ALBERT

Beschreibung: In the Arctic Ocean, climate change effects such as warming and ocean acidification (OA) are manifesting faster than in other regions. Yet, we are lacking a mechanistic understanding of the interactive effects of these drivers on Arctic primary producers. In the current study, one of the most abundant species of the Arctic Ocean, the prasinophyte Micromonas pusilla, was exposed to a range of different pCO2 levels at two temperatures representing realistic current and future scenarios for nutrient-replete conditions. We observed that warming and OA synergistically increased growth rates at intermediate to high pCO2 levels. Furthermore, elevated temperatures shifted the pCO2 optimum of biomass production to higher levels. Based on changes in cellular composition and photophysiology, we hypothesise that the observed synergies can be explained by beneficial effects of warming on carbon fixation in combination with facilitated carbon acquisition under OA. Our findings help to understand the higher abundances of picoeukaryotes such as M. pusilla under OA, as has been observed in many mesocosm studies.

Beschreibung: The AWI-funded AMUST project aims at understanding at current and future controls of Arctic spring blooms and concurrent effects on biogeochemistry by combining experimental work with long-term monitoring in Kongsfjorden in spring. This dataset encompasses ecophysiological data (Chl-a, POC, C:N, 14C-based Primary Production) from surface water samples collected at the Ny-Ålesund jetty in February 2018, as well as two datasets of 24h continuous light measurements during in-situ incubations 0.2m below the sea surface.

Beschreibung: There is increasing evidence that different light intensities strongly modulate the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on marine phytoplankton. The aim of the present study was to investigate interactive effects of OA and dynamic light, mimicking natural mixing regimes. The Antarctic diatom Chaetoceros debilis was grown under two pCO2 (390 and 1000 latm) and light conditions (constant and dynamic), the latter yielding the same integrated irradiance over the day. To characterize interactive effects between treatments, growth, elemental composition, primary production and photophysiology were investigated. Dynamic light reduced growth and strongly altered the effects of OA on primary production, being unaffected by elevated pCO2 under constant light, yet significantly reduced under dynamic light. Interactive effects between OA and light were also observed for Chl production and particulate organic carbon (POC) quotas. Response patterns can be explained by changes in the cellular energetic balance. While the energy transfer efficiency from photochemistry to biomass production (Phi_e,C) was not affected by OA under constant light, it was drastically reduced under dynamic light. Contrasting responses under different light conditions need to be considered when making predictions regarding a more stratified and acidified future ocean.

Beschreibung: Photophysiological processes as well as uptake characteristics of iron and inorganic carbon were studied in inshore phytoplankton assemblages of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and offshore assemblages of the Drake Passage. Chlorophyll a concentrations and primary productivity decreased from in- to offshore waters. The inverse relationship between low maximum quantum yields of photochemistry in PSII (Fv/Fm) and large sizes of functional absorption cross sections (sigma PSII) in offshore communities indicated iron-limitation. Congruently, the negative correlation between Fv/Fm values and iron uptake rates across our sampling locations suggest an overall better iron uptake capacity in iron-limited pelagic phytoplankton communities. Highest iron uptake capacities could be related to relative abundances of the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica. As chlorophyll a-specific concentrations of humic-like substances were similarly high in offshore and inshore stations, we suggest humic-like substances may play an important role in iron chemistry in both coastal and pelagic phytoplankton assemblages. Regarding inorganic carbon uptake kinetics, the measured maximum short-term uptake rates (Vmax(CO2)) and apparent half-saturation constants (K1/2(CO2)) did not differ between offshore and inshore phytoplankton. Moreover, Vmax(CO2) and K1/2(CO2) did not exhibit any CO2-dependent trend over the natural pCO2 range from 237 to 507 µatm. K1/2(CO2) strongly varied among the sampled phytoplankton communities, ranging between 3.5 and 35.3 µmol/L CO2. While in many of the sampled phytoplankton communities, the operation of carbon-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) was indicated by low K1/2(CO2) values relative to ambient CO2 concentrations, some coastal sites exhibited higher values, suggesting down-regulated CCMs. Overall, our results demonstrate a complex interplay between photophysiological processes, iron and carbon uptake of phytoplankton communities of the WAP and the Drake Passage.

