communications. Methods To support the development of maritime transmission services, this work employs genetic algorithms to extract features from measured maritime data, thereby constructing a data-model-driven propagation model. The proposed model is established using measurement datasets collected in the South China Sea, covering the frequency range of 99 MHz to 1000 MHz over transmission distances up to 60 km. By integrating the strengths of both data-driven and model-driven approaches, a high-precision empirical model for maritime VHF and UHF propagation loss is developed. Specifically, we first analyze the propagation mechanisms of radio waves in the study region based on the measured data, and then combine them with the ITU-R P.2001 model to define a driving model with undetermined coefficients. These coefficients are subsequently determined using genetic algorithms through feature extraction from the measurement data. Finally, the proposed model is validated against the measurement dataset. Results Results demonstrate that the model achieves an average root-mean-square error of 2.13 dB, representing a 72.73% improvement compared with the ITU-R P.2001 model. Discussion The study of high-precision radio wave propagation over maritime environments is of great importance for ensuring reliable maritime wireless communications.
{"title":"Measured data and empirical model jointly driven prediction for path loss of VHF and UHF communication in the South China Sea","authors":"Yulong Hao, Zhongle Wu, Hongmei Zhao, Zehao Chen, Jinzi Ma, Jing Wang, Cheng Yang","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1755348","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1755348","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction High-precision radio wave propagation over maritime environments is of great importance for ensuring reliable maritime wireless communications. Methods To support the development of maritime transmission services, this work employs genetic algorithms to extract features from measured maritime data, thereby constructing a data-model-driven propagation model. The proposed model is established using measurement datasets collected in the South China Sea, covering the frequency range of 99 MHz to 1000 MHz over transmission distances up to 60 km. By integrating the strengths of both data-driven and model-driven approaches, a high-precision empirical model for maritime VHF and UHF propagation loss is developed. Specifically, we first analyze the propagation mechanisms of radio waves in the study region based on the measured data, and then combine them with the ITU-R P.2001 model to define a driving model with undetermined coefficients. These coefficients are subsequently determined using genetic algorithms through feature extraction from the measurement data. Finally, the proposed model is validated against the measurement dataset. Results Results demonstrate that the model achieves an average root-mean-square error of 2.13 dB, representing a 72.73% improvement compared with the ITU-R P.2001 model. Discussion The study of high-precision radio wave propagation over maritime environments is of great importance for ensuring reliable maritime wireless communications.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2026.1758141
Xiaojing Miao
Establishing a coherent network of area-based management tools (ABMTs) in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is critical for the sustainable development of the ocean, which hinges on effective cooperation between the BBNJ Agreement and existing mechanisms. This paper introduces the concept of institutional complementarity as a novel perspective focused on synergistic potential, exploring pathways for such cooperation. It discusses significant gaps in complementarity between the BBNJ Agreement and existing mechanisms across three core dimensions: strategic objectives, operational rules and management practices, posing substantial challenges to effective cooperation. To address these challenges, this paper proposes stepwise pathways for strengthening institutional complementarity: coordinating objectives from dialogue to shared strategic plans, promoting rule compatibility from scientific guidelines to rule coordination, and enhancing management from collaborative capacity-building to joint actions.
{"title":"Establishing a coherent ABMTs network: how the BBNJ Agreement can foster cooperation with existing mechanisms from the perspective of institutional complementarity","authors":"Xiaojing Miao","doi":"10.3389/fmars.2026.1758141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1758141","url":null,"abstract":"Establishing a coherent network of area-based management tools (ABMTs) in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is critical for the sustainable development of the ocean, which hinges on effective cooperation between the BBNJ Agreement and existing mechanisms. This paper introduces the concept of institutional complementarity as a novel perspective focused on synergistic potential, exploring pathways for such cooperation. It discusses significant gaps in complementarity between the BBNJ Agreement and existing mechanisms across three core dimensions: strategic objectives, operational rules and management practices, posing substantial challenges to effective cooperation. To address these challenges, this paper proposes stepwise pathways for strengthening institutional complementarity: coordinating objectives from dialogue to shared strategic plans, promoting rule compatibility from scientific guidelines to rule coordination, and enhancing management from collaborative capacity-building to joint actions.","PeriodicalId":12479,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Marine Science","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：