ALBERT

Description: The toxin-producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax has become increasingly abundant in northern European waters, replacing other Alexandrium species. A. pseudogonyaulax produces goniodomins and lytic substances, which can be cytotoxic toward other organisms, including fish, but we still know little about the environmental conditions influencing its growth and toxicity. Here, we investigated the impacts of different nitrogen sources and light intensities, common bottom-up drivers of bloom formation, on the growth and toxin content of three A. pseudogonyaulax strains isolated from the Danish Limfjord. While the growth rates were significantly influenced by nitrogen source and light intensity, the intracellular toxin contents only showed strong differences between the exponential and stationary growth phases. Moreover, the photophysiological response of A. pseudogonyaulax showed little variation across varying light intensities, while light-harvesting pigments were significantly more abundant under low light conditions. This study additionally highlights considerable physiological variability between strains, emphasizing the importance of conducting laboratory experiments with several algal strains. A high physiological plasticity toward changing abiotic parameters points to a long-term establishment of A. pseudogonyaulax in northern European waters.

Description: Model reconstruction of past ice dynamic changes are essential for our understanding of future ice sheet responses to climate change. However, paleo ice sheet model studies are poorly constrained as spatiotemporal coverage of proxy reconstructions are sparse. Previously, we showed, that it is possible to identify or exclude past ice sheet instabilities by using the isotopic record and age structure of a deep ice core in vicinity to dynamic outlet sectors as a constraint for flow parameterizations in an ice sheet model. Here, we highlight key Antarctic ice sheet domains in which deep ice cores in concert with radar observations of the ice sheet’s stratigraphy hold great potential to provide an even more rigid observational tuning target for ice flow models. In some of these regions dated deep ice cores are already available, often including coverage of internal reflection horizons potentially connecting the ice core age structure with faster flowing outlet sectors. In other regions either an ice core providing age constraints or radar observations are not yet available. We discuss the potential of ice core/stratigraphically calibrated ice flow modelling of dynamic Antarctic drainage systems. Furthermore, we present first model estimates of the age structure in these regions and identify promising sites for future ice coring expeditions or ice penetrating radar missions.

Description: 〈jats:p〉Abstract. Stable water isotopes stored in snow, firn and ice are used to reconstruct climatic parameters. The imprint of these parameters at the snow surface and their preservation in the upper snowpack are determined by a number of processes influencing the recording of the environmental signal. Here, we present a dataset of approximately 3800 snow samples analysed for their stable water isotope composition, which were obtained during the summer season next to the deep drilling site of the East Greenland Ice Core Project in northeast Greenland (75.635411° N, 36.000250° W). Sampling was carried out every third day between 14 May and 3 August 2018 along a 39 m long transect. Three depth intervals in the top 10 cm were sampled at 30 positions with a higher resolution closer to the surface (0–1 and 1–4 cm depth vs. 4–10 cm). The sample analysis was carried out at two renowned stable water isotope laboratories that produced isotope data with the overall highest uncertainty of 0.09 ‰ for δ18O and 0.8 ‰ for δD. This unique dataset shows the strongest δ18O variability closest to the surface, damped and delayed variations in the lowest layer, and a trend towards increasing homogeneity towards the end of the season, especially in the deepest layer. Additional information on the snow height and its temporal changes suggests a non-uniform spatial imprint of the seasonal climatic information in this area, potentially following the stratigraphic noise of the surface. The data can be used to study the relation between snow height (changes) and the imprint and preservation of the isotopic composition at a site with 10–14 cm w.e. yr−1 accumulation. The high-temporal-resolution sampling allows additional analyses on (post-)depositional processes, such as vapour–snow exchange. The data can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.956626 (Zuhr et al., 2023a). 〈/jats:p〉

Description: The toxin-producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax has become increasingly abundant in northern European waters, replacing other Alexandrium species. A. pseudogonyaulax produces goniodomins and lytic substances, which can be cytotoxic toward other organisms, including fish, but we still know little about the environmental conditions influencing its growth and toxicity. Here, we investigated the impacts of different nitrogen sources and light intensities, common bottom-up drivers of bloom formation, on the growth and toxin content of three A. pseudogonyaulax strains isolated from the Danish Limfjord. While the growth rates were significantly influenced by nitrogen source and light intensity, the intracellular toxin contents only showed strong differences between the exponential and stationary growth phases. Moreover, the photophysiological response of A. pseudogonyaulax showed little variation across varying light intensities, while light-harvesting pigments were significantly more abundant under low light conditions. This study additionally highlights considerable physiological variability between strains, emphasizing the importance of conducting laboratory experiments with several algal strains. A high physiological plasticity toward changing abiotic parameters points to a long-term establishment of A. pseudogonyaulax in northern European waters.

Description: The subglacial landscape of Antarctica records and influences the behaviour of its overlying ice sheet. However, in many places, the evolution of the landscape and its control on ice sheet behaviour have not been investigated in detail. Using recently released radio-echo sounding data, we investigate the subglacial landscape of the Evans–Rutford region of West Antarctica. Following quantitative analysis of the landscape morphology under ice-loaded and ice-unloaded conditions, we identify 10 flat surfaces distributed across the region. Across these 10 surfaces, we identify two distinct populations based on clustering of elevations, which potentially represent remnants of regionally coherent pre-glacial surfaces underlying the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The surfaces are bounded by deeply incised glacial troughs, some of which have potential tectonic controls. We assess two hypotheses for the evolution of the regional landscape: (1) passive-margin evolution associated with the break-up of the Gondwana supercontinent or (2) an extensive planation surface that may have been uplifted in association with either the West Antarctic Rift System or cessation of subduction at the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. We suggest that passive-margin evolution is the most likely of these two mechanisms, with the erosion of glacial troughs adjacent to, and incising, the flat surfaces likely having coincided with the growth of the WAIS. These flat surfaces also demonstrate similarities to other identified surfaces, indicating that a similar formational process may have been acting more widely around the Weddell Sea embayment. The subsequent fluctuations of ice flow, basal thermal regime, and erosion patterns of the WAIS are therefore controlled by the regional tectonic structures.

