Articles | Volume 16, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3133-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3133-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Aug 2019
Research article |
| 21 Aug 2019
| 21 Aug 2019
Observations of deep-sea fishes and mobile scavengers from the abyssal DISCOL experimental mining area
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, 1000 Pope Rd,
Honolulu, HI 96821, USA
Astrid B. Leitner
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, 1000 Pope Rd,
Honolulu, HI 96821, USA
Sage Morningstar
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, 1000 Pope Rd,
Honolulu, HI 96821, USA
Yann Marcon
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences and Department of
Geosciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Jens Greinert
GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Wischhofstrasse 1–3, 24148 Kiel, Germany
Autun Purser
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
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Autun Purser, Laura Hehemann, Lilian Boehringer, Ellen Werner, Santiago E. A. Pineda-Metz, Lucie Vignes, Axel Nordhausen, Moritz Holtappels, and Frank Wenzhoefer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3635–3648, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3635-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3635-2022, 2022
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Within this paper we present the seafloor images, maps and acoustic camera data collected by a towed underwater research platform deployed in 20 locations across the eastern Weddell Sea, Antarctica, during the PS124 COSMUS expedition with the research icebreaker RV Polarstern in 2021. The 20 deployments highlight the great variability in seafloor structure and faunal communities present. Of key interest was the discovery of the largest fish nesting colony discovered globally to date.
Wei Chen, Joanna Staneva, Sebastian Grayek, Johannes Schulz-Stellenfleth, and Jens Greinert
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1683–1698, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1683-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1683-2022, 2022
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This study links the occurrence and persistence of density stratification in the southern North Sea to the increased number of extreme marine heat waves. The study further identified the role of the cold spells at the early stage of a year to the intensity of thermal stratification in summer. In a broader context, the research will have fundamental significance for further discussion of the secondary effects of heat wave events, such as in ecosystems, fisheries, and sediment dynamics.
Autun Purser, Simon Dreutter, Huw Griffiths, Laura Hehemann, Kerstin Jerosch, Axel Nordhausen, Dieter Piepenburg, Claudio Richter, Henning Schröder, and Boris Dorschel
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 609–615, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-609-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-609-2021, 2021
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This dataset comprises 26-megapixel seafloor images collected from below ice and steeply sloped regions of the Southern Ocean (the western Weddell Sea; the Powell Basin; and the rapidly shallowing, iceberg-scoured Nachtigaller Shoal). These data were collected with the Ocean Floor Observation and Bathymetry System (OFOBS), an advanced towed camera platform incorporating various sonar devices to aid in hazard avoidance and seafloor mapping, for use in challenging, high-relief seafloor areas.
Timm Schoening, Autun Purser, Daniel Langenkämper, Inken Suck, James Taylor, Daphne Cuvelier, Lidia Lins, Erik Simon-Lledó, Yann Marcon, Daniel O. B. Jones, Tim Nattkemper, Kevin Köser, Martin Zurowietz, Jens Greinert, and Jose Gomes-Pereira
Biogeosciences, 17, 3115–3133, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3115-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3115-2020, 2020
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Seafloor imaging is widely used in marine science and industry to explore and monitor areas of interest. The selection of the most appropriate imaging gear and deployment strategy depends on the target application. This paper compares imaging platforms like autonomous vehicles or towed camera frames and different deployment strategies of those in assessing the megafauna abundance of polymetallic-nodule fields. The deep-sea mining industry needs that information for robust impact monitoring.
Florian Gausepohl, Anne Hennke, Timm Schoening, Kevin Köser, and Jens Greinert
Biogeosciences, 17, 1463–1493, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1463-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1463-2020, 2020
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In the course of former German environmental impact studies associated with manganese-nodule mining, the DISCOL experiment was conducted in 1989 in the Peru Basin. The disturbance tracks created by a plough harrow in the area are still apparent and could be located by high-resolution mapping techniques. The analysis presented in this study reveals the age sequence and the temporal change of the tracks which facilitates more detailed sample interpretations within the area.
