ALBERT

Description: As part of the Bonus-GoodHope (BGH) campaign, 15N-labelled nitrate, ammonium and urea uptake measurements were made along the BGH transect from Cape Town to ~60° S in late austral summer, 2008. Our results are categorised according to distinct hydrographic regions defined by oceanic fronts and open ocean zones. High regenerated nitrate uptake rate in the oligotrophic Subtropical Zone (STZ) resulted in low f-ratios (f = 0.2) with nitrogen uptake being dominated by ρurea, which contributed up to 70 % of total nitrogen uptake. Size fractionated chlorophyll data showed that the greatest contribution (〉50 %) of picophytoplankton (〈2 μm) were found in the STZ, consistent with a community based on regenerated production. The Subantarctic Zone (SAZ) showed the greatest total integrated nitrogen uptake (10.3 mmol m−2 d−1), mainly due to enhanced nutrient supply within an anticyclonic eddy observed in this region. A decrease in the contribution of smaller size classes to the phytoplankton community was observed with increasing latitude, concurrent with a decrease in the contribution of regenerated production. Higher f-ratios observed in the SAZ (f = 0.49), Polar Frontal Zone (f= 0.41) and Antarctic Zone (f = 0.45) relative to the STZ (f = 0.24), indicate a higher contribution of NO3−-uptake relative to total nitrogen and potentially higher export production. High ambient regenerated nutrient concentrations are indicative of active regeneration processes throughout the transect and ascribed to late summer season sampling. Higher depth integrated uptake rates also correspond with higher surface iron concentrations. No clear correlation was observed between carbon export estimates derived from new production and 234Th flux. In addition, export derived from 15N estimates were 2–20 times greater than those based on 234Th flux. Variability in the magnitude of export is likely due to intrinsically different methods, compounded by differences in integration time scales for the two proxies of carbon export.

Description: Seawater concentrations of the four brominated trace gases dibromomethane (CH2Br2), bromodichloromethane (CHBrCl2), dibromochloromethane (CHBr2Cl) and bromoform (CHBr3) were measured at different depths of the water column in the Iberian upwelling off Portugal during summer 2007. Bromocarbon concentrations showed elevated values in recently upwelled and aged upwelled waters (mean values of 30 pmol L−1 for CHBr3), while values in the open ocean were significantly lower (7.4 pmol L−1 for CHBr3). Correlations with biological variables and marker pigments indicated that phytoplankton could be identified as a weak bromocarbon source in the open ocean. In upwelled water masses along the coast, halocarbons were not correlated to Chl-a, indicating an external source, overlapping the possible internal production by phytoplankton. We showed that the tidal frequency had a significant influence on halocarbon concentrations in the upwelling and we linked those findings to a strong intertidal coastal source, as well as to a transport of those halocarbon enriched coastal waters by westward surface upwelling currents. Coastal sources and transport can be accounted for maximum values of up to 185.1 pmol L−1 CHBr3 in the upwelling. Comparison with other productive marine areas revealed that the Iberian upwelling had stronger halocarbon sources than the phytoplankton dominated sources in the Mauritanian upwelling. However, the concentrations off the Iberian Peninsula were still much lower than those of coastal macroalgal influenced waters or those of polar regions dominated by cold water adapted diatoms

Description: A steady state box model was developed to estimate the methane input into the Black Sea water column at various water depths. Our model results reveal a total input of methane of 4.7 Tg yr−1. The model predicts that the input of methane is largest at water depths between 600 and 700 m (7% of the total input), suggesting that the dissociation of methane gas hydrates at water depths equivalent to their upper stability limit may represent an important source of methane into the water column. In addition we discuss the effects of massive short-term methane inputs (e.g. through eruptions of deep-water mud volcanoes or submarine landslides at intermediate water depths) on the water column methane distribution and the resulting methane emission to the atmosphere. Our non-steady state simulations predict that these inputs will be effectively buffered by intense microbial methane consumption and that the upward flux of methane is strongly hampered by the pronounced density stratification of the Black Sea water column. For instance, an assumed input of methane of 179 Tg CH4 d−1 (equivalent to the amount of methane released by 1000 mud volcano eruptions) at a water depth of 700 m will only marginally influence the sea/air methane flux increasing it by only 3%.

