ALBERT

Description: Continuous Plankton Recorder data suggest that the Irminger Sea supports a major proportion of the surface-living population of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus in the northern North Atlantic, but there have been few studies of its population dynamics in the region. In this paper, we document the seasonal changes in the demographic structure of C. finmarchicus in the Irminger Sea from a field programme during 2001/2002, and the associations between its developmental stages and various apparent bio-physical zones. Overwintering stages were found widely at depth (〉500 m) across the Irminger Sea, and surviving females were widely distributed in the surface waters the following spring. However, recruitment of the subsequent generation was concentrated around the fringes of the Irminger Sea basin, along the edges of the Irminger and East Greenland Currents, and not in the central basin. In late summer animals were found descending back to overwintering depths in the Central Irminger Sea. The key factors dictating this pattern of recruitment appear to be (a) the general circulation regime, (b) predation on eggs in the spring, possibly by the surviving G0 stock, and (c) mortality of first feeding naupliar stages in the central basin where food concentrations appear to be low throughout the year. We compared the demographic patterns in 2001/2002 with observations from the only previous major survey in 1963 and with data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) surveys. In both previous data sets, the basic structure of G0 ascent from the central basin and G1 recruitment around the fringes was a robust feature, suggesting that it is a recurrent phenomenon. The Irminger Sea is a complex mixing zone between polar and Atlantic water masses, and it has also been identified as a site of sporadic deep convection. The physical oceanographic characteristics of the region are therefore potentially sensitive to climate fluctuations. Despite this, the abundance of C. finmarchicus in the region, as measured by the CPR surveys, appears not to have responded to climate factors linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation Index, in contrast with the stocks in eastern Atlantic areas. We speculate that this may because biological factors (production and mortality), rather than transport processes are the key factors affecting the population dynamics in the Irminger Sea.

Description: We review current knowledge and understanding of the biology and ecology of the calanoid copepod Calanus helgolandicus in European waters, as well as provide a collaborative synthesis of data from 18 laboratories and 26 sampling stations in areas distributed from the northern North Sea to the Aegean and Levantine Seas. This network of zooplankton time-series stations has enabled us to collect and synthesise seasonal and multi-annual data on abundance, body size, fecundity, hatching success and vertical distribution of C. helgolandicus. An aim was to enable comparison with its congener Calanus finmarchicus, which has been studied intensively as a key component of European and north east Atlantic marine ecosystems. C. finmarchicus is known to over-winter at depth, whereas the life-cycle of C. helgolandicus is less well understood. Overwintering populations of C. helgolandicus have been observed off the Atlantic coast between 400 and 800 m, while in the Mediterranean there is evidence of significant deep-water populations at depths as great as 4200 m. The biogeographical distribution of C. helgolandicus in European coastal waters covers a wide range of habitats, from open ocean to coastal environments, and its contribution to mesozooplankton biomass ranges from 6% to 93%. Highest abundances were recorded in the Adriatic and off the west coast of Spain. C. helgolandicus is generally found in 9–20 °C water, with maximum abundances from 13–17 °C. In contrast, C. finmarchicus is found in cooler water between 0 and 15 °C, with peak abundances from 0 to 9 °C. As water has warmed in the North Atlantic over recent decades, the range of C. helgolandicus and its abundance on the fringes of its expanding range have increased. This review will facilitate development of population models of C. helgolandicus. This will not only help answer remaining questions but will improve our ability to forecast future changes, in response to a warming climate, in the abundance and distribution of this important species.