Description: The strategic ambition is to develop an operational, comprehensive, and resourced system that delivers priority observations and information to guide mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change, sustains ocean health within a sustainable blue economy, and facilitates informed decision-making for science, business and society. Such a system is envisioned to be co-designed, fit-for-purpose, multidisciplinary, geographically expanded, responsive, and sustainable in time, delivering ocean observations to all nations and users, prioritising societal needs. Transforming ocean observations into accessible information will require integration across disciplines, across national observing systems, along the value chain, and across stakeholders. Innovative technology approaches and a diversified set of actors and approaches will be required for success. The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) of IOC UNESCO can provide the implementation framework for Challenge 7 and the UN Ocean Decade provides the opportunity and vehicle for transformation. Five recommendations have been identified to fulfil the strategic ambition of Ocean Decade Challenge 7. Act now on known observational needs. Upgrade and expand ocean observing capacity in poorly-observed areas such as polar regions, island nations and territories, coastal areas of developing nations, coastal systems that are rapidly changing, and the under-observed deep ocean. Thematic priorities for ocean observing by 2030 should focus on key climate risk and adaptation needs, extreme events, coastal services for ocean management, ocean carbon, marine pollution, biogeochemistry, and biodiversity. Adopt new economic thinking. Establish new and sustained financing mechanisms for global ocean observing, including resourcing for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Use economic models for ocean investment to diversify and accelerate investment in ocean observing and infrastructure from new actors. Partnerships are key. Increase national, regional and global coordination, focusing on co-design and partnerships. Improved coordination that uses the GOOS framework to ensure standards, best practices for a sustainably expanded GOOS. Diversify partnerships across sectors (economic, public, private, and philanthropic) and embrace the abilities and needs of the different stakeholders to co-design, co-develop, and co-deliver observations that translate into the information required by these sectors. Technology and innovation will be a pillar. Integrate and harmonise observations across observing platforms (in situ, satellite, emerging networks). Develop innovative in situ, autonomous and cost-effective technologies to maximise reach, ensuring standardisation and best practices. Technology barriers still need to be lowered to ensure everyone has equitable access to observing technology and has the ability to use these assets. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools will provide user-ready information from integrated observations to democratise information for users. Expanded, capable, and diversified workforce. Expand and diversify the workforce of skilled and trained ocean professionals. Training and capacity development will be critical across the observing ‘ecosystem’ outlined in the Framework for Ocean Observing (FOO), from data collection to data analysis and modelling, and for data use and application.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: By 2030, the success of Ocean Decade Challenge No.1 ‘Understand and Beat Marine Pollution’ will be demonstrated by the generation of scientifically sound data enabling a holistic understanding of the extent and impact of pollution across the land-ocean continuum, thereby supporting the achievement of a cleaner and healthier ocean where all ecosystems and their inhabitants thrive free from the impacts of marine pollution, allowing for their full functioning and service provision. This success will be based on completion of a comprehensive review of all available evidence about marine pollution, including an analysis of data gaps and the development and implementation of strategies for filling those gaps, as well as a comprehensive analysis of solutions for addressing and preventing the negative effects of marine pollution. Achieving this success will require knitting together existing and new data sets using AI and other technologies, identifying priority pollutants and areas for action, and providing globally consistent monitoring, data collection, storage and sharing protocols. Success will further be demonstrated through the establishment of new connections and partnerships among users across the public - private spectrum that lead to the funding, development and implementation of new technologies and projects aimed at monitoring, controlling, reducing, and/or mitigating marine pollution from any source, including the creation and sustainability of a global network of strategically positioned sentinel stations and regional laboratory hubs for sustained, long-term monitoring of marine pollution. Success will include fulfilment of the following critical knowledge gaps: • a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the impacts of priority pollutants (e.g., pollutants found or expected to emerge in high concentrations, or with high toxicity, or with significant adverse effects on biota or human health) across the land to ocean continuum; • a better understanding of the sources, sinks, fate and impacts of all pollutants, including the pollutants of emerging concern; • improved knowledge on the distribution and impacts of marine pollution, particularly in the Global South and deep ocean waters, which currently represent the largest geographical gaps. and the following priority datasets gaps: • long-term time series of marine pollutants; • baseline and toxicity data of pollutants across the land-ocean continuum; • data on the impacts of the co-occurrence of multiple pollutants; • data on the effects of climate change on the toxicity, bioavailability and impacts of multiple co-existent pollutants. • It will include development of: • a global network of strategically positioned sentinel stations for continuous, long-term monitoring; • cost-effective, real-time monitoring systems and technologies for tracking pollutant sources, distribution, and transfers across the land-ocean continuum; • a global network of regional laboratory hubs focused on generating high-quality data, promoting capacity building and facilitating technology transfer; • training programs on harmonized protocols for the acquisition, reporting and recording of quality-controlled data on marine pollution; • environmentally robust new technologies and processes for the control and mitigation of marine pollution.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: Challenge 9 aims to ensure comprehensive capacity development and equitable access to data, information, knowledge, technology, and participatory decision-making across all aspects of ocean science and for all stakeholders. It is based on the understanding that everyone has something to contribute through shared knowledge, resources, ideas, or partnerships. Challenge 9 therefore is focused on equity and justice in access to capacity, resources, and decision making. By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge 9 will be reached when: Technical, transdisciplinary, and transversal skills required by scientists, resource users, educators, communicators, managers, and policymakers, to deliver the Decade’s challenges, are strengthened and evenly distributed with an emphasis on least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other under-represented groups. Funding mechanisms, multi-directional partnerships, multi-directional partnerships, infrastructure, and technology required to deliver the Decade’s challenges across regions and communities are enhanced and evenly distributed with emphasis on promoting access to LDCs and SIDS and on promoting greater cooperation between regions. Users and stakeholders from currently under-represented groups (i.e., women; ECOPs; Indigenous communities; LDCs and SIDS; people with disabilities; and others) are well-represented and participatory in ocean science, communication, management, decision making, and policy within the Decade framework. Wider promotion of ethically-driven actions and access to open-source software, ocean data, knowledge, and information among different users of the ocean has been achieved, and language barriers/restrictions have been mediated, including sharing knowledge in forms that are well articulated by non-scientific audiences. Recognition for Indigenous and local knowledge and traditional beliefs that promote conservation receives backing by the Decade and is integrated into all the Decade challenges. Success will include fulfilment of the following critical capacity development needs: skills enhancement; representation and meaningful participation; equitable funding; infrastructure; technology; access to data and information; publishing of research findings; better representation of scientists and knowledge from LDCs, SIDS and other under-represented groups in international publications and decision-making bodies and procedures; and promotion of the use of multiple languages in ocean science communication.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge No. 10 will be evidenced through a culture shift in the ocean community leading to implicit understanding that ocean threats are an outcome of human behaviour. This will require a shift in the way that ocean science, in the broad sense as defined in the Decade, is formulated, practiced, and communicated to ensure that all sectors of society have strengthened emotional connections with the ocean, and understand the vital role that the ocean plays in human and planetary well-being, including climate stability. All members of society across regions, sectors, and scales will have increased motivation, capability, and opportunity to make decisions and behave in ways that ensure a healthy ocean. By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge No. 10 will include fulfilment of critical science and knowledge gaps: Increased priority and practice of science that embraces multiple knowledge systems and transdisciplinary collaboration Increased priority of Indigenous-led research, consistent with the supporting articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), inherent rights, and signed treaty obligations with Indigenous Nations Increased priority of marine social sciences, particularly: public perceptions ocean research marine citizenship and identity research behavioural science research linked to ocean-climate education and communications research on how ocean literacy can be measured and monitored over time, and the impacts of an ocean literate society on ocean health research on ocean literacy as a policy tool science communication through multiple approaches including immersive technology, storytelling, and the arts Success will also depend on the generation, sharing, and use of the following priority datasets: human-ocean connection/human-ocean values dataset(s) pro-ocean behaviour change methodologies, case studies, and effective practices impact mapping of regional and key global ocean literacy initiatives ocean culture mapping that includes a global body of evidence (contextual, local knowledge) that demonstrates and supports cultural engagement as an enabler of ocean-human health. It will include the development of: a co-designed theory of change to action key drivers of Challenge 10, in which regional expertise helps guide the initial and ongoing strategic direction of the newly launched Decade Coordinating Office (DCO), Connecting People and Ocean a guiding portfolio of best practices on research co-design, co-production, co-implementation, and co-evaluation, respectfully bridging different forms of knowledge, ensuring mutual recognition and benefits, and nurturing long-term relationships with each other and nature a collaborative global, multi-dimensional ocean literacy survey tool (i.e., Ocean & Society Survey) to measure ocean connection and values, as well as motivators, enablers, barriers to action and behaviour change a global network of ocean communications experts and regional ocean communications communities of practice to support training, accreditation, upskilling, knowledge exchange, and impact measurement a global network of ocean-climate education experts (formal, informal, and non-formal) to support teacher training, certification programmes, and knowledge exchange a Global Blue Schools Network, building off the All-Atlantic and European Blue Schools Networks, to bridge practitioner best practices with research and training a global framework for sharing successful community projects that demonstrate practices and solutions specific to cultural connections, heritage, language, and place-based innovations for ocean-human health.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: Ocean Decade Challenge 8 of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (the ‘Ocean Decade’) seeks to create an adaptive and dynamic digital representation of the ocean to make the ocean accessible to a broader community, to enhance decision-making and to support sustainable ocean management. While creating a comprehensive digital representation of the Ocean is the ultimate objective of Decade Challenge 8, the focus in this White Paper is on delivering concrete outcomes and the transformational change needed to create the enabling environment and initial digital content, by 2030, that will allow us to fully deliver on the ambitions of Challenge 8 on the longer term. An Implementation Plan (IP) for the Ocean Decade’s Data and Information Strategy is currently under development by the Data Strategy Implementation Group (DSIG). This IP will outline how data systems participating in the Ocean Decade can co-create a distributed, robust, and collaborative ‘digital ecosystem’ that leverages open, scalable, easily implementable, and responsive technologies and management solutions. An interoperable, distributed data and information sharing system must be both deployed and maintained to allow the realization of Challenge 8, addressing specific challenges such as data interoperability, accessibility, and inclusivity. Additionally, potential issues related to data privacy, cybersecurity, and equitable access to technological infrastructure should be addressed to ensure the comprehensive development of the strategic ambition. In developing the Strategic Ambition for Challenge 8, we consider the data and information needs and priorities identified by the other Decade Challenges and their working groups, as our primary users (and contributors), representing as they do the key sustainability challenges for the Decade, and encompassing all relevant stakeholders. Guided by the Decade’s ambition to ‘leave no one behind’ we recognize that this challenge must deliver outputs that are relevant and useful for the global ocean science community, and in fact by extension the widest possible range of users and stakeholders, including the eight billion people on this planet, who should be able to access and use what is delivered by the Decade in ways adapted to their needs and capacities, if so desired. By 2030, the Strategic Ambition for Ocean Decade Challenge 8 is to have in place the enabling environment for the creation of and access to an increasing number of digital representations and twin applications of the Ocean as well as the underpinning data and information needed to develop them, delivering at minimum 10 societally relevant 0global base-layers accessible via a global online Digital Atlas, complemented by a minimum of 10 local use cases (prioritizing SIDS and LDCs) to address challenges in using and contributing to the Decade’s distributed digital ecosystem and to demonstrate and stress test its relevance, effectiveness and inclusiveness.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: By 2030, successful achievement of Ocean Decade Challenge No. 6 will require demonstrating substantial advancements within the global community towards enhancing their resilience to coastal and ocean hazards. This includes implementing two crucial elements: (1) establishing comprehensive 'people-centered' early warning systems capable of addressing multiple hazards, and (2) devising adaptation strategies that specifically target risks associated with the ocean, including those linked to climate change. These endeavours will play a pivotal role in guiding sustainable practices in ocean planning. Success will also hinge on addressing critical gaps in scientific understanding and knowledge across important components such as risk assessment and risk reduction, in addition to putting in place robust institutional mechanisms for implanting novel solutions that contribute to coastal resilience. Some key elements to be addressed in this context include: (i) gathering and generating observational and modelling datasets relevant to risk assessment, including downscaled climate scenarios for coastal regions, within robust data-sharing frameworks; (ii) promoting interdisciplinary and international research and innovation to tackle challenges comprehensively, with a focus on methodologies like Digital Twin approaches; (iii) improving standards for risk communication at both national and international levels; (iv) fostering partnerships at various scales involving local communities, public and private disaster risk reduction entities, governmental bodies, and academic institutions; (v) building capacity in research and communication to cultivate a shared understanding of coastal resilience strategies; and (vi) enhancing resilient infrastructure and promoting sustainable resource management along coastlines. It is imperative to establish partnerships with existing international UN programs dedicated to disaster risk reduction and coastal resilience. Strengthening connections with UN Decade Actions through Decade Coordination Offices and Decade Collaboration Centers is of utmost importance for effective coordination and collaboration. Based on the above strategic ambition it is also suggested that the formulation of the Ocean Decade Challenge could be modified as follows: Increase community resilience to ocean and coastal risks

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: The State of the Ocean Report (StOR) has the ambition to inform policymakers about the state of the ocean and to stimulate research and policy actions towards ‘the ocean we need for the future we want’, contributing to the 2030 Agenda and in particular SDG 14, which reads ‘Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources’, as well as other global processes such as the UNFCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Structured around the seven UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Outcomes, the Report provides important information about the achievements of the UN Ocean Decade and, in the longer term, about ocean well-being. The StOR will be used to inform policy and administrative priorities and identify research focus areas that need to be strengthened or developed.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: Large stratospheric balloons are the easiest access to near space. Large long duration balloons (LDBs) can float in the stratosphere for weeks collecting measurements (e.g., astrophysical or geophysical data) or samples (e.g., contaminants, volcanic ash, micrometeorites). The recovery of data media and samples is a common problem in this type of experiment because direct radio com-munication becomes useless when the balloon crosses the horizon, and satellite links are too slow and expensive. For this reason, physical recovery of the payload is mandatory to obtain experi-mental results, which is a difficult task, especially in polar regions. The goal of HERMES (HEmera Returning MESsenger) is to allow researchers to obtain experimental data prior to payload recovery. HERMES is a system equipped with an autonomous glider capable of physically transporting data and samples from the stratosphere to a recovery point on the ground. The glider is installed on the balloon payload via a remotely controlled release system and is connected to the main computer to store a copy of the scientific data and to receive the geographic coordinates of the recovery point. This allows scientists to obtain experimental results before recovering the payload. The article de-scribes HERMES and the first experimental flight of the entire system, which was conducted at Esrange Space Center (Kiruna, Sweden) in July 2022.

Description: Published

Description: 308

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia

Description: Published

Description: A new subgenus Peculiaripalpus subgen. nov. with a new species Partnunia (Peculiaripalpus) longlingensis sp. nov. which belongs to Partnunia Piersig, 1896 is described and illustrated. Partnunia represents a newly record genus of Protziinae Koenike, 1909 for Chinese fauna. The diagnosis of Partnunia is modified according to the new species. An updated key is provided for the subfamilies, genera and subgenera of Hydryphantidae.

Description: X-ray micro–computed tomography (µCT) is increasingly used to record the skeletal growth banding of corals. However, the wealth of data generated is time consuming to analyse for growth rates and colony age. Here we test an artificial intelligence (AI) approach to assist the expert identification of annual density boundaries in small colonies of massive Porites spanning decades. A convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained with µCT images combined with manually labelled ground truths to learn banding-related features. The CNN successfully predicted the position of density boundaries in independent images not used in training. Linear extension rates derived from CNN-based outputs and the traditional method were consistent. In the future, well-resolved 2D density boundaries from AI can be used to reconstruct density surfaces and enable studies focused on variations in rugosity and growth gradients across colony 3D space. We recommend the development of a community platform to share annotated images for AI.

Description: MtDNA barcoding is regularly applied to determine the provenance of invasive species. Variation in spatial genetic structuring across a species’ range, typically high within glacial refugia and low in postglacially colonized areas, influences the precision of this approach. The palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) has been introduced north of its native range inside the Netherlands. We conduct mtDNA barcoding to try and retrace the origin of the introduced localities. A large increase in sample size, particularly focusing on temperate Europe, emphasizes that the palmate newt shows practically no genetic variation outside the Iberian Peninsula glacial refugium. While we find a haplotype previously only known from the Iberian Peninsula inside the native range in Belgium, the haplotype present in the introduced Dutch populations occurs widely throughout the native range north of the Iberian Peninsula. Although mtDNA barcoding can be a powerful tool in invasion biology, the palmate newt case exposes its limitations.

Description: In the present study, we compared mucus and gut-associated prokaryotic communities from seven nudibranch species with sediment and seawater from Thai coral reefs using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The nudibranch species were identified as Doriprismatica atromarginata (family Chromodorididae), Jorunna funebris (family Discodorididae), Phyllidiella nigra, Phyllidiella pustulosa, Phyllidia carlsonhoffi, Phyllidia elegans, and Phyllidia picta (all family Phyllidiidae). The most abundant bacterial phyla in the dataset were Proteobacteria, Tenericutes, Chloroflexi, Thaumarchaeota, and Cyanobacteria. Mucus and gut-associated communities differed from one another and from sediment and seawater communities. Host phylogeny was, furthermore, a significant predictor of differences in mucus and gut-associated prokaryotic community composition. With respect to higher taxon abundance, the order Rhizobiales (Proteobacteria) was more abundant in Phyllidia species (mucus and gut), whereas the order Mycoplasmatales (Tenericutes) was more abundant in D. atromarginata and J. funebris. Mucus samples were, furthermore, associated with greater abundances of certain phyla including Chloroflexi, Poribacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes, taxa considered to be indicators for high microbial abundance (HMA) sponge species. Overall, our results indicated that nudibranch microbiomes consisted of a number of abundant prokaryotic members with high sequence similarities to organisms previously detected in sponges.

Description: A new tetramic acid glycoside, aurantoside L (1), was isolated from the sponge Siliquariaspongia japonica collected at Tsushima Is., Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The structure of aurantoside L (1) composed of a tetramic acid bearing a chlorinated polyene system and a trisaccharide part was elucidated using spectral analysis. Aurantoside L (1) showed anti-parasitic activity against L. amazonensis with an IC50 value of 0.74 μM.

