ALBERT

Description: This article reports the results of a study of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to coastal waters of Majorca (NW Mediterranean). The overall aim is to evaluate the relevance of SGD of the island and chemically characterize the components that are supplied to the coastal waters through this pathway. Although other discharge areas are identified, we particularly focus on SGD in bays and areas of increased sea water residence time where effects of the discharges are expected to be most notable. Analysis at four selected embayments with different land-use characteristics indicated a link between human activities (mainly agriculture and urban) and compounds arriving to the coast. A pathway for these elements is the diffuse discharge along the shoreline, as suggested by the inverse relationship between salinity and nutrients in nearshore porewaters. A general survey was conducted at 46 sites around the island, and used dissolved radium as a qualitative indicator of SGD. Measurements of nutrients (P and N), pCO2 and TOC were performed to characterize the elements delivered to the coastal environment. Most nearshore samples showed 224Ra enrichment (mean ± SE, 7.0 ± 0.6 dpm 100 l−1) with respect to offshore waters (1.1 ± 0.2 dpm 100 l−1); however, 224Ra measurements along the coast were highly variable (1.0–38.1 dpm 100 l−1). Coastal samples with enhanced radium levels showed elevated pCO2 with respect to atmospheric concentrations, which together with high pCO2 in groundwater (〉5,000 ppm) indicates that SGD is an important vector of CO2 to coastal waters. Moreover, a relationship between 224Ra and phytoplankton biomass was established, suggesting an important impact of SGD on coastal productivity. The results presented here provide a first approximation of the SGD effect in the coastal waters of Majorca, and indicate that SGD could be an important source of nutrients and CO2 to the coast, strongly influencing the productivity and biogeochemical cycling of the coastal waters of Majorca.

Description: Research into the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on marine organisms has greatly increased during the past decade, as realization of the potential dramatic impacts has grown. Studies have revealed the multifarious responses of organisms to OA conditions, indicating a high level of intra- and interspecific variation in species’ ability to accommodate these alterations. If we are to provide policy makers with sound, scientific input regarding the expected consequences of OA, we need a broader understanding of these predicted changes. As a group of 20 multi-disciplinary postgraduate students from around the globe, with a study focus on OA, we are a strong representation of ‘next generation’ scientists in this field. In this unique cumulative paper, we review knowledge gaps in terms of assessing the biological impacts of OA, outlining directions for future research.

Description: Recently acquired high-resolution multichannel seismic profiles together with bathymetric and sub-bottom profiler data from the external part of the Gulf of Cadiz (Iberia-Africa plate boundary) reveal active deformation involving old (Mesozoic) oceanic lithosphere. This area is located 180 km offshore the SW Iberian Peninsula and embraces the prominent NE-SW trending Coral Patch Ridge, and part of the surrounding deep Horseshoe and Seine abyssal plains. E-W trending dextral strike-slip faults showing surface deformation of flower-like structures predominate in the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain, whereas NE-SW trending compressive structures prevail in the Coral Patch Ridge and Seine Hills. Although the Coral Patch Ridge region is characterized by subdued seismic activity, the area is not free from seismic hazard. Most of the newly mapped faults correspond to active blind thrusts and strike-slip faults that are able to generate large magnitude earthquakes (Mw 7.2-8.4). This may represent a significant earthquake and tsunami hazard that has been overlooked so far.

Description: The potential for a dynamical impact of Saharan mineral dust on the North Atlantic Ocean large-scale circulation is investigated. To this end, an ocean general circulation model forced by atmospheric fluxes is perturbed by an idealized, seasonally varying, net shortwave flux anomaly, as it results from remote sensing observations of aerosol optical thickness representing Saharan dust load in the atmosphere. The dust dynamical impact on the circulation is assessed through a comparison between perturbed and an unperturbed run. Results suggest that, following the dust-induced shortwave irradiance anomaly, a buoyancy anomaly is created in the Atlantic offshore the African coast, which over the course of the time propagates westward into the interior Atlantic while progressively subducting. Changes in the large-scale barotropic and overturning circulations are significant after 3 years, which coincides with the elapsed time required by the bulk of the buoyancy perturbation to reach the western boundary of the North Atlantic. Although small in amplitude, the changes in the meridional overturning are of the same order as interannual-to-decadal variability. Variations in the amplitude of the forcing lead to changes in the amplitude of the response, which is almost linear during the first 3 years. In addition, a fast, but dynamically insignificant, response can be observed to propagate poleward along the eastern boundary of the North Atlantic, which contributes to a nonlinear response in the subpolar region north of 40°N.

Description: We present a new classification of geological domains at the Africa-Eurasia plate boundary off SW Iberia, together with a regional geodynamic reconstruction spanning from the Mesozoic extension to the Neogene-to-present-day convergence. It is based on seismic velocity and density models along a new transect running from the Horseshoe to the Seine abyssal plains, which is combined with previously available geophysical models from the region. The basement velocity structure at the Seine Abyssal Plain indicates the presence of a highly heterogeneous, thin oceanic crust with local high-velocity anomalies possibly representing zones related to the presence of ultramafic rocks. The integration of this model with previous ones reveals the presence of three oceanic domains offshore SW Iberia: (1) the Seine Abyssal Plain domain, generated during the first stages of slow seafloor spreading in the NE Central Atlantic (Early Jurassic); (2) the Gulf of Cadiz domain, made of oceanic crust generated in the Alpine-Tethys spreading system between Iberia and Africa, which was coeval with the formation of the Seine Abyssal Plain domain and lasted up to the North Atlantic continental breakup (Late Jurassic); and (3) the Gorringe Bank domain, made of exhumed mantle rocks, which formed during the first stages of North Atlantic opening. Our models suggest that the Seine Abyssal Plain and Gulf of Cadiz domains are separated by the Lineament South strike-slip fault, whereas the Gulf of Cadiz and Gorringe Bank domains appear to be limited by a deep thrust fault located at the center of the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain.

Description: High‐throughput platforms for microalgae screening are not yet commercially available. In this study, the feasibility of 96‐well microplates was analyzed for microalgae research. Equivalence among wells, as culture microreactors, was investigated in controlled high CO2 conditions. Specific growth rates of two microalgae species, Scenedesmus sp. UTEX1589 and an environmental isolate, were significantly higher in border wells than in internal positions. Furthermore, growth rate gradients analyzed as contours throughout the platform were observed for Scenedesmus sp. However, the output variable exhibited high precision associated with a low coefficient of variation (CV), between 6.8 and 7.8%. In a demonstrative experiment to determine the effect of culture media dilution on six microalgae species, treatments were randomized in the central subset of a microplate. Results were consistent and statistically sound (CV 9.4–12.9%), and showed that microalgae species could grow with no detrimental effect in 50% (v/v) dilution of the culture medium. Provided border wells exclusion and a randomized design, 96‐well microplates are a practical and statistical robust platform for microalgae research.