ALBERT

Description: The upper air soundings are normally performed once a day to measure vertical profiles of air pressure, temperature, relative humidity and the wind vector. Helium filled balloons (TOTEX 600 g, 800 g) were used to carry Vaisala RS92-SGPW radiosondes. Whenever possible, the launches were performed about 10 UTC. Condensed measurements (TEMP Format FM-35) were transferred without delay into the Global Telecommunication System GTS were they contribute for the world wide weather forecasts. The profile data were taken every 5-10 seconds which result in a vertical profile resolution of about 25-50 meter. The profiles start at the helideck 10 m above sea level and terminate at the burst level of the balloons, normally at heights between 25 and 37 km.

Description: The Yermak Plateau is located north of Svalbard at the entrance to the Arctic Ocean, i.e. in an area highly sensitive to climate change. A multi proxy approach was carried out on Core PS92/039-2 to study glacial-interglacial environmental changes at the northern Barents Sea margin during the last 160 ka. The main emphasis was on the reconstruction of sea ice cover, based on the sea ice proxy IP25 and the related phytoplankton - sea ice index PIP25. Sea ice was present most of the time but showed significant temporal variability decisively affected by movements of the Svalbard Barents Sea Ice Sheet. For the first time, we prove the occurrence of seasonal sea ice at the eastern Yermak Plateau during glacial intervals, probably steered by a major northward advance of the ice sheet and the formation of a coastal polynya in front of it. Maximum accumulation of terrigenous organic carbon, IP25 and the phytoplankton biomarkers (brassicasterol, dinosterol, HBI III) can be correlated to distinct deglaciation events. More severe, but variable sea ice cover prevailed at the Yermak Plateau during interglacials. The general proximity to the sea ice margin is further indicated by biomarker (GDGT) - based sea surface temperatures below 2.5 °C.

Description: Past sea ice conditions and open water phytoplankton production were reconstructed from a sediment core taken in Disko Bugt, West Greenland, using the sea ice biomarker IP~25~ and other specific phytoplankton biomarker (i.e., brassicasterol, dinosterol, HBI III) records. Our biomarker record indicates that Disko Bugt experienced a gradual expansion of seasonal sea ice during the last 2.2 kyr. Maximum sea ice extent was reached during the Little Ice Age around 0.2 kyr BP. Superimposed on this longer term trend, we find short-term oscillations in open water primary production and terrigenous input, which may be related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and solar activity changes as potential climatic trigger mechanisms. A direct sample-to-sample multiproxy comparison of our new biomarker record with microfossil (i.e., benthic foraminifera, dinocysts, and diatoms) and other geochemical records (i.e., alkenone biomarkers) indicates that different proxies are influenced by the complex environmental system with pronounced seasonal changes and strong oceanographic gradients, e.g., freshwater inflow from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Differences in sea ice reconstructions may indicate that the IP~25~ record reflects only the relatively short sea ice season (spring), whereas other microfossil reconstructions may reflect a longer (spring–autumn) interval.

Description: Using a microprofiler and electrochemical oxygen sensors after Revsbech (1989) in situ oxygen profiles measurements were conducted with a spatial resolution if 100 µm and a temporal resolution of 30 seconds at three stations in Potter Cove in austral summer 2015.

Description: This is a dataset from an in situ experiment at station S2 from the LTER monitoring site HAUSGARTEN, performed in June-July 2013 during Maria S Merian expedition MSM29. The in situ responses of Arctic deep-sea benthos to input of phytodetritus of a diatom (Thalassiosira sp.) as opposed to a coccolithophorid (Emiliania huxleyi) were investigated in incubation chambers of benthic landers. Using 13C and 15N labelled phytodetritus harvested from cultures of these species, we traced the fate of the respective phytodetritus into different parts of the food web (respiration, assimilation by bacteria and infauna 〉250 µm), in a short (4d) and long (14d) term experiment. The benthic landers were lowered to the sea floor, where they enclosed ~ 20cm of sediment and ~10 cm of overlying water. During respectively 4d and 14d, the temperature and concentrations of O2, DIC, 13C-DIC, NHx, NOx, 15N-NH4, 15N-NOx were measured. Upon recovery of the landers, the sediment was retrieved and subsampled in vertical horizons to measure pigment, TOC and TN, 13C-POC and 15N-PN concentrations, pore water concentrations of DIC, 13C-DIC, NHx, NOx, 15N-NH4 and 15N-NOx and the assimilation of 13C in bacterial fatty acids (iC15:0 and aiC15:0) and in fauna 〉 250 µm