Mariem Saavedra-Pellitero, Karl-Heinz Baumann, Miguel Ángel Fuertes, Hartmut Schulz, Yann Marcon, Nele Manon Vollmar, José-Abel Flores, and Frank Lamy
Biogeosciences, 16, 3679–3702, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3679-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3679-2019, 2019
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Open ocean phytoplankton include coccolithophore algae, a key element in carbon cycle regulation with important feedbacks to the climate system. We document latitudinal variability in both coccolithophore assemblage and the mass variation in one particular species, Emiliania huxleyi, for a transect across the Drake Passage (in the Southern Ocean). Coccolithophore abundance, diversity and maximum depth habitat decrease southwards, coinciding with changes in the predominant E. huxleyi morphotypes.
Iason-Zois Gazis, Timm Schoening, Evangelos Alevizos, and Jens Greinert
Biogeosciences, 15, 7347–7377, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7347-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7347-2018, 2018
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The use of high-resolution hydroacoustic and optic data acquired by an autonomous underwater vehicle can give us detailed sea bottom topography and valuable information regarding manganese nodules' spatial distribution. Moreover, the combined use of these data sets with a random forest machine learning model can extend this spatial prediction beyond the areas with available photos, providing researchers with a new mapping tool for further investigation and links with other data.
Tanja Stratmann, Lidia Lins, Autun Purser, Yann Marcon, Clara F. Rodrigues, Ascensão Ravara, Marina R. Cunha, Erik Simon-Lledó, Daniel O. B. Jones, Andrew K. Sweetman, Kevin Köser, and Dick van Oevelen
Biogeosciences, 15, 4131–4145, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4131-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4131-2018, 2018
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Extraction of polymetallic nodules will have negative impacts on the deep-sea ecosystem, but it is not known whether the ecosystem is able to recover from them. Therefore, in 1989 a sediment disturbance experiment was conducted in the Peru Basin to mimic deep-sea mining. Subsequently, the experimental site was re-visited 5 times to monitor the recovery of fauna. We developed food-web models for all 5 time steps and found that, even after 26 years, carbon flow in the system differs significantly.
Anne Peukert, Timm Schoening, Evangelos Alevizos, Kevin Köser, Tom Kwasnitschka, and Jens Greinert
Biogeosciences, 15, 2525–2549, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2525-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2525-2018, 2018
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Manganese nodules are a deep-sea mineral resource considered for mining. This paper provides insights into measuring the distribution of manganese nodules at meter resolution. Nodule abundance was determined by autonomous robots using cameras and echo sounders. Based on the meter-scale abundance measurements, environmental impacts of simulated deep-sea mining were assessed. The spatial extent of a sediment plume was determined and showed correlation to small variations in seafloor topography.
Evangelos Alevizos, Timm Schoening, Kevin Koeser, Mirjam Snellen, and Jens Greinert
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2018-60, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2018-60, 2018
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
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AUV hydro-acoustic and optical data enhance high resolution quantitative mapping of deep sea hard substrates such Mn-nodules. Machine learning algorithms predict with good accuracy the Mn-nodules abundances over large scale areas utilizing one third of ground truth optical data. Accurate maps of Mn-nodule abundances raise new questions about the role of fine scale geomorphology in nodule formation, provide new insights in deep sea ecological studies, and improve mineral assessment estimations.
Heiko Sahling, Christian Borowski, Elva Escobar-Briones, Adriana Gaytán-Caballero, Chieh-Wei Hsu, Markus Loher, Ian MacDonald, Yann Marcon, Thomas Pape, Miriam Römer, Maxim Rubin-Blum, Florence Schubotz, Daniel Smrzka, Gunter Wegener, and Gerhard Bohrmann
Biogeosciences, 13, 4491–4512, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4491-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4491-2016, 2016
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We were excited about nature’s diversity when we discovered spectacular flows of heavy oil at the seafloor with the remotely operated vehicle QUEST 4000 m in Campeche Bay, southern Gulf of Mexico. Vigorous methane gas bubble emissions lead to massive gas hydrate deposits at water depth as deep as 3420 m. The hydrates formed metre-sized mounds at the seafloor that were densely overgrown by vestimentiferan tubeworms and other seep-typical organisms.
