The implications of plastic pollution, including microplastics, on marine ecosystems and species are increasingly seen as an environmental disaster. Yet few reports focus on filter-feeding megafauna in regions heavily impacted by plastic pollution, such as Indonesia in the Coral Triangle, a global marine biodiversity hotspot. Here, we evaluate plastic abundance and characterize debris from feeding grounds for manta rays (Mobula alfredi) and whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in three coastal locations in Indonesia: Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, Komodo National Park, and Pantai Bentar, East Java. A 200 µm plankton net was used to sample the top 0.5 m of the water column (‘trawl survey’) and floating plastics were assessed along ~ 440 m long transects (‘visual survey’) during the Indonesian north-west (‘wet’) and south-east (‘dry’) monsoon seasons during 2016 – 2018. Microplastics were identified visually, measured and categorized from trawl samples, and larger floating plastics were counted from vessels in visual transects. Plastic abundance ranged widely from 0.04 to 0.90 pieces m-3 (trawl survey) and 210 to 40,844 pieces km-2 (visual survey). Results from linear models showed significant seasonal and location differences in estimated plastic abundance for trawl and visual surveys in Nusa Penida and Komodo. Plastic abundance was up to ~ 44 times higher in the wet than the dry season, with the largest seasonal effect observed in Nusa Penida. Overall, small pieces 50% combined) were the most prevalent plastics. Theoretical plastic ingestion rates were calculated using estimated filtration volumes of manta rays and whale sharks and the mean plastic abundance in their feeding grounds. Upper plastic ingestion estimates for manta rays were ~ 63 and 25 pieces h-1 for Nusa Penida and Komodo locations, respectively, and ~137 pieces h-1 for whale sharks in Java. Analysis of manta ray egested material confirmed plastic ingestion, the consequences of which might include exposure to toxic plastic additives and adhered persistent organic pollutants. Communicating this information to communities who stand to benefit from healthy megafauna populations might help local governments as they work towards reducing plastics in the marine environment.

/pdf/microplastics-on-the-menu-plastics-pollute-indonesian-manta-4l30tb5kby.pdf

Microplastics on the Menu: Plastics Pollute Indonesian Manta Ray and Whale Shark Feeding Grounds

The Maritime Continent (MC) is a low-latitude chokepoint of the world oceans with the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) linking the Indo-Pacific oceans, influencing global ocean circulation, climate, and biogeochemistry. While previous studies suggested that South-China-Sea freshwaters north of the MC intruding the Indonesian Seas weaken the ITF during boreal winter, the impact of the MC water cycle on the ITF has not been investigated. Here we use ocean-atmosphere-land satellite observations to reveal the dominant contribution of the MC monsoonal water cycle to boreal winter−spring freshening in the Java Sea through local precipitation and runoff from Kalimantan, Indonesia. We further demonstrate that the freshening corresponds to a reduced southward pressure gradient that would weaken the ITF. Therefore, the MC water cycle plays a critical role regulating ITF seasonality. The findings have strong implications to longer-term variations of the ITF associated with the variability and change of Indo-Pacific climate and MC water cycle. The freshwater surface layer from the south China seas weakens the Indonesian throughflow during boreal winter, but the impact of the monsoon water cycle of the maritime continent on this freshwater plug is unknown. Here the authors use satellite observations to show a direct link between the regional water cycle in the maritime continent and the freshwater plug.