Description: Mitochondria originated from an ancient bacterial endosymbiont that underwent reductive evolution by gene loss and endosymbiont gene transfer to the nuclear genome. The diversity of mitochondrial genomes published to date has revealed that gene loss and transfer processes are ongoing in many lineages. Most well-studied eukaryotic lineages are represented in mitochondrial genome databases, except for the superphylum Retaria—the lineage comprising Foraminifera and Radiolaria. Using singlecell approaches, we determined two complete mitochondrial genomes of Foraminifera and two nearly complete mitochondrial genomes of radiolarians. We report the complete coding content of an additional 14 foram species. We show that foraminiferan and radiolarian mitochondrial genomes contain a nearly fully overlapping but reduced mitochondrial gene complement compared to other sequenced rhizarians. In contrast to animals and fungi, many protists encode a diverse set of proteins on their mitochondrial genomes, including several ribosomal genes; however, some aerobic eukaryotic lineages (euglenids, myzozoans, and chlamydomonas-like algae) have reduced mitochondrial gene content and lack all ribosomal genes. Similar to these reduced outliers, we show that retarian mitochondrial genomes lack ribosomal protein and tRNA genes, contain truncated and divergent small and large rRNA genes, and contain only 14 or 15 proteincoding genes, including nad1, -3, -4, -4L, -5, and -7, cob, cox1, -2, and -3, and atp1, -6, and -9, with forams and radiolarians additionally carrying nad2 and nad6, respectively. In radiolarian mitogenomes, a noncanonical genetic code was identified in which all three stop codons encode amino acids. Collectively, these results add to our understanding of mitochondrial genome evolution and fill in one of the last major gaps in mitochondrial sequence databases.

Description: A cotton headdress ornamented with several botanical and faunal elements (TM-5074-2) is kept in the depot of the Wereldmuseum in Amsterdam. There is little information about the provenance of the object or its context of use. Identified by the museum as a ‘shaman hood’, is said to have been obtained from an Asháninka indigenous community along the Ene River, Peruvian Amazon. The unusual composition of the hood, with 16 bundles of bird fragments, 39 bundles of mammal parts, and 3332 seeds, raises several questions. Is the object a traditional Asháninka ornament? Is the combination of so many distinct elements a result of later additions? Is it possible that the hood was manufactured for sale? In addition to literature research, this study aimed to identify the plant and animal species linked to the hood, to verify whether the object in its current composition (covered with plant and animal ornaments) could have been made in the same region inhabited by the Asháninka communities. Through the morphological comparison of the plant and animal parts attached to the hood with the botanical and zoological collections of Naturalis Biodiversity Center, we could identify the species and trace their geographical occurrence. Eight different plant species, eight bird taxa, and at least eight mammal taxa attached to the object were identified, most of them native to the Peruvian Amazon. Finally, with the identification of the species, we proposed possible interpretations for the selection of plants and animals added to the shaman hood based on the historical context and the Asháninka worldview.

Description: Marine Isotope Stage 5e (MIS 5e; the Last Interglacial, 125 ka) represents a process analog for a warmer world. Analysis of sea-level proxies formed in this period helps in constraining both regional and global drivers of sea-level change. In Southeast Asia, several studies have reported elevation and age information on MIS 5e sea-level proxies, such as fossil coral reef terraces or tidal notches, but a standardized database of such data was hitherto missing. In this paper, we produced such a sea-level database using the framework of the World Atlas of Last Interglacial Shorelines (WALIS; https://warmcoasts.eu/world-atlas.html). Overall, we screened and reviewed 14 studies on Last Interglacial sea-level indicators in Southeast Asia, from which we report 43 proxies (42 coral reef terraces and 1 tidal notch) that were correlated to 134 dated samples. Five data points date to MIS 5a (80 ka), six data points are MIS 5c (100 ka), and the rest are dated to MIS 5e. The database compiled in this study is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5040784 (Maxwell et al., 2021).

Description: Mangrove forests provide valuable ecosystem services to coastal communities across tropical and subtropical regions. Current anthropogenic stressors threaten these ecosystems and urge researchers to create improved monitoring methods for better environmental management. Recent efforts that have focused on automatically quantifying the above-ground biomass using image analysis have found some success on high resolution imagery of mangrove forests that have sparse vegetation. In this study, we focus on stands of mangrove forests with dense vegetation consisting of the endemic Pelliciera rhizophorae and the more widespread Rhizophora mangle mangrove species located in the remote Utría National Park in the Colombian Pacific coast. Our developed workflow used consumer-grade Unoccupied Aerial System (UAS) imagery of the mangrove forests, from which large orthophoto mosaics and digital surface models are built. We apply convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for instance segmentation to accurately delineate (33% instance average precision) individual tree canopies for the Pelliciera rhizophorae species. We also apply CNNs for semantic segmentation to accurately identify (97% precision and 87% recall) the area coverage of the Rhizophora mangle mangrove tree species as well as the area coverage of surrounding mud and water land-cover classes. We provide a novel algorithm for merging predicted instance segmentation tiles of trees to recover tree shapes and sizes in overlapping border regions of tiles. Using the automatically segmented ground areas we interpolate their height from the digital surface model to generate a digital elevation model, significantly reducing the effort for ground pixel selection. Finally, we calculate a canopy height model from the digital surface and elevation models and combine it with the inventory of Pelliciera rhizophorae trees to derive the height of each individual mangrove tree. The resulting inventory of a mangrove forest, with individual P. rhizophorae tree height information, as well as crown shape and size descriptions, enables the use of allometric equations to calculate important monitoring metrics, such as above-ground biomass and carbon stocks.

Description: Foraminifera are a species-rich phylum of rhizarian protists that are highly abundant in most marine environments. Molecular methods such as metabarcoding have revealed a high, yet undescribed diversity of Foraminifera. However, so far only one molecular marker, the 18S ribosomal RNA, was available for metabarcoding studies on Foraminifera. Primers that allow amplification of foraminiferal mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and identification of Foraminifera species were recently published. Here we test the performance of these primers for the amplification of whole foraminiferal communities, and compare their performance to that of the highly degenerate LerayXT primers, which amplify the same COI region in a wide range of eukaryotes. We applied metabarcoding to 48 samples taken along three transects spanning a North Sea beach in the Netherlands from dunes to the low tide level, and analysed both sediment samples and meiofauna samples, which contained taxa between 42 mm and 1 mm in body size obtained by decantation from sand samples. We used single-cell metabarcoding (Girard et al., 2022) to generate a COI reference library containing 32 species of Foraminifera, and used this to taxonomically annotate our community metabarcoding data. Our analyses show that the highly degenerate LerayXT primers do not amplify Foraminifera, while the Foraminifera primers are highly Foraminifera- specific, with about 90% of reads assigned to Foraminifera and amplifying taxa from all major groups, i.e., monothalamids, Globothalamea, and Tubothalamea. We identified 176 Foraminifera ASVs and found a change in Foraminifera community composition along the beach transects from high tide to low tide level, and a dominance of single-chambered monothalamid Foraminifera. Our results highlight that COI metabarcoding can be a powerful tool for assessing Foraminiferal communities.

Description: Shallow-water rhodolith beds are rare in the Mediterranean Sea and generally poorly known. The Punta de la Mona rhodolith bed extends for 16,000 square meters in shallow and oligotrophic waters at the southern coast of Spain, off Almuñecar in the Alborán Sea. We present a detailed analysis of the structure (rhodolith cover and density, rhodolith size and shape, sediment granulometry) and morphospecies composition of the bed along a depth gradient. A stratified sampling was carried out at six depths (9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 m), estimating rhodolith cover and abundance; rhodoliths were collected from one 30 by 30 cm quadrat for each transect, resulting in 18 samples and a total of 656 rhodoliths. The collected rhodoliths were measured and the coralline algal components identified morphoanatomically through a stereomicroscope and SEM. Sediment on the seafloor mainly consisted of pebbles and cobbles; the highest rhodolith cover occurred between 15 and 18 m, and the lowest at the shallowest and deepest transects (9 and 24 m). Mean Rhodolith size was similar throughout the depth range (23–35 mm) with a slight increase at 24 m, although the largest rhodoliths occurred at 21 m. In monospecific rhodoliths, size depended more on the forming species than on depth. We found 25 non-geniculate coralline morphospecies, nearly all rhodolith-forming morphospecies reported in the Mediterranean Sea in recent accounts. The highest morphospecies richness (18–19) and proportional abundance were found at intermediate depths (15–18 m), where rhodolith cover is also highest. Lithophyllum incrustans and Lithophyllum dentatum dominated at shallow depths (9–12 m), whereas Lithothamnion valens was the dominant species at intermediate and greater depths. Overall, the latter species was the most common in the rhodolith bed. The shallow-water rhodolith bed in Punta de la Mona is probably the most diverse in the Mediterranean Sea. This highlights the importance of the conservation of this habitat and, in general, emphasizes the role of the Alborán Sea as a diversity center of coralline algae. The Punta de la Mona example contradicts the common assumption in the geological literature that rhodolith beds are indicative of oligophotic environments with high nutrients levels.

Description: In a marine environment that is rapidly changing due to anthropogenic activities and climate change, area-based management tools are often used to mitigate threats and conserve biodiversity. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are amongst the most widespread and recognized marine conservation tools worldwide, however, MPAs alone are inadequate to address the environmental crisis. The promotion of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) under draft Target 3 of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, i.e., conserving 30% of marine areas by 2030, holds promise to acknowledge sites and practices occurring beyond MPAs that contribute to conservation. Here, we evaluate the potential recognition of OECMs into Indonesia's national policy framework on marine resource management and provide the first-ever overview of distribution and types of potential marine OECMs in Indonesia, including a review of the existing evidence on conservation effectiveness. We identified 〉 390 potential marine OECMs, led by government, customary and local communities, or the private sector, towards diverse management objectives, including habitat protection, traditional/customary management, fisheries, tourism, or other purposes. While some evidence exists regarding the conservation effectiveness of these practices, the long-term impacts on biodiversity of all potential marine OECMs in Indonesia are unknown. Many OECM elements have been included in several national policies, yet there are no established mechanisms to identify, recognize and report sites as OECMs in Indonesia. We propose four transformational strategies for future OECM recognition in Indonesia, namely: (i) safeguard customary and traditional communities, (ii) leverage cross-sector and cross-scale collaboration, (iii) focus on delivering outcomes, and (iv) streamline legal frameworks. Our study shows that OECMs have the potential to play a significant role in underpinning marine area-based conservation in Indonesia, including supporting the Government of Indonesia in reaching national and international conservation targets and goals.

Description: Coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine ecosystems, and host a wide range of taxonomic diversity in a complex spatial community structure. Existing coral reef survey methods struggle to accurately capture the taxonomic detail within the complex spatial structure of benthic communities. We propose a workflow to leverage underwater hyperspectral image transects and two machine learning algorithms to produce dense habitat maps of 1150 m2 of reefs across the Curaçao coastline. Our multi-method workflow labelled all 500+ million pixels with one of 43 classes at taxonomic family, genus or species level for corals, algae, sponges, or to substrate labels such as sediment, turf algae and cyanobacterial mats. With low annotation effort (only 2% of pixels) and no external data, our workflow enables accurate (Fbeta of 87%) survey-scale mapping, with unprecedented thematic detail and with fine spatial resolution (2.5 cm/pixel). Our assessments of the composition and configuration of the benthic communities of 23 image transects showed high consistency. Digitizing the reef habitat and community structure enables validation and novel analysis of pattern and scale in coral reef ecology. Our dense habitat maps reveal the inadequacies of point sampling methods to accurately describe reef benthic communities.

Description: Traditional morphological methods for species identification are highly time consuming, especially for small organisms, such as Foraminifera, a group of shell-building microbial eukaryotes. To analyze large amounts of samples more efficiently, species identification methods have extended to molecular tools in the last few decades. Although a wide range of phyla have good markers available, for Foraminifera only one hypervariable marker from the ribosomal region (18S) is widely used. Recently a new mitochondrial marker cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) has been sequenced. Here we investigate whether this marker has a higher potential for species identification compared to the ribosomal marker. We explore the genetic variability of both the 18S and COI markers in 22 benthic foraminiferal morphospecies (orders Miliolida and Rotaliida). Using single-cell DNA, the genetic variability within specimens (intra) and between specimens (inter) of each species was assessed using next-generation sequencing. Amplification success rate was twice as high for COI (151/200 specimens) than for 18S (73/200 specimens). The COI marker showed greatly decreased intra- and inter-specimen variability compared to 18S in six out of seven selected species. The 18S phylogenetic reconstruction fails to adequately cluster multiple species together in contrast to COI. Additionally, the COI marker helped recognize misclassified specimens difficult to morphologically identify to the species level. Integrative taxonomy, combining morphological and molecular characteristics, provides a robust picture of the foraminiferal species diversity. Finally, we suggest the use of a set of sequences (two or more) to describe species showing intra-genomic variability additionally to using multiple markers. Our findings highlight the potential of the newly discovered mitochondrial marker for molecular species identification and metabarcoding purposes.