Y. Marcon, H. Sahling, and G. Bohrmann
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 2, 189–198, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-2-189-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-2-189-2013, 2013
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Wojciech Majewski, Witold Szczuciński, and Andrew J. Gooday
Biogeosciences, 20, 523–544, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-523-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-523-2023, 2023
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We studied foraminifera living in the fjords of South Georgia, a sub-Antarctic island sensitive to climate change. As conditions in water and on the seafloor vary, different associations of these microorganisms dominate far inside, in the middle, and near fjord openings. Assemblages in inner and middle parts of fjords are specific to South Georgia, but they may become widespread with anticipated warming. These results are important for interpretating fossil records and monitoring future change.
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We investigated how different deep water chemistry and biology modulate the response of surface phytoplankton communities to upwelling in the Peruvian coastal zone. Our results show that the most influential drivers were the ratio of inorganic nutrients (N : P) and the microbial community present in upwelling source water. These led to unexpected and variable development in the phytoplankton assemblage that could not be predicted by the amount of inorganic nutrients alone.
Hanna M. Kauko, Philipp Assmy, Ilka Peeken, Magdalena Różańska-Pluta, Józef M. Wiktor, Gunnar Bratbak, Asmita Singh, Thomas J. Ryan-Keogh, and Sebastien Moreau
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This article studies phytoplankton (microscopic
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Chloe Carbonne, Steeve Comeau, Phoebe T. W. Chan, Keyla Plichon, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, and Núria Teixidó
Biogeosciences, 19, 4767–4777, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4767-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4767-2022, 2022
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For the first time, our study highlights the synergistic effects of a 9-month warming and acidification combined stress on the early life stages of a Mediterranean azooxanthellate coral, Astroides calycularis. Our results predict a decrease in dispersion, settlement, post-settlement linear extention, budding and survival under future global change and that larvae and recruits of A. calycularis are stages of interest for this Mediterranean coral resistance, resilience and conservation.
Iris E. Hendriks, Anna Escolano-Moltó, Susana Flecha, Raquel Vaquer-Sunyer, Marlene Wesselmann, and Núria Marbà
Biogeosciences, 19, 4619–4637, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4619-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4619-2022, 2022
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Seagrasses are marine plants with the capacity to act as carbon sinks due to their high primary productivity, using carbon for growth. This capacity can play a key role in climate change mitigation. We compiled and published data showing that two Mediterranean seagrass species have different metabolic rates, while the study method influences the rates of the measurements. Most communities act as carbon sinks, while the western basin might be more productive than the eastern Mediterranean.
Raúl Tapia, Sze Ling Ho, Hui-Yu Wang, Jeroen Groeneveld, and Mahyar Mohtadi
Biogeosciences, 19, 3185–3208, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3185-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3185-2022, 2022
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We report census counts of planktic foraminifera in depth-stratified plankton net samples off Indonesia. Our results show that the vertical distribution of foraminifera species routinely used in paleoceanographic reconstructions varies in hydrographically distinct regions, likely in response to food availability. Consequently, the thermal gradient based on mixed layer and thermocline dwellers also differs for these regions, suggesting potential implications for paleoceanographic reconstructions.
Ricardo González-Gil, Neil S. Banas, Eileen Bresnan, and Michael R. Heath
Biogeosciences, 19, 2417–2426, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2417-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2417-2022, 2022
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In oceanic waters, the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass in winter, when light still limits growth, is attributed to a decrease in grazing as the mixed layer deepens. However, in coastal areas, it is not clear whether winter biomass can accumulate without this deepening. Using 21 years of weekly data, we found that in the Scottish coastal North Sea, the seasonal increase in light availability triggers the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass in winter, when light limitation is strongest.