Description: Structure-based inhibitor design has led to the discovery of a number of potent inhibitors of glycogen phosphorylase b (GPb), N-acyl derivatives of β-d-glucopyranosylamine, that bind at the catalytic site of the enzyme. The first good inhibitor in this class of compounds, N-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranosylamine (NAG) (Ki = 32 μM), has been previously characterized by biochemical, biological and crystallographic experiments at 2.3 Å resolution. Bioisosteric replacement of the acetyl group by trifluoroacetyl group resulted in an inhibitor, N-trifluoroacetyl-β-d-glucopyranosylamine (NFAG), with a Ki = 75 μM. To elucidate the structural basis of its reduced potency, we determined the ligand structure in complex with GPb at 1.8 Å resolution. To compare the binding mode of N-trifluoroacetyl derivative with that of the lead molecule, we also determined the structure of GPb–NAG complex at a higher resolution (1.9 Å). NFAG can be accommodated in the catalytic site of T-state GPb at approximately the same position as that of NAG and stabilize the T-state conformation of the 280s loop by making several favourable contacts to Asn284 of this loop. The difference observed in the Ki values of the two analogues can be interpreted in terms of subtle conformational changes of protein residues and shifts of water molecules in the vicinity of the catalytic site, variations in van der Waals interaction, and desolvation effects.

Description: The first isotopic compositions of dissolved hafnium in seawater from across the Arctic Ocean are reported. Most samples from the four sub-basins of the Arctic Ocean have values within error of an average of epsilon(Hf) = +0.8. Combined Hf-Nd isotope compositions do not fall on the well-established positive correlation for mantle and crustal rocks. Instead, Arctic waters have Hf that is more radiogenic than that typically found in rocks with similar Nd isotope compositions, a feature previously found in ferromanganese crusts and waters from the Pacific Ocean. Arctic seawater samples generally fall on the lower part of the ferromanganese crust array, reflecting influences of inputs from Arctic rivers and interactions of shelf waters with underlying sediments. Arctic rivers have much higher Hf concentrations (7-30 pM) than Arctic seawater (0.36-4.2 pM). Water from the Mackenzie River has the least radiogenic Hf, with epsilon(Hf) = -7.1 +/- 1.7, and plots furthest away from the ferromanganese crust array, while waters from the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena Rivers have values that are indistinguishable from most Arctic waters. In the Amundsen, Makarov, and Canada basins, Hf concentrations are highest at the surface and lowest in the deeper waters, reflecting the influences of riverine inputs and of waters that have flowed over the extensive Siberian continental shelves and have Nd and Hf characteristics that reflect water-sediment interactions. This is in contrast to the relatively low near surface Hf concentrations reported for locations elsewhere. The Pacific water layer in the Canada Basin exhibits the highest value of epsilon(Hf) = +6.8 +/- 1.8, reflecting the Hf isotopic composition of waters entering the Arctic from the Pacific Ocean. Mixing relationships indicate that a substantial fraction of the Hf in the Mackenzie River is lost during estuarine mixing; the behaviour of Hf from other rivers is less constrained. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Description: Piceamycin, a new macrolactam polyketide antibiotic, was detected by HPLC-diode array screening in extracts of Streptomyces sp. GB 4-2, which was isolated from the mycorrhizosphere of Norway spruce. The structure of piceamycin was determined by mass spectrometry and NMR experiments. It showed inhibitory activity against Gram-positive bacteria, selected human tumor cell lines and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B. The Journal of Antibiotics (2009) 62, 513-518; doi:10.1038/ja.2009.64; published online 17 July 2009

Description: A 1.5 km long, 1 km wide and 70–80 m high carbonate mound was identified on the mid-slope region of the subduction accretionary sedimentary prism offshore Vancouver Island ∼ 3.5 km west of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 889 and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1327. Seabed-video images show the presence of seafloor carbonate as well as chemosynthetic communities. A high-resolution single channel seismic survey with close line spacing, recording coherent reflectivity down to about 400 m beneath the seafloor, provided acoustic images of this mound and of the gas hydrate bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) beneath it. The mound is interpreted to have developed as a structural topographic high in the hanging wall of a large reverse fault formed at the base of the current seaward slope. The fault zone provides pathways for fluids including gas to migrate to the seafloor where diagenetic carbonate forms and cements the near-surface sediments. To examine the thermal effect of possible upward fluid flow beneath the mound, heat flow at the mound and in the neighbouring region was calculated from the depth of the BSR below the seafloor. These data were combined with heat flow calculated over a broader region from previous multi-channel seismic data. Heat flow within the flattest portion of the surrounding 4 km by 8 km region averages ∼ 74 mW/m2. Taking this value to represent the regional or background heat flow, a simple 2D analytical method was used to calculate theoretical heat flow variations due to topography. Across the mound, most of the variability is explained by topographic effects, including a local 6 mW/m2 negative anomaly over the central mound and a large 20 mW/m2 positive anomaly over the mound steep side slope. However, just south of the mound, there is a 6–7 mW/m2 positive anomaly in a 2-km-long band that has predominantly flat seafloor. Most of this anomaly is probably unrelated to topographic effects, but rather likely due to warm upward fluid flow along faults or fracture zones.