Description: The Maritime Continent (MC) forms the western boundary of the tropical Pacific Ocean, and relatively small changes in this region can impact the climate locally and remotely. In the mid-Piacenzian warm period of the Pliocene (mPWP; 3.264 to 3.025 Ma) atmospheric CO2 concentrations were ∼ 400 ppm, and the subaerial Sunda and Sahul shelves made the land–sea distribution of the MC different to today. Topographic changes and elevated levels of CO2, combined with other forcings, are therefore expected to have driven a substantial climate signal in the MC region at this time. By using the results from the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project Phase 2 (PlioMIP2), we study the mean climatic features of the MC in the mPWP and changes in Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) with respect to the preindustrial. Results show a warmer and wetter mPWP climate of the MC and lower sea surface salinity in the surrounding ocean compared with the preindustrial. Furthermore, we quantify the volume transfer through the ITF; although the ITF may be expected to be hindered by the subaerial shelves, 10 out of 15 models show an increased volume transport compared with the preindustrial. In order to avoid undue influence from closely related models that are present in the PlioMIP2 ensemble, we introduce a new metric, the multi-cluster mean (MCM), which is based on cluster analysis of the individual models. We study the effect that the choice of MCM versus the more traditional analysis of multi-model mean (MMM) and individual models has on the discrepancy between model results and data. We find that models, which reproduce modern MC climate well, are not always good at simulating the mPWP climate anomaly of the MC. By comparing with individual models, the MMM and MCM reproduce the preindustrial sea surface temperature (SST) of the reanalysis better than most individual models and produce less discrepancy with reconstructed sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) than most individual models in the MC. In addition, the clusters reveal spatial signals that are not captured by the MMM, so that the MCM provides us with a new way to explore the results from model ensembles that include similar models.

Description: Lots of creatures live in coral reefs, including some tiny ones you might never have heard of. In this article, we will tell you about the importance of Foraminifera (also called forams), unicellular organisms with shells, that contribute to coral reefs in many ways. Just like corals, some forams living on the seafloor live closely together with microalgae. Some forams also thrive in similar environmental conditions (sunlight, temperature, salt) as corals. For this reason, forams can be used as reef “sensors”, to keep track of the overall health of coral reefs. They can even help to detect poor environmental conditions that might harm coral growth in the future. In this article, we will look at a study of an Indonesian reef ecosystem in which the foram communities living on the seafloor were monitored between 1997 and 2018.

Description: Monitoring community composition of Foraminifera (single-celled marine protists) pro-vides valuable insights into environmental conditions in marine ecosystems. Despitethe efficiency of environmental DNA (eDNA) and bulk-sample DNA (bulk-DNA) me-tabarcoding to assess the presence of multiple taxa, this has not been straightforwardfor Foraminifera partially due to the high genetic variability in widely used ribosomalmarkers. Here, we test the correctness in retrieving foraminiferal communities by me-tabarcoding of mock communities, bulk-DNA from coral reef sediment samples, andeDNA from their associated ethanol preservative using the recently sequenced cy-tochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) marker. To assess the detection success, we com-pared our results with large benthic foraminiferal communities previously reportedfrom the same sampling sites. Results from our mock communities demonstrate thatall species were detected in two mock communities and all but one in the remainingfour. Technical replicates were highly similar in number of reads for each assigned ASVin both the mock communities and bulk-DNA samples. Bulk-DNA showed a signifi-cantly higher species richness than their associated eDNA samples, and also detectedadditional species to what was already reported at the specific sites. Our study con-firms that metabarcoding using the foraminiferal COI marker adequately retrieves thediversity and community composition of both the mock communities and the bulk-DNA samples. With its decreased variability compared with the commonly used nu-clear 18 S rRNA, the COI marker renders bulk-DNA metabarcoding a powerful tool toassess foraminiferal community composition under the condition that the referencedatabase is adequate to the target taxa.

Description: n the deep ocean, whale falls (deceased whales that sink to the seafloor) act as a boost of productivity in this otherwise generally food-limited setting, nourishing organisms from sharks to microbes during the various stages of their decomposition. Annelid worms are habitual colonizers of whale falls, with new species regularly reported from these settings and their systematics helping to resolve biogeographic patterns among deep-sea organic fall environments. During a 2017 expedition of the Australian research vessel RV Investigator to sample bathyal to abyssal communities off Australia’s east coast, a natural whale fall was opportunistically trawled at ~1000 m depth. In this study, we provide detailed taxonomic descriptions of the annelids associated with this whale-fall community, using both morphological and molecular techniques. From this material we describe nine new species from five families (Dorvilleidae: Ophryotrocha dahlgreni sp. nov. Ophryotrocha hanneloreae sp. nov., Ophryotrocha ravarae sp. nov.; Hesionidae: Vrijenhoekia timoharai sp. nov.; Nereididae: Neanthes adriangloveri sp. nov., Neanthes visicete sp. nov.; Orbiniidae: Orbiniella jamesi sp. nov.), including two belonging to the bone-eating genus Osedax (Siboglinidae: Osedax waadjum sp. nov., Osedax byronbayensis sp. nov.) that are the first to be described from Australian waters. We further provide systematic accounts for 10 taxa within the Ampharetidae, Amphinomidae, Microphthalmidae, Nereididae, Orbiniidae, Phyllodocidae, Protodrilidae, Sphaerodoridae and Phascolosomatidae. Our investigations uncover unique occurrences and for the first time enable the evaluation of biogeographic links between Australian whale falls and others in the western Pacific as well as worldwide.

Description: Here we present the experimental design and results from a new mid-Pliocene simulation using the latest version of the UK's physical climate model, HadGEM3-GC31-LL, conducted under the auspices of CMIP6/PMIP4/PlioMIP2. Although two other palaeoclimate simulations have been recently run using this model, they both focused on more recent periods within the Quaternary, and therefore this is the first time this version of the UK model has been run this far back in time. The mid-Pliocene Warm Period, ∼3 Ma, is of particular interest because it represents a time period when the Earth was in equilibrium with CO2 concentrations roughly equivalent to those of today, providing a possible analogue for current and future climate change. The implementation of the Pliocene boundary conditions is firstly described in detail, based on the PRISM4 dataset, including CO2, ozone, orography, ice mask, lakes, vegetation fractions and vegetation functional types. These were incrementally added into the model, to change from a pre-industrial setup to a Pliocene setup. The results of the simulation are then presented, which are firstly compared with the model's pre-industrial simulation, secondly with previous versions of the same model and with available proxy data, and thirdly with all other models included in PlioMIP2. Firstly, the comparison with the pre-industrial simulation suggests that the Pliocene simulation is consistent with current understanding and existing work, showing warmer and wetter conditions, and with the greatest warming occurring over high-latitude and polar regions. The global mean surface air temperature anomaly at the end of the Pliocene simulation is 5.1 ∘C, which is the second highest of all models included in PlioMIP2 and is consistent with the fact that HadGEM3-GC31-LL has one of the highest Effective Climate Sensitivities of all CMIP6 models. Secondly, the comparison with previous generation models and with proxy data suggests a clear increase in global sea surface temperatures as the model has undergone development. Up to a certain level of warming, this results in a better agreement with available proxy data, and the “sweet spot” appears to be the previous CMIP5 generation of the model, HadGEM2-AO. The most recent simulation presented here, however, appears to show poorer agreement with the proxy data compared with HadGEM2 and may be overly sensitive to the Pliocene boundary conditions, resulting in a climate that is too warm. Thirdly, the comparison with other models from PlioMIP2 further supports this conclusion, with HadGEM3-GC31-LL being one of the warmest and wettest models in all of PlioMIP2, and if all the models are ordered according to agreement with proxy data, HadGEM3-GC31-LL ranks approximately halfway among them. A caveat to these results is the relatively short run length of the simulation, meaning the model is not in full equilibrium. Given the computational cost of the model it was not possible to run it for a longer period; a Gregory plot analysis indicates that had it been allowed to come to full equilibrium, the final global mean surface temperature could have been approximately 1.5 ∘C higher.

Description: Borys Malkin (1917-2009) is arguably one of the most important yet least known twentieth-cen-tury collectors of Indigenous material culture from South America, with especially numerous collecting expeditions to the Amazon region. In fact, his contact with museums worldwide and the systematic way in which he collected and sold his materials can be characterized as a form of wholesale collecting that rested upon the creation of chains of supply and demand typical of a market economy. In this article, we explore the ways in which Malkin engaged with Indigenous peoples, intermediaries, and museums in South America, North America and in Europe in order to create this network of “producers” or “suppliers”, on the one hand, and potential buyers on the other. We do so by presenting information about the scope and breadth of his Indigenous collections, and then investigating his modus operandi. We conclude that the successful spreading of his collections in various museums and the constant pres-ence in exhibitions of objects from collections formed by Malkin shaped, in a significant way, the face of Lowland South America in ethno-graphic museums of the Global North.

Description: Ecological regime shifts in the marine realm have been recorded from a variety of systems and locations around the world. Coral reefs have been especially affected, with their benthic habitat changing from a dominance of stony corals to a dominance of other organisms such as fleshy algae. To detect changes in the benthic habitat of coral reefs, simple tools applicable on a global scale are necessary for future monitoring programs. Hence, the aim of this research is to explore the hypothesis that shifts in assemblages of large benthic foraminifera (LBF) can detect early signs of degradation in the reef benthic habitat. To do so, data on living assemblages of LBF collected between 1997 and 2018 at 12 islands in the Spermonde Archipelago (South Sulawesi, Indonesia) were analyzed. Foraminiferal specimens were morphologically identified to the species level and statistical analyses performed to assess changes in their assemblage composition. A clear temporal shift was observed. Typical foraminiferal assemblages in a coral-dominated (e.g., Amphistegina lobifera, Calcarina spengleri, Heterostegina depressa) and fleshy algaedominated (e.g., Neorotalia gaimardi, C. mayori) reef habitats were identified and significantly linked to the substrate type. Other species (e.g., Elphidium spp., Peneroplis planatus and Sphaerogypsina globulus) seem to reflect a spatial and temporal gradient of anthropogenic pollution from local inhabited islands and ongoing urban development on the mainland. Hence communities of LBF consistently follow gradual shifts in environmental conditions. Additionally to foraminiferal assemblages being an indicator for actual reef condition, closely monitoring LBF may provide early information on reef degradation, in time to take action against identified stressors (e.g., eutrophication or intensive fishing) at local and regional scales. The circumtropical distribution of LBF is such that they can be included worldwide in reef monitoring programs, conditional to calibration to the regional species pool.

Description: Despite increasing recognition of the need for more diverse and equitable representation in the sciences, it is unclear whether measurable progress has been made. Here, we examine trends in authorship in coral reef science from 1,677 articles published over the past 16 years (2003–2018) and find that while representation of authors that are women (from 18 to 33%) and from non-OECD nations (from 4 to 13%) have increased over time, progress is slow in achieving more equitable representation. For example, at the current rate, it would take over two decades for female representation to reach 50%. Given that there are more coral reef non-OECD countries, at the current rate, truly equitable representation of non-OECD countries would take even longer. OECD nations also continue to dominate authorship contributions in coral reef science (89%), in research conducted in both OECD (63%) and non-OECD nations (68%). We identify systemic issues that remain prevalent in coral reef science (i.e., parachute science, gender bias) that likely contribute to observed trends. We provide recommendations to address systemic biases in research to foster a more inclusive global science community. Adoption of these recommendations will lead to more creative, innovative, and impactful scientific approaches urgently needed for coral reefs and contribute to environmental justice efforts.

Description: Laboratory experiments suggest that the evolution of in-plane shear rupture along an interface separating two elastic blocks typically shows a transition from slow to fast slip. In contrast to the commonly used continuum mechanics-based approaches, here we study the shear rupture process along a weak interface using the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) method. We incorporate a slip-weakening constitutive friction law to simulate the initiation and propagation of shear rupture under external conditions of a constant normal load and a steadily increased shear load. As the shear load increases, our modeling results reveal a sharp transition from episodic expansion and arrest to unstable runaway rupture, consistent with previous experimental results. In the stage of dynamic runaway, rupture velocity is limited by the Rayleigh wave velocity. We further investigate the effects of external loading conditions including load point velocity and normal stress on rupture behavior. We find that the dynamic rupture velocity increases with load point velocity and normal stress, also consistent with previous studies. Our results indicate that the DDA method can well capture some of the general characteristics of shear rupture process and, hence, can be applied to study other aspects of dynamic shear ruptures.