Description: The trace metal iron (Fe) is now routinely included in state-of-the-art ocean general circulation and biogeochemistry models (OGCBMs) because of its key role as a limiting nutrient in regions of the world ocean important for carbon cycling and air-sea CO2 exchange. However, the complexities of the seawater Fe cycle, which impact its speciation and bioavailability, are simplified in such OGCBMs due to gaps in understanding and to avoid high computational costs. In a similar fashion to inorganic carbon speciation, we outline a means by which the complex speciation of Fe can be included in global OGCBMs in a reasonably cost-effective manner. We construct an Fe speciation model based on hypothesised relationships between rate constants and environmental variables (temperature, light, oxygen, pH, salinity) and assumptions regarding the binding strengths of Fe complexing organic ligands and test hypotheses regarding their distributions. As a result, we find that the global distribution of different Fe species is tightly controlled by spatio-temporal environmental variability and the distribution of Fe binding ligands. Impacts on bioavailable Fe are highly sensitive to assumptions regarding which Fe species are bioavailable and how those species vary in space and time. When forced by representations of future ocean circulation and climate we find large changes to the speciation of Fe governed by pH mediated changes to redox kinetics. We speculate that these changes may exert selective pressure on phytoplankton Fe uptake strategies in the future ocean. In future work, more information on the sources and sinks of ocean Fe ligands, their bioavailability, the cycling of colloidal Fe species and kinetics of Fe-surface coordination reactions would be invaluable. We hope our modeling approach can provide a means by which new observations of Fe speciation can be tested against hypotheses of the processes present in governing the ocean Fe cycle in an integrated sense

Description: Due to their aragonitic shell thecosome pteropods may be particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification driven by anthropogenic CO2 emissions. This applies specifically to species inhabiting Arctic surface waters that are projected to become locally undersaturated with respect to aragonite as early as 2016. This study investigated the effects of rising pCO2 partial pressures and elevated temperature on pre-winter juveniles of the polar pteropod Limacina helicina. After a 29 days experiment in September/October 2009 at three different temperatures and under pCO2 scenarios projected for this century, mortality, shell degradation, shell diameter and shell increment were investigated. Temperature and pCO2 had a significant effect on mortality, but temperature was the overriding factor. Shell diameter, shell increment and shell degradation were significantly impacted by pCO2 but not by temperature. Mortality was 46% higher at 8 °C compared to 3 °C (in situ), and 14% higher at 1100 μatm CO2 as compared to 230 μatm CO2. Shell diameter and increment were reduced by 10% and 12% at 1100 μatm CO2 as compared to 230 μatm CO2, respectively, and shell degradation was 41% higher at elevated compared to ambient pCO2 partial pressures. We conclude that pre-winter juveniles will be negatively affected by both rising temperature and pCO2 which may result in a possible abundance decline of the overwintering population, the basis for next year's reproduction.

Description: Ocean acidification and associated shifts in carbonate chemistry speciation induced by increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) have the potential to impact marine biota in various ways. The process of biogenic calcification, for instance, is usually shown to be negatively affected. In coccolithophores, an important group of pelagic calcifiers, changes in cellular calcification rates in response to changing ocean carbonate chemistry appear to differ among species. By applying a wider CO2 range we show that a species previously reported insensitive to seawater acidification, Coccolithus braarudii, responds both in terms of calcification and photosynthesis, although at higher levels of CO2. Thus, observed differences between species seem to be related to individual sensitivities while the underlying mechanisms could be the same. On this basis we develop a conceptual model of coccolithophorid calcification and photosynthesis in response to CO2-induced changes in seawater carbonate chemistry speciation.

