ALBERT

Description: A comprehensive study of the Earth system and its related processes requires a holistic examination and understanding of multidimensional data acquired with a large number of different sensors or produced by various models. To this end, the Digital Earth project developed a set of software solutions to study environmental data sets using visual approaches. In the following chapter, we present three data visualization products developed to deal with the challenges of the analysis and exploration of environmental data.

Description: Reliable data are the base of all scientific analyses, interpretations and conclusions. Evaluating data in a smart way speeds up the process of interpretation and conclusion and highlights where, when and how additionally acquired data in the field will support knowledge gain. An extended SMART monitoring concept is introduced which includes SMART sensors, DataFlows, MetaData and Sampling approaches and tools. In the course of the Digital Earth project, the meaning of SMART monitoring has significantly evolved. It stands for a combination of hard- and software tools enhancing the traditional monitoring approach where a SMART monitoring DataFlow is processed and analyzed sequentially on the way from the sensor to a repository into an integrated analysis approach. The measured values itself, its metadata, and the status of the sensor, and additional auxiliary data can be made available in real time and analyzed to enhance the sensor output concerning accuracy and precision. Although several parts of the four tools are known, technically feasible and sometimes applied in Earth science studies, there is a large discrepancy between knowledge and our derived ambitions and what is feasible and commonly done in the reality and in the field.

Description: © The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Ferrer-González, F. X., Widner, B., Holderman, N. R., Glushka, J., Edison, A. S., Kujawinski, E. B., & Moran, M. A. Resource partitioning of phytoplankton metabolites that support bacterial heterotrophy. ISME Journal, (2020), doi:10.1038/s41396-020-00811-y.

Description: The communities of bacteria that assemble around marine microphytoplankton are predictably dominated by Rhodobacterales, Flavobacteriales, and families within the Gammaproteobacteria. Yet whether this consistent ecological pattern reflects the result of resource-based niche partitioning or resource competition requires better knowledge of the metabolites linking microbial autotrophs and heterotrophs in the surface ocean. We characterized molecules targeted for uptake by three heterotrophic bacteria individually co-cultured with a marine diatom using two strategies that vetted the exometabolite pool for biological relevance by means of bacterial activity assays: expression of diagnostic genes and net drawdown of exometabolites, the latter detected with mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance using novel sample preparation approaches. Of the more than 36 organic molecules with evidence of bacterial uptake, 53% contained nitrogen (including nucleosides and amino acids), 11% were organic sulfur compounds (including dihydroxypropanesulfonate and dimethysulfoniopropionate), and 28% were components of polysaccharides (including chrysolaminarin, chitin, and alginate). Overlap in phytoplankton-derived metabolite use by bacteria in the absence of competition was low, and only guanosine, proline, and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine were predicted to be used by all three. Exometabolite uptake pattern points to a key role for ecological resource partitioning in the assembly marine bacterial communities transforming recent photosynthate.

Description: This work was supported by grants from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (5503) and the National Science Foundation (IOS-1656311) to MAM, ASE, and EBK, and by the Simons Foundation grant 542391 to MAM within the Principles of Microbial Ecosystems (PriME) Collaborative.

Description: Poás is a complex stratovolcano with an altitude of 2,708 m asl, located in the Cordillera Volcánica Central of Costa Rica. Prior to 2017, the last three historical eruptions occurred on 7 February 1834, between January and May 1910 and during the period 1953-1955. Very few literature exists on the 1834 eruption. The only references state that it was an important event, that ash reached 〉53 km W-SW of Poás, and that it harmed the grasslands around the volcano. Related deposits of this eruption suggest phreatic activity, which launched bombs and blocks. Moreover, there is evidence of pyroclastic flow deposits near the crater. The 1910 eruption is better described. Despite the fact that ash fall is only reported near the volcano, a volume of the deposit of 1.6 x 107 m3 is estimated. Deposits of the eruption are white in color with many hydrothermally altered, and minor presence of juvenile fragments (vesicular lapilli). The eruption is classified as vulcanian, with deposits of ash fall and pyroclastic flows close to the crater. A Volcano Explosivity Index 3 (VEI 3) is estimated. The eruption affected agriculture. The 1953-1955 eruptions had a longer duration. Various ash fall deposits at several sites are reported. Deposits of this eruption, easily distinguished in the field, are black scoria lapilli, bombs with, sometimes fusiform, bread crust textures. In the eastern sector of the crater bombs can reach meters in size; such large bombs near the eruption centre at one side suggest the inclination of the eruptive conduct, or an asymmetrical vent-crater system. Inside the crater a 40 m-high dome and a lava flow were extruded during the eruption. Towards the east side of the current Laguna Caliente crater lake, relicts of a 8.5 m thick lava pool are found. During the entire eruptive episode, the acid lake presumably lacked. The eruption is described to be of a mixed type: strombolian, phreatomagmatic, vulcanian and dome extrusion eruptions. Considering the characteristics of this eruption, the height of the eruption column, ejected volume (2.1 x 107  m3), and its presumed duration, a VEI 3 is estimated. The eruptions damaged agricultural activity (including cattle), and forced the spontaneous evacuation of some people. In April 2017 magmatic eruptions followed a decade-long period of intense phreatic activity. These eruptions destroyed the 1953-1955 Dome and led to the complete dry out of Laguna Caliente. Pyroclastic cones and sulphur volcanism manifested at the bottom of the former crater lake bottom. The 2017 eruption severely affected touristic activities at and near Poás, with an estimated economic loss of 20 million dollars. By May-August 2018 Laguna Caliente reappeared. The volcanic hazards related to the three studied historical eruptions are: pyroclastic flows (at least 1 km from the eruptive centre, including reaching the current mirador sector), ballistics (bomb ejections up to 2 km from the emission centre), dispersion and fall of pyroclasts (tens of kms), gas emission and acid rain, dispersed by WSW dominant winds, and lahars in most of the river canyons SW of the volcano.  