/pdf/maritime-continent-water-cycle-regulates-low-latitude-2jk9thko7h.pdf

Maritime Continent water cycle regulates low-latitude chokepoint of global ocean circulation

Manta rays (Mobula spp.) are highly valued in nature-based tourism globally. In Indonesia, although manta rays are protected, critical information is lacking on their habitat use, population dynamics and movements. We investigate the population structure and residency patterns of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area (MPA). From photo-identification data logged by citizen scientists and trained observers (mantamatcher.org), we identified 624 reef manta rays from 5,913 sightings (January 2012–April 2018) based on their unique ventral coloration patterns. Year-round records were collected from two shallow (<20 m) reefs – Manta Bay (MB; n = 3,029 sightings) and Manta Point (MP; n = 3,058) – that are used frequently by tourism operators. Maximum likelihood techniques and a Markov movement analysis were used to model residency patterns and movement between these sites within the MPA. Manta rays at MB were predominantly male (64%, n = 261 individuals), with immature males (14%, n = 59) being sighted most frequently (39%, n = 1,170). In contrast, few immature individuals were sighted at MP (6%, n = 28), and they were sighted on few occasions (2%, n = 45), while mature female manta rays comprised 26% (n = 127) of the MP community and were the most frequently sighted (48%, n = 1,413). Lagged identification rates indicated high site fidelity at each location. However, 44% (n = 278) of individuals moved between the two sites and cumulative discovery curves showed a continued recruitment of individuals over the 6 years of the study. In addition, the behaviors displayed by the manta rays differed markedly between the two sites: MB appears to be a foraging ground, especially for juveniles, and potentially a nursery, while MP is used mainly for cleaning and courtship, indicating a social and reproductive site. Reproductive behavior coincided with the peak annual sightings in May. To prevent disturbance to this threatened species by tourism, regulations for the number of boats and interactions, especially during key reproductive times should be considered. Further, strict fishing regulation in the area is recommended as fishing gear entanglement was identified as a threat to this population.

/pdf/contrasting-habitat-use-and-population-dynamics-of-reef-1u90yozwj6.pdf

Contrasting habitat use and population dynamics of reef manta rays within the Nusa Penida marine protected area, Indonesia

Numerical simulations of river discharges, nutrient flux and nutrient dispersal in Jakarta Bay, Indonesia

The hydrological characteristics, including temperatures and salinities, of the upper water over the last 30 ka from two sites connected by the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) across the Makassar Strait are reconstructed and compared. The thermocline hydrological gradient in the strait was larger during 13.4~19 ka BP and 24.2~27 ka BP than that in the Holocene. The weakened ITF during those periods in the last glacial period, corresponding to the decreased trade wind stress under an El Nino-like climate mean state, likely accounts for the increased thermocline gradient. The thermocline water temperature variabilities of the two sites, in particular the highest peaks at ~7 ka BP, are different from the records of the open western Pacific. Reoccurrence of the South China Sea Throughflow and thus a decreased surface throughflow along the Makassar Strait perhaps led to a warmer peak of thermocline temperature at ~7 ka BP than at ~11 ka BP.

/pdf/variability-of-the-indonesian-throughflow-in-the-makassar-31g4iuvq4u.pdf

Variability of the Indonesian Throughflow in the Makassar Strait over the Last 30 ka

[1] A nested numerical model system has been set up to realistically simulate almost 40 years of the Indonesian throughflow (ITF). A global circulation model delivered the boundary values for sea surface height, temperature and salinity distribution to a fine resolution regional model of the ITF. The results of the regional model are in good agreement with measured data regarding velocity distribution, stratification as well as transported water masses, even though the division of the ITF volume transport into its western and eastern branches differs slightly from estimates from other model results or measurements. The results show a current system highly variable in space and time. Here, the analysis of model results focuses on the western branch of the ITF, the Makassar Strait throughflow, which is estimated to account for up to 50 to 80% of the entire ITF. The climatology and the mean vertical structure are presented. The model results show that the Makassar Strait throughflow occurs as a distinct current, which we termed Makassar Current. It is regionally developed as a subsurface jet, and it behaves like a western boundary current as it is attached to the western boundary (Sunda Shelf edge) along its entire path from the Sulawesi Sea through the Makassar Strait to its direct exit through the Lombok Strait. It appears from model experiments that the local wind stress counteracts the Makassar Strait throughflow.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2011JC007809

The Makassar Strait throughflow and its jet

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

P. E. Damm

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

The Makassar Strait throughflow and its jet