Description: The oxygen isotopic composition and Mg/Ca ratios in the skeletons of long-lived coralline algae record ambient seawater temperature over time. Similarly, the carbon isotopic composition in the skeletons record δ13C values of ambient seawater dissolved inorganic carbon. Here, we measured δ13C in the coralline alga Clathromorphum nereostratum to test the feasibility of reconstructing the intrusion of anthropogenic CO2 into the northern North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. The δ13C was measured in the high Mg-calcite skeleton of three C. nereostratum specimens from two islands 500 km apart in the Aleutian archipelago. In the records spanning 1887 to 2003, the average decadal rate of decline in δ13C values increased from 0.03‰ yr−1 in the 1960s to 0.095‰ yr−1 in the 1990s, which was higher than expected due to solely the δ13C-Suess effect. Deeper water in this region exhibits higher concentrations of CO2 and low δ13C values. Transport of deeper water into surface water (i.e., upwelling) increases when the Aleutian Low is intensified. We hypothesized that the acceleration of the δ13C decline may result from increased upwelling from the 1960s to 1990s, which in turn was driven by increased intensity of the Aleutian Low. Detrended δ13C records also varied on 4–7 year and bidecadal timescales supporting an atmospheric teleconnection of tropical climate patterns to the northern North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea manifested as changes in upwelling.

Description: A significant decrease of dissolved iron (DFe) concentration has been observed after dust addition into mesocosms during the DUst experiment in a low Nutrient low chlorophyll Ecosystem (DUNE), carried out in the summer of 2008. Due to low biological productivity at the experiment site, biological consumption of iron can not explain the magnitude of DFe decrease. To understand processes regulating the observed DFe variation, we simulated the experiment using a one-dimensional model of the Fe biogeochemical cycle, coupled with a simple ecosystem model. Different size classes of particles and particle aggregation are taken into account to describe the particle dynamics. DFe concentration is regulated in the model by dissolution from dust particles and adsorption onto particle surfaces, biological uptake, and photochemical mobilisation of particulate iron. The model reproduces the observed DFe decrease after dust addition well. This is essentially explained by particle adsorption and particle aggregation that produces a high export within the first 24 h. The estimated particle adsorption rates range between the measured adsorption rates of soluble iron and those of colloidal iron, indicating both processes controlling the DFe removal during the experiment. A dissolution timescale of 3 days is used in the model, instead of an instantaneous dissolution, underlining the importance of dissolution kinetics on the short-term impact of dust deposition on seawater DFe. Sensitivity studies reveal that initial DFe concentration before dust addition was crucial for the net impact of dust addition on DFe during the DUNE experiment. Based on the balance between abiotic sinks and sources of DFe, a critical DFe concentration has been defined, above which dust deposition acts as a net sink of DFe, rather than a source. Taking into account the role of excess iron binding ligands and biotic processes, the critical DFe concentration might be applied to explain the short-term variability of DFe after natural dust deposition in various different ocean regions.

Description: The isotopic composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can provide valuable information on their sources and fate not deducible from mixing ratios alone. In particular the reported carbon stable isotope ratios of chloromethane and bromomethane from different sources cover a δ13C-range of almost 100‰ making isotope ratios a very promising tool for studying the biogeochemistry of these compounds. So far, the determination of the isotopic composition of C1 and C2 halocarbons others than chloromethane is hampered by their low mixing ratios. In order to determine the carbon isotopic composition of C1 and C2 halocarbons with mixing ratios as low as 1 pptv (i) a field suitable cryogenic high volume sampling system and (ii) a chromatographic set up for processing these samples have been developed and validated. The sampling system was tested at two different sampling sites, an urban and a coastal location in Northern Germany. The average δ13C-values for bromomethane at the urban site were −42.9 ± 1.1‰ and agreed well with previously published results. But at the coastal site bromomethane was substantially enriched in 13C by almost 10‰. Less pronounced differences were observed for chlorodifluoromethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and chloromethane. We suggest that these differences are related to the turnover of these compounds in ocean surface waters. Furthermore we report first carbon isotope ratios for iodomethane (−40.4‰ to −79.8‰), bromoform (−13.8‰ to 22.9‰), and other halocarbons.

Description: Marine biogenic carbonates formed by invertebrates (e.g. corals and mollusks) represent complex composites of one or more mineral phases and organic molecules. This complexity ranges from the macroscopic structures observed with the naked eye down to sub micrometric structures only revealed by micro analytical techniques. Understanding to what extent and how organisms can control the formation of these structures requires that the mineral and organic phases can be identified and their spatial distribution related. Here we demonstrate the capability of confocal Raman microscopy applied to cross sections of a shell of Nerita undata to describe the distribution of calcite and aragonite including their crystallographic orientation with high lateral resolution (~300 nm). Moreover, spatial distribution of functional groups of organic compounds can be simultaneously acquired, allowing to specifically relate them to the observed microstructures. The data presented in this case study highlights the possible new contributions of this method to the description of modalities of Nerita undata shell formation, and what could be expected of its application to other marine biogenic carbonates. Localization of areas of interest would also allow further investigations using more localized methods, such as TEM that would provide complementary information on the relation between organic molecules and crystal lattice.