Description: Published

Description: 261-299

Description: 1V. Storia eruttiva

Description: The stratified Chilean Comau Fjord sustains a dense population of the cold-water coral (CWC) Desmophyllum dianthus in aragonite supersaturated shallow and aragonite under- saturated deep water. This provides a rare opportunity to evaluate CWC fitness trade-offs in response to physico-chemical drivers and their variability. Here, we combined year-long reciprocal transplantation experiments along natural oceanographic gradients with an in situ assessment of CWC fitness. Following transplantation, corals acclimated fast to the novel environment with no discernible difference between native and novel (i.e. cross-transplanted) corals, demonstrating high phenotypic plasticity. Surprisingly, corals exposed to lowest ara- gonite saturation (Ωarag 〈 1) and temperature (T 〈 12.0 °C), but stable environmental condi- tions, at the deep station grew fastest and expressed the fittest phenotype. We found an inverse relationship between CWC fitness and environmental variability and propose to consider the high frequency fluctuations of abiotic and biotic factors to better predict the future of CWCs in a changing ocean.

Description: © The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Womersley, F. C., Humphries, N. E., Queiroz, N., Vedor, M., da Costa, I., Furtado, M., Tyminski, J. P., Abrantes, K., Araujo, G., Bach, S. S., Barnett, A., Berumen, M. L., Bessudo Lion, S., Braun, C. D., Clingham, E., Cochran, J. E. M., de la Parra, R., Diamant, S., Dove, A. D. M., Dudgeon, C. L., Erdmann, M. V., Espinoza, E., Fitzpatrick, R., González Cano, J., Green, J. R., Guzman, H. M., Hardenstine, R., Hasan, A., Hazin, F. H. V., Hearn, A. R., Hueter, R. E., Jaidah, M. Y., Labaja, J., Ladinol, F., Macena, B. C. L., Morris Jr., J. J., Norman, B. M., Peñaherrera-Palmav, C., Pierce, S. J., Quintero, L. M., Ramırez-Macías, D., Reynolds, S. D., Richardson, A. J., Robinson, D. P., Rohner, C. A., Rowat, D. R. L., Sheaves, M., Shivji, M. S., Sianipar, A. B., Skomal, G. B., Soler, G., Syakurachman, I., Thorrold, S. R., Webb, D. H., Wetherbee, B. M., White, T. D., Clavelle, T., Kroodsma, D. A., Thums, M., Ferreira, L. C., Meekan, M. G., Arrowsmith, L. M., Lester, E. K., Meyers, M. M., Peel, L. R., Sequeira, A. M. M., Eguıluz, V. M., Duarte, C. M., & Sims, D. W. Global collision-risk hotspots of marine traffic and the world’s largest fish, the whale shark. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(20), (2022): e2117440119, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2117440119.

Description: Marine traffic is increasing globally yet collisions with endangered megafauna such as whales, sea turtles, and planktivorous sharks go largely undetected or unreported. Collisions leading to mortality can have population-level consequences for endangered species. Hence, identifying simultaneous space use of megafauna and shipping throughout ranges may reveal as-yet-unknown spatial targets requiring conservation. However, global studies tracking megafauna and shipping occurrences are lacking. Here we combine satellite-tracked movements of the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, and vessel activity to show that 92% of sharks’ horizontal space use and nearly 50% of vertical space use overlap with persistent large vessel (〉300 gross tons) traffic. Collision-risk estimates correlated with reported whale shark mortality from ship strikes, indicating higher mortality in areas with greatest overlap. Hotspots of potential collision risk were evident in all major oceans, predominantly from overlap with cargo and tanker vessels, and were concentrated in gulf regions, where dense traffic co-occurred with seasonal shark movements. Nearly a third of whale shark hotspots overlapped with the highest collision-risk areas, with the last known locations of tracked sharks coinciding with busier shipping routes more often than expected. Depth-recording tags provided evidence for sinking, likely dead, whale sharks, suggesting substantial “cryptic” lethal ship strikes are possible, which could explain why whale shark population declines continue despite international protection and low fishing-induced mortality. Mitigation measures to reduce ship-strike risk should be considered to conserve this species and other ocean giants that are likely experiencing similar impacts from growing global vessel traffic.

Description: Funding for data analysis was provided by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through a University of Southampton INSPIRE DTP PhD Studentship to F.C.W. Additional funding for data analysis was provided by NERC Discovery Science (NE/R00997/X/1) and the European Research Council (ERC-AdG-2019 883583 OCEAN DEOXYFISH) to D.W.S., Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under PTDC/BIA/28855/2017 and COMPETE POCI-01–0145-FEDER-028855, and MARINFO–NORTE-01–0145-FEDER-000031 (funded by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program [NORTE2020] under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund–ERDF) to N.Q. FCT also supported N.Q. (CEECIND/02857/2018) and M.V. (PTDC/BIA-COM/28855/2017). D.W.S. was supported by a Marine Biological Association Senior Research Fellowship. All tagging procedures were approved by institutional ethical review bodies and complied with all relevant ethical regulations in the jurisdictions in which they were performed. Details for individual research teams are given in SI Appendix, section 8. Full acknowledgments for tagging and field research are given in SI Appendix, section 7. This research is part of the Global Shark Movement Project (https://www.globalsharkmovement.org).