Birgit Koehler, Mårten Erlandsson, Martin Karlsson, and Lena Bergström
Biogeosciences, 19, 2295–2312, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2295-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2295-2022, 2022
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Understanding species richness patterns remains a challenge for biodiversity management. We estimated fish species richness over a coastal salinity gradient (3–32) with a method that allowed comparing data from various sources. Species richness was 3-fold higher at high vs. low salinity, and salinity influenced species’ habitat preference, mobility and feeding type. If climate change causes upper-layer freshening of the Baltic Sea, further shifts along the identified patterns may be expected.
Uri Obolski, Thomas Wichard, Alvaro Israel, Alexander Golberg, and Alexander Liberzon
Biogeosciences, 19, 2263–2271, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2263-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2263-2022, 2022
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The algal genus Ulva plays a major role in coastal ecosystems worldwide and is a promising prospect as an seagriculture crop. A substantial hindrance to cultivating Ulva arises from sudden sporulation, leading to biomass loss. This process is not yet well understood. Here, we characterize the dynamics of Ulva growth, considering the potential impact of sporulation inhibitors, using a mathematical model. Our findings are an essential step towards understanding the dynamics of Ulva growth.
Emanuela Fanelli, Samuele Menicucci, Sara Malavolti, Andrea De Felice, and Iole Leonori
Biogeosciences, 19, 1833–1851, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1833-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1833-2022, 2022
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Zooplankton play a key role in marine ecosystems, forming the base of the marine food web and a link between primary producers and higher-order consumers, such as fish. This aspect is crucial in the Adriatic basin, one of the most productive and overexploited areas of the Mediterranean Sea. A better understanding of community and food web structure and their response to water mass changes is essential under a global warming scenario, as zooplankton are sensitive to climate change.
Masaya Yoshikai, Takashi Nakamura, Rempei Suwa, Sahadev Sharma, Rene Rollon, Jun Yasuoka, Ryohei Egawa, and Kazuo Nadaoka
Biogeosciences, 19, 1813–1832, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1813-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1813-2022, 2022
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This study presents a new individual-based vegetation model to investigate salinity control on mangrove productivity. The model incorporates plant hydraulics and tree competition and predicts unique and complex patterns of mangrove forest structures that vary across soil salinity gradients. The presented model does not hold an empirical expression of salinity influence on productivity and thus may provide a better understanding of mangrove forest dynamics in future climate change.
Coulson A. Lantz, William Leggat, Jessica L. Bergman, Alexander Fordyce, Charlotte Page, Thomas Mesaglio, and Tracy D. Ainsworth
Biogeosciences, 19, 891–906, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-891-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-891-2022, 2022
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Coral bleaching events continue to drive the degradation of coral reefs worldwide. In this study we measured rates of daytime coral reef community calcification and photosynthesis during a reef-wide bleaching event. Despite a measured decline in coral health across several taxa, there was no change in overall daytime community calcification and photosynthesis. These findings highlight potential limitations of these community-level metrics to reflect actual changes in coral health.
Hyewon Heather Kim, Jeff S. Bowman, Ya-Wei Luo, Hugh W. Ducklow, Oscar M. Schofield, Deborah K. Steinberg, and Scott C. Doney
Biogeosciences, 19, 117–136, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-117-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-117-2022, 2022
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Heterotrophic marine bacteria are tiny organisms responsible for taking up organic matter in the ocean. Using a modeling approach, this study shows that characteristics (taxonomy and physiology) of bacteria are associated with a subset of ecological processes in the coastal West Antarctic Peninsula region, a system susceptible to global climate change. This study also suggests that bacteria will become more active, in particular large-sized cells, in response to changing climates in the region.