Description: Typical resistant REE phosphates xenotime and monazite are important REE carriers in various types of rocks but the supergene mobility of REE in these minerals remains controversial. In this study, we hypothesize that microbes drive the natural weathering of these resistant REE phosphates. We conducted room-temperature bio-weathering experiments of xenotime concentrate with a common soil bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis, Bt) isolated from a regolith-hosted REE deposit. Our results showed that Bt was able to promote the dissolution of xenotime and monazite in the concentrate, and the release of REE was enhanced by up to two orders of magnitude. In the bio-weathering medium buffered at pH = 6, the apparent release rates of total REE were in the range of 10−13–10−12 mol·m−2·s−1, with Y releasing at the fastest rates of ∼10−13 mol·m−2·s−1. Furthermore, the estimated dissolution rate of monazite (∼10−9 g·m−2·s−1) was one order of magnitude higher than that of xenotime (∼10−10 g·m−2·s−1) due to a more refractory nature of xenotime determined by its chemical and mineralogical characteristics. On account of the extremely low solubility of REE phosphates, portions of the released REE could be re-precipitated as meta-stable phosphates during mineral dissolution, resulting in the underestimation of the release of REE from primary minerals. Bt could produce various organic acids and acidify the media, promoting the dissolution of resistant phosphates through proton- and ligand-promoted mechanisms. The results of our study suggest that microbes have a high potential to facilitate REE liberation from resistant xenotime and monazite, posing new insight into the biogeochemical cycling of REE on Earth's surface.

Description: Contemporary quantum plasmonics capture subtle corrections to the properties of plasmonic nano-objects in equilibrium. Here, we demonstrate non-equilibrium spill-out redistribution of the electronic density at the ultrafast time scale. As revealed by time-resolved 2D spectroscopy of nanoplasmonic Fe/Au bilayers, an injection of the laser-excited non-thermal electrons induces transient electron spill-out thus changing the plasma frequency. The response of the local electronic density switches the electronic density behavior from spill-in to strong (an order of magnitude larger) spill-out at the femtosecond time scale. The superdiffusive transport of hot electrons and the lack of a direct laser heating indicate significantly non-thermal origin of the underlying physics. Our results demonstrate an ultrafast and non-thermal way to control surface plasmon dispersion through transient variations of the spatial electron distribution at the nanoscale. These findings expand quantum plasmonics into previously unexplored directions by introducing ultrashort time scales in the non-equilibrium electronic systems.

Description: We have developed a novel set of (Mn3O4 and/or MnxNi1-xO)/NiO heterostructured nanocrystals (HNCs) that show promise for multifunctionality. A two-step procedure was used to synthesize our HNC samples. Thermal decomposition was used first to synthesize NiO core nanoparticles, while hydrothermal synthesis under varying pH conditions was then used to produce overgrowth of a MnxNi1-xO shell and/or Mn3O4 islands on the NiO core. In this work, we report on the investigation of the defects and surface/interface chemistry of our HNC samples using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results from a detailed analysis of the Mn 2p XPS spectra show that the Mn3+:Mn2+ ratio increases with the increasing pH value used in synthesis of the samples. This is consistent with a trend toward a predominance of Mn3O4 islands at higher pH values, a predominance of MnxNi1-xO shell at the lowest pH values, and a mixture of both for intermediate pH values. A reduction of the satellite features of the Ni 2p XPS with increasing pH of the synthesis medium is attributed predominantly to surface/interface defects of the HNCs. Fitting of the O 1 s XPS spectra shows that Ni-OH and Mn-OH are likely the dominant contributions to the lateral peak, whereas defects such as oxygen in an oxygen-deficient environment and/or oxygen vacancies comprise a smaller contribution. Analysis of both the Ni 2p and O 1 s XPS measured from our samples only shows evidence for a Ni2+ chemical environment (i.e., negligible Ni3+) in octahedral coordination, consistent with a rocksalt structure and well-ordered NiO or MnxNi1-xO nanomaterial. The presence of point defects and the nature of the surface/interface chemistry as determined using XPS suggests that our HNC samples may also be suitable for heterogeneous catalysis applications.

Description: Heterostructures increasingly attracted attention over the past several years to enable various optoelectronic and photonic applications. In this work, atomically thin interfaces of Ir/Al2O3 heterostructures compatible with micro-optoelectronic technologies are reported. Their structural and optical properties were determined by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques (XRR, XPS, HRTEM, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and UV/vis/NIR spectrophotometry). The XRR and HRTEM analyses reveal a layer-by-layer growth mechanism of Ir in atomic scale heterostructures, which is different from the typical island-type growth of metals on dielectrics. Alongside, XPS investigations imply the formation of Ir–O–Al bonding at the interfaces for lower Ir concentrations, in contrast to the nanoparticle core–shell structure formation. Precisely tuning the ratio of the constituents ensures the control of the dispersion profile along with a transition from effective dielectric to metallic heterostructures. The Ir coating thickness was varied ranging from a few angstroms to films of about 7 nm in the heterostructures. The transition has been observed in the structures containing individual Ir coating thicknesses of about 2–4 nm. Following this, we show epsilon-near-zero metamaterials with tunable dielectric constants by precisely varying the composition of such heterostructures. Overall, a comprehensive study on structural and optical properties of the metal–dielectric interfaces of Ir/Al2O3 heterostructures was addressed, indicating an extension of the material portfolio available for novel optical functionalities.

Description: Locked areas of subduction megathrusts are increasingly found to coincide with landscape features sculpted over hundreds of thousand years, yet the mechanisms that underlie such correlations remain elusive. We show that interseismic locking gradients induce increments of irreversible strain across the overriding plate manifested predominantly as distributed seismicity. Summing these increments over hundreds of earthquake cycles produces a spatially variable field of uplift representing the unbalance of co-, post-, and interseismic strain. This long-term uplift explains first-order geomorphological features of subduction zones such as the position of the continental erosive shelf break, the distribution of marine terraces and peninsulas, and the profile of forearc rivers. Inelastic yielding of the forearc thus encodes short-term locking patterns in subduction landscapes, hinting that megathrust locking is stable over multiple earthquake cycles and highlighting the role geomorphology can play in constraining Earth’s greatest source of seismic hazard.

Description: We present transient simulations of the last glacial inception using the Earth system model CLIMBER-X with dynamic vegetation, interactive ice sheets, and visco-elastic solid Earth responses. The simulations are initialized at the middle of the Eemian interglacial (125 kiloyears before present, ka) and run until 100 ka, driven by prescribed changes in Earth's orbital parameters and greenhouse gas concentrations from ice core data. CLIMBER-X simulates a rapid increase in Northern Hemisphere ice sheet area through MIS5d, with ice sheets expanding over northern North America and Scandinavia, in broad agreement with proxy reconstructions. While most of the increase in ice sheet area occurs over a relatively short period between 119 and 117 ka, the larger part of the increase in ice volume occurs afterwards with an almost constant ice sheet extent. We show that the vegetation feedback plays a fundamental role in controlling the ice sheet expansion during the last glacial inception. In particular, with prescribed present-day vegetation the model simulates a global sea level drop of only ∼ 20 m, compared with the ∼ 35 m decrease in sea level with dynamic vegetation response. The ice sheet and carbon cycle feedbacks play only a minor role during the ice sheet expansion phase prior to ∼ 115 ka but are important in limiting the deglaciation during the following phase characterized by increasing summer insolation. The model results are sensitive to climate model biases and to the parameterization of snow albedo, while they show only a weak dependence on changes in the ice sheet model resolution and the acceleration factor used to speed up the climate component. Overall, our simulations confirm and refine previous results showing that climate–vegetation–cryosphere feedbacks play a fundamental role in the transition from interglacial to glacial states characterizing Quaternary glacial cycles.

Description: In this article the author name Matthew Mazloff was incorrectly written as Matthew Mazloeff. The original article has been corrected.

Description: Sea ice controls and is influenced by the exchange of energy, moisture and momentum between the underlying ocean and the lower atmospheric boundary layer. The physical properties of sea ice play a critical role in modulating these interactions. Of particular importance is the temporal evolution of the thickness of the ice and snow layers, both of which are a result of seasonally and spatially highly variable growth and decay processes. To investigate whether large-scale changes in the Arctic sea ice cover such as a general thinning and increased drift speeds are also imprinted on long term data sets from autonomous drifting platforms, we present an analysis of sea ice properties derived from sea ice mass balance buoys deployed in the transpolar drift system between 2012 and 2023, thus including the period of the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) experiment in 2019/20. In particular, we aim to assess whether the observed variations in sea ice mass balance by ice growth and melt in recent years are significantly different from previous years, or whether they remain consistent on an interannual time scale. To achieve this, a uniform processing scheme is developed and applied to large set of buoys with the aim to minimize methodological ambiguities in the derivation of snow–ice–ocean interfaces. We also present comparisons with external factors (both thermodynamic and dynamical) derived from satellite data and atmospheric reanalysis that influence the local sea ice mass balance observed by the buoys during their drift towards Fram Strait and adjacent seas.

Description: Knowledge of winter sea ice production in Arctic polynyas is an important prerequisite for estimating the dense water formation that drives vertical mixing in the upper ocean. Satellite techniques using relatively high-resolution thermal infrared data from MODIS in combination with atmospheric reanalysis data have proved to be a powerful tool for monitoring large and regularly forming polynyas and for resolving narrow thin ice areas (i.e. leads) along shelf breaks and across the Arctic Ocean. However, the selection of atmospheric data sets has a strong influence on the derived polynya characteristics, as it affects the calculation of heat loss to the atmosphere, which is determined by the local thin-ice thickness. To overcome this methodological ambiguity, we present a temperature adjustment algorithm that provides corrections to the 2-m air temperature through MODIS ice surface temperatures. It thus reduces the differences in calculated surface heat fluxes that can result from the use of varying atmospheric input data sets. The adjustment algorithm itself is based on atmospheric model simulations. We focus on the Laptev Sea region for detailed case studies of the developed algorithm and present time series of polynya characteristics in the winter season of 2019/20, which in general was characterized by a particularly strong polar vortex and inherent effects on sea ice dynamics. It becomes apparent that the application of the empirically derived correction significantly reduces the difference between the different atmospheric products used from 49% to 23%. We apply additional filtering strategies that aim to increase the ability to include leads in the quasi-daily and persistence-filtered thin-ice thickness composites.

Description: Correction to: Scientific Data, published online 22 June 2023 The original version showed the wrong image for Figure 3, with the image for Figure 4 used for both. This has been corrected in the pdf and HTML versions of the article, with the correct version of Figure 3 replacing the duplicated figure. The dates in the figure captions were also incorrect and have been amended as follows: Figure 3 caption: “from 2019-10-25 - 2020-07-30” modified to “from 2019-10-25 - 2020-05-15” Figure 4 caption: “from 2020-02-25 - 2020-07-30” modified to “from 2020-06-13 - 2020-07-30”.

Description: 〈jats:p〉One hundred and thirty years ago, Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian polar explorer and scientist, set off on a bold three-year journey to investigate the unknown Arctic Ocean. The expedition relied on a critical technological development: a small, strong, and maneuverable vessel, powered by sail and an engine, with an endurance of five years for twelve men. His intellectual curiosity and careful observations led to an early glimpse of the Arctic Ocean’s circulation and its unique ecosystem. Some of Nansen’s findings on sea ice and the penetration of Atlantic Water into the Arctic Ocean established a benchmark against which we have measured profound changes over the past few decades. In contrast, little was known about the Arctic Ocean’s ecosystem processes prior to the onset of anthropogenic climate change. Nansen’s successes, which paved the way for subsequent research, were gained in part from Indigenous Greenlanders who taught him how to survive in this harsh environment.〈/jats:p〉

Description: The sensitivity of sea ice to the contrasting seasonal and perennial snow properties in the southeastern and northwestern Weddell Sea is not yet considered in sea ice model and satellite remote sensing applications. However, the analysis of physical snowpack properties in late summer in recent years reveals a high fraction of melt-freeze forms resulting in significant higher snow densities in the northwestern than in the eastern Weddell Sea. The resulting lower thermal conductivity of the snowpack, which is only half of what has been previously assumed in models in the eastern Weddell Sea, reduces the sea ice bottom growth by 18 cm during winter. In the northwest, however, the potentially formed snow ice thickness of 22 cm at the snow/ice interface contributes to additional 7 cm of thermodynamic ice growth at the bottom. This sensitivity study emphasizes the enormous impact of unappreciated regional differences in snowpack properties on the thermodynamic ice growth.