Description: We present the first field application of a N2O-based approach to correct for vertical mixing in the estimation of net community production (NCP) from mixed layer O2 measurements. Using new ship-based observations of N2O and biological oxygen saturation anomalies (DeltaO2/Ar) from the Subarctic Northeast Pacific, we provide refined mixed layer NCP estimates across contrasting hydrographic regimes and a comprehensive assessment of the methodological considerations and limitations of the approach. Increased vertical mixing coefficients at the base of the mixed layer, derived using N2O measurements, corresponded with periods of heightened wind speed and coastal upwelling. Corrections were most significant in coastal regions where the vertical supply of low-O2 water can otherwise falsely imply net heterotrophy from negative DeltaO2/Ar measurements. After correcting for the mixing flux, all coastal stations showed autotrophic signatures, with maximum NCP exceeding 100 mmol O2 m-2 day-1 in the spring and summer. Vertical fluxes were lower in off-shelf waters, but often contributed more than 50 % to corrected NCP. At some oceanic stations, however, the co-occurrence of N2O minima and O2 maxima resulted in biased (over-estimated) N2O corrections. Evaluating vertical fluxes in these regions remains a challenge for ship-based studies. Nonetheless, our refined NCP estimates show better coherence with surface chlorophyll, temperature, and mixed layer depth than uncorrected values. Potential mixed layer N2O production introduces some uncertainty in the approach, but errors are likely to be small. Ultimately, this work provides rationale for the adoption of the N2O correction to refine NCP estimates, particularly in coastal waters. Data in this submission include the ancillary components required to replicate all calculations, and conclusions made in the main manuscript.

Description: Arctic treelines are facing a strong temperature increase as a result of recent global warming, causing possible changes in forest extent, which will alter vegetation-climate feedbacks. However, the mode and strength of the response is rather unclear, as potential changes are happening in areas that are very remote and difficult to access, and empirical data are still largely lacking. Here, we assessed the current population structure and genetic differentiation of Larix Mill. tree stands within the northernmost latitudinal treeline reaching ~72° N in the southern lowlands of the Taymyr Peninsula (~100° E). We sampled 743 individuals belonging to different height classes (seedlings, saplings, trees) at eleven locations along a gradient from 'single tree' tundra over 'forest line' to 'dense forest' stands and conducted investigations applying eight highly polymorphic nuclear microsatellites. Results suggest a high diversity within subpopulations (HE=0.826-0.893), coupled, however, with heterozygote deficits in all subpopulations, but pronounced in 'forest line' stands. Overall, genetic differentiation of subpopulations is low (FST=0.005), indicating a region-wide high gene flow, although 'forest line' stands harbour few rare and private alleles, likely indicating greater local reproduction. 'Single tree' stands, located beyond the northern forest line, are currently not involved in treeline expansion, but show signs of a long-term refuge, namely asexual reproduction and change of growth-form from erect to creeping growth, possibly having persisted for thousands of years. The lack of differentiation between the subpopulations points to a sufficiently high dispersal potential, and thus a rapid northward migration of the Siberian arctic treeline under recent global warming seems potentially unconstrained, but observations show it to be unexpectedly slow.

Description: Ground-based spectroscopy measurements acquired systematically within the Toolik Vegetation Grid in the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons and within the Imnavait Vegetation Grid in the 2016 growing season. Data were collected in 68 distinct 1 x 1 m long-term monitoring plots representing five distinct vegetation communities. Spectral measurements were acquired two times throughout the season in 2015 representing peak and late season and three times in 2016 representing early, peak and late season. Data were acquired using a GER 1500 field spectrometer (350-1050 nm; 512 bands, spectral resolution 3 nm, spectral sampling 1.5 nm, and 8! field of view). Spectra were collected under clear weather conditions at the highest solar zenith angle between 10:00 and 14:00 local time. Data were collected at nadir approximately 1 m off the ground resulting in a Ground Instantaneous Field of View (GIFOV) of approximately 15 cm in diameter. Nine point measurements of upwelling radiance (Lup) were collected in 1 x 1 m plots representative of the five vegetation communities and averaged to characterize the spectral variability and to reduce noise. Downwelling radiance (Ldown) was measured as the reflectance from a white Spectralon© plate. Surface reflectance (R) was processed as Lup/Ldown x 100 (0-100%). Reflectance spectra were preprocessed with a Savitzky-Golay smoothing filter (n = 11) and subset to 400-985 nm to remove sensor noise at the edges of the radiometer detector.