Alice E. Webb, Didier M. de Bakker, Karline Soetaert, Tamara da Costa, Steven M. A. C. van Heuven, Fleur C. van Duyl, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Lennart J. de Nooijer
Biogeosciences, 18, 6501–6516, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6501-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6501-2021, 2021
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The biogeochemical behaviour of shallow reef communities is quantified to better understand the impact of habitat degradation and species composition shifts on reef functioning. The reef communities investigated barely support reef functions that are usually ascribed to conventional coral reefs, and the overall biogeochemical behaviour is found to be similar regardless of substrate type. This suggests a decrease in functional diversity which may therefore limit services provided by this reef.
Emmanuel Devred, Andrea Hilborn, and Cornelia Elizabeth den Heyer
Biogeosciences, 18, 6115–6132, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6115-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6115-2021, 2021
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A theoretical model of grey seal seasonal abundance on Sable Island (SI) coupled with chlorophyll-a concentration [chl-a] measured by satellite revealed the impact of seal nitrogen fertilization on the surrounding waters of SI, Canada. The increase in seals from about 100 000 in 2003 to about 360 000 in 2018 during the breeding season is consistent with an increase in [chl-a] leeward of SI. The increase in seal abundance explains 8 % of the [chl-a] increase.
Julie Meilland, Michael Siccha, Maike Kaffenberger, Jelle Bijma, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 18, 5789–5809, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5789-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5789-2021, 2021
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Planktonic foraminifera population dynamics has long been assumed to be controlled by synchronous reproduction and ontogenetic vertical migration (OVM). Due to contradictory observations, this concept became controversial. We here test it in the Atlantic ocean for four species of foraminifera representing the main clades. Our observations support the existence of synchronised reproduction and OVM but show that more than half of the population does not follow the canonical trajectory.
Federica Maggioni, Mireille Pujo-Pay, Jérome Aucan, Carlo Cerrano, Barbara Calcinai, Claude Payri, Francesca Benzoni, Yves Letourneur, and Riccardo Rodolfo-Metalpa
Biogeosciences, 18, 5117–5140, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5117-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5117-2021, 2021
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Based on current experimental evidence, climate change will affect up to 90 % of coral reefs worldwide. The originality of this study arises from our recent discovery of an exceptional study site where environmental conditions (temperature, pH, and oxygen) are even worse than those forecasted for the future.
While these conditions are generally recognized as unfavorable for marine life, we found a rich and abundant coral reef thriving under such extreme environmental conditions.
Nisan Sariaslan and Martin R. Langer
Biogeosciences, 18, 4073–4090, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4073-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4073-2021, 2021
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Analyses of foraminiferal assemblages from the Mamanguape mangrove estuary (northern Brazil) revealed highly diverse, species-rich, and structurally complex biotas. The atypical fauna resembles shallow-water offshore assemblages and are interpreted to be the result of highly saline ocean waters penetrating deep into the estuary. The findings contrast with previous studies, have implications for the fossil record, and provide novel perspectives for reconstructing mangrove environments.
Jutta E. Wollenburg, Jelle Bijma, Charlotte Cremer, Ulf Bickmeyer, and Zora Mila Colomba Zittier
Biogeosciences, 18, 3903–3915, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3903-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3903-2021, 2021
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Cultured at in situ high-pressure conditions Cibicides and Cibicidoides taxa develop lasting ectoplasmic structures that cannot be retracted or resorbed. An ectoplasmic envelope surrounds their test and may protect the shell, e.g. versus carbonate aggressive bottom water conditions. Ectoplasmic roots likely anchor the specimens in areas of strong bottom water currents, trees enable them to elevate themselves above ground, and twigs stabilize and guide the retractable pseudopodial network.
Kumar Nimit
Biogeosciences, 18, 3631–3635, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3631-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3631-2021, 2021
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The Indian Ocean Rim hosts many of the underdeveloped and emerging economies that depend on ocean resources for the livelihood of millions. Operational ocean information services cater to the requirements of resource managers and end-users to efficiently harness resources, mitigate threats and ensure safety. This paper outlines existing tools and explores the ongoing research that has the potential to convert the findings into operational services in the near- to midterm.