Description: NORP-SORP Workshop on Polar Fresh Water: Sources, Pathways and Impacts of Freshwater in Northern and Southern Polar Oceans and Seas (SPICE-UP) What: Up to 60 participants at a time and more than twice as many registrants in total from 20 nations and across experience levels met to discuss the current status of research on freshwater in both polar regions, future directions, and synergies between the Arctic and Southern Ocean research communities When: 19–21 September 2022 Where: Online

Description: The amount of snow on Arctic sea ice impacts the ice mass budget. Wind redistribution of snow into open water in leads is hypothesized to cause significant wintertime snow loss. However, there are no direct measurements of snow loss into Arctic leads. We measured the snow lost in four leads in the Central Arctic in winter 2020. We find, contrary to expectations, that under typical winter conditions, minimal snow was lost into leads. However, during a cyclone that delivered warm air temperatures, high winds, and snowfall, 35.0 ± 1.1 cm snow water equivalent (SWE) was lost into a lead (per unit lead area). This corresponded to a removal of 0.7–1.1 cm SWE from the entire surface—∼6%–10% of this site's annual snow precipitation. Warm air temperatures, which increase the length of time that wintertime leads remain unfrozen, may be an underappreciated factor in snow loss into leads.

Description: Year-round snow cover is a characteristic of the entire Antarctic sea ice cover, which has significant implications for the energy and mass budgets of sea ice, e.g., by preventing surface melt in summer and enhancing sea ice growth through extensive snow ice formation. However, substantial observational gaps in the seasonal cycle of Antarctic sea ice and its snow cover limit the understanding of important processes in the ice-covered Southern Ocean. They also introduce large uncertainties in satellite remote sensing applications and climate studies. Here we present results from 10 years of autonomous snow observations from Snow Buoys in the Weddell Sea. To distinguish between actual snow depth and potential snow ice thickness within the accumulated snowpack, a one-dimensional thermodynamic sea ice model is applied along the drift trajectories of the buoys. The results show that potential snow ice formation, with an average maximum thickness of 35cm, was detected along 41% of the total track length of the analyzed Snow Buoy tracks, which corresponds to about one-quarter of the snow accumulation. In addition, we simulate the evolution of internal snow properties along the drift trajectories with the more complex SNOWPACK model, which results in superimposed ice thicknesses between 0 and 14cm on top of the snow ice layer. These estimates will provide an important reference dataset for both snow depth and meteoric ice rates in the Southern Ocean.

Description: We use meteorological measurements from three drifting buoys to evaluate the performance of the ERA-Interim and ERA5 atmospheric reanalyses from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts over the Weddell Sea ice zone. The temporal variability in surface pressure and near-surface air temperature is captured well by the two reanalyses but both reanalyses exhibit a warm bias relative to the buoy measurements. This bias is small at temperatures close to 0°C but reaches 5–10°C at −40°C. For two of the buoys the mean temperature bias in ERA5 is significantly smaller than that in ERA-Interim while for the third buoy the biases in the two products are comparable. 10 m wind speed biases in both reanalyses are small and may largely result from measurement errors associated with icing of the buoy anemometers. The biases in downwelling shortwave and longwave radiation are significant in both reanalyses but we caution that the pattern of bias is consistent with potential errors in the buoy measurements, caused by accumulation of snow and ice on the radiometers. Overall, our study suggests that, with the exception of near-surface temperature, both reanalyses reproduce the buoy measurements to within the limits of measurement uncertainty. We suggest that the significant biases in near-surface air temperature may result from the simplified representation of sea ice used in the reanalysis models, and we recommend the use of a more sophisticated representation of sea ice, including variable ice and snow thicknesses, in future reanalyses.

Description: Trace gases have demonstrated their strength for oceanographic studies, with applications ranging from the tracking of glacial meltwater plumes to estimates of the abyssal overturning duration. Yet measurements of such passive tracers in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean are sparse. We here present a unique data set of trace gases collected during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition, during which R/V Polarstern drifted along with the Arctic sea ice from the Laptev Sea to Fram Strait, from October 2019 to September 2020. During the expedition, trace gases from anthropogenic origin (chlorofluorocarbon 12 (CFC-12), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and tritium) along with noble gases (helium and neon) and their isotopes were collected at a weekly or higher temporal resolution throughout the entire water column (and occasionally in the snow) from the ship and from the ice. We describe the sampling procedures along with their challenges, the analysis methods, and the data sets, and we present case studies in the central Arctic Ocean and Fram Strait to illustrate possible usage for the data along with their robustness. Combined with simultaneous hydrographic measurements, these trace gas data sets can be used for process studies and water mass tracing throughout the Arctic in subsequent analyses. The two data sets can be downloaded via PANGAEA: https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.961729 (Huhn et al., 2023a) and https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.961738 (Huhn et al., 2023b).

Description: Repeated transects have become the backbone of spatially distributed ice and snow thickness measurements crucial for understanding of ice mass balance. Here we detail the transects at the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) 2019-2020, which represent the first such measurements collected across an entire season. Compared with similar historical transects, the snow at MOSAiC was thin (mean depths of approximately 0.1-0.3 m), while the sea ice was relatively thick first-year ice (FYI) and second-year ice (SYI). SYI was of two distinct types: relatively thin level ice formed from surfaces with extensive melt pond cover, and relatively thick deformed ice. On level SYI, spatial signatures of refrozen melt ponds remained detectable in January. At the beginning of winter the thinnest ice also had the thinnest snow, with winter growth rates of thin ice (0.33 m month-1 for FYI, 0.24 m month-1 for previously ponded SYI) exceeding that of thick ice (0.2 m month-1). By January, FYI already had a greater modal ice thickness (1.1 m) than previously ponded SYI (0.9 m). By February, modal thickness of all SYI and FYI became indistinguishable at about 1.4 m. The largest modal thicknesses were measured in May at 1.7 m. Transects included deformed ice, where largest volumes of snow accumulated by April. The remaining snow on level ice exhibited typical spatial heterogeneity in the form of snow dunes. Spatial correlation length scales for snow and sea ice ranged from 20 to 40 m or 60 to 90 m, depending on the sampling direction, which suggests that the known anisotropy of snow dunes also manifests in spatial patterns in sea ice thickness. The diverse snow and ice thickness data obtained from the MOSAiC transects represent an invaluable resource for model and remote sensing product development.

Description: Data from the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition allowed us to investigate the temporal dynamics of snowfall, snow accumulation and erosion in great detail for almost the whole accumulation season (November 2019 to May 2020). We computed cumulative snow water equivalent (SWE) over the sea ice based on snow depth and density retrievals from a SnowMicroPen and approximately weekly measured snow depths along fixed transect paths. We used the derived SWE from the snow cover to compare with precipitation sensors installed during MOSAiC. The data were also compared with ERA5 reanalysis snowfall rates for the drift track. We found an accumulated snow mass of 38 m SWE between the end of October 2019 and end of April 2020. The initial SWE over first-year ice relative to second-year ice increased from 50 % to 90 % by end of the investigation period. Further, we found that the Vaisala Present Weather Detector 22, an optical precipitation sensor, and installed on a railing on the top deck of research vessel Polarstern, was least affected by blowing snow and showed good agreements with SWE retrievals along the transect. On the contrary, the OTT Pluvio2 pluviometer and the OTT Parsivel2 laser disdrometer were largely affected by wind and blowing snow, leading to too high measured precipitation rates. These are largely reduced when eliminating drifting snow periods in the comparison. ERA5 reveals good timing of the snowfall events and good agreement with ground measurements with an overestimation tendency. Retrieved snowfall from the ship-based Ka-band ARM zenith radar shows good agreements with SWE of the snow cover and differences comparable to those of ERA5. Based on the results, we suggest the Ka-band radar-derived snowfall as an upper limit and the present weather detector on RV Polarstern as a lower limit of a cumulative snowfall range. Based on these findings, we suggest a cumulative snowfall of 72 to 107 m and a precipitation mass loss of the snow cover due to erosion and sublimation as between 47 % and 68 %, for the time period between 31 October 2019 and 26 April 2020. Extending this period beyond available snow cover measurements, we suggest a cumulative snowfall of 98-114 m.

Description: Measurements targeting mesoscale and smaller-scale processes in the ice-covered part of the Arctic Ocean are sparse in all seasons. As a result, there are significant knowledge gaps with respect to these processes, particularly related to the role of eddies and fronts in the coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice system. Here we present a unique observational dataset of upper ocean temperature and salinity collected by a set of buoys installed on ice floes as part of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) Distributed Network. The multi-sensor systems, each equipped with five temperature and salinity recorders on a 100 m long inductive modem tether, drifted together with the main MOSAiC ice camp through the Arctic Transpolar Drift between October 2019 and August 2020. They transmitted hydrographic in situ data via the iridium satellite network at 10 min intervals. While three buoys failed early due to ice dynamics, five of them recorded data continuously for 10 months. A total of four units were successfully recovered in early August 2020, additionally yielding internally stored instrument data at 2 min intervals. The raw data were merged, processed, quality controlled, and validated using independent measurements also obtained during MOSAiC. Compilations of the raw and processed datasets are publicly available at 10.1594/PANGAEA.937271 and 10.1594/PANGAEA.940320 , respectively. As an important part of the MOSAiC physical oceanography program, this unique dataset has many synergies with the manifold co-located observational datasets and is expected to yield significant insights into ocean processes and to contribute to the validation of high-resolution numerical simulations. While this dataset has the potential to contribute to submesoscale process studies, this paper mainly highlights selected preliminary findings on mesoscale processes.

Description: Snow plays an essential role in the Arctic as the interface between the sea ice and the atmosphere. Optical properties, thermal conductivity and mass distribution are critical to understanding the complex Arctic sea ice system’s energy balance and mass distribution. By conducting measurements from October 2019 to September 2020 on the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition, we have produced a dataset capturing the year-long evolution of the physical properties of the snow and surface scattering layer, a highly porous surface layer on Arctic sea ice that evolves due to preferential melt at the ice grain boundaries. The dataset includes measurements of snow during MOSAiC. Measurements included profiles of depth, density, temperature, snow water equivalent, penetration resistance, stable water isotope, salinity and microcomputer tomography samples. Most snowpit sites were visited and measured weekly to capture the temporal evolution of the physical properties of snow. The compiled dataset includes 576 snowpits and describes snow conditions during the MOSAiC expedition.