Description: Our data, as part of the OISO (Ocean Indien Service d'Observation) campaign, contributes to a better understanding of the physical and biological factors controlling N2 fixation in the Southern Indian Ocean and the French Southern and Antarctic lands during Austral summer January and February 2017. We measured N2 and C fixation as well as NH4+ and NO3- assimilation in 3-6 replicates per station. Additionally, we measured diagnostic pigment concentrations to evaluate phtosynthetic community composition. For pigment analysis 4L water was filtered through 25mm Whatman GF/F filters (pressure drop 〈10kPa). Samples were stored at -80°C until analysis. Pigments were analysed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Pigment concentration were calculated according to Kilias et al (2013, doi:10.1111/jpy.12109). N2 fixation experiments were carried out in three to six replicates for each station. Incubations were done in pre-acid washed polycarbonate bottles on deck with ambient light conditions. All polycarbonate incubation bottles were rinsed with deionized water, and seawater prior to incubation. We used the combination of the bubble approach (Montoya et al., 1996) and the dissolution method (Mohr et al., 2010, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012583) proposed by Klawonn et al. (2015, doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.00769). Bottles were filled up to capacity to avoid air contamination. Incubations were initialized by adding a 10 ml 15-15N gas bubble. Bottles were gently rocked for 15 minutes. Finally, the remaining bubble was removed to avoid equilibration between gas and aqueous phase. after 24 hours a water subsample was taken to a 12 ml exetainer and preserved with 100 µl HgCl2 solution for later determination of exact 15N-15N concentration. Natural 15N2 was determined using Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry (MIMS; GAM200, IPI) for each station. Analysis of 15N2 incorporated was carried out by the Isotopic Laboratory at the UC Davis, California campus. We used stable isotope tracers (15N) to measure dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) assimilation rates. Experiments were initiated by adding a known concentration of 0.05 of K15NO3 and 15NH4Cl for oligotrophic waters of the IO and 0.625 µmol L-1 for HNLC regions in the ACC and PF (Knap et al., 1994, Waite et al., 2007, doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2006.12.010) to one litre polycarbonate bottles. For C assimilation experiments, we added 20 µmol L-1 of NaH13CO3 to one of each of N2 fixation, NH4+ and NO3- assimilation experiment bottles. For incubation, we followed the same procedure as for N2 fixation experiments. Findings reveal that N2 fixation occurs throughout the whole sampling area up to 55°S latitude. In addition, variations of N2 fiaxation rates between replicates were relatively high indicating a great heterogeneity of the French Southern and Antarctic waters. References: Montoya 1996: Montoya, Joseph P., et al. "A Simple, High-Precision, High-Sensitivity Tracer Assay for N (inf2) Fixation." Applied and environmental microbiology 62.3 (1996): 986-993. Knap et al 1994: Knap, A., Michaels, A., Close, A., Ducklow, H. & Dickson, A. 1994. Protocols for the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) Core Measurements, JGOFS, Reprint of the IOC Manuals and Guides No. 29. UNESCO, 19, 1.

Description: Lithogenic material such as Saharan dust can be incorporated into organic aggregates and act as ballast, potentially enhancing the marine carbon export via increased sinking velocities of aggregates. We studied the ballasting effects of Saharan dust on the aggregate dynamics in the upwelling region off Cape Blanc (Mauritania). Aggregate formation from a natural plankton community exposed to Saharan dust deposition resulted in higher abundance of aggregates with higher sinking velocities compared to aggregate formation with low dust. This higher aggregate abundance and sinking velocities potentially increased the carbon export 10-fold when the aggregates were ballasted by Saharan dust. After aggregate formation in the surface waters, subsequent sinking through suspended Saharan dust minerals had no influence on aggregate sizes, abundance, and sinking velocities. We found that aggregates formed in the surface ocean off Mauritania were already heavily ballasted with lithogenic material and could therefore not scavenge any additional minerals during their descent. This suggests that carbon export to the deep ocean in regions with high dust deposition is strongly controlled by dust input to the surface ocean while suspended dust particles in deeper water layers do not significantly interact with sinking aggregates.