Finn Mielck, Rune Michaelis, H. Christian Hass, Sarah Hertel, Caroline Ganal, and Werner Armonies
Biogeosciences, 18, 3565–3577, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3565-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3565-2021, 2021
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Marine sand mining is becoming more and more important to nourish fragile coastlines that face global change. We investigated the largest sand extraction site in the German Bight. The study reveals that after more than 35 years of mining, the excavation pits are still detectable on the seafloor while the sediment composition has largely changed. The organic communities living in and on the seafloor were strongly decimated, and no recovery is observable towards previous conditions.
France Van Wambeke, Elvira Pulido, Philippe Catala, Julie Dinasquet, Kahina Djaoudi, Anja Engel, Marc Garel, Sophie Guasco, Barbara Marie, Sandra Nunige, Vincent Taillandier, Birthe Zäncker, and Christian Tamburini
Biogeosciences, 18, 2301–2323, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2301-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2301-2021, 2021
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Michaelis–Menten kinetics were determined for alkaline phosphatase, aminopeptidase and β-glucosidase in the Mediterranean Sea. Although the ectoenzymatic-hydrolysis contribution to heterotrophic prokaryotic needs was high in terms of N, it was low in terms of C. This study points out the biases in interpretation of the relative differences in activities among the three tested enzymes in regard to the choice of added concentrations of fluorogenic substrates.
Oscar E. Romero, Simon Ramondenc, and Gerhard Fischer
Biogeosciences, 18, 1873–1891, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1873-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1873-2021, 2021
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Upwelling intensity along NW Africa varies on the interannual to decadal timescale. Understanding its changes is key for the prediction of future changes of CO2 sequestration in the northeastern Atlantic. Based on a multiyear (1988–2009) sediment trap experiment at the site CBmeso, fluxes and the species composition of the diatom assemblage are presented. Our data help in establishing the scientific basis for forecasting and modeling future states of this ecosystem and its decadal changes.
Katharine T. Bigham, Ashley A. Rowden, Daniel Leduc, and David A. Bowden
Biogeosciences, 18, 1893–1908, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1893-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1893-2021, 2021
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Turbidity flows – underwater avalanches – are large-scale physical disturbances believed to have profound impacts on productivity and diversity of benthic communities in the deep sea. We reviewed published studies and found that current evidence for changes in productivity is ambiguous at best, but the influence on regional and local diversity is clearer. We suggest study design criteria that may lead to a better understanding of large-scale disturbance effects on deep-sea benthos.
Phillip Williamson, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Steve Widdicombe, and Jean-Pierre Gattuso
Biogeosciences, 18, 1787–1792, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1787-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1787-2021, 2021
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The reliability of ocean acidification research was challenged in early 2020 when a high-profile paper failed to corroborate previously observed impacts of high CO2 on the behaviour of coral reef fish. We now know the reason why: the
replicatedstudies differed in many ways. Open-minded and collaborative assessment of all research results, both negative and positive, remains the best way to develop process-based understanding of the impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms.
Michael Lintner, Bianca Lintner, Wolfgang Wanek, Nina Keul, and Petra Heinz
Biogeosciences, 18, 1395–1406, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1395-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1395-2021, 2021
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Foraminifera are unicellular marine organisms that play an important role in the marine element cycle. Changes of environmental parameters such as salinity or temperature have a significant impact on the faunal assemblages. Our experiments show that changes in salinity immediately influence the foraminiferal activity. Also the light regime has a significant impact on carbon or nitrogen processing in foraminifera which contain no kleptoplasts.
Michele Casini, Martin Hansson, Alessandro Orio, and Karin Limburg
Biogeosciences, 18, 1321–1331, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1321-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1321-2021, 2021
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In the past 20 years the condition of the eastern Baltic cod has dropped, with large implications for the fishery. Our results show that simultaneously the cod population has moved deeper while low-oxygenated waters detrimental for cod growth have become shallower. Cod have thus dwelled more in detrimental waters, explaining the drop in its condition. This study, using long-term fish and hydrological monitoring data, evidences the impact of deoxygenation on fish biology and fishing.