Description: Even though first experiments for the characterization of the seafloor using marine electromagnetic (EM) methods were already carried out in the mid 1960’s, they have only played a minute role in marine academic investigation for several decades. Only in the past decade, the strongly increasing interest of oil companies for alternative investigation methods for marine oil and gas exploration brought the use of EM methods into the focus of attention. Traditional founders of marine EM methods (Scripps, U of Toronto, U of Southampton) are now accompanied by newly established commercial (e.g. Exxon, AOA Geophysics, OHM surveys, EMGS, Statoil) as well as academic groups. The marine EM group at the IFM GEOMAR, which was established in 2006, initially focused on the development and testing of EM receivers (RX) for magnetotelluric (MT) measurements. Successful measurements were taken during a cruise to the Costa Rican trench (2007/08, see Worzewski, this session). However, these measurements revealed some problems with this first generation of instruments (e.g. stability of stations on the ocean-floor). A subsequent, much improved generation of MT receivers developed in 2008 was successfully deployed during cruises to the Alboran Sea (2009) and the Cyprus Arc (2010) and is currently used in investigations of the Walvis Ridge (Namibia, 2011) and the New Zealand Subduction Zone (2011). For a RWE Dea funded project at the North Alex Mud Volcano (NAMV), a second line of development at the IFM-GEOMAR focused on development of controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) equipment. For this first project, safety concerns (slop stability) as well as the comparatively small size of the investigated target ([ca.] 1km2) required a new approach to allow for a secure, high resolution CSEM experiment. For this type of experiment, the existing MT receivers were extended to include a high frequency CSEM mode (10kHz) for the electric fields. Additionally, a lightweight electric dipole transmitter (TX), which can be mounted on a small remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) was developed. In a 3D-style tomographic experiment (Nov. 2008), ten receivers were deployed over the surface of NAMV at a total of 16 receiver locations and in three successful dives with a Cherokee ROV (Ghent University, Belgium), the transmitter was deployed at a total of 80 locations. Since both RXs and TX were stationary during measurements, a small dipole moment of 200Am (20A current, 10m dipole length) was sufficient to collect transient data up to RX-TX distances of more than 1km. Generally, navigational inaccuracy limits the accuracy and thus also the resolution of CSEM measurements, which is mainly due to the constantly moving sources used in most commercial systems. The good quality of data recorded during the initial experiment at the NAMV raises the question, if this issue may for some types of CSEM experiments may be remedied by using stationary transmitters instead of flying sources. During the upcoming experiment in New Zealand (April 2011), we will find some answers to this question with our new CSEM transmitter system, which has a higher dipole moment ([ca.] 1kAm) and the capability to perform the navigation between TX and the RXs directly on the ocean floor.

Description: Magnetotelluric (MT) method determines a frequency dependent impedance tensor using the spectra of associated time-varying horizontal electric and magnetic fields measured at the Earth’s surface. In this abstract, we present a dynamic time series analysis method dealing the non-stationary MT data to infer the impedance tensor. Most current methods to determine the spectra use Fourier transform based procedure and, therefore, assume that the signals are stationary over the record length. We introduce a new method for dealing with non-stationarity of the MT time series based upon empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method, a dynamic time series analysis method. Using EMD complicated data sets can be decomposed into a finite and small number of "intrinsic mode functions" (IMFs), which are mono-component signals and allow the calculation of physical meaningful instantaneous frequencies. EMD has no bias due to non-stationary of geomagnetic time series, since the IMFs are based entirely on signal characteristics and not on any given set of base functions such as sines and cosines in the Fourier transform or wavelets in the Wavelet transform. We use the EMD method to decompose MT data into IMFs and calculate the instantaneous frequencies and spectra to determine the impedance tensor. The method is tested in synthetic and real marine MT data sets, the obtained estimate results are reliable compared to frequently-used BIRRP processing method. Furthermore, new method has the possibility of noise visualization and filtering, which is especially important in marine applications, where noise free time segments maybe short.