Description: 〈jats:title〉Abstract〈/jats:title〉 〈jats:p〉—J. BLUNDEN, T. BOYER, AND E. BARTOW-GILLIES〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉Earth’s global climate system is vast, complex, and intricately interrelated. Many areas are influenced by global-scale phenomena, including the “triple dip” La Niña conditions that prevailed in the eastern Pacific Ocean nearly continuously from mid-2020 through all of 2022; by regional phenomena such as the positive winter and summer North Atlantic Oscillation that impacted weather in parts the Northern Hemisphere and the negative Indian Ocean dipole that impacted weather in parts of the Southern Hemisphere; and by more localized systems such as high-pressure heat domes that caused extreme heat in different areas of the world. Underlying all these natural short-term variabilities are long-term climate trends due to continuous increases since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the atmospheric concentrations of Earth’s major greenhouse gases.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉In 2022, the annual global average carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere rose to 417.1±0.1 ppm, which is 50% greater than the pre-industrial level. Global mean tropospheric methane abundance was 165% higher than its pre-industrial level, and nitrous oxide was 24% higher. All three gases set new record-high atmospheric concentration levels in 2022.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉Sea-surface temperature patterns in the tropical Pacific characteristic of La Niña and attendant atmospheric patterns tend to mitigate atmospheric heat gain at the global scale, but the annual global surface temperature across land and oceans was still among the six highest in records dating as far back as the mid-1800s. It was the warmest La Niña year on record. Many areas observed record or near-record heat. Europe as a whole observed its second-warmest year on record, with sixteen individual countries observing record warmth at the national scale. Records were shattered across the continent during the summer months as heatwaves plagued the region. On 18 July, 104 stations in France broke their all-time records. One day later, England recorded a temperature of 40°C for the first time ever. China experienced its second-warmest year and warmest summer on record. In the Southern Hemisphere, the average temperature across New Zealand reached a record high for the second year in a row. While Australia’s annual temperature was slightly below the 1991–2020 average, Onslow Airport in Western Australia reached 50.7°C on 13 January, equaling Australia's highest temperature on record.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉While fewer in number and locations than record-high temperatures, record cold was also observed during the year. Southern Africa had its coldest August on record, with minimum temperatures as much as 5°C below normal over Angola, western Zambia, and northern Namibia. Cold outbreaks in the first half of December led to many record-low daily minimum temperature records in eastern Australia.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉The effects of rising temperatures and extreme heat were apparent across the Northern Hemisphere, where snow-cover extent by June 2022 was the third smallest in the 56-year record, and the seasonal duration of lake ice cover was the fourth shortest since 1980. More frequent and intense heatwaves contributed to the second-greatest average mass balance loss for Alpine glaciers around the world since the start of the record in 1970. Glaciers in the Swiss Alps lost a record 6% of their volume. In South America, the combination of drought and heat left many central Andean glaciers snow free by mid-summer in early 2022; glacial ice has a much lower albedo than snow, leading to accelerated heating of the glacier. Across the global cryosphere, permafrost temperatures continued to reach record highs at many high-latitude and mountain locations.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉In the high northern latitudes, the annual surface-air temperature across the Arctic was the fifth highest in the 123-year record. The seasonal Arctic minimum sea-ice extent, typically reached in September, was the 11th-smallest in the 43-year record; however, the amount of multiyear ice—ice that survives at least one summer melt season—remaining in the Arctic continued to decline. Since 2012, the Arctic has been nearly devoid of ice more than four years old.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉In Antarctica, an unusually large amount of snow and ice fell over the continent in 2022 due to several landfalling atmospheric rivers, which contributed to the highest annual surface mass balance, 15% to 16% above the 1991–2020 normal, since the start of two reanalyses records dating to 1980. It was the second-warmest year on record for all five of the long-term staffed weather stations on the Antarctic Peninsula. In East Antarctica, a heatwave event led to a new all-time record-high temperature of −9.4°C—44°C above the March average—on 18 March at Dome C. This was followed by the collapse of the critically unstable Conger Ice Shelf. More than 100 daily low sea-ice extent and sea-ice area records were set in 2022, including two new all-time annual record lows in net sea-ice extent and area in February.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉Across the world’s oceans, global mean sea level was record high for the 11th consecutive year, reaching 101.2 mm above the 1993 average when satellite altimetry measurements began, an increase of 3.3±0.7 over 2021. Globally-averaged ocean heat content was also record high in 2022, while the global sea-surface temperature was the sixth highest on record, equal with 2018. Approximately 58% of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2022. In the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand’s longest continuous marine heatwave was recorded.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉A total of 85 named tropical storms were observed during the Northern and Southern Hemisphere storm seasons, close to the 1991–2020 average of 87. There were three Category 5 tropical cyclones across the globe—two in the western North Pacific and one in the North Atlantic. This was the fewest Category 5 storms globally since 2017. Globally, the accumulated cyclone energy was the lowest since reliable records began in 1981. Regardless, some storms caused massive damage. In the North Atlantic, Hurricane Fiona became the most intense and most destructive tropical or post-tropical cyclone in Atlantic Canada’s history, while major Hurricane Ian killed more than 100 people and became the third costliest disaster in the United States, causing damage estimated at $113 billion U.S. dollars. In the South Indian Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai dropped 2044 mm of rain at Commerson Crater in Réunion. The storm also impacted Madagascar, where 121 fatalities were reported.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉As is typical, some areas around the world were notably dry in 2022 and some were notably wet. In August, record high areas of land across the globe (6.2%) were experiencing extreme drought. Overall, 29% of land experienced moderate or worse categories of drought during the year. The largest drought footprint in the contiguous United States since 2012 (63%) was observed in late October. The record-breaking megadrought of central Chile continued in its 13th consecutive year, and 80-year record-low river levels in northern Argentina and Paraguay disrupted fluvial transport. In China, the Yangtze River reached record-low values. Much of equatorial eastern Africa had five consecutive below-normal rainy seasons by the end of 2022, with some areas receiving record-low precipitation totals for the year. This ongoing 2.5-year drought is the most extensive and persistent drought event in decades, and led to crop failure, millions of livestock deaths, water scarcity, and inflated prices for staple food items.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉In South Asia, Pakistan received around three times its normal volume of monsoon precipitation in August, with some regions receiving up to eight times their expected monthly totals. Resulting floods affected over 30 million people, caused over 1700 fatalities, led to major crop and property losses, and was recorded as one of the world’s costliest natural disasters of all time. Near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Petrópolis received 530 mm in 24 hours on 15 February, about 2.5 times the monthly February average, leading to the worst disaster in the city since 1931 with over 230 fatalities.〈/jats:p〉 〈jats:p〉On 14–15 January, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai submarine volcano in the South Pacific erupted multiple times. The injection of water into the atmosphere was unprecedented in both magnitude—far exceeding any previous values in the 17-year satellite record—and altitude as it penetrated into the mesosphere. The amount of water injected into the stratosphere is estimated to be 146±5 Terragrams, or ∼10% of the total amount in the stratosphere. It may take several years for the water plume to dissipate, and it is currently unknown whether this eruption will have any long-term climate effect.〈/jats:p〉

Description: We examined mixing processes within the ice–ocean boundary layer (IOBL) close to the geographic North Pole, with an emphasis on wind-driven sea ice drift. Observations were conducted from late August to late September 2020, during the final leg of the international Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition. Measurements of ice motion, and profiles of currents, hydrography, and microstructure turbulence were conducted. The multifarious direct observations of sea ice and the upper ocean were used to quantify the transport of momentum, heat, and salt in the IOBL. The ice drift was mostly characterized by the inertial oscillation at a semi-diurnal frequency, which forced an inertial current in the mixed layer. Observation-derived heat and salinity fluxes at the ice–ocean interface suggest early termination of basal melting and transitioning to refreezing, resulting from a rise in the freezing point temperature by the presence of freshened near-surface water. Based on the friction velocity, the measured dissipation rate (ε) of turbulent energy can be approximated as 1.4–1.7 times of the “Law of the Wall” criterion. We also observed a spiraling Ekman flow and find its vertical extent in line with the estimate from ε-based diffusivity. Following passage of a storm, the enhanced oscillatory motions of the ice drift caused trapping of the near-inertial waves (NIWs) that exclusively propagated through the base of the weakly stratified mixed layer. We accounted Holmboe instabilities and NIWs for the observed distinct peak of the dissipation rate near the bottom of the mixed layer.

Description: Satellite altimetry missions flying over the ice-covered Arctic Ocean have opened the possibility of further understanding changes in the ocean beneath the sea ice. This requires complex processing of satellite signals emerging from the sea surface in leads within the sea ice, with efforts to generate consistent Arctic-wide datasets of sea surface height ongoing. The aim of this paper is to provide and assess a novel gridded dataset of sea surface height anomaly and geostrophic velocity, which incorporates both the ice-covered and open ocean areas of the Arctic. Data from the CryoSat-2 mission in the period 2011-2020 were gridded at monthly intervals, up to 88°N, using the Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis (DIVA) method. To examine the robustness of our results, we compare our dataset to independent satellite data, mooring time series and Arctic-wide hydrographic observations. We find that our dataset is well correlated with independent satellite data at monthly timescales. Comparisons to in situ ocean observations show that our dataset provides reliable information on the variability of sea surface height and surface geostrophic currents over geographically diverse regions of the Arctic Ocean and different dynamical regimes and sea ice states. At all comparison sites we find agreement with in situ observed variability at seasonal to interannual timescales. Furthermore, we find that our geostrophic velocity fields can resolve the variability of boundary currents wider than about 50km, a result relevant for studies of Arctic Ocean circulation. Additionally, large-scale seasonal features emerge. Sea surface height exhibits a wintertime Arctic-wide maximum, with the highest amplitude over the shelves. Also, we find a basin-wide seasonal acceleration of Arctic slope currents in winter. We suggest that this dataset can be used to study not only the large-scale sea surface height and circulation, but also the regionally confined boundary currents. The dataset is available in netCDF format from PANGAEA at 10.1594/PANGAEA.931869 .

Description: La presente obra expone el diagnóstico, modificado y complementado con un capítulo relativo al tema del manejo de la erosión costera, el cual aspira a ser una guía para los administradores locales y regionales y los planificadores del desarrollo, para orientar decisiones respecto Los mapas de esta publicación cubren una franja definida como zona costera, cuyos límites engloban el 100% de la cobertura de manglar y bosques de transición, así como las lagunas costeras hasta la cota máxima del nivel de la orilla, los terrenos emergidos de unidades de reserva y los centros urbanos costeros, amén de una zona de amortiguamiento de 2 km. En el mar, el límite llega hasta las 12 millas náuticas o la isóbata de los 200 m, lo que ocurra primero. Por tal motivo contemplan no sólo las unidades geomorfológicas del borde costero, sino también las facies sedimentarias de la plataforma tal y como figuran reportadas por los mapas de Dirección General Marítima (DIMAR).

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge number 5 will be marked by a move toward a more sustainable and climate-resilient ocean that aligns with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Crucially, the success of Challenge 5 is intricately linked to the outcomes of Challenges 1 to 4, which focus on understanding climate-ocean interactions, controlling marine pollution, conserving biodiversity, and ensuring sustainable food production. Success will include fulfillment of critical science and knowledge gaps with respect to climate adaptation and mitigation. Both approaches need to be addressed in parallel. Key mitigation approaches include the development of marine renewable energies, reduction in marine pollution, the development of blue carbon ecosystems, and marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). Adaptation approaches include increased ocean literacy/awareness; co-designed governance and co-operation; improved risk reduction policies; and improved predictive capability of ocean, climate, and weather forecasts. Challenge 5 was reported as one of the most commonly cited Challenges for knowledge uptake in the Decade. However, important gaps still remain in terms of the geographical scope of the actions under this and other challenges.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: This draft White Paper is one of a series of ten White Papers all of which have been authored by an expert Working Group. Accompanied by a synthesis report authored by the Decade Coordination Unit, it will be discussed at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference before being finalised and published. 1.2 Strategic Ambition of Ocean Decade Challenge No. 4 By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge No. 4: Develop a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, will be marked by significant advancements in establishing a knowledge-driven framework for informed decision-making and policy formulation. There will be enhanced collaboration among stakeholders, ensuring diverse community engagement and equitable benefit sharing while acknowledging and prioritising the culture, identity, and rights of IPLC that have historically depended on and thrived alongside ocean resources. Strategic mobilisation of blue finance will support investments in sustainable coastal and marine infrastructure, innovative technologies, and conservation efforts, reinforcing the economic foundation. Key policies and governance frameworks promoting sustainability and equity will be in place, alongside a balanced and reflective approach, laying the groundwork for a resilient and inclusive ocean economy. This success will be underpinned by improved data accessibility and capacity-sharing efforts, fostering a shared understanding and commitment to sustainable ocean use. Success will include fulfilment of the following critical science and knowledge gaps: addressing the interface between knowledge systems, policy implementation, and public-private partnerships to enable informed decision-making, focusing on biodiversity restoration, protection, and sustainable management as foundational elements of a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, and ensuring the inclusion of local and indigenous knowledge alongside environmental sustainability and social equity. The following priority datasets gaps will be targeted: comprehensive and up-to-date data on both human activities and state of the environment supporting informed and equitable decision-making and ensuring stakeholder and rights holder engagement in data capture and knowledge co-production. It will include robust capacity development and sharing as well as knowledge exchange to deepen understanding of ocean-human activity interconnections, emphasising investment in context-specific education, training, and research programs, and the integration of appropriate technology and innovation to support a sustainable, equitable, and resilient ocean economy and ensuring that future generations can benefit from the ocean's diverse resources and opportunities.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: This draft White Paper has been prepared as part of the Vision 2030 process of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (hereafter, Ocean Decade). The Vision 2030 process aims to identify tangible measures of success for each of the ten Ocean Decade Challenges by 2030. From a starting point of existing initiatives underway in the Ocean Decade and beyond, and through a lens of priority user needs, the process determines critical gaps in science and knowledge, needs for capacity development, priority datasets, infrastructure, and technology for each Challenge. Focusing investments in science and knowledge to address these needs will help ensure progress towards meeting each critical Challenge by the end of the Ocean Decade in 2030. The results of the process will contribute to the scoping of future Decade Actions, identification of resource mobilisation priorities, and ensure relevance of the Challenges over time. This draft White Paper is one of a series of ten White Papers, all of which have been authored by an expert Working Group and discussed at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference. A synthesis report, authored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO/IOC), will accompany the White Papers. With a substantial portion of people depending on the ocean as a primary source of nutrition and livelihood, a significant challenge comes into focus: How can we ensure that the ocean's resources continue to effectively nourish an expanding global population? The Ocean Decade responds to this critical concern through its Challenge 3: “Sustainably nourish the global population”.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: This draft White Paper has been prepared as part of the Vision 2030 process being undertaken in the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Vision 2030 process aims to achieve a common and tangible measure of success for each of the ten Ocean Decade Challenges by 2030. From a starting point of existing initiatives underway in the Ocean Decade and beyond, and through a lens of priority user needs, the process determines priority datasets, critical gaps in science and knowledge, and needs in capacity development, infrastructure and technology required for each Challenge to ensure that it can be fulfilled by the end of the Ocean Decade in 2030. The results of the process will contribute to the scoping of future Decade Actions, identification of resource mobilization priorities, and ensuring the ongoing relevance of the Challenges over time. The process identifies achievable recommendations that can be implemented in the context of the Decade, or more broadly before 2030 to achieve the identified strategic ambition and indicators that will be used to measure progress. This draft White Paper is one of a series of ten White Papers all of which have been authored by an expert Working Group. Accompanied by a synthesis report authored by the Decade Coordination Unit, this white paper was discussed at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference (Barcelona. Spain). Input received from diverse groups through public consultation and at the Conference was reviewed and incorporated as relevant.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: Today, carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere is the most ambitious challenge to mitigate climate changes. Basalt rocks are abundant on the Earth's surface (≈ 10%) and very abundant in the ocean floors and subaerial environments. Glassy matrix and minerals constituting these rocks contain metals (Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+) that can react with carbonic acid to form metal carbonates (CaCO3, MgO3 and FeCO3). Here, we present a data compilation of the chemical composition of waters circulating in basalt aquifers worldwide and the results of simple basalt-water-CO2 experiments. Induced or naturally occurring weathering of basalts rocks release elements in waters and elemental concentration is closely dependent on water CO2 concentration (and hence on water pH). We also performed two series of experiments where basaltic rock powder interacts with CO2-charged waters for one month at room temperature. Laboratory experiments evidenced that in the first stages of water-rock interaction, the high content of CO2 dissolved in water accelerates the basalt weathering process, releasing in the water not only elements that can form carbonate minerals but also other elements, which depending on their concentration can be essential or toxic for life. Relative mobility of elements such as Fe and Al, together with rare earth elements, increases at low pH conditions, while it decreases notably at neutral pH conditions. The comparison between experimental findings and natural evidence allowed to better understand the geochemical processes in basaltic aquifers hosted in active and inactive volcanic systems and to discuss these findings in light of the potential environmental impact of CO2 storage in mafic and ultramafic rocks.