Elizabeth D. LaBone, Kenneth A. Rose, Dubravko Justic, Haosheng Huang, and Lixia Wang
Biogeosciences, 18, 487–507, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-487-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-487-2021, 2021
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The hypoxic zone is an area of low dissolved oxygen (DO) in the Gulf of Mexico. Fish can be killed by exposure to hypoxia and can be negatively impacted by exposure to low, nonlethal DO concentrations (sublethal DO). We found that high sublethal area resulted in higher exposure and DO variability had a small effect on exposure. There was a large variation in exposure among individuals, which when combined with spatial variability of DO, can result in an underestimation of exposure when averaged.
Svenja Reents, Peter Mueller, Hao Tang, Kai Jensen, and Stefanie Nolte
Biogeosciences, 18, 403–411, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-403-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-403-2021, 2021
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By conducting a flooding experiment with two genotypes of the salt-marsh grass Elymus athericus, we show considerable differences in biomass response to flooding within the same species. As biomass production plays a major role in sedimentation processes and thereby salt-marsh accretion, we emphasise the importance of taking intraspecific differences into account when evaluating ecosystem resilience to accelerated sea level rise.
Cara Nissen and Meike Vogt
Biogeosciences, 18, 251–283, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-251-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-251-2021, 2021
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Using a regional Southern Ocean ecosystem model, we find that the relative importance of Phaeocystis and diatoms at high latitudes is controlled by iron and temperature variability, with light levels controlling the seasonal succession in coastal areas. Yet, biomass losses via aggregation and grazing matter as well. We show that the seasonal succession of Phaeocystis and diatoms impacts the seasonality of carbon export fluxes with ramifications for nutrient cycling and food web dynamics.
Jiangtao Li, Lingyuan Gu, Shijie Bai, Jie Wang, Lei Su, Bingbing Wei, Li Zhang, and Jiasong Fang
Biogeosciences, 18, 113–133, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-113-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-113-2021, 2021
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Few studies have focused on the particle-attached (PA) and free-living (FL) microbes of the deep ocean. Here we determined PA and FL microbial communities along depth profiles of the SCS. PA and FL fractions accommodated divergent microbial compositions, and most of them are potentially generalists with PA and FL dual lifestyles. A potential vertical connectivity between surface-specific microbes and those in the deep ocean was indicated, likely through microbial attachment to sinking particles.
Saskia Brix, Karen J. Osborn, Stefanie Kaiser, Sarit B. Truskey, Sarah M. Schnurr, Nils Brenke, Marina Malyutina, and Pedro Martinez Arbizu
Biogeosciences, 17, 6163–6184, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6163-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6163-2020, 2020
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The Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ) located in the Pacific is commercially the most important area of proposed manganese nodule mining. Extraction of this will influence the life and distribution of small deep-sea invertebrates like peracarid crustaceans, of which >90 % are undescribed species new to science. We are doing a species delimitation approach as baseline for an ecological interpretation of species distribution and discuss the results in light of future deep-sea conservation.
Amal Jayakumar and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 17, 5953–5966, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5953-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5953-2020, 2020
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Diversity and community composition of nitrogen-fixing microbes in the three main oxygen minimum zones of the world ocean were investigated using nifH clone libraries. Representatives of three main clusters of nifH genes were detected. Sequences were most diverse in the surface waters. The most abundant OTUs were affiliated with Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. The sequences were biogeographically distinct and the dominance of a few OTUs was commonly observed in OMZs in this (and other) studies.