Description: We present the first comprehensive set of dissolved 10Be and 9Be concentrations in surface waters and vertical profiles of all major sub-basins of the Arctic Ocean, which are complemented by data from the major Arctic rivers Mackenzie, Lena, Yenisey and Ob. The results show that 10Be and 9Be concentrations in waters below 150 m depth are low and only vary within a factor of 2 throughout the Arctic Basin (350–750 atoms/g and 9–15 pmol/kg, respectively). In marked contrast, Be isotope compositions in the upper 150 m are highly variable and show systematic variations. Cosmogenic 10Be concentrations range from 150 to 1000 atoms/g and concentrations of terrigenous 9Be range from 7 to 65 pmol/kg, resulting in 10Be/9Be ratios (atom/atom) between 0.5 and 14 × 10−8. Inflowing Atlantic water masses in the Eurasian Basin are characterized by a 10Be/9Be signature of 7 × 10−8. The inflow of Pacific water masses across the Bering Strait is characterized by lower ratios of 2–3 × 10−8, which can be traced into the central Arctic Ocean, possibly as far as the Fram Strait. A comparison of the high dissolved surface 10Be and 9Be concentrations (corresponding to low 10Be/9Be signatures of ∼2 × 10−8) in the Eurasian Basin with hydrographic parameters and river data documents efficient and rapid transport of Be with Siberian river waters across the Siberian Arctic shelves into the central Arctic Basin, although significant loss and exchange of Be on the shelves occurs. In contrast, fresh surface waters from the Canada Basin also show high cosmogenic 10Be contents, but are not enriched in terrigenous 9Be (resulting in high 10Be/9Be signatures of up to 14 × 10−8). This is explained by a combination of efficient scavenging of Be in the Mackenzie River estuary and the shelves and additional supply of cosmogenic 10Be via atmospheric fallout and melting of old sea ice. The residence time of Be in the deep Arctic Ocean estimated from our data is 800 years and thus similar to the average Be residence time in the global ocean.

Description: The Storegga Slide, which occurred ∼8100 years ago, is one of the world's largest and best studied exposed submarine landslides. In this study we use novel geomorphometric techniques to constrain the submarine mass movements that have shaped the north-eastern Storegga Slide, understand the link between different forms of failure, and propose a revised development model for this region. According to this model, the north-eastern part of the Storegga Slide has developed in four major events. The first event (event 1) was triggered in water depths of 1500–2000 m. In this event, the surface sediments were removed by debris flows and turbidity currents, and deposited in the Norwegian Sea Basin. Loading of the seabed by sediments mobilised by the debris flows and turbidity currents resulted in the development of an evacuation structure. Loss of support associated with this evacuation structure, reactivation of old headwalls and seismic loading activated spreading in the failure surface of event 1 up to the main headwall (event 2). In some areas, spreading blocks have undergone high displacement and remoulding. Parts of the spreading morphology and the underlying sediment have been deformed or removed by numerous debris flows and turbidity currents (event 3). We suggest that the higher displacement and remoulding of the spreading blocks, and their removal by debris flows and turbidity currents, was influenced by increased pore pressures, possibly due to gas hydrate dissolution/dissociation or by lateral variability in the deposition of contourite drifts in palaoeslide scars. The fourth event entailed a large, blocky debris flow that caused localised compression and transpressive shearing in the southern part of the spreading area.