Description: Autonomous sensors are required for a comprehensive documentation of the changes in the marine carbon system and thus to differentiate between its natural variability and anthropogenic impacts. Spectrophotometric determination of pH – a key variable of the seawater carbon system – is particularly suited to achieve precise and drift-free measurements. However, available spectrophotometric instruments are not suitable for integration into automated measurement systems (e.g. FerryBox) since they do not meet the major requirements of reliability, stability, robustness and moderate cost. Here we report on the development and testing of a~new indicator-based pH sensor that meets all of these requirements. This sensor can withstand the rough conditions during long-term deployments on ships of opportunity and is applicable to the open ocean as well as to coastal waters with a complex matrix and highly variable conditions. The sensor uses a high resolution CCD spectrometer as detector connected via optical fibers to a custom-made cuvette designed to reduce the impact of air bubbles. The sample temperature can be precisely adjusted (25 °C ± 0.006 °C) using computer-controlled power supplies and Peltier elements thus avoiding the widely used water bath. The overall setup achieves a measurement frequency of 1 min−1 with a precision of ±0.0007 pH units, an average offset of +0.0005 pH units to a reference system, and an offset of +0.0081 pH units to a certified standard buffer. Application of this sensor allows monitoring of seawater pH in autonomous underway systems, providing a key variable for characterization and understanding of the marine carbon system.

Description: The Arabian Sea harbours one of the three major oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the world's oceans, and it alone is estimated to account for ~10–20 % of global oceanic nitrogen (N) loss. While actual rate measurements have been few, the consistently high accumulation of nitrite (NO2−) coinciding with suboxic conditions in the central-northeastern part of the Arabian Sea has led to the general belief that this is the region where active N-loss takes place. Most subsequent field studies on N-loss have thus been drawn almost exclusively to the central-NE. However, a recent study measured only low to undetectable N-loss activities in this region, compared to orders of magnitude higher rates measured towards the Omani Shelf where little NO2− accumulated (Jensen et al., 2011). In this paper, we further explore this discrepancy by comparing the NO2−-producing and consuming processes, and examining the relationship between the overall NO2− balance and active N-loss in the Arabian Sea. Based on a combination of 15N-incubation experiments, functional gene expression analyses, nutrient profiling and flux modeling, our results showed that NO2− accumulated in the central-NE Arabian Sea due to a net production via primarily active nitrate (NO3−) reduction and to a certain extent ammonia oxidation. Meanwhile, NO2− consumption via anammox, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate/nitrite reduction to ammonium (NH4+) were hardly detectable in this region, though some loss to NO2− oxidation was predicted from modeled NO3− changes. No significant correlation was found between NO2− and N-loss rates (p〉0.05). This discrepancy between NO2− accumulation and lack of active N-loss in the central-NE Arabian Sea is best explained by the deficiency of labile organic matter that is directly needed for further NO2− reduction to N2O, N2 and NH4+, and indirectly for the remineralized NH4+ required by anammox. Altogether, our data do not support the long-held view that NO2− accumulation is a direct activity indicator of N-loss in the Arabian Sea or other OMZs. Instead, NO2− accumulation more likely corresponds to long-term integrated N-loss that has passed the prime of high and/or consistent in situ activities.

Description: The Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) has been collecting data over the oceans since November 2006. Over 80 cruises were completed through early 2010 with deployments continuing. Measurement areas included various parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Northern and Southern Pacific Ocean, the South Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and inland seas. MAN deploys Microtops hand-held sunphotometers and utilizes a calibration procedure and data processing traceable to AERONET. Data collection included areas that previously had no aerosol optical depth (AOD) coverage at all, particularly vast areas of the Southern Ocean. The MAN data archive provides a valuable resource for aerosol studies in maritime environments. In the current paper we present results of AOD measurements over the oceans, and make a comparison with satellite AOD retrievals and model simulations.