Description: Published

Description: 4

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The Båth’s law is an empirical seismological relation between the magnitudes of the mainshock and the largest aftershock of a seismic sequence. This empirical law, differently from other seismological laws, could be valid only when the seismic sequence is ended. Indeed, during the sequence, we don’t know if the strongest event has already happened or not, and then inferring something about the magnitude of the largest aftershock is hazardous. In this opinion paper, we discuss some issues related to the Båth’s law: its validity on a global catalog, the use of the terms “mainshock” and “aftershock” in the seismological community and in the public, and their implications in earthquake forecasting communications. We show the uselessness of Båth’s law in earthquake forecasting, and that the words “mainshock” and “aftershock” have different interpretations for the public and for seismologists. We argue that their use during an ongoing seismic sequence, without a proper explanation of their meaning, could be confounding, in particular for the Italian language. Calling all events just “earthquakes” could be a simple but effective solution.

Description: Published

Description: 2565–2568

Description: OST4 Descrizione in tempo reale del terremoto, del maremoto, loro predicibilità e impatto

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Low-deformation regions are characterized by long earthquake recurrence intervals. Here, it is fundamental to extend back the record of past events as much as possi ble to properly assess seismic hazards. Evidence from single sites or proxies may be not compelling, whereas we obtain a more substantial picture from the integration of paleo- and archeoseismic evidence at multiple sites, eventually supple mented with historical chronicles. In the city of Como (N Italy), we perform stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses on the sedimentary sequences at Via Manzoni and we document earthquake archeological effects at the Roman baths by means of structure from mo tion and field surveys. Radiocarbon dating and chronological constraints from the archeological site allow us to bracket the time of occurrence of the deformations to the sixth cen tury CE. We interpret the observed deformations as due to earthquake ground shaking and provide constraints on the lower threshold for the triggering of such evidence. We move toward a regional view to infer possible relevant seismic sources by exploiting a dataset of published paleo seismic evidence in Swiss and N Italy lakes. We perform an inverse grid search to identify the magnitude and location of an earthquake that can explain all the positive and negative evidence consistent with the time interval of the event dated at Como. Our results show that an earthquake (minimum Mw 6.32) with epicenter located at the border between Italy and Switzerland may account for all the observed effects; a sim ilar event in the sixth century CE has not been documented so far by historical sources. Our study calls for the need to refine the characterization of the local seismic hazard, espe cially considering that this region seems unprepared to face the effects of an earthquake size similar to the one inferred for the sixth-century-CE event.

Description: Published

Description: 3407-3424

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We developed a high-resolution magnetochronology of the Pleistocene stratigraphy of the Monte Netto hillock, a tectonically uplifted struc ture in the Po Plain of northern Italy. Our data allowed reconstructing the depositional age of the sequence and assessing rates of defor mation and rock uplift of the neotectonic structure, thus providing constraints on the tectono-sedimentary evolution of this seismically active part of the buried Southern Alps. Using a combination of magnetostratigraphy and paleosecular variation analysis, we generated an age-depth model for the Monte Netto stratigraphy that encompasses, from the top, Upper Pleistocene (11–72 ka) loess-paleosols over laying fluvial sediments spanning the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary (773 ka) and the top of the Jaramillo (990 ka). The identification of the same magneto-chronostratigraphic surfaces in nearby drill cores from regions of the Po Plain that have not been affected by neotectonic deformation allowed estimating a mean rate of tectonic uplift of the hillock relative to the neighboring plain of 11.3 ± 1.5 cm/ka, and an absolute uplift relative to sea level of ∼19.3 cm/ka. Finally, our paleomagnetic analyses from the uppermost loess sequence disclosed the complexity of the tectonic evolution of the Monte Netto structure, which shows evidence of a two-phase rotational deformation linked to coseismic surface faulting due to recent seismic activity.

Description: Published

Description: 191-205

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Some seismo-stratigraphic evidence on the occurrence of wave-cut marine terraces in the Licosa promontory (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) based on Sub-bottom Chirp seismic sections is herein presented. Such evidence is provided by marine terraced surfaces situated at various water depths below sea level and etched into the rocky acoustic basement, which are extensively extending in the seaward extension of the Licosa promontory. It is possible that the isotopic stratigraphy and the terraced marine surfaces are connected, so they can be attributed and dated indirectly. The geologic study of seismic profiles has pointed to the prominence of the acoustic basement, extending to the seabed close to the coast and subsiding seawards under the Quaternary marine succession. Ancient remains of marine terraces, found at a range of water depths between 5 m and 50 m, have documented the major morphological changes of the acoustic basement during the Late Quaternary.

Description: Published

Description: 392–418

Description: OSA4: Ambiente marino, fascia costiera ed Oceanografia operativa

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: An accurate modeling of the ionosphere electron density is pivotal to guarantee the effective operation of communication and navigation systems, particularly during Space Weather events. Despite the crucial contribution of empirical models like the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI), their limitations in predicting ionospheric variability, especially under geomagnetically disturbed conditions, are acknowledged. The solution proposed in this work involves integrating real‐time, spatially distributed ionospheric measurements into climatological models through data assimilation. To enhance our predictive capabilities, we present an upgrade of the IRI UP data‐assimilation method, incorporating real‐time vertical total electron content (vTEC) maps from the IONORING algorithm for nowcasting ionospheric conditions over Italy. This approach involves updating the IRI F2‐layer peak electron density description through ionospheric indices, to finally produce real‐time maps over Italy of the ordinary critical frequency of the F2‐layer, foF2, which is crucial for radio‐propagation applications. The IRI UP–IONORING method performance has been evaluated against different climatological and nowcasting models, and under different Space Weather conditions, by showing promising outcomes which encourages its inclusion in the portfolio of ionospheric real‐time products available over Italy. The validation analysis highlighted also what are the current limitations of the IRI UP–IONORING method, particularly during nighttime for severely disturbed conditions, suggesting avenues for future enhancements.

Description: INGV “Pianeta Dinamico— ATTEMPT” project (D53J19000170001) funded by the Italian Ministry of University and research (MUR).

Description: Published

Description: e2023SW003838

Description: OSA3: Climatologia e meteorologia spaziale

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Fault creep along the lower eastern flank of Mt. Etna volcano has been documented since the end of the 19th century and significantly contributes to the surface faulting hazard in the area. On 29 October 2002, during a seismic swarm related to dyke intrusions, two earthquakes caused extensive damage and surface faulting in an area between the Santa Venerina and Santa Tecla villages. On the same day after the two earthquakes, an episodic aseismic creep occurred along the Scalo Pennisi Fault close to the Santa Tecla coastline. On 8 February 2022, during another aseismic creep event along the Scalo Pennisi Fault, we observed the reopening of the pre existing 2002 ground ruptures mostly as pure dilational fractures. We mapped the 2002 and 2022 surface ruptures, and collected data on displacement, length, and pattern of ground breaks. Ground ruptures affected structures located along the activated fault segments, including roads, walls and buildings. The 2002 surface faulting propagation can be ascribed to a sliding of the Mt. Etna eastern flank toward the SE, as also suggested by the related shallow seismicity, and InSAR and geodetic data between 2002 and 2005. For the 2022 event, dif ferential InSAR data, acquired in both descending and ascending views, allowed us to decompose Line of Sight (LOS) displacement into horizontal and vertical components. We detect a ~ 700 m long and ~ 500 m wide deformation zone with a downward and eastward motion (max displacement ~1,5 cm) consistent with a normal fault. We inverted the InSAR–detected surface deformation using a uniform-slip fault model and obtained a shallow detachment for the causative fault, located at ~300 m depth, within the volcanic pile. This is the first in depth study along the Scalo Pennisi Fault to suggest a shallow faulting that accommodates Mt. Etna E flank gravitational sliding.

Description: Published

Description: 229829

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Mesophotic reefs, located in the "Twilight Zone" of the ocean, are coral reefs that exist in relatively deep waters ranging from approximately 30 to 150 m below the surface. These reefs are situated just beyond the reach of conventional SCUBA diving and are typically explored using advanced diving techniques or with the aid of submersibles. In the present study, we used a state-of-the-art submersible to sample 26 sponge specimens belonging to 11 species. High (HMA) or low (LMA) microbial abundance status was assigned to species based on TEM imagery. Prokaryotic communities associated with these sponges were, furthermore, assessed using high-throughput sequencing. Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota were the most abundant phyla overall. HMA/LMA status proved to be a highly significant predictor of prokaryotic composition. HMA sponges also tended to be more diverse in terms of richness and evenness than LMA sponges. 14 predictor-classes were identified using an exploratory technique based on machine learning including classes within the phyla Chloroflexi (e.g., Dehalococcoidia and JG30-KF-CM66) and Acidobacteriota (Thermoanaerobaculia and Subgroups 11 and 21). Previous studies have demonstrated the prevalence of the HMA/LMA dichotomy in shallow waters and, recently, the deep sea. Our results demonstrate its prevalence in the mesophotic realm.

Description: Anthropogenically forced changes in global freshwater biodiversity demand more efficient monitoring approaches. Consequently, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is enabling ecosystem-scale biodiversity assessment, yet the appropriate spatio-temporal resolution of robust biodiversity assessment remains ambiguous. Here, using intensive, spatio-temporal eDNA sampling across space (five rivers in Europe and North America, with an upper range of 20–35 km between samples), time (19 timepoints between 2017 and 2018) and environmental conditions (river flow, pH, conductivity, temperature and rainfall), we characterise the resolution at which information on diversity across the animal kingdom can be gathered from rivers using eDNA. In space, beta diversity was mainly dictated by turnover, on a scale of tens of kilometres, highlighting that diversity measures are not confounded by eDNA from upstream. Fish communities showed nested assemblages along some rivers, coinciding with habitat use. Across time, seasonal life history events, including salmon and eel migration, were detected. Finally, effects of environmental conditions were taxon-specific, reflecting habitat filtering of communities rather than effects on DNA molecules. We conclude that riverine eDNA metabarcoding can measure biodiversity at spatio-temporal scales relevant to species and community ecology, demonstrating its utility in delivering insights into river community ecology during a time of environmental change.