Guillermo Feliú, Marc Pagano, Pamela Hidalgo, and François Carlotti
Biogeosciences, 17, 5417–5441, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5417-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5417-2020, 2020
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The impact of Saharan dust deposition events on the Mediterranean Sea ecosystem was studied during a basin-scale survey (PEACETIME cruise, May–June 2017). Short-term responses of the zooplankton community were observed after episodic dust deposition events, highlighting the impact of these events on productivity up to the zooplankton level in the poorly fertilized pelagic ecosystems of the southern Mediterranean Sea.
Douglas Lessa, Raphaël Morard, Lukas Jonkers, Igor M. Venancio, Runa Reuter, Adrian Baumeister, Ana Luiza Albuquerque, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 17, 4313–4342, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4313-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4313-2020, 2020
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We observed that living planktonic foraminifera had distinct vertically distributed communities across the Subtropical South Atlantic. In addition, a hierarchic alternation of environmental parameters was measured to control the distribution of planktonic foraminifer's species depending on the water depth. This implies that not only temperature but also productivity and subsurface processes are signed in fossil assemblages, which could be used to perform paleoceanographic reconstructions.
Karl M. Attard and Ronnie N. Glud
Biogeosciences, 17, 4343–4353, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4343-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4343-2020, 2020
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Light-use efficiency defines the ability of primary producers to convert sunlight energy to primary production. This report provides a framework to compute hourly and daily light-use efficiency using underwater eddy covariance, a recent technological development that produces habitat-scale rates of primary production for many different habitat types. The approach, tested on measured flux data, provides a useful means to compare habitat productivity across time and space.
Stacy Deppeler, Kai G. Schulz, Alyce Hancock, Penelope Pascoe, John McKinlay, and Andrew Davidson
Biogeosciences, 17, 4153–4171, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4153-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4153-2020, 2020
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Our study showed how ocean acidification can exert both direct and indirect influences on the interactions among trophic levels within the microbial loop. Microbial grazer abundance was reduced at CO2 concentrations at and above 634 µatm, while microbial communities increased in abundance, likely due to a reduction in being grazed. Such changes in predator–prey interactions with ocean acidification could have significant effects on the food web and biogeochemistry in the Southern Ocean.
Mirjana Najdek, Marino Korlević, Paolo Paliaga, Marsej Markovski, Ingrid Ivančić, Ljiljana Iveša, Igor Felja, and Gerhard J. Herndl
Biogeosciences, 17, 3299–3315, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3299-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3299-2020, 2020
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The response of Cymodocea nodosa to environmental changes was reported during a 15-month period. The meadow decline was triggered in spring by the simultaneous reduction of available light in the water column and the creation of anoxic conditions in the rooted area. This disturbance was critical for the plant since it took place during its recruitment phase when metabolic needs are maximal and stored reserves minimal. The loss of such habitat-forming seagrass is a major environmental concern.
Timm Schoening, Autun Purser, Daniel Langenkämper, Inken Suck, James Taylor, Daphne Cuvelier, Lidia Lins, Erik Simon-Lledó, Yann Marcon, Daniel O. B. Jones, Tim Nattkemper, Kevin Köser, Martin Zurowietz, Jens Greinert, and Jose Gomes-Pereira
Biogeosciences, 17, 3115–3133, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3115-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3115-2020, 2020
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Seafloor imaging is widely used in marine science and industry to explore and monitor areas of interest. The selection of the most appropriate imaging gear and deployment strategy depends on the target application. This paper compares imaging platforms like autonomous vehicles or towed camera frames and different deployment strategies of those in assessing the megafauna abundance of polymetallic-nodule fields. The deep-sea mining industry needs that information for robust impact monitoring.
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Short summary
We investigated the fish and scavenger community after a deep seafloor disturbance experiment intended to simulate the effects of deep-sea mining. Fish density returned to background levels after several years; however the dominant fish was rarely found in ploughed habitat after 26 years. Given the significantly larger scale of industrial mining, these results could translate to population-level effects. The abyssal fish community at the site was similar to that in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone.
We investigated the fish and scavenger community after a deep seafloor disturbance experiment...
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