Beschreibung: The Arctic Ocean is a region particularly prone to on-going ocean acidification (OA) and climate-driven changes. The influence of these changes on Arctic phytoplankton assemblages, however, remains poorly understood. In order to understand how OA and enhanced irradiances (e.g. resulting from sea-ice retreat) will alter the species composition, primary production and ecophysiology of Arctic phytoplankton, we conducted an incubation experiment to investigate the effects of OA and enhanced irradiance levels on an assemblage from Baffin Bay (71°N, 68°W). Seawater was collected from just below the deep Chl a maximum, and the resident phytoplankton were exposed to 380 and 1000 µatm pCO2 at both 15% and 35% incident irradiance. On-deck incubations, in which temperatures were 6°C above in situ conditions, were monitored for phytoplankton growth, biomass stoichiometry, net primary production, photo-physiology and taxonomic composition. During the 8-day experiment, taxonomic diversity decreased and the diatom Chaetoceros socialis became increasingly dominant irrespective of light or CO2 levels. We found no statistically significant effects from either higher CO2 or light on physiological properties of phytoplankton during the experiment. We did, however, observe an initial 2-day stress response in all treatments, and slight photo-physiological responses to higher CO2 and light during the first five days of the incubation. Our results thus indicate high resistance of Arctic phytoplankton to OA and enhanced irradiance levels, challenging the commonly predicted stimulatory effects of enhanced CO2 and light availability for primary production.

Beschreibung: In order to understand how ocean acidification (OA) and enhanced irradiance levels might alter phytoplankton eco-physiology, productivity and species composition, we conducted an incubation experiment with a natural plankton assemblage from sub-surface Subarctic waters (Davis Strait, 63°N). The phytoplankton assemblage was exposed to 380 and 1,000 µatm pCO2 at both 15 and 35% surface irradiance over 2 weeks. The incubations were monitored and characterized in terms of their photo-physiology, biomass stoichiometry, primary production and dominant phytoplankton species. We found that the phytoplankton assemblage exhibited pronounced high-light stress in the first days of the experiment (20-30% reduction in photosynthetic efficiency, Fv/Fm). This stress signal was more pronounced when grown under OA and high light, indicating interactive effects of these environmental variables. Primary production in the high light treatments was reduced by 20% under OA compared to ambient pCO2 levels. Over the course of the experiment, the assemblage fully acclimated to the applied treatments, achieving similar bulk characteristics (e.g., net primary production and elemental stoichiometry) under all conditions. We did, however, observe a pCO2-dependent shift in the dominant diatom species, with Pseudonitzschia sp. dominating under low and Fragilariopsis sp. under high pCO2 levels. Our results indicate an unexpectedly high level of resilience of Subarctic phytoplankton to OA and enhanced irradiance levels. The co-occurring shift in dominant species suggests functional redundancy to be an important, but so-far largely overlooked mechanism for resilience toward climate change.

Beschreibung: The Antarctic Circumpolar Current has a high potential for primary production and carbon sequestration through the biological pump. In the current study, two large-scale blooms observed in 2012 during a cruise with R.V. Polarstern were investigated with respect to phytoplankton standing stocks, primary productivity and nutrient budgets. While net primary productivity was similar in both blooms, chlorophyll a -specific photosynthesis was more efficient in the bloom closer to the island of South Georgia (39 °W, 50 °S) compared to the open ocean bloom further east (12 °W, 51 °S). We did not find evidence for light being the driver of bloom dynamics as chlorophyll standing stocks up to 165 mg/m² developed despite mixed layers as deep as 90 m. Since the two bloom regions differ in their distance to shelf areas, potential sources of iron vary. Nutrient (nitrate, phosphate, silicate) deficits were similar in both areas despite different bloom ages, but their ratios indicated more pronounced iron limitation at 12 °W compared to 39 °W. While primarily the supply of iron and not the availability of light seemed to control onset and duration of the blooms, higher grazing pressure could have exerted a stronger control toward the declining phase of the blooms.