Description: Due to atmospheric accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in surface seawater increases and the pH decreases. This process known as ocean acidification might have severe effects on marine organisms and ecosystems. The present study addresses the effect of ocean acidification on early developmental stages, the most sensitive stages in life history, of the Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.). Eggs of the Atlantic herring were fertilized and incubated in artificially acidified seawater (pCO2 1260, 1859, 2626, 2903, 4635 μatm) and a control treatment (pCO2 480 μatm) until the main hatch of herring larvae occurred. The development of the embryos was monitored daily and newly hatched larvae were sampled to analyze their morphometrics, and their condition by measuring the RNA/DNA ratios. Elevated pCO2 neither affected the embryogenesis nor the hatch rate. Furthermore the results showed no linear relationship between pCO2 and total length, dry weight, yolk sac area and otolith area of the newly hatched larvae. For pCO2 and RNA/DNA ratio, however, a significant negative linear relationship was found. The RNA concentration at hatching was reduced at higher pCO2 levels, which could lead to a decreased protein biosynthesis. The results indicate that an increased pCO2 can affect the metabolism of herring embryos negatively. Accordingly, further somatic growth of the larvae could be reduced. This can have consequences for the larval fish, since smaller and slow growing individuals have a lower survival potential due to lower feeding success and increased predation mortality. The regulatory mechanisms necessary to compensate for effects of hypercapnia could therefore lead to lower larval survival. Since the recruitment of fish seems to be determined during the early life stages, future research on the factors influencing these stages are of great importance in fisheries science.

Description: Fluids entering the subduction zone are a key factor in the subduction process. They determine the onset of melting, weakening and changes in the dynamics and thermal structure of subduction zones and trigger earthquakes when being released from the subducting plate in a series of metamorphic processes. However, the amount of water carried into the subduction zone and its distribution are not well constrained by existing data and are subject of vigorous current research in SFB574 (Volatiles and Fluids in Subduction Zones: Climate Feedback and Trigger Mechanisms for Natural Disasters). Electromagnetic methods like magnetotellurics have been used widely to recognize fluid release and melt production through enhanced electrical conductivities. Here we present an image of the hydration and dehydration cycle down to 120 km depth in one setting derived by an onshore-offshore transect of magnetotelluric soundings in Costa Rica. An electrically conductive zone in the incoming plate outer rise is associated with sea water penetrating down extensional faults and cracks into the upper mantle possibly causing serpentinization. Along the downward subducting plate distinct conductive anomalies identify fluids from dehydration of sediments, crust and mantle. A conductivity anomaly at a depth of approx. 12 km and at a distance of 65 km from the trench is associated with a first major dehydration reaction of minerally-bound water. This is of importance in the context of mid-slope fluid seeps which are thought to significantly contribute to the recycling of minerally-bound water. The position of the conductivity anomaly correlates with geochemical and seismic evidence stating that mid-slope fluids are originated at 〉=12 km depth before rising up through deep faults to the seeps. The conductivity anomaly is therefore associated with a fluid accumulation feeding the mid-slope seeps. Another fluid accumulation is revealed by a conductivity anomaly at 20-30 km depth and a distance of approximately 30 km seaward from the volcanic arc. This lower crustal fluid accumulation could likely be caused by trapping of fluids released due to de-serpentinization processes or due to other mineral dehydration processes. While we are at the moment not able to attribute one specific process causing the anomaly based on electromagnetic data alone, this feature is however of fundamental importance. A comparison with other electromagnetic studies from subduction zones around the world reveal that such a conductivity anomaly is a global feature suggesting the presence of a global fluid sink. Based on very simplified assumptions we are able derive rough estimates for the amount of water being stored in the overriding plate. Relating seismic evidence as well as petrological results collected in the multi-disciplinary study on the Costa Rican subduction zone we introduce budget estimations for the water cycle in the subduction zone.

Description: Joint inversion strategies for geophysical data have become increasingly popular since they allow to combine complementary information from different data sets in an efficient way. However, for joint inversion algorithms that use methods that are sensitive to different parameters it is important that they are not restricted to specific survey arrays and subsurface conditions. Hence, joint inversion schemes are needed that 1) adequately balance data from the different methods and 2) use links between the parameter models that are suited for a wide range of applications. Here, we combine MT, seismic tomography and gravity data in a non-linear joint inversion that accounts for these critical issues. Data from the different methods are inverted separately and are joined through constrains accounting for parameter relationships. An advantage of performing the inversions separately (and not together in one matrix) is that no relative weighting between the data sets is required. To avoid that the convergence behavior of the inversions is profoundly disturbed by the coupling, the strengths of the associated constraints are re-adjusted at each iteration. As criteria to control the adaption of the coupling strengths we used a general version of the well-known discrepancy principle. Adaption of the coupling strengths makes the joint inversion scheme also applicable to subsurface conditions, for which the assumed relationships are only a rough first order approximation. So, the coupling between the different parameter models is automatically reduced if for some structures the true rock property behaviors differ significantly from the assumed relationships (e.g. the atypical density-velocity behavior of salt). We have tested our scheme first on different synthetic 2-D models for which the assumed parameter relationships are everywhere valid. We observe that the adaption of the coupling strengths makes the convergence of the inversions very robust and that the final results are close to the true models. In a next step the scheme has been applied on models for which the assumed parameter relationships are invalid for some structures. For these structures deviations from the relationships are present in the final results; however, for the remaining structures the relative behaviors of the physical parameters are still approximately described by the assumed relationship. Finally, we applied our joint inversion scheme on seismic, MT and gravity data collected offshore the Faroe Islands, where basalt intrusions are present.

Description: In the eastern Black Sea, we determined methane (CH4) concentrations, gas hydrate volumes, and their vertical distribution from combined gas and chloride (Cl−) measurements within pressurized sediment cores. The total gas volume collected from the cores corresponded to concentrations of 1.2–1.4 mol CH4 kg−1 porewater at in-situ pressure, which is equivalent to a gas hydrate saturation of 15–18% of pore volume and amongst the highest values detected in shallow seep sediments. At the central seep site, a high-resolution Cl− profile resolved the upper boundary of gas hydrate occurrence and a continuous layer of hydrates in a sediment column of 120 cm thickness. Including this information, a more precise gas hydrate saturation of 22–24% pore volume could be calculated. This volume was higher in comparison to a saturation calculated from the Cl− profile alone, resulting in only 14.4%. The likely explanation is an active gas hydrate formation from CH4 gas ebullition. The hydrocarbons at Batumi Seep are of shallow biogenic origin (CH4 〉 99.6%), at Pechori Mound they originate from deeper thermocatalytic processes as indicated by the lower ratios of C1 to C2–C3 and the presence of C5.

Description: Earth processes related to incipient continent-continent collision have been studied via the example of Cyprus and the Eratosthenes Seamount in the eastern Mediterranean. Subduction of the African plate beneath the Cyprus-Anatolian plate continued until the seamount, and perhaps a predecessor, the Hecataeus Rise, approached the Cyprus arc trench. The following transition from subduction to collision triggered a series of synchronous deformations across the collision zone between Africa-Sinai-Arabia and Eurasia-Anatolia, including the entire eastern Mediterranean region. This fundamental Earth process has been studied during research cruise MSM14/3 with RV Maria S. Merian in spring 2010. 39 MCS-profiles of more than 2300 km entire length, more than 3000 km magnetic and sediment echosounder data, and about 4000 km of gravity data have been recorded. Four wide-angle reflection/refraction profiles across the seamount were measured with up to 34 OBS deployments along each profile. 10 ocean-bottommagnetotelluric stations were deployed along one of these profiles that connects the seamount with the Hecataeus Rise. One 650 km long amphibian refraction profile strikes across the seamount, Cyprus and southern Turkey. Of the 250 land stations, 200 were deployed in southern Turkey and 50 in Cyprus. A first analysis of the collected data led to the following hypothesis about the interrelation of observed processes: Continent-continent collision caused a compressional regime in the crustal lithosphere, which resulted in the flexure (of the Eratosthenes Seamount), uplift (of Cyprus and Turkey) and accordingly an increased tilt of the facing slopes. The collision reactivated Mesozoic fault lineaments in the Levantine Basin like the Baltim-Hecataeus-Line and created the Hecataeus Rise. Shortening in the non-consolidated Messinian to Holocene sediment succession between the seamount and Cyprus resulted in faulting, folding and compressional salt diapirism. The increase in pore pressure causes fluid migration and mud volcanism. Slope tilt and faulting triggered mass wasting. All of these processes are still shaping the seafloor morphology and interact with the bottom current circulation, which is reflected by sediment drift deposition, sediment remobilisation and erosion, which facilitates again mass wasting.